Chapter 6
Firestorm
Everyone was assembled in the library: Jean, Scott, Evan, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Wolverine, and Bobby.
"Everyone," the Professor said, "I would like you to meet Aidan Anderson."
Everyone warmly greeted Aidan.
"Hi..." Aidan said, slightly nervous. She never did enjoy public speaking.
The Professor introduced each X-Man individually and told Aidan what their powers were.
"So," Kitty asked, "like, what do you do?"
Aidan looked at the Professor, who nodded, and then to the others.
Aidan closed her eyes and raised her hands in front of her. Everyone watched intently as Aidan's hands began to smoke. She made a ball with her hands and opened her eyes, which had changed to the glowing red on black. When Aidan opened her hands, there was a baseball-sized ball of fire in her left hand. She moved her right hand in a circle and the ball began to elongate into a tornado. It grew larger and larger until Aidan had to use both hands to control its intensity. Suddenly the tornado burst into an eight-foot tall dragon. It flapped its wings a few times and then disappeared. Aidan's eyes returned to normal.
"I'm a pyrokinetic," Aidan stated matter-of-factly. "You can call me Firestorm."
* * *
Jennie and Gambit returned home later that evening. As they were walking up the driveway, St. John threw open the front door.
"Oi! Where were you blokes all day? The Tin Man and I were gettin' worried."
"Oh, nowhere," Jennie said, "just out destroying the wharf district."
"And you di'n't invite me?" St. John looked hurt. "How rude."
"Go turn on da news. Gambit bet dey do an exposé."
Sure enough, when St. John turned on the news there was footage of the two of them destroying the pier. In the background, an "unnamed civilian" was knocked out on the ground.
"By Crickey, that sheila looks familiar," Pyro muttered. "Where 'ave I seen 'er before?"
"That is nonsense, my friend," Colossus said, sitting in the Lay-Z-Boy. "You haven't been out of the house long enough to meet any women."
"That's it!" Pyro yelled, jumping up. "That day I fried the bunnies at the rock quarry! That's when I saw 'er!"
Gambit and Jennie exchanged worried glances. Great. Now they'll have to up St. John's medication; he was already up to 700mgs of Valium as it is.
"She wasn't a civilian, was she, mate?" he said, nose to nose with Gambit.
"No," he said, "dat femme is a kick ass fire starter."
"I knew it!" Pyro yelled gleefully. "That's my sheila! The Fire Goddess from the alley! I 'ave to find 'er! What'd you do with 'er, mate?"
"Uhhhh..." Neither Gambit nor Jennie knew what to say.
The grin on Pyro's face melted away. "You did stash 'er somewhere, right?"
"No," Jennie said bluntly. "We basically left her there."
"What?! You left me sheila to the wolves?! 'Ow could you?!" Pyro exited the room.
Jennie looked at Colossus. "That's why you didn't go, isn't it? You knew this was gonna happen, didn't you?"
Colossus tilted his head. "A wise man once told me: **Speaks in Russian**." He then got up and exited the room.
Jennie looked at Gambit. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"S'all Greek to me, chère."
"Russian!" Colossus called from the kitchen. "I speak Russian!"
* * *
That evening at the Xavier Institute, Aidan was outside watching the younger students play mutant ball, when Scott walked up to her.
"So, Aidan." He sat down next to her on the fountain. "How are you?"
"Scott, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm fine," Aidan answered. "My head still hurts a bit, but otherwise I'm just ducky."
"I'd be surprised if your head didn't hurt. Tsunami hit you against that wall pretty hard. You were out cold for a good five or six hours."
"Tsunami? Was that the girl in the blue?"
"Yeah. The Cajun was her teammate Gambit-"
"Though rumor has it, they're, like, a lot more than teammates," Kitty said, phasing up next to Scott.
"Kitty! I wish you wouldn't do that!" Scott yelled.
"Like, sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing."
"You mean eavesdropping." Scott glared at her, well, as well as he could through those shades.
"Whatever." Kitty dismissed his glare with a wave of her hand and then turned her attention to Aidan. "So, anyway, are you doing ok?"
"Yeah," Aidan said, automatically disliking the valley-girl-speak. "A little confused, but other than that and a massive migraine, I'm doin' all right."
"That's cool," Kitty said. "Well, I've gotta get going, but I hope you totally like it here!" She phased through the ground.
"So, Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"Exactly what happened to me? I don't remember too much."
"Well." Scott pulled his left knee up to his chin. "I'm not sure exactly what happened before we got there, but I'll try to fill ya in. The Prof told Jean, Logan, Ororo, and me about the mutant activity at the wharf: Gambit, Tsunami, and an unknown mutant. We showed up just as you were picked up by a cyclone and tossed into the warehouse wall. Tsunami and Gambit made a break for it and we brought you back to the Institute to recover."
"Oh."
"What were you doing at the wharf anyway?"
"I don't exactly remember," Aidan lied. She recognized Scott. He and Evan had been chasing the fire starter the other day. If Scott knew that she was looking for the fire starter, he may not be so friendly. Besides, she had heard of the good Professor and his X-Men when all that Apocalypse stuff was on the news. They were the good guys.
"Oh. Um... would you like me to show you around?" Scott asked, blushing slightly. "I mean, unless you have other plans or... something..."
Aidan smirked. "Sure."
She stood and followed Scott toward the mansion.
From behind a tree, Jean Grey glared ruefully at them.
Firestorm
Everyone was assembled in the library: Jean, Scott, Evan, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Wolverine, and Bobby.
"Everyone," the Professor said, "I would like you to meet Aidan Anderson."
Everyone warmly greeted Aidan.
"Hi..." Aidan said, slightly nervous. She never did enjoy public speaking.
The Professor introduced each X-Man individually and told Aidan what their powers were.
"So," Kitty asked, "like, what do you do?"
Aidan looked at the Professor, who nodded, and then to the others.
Aidan closed her eyes and raised her hands in front of her. Everyone watched intently as Aidan's hands began to smoke. She made a ball with her hands and opened her eyes, which had changed to the glowing red on black. When Aidan opened her hands, there was a baseball-sized ball of fire in her left hand. She moved her right hand in a circle and the ball began to elongate into a tornado. It grew larger and larger until Aidan had to use both hands to control its intensity. Suddenly the tornado burst into an eight-foot tall dragon. It flapped its wings a few times and then disappeared. Aidan's eyes returned to normal.
"I'm a pyrokinetic," Aidan stated matter-of-factly. "You can call me Firestorm."
* * *
Jennie and Gambit returned home later that evening. As they were walking up the driveway, St. John threw open the front door.
"Oi! Where were you blokes all day? The Tin Man and I were gettin' worried."
"Oh, nowhere," Jennie said, "just out destroying the wharf district."
"And you di'n't invite me?" St. John looked hurt. "How rude."
"Go turn on da news. Gambit bet dey do an exposé."
Sure enough, when St. John turned on the news there was footage of the two of them destroying the pier. In the background, an "unnamed civilian" was knocked out on the ground.
"By Crickey, that sheila looks familiar," Pyro muttered. "Where 'ave I seen 'er before?"
"That is nonsense, my friend," Colossus said, sitting in the Lay-Z-Boy. "You haven't been out of the house long enough to meet any women."
"That's it!" Pyro yelled, jumping up. "That day I fried the bunnies at the rock quarry! That's when I saw 'er!"
Gambit and Jennie exchanged worried glances. Great. Now they'll have to up St. John's medication; he was already up to 700mgs of Valium as it is.
"She wasn't a civilian, was she, mate?" he said, nose to nose with Gambit.
"No," he said, "dat femme is a kick ass fire starter."
"I knew it!" Pyro yelled gleefully. "That's my sheila! The Fire Goddess from the alley! I 'ave to find 'er! What'd you do with 'er, mate?"
"Uhhhh..." Neither Gambit nor Jennie knew what to say.
The grin on Pyro's face melted away. "You did stash 'er somewhere, right?"
"No," Jennie said bluntly. "We basically left her there."
"What?! You left me sheila to the wolves?! 'Ow could you?!" Pyro exited the room.
Jennie looked at Colossus. "That's why you didn't go, isn't it? You knew this was gonna happen, didn't you?"
Colossus tilted his head. "A wise man once told me: **Speaks in Russian**." He then got up and exited the room.
Jennie looked at Gambit. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"S'all Greek to me, chère."
"Russian!" Colossus called from the kitchen. "I speak Russian!"
* * *
That evening at the Xavier Institute, Aidan was outside watching the younger students play mutant ball, when Scott walked up to her.
"So, Aidan." He sat down next to her on the fountain. "How are you?"
"Scott, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm fine," Aidan answered. "My head still hurts a bit, but otherwise I'm just ducky."
"I'd be surprised if your head didn't hurt. Tsunami hit you against that wall pretty hard. You were out cold for a good five or six hours."
"Tsunami? Was that the girl in the blue?"
"Yeah. The Cajun was her teammate Gambit-"
"Though rumor has it, they're, like, a lot more than teammates," Kitty said, phasing up next to Scott.
"Kitty! I wish you wouldn't do that!" Scott yelled.
"Like, sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing."
"You mean eavesdropping." Scott glared at her, well, as well as he could through those shades.
"Whatever." Kitty dismissed his glare with a wave of her hand and then turned her attention to Aidan. "So, anyway, are you doing ok?"
"Yeah," Aidan said, automatically disliking the valley-girl-speak. "A little confused, but other than that and a massive migraine, I'm doin' all right."
"That's cool," Kitty said. "Well, I've gotta get going, but I hope you totally like it here!" She phased through the ground.
"So, Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"Exactly what happened to me? I don't remember too much."
"Well." Scott pulled his left knee up to his chin. "I'm not sure exactly what happened before we got there, but I'll try to fill ya in. The Prof told Jean, Logan, Ororo, and me about the mutant activity at the wharf: Gambit, Tsunami, and an unknown mutant. We showed up just as you were picked up by a cyclone and tossed into the warehouse wall. Tsunami and Gambit made a break for it and we brought you back to the Institute to recover."
"Oh."
"What were you doing at the wharf anyway?"
"I don't exactly remember," Aidan lied. She recognized Scott. He and Evan had been chasing the fire starter the other day. If Scott knew that she was looking for the fire starter, he may not be so friendly. Besides, she had heard of the good Professor and his X-Men when all that Apocalypse stuff was on the news. They were the good guys.
"Oh. Um... would you like me to show you around?" Scott asked, blushing slightly. "I mean, unless you have other plans or... something..."
Aidan smirked. "Sure."
She stood and followed Scott toward the mansion.
From behind a tree, Jean Grey glared ruefully at them.
