Title: Stormy Forecast
Author: Viral
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. This is fan fiction: a fan's version of expression in which he/she wishes to portray a character(s) aside from or in addition to the creator's original concepts and/or ideas.
Author's Note: Thanks to Claudia for help with Siryn's accent. :)
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"Uh oh," Logan said as the tunnel ahead of them became filled with water and the sadistic laughter of the Shadow King. "Run!"
The other mutants took this as their cue and began to run in the opposite direction of the flooding water. Storm's body, inhabited by the Shadow King, remained untouched by the barrage of water that was ready to overtake the running mutants at any moment. "Finally, you are mine Ororo," the Shadow King laughed. "With your power no one can stop me!"
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Cyclops lead the pack of running mutants, followed by Rogue who was flying with Jean's limp body in her arms. Miguel kept a steady pace under Rogue's zooming body, followed by the figure of Wolverine. Gambit, who had not started running until the water almost overtook him, was far behind.
"It's a dead end!" Cyclops yelled as he turned a corner and was met by a thick, concrete wall. He attempted to knock a hole through it with his optic blast, but to no avail.
"I thought you could punch a hole through a mountain with those eyes!" Miguel yelled as he joined the mutants with Wolverine at the dead end.
Cyclops scowled before looking to Rogue, "Rogue, can you stop the water telekinetically?"
"Ah've been tryin' all this time! That's why it ain't get us yet, but it's too much!" Rogue shouted over the thunder of water. Just as all seemed hopeless, the ceiling of the tunnels broke apart following an ear-piercing scream.
"Siryn!" Cyclops shouted with relief in his voice as Siryn and Synch hovered down into the tunnel. Rogue flew out with Jean's body while Siryn grabbed Cyclops and Synch grabbed Wolverine.
Safely on the surface, Rogue prepared to go down to get Miguel. "Gambit!" she yelled as her green eyes widened at the sight of Gambit being engulfed by the water. Miguel would be next to suffer this fate. However, despite any hatred towards Gambit or the pressure of water that was ready to take him in its grasp, Miguel ran into the wave of water as it filled the rest of the tunnel.
"Gambit!" Rogue screamed, "Miguel!"
"We've got bigger problems than that Rogue," Cyclops warned as Storm's body hovered over the X-Men.
"Why don't ye just shoot her down, lad?" Siryn asked from her standing position next to Synch as they looked up at Storm.
"That's Storm up there!" Wolverine growled, "Just cause the Shadow King's inside of her don't mean we want to hurt her!"
"As if you could hurt Ororo if you tried," sounded the Shadow King's voice from Storm's mouth. Storm's eyes were white and sparkling with lightning. The bright sky suddenly turned dark with gray clouds. "Have you any idea what she can do?"
"Look bub—," Logan began, but was immediately caught off guard as to what would happen next. Even his heightened senses couldn't have prepared him for the 60,000 miles per second and 50,000 degrees in Fahrenheit of electricity that dove from the clouds and into his chest. The lightning shook and heated the air with intensity as the bolt continuously charged into Logan's body, leaving no room or time for healing as the electricity surged onto his adamantium ribcage. From then on the charge spread across his conductive skeleton and lit the mutant from head-to-toe like a firecracker until he lay on the ground as a smoky corpse.
When recovering from the blinding light Cyclops immediately noticed the dead body of Wolverine spilling out blood and steam. "You killed him!"
"I know," the Shadow King laughed through Storm's mouth as he took flight away from the mutants who stood astonished, fearful, and angered.
Now flaring with vehemence Rogue took flight after Storm's retreating body. Apparently going for a sneak attack, Rogue thought she had the upper hand. Silently she swam through the air at full speed, gloveless. She was ready to absorb Storm's abilities and put her in a deep coma. Then, only an inch away from Storm's body, Storm quickly changed course, throwing Rogue off balance. Rogue quickly turned around and now hovered, facing Storm.
"You actually thought you would sneak up on this body?" the Shadow King laughed. "Her entire mind and body is in an intimate relationship with nature. She knows where every drop of rain is falling and feels the struggle of each motion of a torrential storm. The wind tells her when you or anyone else is coming – she will always know!"
Rogue yelled, "Ya just killed three of the most important men in Ororo's life!" She was fuming with anger, ready to rip through Storm's body just to get to the Shadow King. "If you loved ya little Ororo so much ya wouldn't be hurtin her or her friends like this!"
"Who said anything about loving her?" the Shadow King hissed, "All I need are her lovely powers! Now move out the way before you taste it!"
"Maybe ya haven't figured this out since the last time we met, but Ah got a whole lot more arsenal up mah sleeve, sugah!" Rogue yelled as she called on Jean's abilities. She sent psychic bolts at the Shadow King's mind.
"Fool!" the Shadow King shouted. "If Jean cannot defeat me on the astral plane, what makes you think you could even try?" The Shadow King easily deflected the mental attack and looked at Rogue with pity. "It really is a shame you have to be so vacuous!" Within a few seconds the temperature in the air dropped far below freezing and with an added vortex of wind Rogue was beat with hailstones so thick that visibility in the air was impossible. The icy edges scraped at her clothing and skin before the skunk-head was forced to retreat in pain. Watching with Storm's cat-like eyes, the Shadow King kept note of where Rogue landed on the icy ground. With another vortex of wind a building was skyscraper fell over, crumbling above Rogue's head and covering the wounded mutant.
When the air cleared of hailstones, two fires blazed in the city and the sudden icy roads had caused several accidents. Synch had created a forcefield by synchronizing with Jean's telekinetic abilities to protect Jean, Siryn, Cyclops, and himself. Synch pointed to the rubble where Rogue's body was. They hadn't been able to see what happened after the hailstones began to fall, but with his aura Synch was able to detect the location of Rogue's live body. "She's under the rubble," Synch said before taking flight towards Storm's flying body. She was heading out of the city.
"No lad," Siryn said as she grabbed Synch's arm to stop him from flying away. "I take care 'o the Weather Witch, she is nae a problem. Ya help Cyke ta get Rogue out from under that rubble."
"If you say so," Synch said as he changed his direction and grabbed Cyclops for a quick flight to Rogue's fallen body.
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An ear-piercing scream sent vibrations through the air and knocked Storm's body off course as Siryn readied herself for a quick battle. Storm's body turned to face Siryn with annoyed eyes. "Child, I do not have the time for games!"
"Ye may have been able ta knock Rogue out of the sky, ye cocky witch, but ye can't fight me!" Siryn yelled, red hair flaring behind her as her voice sent out even more ear-piercing screams that felt like punches against Storm's body. Finally, entirely disoriented, Storm was knocked out of the sky by a louder scream from Siryn's multiple vocal chords. She landed on the roof of a skyscraper, sprawled out on her back.
Siryn was taking no chances; it was not necessary for Storm to survive if the Shadow King was going to wreak devastation through her body. "I'm sorry lass, but this is the way it has ta be!" Another sonic wave, more powerful than the others, were sent vertically downward towards the skyscraper that Storm helplessly laid upon.
The structure of the building was torn apart in one quick blast as glass shards flew in every direction and the building, another landmark of the New York City skyline, fell towards its fate on the concrete ground below. Nothing but screams and the sound of creaking metal could be heard above the faint sound of roaring fires, sirens, and falling glass. Dust and smoke filled the air with a black thickness as all went still high in the sky.
"I'm sorry, but I had to do it, me lass," Siryn said sadly as she hovered in the air.
"Sorry for what?" came the Shadow King's voice as Storm's body rose out of the smoke. Covered and protected by a circular motion of wind, Storm's body remained untouched by the debris.
"What? Ye couldn't have survived that!" Siryn shouted as she breathed in deeply to prepare for another attack. By now the Shadow King had caught on, and instead of waiting for this next attack to succeed, he continued to force air into Siryn's throat and into her lungs, increasing the pressure and muting the loud-mouthed woman. The pressure became too much with the incoming oxygen and the carbon dioxide that the body was attempting to expel, Siryn fell from the sky, unconscious.
The Shadow King inspected Storm's body. Minor injuries had came from the initial sonic waves, but nothing devastating – at least not as devastating as his attacks on the X-Men had been. He snickered with success. "I might as well take care of the rest of them now," he smiles as a tempestuous storm hangs on the horizon.
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"Cyclops, see if you can hold him off!" Synch yells as he leaves Scott standing alone at the mercy of the Shadow King who is ready to slaughter him with Storm's powers.
"Gladly!" Cyclops yells with anger as he rips off his visor and an unbelievable amount of energy is released from his uninhibited eyes.