Black Ice

To Dragonic Soul: Hey there, Dragonic Soul! Nice to hear from you! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Yep, Gina has returned! I had planned to feature her in "Black Ice", and todd fan and I talked about it. So, here she is! Enjoy the new chapter!

To Haretrigger: Hey there, Haretrigger! Nice to hear from you! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Oh yeah, Bobby's downward spiral is continuing. I really do agree with you. I do think that Freedom Force just may have more to worry about than just the evil of Virus. And yes, I brought in Gina Tolensky, aka Botanica. I had been wanting to bring her into the fic to reform her. Has she gotten her revenge on Shaw yet? Nope. She hasn't. But she wants to. Enjoy the new chapter!

To pauloj1983: Hey there, paulo! Nice to hear from you! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you liked seeing this new side of the Iceman. I'm a fan of todd fan's Sidney Chronicles, and when I read about what happened to Bobby in "To Err is Human", I was inspired to write "Black Ice". I thought it would be a great chance to show that Bobby Drake, a character who is often portrayed as a goofy joker and/or a moron, has a darker side to himself. So, I started talking to todd fan about story ideas, and here we are. Will there be confrontations? Oh yes, I do have confrontations planned, and trust me, they will not be pretty. Enjoy the new chapter!

To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Yep, Gina's here! I've wanted to bring her in for quite some time. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Evolution XMJ"!

To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Nice to hear from you! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yep, Gina is here in Freedom Force! Actually, I don't think she actually "broke up" with Jamie. Oh yeah, she's just arrived, and already she has a suitor in one Kyle Wildfire. Oh yeah, Bobby's getting worse. I think Lila just went out to make sure he calms down. Enjoy the new chapter!

To SperryDee: Hey there, Sperry! Nice to hear from you! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Oh yes, I just introduced a classic twist! I think Bobby does recognize Gina, he just doesn't care. He's too caught up in his own problems. Will Gina fall for Kyle's flirting? That is a secret. She may, but she may not. She still does love Jamie, you know. Enjoy the new chapter!

To todd fan: Hey there, todd fan! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Yes, Gina is here! Yeah, you gotta love the discussion between Mary Ann and Ginger. It's one of those age-old arguments that will never be settled. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Slugs and Snails", and "Gifts and Curses"!

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I had computer problems! Thank you for your patience!

Disclaimer: "We rock!" - Ronnie James Dio.

Chapter 26: Night Travels and Bonding!

A local Wal-Mart, a week ago

Bobby Drake stood in the electronic section of the local Wal-Mart. He looked at the racks of CDs. The young mutant occasionally picked up a CD and read the back of it before putting it back. He noticed a kid staring at him. The ice-maker scowled.

"Get out of my face!" He snapped sharply, making the kid run off. Stupid kid. God, I hate them.

"Hey Bobby!" Ace walked up to him.

"What do you want?" Bobby grunted.

"Here. I think you may like this band." Ace handed Bobby a CD. The ice-maker looked at it. The front cover depicted a black-and-white photo of a crowd. On top of the crowd photo was an odd yellow-and-black picture that looked like a brain. Bobby read the band name and album name on the cover.

"Queensryche…Operation: Mindcrime?" Bobby blinked up at Ace. The feral shrugged.

"I think you'll like that group." Ace shrugged with a smirk. "I heard the song 'I Don't Believe In Love' on the radio, and I figured that band is very for you, man. Take a listen at the station over there. I think you'll like it." Ace pointed over to a listening station with his thumb. Bobby blinked for a second, and then shrugged. He took it over to the listening station, and scanned it in. The young ice-maker listened to the music clips that the station played. He closed his eyes and let the lyrics flow into his head. A smirk formed on his face.

Present day

Night had fallen over a park in Los Angeles. Bobby Drake walked along a beaten path, head down, a CD player in his hand, and headphones in his ears. The sounds of the Queensryche song "I Don't Believe In Love" blew into his ears.

Man, Ace was right. Bobby mentally admitted. This band does fit me. It feels like Geoff Tate is singing about me. He walked by a couple, and looked at them as they walked past him. This time, Bobby was able to hold in his anger. Instead, a tear fell down his eye. It's not fair. The ice-maker mentally muttered. That'll never be me. I had my shot at finding love, but it failed! I'll forever be alone. It's not fair. I'm not a bad guy. I deserve a chance to find some happiness! But I'll never get it, will I? Nooooooo. Nobody wants Bobby to be happy! Everybody else can be happy, but Bobby never can! It's not fair! Bobby struggled to hold back tears as he continued walking. Why? Why can't I be happy? Why am I doomed to be miserable all the time? Why why why? It's not fair! I'll never be happy!

Freedom Force HQ

In the kitchen of Freedom Force's headquarters, Gina Tolensky was getting herself a glass of milk. The only light in the room was the light over the sink. She sat down at the table.

"Can't sleep?" A voice asked. The Italian-American plant-manipulator looked up.

"Who is it? What do you want?" She narrowed her eyes. Shiro stepped out into the light. "…Oh."

"Yes." Shiro nodded. "Can't sleep?" After a moment, Gina nodded.

"…Mm-hmm." The girl nodded, running her hand through her black hair.

"Care to talk about it?" Shiro offered, taking a seat across from her.

"…" Gina shook her head. "…I don't want to." Shiro shrugged.

"It may help you." Shiro offered again. Gina looked up at the Japanese plasma generator.

"…I thought everyone says you're the least empathetic of the group." Shiro shook his head at Gina's statement.

"They only look at my exterior." Shiro explained. "I just happened to be a rather disciplined person…except for the times that Kyle has managed to rouse my temper. I used to have a rather terrible temper." Gina blinked. "Some say my old fury still shows at some times."

"…Okay." The Italian-American girl blinked. Shiro nodded. "Well…they say I have a bit of a temper sometimes myself."

"Indeed." Shiro nodded. "…Perhaps you would like to talk about what is bothering you."

"How do you know something is bothering me?" Gina wondered.

"The way you have been acting." Shiro explained. "I can tell. Your spirit is under duress. Something deep bothers you."

"…You really could tell, huh?" Gina blinked. Shiro nodded.

"If it is Thunderbolt, do not worry. We all just ignore him when he decides to act up. He cannot stand to be ignored." Gina shook her head.

"No, Shiro. It's not Kyle." Gina answered. The girl had gotten to know the rest of her teammates, but she didn't talk to them much. "He thinks he's some kind of lothario."

"Looks like you brought out a new side to the Thunderbolt." Shiro smirked, obviously amused. "Let me guess. You have…as you Americans would say…shot him down." Gina nodded.

"Yeah." She sighed sadly. "I have no room for others in my life. I can't afford it. I'll destroy them." Shiro blinked.

"…I do not understand." Gina looked up at Shiro.

"I'm a cold-blooded killer, Shiro. I'm a monster." Gina explained. Shiro furrowed his brow.

"…I highly doubt that." The Japanese mutant replied curtly.

"Yes, I am." Gina sighed. "I murdered people. The Hellfire Club made me into a killer."

"You were not in control, Gina." Shiro said simply. "I have heard about what happened to you from Fontaine. You were merely a sword. A sword cannot decide not to shed blood and whose blood to shed."

"That's not the point." Gina shook her head. "I still killed innocent people. That blood is on my hands. That's why I can't sleep. I can see those people in my nightmares. They torture me. They call me a monster. They say I will never be forgiven." Shiro put his hand on her shoulder.

"That is not true." Shiro said. "Monsters do not regret."

Next: Steeler's Wheel! Virus appears again, and he goes after a device that can create organic steel, the same kind of steel that made the X-Man Colossus practically invincible! Now Freedom Force must race against him to get the device! Can they get it before he does? Find out next!