Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. Ilehana Xavier belongs to Corrinth. All
other characters belong to me.
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers out there; you really are all stars.
Scene 09
The jet had barely landed in the hanger below the basketball court when Ilehana and Hank emerged at a run to go straight to Colossus' bedside. Logan was disappointed but not surprised when Ilehana couldn't even give him a smile, let alone a kiss; all she would say telepathically was Later.
So Wolverine, out of place and at a loss whilst the infirmary was crowded with worried X-Men, turned to Gambit who emerged from the jet a little more slowly, laden with various bits to put away in the ready room.
"Blaze not with you?" Logan asked, a little confused.
"Non." Gambit replied, suddenly equally confused. "I'se thought she be here?"
"She left the rec. room right after you guys; not seen her since." Wolverine filled in, becoming mildly irritated at the incredulous look on Gambit's face. "You gone and lost her Gumbo?"
"I ain't lost nobody Logan!" Gambit snapped, equally irritated and suddenly worried. Frowning, the Cajun squared up to the Wolverine who never would back down.
"Not fighting over me are we boys?" A soft English voice quipped as Blaze entered the ready room, opening a cupboard and routing through the contents.
"Where the hell you been Firefly?" Logan asked, hating feeling like he didn't know what was going on. Fortunately for Wolverine's peace of mind Gambit didn't look too much wiser.
"Taking care of something." Blaze replied cryptically, tugging out her training gear. She turned to leave, but the looks on her friends' faces weren't going to allow her to just walk out without a better explanation. "Look, I've been setting things in place, a precaution against bad news. But it's not the type of thing I want splashing back in the faces of the X- Men, okay? Especially not right now with Colossus in the way he is. So drop it will you, unless we're going to install clocking out machines in this place?"
Logan and Gambit suddenly appreciated what Blaze was telling them. She knew they'd go insane if they were grounded at the mansion, why should she be any different? And if she didn't pry as to where they had been or their escapades, what right did they have to interview her over hers? No doubt about it, Blaze was back to normal.
"Are either of you busy right now?" Blaze changed the subject deftly. Both men shook their heads. "The kids are all stressed out, and the Professor wants me to throw something together to take their mind off things."
"What did you have in mind?" Logan asked, unfolding his arms and raising an eyebrow. Blaze grinned...
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Blowing sharply on her whistle, Blaze called the rowdy gang of kids and two X-Men to order, sort of.
"Alright, here's the game!" She called out, pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail. "No-powers football, and that's soccer to all you Americans out there! Wolverine and Gambit are picking the sides; you hear your name called out, go stand with you team captain and put on a bib, red for Gambit, blue for Logan. I'm referee," Blaze cautioned, "What I say goes, okay Gambit?" Remy shrugged at her innocently, making her smile. "Everybody set?" Random nods from the crowd of children and teenagers. "Then lets get started!"
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Mercury marvelled at the freedom, the expanse of it, all these people, different cars, huge buildings. Sun and smog on her skin both equally pleasant after so long. And the noise! The buzz of someone's minidisk player as they walked past oblivious, the ring tone of someone's mobile phone, all these technological nuances she'd missed. And the clothes! She'd never felt so out of fashion! What a disaster!
Somehow, following her feet, Eloise found her way to a small suburban park. Children's swings made out of old debris and strung up with chains called to her. She sat wearily, hands grasping the metal, staring straight into nothingness. It took barely a moment for her powers to focus, still strong as ever despite all this time. Under her grasp the metal became alive, flowing, trickling, doing her bidding. The chains first fused, and then became long glistening poles as if freshly forged, and all the while supporting her weight.
Paint began to peel off the supporting frame, the metal rejecting its camouflage in chunks and flakes. The freshly revealed metal glistened briefly as though liquid, before becoming shiny and hard like silver coloured ice. The metal tied itself in knots for her, made itself presentable for her pleasure. It wrapped around her like vines on a trellis, making Mercury smile. This was what she had been pining for, this control, and this close contact where she could almost feel the metal infusing her skin to her soul.
But what now? Her mind demanded suddenly. What to do next? Eight lost years...
Part of her didn't want to think about it, not right now. But the other part, the cold, metallic part, would not be quieted. It was them or her, if she ever wanted to be really free; she had to make sure this could never happen again.
No! She accosted herself. How could she think like that, like paranoia for the sake of paranoia! Wasn't that what had got her in this mess in the first place? Nobody was going to come after her, nobody wanted revenge, wanted her dead... Did they?
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"How are we doing?" The Professor asked his daughter quietly, eyes not on her but taking in the subdued bustle of the others in the infirmary. Hank and Storm, dressed in lab coats, were running various tests on assorted machinery, trying to figure out what was wrong with Colossus. Jubilee was covering Peter with an insulating blanket, attending to her unconscious friend's every possible need, whilst Bobby and Scott paced the room uncomfortably. Kurt had found himself a corner where he was out of the way and was frantically praying, convinced, as they were all becoming, that a miracle was needed here.
"Not well." Ilehana replied, not looking up from the light microscope she was using, also dressed in lab coat and stethoscope around her neck. "It's a viral infection, but one I've not seen before. I'm treating him with antibiotics, which has had some effect, but the damage to his lungs had occurred so rapidly that I'm not sure we caught it in time..."
"Very well." Xavier replied, certain it was not. Colossus might not have very long left. In a chance moment, all the X-Men cluttering the infirmary were suddenly silent. The only sound was the air rasping slowly in and out of Colossus' damaged lungs like nails on a blackboard. Xavier was not the only one to wince at the noise.
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The sun was setting over the school as a whistle sounded sharply. Gambit dropped the football abruptly and looked up at the referee. Blaze pointed straight at the penalty spot, and reached for a yellow card. Gambit wasn't entirely sure about the rules of this game, but he doubted this was a good omen.
"What'd I do?" He asked, holding his hands open as if to defend his innocence. "Blaze?"
"You forgot you're supposed to kick the ball, not catch it!" Blaze laughed, "Hence 'football'? And you're inside the penalty area, which means Logan's team get a free shot on goal and you get a booking." She held up the yellow card for the kids to see and was roundly applauded by Logan's winning side.
"Dis game sucks." Gambit folded his arms stubbornly, "What a bookin' mean anyways?"
"Means if you do anything wrong again, including talk back to the ref, and get another yellow, you're off le Beau." Blaze smiled sweetly as she nodded to the kid Logan was putting forward to take the penalty. Gambit's 'keeper didn't have a chance; the ball hit the top corner of the net and Wolverine's team cheered again.
"Hey, I t'ought the ref s'posed to be impartial." Remy protested. "How 'bout lettin' us have one of 'em penalties Petite?" Blaze laughed again and went to get the game restarted at the centre spot. Logan couldn't stop grinning, his team now winning three-to-nothing as he accepted a high-five from the goal scorer. But then all three X-Men stopped as a voice sounded in their heads.
X-Men to the briefing room. Xavier called to all the adults at the school, Matthew, Hank, you are welcome to join us.
"Is it just me," Wolverine asked Blaze and Gambit as they left the kids to finish the game themselves. "Or does this really not sound good?"
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers out there; you really are all stars.
Scene 09
The jet had barely landed in the hanger below the basketball court when Ilehana and Hank emerged at a run to go straight to Colossus' bedside. Logan was disappointed but not surprised when Ilehana couldn't even give him a smile, let alone a kiss; all she would say telepathically was Later.
So Wolverine, out of place and at a loss whilst the infirmary was crowded with worried X-Men, turned to Gambit who emerged from the jet a little more slowly, laden with various bits to put away in the ready room.
"Blaze not with you?" Logan asked, a little confused.
"Non." Gambit replied, suddenly equally confused. "I'se thought she be here?"
"She left the rec. room right after you guys; not seen her since." Wolverine filled in, becoming mildly irritated at the incredulous look on Gambit's face. "You gone and lost her Gumbo?"
"I ain't lost nobody Logan!" Gambit snapped, equally irritated and suddenly worried. Frowning, the Cajun squared up to the Wolverine who never would back down.
"Not fighting over me are we boys?" A soft English voice quipped as Blaze entered the ready room, opening a cupboard and routing through the contents.
"Where the hell you been Firefly?" Logan asked, hating feeling like he didn't know what was going on. Fortunately for Wolverine's peace of mind Gambit didn't look too much wiser.
"Taking care of something." Blaze replied cryptically, tugging out her training gear. She turned to leave, but the looks on her friends' faces weren't going to allow her to just walk out without a better explanation. "Look, I've been setting things in place, a precaution against bad news. But it's not the type of thing I want splashing back in the faces of the X- Men, okay? Especially not right now with Colossus in the way he is. So drop it will you, unless we're going to install clocking out machines in this place?"
Logan and Gambit suddenly appreciated what Blaze was telling them. She knew they'd go insane if they were grounded at the mansion, why should she be any different? And if she didn't pry as to where they had been or their escapades, what right did they have to interview her over hers? No doubt about it, Blaze was back to normal.
"Are either of you busy right now?" Blaze changed the subject deftly. Both men shook their heads. "The kids are all stressed out, and the Professor wants me to throw something together to take their mind off things."
"What did you have in mind?" Logan asked, unfolding his arms and raising an eyebrow. Blaze grinned...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blowing sharply on her whistle, Blaze called the rowdy gang of kids and two X-Men to order, sort of.
"Alright, here's the game!" She called out, pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail. "No-powers football, and that's soccer to all you Americans out there! Wolverine and Gambit are picking the sides; you hear your name called out, go stand with you team captain and put on a bib, red for Gambit, blue for Logan. I'm referee," Blaze cautioned, "What I say goes, okay Gambit?" Remy shrugged at her innocently, making her smile. "Everybody set?" Random nods from the crowd of children and teenagers. "Then lets get started!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mercury marvelled at the freedom, the expanse of it, all these people, different cars, huge buildings. Sun and smog on her skin both equally pleasant after so long. And the noise! The buzz of someone's minidisk player as they walked past oblivious, the ring tone of someone's mobile phone, all these technological nuances she'd missed. And the clothes! She'd never felt so out of fashion! What a disaster!
Somehow, following her feet, Eloise found her way to a small suburban park. Children's swings made out of old debris and strung up with chains called to her. She sat wearily, hands grasping the metal, staring straight into nothingness. It took barely a moment for her powers to focus, still strong as ever despite all this time. Under her grasp the metal became alive, flowing, trickling, doing her bidding. The chains first fused, and then became long glistening poles as if freshly forged, and all the while supporting her weight.
Paint began to peel off the supporting frame, the metal rejecting its camouflage in chunks and flakes. The freshly revealed metal glistened briefly as though liquid, before becoming shiny and hard like silver coloured ice. The metal tied itself in knots for her, made itself presentable for her pleasure. It wrapped around her like vines on a trellis, making Mercury smile. This was what she had been pining for, this control, and this close contact where she could almost feel the metal infusing her skin to her soul.
But what now? Her mind demanded suddenly. What to do next? Eight lost years...
Part of her didn't want to think about it, not right now. But the other part, the cold, metallic part, would not be quieted. It was them or her, if she ever wanted to be really free; she had to make sure this could never happen again.
No! She accosted herself. How could she think like that, like paranoia for the sake of paranoia! Wasn't that what had got her in this mess in the first place? Nobody was going to come after her, nobody wanted revenge, wanted her dead... Did they?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"How are we doing?" The Professor asked his daughter quietly, eyes not on her but taking in the subdued bustle of the others in the infirmary. Hank and Storm, dressed in lab coats, were running various tests on assorted machinery, trying to figure out what was wrong with Colossus. Jubilee was covering Peter with an insulating blanket, attending to her unconscious friend's every possible need, whilst Bobby and Scott paced the room uncomfortably. Kurt had found himself a corner where he was out of the way and was frantically praying, convinced, as they were all becoming, that a miracle was needed here.
"Not well." Ilehana replied, not looking up from the light microscope she was using, also dressed in lab coat and stethoscope around her neck. "It's a viral infection, but one I've not seen before. I'm treating him with antibiotics, which has had some effect, but the damage to his lungs had occurred so rapidly that I'm not sure we caught it in time..."
"Very well." Xavier replied, certain it was not. Colossus might not have very long left. In a chance moment, all the X-Men cluttering the infirmary were suddenly silent. The only sound was the air rasping slowly in and out of Colossus' damaged lungs like nails on a blackboard. Xavier was not the only one to wince at the noise.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The sun was setting over the school as a whistle sounded sharply. Gambit dropped the football abruptly and looked up at the referee. Blaze pointed straight at the penalty spot, and reached for a yellow card. Gambit wasn't entirely sure about the rules of this game, but he doubted this was a good omen.
"What'd I do?" He asked, holding his hands open as if to defend his innocence. "Blaze?"
"You forgot you're supposed to kick the ball, not catch it!" Blaze laughed, "Hence 'football'? And you're inside the penalty area, which means Logan's team get a free shot on goal and you get a booking." She held up the yellow card for the kids to see and was roundly applauded by Logan's winning side.
"Dis game sucks." Gambit folded his arms stubbornly, "What a bookin' mean anyways?"
"Means if you do anything wrong again, including talk back to the ref, and get another yellow, you're off le Beau." Blaze smiled sweetly as she nodded to the kid Logan was putting forward to take the penalty. Gambit's 'keeper didn't have a chance; the ball hit the top corner of the net and Wolverine's team cheered again.
"Hey, I t'ought the ref s'posed to be impartial." Remy protested. "How 'bout lettin' us have one of 'em penalties Petite?" Blaze laughed again and went to get the game restarted at the centre spot. Logan couldn't stop grinning, his team now winning three-to-nothing as he accepted a high-five from the goal scorer. But then all three X-Men stopped as a voice sounded in their heads.
X-Men to the briefing room. Xavier called to all the adults at the school, Matthew, Hank, you are welcome to join us.
"Is it just me," Wolverine asked Blaze and Gambit as they left the kids to finish the game themselves. "Or does this really not sound good?"