Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Blaze and other random original
characters. Ilehana Xavier and Danielle appear courtesy of Corrinth, the X-
Men and their world appear courtesy of Marvel.
A/N: Reviews and comments are always welcome.
Scene 05
The following morning Stifle was to be found pacing her room at the mansion like a caged tiger, longing to be let out, to set her angry mood to destroying something. The beads in her hair clattered like chattering schoolgirls, and she wished she could pull them all out one by one to silence them. She hated that downstairs in this rambling mansion strangers deliberated over her importance, her powers, and her reason for being in Bayville as if she were just an animal or toy, something to pass the time playing with. She knew why she was here, to do her father proud.
Her memories were still a blur to her, as they had been since the day her mutant powers had developed. She had woken alone and unnamed, a confused mess with no past nor present to be greeted by him, the mutant named Magneto. He had called himself her father, given her back who she was, given her true name name. Stifle.
He had had friends of his train her, look after her. Her mother was dead she knew, other than him she was alone. Then at long last he had sent word that she was to be brought to him in America, that she could prove how much she loved him by doing one thing for him. Bring down the X-Men from the inside. Offer them all what they wanted most, to be human, to look normal, to relax suffocating control, to touch......... Make them fight for her friendship, her powers, make them decide if they were willing to give up everything for the chance to be human. Oh she knew that the effects of her powers had never yet proved permanent, but they did not. And they could not, not even the strong telepaths amongst them were immune to her power. Both of the hated Xaviers had quickly learned that they could not read her mind unless she let them. That they both thought of her as a helpless child, a victim, could only aid her disguise.
Stifle grew bored of waiting, sick of doing nothing. Doing nothing was of no use to her father or to her own peace of mind. With childish venom she left the room, slamming the door behind her and storming downstairs. Stray mutant children watched her pass, whispering. Danielle presumed she would have to get used to that. It could only help in the end. Raised voices echoed down the corridors of the mansion; an argument about her already?
"I'm only saying that Danielle could be a great asset to us here at the Institute." The voice was Jean Grey's, righteous and indignant. "We all put ourselves in danger when we train a new arrival. Stifle could put an end to all that uncertainty, all that risk, if we only asked her........."
"We manage just fine as we are with new arrivals, Jean." Storm's voice was a warning. "Any mutant who has just developed their powers needs to learn the importance of control. That cannot be done properly if they know that Danielle is waiting to be a safety blanket in case anything goes wrong. They have to learn responsibility........."
Danielle left them to it, without any effort on her behalf it seemed the seeds of Magneto's plans were taking root. Instead she found herself putting an ear to a quieter door, wondering who was behind it.
Hank McCoy gazed out of the window at the bright sunny day, the children playing outside, all the beauty of the world, and sighed. His hand brushed the windowpane disconsolately as his eyes focused on his own hideous reflection. Doomed to this, trapped in a body that could never be accepted by him or anyone else......... But wait! For just a single moment, Hank looked into his own face, his human face. His heart stopped, his breath caught in his throat as in the corner of his eye someone moved in the reflected image. A small someone with dark hair and brooding eyes. He turned to greet them just as the door clicked closed again. A glance back at the window confirmed Hank's worst fears; he was the Beast again.
Storm was exhausted; her argument with Jean the final straw in what had been a very stressful morning. In her hand a scruffy note stained with teardrops was the latest progress report from her nephew. Evan was an infrequent and elusive pen pal, it had taken Ororo months of hard work to get any sort of message back from him at all. Now the best she could get was a brief handwritten missive that he was okay with the Morlocks. If only she could believe him.........
Sinking into a chair with a sigh like an aching wind, Ororo only longed to relax. No, that wasn't what she wanted; she was too troubled to relax, but to be able to put all her energy into worrying until she could work out the solution......... It couldn't happen. Storm was not the type of mutant to be able to do that, not with powers as potentially devastating as hers.
A warm hand fell lightly to rest on Ororo's shoulder. Thinking it was Kitty Storm muttered her thank you. But the hand did not move and Kitty did not reply. Instead with a sudden dread Storm realised that something very important to her was missing. Her powers did not wane slowly; there was no pain or force involved. It was simply that they were no longer there. She did not feel the air shifting and beckoning around her. She could not grasp the cold of the far North and bring it to her. And then with a well of relief that began in her stomach and flooded her so completely it was as though it would suffocate her, Storm began to cry.
Stifle stayed but a few moments, knowing her work was well done. With a sniff Storm accepted her heavy burden and turned to thank Danielle with all her heart. But again the child had left. Instead a confused looking Kitty stood with Magma and Tabitha in the doorway.
"Are you okay Storm?" Shadowcat asked, worry clear in her voice as she came to put a cool hand where Danielle's had been just a moment or so before.
"Yes, thank you Kitty." Ororo answered, not feeling exactly all right but at least slightly rejuvenated. "What can I do for you?"
"We just wanted to ask if its okay if we like head up to Mount Arrowrose, to go ice skating you know?"
"Of course." Ororo was happy to oblige. "But don't be to late back. Oh, and take Jean with you please? She needs a little cheering up." "Alright!" Tabitha exclaimed, high-fiving Omara in the doorway. "The Bayville Sirens are back in business!"
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"Have you been in contact with Stifle?" Magneto questioned the telepathic Mastermind in the deepest regions of the mountain-bound lair, his sinister voice echoing off of the cold metal walls.
"I have." Mastermind replied with his ugly face filled with an irrational fear of his master. "She assures me that things are going well. She is resolved to serve you as best she can my master, as are we all."
"Humph." Magneto acknowledged his man's slimy words with the disgust of someone who has trod on a large cockroach. "And what of the X-Men? How do they receive my 'daughter'?"
"As one of their own." Mastermind enthused. "And it will be the undoing of their very team, Stifle swears it."
"Good." Magneto replied with his voice brushed with anticipation. "Then send for Gambit and ready Sabretooth and the others. It is time we began........."
A/N: Reviews and comments are always welcome.
Scene 05
The following morning Stifle was to be found pacing her room at the mansion like a caged tiger, longing to be let out, to set her angry mood to destroying something. The beads in her hair clattered like chattering schoolgirls, and she wished she could pull them all out one by one to silence them. She hated that downstairs in this rambling mansion strangers deliberated over her importance, her powers, and her reason for being in Bayville as if she were just an animal or toy, something to pass the time playing with. She knew why she was here, to do her father proud.
Her memories were still a blur to her, as they had been since the day her mutant powers had developed. She had woken alone and unnamed, a confused mess with no past nor present to be greeted by him, the mutant named Magneto. He had called himself her father, given her back who she was, given her true name name. Stifle.
He had had friends of his train her, look after her. Her mother was dead she knew, other than him she was alone. Then at long last he had sent word that she was to be brought to him in America, that she could prove how much she loved him by doing one thing for him. Bring down the X-Men from the inside. Offer them all what they wanted most, to be human, to look normal, to relax suffocating control, to touch......... Make them fight for her friendship, her powers, make them decide if they were willing to give up everything for the chance to be human. Oh she knew that the effects of her powers had never yet proved permanent, but they did not. And they could not, not even the strong telepaths amongst them were immune to her power. Both of the hated Xaviers had quickly learned that they could not read her mind unless she let them. That they both thought of her as a helpless child, a victim, could only aid her disguise.
Stifle grew bored of waiting, sick of doing nothing. Doing nothing was of no use to her father or to her own peace of mind. With childish venom she left the room, slamming the door behind her and storming downstairs. Stray mutant children watched her pass, whispering. Danielle presumed she would have to get used to that. It could only help in the end. Raised voices echoed down the corridors of the mansion; an argument about her already?
"I'm only saying that Danielle could be a great asset to us here at the Institute." The voice was Jean Grey's, righteous and indignant. "We all put ourselves in danger when we train a new arrival. Stifle could put an end to all that uncertainty, all that risk, if we only asked her........."
"We manage just fine as we are with new arrivals, Jean." Storm's voice was a warning. "Any mutant who has just developed their powers needs to learn the importance of control. That cannot be done properly if they know that Danielle is waiting to be a safety blanket in case anything goes wrong. They have to learn responsibility........."
Danielle left them to it, without any effort on her behalf it seemed the seeds of Magneto's plans were taking root. Instead she found herself putting an ear to a quieter door, wondering who was behind it.
Hank McCoy gazed out of the window at the bright sunny day, the children playing outside, all the beauty of the world, and sighed. His hand brushed the windowpane disconsolately as his eyes focused on his own hideous reflection. Doomed to this, trapped in a body that could never be accepted by him or anyone else......... But wait! For just a single moment, Hank looked into his own face, his human face. His heart stopped, his breath caught in his throat as in the corner of his eye someone moved in the reflected image. A small someone with dark hair and brooding eyes. He turned to greet them just as the door clicked closed again. A glance back at the window confirmed Hank's worst fears; he was the Beast again.
Storm was exhausted; her argument with Jean the final straw in what had been a very stressful morning. In her hand a scruffy note stained with teardrops was the latest progress report from her nephew. Evan was an infrequent and elusive pen pal, it had taken Ororo months of hard work to get any sort of message back from him at all. Now the best she could get was a brief handwritten missive that he was okay with the Morlocks. If only she could believe him.........
Sinking into a chair with a sigh like an aching wind, Ororo only longed to relax. No, that wasn't what she wanted; she was too troubled to relax, but to be able to put all her energy into worrying until she could work out the solution......... It couldn't happen. Storm was not the type of mutant to be able to do that, not with powers as potentially devastating as hers.
A warm hand fell lightly to rest on Ororo's shoulder. Thinking it was Kitty Storm muttered her thank you. But the hand did not move and Kitty did not reply. Instead with a sudden dread Storm realised that something very important to her was missing. Her powers did not wane slowly; there was no pain or force involved. It was simply that they were no longer there. She did not feel the air shifting and beckoning around her. She could not grasp the cold of the far North and bring it to her. And then with a well of relief that began in her stomach and flooded her so completely it was as though it would suffocate her, Storm began to cry.
Stifle stayed but a few moments, knowing her work was well done. With a sniff Storm accepted her heavy burden and turned to thank Danielle with all her heart. But again the child had left. Instead a confused looking Kitty stood with Magma and Tabitha in the doorway.
"Are you okay Storm?" Shadowcat asked, worry clear in her voice as she came to put a cool hand where Danielle's had been just a moment or so before.
"Yes, thank you Kitty." Ororo answered, not feeling exactly all right but at least slightly rejuvenated. "What can I do for you?"
"We just wanted to ask if its okay if we like head up to Mount Arrowrose, to go ice skating you know?"
"Of course." Ororo was happy to oblige. "But don't be to late back. Oh, and take Jean with you please? She needs a little cheering up." "Alright!" Tabitha exclaimed, high-fiving Omara in the doorway. "The Bayville Sirens are back in business!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Have you been in contact with Stifle?" Magneto questioned the telepathic Mastermind in the deepest regions of the mountain-bound lair, his sinister voice echoing off of the cold metal walls.
"I have." Mastermind replied with his ugly face filled with an irrational fear of his master. "She assures me that things are going well. She is resolved to serve you as best she can my master, as are we all."
"Humph." Magneto acknowledged his man's slimy words with the disgust of someone who has trod on a large cockroach. "And what of the X-Men? How do they receive my 'daughter'?"
"As one of their own." Mastermind enthused. "And it will be the undoing of their very team, Stifle swears it."
"Good." Magneto replied with his voice brushed with anticipation. "Then send for Gambit and ready Sabretooth and the others. It is time we began........."