Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie-
verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should
she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other
OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 21
At Storm's command a low mist rose up, masking the fallen bodies of the Prices. Rogue took Jessica's hand and guided her to relative safety of the Eagle, the child in no fit state to argue. Blaze let Jessie go reluctantly, but duty called and Rogue was no Guardian, could not take Laura's place in this. Pushing all emotion away Blaze readied herself for hot, hard vengeance. By her shoulder Gambit gritted his teeth.
"Lets split up." The Cajun suggested. "We gotta keep this mutant contained. Golan, Iceman, can you take out the exits? Storm and Wolverine, go with them." The X-Men nodded, Bobby first icing up the gaps where the glass doors had once stood before he and Storm headed off in one direction and Logan and Golan lumbered off in another.
"Jean, can you read his mind?" Cyclops asked his wife. "Do you know where he is?"
Jean put her fingers to her temples for a few seconds, her eyes clouding over as a look of absolute concentration rippled over her features.
"No." She apologised. "Its like he's not even here, like he's no mind for me to read." Bitterness at her failure was rife in her voice. Scott put a reassuring hand on his wife's slender shoulder and looked to Blaze and Gambit.
"Any ideas?" He asked, hating that he and Jean had to admit defeat to the thieves.
"Golan." Gambit offered. "If the mutant's on the ground..."
"Golan hear you good, Gambit." Golan's usual babbling voice came back over the radios they were all wearing. "Golan will see what de earth can tell." In the dark corridor Golan's eyes rolled back in his skull as the colossal mutant flexed his earth-power muscles. Four hands reached out above him, grasping at something unseen as the other X-Men across the building braced themselves for what they knew was coming. The shockwave of moving earth made the building tremble and groan. A groan echoed by an angry squeal. Golan read what the earth told him, reporting back to his friends as the earth relaxed once more. "He on de ground, de one of plant and vine, he moves away from de big room. And angry he is say de earth, heavy steps dat pound and shudder."
"Plant..." Blaze shook her head, trying to remember something about plants and plant poison. No, it wouldn't help, just a conversation with Ilehana when the doctor admitted she didn't know everything. Unwittingly Blaze smiled slightly, and sent out a mental plea to her absent friend. **I hope you're out there, Chosen One. I get the feeling we might need your support today. **
Scott and Jean set off down the main corridor at Golan's words, whilst Gambit and Blaze conferred with a glance and took the stairs. Mindless this mutant might be, but if he headed upstairs and came back down behind the X- Men...
"What do we do when we've cornered him?" Storm asked over the radio, always unwilling to take a life.
"Contain him. This mutant can't help his nature, and we're not murderers." Cyclops replied, eyes straining to see in the darkness.
"Speak for yourself." Blaze muttered in response, fire shimmering up her black-suited arms like magma. Gambit glanced back at her, and then pushed open the laboratory door with a heavy shove of his shoulder.
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Iceman and Storm walked side by side down their allotted corridor, pushing room doors open slowly and glancing in. The dull orange glow of the dying light bulbs in each room revealed nothing more than dust and neglect. Yet both X-Men had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.
They reached the secondary staircase to the upper levels without incident. Faced with the choice of whether to ascend the stairs or keep patrolling the ground floor, they paused at the bottom of the steps. Even as Storm spoke into her radio, asking Golan to once again see if Venu was on the ground, Bobby leant on the banister with his back to the darkness. Suddenly there was an audible squelch and Bobby sunk forward. Storm gasped in horror as Venu's bright red eyes flickered. A vine whipped across the space between them and hit her hard across the head. Her radio flew away across the hallway as her skull hit the wall. Venu did not stand around to admire his handiwork, disappearing again as quickly as he had arrived.
Storm could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness as blood trickled down her brow. Bobby's breathing was erratic and harsh, the panic she felt for his welfare the only thing that kept her from just giving up. With a forceful groan as dragged herself back onto her knees, crawled unladylike across the hallway to reach a hand to her earpiece radio.
"Jean... Bobby's hurt." She gasped. "We're by a stairway, east side of the house."
"On our way Storm." Jean replied, already reaching out with her telepathy to assess the damage done to both Storm and Bobby by Venu's attack.
"We need to do somethin' to slow this guy down." Logan commented. "He knows the house, we don't. He'll pick us off one by one if we don't come up with somethin'."
"He is plant." Golan was adamant, knowing something of the life forms so attached to his element. "Many tings de Guardians control despise he will. Energy, no, he will use it to make him stronger. Earth cannot hurt dat which belongs to it. Thought a plant lacks in numbers, we know dis already. Metal and fire will hurt him, but if a slowing of him is all dat you wish, cold like winter would be de way."
"Storm." Cyclops began, "Do you feel up to it?"
"Absolutely." Storm lied whilst pulling herself upright using the banister. "Brace yourselves."
Up in the laboratory, even as Storm's eyes shifted white and a wind of Antarctic proportions began to howl its way through every crack and orifice of the building, Blaze shot Gambit a terrified look. The icy gale buffeted the redhead, catching her hair and whipping it into a frenzy. Snowflakes melted the instant they touched the fire elemental's cheek. Blaze stood frozen and transfixed, wrapping her arms around herself as Gambit vaulted a workbench to get to her, knocking glass vials and random equipment to shatter on the floor. He'd never seen her like this before, but it didn't take a genius to know fire and cold didn't go well together.
"What's wrong Chere?" He asked anxiously, pulling her shivering form to him.
"I don't like the cold much either..." Already her voice sounded weak. Always her stupidly fast metabolism getting her in trouble... The icy air whistling in and out of her lungs was triggering a violent metabolic response. She could feel her body trying to shut down and conserve energy. Desperately unable to explain, she met Remy's eyes fearfully. "Don't let me fall asleep, I don't know if I'll wake up..."
"Blaze!" Cyclops shouted over the radio, over the sound of Storm's power. Jean looked up from tending to Bobby, glancing worriedly at her husband. Blaze's only response was to reach up and remove the radio from her ear, letting it drop to the floor. Duty first. She wavered, wobbling as Gambit too removed his earpiece whilst trying desperately to keep her upright and warm.
"Talk to me, Laura." He begged, wrapping his coat around her and holding her as close as he could. But Storm's weather was getting to him too now; he could feel his own body heat dissipating even as he tried to share it with Blaze. He had to keep her awake, the others could deal with Venu now and Storm would stop all this. Gambit asked the first question that came into his head, trying to keep his voice as carefree as possible, which wasn't very. "Why if you hate the cold so much you always gotta have your bedroom window open? Wherever we bin, whatever the season, you always gotta have an open window..."
For a moment Blaze only shuddered in the cold, her breath condensing on the air. Her eyes were closed and her lips turning blue as she tried to reply, snowflakes no longer melting as they caught on her long eyelashes.
"When I burnt my parent's house down," She began, empty of all emotions. "It knocked me out for hours. But when I woke the fire was still burning. There were sirens outside, but I don't think the firemen could get the blaze under control. I panicked, I knew they'd blame it all on me, it was my fault..." For a second her words caught in her throat, but she made herself carry on, fearing what would happen if she didn't. "I tried to get out but my window... it wouldn't open, the heat had warped it all... I had to go downstairs, out the back door, past my family...Swore right then I'd never get trapped again..."
"Oh Laura." Remy gasped, but she was gone, sinking to the cold floor. He lay her down as carefully as he could, trying to keep her as close as possible, trying as he had since he'd met her to save her. It was as Remy's attention was so distracted that Venu stepped silently out of the darkness. The monster's eyes were distant and soulless, tendrils grasping in the air, needing energy before the cold destroyed him. He aimed a single, bulging vine at Gambit's back, hungry for the taste of a mutant's life force...
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 21
At Storm's command a low mist rose up, masking the fallen bodies of the Prices. Rogue took Jessica's hand and guided her to relative safety of the Eagle, the child in no fit state to argue. Blaze let Jessie go reluctantly, but duty called and Rogue was no Guardian, could not take Laura's place in this. Pushing all emotion away Blaze readied herself for hot, hard vengeance. By her shoulder Gambit gritted his teeth.
"Lets split up." The Cajun suggested. "We gotta keep this mutant contained. Golan, Iceman, can you take out the exits? Storm and Wolverine, go with them." The X-Men nodded, Bobby first icing up the gaps where the glass doors had once stood before he and Storm headed off in one direction and Logan and Golan lumbered off in another.
"Jean, can you read his mind?" Cyclops asked his wife. "Do you know where he is?"
Jean put her fingers to her temples for a few seconds, her eyes clouding over as a look of absolute concentration rippled over her features.
"No." She apologised. "Its like he's not even here, like he's no mind for me to read." Bitterness at her failure was rife in her voice. Scott put a reassuring hand on his wife's slender shoulder and looked to Blaze and Gambit.
"Any ideas?" He asked, hating that he and Jean had to admit defeat to the thieves.
"Golan." Gambit offered. "If the mutant's on the ground..."
"Golan hear you good, Gambit." Golan's usual babbling voice came back over the radios they were all wearing. "Golan will see what de earth can tell." In the dark corridor Golan's eyes rolled back in his skull as the colossal mutant flexed his earth-power muscles. Four hands reached out above him, grasping at something unseen as the other X-Men across the building braced themselves for what they knew was coming. The shockwave of moving earth made the building tremble and groan. A groan echoed by an angry squeal. Golan read what the earth told him, reporting back to his friends as the earth relaxed once more. "He on de ground, de one of plant and vine, he moves away from de big room. And angry he is say de earth, heavy steps dat pound and shudder."
"Plant..." Blaze shook her head, trying to remember something about plants and plant poison. No, it wouldn't help, just a conversation with Ilehana when the doctor admitted she didn't know everything. Unwittingly Blaze smiled slightly, and sent out a mental plea to her absent friend. **I hope you're out there, Chosen One. I get the feeling we might need your support today. **
Scott and Jean set off down the main corridor at Golan's words, whilst Gambit and Blaze conferred with a glance and took the stairs. Mindless this mutant might be, but if he headed upstairs and came back down behind the X- Men...
"What do we do when we've cornered him?" Storm asked over the radio, always unwilling to take a life.
"Contain him. This mutant can't help his nature, and we're not murderers." Cyclops replied, eyes straining to see in the darkness.
"Speak for yourself." Blaze muttered in response, fire shimmering up her black-suited arms like magma. Gambit glanced back at her, and then pushed open the laboratory door with a heavy shove of his shoulder.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Iceman and Storm walked side by side down their allotted corridor, pushing room doors open slowly and glancing in. The dull orange glow of the dying light bulbs in each room revealed nothing more than dust and neglect. Yet both X-Men had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.
They reached the secondary staircase to the upper levels without incident. Faced with the choice of whether to ascend the stairs or keep patrolling the ground floor, they paused at the bottom of the steps. Even as Storm spoke into her radio, asking Golan to once again see if Venu was on the ground, Bobby leant on the banister with his back to the darkness. Suddenly there was an audible squelch and Bobby sunk forward. Storm gasped in horror as Venu's bright red eyes flickered. A vine whipped across the space between them and hit her hard across the head. Her radio flew away across the hallway as her skull hit the wall. Venu did not stand around to admire his handiwork, disappearing again as quickly as he had arrived.
Storm could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness as blood trickled down her brow. Bobby's breathing was erratic and harsh, the panic she felt for his welfare the only thing that kept her from just giving up. With a forceful groan as dragged herself back onto her knees, crawled unladylike across the hallway to reach a hand to her earpiece radio.
"Jean... Bobby's hurt." She gasped. "We're by a stairway, east side of the house."
"On our way Storm." Jean replied, already reaching out with her telepathy to assess the damage done to both Storm and Bobby by Venu's attack.
"We need to do somethin' to slow this guy down." Logan commented. "He knows the house, we don't. He'll pick us off one by one if we don't come up with somethin'."
"He is plant." Golan was adamant, knowing something of the life forms so attached to his element. "Many tings de Guardians control despise he will. Energy, no, he will use it to make him stronger. Earth cannot hurt dat which belongs to it. Thought a plant lacks in numbers, we know dis already. Metal and fire will hurt him, but if a slowing of him is all dat you wish, cold like winter would be de way."
"Storm." Cyclops began, "Do you feel up to it?"
"Absolutely." Storm lied whilst pulling herself upright using the banister. "Brace yourselves."
Up in the laboratory, even as Storm's eyes shifted white and a wind of Antarctic proportions began to howl its way through every crack and orifice of the building, Blaze shot Gambit a terrified look. The icy gale buffeted the redhead, catching her hair and whipping it into a frenzy. Snowflakes melted the instant they touched the fire elemental's cheek. Blaze stood frozen and transfixed, wrapping her arms around herself as Gambit vaulted a workbench to get to her, knocking glass vials and random equipment to shatter on the floor. He'd never seen her like this before, but it didn't take a genius to know fire and cold didn't go well together.
"What's wrong Chere?" He asked anxiously, pulling her shivering form to him.
"I don't like the cold much either..." Already her voice sounded weak. Always her stupidly fast metabolism getting her in trouble... The icy air whistling in and out of her lungs was triggering a violent metabolic response. She could feel her body trying to shut down and conserve energy. Desperately unable to explain, she met Remy's eyes fearfully. "Don't let me fall asleep, I don't know if I'll wake up..."
"Blaze!" Cyclops shouted over the radio, over the sound of Storm's power. Jean looked up from tending to Bobby, glancing worriedly at her husband. Blaze's only response was to reach up and remove the radio from her ear, letting it drop to the floor. Duty first. She wavered, wobbling as Gambit too removed his earpiece whilst trying desperately to keep her upright and warm.
"Talk to me, Laura." He begged, wrapping his coat around her and holding her as close as he could. But Storm's weather was getting to him too now; he could feel his own body heat dissipating even as he tried to share it with Blaze. He had to keep her awake, the others could deal with Venu now and Storm would stop all this. Gambit asked the first question that came into his head, trying to keep his voice as carefree as possible, which wasn't very. "Why if you hate the cold so much you always gotta have your bedroom window open? Wherever we bin, whatever the season, you always gotta have an open window..."
For a moment Blaze only shuddered in the cold, her breath condensing on the air. Her eyes were closed and her lips turning blue as she tried to reply, snowflakes no longer melting as they caught on her long eyelashes.
"When I burnt my parent's house down," She began, empty of all emotions. "It knocked me out for hours. But when I woke the fire was still burning. There were sirens outside, but I don't think the firemen could get the blaze under control. I panicked, I knew they'd blame it all on me, it was my fault..." For a second her words caught in her throat, but she made herself carry on, fearing what would happen if she didn't. "I tried to get out but my window... it wouldn't open, the heat had warped it all... I had to go downstairs, out the back door, past my family...Swore right then I'd never get trapped again..."
"Oh Laura." Remy gasped, but she was gone, sinking to the cold floor. He lay her down as carefully as he could, trying to keep her as close as possible, trying as he had since he'd met her to save her. It was as Remy's attention was so distracted that Venu stepped silently out of the darkness. The monster's eyes were distant and soulless, tendrils grasping in the air, needing energy before the cold destroyed him. He aimed a single, bulging vine at Gambit's back, hungry for the taste of a mutant's life force...