Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to any characters or settings from the
X-Men movie-verse, and am making no money from my writing here. I do own
Blaze.
A/N: An alternative to the Dark Trilogy, inspired in part by the X-Men Evolution episodes Day of Reckoning one and two. Enjoy and don't forget to review, luv Lamby :-)
What if?
(Musings of Professor Charles Xavier...)
What if? Such a powerful question made of such simple words. How do the choices we make influence our destiny? What if a wild mutant named Wolverine had left a helpless young girl by the roadside one winter's day? Just driven away and left her there for all of Hell to find? How many of New York's humans would now be dead if he hadn't made that choice that at the time had seemed almost inconsequential?
What if a teenager named Marie had chosen the extrovert John instead of the gentle Bobby? If Rogue and Pyro had been an item, would it be Iceman who now swelled the ranks of the Brotherhood of Mutants? Could any of them see the choice they made through to completion at the time they made their decision? Even in such days as these, there are few men who could boast such power over possibilities. But what if?
What if, on a dark Parisian night, a young girl unconscious in an alleyway after using her dangerous powers, had not been rescued by another mutant? The authorities she so feared would certainly have found her, but would that be the end of things for Blaze? Or would the French and British governments have tried to sweep the case under the carpet to prevent panic at the knowledge such dangerous mutants could come from such unassuming backgrounds?
What if, at sixteen, Blaze had been deposited however unwilling at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters? Surely her growing up would have been much safer, and she never would have heard the names Remy le Beau or Alessandro Jacobi? Would the decisions and associations made by Gambit be so different if he lived only for himself? Would he ever have found his way into the world of the X-Men? On which side of the war would he have chosen to put himself on?
What if we made choices differently as we wandered through our lives? Would the things we grow to fear in one existence be the very things we crave in another? Danger, friendship, passion, the excitement of breaking the rules... What if?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The four young people lay still as possible on the roof of the warehouse. They were two X-Men and two civilians, caught in the crossfire of a war that now threatened to rage out of control. Even as they watched their unsuspecting quarry, far off in New York Magneto and Greyton Creed Junior plotted and planned for the first great battle. Magneto's plans depended on convincing ordinary mutants that they could stand up to trained, armed men. And his persuasive tool was right now being loaded onto a truck by four more mutants. Ace was a powerful drug with effects that could cause a mutant's powers to accelerate, boosting confidence despite possible fatal after effects. It was up to the four on the roof to stop the shipment.
"I know you guys didn't sign up for fighting, but how do you feel about helping us stop those guys?" Bobby Drake spoke in frantic whispers to his student friends as his X-Man colleague the irrepressible Blaze inched forward on her belly to get a better look. Quickly she recognised Pyro, like herself an ex-student of the Xavier School, one who had betrayed them for the power Magneto offered. Avalanche she recognised too, it hadn't been long since she'd seen the files on Logan and Rogue's attempted taming of him. And Blaze never forgot a face.
"You can always count on us, Iceman." Havoc answered in a low whisper himself. Tabitha, known as Boom-Boom, only nodded her agreement, but she was sure they could do this. Blaze did not look back at her associates as she unthinkingly took command away from Iceman once more.
"Whatever happens, that truckload of ace has to be destroyed, understand?" The other three murmured their ascent at the spiky-haired redhead's words, each accepting her leadership. Blaze's big brown eyes narrowed, fire dancing behind each pupil as she tried to get a good look at the mutant named Quicksilver. All four of the Brotherhood of Mutants' associates had already helped themselves to supplies of ace, making them strong enough to heave crates about as though they were pillows. But in Quicksilver the ace had made his power for running fast accelerate so much that he was completely invisible to the naked eye, except for the trail of dirt and rubbish that worked itself into a tumult behind his passing.
There was one more man below them. He put much less effort into heaving the giant crates than the others, preferring to let his associates do most of the dirty work. Right now he stood leaning against the wall of the lock-up by the door, absently shuffling a pack of cards in one hand. He gave Blaze no clue as to his strengths or weaknesses, no idea about what his powers might be as the loading of the truck was near completed. The X-Men had to make their move, she would find out what surprises the strange mutant had in store for her soon enough.
"Hey Speedy Gonzales!" Tabitha cried out as she dropped to land on her feet from their perch by the van. "Try runnin' on this!" And with that she aimed fistful after fistful of exploding marbles at the trail of dust where Quicksilver had been running. At the same time, Havoc extended his palms and blasted Avalanche three foot into the air with a red laser beam. Iceman didn't have time to consider obvious familiarities as his old friend John faced him.
"Give it up, Pyro!" Bobby challenged him. "You never could beat me!"
"Maybe, once!" John spat back as Tabitha screamed, pummelled by the darting Quicksilver. The ground rumbled and the truck shook as Avalanche brought masonry down from the buildings around hem, near burying the slower-moving Havoc. "But that was before I used ace!" With that comment, Pyro began to change. His entire body developed a shimmering coat of fire, his eyes became translucent and orange, his expression one of hot anger. Fire, his own fire, not from some crummy lighter, danced around him, begging to be used to toast Iceman and his new friends. Pyro revelled in the feeling of power, everything Mystique and Magneto had told him was true, he was a God, and nothing could hold him back now!
Blaze faced her opponent with a scowl on her face, both parties dropping into a fighter's low, circling posture, eyeing each other up. He was a tall, dark haired man about six foot two with lean form and hard, red-on- black eyes, not much older than she was. The pack of cards he carried was still in his left hand, a single ace of spades in his right.
Without warning the ace of spades grew orange and glowing. Raising his arm he flung it in her direction, testing her. Unthinking she let loose a small fireball, consuming the card's explosion harmlessly in the darkness. He smiled thinly.
"Maybe," He slurred in a New Orleans accent, "You'se not the pathetic kids you look like? Maybe Xavier sent Gambit a decent present to toy with?"
"Gambit eh?" Blaze snarled back with her best Logan impression. "You never heard of a mirror? Only you've missed a spot shaving." She mocked his goatee beard with cruel feminine charm, before launching a quick succession of her fastest fireballs at him, testing him as he had done her.
"You never heard of a hairdressers, Cherie?" He jeered back after leaping athletically to dodge the fireballs. "Looks like you got a hedgehog on your head dat bin turned wrong way out." Blaze absently ran a finger through her dyed vivid red locks with haphazard blonde highlights; this gelled creation beat long, boring curls any day.
"I hate to tell you this, but your coat's on fire." Blaze smirked, extending a hand to encourage the small flames from the last fireball up Gambit's back. Furious the Cajun threw his trench coat off.
"Lets do dis."
There was a blast of yellow light as the van exploded. Despite Quicksilver's best efforts, the white-haired young mutant now stood aghast after Boom-Boom had gotten one charge in through the open doors. Ace, it seemed, was easily flammable. Using the Pyro's distraction as his chance, Iceman tackled his friend to the ground, ignoring the searing pain as John's fire tried to eat Bobby up. In a brave show of his power, Bobby encased them both in hard ice, cooling the flames even as Pyro tried to melt the casing. They rolled together locked in combat, for every new breath of flame Pyro tried to release, Bobby drained all his reserves of power to prove that even without the mutation accelerator drug he could still beat John.
Gambit was not as easily distracted as Pyro, knowing ranged attacks could be countered too easily he used his agility to attack Blaze with a rain of kicks and punches. For a few scant seconds he made headway against her, the ace giving him too much strength against the slight girl. But for her smaller size Blaze traded strength for speed and manoeuvrability, ducking under Gambit's rain of blows to hit in several fire-backed punches of her own. With a leap and a roll she escaped his cornering of her against the warehouse, spinning and kicking him against the wall from behind.
Finally, with a crack the ice around Bobby and John shattered, and both mutants gasped for air. John's eyes glazed over sullenly and Bobby let his friend drop against the ground.
"Okay, what just happened?" Tabitha asked, pulling Bobby away from the still body of Pyro.
"The ace lets mutants expand their powers, but doesn't give them the stamina or whatever to use them properly." Bobby gasped, pushing his hair back for his brow as he watched John's slow breathing. "Put them under enough of the right kind of stress for long enough and they'll wear themselves out."
"Wow, wish I'd gone to your school," Tabitha commented, "That's clever stuff Iceman!"
"Where's everyone else?" Bobby asked, looking round a little dazed.
"Quicksilver and Avalanche legged it just then when you beat Pyro." Tabitha put her head on one side. "I don't know where Havoc's got to. And Blaze..." She nodded her blonde head to where Blaze and Gambit battled ferociously, not finishing her sentence. A slow blast of red light creeping through a pile of old bricks and mortar alerted Bobby to Havoc's plight. With a burst of energy he hadn't known he'd had in reserve, Iceman, with Tabitha's help, started pulling the bricks and rubble off his friend.
Blaze blocked most of a frantic volley of blows from Gambit, landing a hard kick in his lower ribs and forcing him back, winded. Gasping herself, she took too long to press her hard-won advantage. He spun and grabbed her wrists even as she began to form her firepower, pushing her over backwards until he was on top of her, pinning her down with his weight.
"We got a problem here..." Blaze spat at her opponent, "I'd prefer to be on top!" She called on her power then, making her entire body too hot to handle, ever grateful at the back of her mind that the X-Men uniforms had been well flame proofed. Gambit gasped as she forced him to roll over, twisting his gloved hands as she took his wrists in her fists. The fire around her made the air hot to breathe and lit up the darkness like day as she shifted her weight to straddle his chest.
"Maybe dis ain't such bad a way to go?" Gambit jibed, ignoring the pain in his arms as Blaze burnt his wrists with her grip. "Between the legs of a beautiful woman?" He brought a leg up behind her and knocked the wind out of her for a second. Using his strength he forced her back now her grip was weakened, until he was sat up and her arms were in a lock behind her. Vaguely he was aware of a smell of fabric burning, his clothes, as he spoke again with his face close to hers. "But Gambit not really in the mood for dyin'."
Using all the power the ace had given him, he flung the X-Man across to the opposite building, standing quickly himself and closing the distance with a well-placed leap of his own. With one hand he pinned Blaze up by her throat against the brick wall, the masonry absorbing some of Blaze's power as she struggled in his grip.
"Dis bin fun, Petite. Shame we not met under different circumstances..." He held up a card to her, the king of hearts, a slight sad smile on his lips. Blaze stopped struggling, watched only his eyes as he put the card in her hand, charging it as he did so with explosive energy. But Blaze was no fool, knowing he thought he'd got her she suddenly raised her free fist and let loose a fireball of massive proportions. It sent the man crashing backwards, the card he was charging exploding as he dropped it, head smacking against the solid ground. He groaned once and was still.
"Why?" Blaze asked of the still body of Gambit. "You think a loser like you has a snowball's chance in Hell with me?"
Sirens sounded in the distance as Blaze gathered her worn-out and injured troops. Ordering Tabitha to prop up Bobby, Blaze took it on herself to support poor Havoc. Blaze's own exhilaration at finally being let off Xavier's leash tonight gave them all the boost they needed to get away into the darkness of the night. They left behind the truckload of ace burning, and Pyro and Gambit unconscious on the ground...
A/N: An alternative to the Dark Trilogy, inspired in part by the X-Men Evolution episodes Day of Reckoning one and two. Enjoy and don't forget to review, luv Lamby :-)
What if?
(Musings of Professor Charles Xavier...)
What if? Such a powerful question made of such simple words. How do the choices we make influence our destiny? What if a wild mutant named Wolverine had left a helpless young girl by the roadside one winter's day? Just driven away and left her there for all of Hell to find? How many of New York's humans would now be dead if he hadn't made that choice that at the time had seemed almost inconsequential?
What if a teenager named Marie had chosen the extrovert John instead of the gentle Bobby? If Rogue and Pyro had been an item, would it be Iceman who now swelled the ranks of the Brotherhood of Mutants? Could any of them see the choice they made through to completion at the time they made their decision? Even in such days as these, there are few men who could boast such power over possibilities. But what if?
What if, on a dark Parisian night, a young girl unconscious in an alleyway after using her dangerous powers, had not been rescued by another mutant? The authorities she so feared would certainly have found her, but would that be the end of things for Blaze? Or would the French and British governments have tried to sweep the case under the carpet to prevent panic at the knowledge such dangerous mutants could come from such unassuming backgrounds?
What if, at sixteen, Blaze had been deposited however unwilling at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters? Surely her growing up would have been much safer, and she never would have heard the names Remy le Beau or Alessandro Jacobi? Would the decisions and associations made by Gambit be so different if he lived only for himself? Would he ever have found his way into the world of the X-Men? On which side of the war would he have chosen to put himself on?
What if we made choices differently as we wandered through our lives? Would the things we grow to fear in one existence be the very things we crave in another? Danger, friendship, passion, the excitement of breaking the rules... What if?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The four young people lay still as possible on the roof of the warehouse. They were two X-Men and two civilians, caught in the crossfire of a war that now threatened to rage out of control. Even as they watched their unsuspecting quarry, far off in New York Magneto and Greyton Creed Junior plotted and planned for the first great battle. Magneto's plans depended on convincing ordinary mutants that they could stand up to trained, armed men. And his persuasive tool was right now being loaded onto a truck by four more mutants. Ace was a powerful drug with effects that could cause a mutant's powers to accelerate, boosting confidence despite possible fatal after effects. It was up to the four on the roof to stop the shipment.
"I know you guys didn't sign up for fighting, but how do you feel about helping us stop those guys?" Bobby Drake spoke in frantic whispers to his student friends as his X-Man colleague the irrepressible Blaze inched forward on her belly to get a better look. Quickly she recognised Pyro, like herself an ex-student of the Xavier School, one who had betrayed them for the power Magneto offered. Avalanche she recognised too, it hadn't been long since she'd seen the files on Logan and Rogue's attempted taming of him. And Blaze never forgot a face.
"You can always count on us, Iceman." Havoc answered in a low whisper himself. Tabitha, known as Boom-Boom, only nodded her agreement, but she was sure they could do this. Blaze did not look back at her associates as she unthinkingly took command away from Iceman once more.
"Whatever happens, that truckload of ace has to be destroyed, understand?" The other three murmured their ascent at the spiky-haired redhead's words, each accepting her leadership. Blaze's big brown eyes narrowed, fire dancing behind each pupil as she tried to get a good look at the mutant named Quicksilver. All four of the Brotherhood of Mutants' associates had already helped themselves to supplies of ace, making them strong enough to heave crates about as though they were pillows. But in Quicksilver the ace had made his power for running fast accelerate so much that he was completely invisible to the naked eye, except for the trail of dirt and rubbish that worked itself into a tumult behind his passing.
There was one more man below them. He put much less effort into heaving the giant crates than the others, preferring to let his associates do most of the dirty work. Right now he stood leaning against the wall of the lock-up by the door, absently shuffling a pack of cards in one hand. He gave Blaze no clue as to his strengths or weaknesses, no idea about what his powers might be as the loading of the truck was near completed. The X-Men had to make their move, she would find out what surprises the strange mutant had in store for her soon enough.
"Hey Speedy Gonzales!" Tabitha cried out as she dropped to land on her feet from their perch by the van. "Try runnin' on this!" And with that she aimed fistful after fistful of exploding marbles at the trail of dust where Quicksilver had been running. At the same time, Havoc extended his palms and blasted Avalanche three foot into the air with a red laser beam. Iceman didn't have time to consider obvious familiarities as his old friend John faced him.
"Give it up, Pyro!" Bobby challenged him. "You never could beat me!"
"Maybe, once!" John spat back as Tabitha screamed, pummelled by the darting Quicksilver. The ground rumbled and the truck shook as Avalanche brought masonry down from the buildings around hem, near burying the slower-moving Havoc. "But that was before I used ace!" With that comment, Pyro began to change. His entire body developed a shimmering coat of fire, his eyes became translucent and orange, his expression one of hot anger. Fire, his own fire, not from some crummy lighter, danced around him, begging to be used to toast Iceman and his new friends. Pyro revelled in the feeling of power, everything Mystique and Magneto had told him was true, he was a God, and nothing could hold him back now!
Blaze faced her opponent with a scowl on her face, both parties dropping into a fighter's low, circling posture, eyeing each other up. He was a tall, dark haired man about six foot two with lean form and hard, red-on- black eyes, not much older than she was. The pack of cards he carried was still in his left hand, a single ace of spades in his right.
Without warning the ace of spades grew orange and glowing. Raising his arm he flung it in her direction, testing her. Unthinking she let loose a small fireball, consuming the card's explosion harmlessly in the darkness. He smiled thinly.
"Maybe," He slurred in a New Orleans accent, "You'se not the pathetic kids you look like? Maybe Xavier sent Gambit a decent present to toy with?"
"Gambit eh?" Blaze snarled back with her best Logan impression. "You never heard of a mirror? Only you've missed a spot shaving." She mocked his goatee beard with cruel feminine charm, before launching a quick succession of her fastest fireballs at him, testing him as he had done her.
"You never heard of a hairdressers, Cherie?" He jeered back after leaping athletically to dodge the fireballs. "Looks like you got a hedgehog on your head dat bin turned wrong way out." Blaze absently ran a finger through her dyed vivid red locks with haphazard blonde highlights; this gelled creation beat long, boring curls any day.
"I hate to tell you this, but your coat's on fire." Blaze smirked, extending a hand to encourage the small flames from the last fireball up Gambit's back. Furious the Cajun threw his trench coat off.
"Lets do dis."
There was a blast of yellow light as the van exploded. Despite Quicksilver's best efforts, the white-haired young mutant now stood aghast after Boom-Boom had gotten one charge in through the open doors. Ace, it seemed, was easily flammable. Using the Pyro's distraction as his chance, Iceman tackled his friend to the ground, ignoring the searing pain as John's fire tried to eat Bobby up. In a brave show of his power, Bobby encased them both in hard ice, cooling the flames even as Pyro tried to melt the casing. They rolled together locked in combat, for every new breath of flame Pyro tried to release, Bobby drained all his reserves of power to prove that even without the mutation accelerator drug he could still beat John.
Gambit was not as easily distracted as Pyro, knowing ranged attacks could be countered too easily he used his agility to attack Blaze with a rain of kicks and punches. For a few scant seconds he made headway against her, the ace giving him too much strength against the slight girl. But for her smaller size Blaze traded strength for speed and manoeuvrability, ducking under Gambit's rain of blows to hit in several fire-backed punches of her own. With a leap and a roll she escaped his cornering of her against the warehouse, spinning and kicking him against the wall from behind.
Finally, with a crack the ice around Bobby and John shattered, and both mutants gasped for air. John's eyes glazed over sullenly and Bobby let his friend drop against the ground.
"Okay, what just happened?" Tabitha asked, pulling Bobby away from the still body of Pyro.
"The ace lets mutants expand their powers, but doesn't give them the stamina or whatever to use them properly." Bobby gasped, pushing his hair back for his brow as he watched John's slow breathing. "Put them under enough of the right kind of stress for long enough and they'll wear themselves out."
"Wow, wish I'd gone to your school," Tabitha commented, "That's clever stuff Iceman!"
"Where's everyone else?" Bobby asked, looking round a little dazed.
"Quicksilver and Avalanche legged it just then when you beat Pyro." Tabitha put her head on one side. "I don't know where Havoc's got to. And Blaze..." She nodded her blonde head to where Blaze and Gambit battled ferociously, not finishing her sentence. A slow blast of red light creeping through a pile of old bricks and mortar alerted Bobby to Havoc's plight. With a burst of energy he hadn't known he'd had in reserve, Iceman, with Tabitha's help, started pulling the bricks and rubble off his friend.
Blaze blocked most of a frantic volley of blows from Gambit, landing a hard kick in his lower ribs and forcing him back, winded. Gasping herself, she took too long to press her hard-won advantage. He spun and grabbed her wrists even as she began to form her firepower, pushing her over backwards until he was on top of her, pinning her down with his weight.
"We got a problem here..." Blaze spat at her opponent, "I'd prefer to be on top!" She called on her power then, making her entire body too hot to handle, ever grateful at the back of her mind that the X-Men uniforms had been well flame proofed. Gambit gasped as she forced him to roll over, twisting his gloved hands as she took his wrists in her fists. The fire around her made the air hot to breathe and lit up the darkness like day as she shifted her weight to straddle his chest.
"Maybe dis ain't such bad a way to go?" Gambit jibed, ignoring the pain in his arms as Blaze burnt his wrists with her grip. "Between the legs of a beautiful woman?" He brought a leg up behind her and knocked the wind out of her for a second. Using his strength he forced her back now her grip was weakened, until he was sat up and her arms were in a lock behind her. Vaguely he was aware of a smell of fabric burning, his clothes, as he spoke again with his face close to hers. "But Gambit not really in the mood for dyin'."
Using all the power the ace had given him, he flung the X-Man across to the opposite building, standing quickly himself and closing the distance with a well-placed leap of his own. With one hand he pinned Blaze up by her throat against the brick wall, the masonry absorbing some of Blaze's power as she struggled in his grip.
"Dis bin fun, Petite. Shame we not met under different circumstances..." He held up a card to her, the king of hearts, a slight sad smile on his lips. Blaze stopped struggling, watched only his eyes as he put the card in her hand, charging it as he did so with explosive energy. But Blaze was no fool, knowing he thought he'd got her she suddenly raised her free fist and let loose a fireball of massive proportions. It sent the man crashing backwards, the card he was charging exploding as he dropped it, head smacking against the solid ground. He groaned once and was still.
"Why?" Blaze asked of the still body of Gambit. "You think a loser like you has a snowball's chance in Hell with me?"
Sirens sounded in the distance as Blaze gathered her worn-out and injured troops. Ordering Tabitha to prop up Bobby, Blaze took it on herself to support poor Havoc. Blaze's own exhilaration at finally being let off Xavier's leash tonight gave them all the boost they needed to get away into the darkness of the night. They left behind the truckload of ace burning, and Pyro and Gambit unconscious on the ground...