Black Ice
To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Who's the new recruit? Well, you should recognize her from "To Err is Human". Me and todd fan were talking and planning for her to be in this fic. She's a subplot. Well, I just did that whole scene to be symbolic. Will he freeze the hormones of anyone in his path? We'll see. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Evolution XMJ"!
To todd fan: Hey there, todd fan! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I read the new chapter of "Gifts and Curses", and I loved it! That scene between a bearded Bobby and Piotr was nice. I think Bobby would be happy to know that at least a couple of the X-Men forgive him. Oh yeah, Bobby's going crazier and the new recruit is here! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Slugs and Snails", "Random Tales of the Magic Roundabout", and "Gifts and Curses"!
To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Oh yes, Bobby has some issues. You pretty much nailed right on the head why Bobby attacked that couple. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the identity of our new recruit. Indeed, Bobby took that fight with Virus hard. The loss was a blow to Bobby's ego and his pride. Enjoy the new chapter!
To RogueFanKC: Hey there, RogueFan! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I read the new chapter of "Apokolips Deferred", and I loved it! Man, something tells me that final battle is going to be very brutal! Speaking of brutal, I agree. What Bobby did was wrong. It was just that seeing that couple happily together set him off. It made him very jealous and reminded him of Elizabeth and what he thinks she did to him. He can't talk to the X-Men because he thoroughly believes they will never listen to him or his side of the story. It's quite sad, really. But on a better note, oh yeah, our little Thunderbolt has his first crush. Too bad the girl's taken. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Apokolips Deferred"!
Disclaimer: "Mechanism appears to be jammed, sir." - Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Chapter 25: Downtime!
Nick's Arcade, Los Angeles
In an arcade, several of the older members of Freedom Force were having a good time in one of their favorite hangouts: Nick's Arcade. Nick's Arcade was a retro-themed arcade that also had a refreshment stand, a stage with a karaoke machine, several arcade games and pinball machines, including a couple games that had dancing pads. Ace Starr was conversing with a pretty girl, a redhead, at a table.
"Oh my gosh!" The redhead put her hands over her mouth. Evidently, Ace was regaling her with one of his stories of his wild life. "Were you hurt?"
"Nah." Ace shrugged with a smirk that showed off one of his fangs. "I got a…talent for recovery. I've always been tough to take down." Terrell Mason and Shan Coy had been playing one of those Dance Dance-type games.
"Forget it, Shanny!" Terrell teased. "You can't beat a speedster with game!" The African-American teen did a twirl like James Brown, running a hand through his cornrowed hair.
"This ain't about style, Terrell!" Shan smirked as the Vietnamese girl did a twirl of her own. "It's about endurance!" While the two were dancing and taunting, John Proudstar and Shiro Yoshida were settling a score with the help of a racing game.
"Ginger!" John yelled as the Apache powerhouse made his car slam into Shiro's.
"Mary Ann!" Shiro yelled back as the Japanese plasma generator slammed his own car back into John's. However, his mind was also puzzling over something else. That girl…The back of Shiro's mind started thinking. Those eyes she has…they remind me of…they remind me of my own. I never thought I would see eyes like mine. She's been through what I went through. Perhaps…I can get to her. She needs someone. She needs a path. I know what she is after…because I've pursued it myself.
"Mary Ann's a redneck!"
"Ginger is a brat!"
"Mary Ann's a dope!"
"Ginger is egocentric!" While the two boys were settling their great philosophical debate, a certain ice-maker was at the counter of the snack bar, getting some snacks.
"Thanks." Bobby Drake muttered as he took a tray with some snacks on it. The ice-maker noticed a kid walking up to him, carrying a tray of burgers stacked so high, he could barely see ahead of him. Bobby blinked. The ice-maker then put his foot on the ground in front of the kid, which created a patch of ice on the ground, and moved his foot out of the way. The kid walked on the patch. With a yell, he slipped on the ice and fell backwards, spilling his food everywhere. Bobby smirked. "Heh heh heh…moron…" The ice-maker walked over to a table where Lila was.
"Hey, Bobby." Lila smiled. "What're you up to?"
"Eat." Bobby mumbled. He sat down and started eating.
"You up and vanished last night. Where'd you go?" Lila wondered with some concern.
"Out." Bobby mumbled, his voice showing that he didn't want to talk about it.
"Did you hear about the new recruit?" Lila asked. "She seems nice, but that girl's not much of a talker."
"Mm." Bobby nodded. "I know her." I guess the X-Jackoffs broke her out of Shaw's control. The only thing they could ever do right!
"You do? Who is she?" Lila blinked. "She doesn't seem to want to talk about herself."
"She's related to some dopey guy I know." Bobby shrugged like he could care less. "She has plant powers or something like that, I don't bother caring." Like anyone could stand up against me! I have become something far greater than anyone could ever imagine!
"That's a harsh thing to say." Lila grimaced.
"I don't like talking about my past." Bobby grunted. "I only care about now. Thinking about my past is a waste of time. It's just full of people that don't matter to me anymore." He then noticed a kid walk by whose blond hair was like Sam's. Bobby clenched his fist until it turned white. Must not kill…Must not kill…
"You alright?" Lila blinked. Bobby scowled.
"I gotta get out of here before I lose it." Bobby grumbled as he left. Lila went after him.
Freedom Force HQ
Kyle Wildfire stared out the back window door. He was staring at the girl that several of his teammates had brought over from Cleveland. The young electrokinetic had noticed that the girl seemed to have strange powers. In a matter of moments, she had created herself a small garden.
"The chickie's got plant powers." Kyle blinked. Rictor noticed this. The Mexican sonic generator had just come out of the kitchen, as evidenced by his carrying a sandwich.
"What you lookin' at, man?" Rictor asked, biting into his sandwich.
"The new chick's got plant powers, jabroni." Kyle responded, pointing at the girl. "She just made that fancy garden pop up right out of nowhere."
"Whoa…" Rictor blinked. "She must be one powerful chica!" The Mexican mutant then noticed that Kyle was staring at her funny. "Yo, man! I see the way you look at her."
"What're you yakking about, jabroni?" Kyle grimaced.
"You like her!" Rictor grinned. Kyle's cheeks reddened.
"Heck, no!" Kyle retched.
"Yeah, you do!" Rictor teased, pointing at Kyle's cheeks. "You're blushing, man! You want her!" Kyle scowled as he walked outside. "Gonna give her a big kiss?"
"Right after the Thunderbolt sticks his boot right where the sun don't shine!" Kyle moved forward, and a laughing Rictor ran off in mock fright. "…Jabroni." He walked towards the girl, licking his fingers and using them to fix his hair. Time to turn on that Wildfire Family Charm. Kyle grinned. "Hey." The girl turned and blinked.
"…"
"The name is Kyle Wildfire, but everyone refers to me at the Thunderbolt." Kyle grinned. The girl blinked. "Kyle Wildfire, of the Wildfire Wrestling Dynasty. The Thunderbolt is third generation." The girl blinked at him like he was from outer space. "You…don't watch much wrestling, do you?" The girl just stood still at him. After a moment, she just shook her head. The young electrokinetic sighed, and ran a hand through his long brown hair. This…is going to be harder than the Thunderbolt thought. "Okay…" Kyle sighed. "What's your name?"
"…Gina." The girl sighed sadly.
Next: Night Travels and Bonding!