Disclaimer – again, the following plot belongs to me, but the characters and everything else belong to Marvel.

Chapter the First

Trial by Fire

The courthouse was packed. Outside throngs of reporters were gathered with cameras and microphones, readying themselves for what had become known as the trial of the century. Along with the reporters had come the protesters. There were two groups, which would be expected since pros always came with cons. On one side were signs demanding justice be served for innocent lives lost three months ago, and on the other side were more signs, these demanding the release of the one about to stand trial. It seemed to be another celebrity trial making its way through the headlines, especially with the police force out as it was today with several squadrons lining the street and sidewalk, guns at the ready on their hips.

And yet it was not a celebrity preparing to stand trial. It was a mutant. His name was St. John Allerdyce, but most people knew him as Pyro, and as a result of his actions three months before on the Island of Alcatraz in which many soldiers lost their lives, Pyro was the moniker being used on both sides today. He had been captured by the X-Men, a mutant group widely considered to be the good guys in the war between humans and mutants, a war that had seemed to end with the battle on Alcatraz Island. After his capture Pyro had been handed over to authorities because his actions could not be justified, and the nineteen year old mutant refused to repent for all he had done. His only regret was not killing a certain other teen by the name of Robert L. Drake, otherwise known as Bobby, or Iceman.

It had taken three months for the government to put together a fair case since Pyro could not be pinned for all the deaths on Alcatraz Island, nor could he be considered the ringleader of the onetime mutant terrorist group, the Brotherhood of Mutants. The true ringleader was nowhere to be found, and as such Pyro would stand as a second best, giving authorities a chance to muster up some proof that they were doing all they could to see that justice was being served, and that the war was truly over. Unfortunately, they had not foreseen the hype that would surround this particular trial, or what it would eventually cause. They were not mutants after all, for if they had been they probably would have guessed long ago that the Brotherhood could never be destroyed.

At present however the crowd outside the courthouse was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the guest of honor, the pyromaniac himself. Inside was another story. Only a handful of individuals, human and mutant, were being allowed inside so that the room would be less likely to endure a riot with too many people vying to watch the events of this trial unfold. As a result there were two lines waiting to pass through a set of metal detectors. In those two lines was a small group of people that obviously belonged together if the looks they shared were proof enough.

In one line stood a pair of teenage girls, one with bright red hair and the other with hair as black as night, streaked with bright colors of green and purple. Behind them were two teen boys, one tall and muscular, the other dressed in a blazer and slacks. In the other line stood three more teens, a petite brunette with bright blue eyes, a boy with dark hair and a strained expression on his face, and another girl with a white streak in her long brown hair. Behind her was a man, this one dressed casually with sunglasses over his eyes and a bored look upon his own face. At the front of the line, directly before the teenagers were two adults currently speaking with the security guards in charge of the metal detectors, were a woman with short white and black hair that actually appeared to be quite stylish, and a muscular man with dark hair that seemed to be shaped in something reminiscent of a wolverine.

"Okay," said the officer with a wary glance at the burly man and another, quicker, look at the woman standing with him, "I'm going to call off names, so have the members of your group step forward when their names are called. We'll send them in without question—the judge already approved it."

"Thank you, that is all we ask," replied the woman nodding her head as she glanced back at the other members of her group standing in line. It had taken her the better part of an hour to get the security to take her words seriously, and in the end she had to resort to calling an old friend to pull some strings on behalf of her and her comrades. Sometimes it paid to have friends in high places, especially places as high as the United Nations.

Clearing his throat, the guard turned his attention down to the paper in his hands before listing the names aloud. "Marie D'Ancanto, Robert Drake, Remy LeBeau, Jubilation Lee, Ororo Munroe, Katherine Pryde, Piotr Rasputin, Theresa Rourke, Warren Worthington the Third, and Logan…Logan."

One by one the named stepped forward and passed through the metal detector as another security guard waved them through, each one going through without a problem. It was the last person called forward that had difficulty with the detector. The moment Logan stepped through the metal contraction it sounded off, making all those in line behind him cringe. With a raised eyebrow he turned to study the security guard with the paper in his hands. The look on his face clearly showed just how annoyed he was as another security guard stepped forward as though to search him.

"That won't be necessary Paul. There's a note here about the metal." The first security guard had glanced up and seen his companion on the move, speaking quickly to put a stop to any trouble the second search might have provoked. He had been too busy reading the paper all the way through to pay much attention as Logan had stepped through the detector. It was very much a surprise, and an honor, to have the infamous X-Men coming to watch the trial today. They had every right to watch it of course, but considering all they had done for the United States three months ago it was a bit of a shock to find the heroic group under the same roof as him. "They're all good. Let 'em go on in."

Logan inclined his head to the side in a sign of thanks, but all watching had the distinct feeling that the man didn't mean it, which he didn't. Logan ignored the amused look on Ororo's face as he turned to follow her and the rest of their group towards the court room in which Pyro's trial, or hearing to be more exact, would be held. He could hear a soft giggle coming from ahead of him, making Logan narrow his eyes at the brunette making the sound.

"It wasn't that funny, darlin'," he stated in a half growl.

Marie glanced back with a roll of her eyes. "Shows what you know, Logan. At least this time they didn't try to feel you up like the last time we were here." Her southern accent was thick, holding back a hint of laughter behind them even as she spoke. Logan shook his head, but didn't bother to correct her. A month ago they had come to watch the quick trial of one James 'Multiple Man' Madrox and Logan had been forced to endure an unnecessary body search before Ororo had arrived with an explanation behind the metal detector going off.

"Does anyone know how long this one is going to last?" The question came from another female voice—that of Jubilation Lee, Jubilee for short. She glanced between Logan and Ororo, letting out a groan at the looks sent her way. "I know this is a really important trial, but not all of us want to sit around and watch Pyro lie his ass off to the court. We all know he's going to plead not guilty. It's not like three months behind bars has changed him much. This is Pyro we're talking about—the guy lives for trouble."

"Says the girl who spends every waking moment in detention," teased Theresa from beside the Asian-American teen.

Piotr grinned at the dour look on Jubilee's face. "She has a point, Jubes; you're always in detention for pulling a prank on someone."

"Only for the ones I get caught on," muttered Jubilee with a frown.

"Have you ever thought about not pulling a prank on people and seeing where it gets you?" asked Warren as the group neared the doors of the courtroom.

"Where's the fun in that?"

Ororo shook her head with a smile on her lips. "Alright, gang, that's enough of that. Remember, we're here to observe the hearing. Bobby, Kitty, Piotr, be sure to listen to what Pyro says about Alcatraz Island. You're going to be needed to testify against him once a trial date is set. Whatever you can remember about that night is going be very important…and please, let's not try and get Pyro riled up. He may be in handcuffs, but that doesn't mean he's going to be here alone. There will be mutants on his side coming to root him on. We need to be alert, and on our best behaviors. That goes for all of you. I don't want a courtroom riot appearing on the six o'clock news, got it?"

Remy shifted from one foot to another. "I've got to agree with the petite femme," he murmured. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I don't think it's supposed to be fun," pointed out Bobby seriously. "This is a big deal. This is the only trial taking place for what happened on Alcatraz. Multiple Man never even got to that battle—that's the only reason he's getting only fifty years in prison. He wasn't involved in the direct deaths of anyone…Pyro was though."

"They say the death penalty is possible," added Kitty softly. "Otherwise he'll end up with a life sentence."

"It doesn't change a thing though," stated Marie after a brief moment. "Pyro used to be one of us. They're going to mention that eventually. It's already going around in the papers that he was a student at Xavier's."

"He chose his side. He turned his back on the X-Men and decided to be a terrorist," said Logan gruffly.

"But he was still our friend once upon a time."

The group was solemn as they filed into the courtroom, none wanting to contradict Marie's words. They all knew that this trial would be one for the books once it got underway. Pyro had been an X-Man in training only a year ago. Something like that couldn't be ignored, and while much of the public may be unaware of Pyro's connection to the X-Men it would come to light once the trial started up. Things like that couldn't be kept a secret forever, no matter how hard one tried to keep it so.

Theresa, Jubilee, and Warren slipped into the first three seats of the very back row, nodding to Ororo that they would be on their best behavior. Marie followed Piotr and took a seat behind him, reluctantly sliding over to make room for Remy. Logan and Ororo took a seat behind them, with Logan removing Remy's arm from behind Marie before she could do the honors herself. Remy simply shrugged and shot Bobby a grin as the dark haired teen followed Kitty a few rows ahead to take empty seats up there on the opposite side of the aisle.

Bobby made himself turn around to face the front when he realized that Marie still wasn't looking at him. It had been a week since they had really spoken; a result of yet another fight the couple had embarked upon on their two year anniversary. It hadn't been anything serious really, just another disagreement on how to proceed after graduation, which would be taking place at the end of the month. While Bobby had already been accepted to a local college Marie had yet to decide on one, though she was leaning towards something on the other side of the country just to be able to see a different part of the world she currently lived in. Bobby however, wasn't willing to move so far away to be with his girlfriend. He wanted to stay in New York and continue on as a member of the X-Men as well as pursue a degree in business. He had sworn up and down that he had discussed these plans with his girlfriend before their anniversary, but he had dutifully been proven wrong when college had been mentioned. Needless to say the pair had hit another icy patch, something that had not been cured along with Marie's powers three months ago.

From beside him Kitty studied her friend, allowing a small sigh to escape her lips. It pained her to see Bobby hurting like this, especially since she knew he and Marie loved each other. Reaching out to grasp his hand she gave it a quick squeeze, saying before she let go, "Give her some more time. You guys will work this out. You always do."

"I don't know, Kit. I think this time might be different. This is our future we're talking about. Marie and I want different things…she isn't the same person she was before she got…before…"

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe this is who she was before she came to the mansion?"

Bobby glanced at the smaller girl beside him, a smile tugging at his lips. Kitty always seemed to know the right things to say, making him grateful that they were friends. Her words were possibly true since he knew very little about Marie's life before coming to the mansion. Not many of the students talked about their pasts before Xavier's School for Gifted Children, so it was altogether possible that Kitty had a point and that Bobby was taking things out of proportion. "I should probably talk to her after this is over."

"You better, because Gambit's been trying to pull moves on her all day long now, and if you don't do something quick you're going to have competition."

Shaking his head, Bobby said, "Nah, Marie isn't into guys like Remy. He's too much trouble."

"She used to have a crush on Logan, remember?"

Bobby felt his mouth fall open even as he tried to conjure up a remark to Kitty's words. Luckily he was saved from having to say anything as another female voice interrupted his thoughts, and focusing his attention on a stranger in the aisle.

"Excuse," said the voice, "but is that seat taken?" She indicated the seat on the other side of Kitty which was very much open at that exact moment.

Glancing in the direction of the said seat, Bobby shook his head. "No, but we can scoot over for you so you can have mine." He motioned for Kitty to move down the pew, earning an odd look from her which he ignored as he went about making room for the stranger.

The girl didn't look much older than Bobby or Kitty, meaning she was around eighteen years of age. She was of a petite frame and wore knee-high leather boots with heels an inch long over black leather pants that hugged her frame and showed off the feminine curves she possessed on her lithe body. Along with the leather pants she wore a black form fitting short sleeved shirt and a black cargo jacket that only went down to her midriff. What was striking about this particular teen however was not her choice of clothing, but her hair; it was pulled back into a high pony tail, showing off the large silver hoops in her ears as well as the peach colored skin and natural beauty she seemed to possess. To top it all off the girl's hair was a bright green color, like that one would find in a box of crayons.

It was the hair that had caught Kitty's attention right away since it wasn't a natural color to find on a teen, nor was it one she thought could be found in any box of hair dye since Jubilee was fond of dyeing her hair odd colors every few days or so; but Kitty was pretty sure it wasn't the hair that had caught Bobby's attention, and as much as she didn't like to admit it, she found herself developing a pang of jealousy that she only ever had whenever Bobby was with Marie.

"I'm Bobby Drake, by the way, and this is Kitty Pryde." Bobby was already speaking, apparently forgetting that Ororo had hoped for them to be nothing more than silent observers. "Are you here for the hearing?"

The green haired girl flashed Bobby a grin. "Lorna Dane. It's nice to meet you both." Her grin faltered at the mention of the hearing. "Yeah, I'm here to hear it all right."

"Did you know someone on Alcatraz Island?" questioned Kitty curiously.

"I lost my father there. I'm here to make sure justice is served."

Both Bobby and Kitty nodded in understanding. Too many people had been affected by the events on Alcatraz Island; too many widows had been made, and orphans left behind. Today was to be a start for a healing process that would hopefully mend the wounds left behind in the aftermath of what had become known as the last stand between differing groups of mutants.

Today was the start of a new day.

--

Marie wasn't stupid when it came to her boyfriend. She knew she and Bobby were slowly drifting apart, and that eventually they would have to discuss their differences and what to do about their future together. So it struck her as no surprise that Bobby was currently chatting up a complete stranger with a pretty face. She had learned long ago that Bobby was just as human as anyone else in the world; in short, Bobby was a guy, but that didn't mean it hurt any less to know that his attention had been captivated by someone other than her. Marie had hoped that Bobby would grow out of that particular phase, the one that included the wandering eye, and commit to her like he had been asking her to do for months now…but it seemed he was doing a complete turnaround and running from her whenever she brought up the subject of their relationship and its future. Bobby and Marie had switched places when it came to their fragile love; where Marie had once been afraid to give Bobby her whole heart, it was now Bobby afraid to give Marie his.

"Forget about it, chère, you're ten times prettier than her."

The voice came from Remy who was seated beside the brunette, bringing a small smile to her face. The Cajun grinned upon noticing the smile, glad to see she could be cheered up despite the fact that her boyfriend was obviously very much taken by the green haired girl. What Marie saw in Bobby was beyond Remy's imagination, but he supposed it was the same thing Remy saw in Marie. She was nothing like him, and yet he was drawn to her, possibly because she hadn't fallen at his feet with every compliment he paid her. Since arriving at the mansion Remy had found himself a little fan club of younger students, and some staff members, taken with his charm and words spoken in French; all but Marie. She was too busy trying to salvage the remains of her relationship with Bobby to pay much attention to Remy, which immediately made her all the more attractive, not that she wasn't already. She was a southerner much like himself, of course she was pretty though Remy could do without the sarcastic remarks and eye rolls she sent his way. He could also do away with the growls Logan sent him whenever he went near Marie. The older mutant wasn't her père; he was ten times worse than a father.

Behind the pair Logan was shooting a dark look at the back of Remy's head, trying hard to keep his claws inside his knuckles even while he felt like bringing them out to wave at the Cajun. He didn't trust the younger boy, especially when it came to Marie. She was too busy going through what would probably be a major breakup with the Iceman to really pay attention to what Remy said to her, but if her heart broke Logan had a feeling Remy would be there to pick it all up and take advantage of Marie. It was that thought alone that irked Logan the most, especially since he had made a promise long ago to take care of her, and while she wasn't a little girl, or as naïve and innocent as she had been long ago, Logan still felt he owed Marie some sort of protection as long as she lived under the same roof as him.

"Calm yourself," murmured Ororo without bothering to look at Logan.

"I am calm."

"Don't make me send you back out to the car to wait for us. They're teens. They're fine."

"I know that."

"Then why are you claws coming out?" This time Ororo did shoot Logan a pointed look, making the other mutant mutter under his breath as he forced the claws back into his knuckles. Apparently he hadn't been paying as close of attention to his own self as he had been to what was going on in front of him. Logan blamed it on the lack of sleep. The last few nights had been spent with more dreams of his past. Nothing seemed to make sense in these dreams, and they always started out in the same spot, ending with him dripping in blood as he left the compound at Alkali Lake, but each time Logan dreamed this particular part of his history a new word or name would pop out at him, and each morning those words and names would vanish to the tip of his tongue, leaving him even more frustrated than before. The dreams had left him alone during the months after Jean's death—the first one. Then after she rose again as the Phoenix, and her subsequent second death at his hands, the dreams had started up again. Ororo said it was stress, but Logan had a feeling it was more than that. Being as close to the force of the Phoenix as he had been made Logan suspect that her raw powers had unleashed a part of his brain that had been hidden to him before, but latching onto that part of himself was still as hard as ever.

The courtroom quieted as the bailiff entered, leading in two sets of lawyers. The occupants of the room watched in avid interest as the lawyers began setting up their tables, pulling papers out of briefcases and pens out of coat pockets. It seemed the hearing would begin shortly. All that was needed now was the accused and the judge.

Outside the courthouse the reporters had fallen into a bored buzz of conversation as they waited for the arrival of Pyro. The day was growing warmer, and many were beginning to think that rather than show up for his own hearing, the pyromaniac would probably just send in a taped version of his plea. If that was the case then the day would be nothing more than a waste of time and money.

Just as people were beginning to believe the inevitable, three police cars pulled up in front of the courthouse. Almost immediately cameras began to flash and cameras rolled as reporters began to shout over one another as they vied for the attention of the police getting out of the car. It was no surprise that the media was ignored, for attention quickly shifted from that of the officers to the figure being led out of the police car.

Pyro wasn't a particularly tall person, or one that looked very menacing as he got out of the police car. He was of average height of a man and of a slender build. He had blondish brown hair cut down to his ears, and now sported the slightest hint of stubble across his chin. His look hadn't changed much since he had been allowed to dress up for the hearing. He wore clothes brought to him by his lawyers, which consisted of khaki pants, hard soled shoes, a blue button up shirt and a dark blue tie. While he didn't like the clothes it wasn't hard for him to admit they gave him a more innocent look than the clothes he had gone to jail in; and they certainly beat the orange jumpsuit common for all prisoners to wear while behind bars.

Shooting the cameras a cocky grin Pyro allowed himself to be pulled into the courthouse by the officers, two on either side of him in case someone decided to pull a break out. Pyro was led down the corridor of the courthouse until they reached the room in which his hearing would take place. Standing tall he moved down the aisle of the courtroom, his grin widening at the sight of Bobby seated in the crowd.

"Looks like the popsicle came to wish me luck," mused the blonde teen with a sneer. "Isn't that sweet of him? Looking at him now it's hard to believe we used to be friends."

Bobby gritted his teeth but kept silent even as Pyro was deposited in the seat beside his court appointed lawyer. He had hoped that some time behind bars would change his former friend and roommate, but it seemed the slammer had only honed Pyro's obvious dislike of Bobby, and vice versa. Bobby knew that nothing would ever sway Pyro back to the X-Men, and while it pained him to know that one of his closest friends had been lost forever, it also gave him a swell of pride that he was the reason Pyro was now behind bars. He had stuck to what he had known to be right and had prevailed. It was more than enough for Bobby to be content with how things had turned out.

"All stand for the Honorable Judge Matthews."

As one the court stood as a middle aged man entered the courtroom dressed in robes of black. He motioned for the court to be seated, and thus the hearing began.

--

Pyro was led to the front of the court and placed in the seat reserved for witnesses. His dark eyes wandered around the room, pausing on the faces of his former friends in the days when he had been an X-Geek. He snorted at the irony of it all. He had never really thought he would be sitting before a court about to plead his innocence, or guilt as everyone else already believed of him. Pyro knew he didn't stand a chance, and after listening to the judge state the reason why they were here, the mutant really didn't give a damn. He had done what he thought right, and nothing would ever make him change his mind. Besides, there was always the chance he would be acquitted and set free once more.

In his seat Logan shifted as his own eyes studied the various people seated in the courtroom. He smelled trouble, but he with so many people crowded together he wasn't one hundred percent sure where that trouble would come from. He had Ororo had known from day one that this hearing, and the eventual trial soon to come, would bring certain mutants out of the woodwork. The problem was that it was nearly impossible to tell which person was actually a mutant and which one was actually a human. But among them Logan knew there were old followers of Magneto seated inside the courthouse awaiting their chance to try and set their old friend free. It was inevitable that something like this would be attempted—even if the mighty Magneto himself was missing from the limelight. The X-Men knew that even without Magneto there would be someone running the little remains of the Brotherhood of Mutants, and that eventually that someone would come out into the open. What better day to do so then on the same day as one of their own came to trial?

"St. John Allerdyce, alias Pyro, how do you plead in the charges brought against you this day?"

Leaning forward into the microphone Pyro grinned. "Not guilty."

The answer had been expected, but it didn't stop the murmurs from starting up. In the crowd the X-Men each shook their heads or gritted their teeth knowing that this would turn into a very emotionally charged trial before long.

"I object."

The words were spoken in a firm voice, clear as day and heard by all sitting inside the courtroom. All eyes, including that of the baffled lawyers and judge, turned to see who had spoken up out of turn.

Lorna Dane stood, making sure everyone was listening before speaking, her words directed at Pyro. "You are a murderer."

"I am."

"You killed humans."

"I did."

"You would kill mutants."

"I would."

The judge hammered his gavel, trying to gain the attention of the green haired girl. "Be seated, young lady. You have no right to speak at this hearing."

For her part, Lorna only ignored the judge, continuing with her words. "You are a terrorist."

"I suppose I am."

"You followed Magneto without question."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Do you regret what you have done?"

"Enough!" bellowed the judge, motioning for officers to approach the teen. "You are excused from this court!"

Pyro's eyes never left Lorna's as he answered; his words deadly serious. "I regret nothing."

"Then you," stated Lorna, "are innocent."

What happened next came without warning. One minute the guards were approaching Lorna and the next their guns were hanging in the air, pointed at the heads of the guards, freezing them in place. Gasps came from all sides as Lorna stepped into the aisle, her eyes still trained on Pyro. Behind her she could hear the members of the X-Men standing. A small smile curled onto her lips as Logan took a step forward, only to freeze in his tracks as Lorna shot a hand in his direction, turning her body to face him.

"I heard tell that metal ran through your entire body, and until now I hadn't believed it. That only goes to show you can learn something new every day."

"Who the hell are you?" spat out Logan as he tried to move, but found he couldn't. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how it was possible this tiny creature in front of him could do what only one other man had ever been able to do to him.

"My name is Lorna Dane." Her head turned towards the front of the courtroom, past the guards with the guns still pointed at their heads. Pyro stood, the shackles around his wrists and legs falling to the floor. He jumped over the podium he had been at, grinning at the wide eyed looks of his lawyers. Turning back to Logan Lorna continued, "But you can call me Polaris." With that said, the teen brushed her fingers through the air in a sweeping movement, sending Logan sailing backwards into the back of the courtroom, breaking through the wall as he flew out into the hallway.

"It took you a long time to get here, Princess," muttered Pyro as he pushed through the dividing doors of the courtroom.

"I was busy."

"I bet you were."

Ororo nodded at her students as she stepped into the aisle, her eyes turning pure white. "I'm afraid neither of you will be leaving here today."

Both Pyro and Lorna turned to study the weather witch behind them with unconcern written across their faces as thunder rolled in the background. To one side Bobby was icing up his hands as Piotr encased himself in steel. Lorna glanced at Pyro with disdain. "Trouble seems to be attracted to you."

"What can I say, I'm a popular guy."

From the back of the court Warren stood with his wings outstretched, Jubilee right beside him with fingers fizzling purple and yellow. Theresa also stood, her eyes trained on Ororo as though awaiting the older woman's words to make a move. Standing in front of Marie was Remy, a deck of cards being shuffled about in his hands.

"I never liked your popularity," murmured Lorna.

"I never liked you, so I think we're even," replied Pyro with a lazy shrug.

"We'll need to work on that if you're to work for me."

"Whatever gets us out of here, Princess."

Events unfolded at an alarming pace with that one word. Out of nowhere a lighter appeared and Pyro had a ball of flame formed and flying in the direction of Bobby. Kitty moved quickly, phasing herself and Bobby through the unexpected flame as another ball of flame flew towards the back of the courtroom in the direction of Jubilee, Theresa and Warren. Jubilee dodged behind a seat as Warren lifted himself into the air. Theresa was already out of the way, so the flame never even touched her. Instead she opened her mouth to let out a sonic scream, only to have a hand clamp over her mouth, stopping the scream before it started.

"I wouldn't if I were you," murmured the white haired woman in a kindly voice. "You'll make her angry, and that wouldn't be in your best interest."

Theresa struggled to get out of the woman's grasp, but found she was growing weaker by the second. The sudden loss of energy oddly reminded her of the time she had the flu last summer, though this time it felt ten times worse. By the time the woman let go of Theresa her entire body had gone limp and her hair was drenched in sweat. She fell to the ground in an unconscious heap as chaos continued on around her.

Ororo moved to strike with lightning, but her concentration was cut off by the ground moving beneath her feet. The lightning strike went wild, hitting Piotr instead of either of the intended targets. The Russian mutant stumbled to the ground in surprise as the ground continued to move beneath their feet. It was like an earthquake hitting New York City for the very first time in a long while. The reason it had started became quite clear as a slender man with dark hair cropped close to his head, dark eyes, and olive colored skin stood up from his spot in the very first row of the courthouse. His fists were clenched and the ground began to shake harder, knocking humans down as they tried to flee the courtroom.

A card flew towards the newcomer in the front row, but it was whisked into the air by a rubber like object, exploding in the air. Down from the ceiling a man with green tinged skin dropped to the ground, hocking back what seemed like a wad of spit at Remy, hitting him directly in the face. The Cajun fell to the ground as the acid burned at his skin. Marie dropped to his side in an effort to tear the hardened spit off his face, though every attempt seemed fruitless.

From the back of the courtroom Jubilee stood, shooting a swath of fireworks in the direction of the troublemakers, only to see it bounce harmlessly off the gut of a very large man. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she gazed up at the large man in front of her, knowing then and there she didn't stand a chance in a round against him. Jubilee took a step back, bumping into Warren who had dropped to her side, his wings badly mangled from an encounter with the toad like mutant and his spit from only moments ago.

"You're with the Brotherhood?" Bobby's question caught the attention of Lorna and Pyro, both of whom turned to face the teen standing in a defensive position with Kitty behind him.

"Like father, like daughter." As Bobby moved to attack Lorna blinked, and five gunshots rang out in the room. Bobby froze with his mouth opening as he shook his head. Five thuds greeted his ears as he stared at the green haired teen in front of him, neither one saying a word.

"You…"

"I have no mercy for humans or those who protect them."

Pyro glanced at the entrance of the courtroom at the sound of sirens wailing in the background. "Sounds like it's time to go, Princess."

Lorna nodded sharply, moving to place her hand on the shoulder of a single man still seated in his seat despite all that had been going on around him. He was a pale man, reminiscent of an albino with his large pale eyes and pale colored hair cut so close to his head. He wore a shabby pair of pants, shirt and jacket, but there was something about him that made it evident he was one of great importance.

"Your time has come, seeker," whispered Lorna as she leaned close to his ear. "Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option."

"It never was," agreed the man as he stood up, his figure towering at six feet.

With a smirk Lorna turned to walk down the aisle with Pyro and the pale man right behind her. Behind them trailed the green skinned mutant and man with the power over the earth, which were then joined by the old woman with white hair and the giant blob of a man. Together the group walked out of the courthouse with no one stepping forward to stop them. Behind them they left a whirlwind of disaster, with five dead bodies to be accounted for.

Walking at the front of the group Lorna stepped into the New York City sunlight, gaining the attention of everyone standing outside as the sun shone on her green hair. Police cars screeched to a halt in front of the courthouse, but none stood a chance with a pyromaniac and metal manipulator at the helm.

One camera managed to capture the fight that ensued between the small group of mutants and the police, catching on film a massacre of the deadliest type. No mercy was shown, but fear was embedded in the minds of all who witnessed what transpired that day. In the end only one thing could be said of what happened.

The Brotherhood of Mutants had returned with a vengeance.

-End of Chapter One-

a/n – a cookie to all those who can name all the mutants used in this chapter. xD