Raien moved slowly from form to form, trying to clear a troubled
mind. He knew it was futile. The only thing that could help him now was
to see Chimera's blue eyes looking into his. To be wrapped in him. He had
to stop for a moment and scream at nothing. He had to vent some of his
frustration. His cry echoed in the darkened gym. He went back to his
form, moving faster. A moment later, it became more acrobatic. Aerial
kicks, flips and tumbles joined his deadly dance.
The fire sprang to life around him. It burned white. He'd tried all morning to make it blue, but to no avail. Even is eyes would not do this for him. He'd discovered something new though. He'd always been able to ignore the pull of gravity. Now it was something more. He stopped in mid- air. Until this morning, it was not something he could do. He concentrated in front of him and fell to it. He was beginning to get acclimatized to the feeling. It was extremely disorienting at first, but he was rapidly gaining control. He was going to master these new gifts as he had his old. He was going to harness them and use them to their full extent against his enemy. Now though, he needed something more than a simple form. He needed to beat the hell out of something.
The punching bag in the corner already was in ruins. One kick with his new abilities had ripped the thick canvas and the stuffing lay all over that part of the gym. He needed something that would hit him back. He thought of going to find Wolverine, but given his new power, he did not want to severely injure the man. He wanted something he could destroy.
There was a door on the far side of the gym, on the opposite wall of the locker rooms. Raien had never even wondered what might be behind it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped toward it. There was a control panel next to it. Three holes in the key pad made it obvious that someone had forgotten the pass code and had used another way to get in. Raien smiled. He was really beginning to like this Wolverine. He punched it, shattering the display, and the doors opened.
As soon as the dim lights came on, Raien smiled. This was exactly what he needed. He saw several bladed arms already locking on to him. Several pulse cannons leveled at him. His inferno blazed around him and his dance began.
Scott walked into the gym for his usual early morning workout. At least it had become usual now. Since his run in with both Chimera and Hank, he'd chosen to do more in private. He looked in the corner where the punching bag always hung. The top of it was still there, but it looked like someone had slashed it with a sword. Scott muttered the name Wolverine before heading toward the weight bench in the back of the room. He heard several small explosions beyond it. He gasped. Someone was in the danger room. It was not simulating. The danger room was set to eliminate an intruder foolish enough to walk in. Whomever was in there was going up against every automated defense modern technology could throw at him. Quickly he ran to the door ready to terminate the defenses. The control panel was destroyed. He pushed his fingers frantically into the door and cracked it open, then opened it all the way.
He stepped through and there was silence. The whole room was engulfed in smoke. Debris crunched under his feet. "Computer! Vents!" he yelled. Normally a crisp female voice responded, but only static replied to him. The air cleared suddenly though, and Scott wanted to take a step back. What he saw scared him deeply.
Raien stood atop a mound of broken blades, ruined pulse cannons, and other random pieces of the room. His tonfas shining, black as midnight, extended to either side, as he knelt on one knee. His eyes closed and his chest heaving, he smiled. It was far from a happy smile. It carried with it the feeling of danger, that at any moment the man could become a swirling force of destruction. Scott stepped back. Raien looked up, opening his eyes. It was the most disturbing thing Scott had ever seen. He remembered the time he accidentally forgot to input the proper program for the danger room to run. He had only been in for a few seconds and he'd nearly died.
Raien stared at him, those piercing now white eyes searing his soul. Scott took another step back. Something about the situation made the leader of the X-men, a man who could melt steel with his eyes, want to turn, scream and run. Like a twelve year old girl.
"I'm ready." Raien breathed.
Bobby was aware. The ice surrounding him fed him. It nourished him, rebuilding him to an end he didn't yet know. He was one with the cold around him, and it was one with him. He'd always been insecure. He'd always worried about what his powers could do to the ones he loved. Since his parents had abandoned him, the only friends and family he'd known had been the X-Men. He'd never really been one of the team though. He made mistakes, and on some level, he knew it was because of the worry. He constantly feared hurting them.
He would get to a certain point, where if he lost his concentration for a second, bad things would happen. It was what had given him away to his parents. He'd known he was a mutant long before what happened in the kitchen, but he'd hid the fact extremely well. He'd been beaten up by one of his classmates. It left him with a bloody nose and a black eye, but he knew it could have been worse. His father had called him a pussy for crying. Bobby had lost it. He had been standing there, sipping a cup of water when it froze solid. He was so angry that he didn't know what was going on. The next thing he knew, he was standing amid a field of ice, shards of it frozen as if they were swirling around him. The whole room had been covered in tiny, shimmering ice crystals. His whole life had changed that day. His parents had thrown him onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back. His father had tossed him out. His mother had done nothing.
Now Bobby lay in what had begun that fateful day. He'd finally lost control again. Dimly, he thought, surrounded by silence. He had to get Hank back. It was so cold. He wanted nothing more in the whole world than to surround himself in blue fur and... Thaw. The ice was changing him, and while Bobby couldn't move and his thoughts came slowly, he knew he was becoming stronger. He knew that the ice surrounding him offered him the tools he needed to rescue his love. And on some level he was aware that he was crossing a line. He was willing to pay any price it asked.
Hank looked up when the doors opened. They'd brought more mutants. He noted the procedure the guards followed when opening the door. He was pondering how he could use it to his advantage when he saw something. He'd been so wrapped up in planning an escape that he'd not looked at the two new mutants. Both lay in a heap on the floor. It didn't register for a moment, but they were both female. Hank gasped as he saw something that would change his life. The remains of a yellow trench coat. He leapt to his feet and scooped the girl into his arms.
She screamed and fought him, though it was obvious she'd already lost off of her strength. Her body shook and Hank's world shattered when he looked into her eyes. What he found there was unmistakable. The terror, hopelessness, and sickly look there stabbed into his soul. There was no question what they'd done to her. The flaked dry residue on her upper lip completed the picture and Hank wanted to vomit.
"Jubilee..." Hank said, trying to come up with something to ease the pain. He gave up, realizing that no simple words could help her. She'd stopped struggling at least. He brought her back to the corner and sat down, cradling her bruised body, doing his best to clean her soiled face. Her eyes fixed on something far off and she just lay there, the dried tracks of tears marring her young face. It had lost something too. Jubilee had always been happy. Rebellious, but happy, none the less. That had been ripped out of her this morning. Hank hugged her close and he could smell each man's scent individually, and as his lips drew back, Hank placed a death sentence on each of their filthy heads. His whole life he'd opposed such final punishment, but this... This was inhuman. It hurt him on so many different levels, he let the beast inside dictate what he would do. Chimera had the same look on his face as Hank.
The door opened again and a large cauldron was set inside the cell. A pile of half clean bowls next to it. Hank sniffed, and both he and Chimera looked at each other. They both recognized the smell. As the other mutants fought for a small bowl of it, the two fierce looking men in the corner fought to hold what little they'd eaten that morning down. What was in that soup wasn't beef or chicken. Both men knew it was what was left of the man who'd been taken earlier.
The fire sprang to life around him. It burned white. He'd tried all morning to make it blue, but to no avail. Even is eyes would not do this for him. He'd discovered something new though. He'd always been able to ignore the pull of gravity. Now it was something more. He stopped in mid- air. Until this morning, it was not something he could do. He concentrated in front of him and fell to it. He was beginning to get acclimatized to the feeling. It was extremely disorienting at first, but he was rapidly gaining control. He was going to master these new gifts as he had his old. He was going to harness them and use them to their full extent against his enemy. Now though, he needed something more than a simple form. He needed to beat the hell out of something.
The punching bag in the corner already was in ruins. One kick with his new abilities had ripped the thick canvas and the stuffing lay all over that part of the gym. He needed something that would hit him back. He thought of going to find Wolverine, but given his new power, he did not want to severely injure the man. He wanted something he could destroy.
There was a door on the far side of the gym, on the opposite wall of the locker rooms. Raien had never even wondered what might be behind it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped toward it. There was a control panel next to it. Three holes in the key pad made it obvious that someone had forgotten the pass code and had used another way to get in. Raien smiled. He was really beginning to like this Wolverine. He punched it, shattering the display, and the doors opened.
As soon as the dim lights came on, Raien smiled. This was exactly what he needed. He saw several bladed arms already locking on to him. Several pulse cannons leveled at him. His inferno blazed around him and his dance began.
Scott walked into the gym for his usual early morning workout. At least it had become usual now. Since his run in with both Chimera and Hank, he'd chosen to do more in private. He looked in the corner where the punching bag always hung. The top of it was still there, but it looked like someone had slashed it with a sword. Scott muttered the name Wolverine before heading toward the weight bench in the back of the room. He heard several small explosions beyond it. He gasped. Someone was in the danger room. It was not simulating. The danger room was set to eliminate an intruder foolish enough to walk in. Whomever was in there was going up against every automated defense modern technology could throw at him. Quickly he ran to the door ready to terminate the defenses. The control panel was destroyed. He pushed his fingers frantically into the door and cracked it open, then opened it all the way.
He stepped through and there was silence. The whole room was engulfed in smoke. Debris crunched under his feet. "Computer! Vents!" he yelled. Normally a crisp female voice responded, but only static replied to him. The air cleared suddenly though, and Scott wanted to take a step back. What he saw scared him deeply.
Raien stood atop a mound of broken blades, ruined pulse cannons, and other random pieces of the room. His tonfas shining, black as midnight, extended to either side, as he knelt on one knee. His eyes closed and his chest heaving, he smiled. It was far from a happy smile. It carried with it the feeling of danger, that at any moment the man could become a swirling force of destruction. Scott stepped back. Raien looked up, opening his eyes. It was the most disturbing thing Scott had ever seen. He remembered the time he accidentally forgot to input the proper program for the danger room to run. He had only been in for a few seconds and he'd nearly died.
Raien stared at him, those piercing now white eyes searing his soul. Scott took another step back. Something about the situation made the leader of the X-men, a man who could melt steel with his eyes, want to turn, scream and run. Like a twelve year old girl.
"I'm ready." Raien breathed.
Bobby was aware. The ice surrounding him fed him. It nourished him, rebuilding him to an end he didn't yet know. He was one with the cold around him, and it was one with him. He'd always been insecure. He'd always worried about what his powers could do to the ones he loved. Since his parents had abandoned him, the only friends and family he'd known had been the X-Men. He'd never really been one of the team though. He made mistakes, and on some level, he knew it was because of the worry. He constantly feared hurting them.
He would get to a certain point, where if he lost his concentration for a second, bad things would happen. It was what had given him away to his parents. He'd known he was a mutant long before what happened in the kitchen, but he'd hid the fact extremely well. He'd been beaten up by one of his classmates. It left him with a bloody nose and a black eye, but he knew it could have been worse. His father had called him a pussy for crying. Bobby had lost it. He had been standing there, sipping a cup of water when it froze solid. He was so angry that he didn't know what was going on. The next thing he knew, he was standing amid a field of ice, shards of it frozen as if they were swirling around him. The whole room had been covered in tiny, shimmering ice crystals. His whole life had changed that day. His parents had thrown him onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back. His father had tossed him out. His mother had done nothing.
Now Bobby lay in what had begun that fateful day. He'd finally lost control again. Dimly, he thought, surrounded by silence. He had to get Hank back. It was so cold. He wanted nothing more in the whole world than to surround himself in blue fur and... Thaw. The ice was changing him, and while Bobby couldn't move and his thoughts came slowly, he knew he was becoming stronger. He knew that the ice surrounding him offered him the tools he needed to rescue his love. And on some level he was aware that he was crossing a line. He was willing to pay any price it asked.
Hank looked up when the doors opened. They'd brought more mutants. He noted the procedure the guards followed when opening the door. He was pondering how he could use it to his advantage when he saw something. He'd been so wrapped up in planning an escape that he'd not looked at the two new mutants. Both lay in a heap on the floor. It didn't register for a moment, but they were both female. Hank gasped as he saw something that would change his life. The remains of a yellow trench coat. He leapt to his feet and scooped the girl into his arms.
She screamed and fought him, though it was obvious she'd already lost off of her strength. Her body shook and Hank's world shattered when he looked into her eyes. What he found there was unmistakable. The terror, hopelessness, and sickly look there stabbed into his soul. There was no question what they'd done to her. The flaked dry residue on her upper lip completed the picture and Hank wanted to vomit.
"Jubilee..." Hank said, trying to come up with something to ease the pain. He gave up, realizing that no simple words could help her. She'd stopped struggling at least. He brought her back to the corner and sat down, cradling her bruised body, doing his best to clean her soiled face. Her eyes fixed on something far off and she just lay there, the dried tracks of tears marring her young face. It had lost something too. Jubilee had always been happy. Rebellious, but happy, none the less. That had been ripped out of her this morning. Hank hugged her close and he could smell each man's scent individually, and as his lips drew back, Hank placed a death sentence on each of their filthy heads. His whole life he'd opposed such final punishment, but this... This was inhuman. It hurt him on so many different levels, he let the beast inside dictate what he would do. Chimera had the same look on his face as Hank.
The door opened again and a large cauldron was set inside the cell. A pile of half clean bowls next to it. Hank sniffed, and both he and Chimera looked at each other. They both recognized the smell. As the other mutants fought for a small bowl of it, the two fierce looking men in the corner fought to hold what little they'd eaten that morning down. What was in that soup wasn't beef or chicken. Both men knew it was what was left of the man who'd been taken earlier.