Chapter Two - FIREBALL
The waters of the bay gleamed by the light of the early morning sun. There was not a cloud in the sky. A seagull, perched on the bright red supports of the Golden Gate suspension bridge, suddenly took to the air and, with a cry, headed eastward. As it did, it passed over the an island in the bay – Treasure Island. It was an apt name, for the current inhabitants of the island were certainly after riches. One of them was watching the seagull's progress, aided by an antique brass telescope.
'Good morning, Isabelle,' a man called to her. He was tall, with blond hair and a narrow moustache. Isabelle was also a blonde, though her hair fell halfway down her back in rivulets. She was wearing a lime green bikini and sandals. 'You ought to put something on over that, my dear,' the man commented. 'You know how easily you burn.'
Isabelle pouted unhappily at him, but hurried inside all the same.
'Quite a lovely young girl you have there,' commented a gravelly-voiced man, sitting in the shade of a tree. 'I do hope you're intending to share, Tomas.'
'You'll keep your chubby little hands off her, Caven, if you know what's good for you,' Tomas replied in a rich baritone. 'Beautiful she may be, but she's here for her talent.'
'And besides,' Caven added, barely suppressing a chuckle, 'you want her all for yourself.'
Tomas laughed. 'That may be, Caven,' he replied, 'but would you care to fight me for her?'
'Oh no,' Caven replied. 'I, a mere seer, naturally bow to your superiority in the matter of combat magic.'
'And so you should, Caven, so you should.' Tomas eyed his chubby companion with good-humoured disdain. 'But neither of us is a conjurer.'
'And that is where darling Isabelle comes in,' Caven concluded. 'She'd better be as good as you say, Tomas. I have a lot riding on this.'
'Oh, don't worry, my fat friend, she is,' Tomas assured him. 'And if you want proof, just wait until tonight.'
* * *
A few blocks further from the bay, Magneto sat with Storm in a crowded café. A cafetiere of strong black coffee stood on the table between them, as did two steaming cups of the same substance. Magneto, wearing a dark suit and navy blue tie, sipped from his cup, never taking his eyes off Storm. She did the same.
'So,' she said, 'what news from Professor Xavier?'
Magneto replaced his cup on its saucer and steepled his fingers. 'The students have settled in nicely on the island,' he began. 'Construction of the new mansion has already begun. Charles asked me to tell you that your suggested improvements have been incorporated into the new design.'
'That's reassuring to hear,' Storm said. 'Our defences have been breached once too often in the past six months.'
'I concur,' Magneto replied, 'and so, obviously, does Xavier. There is, however, something in his latest message that troubles me.'
'Oh,' Storm asked, 'how so?'
'He is worried for us,' Magneto began, hesitantly. 'He senses great danger in our vicinity, though he knows not what that danger may be. That coupled with a spate of disturbing dreams coming to Illyana Rasputin suggests something is afoot.'
'Surely a child's dreams are no cause for panic on our part?' Storm said.
'Perhaps not,' Magneto agreed, 'but do not forget that this child is also queen of an entire extra-dimensional realm. Her powers of prescience cannot be lightly ignored.'
'True,' Storm replied. 'So, what do you suggest we do?'
Magneto smiled. 'You are our leader. The decision is yours.'
Storm grimaced. 'Sometimes, Magneto, I really hate you.'
'Only sometimes?' Magneto asked, feigning surprise.
Storm ignored him. 'If we knew what the danger was it would help. If it's a threat to the X-Men alone then we should leave the city. We merely bring the danger upon the people of San Francisco if we stay. On the other hand, if it's a threat to the city, we can hardly abandon these people to face it alone.'
'So, what is your verdict?' Magneto asked.
'We stay,' Storm replied, 'at least until we know what the danger really is. Then we can take it from there. Oh, and Magneto, not a word of this to the others. No sense worrying them until we know precisely what we're dealing with.'
'Understood,' Magneto replied. 'I was about to suggest the very same thing myself.'
* * *
By mid-afternoon, traffic in the city was horrendous and so Jessica Drew had decided to leave her car at work and take the bus in to the centre. Work at the office today was practically non-existent, so after sending her secretary home, she had decided to take the rest of the afternoon off. It had been like this for a few days now. She had always been thrifty when it came to money, so there was no immediate cause for financial concern, but if this present drought of work continued, she might have to look for a new job. There was not even a wandering cat that needed to be found. Still, the X-Men had promised to clean up the city during their stay; perhaps they were looking after the lost cats.
She had become so engrossed in a well-thumbed paperback, one of Zola's novels, that she almost missed her stop. She hopped out on to the street just as the doors were sliding closed again. The driver gave her a nasty look and she smiled sweetly back at him. Am I really not allowed to leave the train when the doors are closing, sir? He turned his back on her and Jessica headed for the stairs with a sigh. It was going to be one of those days.
A few minutes later, Zola stowed safely in her handbag, she emerged into the sunlight. She paused for a moment to appreciate the freedom of the open air. Subways always made her feel slightly claustrophobic. She turned abruptly, heading for the nearest shopping centre, and almost knocked a passer-by off her feet in the process. At first, she did not realise who it was.
'I'm so sorry,' Jessica protested. 'Are you all right.'
'Yes, I'm fine, thank you,' the woman replied.
Realisation dawned on Jessica. 'Rachel, is that you? What are you doing here?'
'I just needed some fresh air,' Rachel insisted.
'If you want fresh air, you've come to the wrong place,' Jessica jokingly began. Then she noticed Rachel's eyes. 'Rachel, what's the matter? What's upset you? Come on, let's find somewhere to have a drink and we can talk about it. Okay?'
The pair ended up either side of a plastic table in MacDonalds. It was a place Jessica normally would not be seen dead in, but it had been the closest place where she and Rachel could sit down.
'Rachel,' she began and then stopped, unsure of what to say next. Might as well get straight to the point, I suppose, she thought. 'Rachel, what's the matter? What's troubling you?'
'I'm scared, Jessica,' the teenager replied.
'Scared?' Jessica asked. 'What of?'
'The Phoenix,' Rachel said. 'Myself.'
'But why?' Jessica persisted. 'What is it about her that scares you?'
'I've got all this power,' Rachel explained, 'but what happens if I can't control it?'
'You haven't shown any problems with it so far,' Jessica commented.
'Haven't I?' asked Rachel. 'Where I come from, mutants are hated and hunted. I hated the people who hunted mutants as much as they hated me. What happens if I turn my anger on the innocent by accident?'
'Is that likely?' Jessica inquired.
'When Kitty was assaulted recently, I attacked her assailants,' Rachel said. 'I almost killed them.'
'But you didn't, Rachel,' Jessica assured her.
'Only because Magneto intervened,' Rachel commented. 'And that was without my phoenix powers. If I ever let rip like that again, people will die.'
'Then you'll just have to control your power,' Jessica told her. 'You can do it, Rachel.'
'My mom couldn't,' Rachel replied, 'at least, not in your world.'
'And in your world she could,' Jessica riposted. 'You have friends here who understand your problems and who want to help you, if you'll let them. If you really want to beat this thing, you can do it.'
'But what if I can't?' Rachel demanded angrily. She lashed out, but not physically. A telekinetic fist crushed the plastic cup on the table between them. 'What if I lose it again.'
Jessica took the girl's hand in her own. 'That's not an option, Rachel,' she said. 'You'll see.'
* * *
Peter Rasputin sat on a bench in Golden Gate Park watching the ducks swimming in a fountain. He wished that he had brought some bread along so that he could feed them while he waited. Kitty was notorious for being late. It was one of the things he loved about her, though he could not fathom why. As it happened, he did not have to wait long. Kitty came running through the park a mere five minutes past their arranged rendezvous time. She had even thought to bring half a loaf of bread for the ducks.
'Did you tell them?' Peter asked Kitty as he removed a slice of bread from the bag and began tearing it into chunks.
'Of course I told them, stupid,' Kitty replied with a grin.
'Jest checking,' Peter assured her. After her telepathic message from Illyana, Kitty had confided in Peter first. He had told her to go and tell the rest of the X-Men. Peter knew his sister, and she did not send telepathic messages halfway around the world without a very good reason.
'Strange thing though,' Kitty continued as she hurled a piece of bread into the fountain, 'Maggie didn't seem at all surprised at the news.'
'Well, you know Magneto,' Peter said. 'Always likes to keep his true feelings well hidden.'
'Yeah, I guess.' Kitty still sounded sceptical.
'I wish Lockheed were here,' Peter said as the pair continued to bombard the ducks. 'He'd love this.'
'He'd probably eat the ducks,' Kitty commented. 'Anyway, he's probably best left at home. I dread to think how people around here would react to a real live dragon flying around.'
'Even if he is only a small one?' Peter asked. Lockheed was only a few feet from head to tail.
'Even if he is only a small one,' Kitty confirmed.
They sat in silence for some time, feeding the ducks. At length, Kitty said, 'Peter, don't you ever wish that you weren't a mutant.
'Yes,' he replied, 'then I could still be working on a farm in Siberia. Seriously, no I do not. I like having my powers and most of all, I like having the chance to help people.'
'Even if those people don't want your help?' Kitty asked.
'Ah, tovarisch, this is about those students at E.S.U.' Peter surmised.
'I thought they were my friends, Peter,' Kitty explained. 'Are people always going to hate me?'
'Human beings fear what they do not understand,' Peter said, 'and they hate what they fear.'
'You're just quoting Xavier,' Kitty complained.
'Yes, I suppose I am,' Peter admitted, 'but I've known the professor longer than you have and he has yet to tell me anything that was not true.'
'Doesn't it bother you,' Kitty asked, 'being hated by anyone who isn't a mutant?'
'Not as much as you might think, Kitty,' Peter replied. 'Even before I discovered I was a mutant, I had few friends. Now, the X-Men are all the friends I need.'
'I wish it were as easy for me, Peter,' Kitty confessed, 'but I like having lots of friends around. I don't want to be isolated from the rest of the world. I'm not sure I could live like that.'
* * *
The sun cut its path in the sky overhead and the people of San Francisco continued their lives oblivious to the problems of the city's newest super-powered inhabitants. By late evening, the fashionable restaurants of the bay area were already packed to capacity. In a booth in Maxwell's, one of the city's better seafood eateries, two of the X-Men were relaxing over a lavish meal.
'So, what's the occasion, shugah?' Rogue asked Wolverine.
'Well, last night you looked like you could use some cheering up,' Wolverine explained.
'So you decided to take little ol' me out to dinner,' Rogue concluded. 'How sweet.'
'Actually,' Wolverine admitted, 'it was Kurt's idea.'
'Nightcrawler?' Rogue mused. 'Now what's he up to, ah wonder?'
'Probably trying to make fools out of us both,' Wolverine commented.
'Well, I still think it's sweet,' Rogue affirmed, flashing Wolverine a smile.
'Least I could do,' Wolverine muttered, 'for a friend.'
'You know something, Wolvie, you've got a great big heart beneath that brash exterior of yours.' She reached out a gloved hand to stroke her companions arm. 'We should do this more often, you and I.'
'Yeah, maybe,' Wolverine stammered. His embarrassment was twofold, not only because Rogue was so obviously flirting with him, but also because he knew that her actions merely covered up the loneliness her mutant power forced upon her. His discomfort was cut short, however, by a large explosion that rocked the restaurant and shattered all the windows.
'What the hell was that?' he shouted.
' Let's go and find out,' Rogue replied, grabbing Wolverine about the waist and carrying him up and out of the building using the flying powers stolen from the late Ms Marvel.
The sight that greeted them out side of the restaurant almost caused Rogue to drop Wolverine in surprise. A massive fireball was charging through the city. Everything in its path was utterly consumed.
