Black Ice
To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Don't worry. Gina will get better. Her future will get brighter. She'll be fine. You'll see Virus get whupped again! 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 again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I thought Bobby would like Queensryche. They're a good band, and their songs fit Bobby right now in tone and mood. Emotionally, Bobby is a wreck right now. He won't talk to anyone because he thinks he has no one. How can a man let go of his inner demons when he believes those demons are all he has? Yeah, Shiro would bond with Gina. He's more like her than you think. I don't think Kyle would be jealous. Enjoy the new chapter!
To RogueFanKC: Hey there, Rogue Fan! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I wanted Shiro and Gina to bond. Shiro understands her better than she realizes. They'll have more of a brother-sister relationship, so Kyle won't be jealous. Besides, Gina's a little young for Shiro's taste. Will Gina like Kyle back? You'll see. Yup, Virus is back. And something tells me something bad will happen! I like that chase scene idea! Enjoy the new chapter!
To todd fan: Hey there, todd fan! Nice to hear form you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I read the last chapter of "Slugs and Snails", and I loved it! Man, that ending was surprising! Oh yes, Bobby's now a Queensryche fan. The music speaks to him, and when I hear their songs, I think of Bobby in the state he is now: Angry, lonely, bitter, and emotionally wrecked. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Gifts and Curses", and the musical on that web page you showed me!
Disclaimer: "I always know the mirror never lies." - Queensryche, from the song "Eyes of A Stranger"
Chapter 27: Steeler's Wheel!
Freedom Force HQ, the next morning
Bobby Drake walked into Freedom Force HQ. The sun was rising. He walked through the spacious kitchen, when he noticed Lila Cheney walk in, dressed in a white rock t-shirt and black shorts.
"Bobby?" Lila blinked. "What're you doing? Where have you been all night?"
"Out." Bobby muttered.
"Can't sleep?"
"…no." Bobby groused. "I just don't want to sleep."
"You should, Bobby." Lila crossed her arms and smirked at the ice-maker. "A good night's sleep does a person good."
"I don't care."
"And it also helps you be less cranky." Lila smirked.
"I like being cranky." Bobby muttered. "Out of my way." He shoved past Lila.
"Hey!" The interstellar teleporter snapped. "What's your problem, Bobby? You're constantly angry, you act like a jerk, and you've been spending quite a few nights out lately. What's going on with you?"
"Nothing." Bobby growled. "Leave me alone."
"Bobby, there's something going on with you." Lila said. "Why won't you talk about it?" Bobby glared at her.
"You wouldn't understand, Lila. No one does."
"Understand what?" Lila blinked.
"None of your business." Bobby growled, trudging up to his room. "Just leave me alone!" He growled loudly. Lila shivered.
"Did someone leave a window open?" Lila shivered a little. Bobby sighed and he flopped on the bed.
She doesn't understand. The ice-maker mentally grumbled. Why are these people bothering me? Why can't they just leave me alone? I don't want friends! I want to be alone… He looked at himself in the mirror in his room. …I can't be betrayed if I'm alone. Can't be turned on if I'm alone. I can trust myself. No one else. Everyone turned on me.
Seattle, Washington, A few days later
Freedom Force was taking a helicopter to a scientific complex nearby Seattle.
"I don't get why I'm here." Gina grumbled at Shiro. "This doesn't have anything to do with the Hellfire Club."
"There are more important issues right now than them." Shiro told Gina. The two had grown to be friends rather quickly. Many surmise it had something to do with Shiro's past.
"Shiro, you know what they did to me." Gina reminded.
"Freedom Force is a team, Botanica." Shiro explained. "We work together on a mission."
"But they-"
"Gina, I know you want revenge." Shiro said to her. "But it's not the way. Revenge will not ease your pain. Only worsen it."
"He's not getting away from me again." Bobby growled to himself over and over. "Not this time…"
"You alright, man?" Ace put his clawed hand on Bobby's shoulder.
"He's not going to get away this time." Bobby snarled. "Virus is not going to get away from me this time. I'll get him! I'll make him pay for humiliating me!"
"Calm down, dude." Ace chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You know what your problem is, man? You're worried about getting him yourself. We're a team, man. We work together." Bobby glared at Ace.
"The X-Men were a team, too. And they treated me as a blasted joke. I prefer doing things myself." Bobby grunted.
"But what if you're in a situation, and you need help?" Ace wondered. Bobby shrugged.
"I'd rather die than ask for help." Bobby growled. "I'm not some weakling little punk! Only wimps ask for help, and I will not be thought of as a wimp!"
"You know, Bobby…" Shiro started to remark. "A wise warrior always knows when to fight and when not to fight. A wise warrior also knows that sometimes, to win a battle, the warrior has to call upon friends."
"Screw you, Shiro." Bobby groused. "Friends only get in the way!" Shiro sighed and shook his head.
I fear it may be too late for him. Shiro sighed. His anger clouds his judgment. He cannot even make a decision without losing his temper.
"Hey babe, how about the Thunderbolt take you for a pizza after this?" Kyle grinned at Gina. The Italian girl just shook her head sadly. The Bostonian electrokinetic sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Man, you don't want to do anything. Just brood. You're as bad as Anakin over there!" Kyle joked. Bobby made a move to jump up and smash the kid across the mouth, but Ace stopped him.
"What're we after, anyway?" Karma asked Fontaine.
"A device that can be used to create organic steel." Fontaine responded.
"Organic steel?" Bobby blinked. "One of the X-Jerks has the power to sheath himself in organic steel. His name was Colossus. He was the size of a dinosaur, and brains to match."
"Sounds like a real fun guy to be around." Thunderbird snickered. Bobby shrugged.
"He normally just stood around and picked his nose."
"And when he was in that state, he was practically invincible, right?" Fontaine asked. Bobby nodded.
"Guy could lift around 100 tons."
"WHOA!" Thunderbird's jaw dropped. "Not fair, man!"
"Just keep training, John. And give it time." Karma reassured. John muttered and crossed his arms.
"Anyway, organic steel is named because it's based on carbon, which is based on all life." Fontaine explained. "Organic steel is considered a dream material because it's cheap to make, and possibly as tough as adamantium."
"Another one of my old 'teammates' could testify to the glory of adamantium." Bobby smirked. "Wolverine. Half-man and half-animal. Emphasis on the 'animal' part."
"Can you be any more positive today, jabroni?" Kyle joked.
"Virus has been seen in the area." Fontaine explained. "We're supposed to stop him from getting the machine." She passed around a picture of it. It looked like an inkjet printer, but where the paper feed was supposed to be, it was replaced by a bugzapper-like device.
"Looks like a blender on top of a printer to me." Kyle shrugged. The helicopter landed in front of a white building. "Honey, we're home!"
"LOOK!" John pointed upwards. A cackling Virus streaked by in the air. He crashed through the roof of the building.
"OH NO! YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME!" Bobby roared, changing into his ice form. Before anyone could react, Bobby created a column of ice, which pushed him up to the building's roof.
"Bobby!" Lila yelled.
"Bobby, get back here! Blast it!" Karma ordered.
Inside the building
"Arg!" A guard got knocked into a wall by a tentacle from Virus's Battle Pack.
"Ha! Pathetic!" Virus smirked. "Me fellow machines will find no challenge here." He sauntered up to the organic steel-making machine. It was covered by a laser cage. The insane mutant giggled as he reached for the keypad. He heard something whistle in the air. "What?" A long sharp object whistled through the air, and it went right through Virus's hand. "AAAAAAAGH!" The English lunatic screamed in pain. He grabbed his wrist.
"Not this time, Virus." A voice snarled. Virus looked up and saw Bobby march in, icy face and body oozing rage. "This time, I will beat you. I will beat you…if I have to reduce this whole building to rubble!" Virus hissed as he pulled the icicle out of his hand. His expression of pain turned into an arrogant smirk.
"I don't think so, mate." Virus smirked, holding up his injured hand.
Next: Blizzard Brawl! Virus reveals a new power, but will it save him from an battle-obsessed Iceman?