Black Ice

Disclaimer: "I don't believe in vengeance." - Hal Jordan, Green Lantern: Rebirth

Author's Note: Okay, I just got told that the rule about no more review responses is actually a true rule. I'm really confused about this whole situation. I heard about the rule, heard it was a rumor, and now I hear it's an actual rule. Man, what is going on? I would like to know if it is an actual rule.

Chapter 39: Sapphire Twilight Part 10: Shattered Ice

Bayville Mall

"Uhn…" Shan Coy, the mind-controlling leader of Freedom Force codenamed Karma, groaned as she tried to take control of the psychotic young mutant named Bobby Drake, codenamed Iceman. The young Vietnamese mutant girl strained with effort, sweat pouring down her brow.

"NEEEAAARGH! NRRRRRG! ARRRGH!" Bobby screamed primally, a pink glow around his head. The young mutant shook his head quickly, straining against the bonds of vines and electric chains created by his teammates Kyle Wildfire, the Boston-born electrokinetic codenamed Thunderbolt, and Gina Tolensky, the Italian-American plant-controller codenamed Botanica.

"Uhn…" Kyle strained in an effort to maintain his constructs. "Man, this jabroni is tough! And this here blizzard isn't helping us out much here." Kyle had indicated the blizzard that kicked up around Freedom Force. The blizzard, which Bobby caused, was linked to him. It grew in strength and power when he got angrier. And the bitter, insane Iceman was not a happy bunny.

"NO!" Bobby screamed. "NO! NEVER! STAY OUT OF MY MIND! NEEEEEAAAAARGH!"

"Uhn…" Shan dropped to one knee. "I…can't…get…."

"Whoa, man." Terrell winced.

"Yeah." John nodded. "I thought Shan could easily take over anyone's mind."

"Actually man, only those with strong wills can resist it." Terrell told the powerhouse Apache. The Compton-born speedster put his hand on his head to keep his hat on. "And I guess Bobby the Snow-Psycho over there has more than enough willpower for all of us."

"Mind…clouded…" Shan scowled. "Rage…so…much…rage…"

"Bobby!" Lila called up at the ice-maker. "Calm down! We don't want to fight you! Shan just wants to calm you down! Please! You'll kill somebody if this keeps up!"

"TOO LATE FOR THAT!" Bobby cackled. "I KILLED THE X-MEN! I MADE THEM ALL PAY!"

"But none of them are dead. We found them alive. Nearly drowned, but none of them are dead." John whispered to Shiro.

"But he doesn't appear to know that." Shiro whispered back. Meanwhile, Lucas was melting his way out of his icy restraints.

"Just me bloody luck this ice is tougher than normal ice." Lucas grumbled quietly, using fiery hands to try and melt his way out. The Scottish-mutant looked at Elizabeth, who had passed out. "Don't ye nae worry, me dear. I'll get ye out of there. And then…" He stared at the battle, and narrowed his eyes. "I'm going tae make Bobby Drake pay."

"I…can't…" Karma mumbled.

"NYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Bobby screamed angrily. The blizzard around him intensified.

"AGH!" Karma screamed, falling to all fours.

"Shan!" Ace and Rictor helped the Vietnamese mutant girl up.

"Rage…too…powerful…" Shan moaned. Bobby froze the vines that were holding him back, and he shattered them.

"Oh my God!" Gina exclaimed.

"Agh!" Kyle grunted as he took the mental backlash of Bobby breaking his constructs. "God, the Thunderbolt hates it when that happens!"

"That's it!" John snarled. "I've had enough! We do this MY way!" John picked up a bench and pitched it at Bobby's icy body. Bobby turned, and the top half of his body got shattered by the bench. "Yeah!" He whooped. However, his happy face turned to shock when he saw the lower half of Bobby's body morph into water. "What the-?"

"John, look out!" Gina called out. The watery Bobby turned into a waterspout, and it hit Thunderbird hard, smashing him through a wall of a store where several panicky people were hiding.

"Oh, no!" Ace groaned.

"Nice try!" Bobby cackled at the powerhouse. He turned back into human form and looked around. "Lookit all the little people. What's the matter, folks? Never seen a psychotic superhuman before?" He cackled. He found himself narrowly dodging jets of fiery plasma, lightning, blue laser beams, a couple tornadoes, and waves of sonic energy. He turned and scowled at the members of Freedom Force. "I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" Bobby roared, transforming into a tidal wave. The wave slammed into the team of heroic mutants. "I'LL TURN THE WORLD INTO A FROZEN GRAVEYARD IF I HAVE TO! I WILL GET MY VENGEANCE! I WILL GET MY JUSTICE!"

"Justice THIS!" Kyle hit a watery Bobby with a blast of electricity. Bobby screamed in pain as the electricity hit his body. In his watery state, the crazed Iceman was extremely conductive of electricity, and it hurt him. "Sorry, Vader."

"NEEEEEEEEEARGH! RAAAAAAH!" A further-insane-with-pain Bobby fired two jets of ice at Freedom Force. They barely managed to dodge it.

"Keep hitting him, Kyle!" Rictor encouraged, blasting Bobby with sonic waves. Terrell zipped around the crazed ice-maker at incredible speed, trying to redirect the winds of Bobby's blizzard against him. Sunfire was flying around, pitching fireballs at Bobby. The flames would only annoy the ice-maker in his watery state, but annoyance was Sunfire's goal. Ace was helping Kyle by providing laser blasts from his claws. Gina was helping Karma and Lila evacuate the mall. "It's hurting him!" Kyle's fists started to spark.

"Hope you forgive the Thunderbolt for this, Vader." Kyle sighed sadly. He started blasting Bobby with more electricity.

"NEEEEEEEEEEARGH!" Bobby screamed in anger and pain. The young ice-maker was struggling. Kyle's pumping him with electricity was hurting him bad, the only attack that really did besides Rictor's sonic waves hurting his ears. Not to mention he had to deal with the annoyances created by Ace, Shiro, and fight off Terrell's attempts at attacking his blizzard. "I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! I KNEW YOU'D ALL BETRAY ME! IT NEVER ENDS! IT NEVER ENDS!" Bobby screamed. "NOTHING BUT BETRAYAL! IT NEVER ENDS!" Meanwhile, Lucas was busy freeing Elizabeth from her icy bonds.

"Uhn…" Elizabeth moaned weakly, finally getting a chance to fully breathe, thanks to Lucas melting away her icy bonds.

"Hush, me dear." Lucas reassured. "Save yuir breath. Just relax." He carefully used his flame to melt her out. Just ye wait, Drake. As soon as I free Elizabeth, I'm comin' for ye.

"NYEEEEEAAAAARGH!" In a fit of desperation, Bobby fired jets of water in all directions from his hands. The desperation move forced Freedom Force to back off, giving Bobby several valuable seconds to recover. He was tired from the fighting, as evidenced by him changing back into human form.

"Not yet…" Bobby snarled. "Not yet…I'm not done…I will get my justice…"

"I got him!" Terrell raced up to Bobby and caught the ice-maker in a sleeper hold.

"LET GO!" Bobby screamed.

"Sorry, man." Terrell apologized. "But we need you to calm down HEY!" Bobby tried to struggle to get the hold off.

"LET GO!" Bobby screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU! LET ME GO!" He was still too frazzled and pained to change into a watery form. "LET GO!"

"There!" Lucas finally freed Elizabeth. The girl shrunk back to normal size and collapsed in his arms. The telepath stroked her hair. "It's okay, Elizabeth. Ye rest now." He turned to Bobby. "Now, it's my turn." He concentrated, and shot a powerful bolt of mental energy, which nailed Bobby right on target. With one final scream, Bobby fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Whoa…" Terrell blinked. "Man, a sleeper hold is awfully effective."

Next: Sapphire Fallout Part 1: Broken X The X-Men deal with the aftermath of Bobby's rampage.