Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. Plain and simple. You won't find my name on anything connected to X-Men.
Thank you to "raven" and "dstrbd child", who reviewed the last part.
Enjoy, please leave a review.
~~~
Fireshower
~~~
Part 2:- What's in a Name?
John had an overwhelming desire to vomit. It was all his fault, his. It was because of him that Spark was dead. Why had he hesitated?
He lent back, closing his eyes and concentrated on breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out. He breathed in though the nose and out though the mouth.
He could still see her cooling body, still hear the terrible crack her neck made. The way her head moved in his arms, her eyes open and staring at the sky, never to see anything again. The complete and utter stillness of her body. The lack of remorse on Magneto's face. He could see it all.
John threw up.
~~~
Rogue lead him out of the Jet, his whole body rigid and still. John stared blankly ahead, as they passed other students. Word had spread though the mansion faster than the speed that they were walking, which meant that everyone already knew.
He didn't see the looks the other mutants gave him, the shuffling of feet, or hear the small words, meaning to comfort but how could they? How could those few words make it all go away?
"I'm so sorry Johnny." Bobby said, placing a hand on his shoulder. John stopped and turned to face Bobby, a cold, empty look in his eyes. Bobby almost took a step backward, out of sheer fear.
The look in his eyes wasn't a look of anger or hate. It was empty. So empty that he couldn't see anything of his friend in their. The look faded from John's eyes to be replaced by a hurt, tired look.
"Why should you be sorry?" John said harshly, blinking rapidly. "You had nothing to do with it." he turned away, physically removing himself from both Bobby's and Rogue's touch. He also seemed to remove himself mentally, curling up inside himself and hiding away from the world. Bobby puled his hand back and stared at Rogue helplessly. She just gave him a look of pain, raw pain for both the death of Spark and being unable to help her boyfriend.
John stood a little way away from them both, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the Jet. Even though he was standing a fair distance away, he could still see Logan.
The other man was standing a few feet away, waving his arms about, his claws shooting in and out with a worrying lack of control. He was talking - or auguring - with Professor Xavier, who seemed his normal, silent self.
Finally Logan turned, throwing up his arms in a sign of defeat. He moved up the ramp to the inside of the Jet. The whole time John simply stood there, his eyes glued to the scene, unable to look away.
//Any minute now, he's going to bring her body out, oh God, she's dead, she's really dead.\\ he chanted inside. Rogue stepped up to him and gently placed her hand in his pocket and pulled out his clenched fist, slipping her own gloved fingers into his.
Without tearing his eyes away from the scene that was about to happen, John squeezed the fingers, a sign of thanks. Rogue smiled and looked back to the jet, tears forming in her eyes.
Suddenly there was a roar, so loud that it could be heard from every mutant in the school. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction it came from. John and Rogue began to run, hands still held, towards the jet, Bobby a few feet behind them.
The roar had come from the jet, the roar had come from Logan. The three teenagers skidded to a stop at the bottom of the ramp as Logan came walking down, his arms empty of Spark's body.
"Where is she?" John asked in panic.
"She's... she's not there." Logan said slowly, a terrible confusion on his face. He looked over to where Xavier sat, only to see him as confused as the rest. John sank to the floor, both arms around Rogue, his eyes unseeing.
"H-how can she just be gone? She couldn't just get up and teleport herself off the jet now could she!" he yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He turned to Professor Xavier, silently asking questions, questions that needed answers. Answers that Charles Xavier just didn't have. John hid his face in Rogue's jacket, his shoulders shaking. Rogue bent her head, feeling hot salty tears fall from her eyes.
She couldn't bring herself to care that someone might see her crying.
"How the hell did her body just get up and vanish!" Logan hissed in Xavier's ear. The bald man shrugged his shoulders, a troubled look in his eyes.
"I don't know. There is something about this I don't like. I can not believe Erik is capable of such... senseless death."
"Believe it bub." Snarled Logan. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. He just killed her like she was some sort of bug."
"I'll use Cerebro, to try and find any member of the Brotherhood. Maybe they know more about this than we think." Xavier said after a short silence while he thought. Logan placed a hand on the arm of his wheelchair.
"If I were you, I would find the Brotherhood before he does." Logan said, nodding his head in the direction of John. "Believe me, once Pyro has had some time to think about this, he will go after Magneto. And I'm not going to let Rogue get dragged into this." The Wolverine removed his hand and stalked off in the direction of the mansion.
Xavier remained where he was, his head bowed, a frown on his face, deep in thought. He was so still that Scott thought he had fallen asleep. Scott placed his hand on the other's shoulder, intending to shake him gently and was surprised to see The Professor's head snap up, his eyes bright, not a trace of sleep in them.
"No, Scott, I wasn't sleeping." he said, a faint, almost non-existent smile on his face. He looked over to where the jet still stood, silent, empty.
"I suppose it has been completely searched?" he asked. "There is no way that a Brotherhood could sneak on board and steal her body for some purpose?" Scott frowned, completely puzzled.
"There is nothing on board that could suggest that happened..." he began slowly. "But we were all shaken, when we left the Jet... someone could have slipped out then. Maybe... why do you ask?"
"There was someone else on that Jet. Someone or something." Xavier said in a low whisper. "I sensed a trail it left. It's something I've never sensed before... it's something new." He wheeled his chair away, Scott paused for a moment then followed.
John was still in a boneless heap in Rogue's arms. They sat there in the quiet, each listening to the other breathing, feeling the heartbeat of the other one, as a way of reassuring themselves that they were both alive. It was growing dark before John moved.
"Thanks..."
"You're going to go after him." Rogue stated. John laughed, a low, bitter laugh.
"No." he answered. Rogue looked at him, one eyebrow raised in a questioning glance. John leaned forward, catching her lips with his own. After a few seconds they parted.
"I'm not going after him... not until I find her." he finished. Rogue looked at him, a new understanding on her face that was not there before.
"I know." she said, placing the gloved palm of her hand on his cheek. "Now I know."
~~~
Professor Xavier sat by the window, the last dying rays of the sun falling on his still face. He looked down at the garden, where the two teenagers were slowly walking up to the mansion, hand in hand. He sighed deeply and turned away, facing the dark of his room.
"Oh Erik." he said. He seemed to be speaking to the room, however he was talking to a old friend, his thoughts flying out in all directions.
"Erik. Old friend. What have you done?"
It may have just been a trick of his mind, his memory playing tricks on him, but he could have sown that a voice answered him, coming out of the dark and fading back into it.
"I do what I must."
"As so I, Erik. As do I." Xavier said.
~~~
Downtown L.A..
The mutant stared at the building, her eyes narrow. She stalked to the front door and pushed it open, climbing the steps that were directly inside the front door. She had got halfway up them when a yellow faced person stuck his head out of a door. Toad gave a yelp as he saw what he thought was the ghost of Spark climbing the stairs.
"Bugger! You're supposed to be dead!" he said in panic. He backed away as she carried on advancing towards him, her lips pressed tightly together. Toad stuck his tongue out but before it got anywhere near her she had teleported and reappeared a few feet nearer. Toad moved further and further away, wishing he wasn't the only one here. After leaving the X-Men the Brotherhood had split up each going to different safe houses in case they were hunted by John in revenge for Spark's death. The next day they were all too meet up at a certain location. Which meant that Toad wasn't going to be getting any back up any time soon.
"Spark..." he said. The girl raised an arm, still silent. He found himself backing further and further away until the coldness of the window stopped him. He was trapped.
"My name is not Spark." she said, her voice was intermingled with another. It sounded as if two people were talking at the same time, a man and a woman. There was also a metallic tang to the voice. Toad didn't have time to think about this however, as she pushed her arm forward, electrify flying out of it. It hit in right in the chest, sending him flying right through the window and down to the pavement below. The girl walked forward and looked down at the prone body, no expression on her face.
"My name is Fireshower." she said in the same double tone as before. She turned and entered one of the many rooms.
Inside was a single bed, a dusty cupboard and not much else. She looked round and nodded once or twice, seeming satisfied. She walked in and opened the cupboard, pulling out some red satin sheets.
She spread them on the bed before climbing on it herself and lying down.
"Tomorrow's going to be a big day." she said in her double voice. "People to see, things to steal, mutants to kill and all manner of fun things." Fireshower finished then closed her eyes.
On the pavement outside it began to rain on the still body of Toad.
TBC...
There you have it, the second part! Please leave a review!
~Sethoz
Thank you to "raven" and "dstrbd child", who reviewed the last part.
Enjoy, please leave a review.
~~~
Fireshower
~~~
Part 2:- What's in a Name?
John had an overwhelming desire to vomit. It was all his fault, his. It was because of him that Spark was dead. Why had he hesitated?
He lent back, closing his eyes and concentrated on breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out. He breathed in though the nose and out though the mouth.
He could still see her cooling body, still hear the terrible crack her neck made. The way her head moved in his arms, her eyes open and staring at the sky, never to see anything again. The complete and utter stillness of her body. The lack of remorse on Magneto's face. He could see it all.
John threw up.
~~~
Rogue lead him out of the Jet, his whole body rigid and still. John stared blankly ahead, as they passed other students. Word had spread though the mansion faster than the speed that they were walking, which meant that everyone already knew.
He didn't see the looks the other mutants gave him, the shuffling of feet, or hear the small words, meaning to comfort but how could they? How could those few words make it all go away?
"I'm so sorry Johnny." Bobby said, placing a hand on his shoulder. John stopped and turned to face Bobby, a cold, empty look in his eyes. Bobby almost took a step backward, out of sheer fear.
The look in his eyes wasn't a look of anger or hate. It was empty. So empty that he couldn't see anything of his friend in their. The look faded from John's eyes to be replaced by a hurt, tired look.
"Why should you be sorry?" John said harshly, blinking rapidly. "You had nothing to do with it." he turned away, physically removing himself from both Bobby's and Rogue's touch. He also seemed to remove himself mentally, curling up inside himself and hiding away from the world. Bobby puled his hand back and stared at Rogue helplessly. She just gave him a look of pain, raw pain for both the death of Spark and being unable to help her boyfriend.
John stood a little way away from them both, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the Jet. Even though he was standing a fair distance away, he could still see Logan.
The other man was standing a few feet away, waving his arms about, his claws shooting in and out with a worrying lack of control. He was talking - or auguring - with Professor Xavier, who seemed his normal, silent self.
Finally Logan turned, throwing up his arms in a sign of defeat. He moved up the ramp to the inside of the Jet. The whole time John simply stood there, his eyes glued to the scene, unable to look away.
//Any minute now, he's going to bring her body out, oh God, she's dead, she's really dead.\\ he chanted inside. Rogue stepped up to him and gently placed her hand in his pocket and pulled out his clenched fist, slipping her own gloved fingers into his.
Without tearing his eyes away from the scene that was about to happen, John squeezed the fingers, a sign of thanks. Rogue smiled and looked back to the jet, tears forming in her eyes.
Suddenly there was a roar, so loud that it could be heard from every mutant in the school. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction it came from. John and Rogue began to run, hands still held, towards the jet, Bobby a few feet behind them.
The roar had come from the jet, the roar had come from Logan. The three teenagers skidded to a stop at the bottom of the ramp as Logan came walking down, his arms empty of Spark's body.
"Where is she?" John asked in panic.
"She's... she's not there." Logan said slowly, a terrible confusion on his face. He looked over to where Xavier sat, only to see him as confused as the rest. John sank to the floor, both arms around Rogue, his eyes unseeing.
"H-how can she just be gone? She couldn't just get up and teleport herself off the jet now could she!" he yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He turned to Professor Xavier, silently asking questions, questions that needed answers. Answers that Charles Xavier just didn't have. John hid his face in Rogue's jacket, his shoulders shaking. Rogue bent her head, feeling hot salty tears fall from her eyes.
She couldn't bring herself to care that someone might see her crying.
"How the hell did her body just get up and vanish!" Logan hissed in Xavier's ear. The bald man shrugged his shoulders, a troubled look in his eyes.
"I don't know. There is something about this I don't like. I can not believe Erik is capable of such... senseless death."
"Believe it bub." Snarled Logan. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. He just killed her like she was some sort of bug."
"I'll use Cerebro, to try and find any member of the Brotherhood. Maybe they know more about this than we think." Xavier said after a short silence while he thought. Logan placed a hand on the arm of his wheelchair.
"If I were you, I would find the Brotherhood before he does." Logan said, nodding his head in the direction of John. "Believe me, once Pyro has had some time to think about this, he will go after Magneto. And I'm not going to let Rogue get dragged into this." The Wolverine removed his hand and stalked off in the direction of the mansion.
Xavier remained where he was, his head bowed, a frown on his face, deep in thought. He was so still that Scott thought he had fallen asleep. Scott placed his hand on the other's shoulder, intending to shake him gently and was surprised to see The Professor's head snap up, his eyes bright, not a trace of sleep in them.
"No, Scott, I wasn't sleeping." he said, a faint, almost non-existent smile on his face. He looked over to where the jet still stood, silent, empty.
"I suppose it has been completely searched?" he asked. "There is no way that a Brotherhood could sneak on board and steal her body for some purpose?" Scott frowned, completely puzzled.
"There is nothing on board that could suggest that happened..." he began slowly. "But we were all shaken, when we left the Jet... someone could have slipped out then. Maybe... why do you ask?"
"There was someone else on that Jet. Someone or something." Xavier said in a low whisper. "I sensed a trail it left. It's something I've never sensed before... it's something new." He wheeled his chair away, Scott paused for a moment then followed.
John was still in a boneless heap in Rogue's arms. They sat there in the quiet, each listening to the other breathing, feeling the heartbeat of the other one, as a way of reassuring themselves that they were both alive. It was growing dark before John moved.
"Thanks..."
"You're going to go after him." Rogue stated. John laughed, a low, bitter laugh.
"No." he answered. Rogue looked at him, one eyebrow raised in a questioning glance. John leaned forward, catching her lips with his own. After a few seconds they parted.
"I'm not going after him... not until I find her." he finished. Rogue looked at him, a new understanding on her face that was not there before.
"I know." she said, placing the gloved palm of her hand on his cheek. "Now I know."
~~~
Professor Xavier sat by the window, the last dying rays of the sun falling on his still face. He looked down at the garden, where the two teenagers were slowly walking up to the mansion, hand in hand. He sighed deeply and turned away, facing the dark of his room.
"Oh Erik." he said. He seemed to be speaking to the room, however he was talking to a old friend, his thoughts flying out in all directions.
"Erik. Old friend. What have you done?"
It may have just been a trick of his mind, his memory playing tricks on him, but he could have sown that a voice answered him, coming out of the dark and fading back into it.
"I do what I must."
"As so I, Erik. As do I." Xavier said.
~~~
Downtown L.A..
The mutant stared at the building, her eyes narrow. She stalked to the front door and pushed it open, climbing the steps that were directly inside the front door. She had got halfway up them when a yellow faced person stuck his head out of a door. Toad gave a yelp as he saw what he thought was the ghost of Spark climbing the stairs.
"Bugger! You're supposed to be dead!" he said in panic. He backed away as she carried on advancing towards him, her lips pressed tightly together. Toad stuck his tongue out but before it got anywhere near her she had teleported and reappeared a few feet nearer. Toad moved further and further away, wishing he wasn't the only one here. After leaving the X-Men the Brotherhood had split up each going to different safe houses in case they were hunted by John in revenge for Spark's death. The next day they were all too meet up at a certain location. Which meant that Toad wasn't going to be getting any back up any time soon.
"Spark..." he said. The girl raised an arm, still silent. He found himself backing further and further away until the coldness of the window stopped him. He was trapped.
"My name is not Spark." she said, her voice was intermingled with another. It sounded as if two people were talking at the same time, a man and a woman. There was also a metallic tang to the voice. Toad didn't have time to think about this however, as she pushed her arm forward, electrify flying out of it. It hit in right in the chest, sending him flying right through the window and down to the pavement below. The girl walked forward and looked down at the prone body, no expression on her face.
"My name is Fireshower." she said in the same double tone as before. She turned and entered one of the many rooms.
Inside was a single bed, a dusty cupboard and not much else. She looked round and nodded once or twice, seeming satisfied. She walked in and opened the cupboard, pulling out some red satin sheets.
She spread them on the bed before climbing on it herself and lying down.
"Tomorrow's going to be a big day." she said in her double voice. "People to see, things to steal, mutants to kill and all manner of fun things." Fireshower finished then closed her eyes.
On the pavement outside it began to rain on the still body of Toad.
TBC...
There you have it, the second part! Please leave a review!
~Sethoz