Hello again! I am SO SORRY that I took so much time between chapters! To be
honest, I just forgot about Fanfiction for a long time, and I sincerely
apologize to my fans (if I have any anymore... --) for having to make them
wait so long.
Thank you for all the good things you said about chapter 5! Let's just say I had a lot of fun writing it...
Xcoolcomic: Sorry about the confusion! Banshee survives. I might even add a cameo to suit your Banshee needs, but I'm not quite sure yet...
So, on with the show:
Lucas took a step back. His surroundings were changing drastically around him - a hot desert turning into a cold, snowy city, with clouds of dust surrounding him. Silence rang through the air as he looked around at the completely wrecked alley and realized what he had done. The silence was so deep he could have heard a pin drop, that is, if someone were to have dropped one.
Alan's blood ran cold. His plan had failed.
I'm going to die, he thought. That Lucas guy's gonna kill me!
He almost panicked, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the fear of becoming as wimpy as his sister; maybe it was seeing the black-haired girl on the ground and knowing that she needed a doctor, maybe none of those things. All that he knew was that he had to stay. But what was he going to do? Cower in a corner and hope that Lucas would just pass him by? No. He would stand up and show that hooded bastard whose boss.
He formed an illusionary rocket launcher in his hand, and jumped out from the corner.
"Hey, you!" He shouted. "Put your hands where I can see 'em!"
Lucas turned and stared at him, but kept his hands where they were.
"And what good would that do you -" He answered coolly. "- Illusionist?"
Alan felt his hair stand on end. Static was building in the air. Why the hell did I do that? He thought. I should have just stayed in one place! Now what am I going to do?
The sky darkened once more, and Alan prepared to dodge. It was all he could do. And no matter how little a chance of survival there was, he was still going to try.
And he did try. Just as the flash of light surrounded him, he threw himself forward onto the ground, skidding through the snow and ash until he felt his shoulders touch a wall. He had done it! He was alive! For one joyous moment, he thought it was over. But it wasn't.
The smoke was starting to clear, and Alan could now see Lucas's vague outline through what was left of it.
He's gonna try again! He thought. Now what?
The only think his terrified mind could think to do was lie there and pray that he wouldn't die. In other words, play dead.
The smoke's final wisps left the alley. Alan heard footsteps coming towards him. Slow, unhurried footsteps. He felt his face grow hot. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead down to his nose. He almost opened his eyes, but quickly shut them tight.
Then the footsteps slowed. Then they stopped.
And he heard voices.
"Oh my god, Alan! What did you do to Alan?"
All Nuria could focus on was Alan's lifeless body on the ground. Was he all right? Or were her fears true? She ran to him to check, but was stopped by Jean behind her.
"Allow me." She murmured, and walked to him. Then she looked at the man in the hood. "Did you do this?" she asked.
The hooded man said nothing, but backed slowly away.
"Recognize me, do you?" she said, turning away from Alan (who breathed a sigh of relief). "Recognize the great Phoenix?"
Jean's body started to glow purple as she walked to the hooded figure.
"You have killed a good person, little man," she continued, as the purple glow began to form a shape around her. It looked a little like a bird. "And I swear by all I hold dear -"
She jumped up into the air and hovered there. There was no doubt now that Jean's aura was in the shape of her namesake - the Phoenix. Her eyes widened and she clenched her fists.
"- You never will again!!!"
Jean thrust her arms towards the hooded figure, and her aura began to surround him. All the hooded figure did in response was touch his hand to his temple. And as soon as the aura had covered his entire body-
It disappeared. Jean cried out in confusion as her psychic aura began to fade away. The hooded figure snickered.
"Psionic shield, Jean," he said, most likely smirking under his hood. "I thought you would have expected that. And don't call me 'Little Man'..."
He raised his hand to the sky again. Static electricity began building in the air.
"... My name is Lucas."
The lightning bolt came crashing down, and was about to hit the ground in front of Nuria, when it stopped. The bolt started to thrash like a caged animal, and Lucas dug his feet into the ground and opened his hands, beckoning to it. It rushed to him, forming a ball in front of his hand. Lucas then jumped up into the air, and threw the ball down onto Jean.
Jean was apparently expecting that, for she stretched her arm out as if to catch it. She did. It stopped in front of her palm, and with a quick clench of her other fist, it disappeared. A vein throbbed at her temple.
Lucas and Jean continued to fight like this for some time. Throughout that whole time, Nuria had been staring at Alan's body. Her brother had been killed. Her only brother, killed by a hooded killer in an alley. If only I could help Jean, she thought. But I would only hinder her. I'm not a fighter, my muscles aren't very strong - plus, Lucas is a mutant. I wish I could fight...I wish I could avenge Alan's death...
Suddenly, Nuria was aware of something hard in her pocket. Quickly, she pulled it out. It was her dad's cigarette lighter. It felt cool in her hands, and she ran her cold fingers over the shark design embedded into the metal. She found comfort in it somehow, but she couldn't think of how.
Nuria looked up at the fight, and with a quick flick, the lighter was open. She stared into the flame, and somehow it made her anger at Lucas burn stronger than ever, like gasoline to a flame. She felt her face flush. I wish I could kill that bastard! she thought furiously. I wish I could make him suffer - Make him pay for what he's done. Make him burn like the flame in this lighter...
As Nuria thought this, the flame grew steadily larger, and before she knew what she was doing, she shouted -
"BURN IN HELL, LUCAS!"
The air suddenly increased in temperature, and then Lucas was in flames. The flame from John Allerdyce's lighter had hit Lucas' shirt sleeve, and increased up to his shoulder at a speed that felt far quicker then it should have. He furiously tried to get his coat off, cursing with gritted teeth all the while. As soon as the sleeve started to come off, Lucas grabbed the bottom of the cloak and tugged. It came off, and as soon as his hood came down, he had covered his face with the flaming mass and sprinted off. He dropped his cloak as soon as he had rounded the corner, and then he was gone. No one followed him.
Thank you for all the good things you said about chapter 5! Let's just say I had a lot of fun writing it...
Xcoolcomic: Sorry about the confusion! Banshee survives. I might even add a cameo to suit your Banshee needs, but I'm not quite sure yet...
So, on with the show:
Lucas took a step back. His surroundings were changing drastically around him - a hot desert turning into a cold, snowy city, with clouds of dust surrounding him. Silence rang through the air as he looked around at the completely wrecked alley and realized what he had done. The silence was so deep he could have heard a pin drop, that is, if someone were to have dropped one.
Alan's blood ran cold. His plan had failed.
I'm going to die, he thought. That Lucas guy's gonna kill me!
He almost panicked, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the fear of becoming as wimpy as his sister; maybe it was seeing the black-haired girl on the ground and knowing that she needed a doctor, maybe none of those things. All that he knew was that he had to stay. But what was he going to do? Cower in a corner and hope that Lucas would just pass him by? No. He would stand up and show that hooded bastard whose boss.
He formed an illusionary rocket launcher in his hand, and jumped out from the corner.
"Hey, you!" He shouted. "Put your hands where I can see 'em!"
Lucas turned and stared at him, but kept his hands where they were.
"And what good would that do you -" He answered coolly. "- Illusionist?"
Alan felt his hair stand on end. Static was building in the air. Why the hell did I do that? He thought. I should have just stayed in one place! Now what am I going to do?
The sky darkened once more, and Alan prepared to dodge. It was all he could do. And no matter how little a chance of survival there was, he was still going to try.
And he did try. Just as the flash of light surrounded him, he threw himself forward onto the ground, skidding through the snow and ash until he felt his shoulders touch a wall. He had done it! He was alive! For one joyous moment, he thought it was over. But it wasn't.
The smoke was starting to clear, and Alan could now see Lucas's vague outline through what was left of it.
He's gonna try again! He thought. Now what?
The only think his terrified mind could think to do was lie there and pray that he wouldn't die. In other words, play dead.
The smoke's final wisps left the alley. Alan heard footsteps coming towards him. Slow, unhurried footsteps. He felt his face grow hot. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead down to his nose. He almost opened his eyes, but quickly shut them tight.
Then the footsteps slowed. Then they stopped.
And he heard voices.
"Oh my god, Alan! What did you do to Alan?"
All Nuria could focus on was Alan's lifeless body on the ground. Was he all right? Or were her fears true? She ran to him to check, but was stopped by Jean behind her.
"Allow me." She murmured, and walked to him. Then she looked at the man in the hood. "Did you do this?" she asked.
The hooded man said nothing, but backed slowly away.
"Recognize me, do you?" she said, turning away from Alan (who breathed a sigh of relief). "Recognize the great Phoenix?"
Jean's body started to glow purple as she walked to the hooded figure.
"You have killed a good person, little man," she continued, as the purple glow began to form a shape around her. It looked a little like a bird. "And I swear by all I hold dear -"
She jumped up into the air and hovered there. There was no doubt now that Jean's aura was in the shape of her namesake - the Phoenix. Her eyes widened and she clenched her fists.
"- You never will again!!!"
Jean thrust her arms towards the hooded figure, and her aura began to surround him. All the hooded figure did in response was touch his hand to his temple. And as soon as the aura had covered his entire body-
It disappeared. Jean cried out in confusion as her psychic aura began to fade away. The hooded figure snickered.
"Psionic shield, Jean," he said, most likely smirking under his hood. "I thought you would have expected that. And don't call me 'Little Man'..."
He raised his hand to the sky again. Static electricity began building in the air.
"... My name is Lucas."
The lightning bolt came crashing down, and was about to hit the ground in front of Nuria, when it stopped. The bolt started to thrash like a caged animal, and Lucas dug his feet into the ground and opened his hands, beckoning to it. It rushed to him, forming a ball in front of his hand. Lucas then jumped up into the air, and threw the ball down onto Jean.
Jean was apparently expecting that, for she stretched her arm out as if to catch it. She did. It stopped in front of her palm, and with a quick clench of her other fist, it disappeared. A vein throbbed at her temple.
Lucas and Jean continued to fight like this for some time. Throughout that whole time, Nuria had been staring at Alan's body. Her brother had been killed. Her only brother, killed by a hooded killer in an alley. If only I could help Jean, she thought. But I would only hinder her. I'm not a fighter, my muscles aren't very strong - plus, Lucas is a mutant. I wish I could fight...I wish I could avenge Alan's death...
Suddenly, Nuria was aware of something hard in her pocket. Quickly, she pulled it out. It was her dad's cigarette lighter. It felt cool in her hands, and she ran her cold fingers over the shark design embedded into the metal. She found comfort in it somehow, but she couldn't think of how.
Nuria looked up at the fight, and with a quick flick, the lighter was open. She stared into the flame, and somehow it made her anger at Lucas burn stronger than ever, like gasoline to a flame. She felt her face flush. I wish I could kill that bastard! she thought furiously. I wish I could make him suffer - Make him pay for what he's done. Make him burn like the flame in this lighter...
As Nuria thought this, the flame grew steadily larger, and before she knew what she was doing, she shouted -
"BURN IN HELL, LUCAS!"
The air suddenly increased in temperature, and then Lucas was in flames. The flame from John Allerdyce's lighter had hit Lucas' shirt sleeve, and increased up to his shoulder at a speed that felt far quicker then it should have. He furiously tried to get his coat off, cursing with gritted teeth all the while. As soon as the sleeve started to come off, Lucas grabbed the bottom of the cloak and tugged. It came off, and as soon as his hood came down, he had covered his face with the flaming mass and sprinted off. He dropped his cloak as soon as he had rounded the corner, and then he was gone. No one followed him.