Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from the X-Men
characters. Thank you to Corrinth for the use of her character Dr. Ilehana
Xavier. I do own Blaze, and appreciate authors not using her without
asking.
A/N: Reviews always welcome!
Scene 05
"Mystique, what a pleasure!" Magneto exclaimed almost sincerely. "How goes things with our little firefly?" On the other side of the video link, Mystique grimaced as she replied.
"Pyro is impatient, he wants to know more of your plans and doesn't like being left out of the loop. But he'll get over it."
"Good. It's best for the boy not to know. And the machine?"
"Nearly finished." Mystique stepped aside to reveal a shining steel laboratory, and in the centre a complex arrangement of operating table and computer terminal, restraints and mechanical arms. The mutation accelerator looked simply hideous. Magneto smiled.
"Very good. And ahead of schedule. But then, I expect nothing less from you Mystique. I will have the appropriate chemicals ordered and sent to your location as soon as is possible. Tell me, do you have any preferred candidates for the first test run?"
Mystique smiled, showing her white teeth against blue lips. She had one or two ideas...
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The land rover would have screeched to a halt, but the shifting golden sand muffled the noise. The sun beat down overhead despite the month. Blaze tugged her headscarf straight to tame her masses of wild curls and jumped out of the car, wondering when the last time she had worn sunglasses in February was?
Before her, reaching out of the sands like the arm of a drowning man stood a great pillar. At least part of what she had told Xavier was true, there was one tomb here in Egypt she was interested in seeing. The entrance loomed dark and foreboding below the pillar, steps lead to it from the paved deck above where the pillar stood, the last remaining pillar of four. Once a roof would have been supported on those pillars, providing shade from the desert sun. Blaze had already seen the tomb's contents, back in a museum in Paris years before. But what she wanted to see now was only to be found on the walls of the tomb itself.
With little effort Blaze conjured a ball of fire that danced on her hand. Entering the tomb, she sent the little light-globe ahead of her. It lit up steps that wandered steeply down, steps riddled with cracks and holes that threatened to send her tumbling head first into the darkness.
Deep inside the bowels of the structure, the dust had been recently disturbed. Somebody else had been here, possibly only days ago. Were they searching for the same answers as Blaze? In a flash of her powers, Blaze sent four more fireballs out to illuminate the corners of the room. Nobody here now, though. The first fireball danced above the patch on the wall where the worst of the sand and grime had already been cleared away. Yes, this was what she wanted. Symbols were written, carved into the stone, not Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, but runes that matched the ones on her ruby ring...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Storm shuddered unexplainably and Nightcrawler looked at her sideways.
"Are you alright, Storm? You look like you've seen a ghost? Or maybe someone has walked over your grave?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gambit wiped his bleeding nose on the sleeve of his prison uniform. The same instant, the barred door of his cell clunked shut and the guard removed his key card. He'd actually seemed jealous that Gambit had had some post this morning. Jealous of a single postcard now splattered with Remy's blood. The first post he'd had in nearly twenty-two months of being there. Gambit flicked it away sullenly and lent back against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose till the bleeding stopped.
It took a while before Gambit could dunk his bloody face in the washbasin. His nose wasn't broken, fortunately for the guard. Shaking the excess water out of his eyes and hair he went to pick up the offending postcard. Egypt? He didn't know anyone in Egypt. Puzzled the Cajun turned it over. He recognised the scruffy handwriting instantly.
Remy,
Trust you are okay, sorry I haven't been **in touch**, but it just doesn't work long distance. Still, nothing like snail mail, eh Ami? By my count its three weeks till you are out of there. Can't wait to see you, will come pick you up in style.
Take care,
Blaze (sorry, Laura.) xxx
Gambit had to smile, bust nose or not it was worth it just to know his little protégée was doin' fine... and in Cairo? Last he'd heard she'd been headin' for her old home back in England. Still, so long as she was okay and hadn't forgotten him. Three weeks had never seemed so long...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Snow fell heavy on the mansion and its grounds, glinting in the sunset. It was beautiful, all the manmade blemishes on the landscape blotted out by crisp white beauty. A knock came on Rogue's door as she leant out the open window, reaching to touch the cold snow with ungloved fingers.
"Come in." She expected Kitty, or maybe Jubilee. It was neither. Bobby pushed the door aside, creaking and came to stand besides Rogue at the window. The door closed again with a clunk.
"Bobby, I..."
"Don't say anything Rogue. Just, don't..." He reached out into the open air, letting the snowflakes land on his palm. But unlike those that touched Rogue's skin, these didn't melt. Silently he employed his power, capturing the falling snow in clear ice that rose steadily from his hand. Entranced Rogue could see the tiny, perfect snowflakes glinting through the ice. She reached out and brushed the ice surface with a finger.
"For you." He said at last when the model was complete, a phoenix of ice rising from snowflake ashes. "It wont last long but... I'm sorry Rogue, okay. I over-reacted."
"Bobby... Thank you, its beautiful." Rogue stood the model on the windowsill, where the cold air would preserve it the longest. Gently she reached up and carefully brushed his lips with her own, then quickly pulled away. She didn't want to hurt him.
"I better go." Bobby said hesitantly, "Sleep well Rogue."
"Yeah, you too." The door closed behind him. Rogue waited about five seconds for Bobby to make it to his own room, before tearing down the corridor in her nightclothes to get Shadowcat and Jubilee before the ice- phoenix melted...
A/N: Reviews always welcome!
Scene 05
"Mystique, what a pleasure!" Magneto exclaimed almost sincerely. "How goes things with our little firefly?" On the other side of the video link, Mystique grimaced as she replied.
"Pyro is impatient, he wants to know more of your plans and doesn't like being left out of the loop. But he'll get over it."
"Good. It's best for the boy not to know. And the machine?"
"Nearly finished." Mystique stepped aside to reveal a shining steel laboratory, and in the centre a complex arrangement of operating table and computer terminal, restraints and mechanical arms. The mutation accelerator looked simply hideous. Magneto smiled.
"Very good. And ahead of schedule. But then, I expect nothing less from you Mystique. I will have the appropriate chemicals ordered and sent to your location as soon as is possible. Tell me, do you have any preferred candidates for the first test run?"
Mystique smiled, showing her white teeth against blue lips. She had one or two ideas...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The land rover would have screeched to a halt, but the shifting golden sand muffled the noise. The sun beat down overhead despite the month. Blaze tugged her headscarf straight to tame her masses of wild curls and jumped out of the car, wondering when the last time she had worn sunglasses in February was?
Before her, reaching out of the sands like the arm of a drowning man stood a great pillar. At least part of what she had told Xavier was true, there was one tomb here in Egypt she was interested in seeing. The entrance loomed dark and foreboding below the pillar, steps lead to it from the paved deck above where the pillar stood, the last remaining pillar of four. Once a roof would have been supported on those pillars, providing shade from the desert sun. Blaze had already seen the tomb's contents, back in a museum in Paris years before. But what she wanted to see now was only to be found on the walls of the tomb itself.
With little effort Blaze conjured a ball of fire that danced on her hand. Entering the tomb, she sent the little light-globe ahead of her. It lit up steps that wandered steeply down, steps riddled with cracks and holes that threatened to send her tumbling head first into the darkness.
Deep inside the bowels of the structure, the dust had been recently disturbed. Somebody else had been here, possibly only days ago. Were they searching for the same answers as Blaze? In a flash of her powers, Blaze sent four more fireballs out to illuminate the corners of the room. Nobody here now, though. The first fireball danced above the patch on the wall where the worst of the sand and grime had already been cleared away. Yes, this was what she wanted. Symbols were written, carved into the stone, not Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, but runes that matched the ones on her ruby ring...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Storm shuddered unexplainably and Nightcrawler looked at her sideways.
"Are you alright, Storm? You look like you've seen a ghost? Or maybe someone has walked over your grave?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Gambit wiped his bleeding nose on the sleeve of his prison uniform. The same instant, the barred door of his cell clunked shut and the guard removed his key card. He'd actually seemed jealous that Gambit had had some post this morning. Jealous of a single postcard now splattered with Remy's blood. The first post he'd had in nearly twenty-two months of being there. Gambit flicked it away sullenly and lent back against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose till the bleeding stopped.
It took a while before Gambit could dunk his bloody face in the washbasin. His nose wasn't broken, fortunately for the guard. Shaking the excess water out of his eyes and hair he went to pick up the offending postcard. Egypt? He didn't know anyone in Egypt. Puzzled the Cajun turned it over. He recognised the scruffy handwriting instantly.
Remy,
Trust you are okay, sorry I haven't been **in touch**, but it just doesn't work long distance. Still, nothing like snail mail, eh Ami? By my count its three weeks till you are out of there. Can't wait to see you, will come pick you up in style.
Take care,
Blaze (sorry, Laura.) xxx
Gambit had to smile, bust nose or not it was worth it just to know his little protégée was doin' fine... and in Cairo? Last he'd heard she'd been headin' for her old home back in England. Still, so long as she was okay and hadn't forgotten him. Three weeks had never seemed so long...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Snow fell heavy on the mansion and its grounds, glinting in the sunset. It was beautiful, all the manmade blemishes on the landscape blotted out by crisp white beauty. A knock came on Rogue's door as she leant out the open window, reaching to touch the cold snow with ungloved fingers.
"Come in." She expected Kitty, or maybe Jubilee. It was neither. Bobby pushed the door aside, creaking and came to stand besides Rogue at the window. The door closed again with a clunk.
"Bobby, I..."
"Don't say anything Rogue. Just, don't..." He reached out into the open air, letting the snowflakes land on his palm. But unlike those that touched Rogue's skin, these didn't melt. Silently he employed his power, capturing the falling snow in clear ice that rose steadily from his hand. Entranced Rogue could see the tiny, perfect snowflakes glinting through the ice. She reached out and brushed the ice surface with a finger.
"For you." He said at last when the model was complete, a phoenix of ice rising from snowflake ashes. "It wont last long but... I'm sorry Rogue, okay. I over-reacted."
"Bobby... Thank you, its beautiful." Rogue stood the model on the windowsill, where the cold air would preserve it the longest. Gently she reached up and carefully brushed his lips with her own, then quickly pulled away. She didn't want to hurt him.
"I better go." Bobby said hesitantly, "Sleep well Rogue."
"Yeah, you too." The door closed behind him. Rogue waited about five seconds for Bobby to make it to his own room, before tearing down the corridor in her nightclothes to get Shadowcat and Jubilee before the ice- phoenix melted...