Black Ice
To SperryDee: Hey there SperryDee! Yes, the version of Sunfire I'm using is the original male version. I don't read Exiles, but I do know a little bit about the female Sunfire from Red Witch's fic "This Soap Opera Called Life". I tell you what, maybe I can re-tool her as Sunfire's twin sister or something, and she can be mentioned. I'm very glad you liked my work so far. Feel free to read and review my work. I'm glad you like my characters, especially Darkstar. I got a lot of practice as a writer. That's how I got so good. Enjoy the new chapter!
To Aaron: Hey there Aaron! I'm glad you liked the fight between Bobby and the Wendigo. I do agree that if the Wendigo did not use the tree, Iceman would've soundly beaten the Wendigo. As for the roster of Freedom Force, you'll find out in the new chapter! And yes, Thunderbolt is in the crew. And who said he and Sunfire get along? And you bet that Sam, Elizabeth, and Lucas will be very surprised by the 'new' Iceman. And the surprise will not be pleasant. Enjoy the new chapter!
To Red Witch: Hey there Red Witch! I read your new one-shots as well as your new fic "Welcome To The Dark Side" and I loved them! So Evan is considered a bit of a hero among the Hellions, huh? No wonder he joined up. I do dislike leaving stories unfinished as well. Enjoy the new chapter!
To todd fan: Hey there todd fan! That was the impression I got from the whole thing as well, so I'm sure she'll really be shocked to find out that Bobby did have feelings for her. I also had the impression that neither Sam nor Lucas had no idea of Bobby's feelings for Elizabeth, so his return will be extremely shocking to them all. Enjoy the new chapter!
To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Yeah, I thought that 'To Err is Human' would be a great opportunity to explore the darker nature of Bobby's personality and show that there's more to him than the goofball prankster. Yeah, Bobby can literally have a 'Heart of Ice', considering his powers and new personality. Enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: "Can I get an AMEN?!" - Ron "The Truth" Killings, TNA Wrestling
Chapter 3: Meet Freedom Force
An undisclosed location
"Uhn…" Bobby Drake moaned as he returned to consciousness and opened his eyes. "Wha…" He rose up and found himself sitting in a bed. He appeared to be in a medlab, kind of like back in the Institute.
"Well, nice to see you are awake." A voice said. Bobby blinked as a pretty woman emerged from the shadows. She appeared to be around 18 or 19, and was around 5'4. She was clad in a yellow costume with black on the arms, legs, and thighs. She had on yellow boots and black gloves, and golden forearm bands. Her black hair was straight, and it went down to her lower back. Her features indicated she was of Asian descent. "You took a nasty hit there, pal. Good thing we are around to help you out."
"I don't need help." Bobby grumbled. He was about to get off the bed when he felt a pain in his side. Bobby hissed and held his side. The Asian girl crossed her arms.
"The Wendigo cracked a couple ribs." She said. "I wouldn't move around too much."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Bobby growled.
"The name's Karma." The girl replied. "And I lead Freedom Force."
"Freedom Force?" Bobby blinked.
"I'm like you, Robert Drake." Karma smirked. "I'm a mutant. Whereas you have the power to create ice, I can possess minds."
"How do you know who I am?" Bobby wondered. "Answer me!" His fist glowed light blue.
"Easy, Drake." Karma said. "Freedom Force was formed by people who do not wish for mutants and humans to be at war."
"Are you working for the Professor?" Bobby wondered. "No offense, but I'm not in any mood to meet the X-Men again."
"Who said we were X-Men?" Karma smirked. "Oh, and here." She handed Bobby a pile of clothes. "These were on you. I'll leave you to put them on in peace." The Asian teen walked out of the room, leaving Bobby to change.
A few minutes later
Bobby walked out of the medlab, fully dressed in his shirt, jeans, and trenchcoat. He found himself in a metal hallway. The ice-making mutant walked carefully, because his ribs were bandaged. He found Karma waiting for him.
"You're pretty tough, you know." Karma said. "Fighting the Wendigo like that. That creature's really tough. Even frightens the Hulk, from what I heard."
"I spent four months in the ice and snow of Canada." Bobby replied evenly. "That kind of place gets you toughened up quick."
"Four months?" Karma blinked. "What were you doing there for four months?" Bobby glared at Karma.
"Soul-searching." Bobby replied. "That's all I'll say." They were silent for a few minutes. "What's this Freedom Force all about?"
"Freedom Force was formed to essentially put mutants in a more positive light." Karma replied. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the others. I'm sure you'd like to meet your rescuers." Karma walked to what appeared to be an elevator.
"This place reminds me of the Institute." Bobby said as he and Karma entered the lift.
"I'm sure it does." Karma chuckled. "That was the underground area. That's where we train. Upstairs, is our living area." The Asian girl explained. The lift stopped, and the doors opened, revealing a hallway that looked like the hallway of an average house, white.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"Welcome to Freedom Force HQ, in California." Karma grinned.
"California?!" Bobby exclaimed. "How-"
"Our boss is quite generous." Karma grinned. They walked into a very spacious living room. On a big semi-circular couch was a young boy of 13, who had shoulder-length brown hair in a ponytail and blue eyes, clad in an old Shawn Michaels T-shirt and blue jeans with black sneakers. There was a curvy teenage girl of around 16 with him. She bore a slight resemblance to rock legend Joan Jett, thanks to her long feathered black hair. She was dressed in some tight clothes: a black sleeveless Scorpions concert t-shirt, gold leather pants with a black studded belt, she had a small gold necklace and a black studded collar around her neck, and her wrists were decorated by several golden bracelets each, her feet covered by black socks. Her fingernails were painted black, and she has black lipstick. The two were playing a video game on a huge plasma TV. "The boy is Kyle Wildfire, codename Thunderbolt. He's from Boston, and he's part of a family of professional wrestlers. The girl is named Lila Cheney, codename Starway. She's a teleporter."
"Like Kurt." Bobby nodded.
"Not exactly. The shortest distance Lila can teleport is between planets. We don't know too much about her, but she can sing." Karma corrected with a grin.
"You know a lot about me and the X-Men, Karma…" Bobby started.
"Call me Shan." Karma said with a smile. "My real name is Xi'an Coy Manh, but it's pronounced 'Shan'."
"Okay…Shan." Bobby said with a suspicious look. "How do you know about me and Xavier and…"
"Hey Shanny!" A voice interrupted. A blur sped in front of Karma.
Pietro?! Bobby thought. However, the blur was not Pietro. It was an African-American boy with a sleek build, clad in an old Magic Johnson Lakers jersey, jeans, and black sneakers.
"What do you want, Terrell?" Shan said, crossing her arms, and staring at the teen.
"Have you seen John and Shiro? I need them to play a game downtown." Terrell replied.
"In the garage." Shan said.
"Thanks." Terrell saluted and zipped off.
"That's Terrell Mason. We recruited him in Compton, California. He's a speedster, and he can manipulate wind." Shan explained. She pointed at a Hispanic kid of 14 sitting at a table, eating a grilled cheese sandwich. He had some muscle on him, as evidenced by his sleeveless black t-shirt and leather jacket with studs on the lapels. He had on a couple studded wristbands and black fingerless gloves. His long brown hair was free, and he had a green headband, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. "That's Julio Richter. He's from Mexico. He can generate sonic waves from his hands, and he goes under the codename Rictor." Karma pointed. The Hispanic teen looked up and waved. "And in the garage are two of the guys who saved you." She took Bobby to the garage, and gathered around a car were Terrell and two other boys. One was Asian, and he had short black hair, dressed in a red t-shirt and shorts. The other was a very tall, muscular Native American boy. He was a little over 7 feet, and he had shoulder-length raven black hair, brown eyes, a red headband, and was dressed in a red button-down shirt, and blue jeans. Around his neck was a silver chain with a thunderbird pendant. "The Asian kid is names Shiro Yashida. He's from Japan. He can create superheated plasma and fly. The big guy is John Proudstar, from Arizona. He's a super-athlete. You know, he's fast, he's strong, and very tough. If you'd like, I can gather the whole group together."
"You never answered my question. Who do you work for?" Bobby asked. Karma grinned.
"An old friend of mine. His name's Nick Fury." Bobby's jaw dropped at that.
Next: Bobby gets to know Freedom Force!