Black Ice

To Haretrigger: Hey there, Haretrigger! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, I got a little job myself, so I know what that's like. Actually, Bobby hasn't lost it yet. Not quite yet. I was inspired to write the "Sapphire Twilight" storyline by the Green Lantern storyline "Emerald Twilight". It may be too late to help, but you have to give Lila credit for trying. Oh yeah, Mesmero's going to mess with Bobby's mind some more. Enjoy the new chapter!

To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, Freedom Force is divided on the issue of Bobby's mentality. Some want him out, others want to get him help. Yeah, Lila does seem to be trying the hardest to get through to Bobby. If you read "Gifts and Curses" by todd fan, you'll see why she's fighting so hard to get through to him. Oh yeah, Mesmero is going to regret using his illusion powers on Bobby Drake. And it will not end well. Why do you think I called this storyline "Sapphire Twilight"? 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! Yeah, Lila cares about Bobby. She understands him a lot better than Bobby realizes. Look at her life in the comics. Why didn't Freedom Force contact the X-Men? Well, I think Fury wants to keep Freedom Force's existence secret from the X-Men right now. The X-Men don't like competition. 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! I read the new chapter of "Gifts and Curses" and I loved it! Sam is an immortal, baby! Poor guy. He's got a great gift, but he's going to be driven crazy by the curse it also entails. I'm glad you liked the interaction between Lila and Bobby. They are awesome together. Oh yeah, I've been looking forward to writing this storyline! This is going to be great! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Slugs and Snails", "Gifts and Curses", and "Fourteenth Century Man"!

To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Oh yeah, things are going to get way out of control! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Evolution XMJ"!

To Dragonic Soul: Hey there, Dragonic Soul! Nice to hear from you! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! I like to respond to my reviews. It's fun to do and it gives me a chance to clear up any confusion or add any additional information. I t gives reviewers the feeling that I like their reviews. And I do! Enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: "They're not going to like me when I get there." - Hal Jordan

Chapter 30: Sapphire Twilight Part 1: The Ice Cracks

Freedom Force HQ

Contessa de la Fontaine walked into the meeting room, where the young mutants who comprised Freedom Force were sitting.

"Man, the Thunderbolt still don't feel right about this." Kyle sighed, shaking his head. "He still thinks he should've waited for Starway."

"Lila would stick up for him, and you know it!" John grunted, crossing his arms. "Can we go now? I want to hit something!"

"Always need to punch things, huh?" Rictor joked, crossing his arms.

"I had reported to Fury." Fontaine announced.

"So what do we do with him?" Terrell wondered.

"Well…" Fontaine began. "We cannot throw him out on the street."

"He's too unstable, and that'd be cruel." Karma nodded.

"I got no problem with it." John muttered.

"What do you say, Kyle?" Ace looked at Kyle. The young Bostonian grunted.

"The Thunderbolt's not saying anything until Lila comes home."

"Col. Fury suggested that we have SHIELD pick him up and do some psychological examinations on him." Fontaine interjected.

"I say we do that." Karma nodded.

"Ugh!" John growled, hitting the table with his fist. "You don't need a psyche test to show Bobby Drake's a lunatic!"

A local museum in Los Angeles

"Bobby!" Lila called as she ran inside the building. Since she had not been inside the museum much, she was unable to use her teleportation powers to get herself inside. She looked around the front of the lobby. "Bobby!" She called out, cupping her hands over her face like a megaphone. "BOBBY!" Where is he? She thought with some panic. Oh, no! If something happens and Bobby loses it again…I don't know if he can be saved. I gotta find him and stop him from doing something stupid!

The Museum's Egyptian exhibit

"Ahh…" Mesmero smirked. Dressed in his usual robes, revealing his bald head and green tattoos covering his face and head, He walked up confidently to a stand. The stand displayed a ring that was sitting on a cushion. "Do not fear, my master. Nothing has been able to stand in our way. Now all I need to do is remove his ring, and you are one step closer to the freedom you crave." He noticed a snowfall. "Odd…a snowfall indoors…" A pair of double doors flew open, and a blizzard blasted Mesmero across the room, knocking him into the opposite wall.

"Grrr…" A growling Bobby Drake snarled. The young ice-maker walked into the room with a purpose, and a thirst for blood in his glowing blue eyes. He was in his ice form, but the tips of his fingers had extended into sharp icy claws. He smirked evilly at the mutant hypnotist. "Hello there. Pick your poison." He held up his icy claws. "Sliced…or diced? C'mon, I ain't got all day!" Mesmero smirked at the ice-maker as he got to his feet.

The dinosaur exhibit

"Man, this museum is so friggin' big." Lila grumbled as she ran through the dino exhibit. "Man, they really need to put more maps in this place! I always get lost in museums! BOBBY! Where are you?"

The Egyptian Exhibit

"What're you so happy about?" Bobby sneered at the hypnotist.

"My master gave me great power. To help me subdue those who would stand in his way."

"Yeah. Sure." Bobby sneered. He heard a noise. "What in the name of…" Something collided into him at incredible speed. "That looked like…"

"Bobby?" A feminine voice said in a southern accent. The ice-maker's eyes widened and he turned around. He gasped, powering down to human form. "No…it's you…" Mesmero smirked.

The Roman exhibit

"Only in a museum can you jump several million years in a couple minutes." Lila quipped as she walked through the Roman exhibit and looked at a set of spears. She heard a noise. It sounded like a thump. A loud thump. Her eyes widened. "Bobby! Oh God!"

The Egyptian Exhibit

WHUMP!

"Argh!" Bobby Drake, now in his human form, grunted as he flew into a sarcophagus.

"Murderer!" The voice's source screamed. It belonged to a teenage girl, dressed like a biker, with long blonde hair, and several piercings on her face. It appeared to be Elizabeth Guthrie, aka Amazon, a member of Nightshift who had the power to grow to large size.

"No…" Bobby whimpered, shaking his head. "Please…please, Liz…let me explain…please…"

"What's the matter, young one?" Mesmero smirked. "Tormented by an old flame?"

"Shut up!" Bobby snarled at Mesmero. "Stop this!" He lunged for the hypnotist's throat, but Elizabeth grabbed him and threw him back against the sarcophagus.

"You murderer!" An enraged Elizabeth screamed, punching Bobby in the gut. "You murdered mah child!"

"I didn't know!" Bobby exclaimed, pushing her off. "Please, just listen to me GAH!" He got kicked in the chin.

"Ah hate you!" Elizabeth yelled, kicking Bobby in the gut. "Ah hate you! You twisted psycho! You tried to kill me! You're a monster!"

"I didn't intend to!" Bobby started to tear up as he angrily pushed Liz off. "Please, Lizzie! I loved you! I…I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just angry, and I just lashed out."

"Still doesn't change anything!" Lizzie snarled. She kicked Bobby in the gut again and started choking him. "You're a filthy murderer! Do you hear me?"

I have to fight back! Bobby mentally growled, tears flowing down his eyes. But…I can't! I can't! I can't hurt her again! I loved her! I still love her! I can't fight her because I'll hurt her again! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Near the Egyptian exhibit

"I hope this is the one." Lila sighed. She heard a scream from a room. Her eyes widened. "Bobby! No!" She ran into the room and forced her way through the double doors. "Oh my God!" The entire room was frozen. Mesmero was laid out in front of a knocked-over tomb. Sitting in the middle of the frozen room was Bobby. He was rocking back and forth, his knees to his cheat, clutching his head, eyes and cheeks soaked with tears.

"No…no no no…no…no no no…" Bobby whimpered over and over.

"Oh, God…" Lila put her hands in front of her mouth. "Bobby!" She ran into the room, trying to avoid slipping on the ice. She knelt down next to the ice-maker. "Bobby, oh God! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Nnnnuh! Uhnnnh! Nuuuh!" Bobby whimpered, clutching his head tighter.

"Oh God!" Lila wrapped her arms around a rocking Bobby. "Hang on, Iceman…You'll be alright!"

"Neyyyuh! Nuuhhhh!" Bobby moaned, still rocking.

Next: Sapphire Twilight Part 2: Frozen Rage Freedom Force decides to let Bobby rest at HQ while several members go out on a mission. But Bobby's decided the time is right for a little revenge…