Black Ice
Disclaimer: "I'll knock him flatter than a pancake that was run over by a steamroller!"
Chapter 46: Breakout
Bayville Mall
"Hmmm…" Vincent James, the psychotic evil English technology controller codenamed Virus, sat on an ornate metallic throne. The throne was inside a black room. Behind it was a large column of metal, decorated with various controls. Attached to the column, just above the throne, was what appeared to be a large glass globe, with a large blue ball of crackling energy. The Mall was transformed by his technology into his own personal castle, from which he would rule the world. He was observing the battle between his machine soldiers and the combined forces of Freedom Force and Nightshift.
Downtown Bayville
"RAH!" Ace Starr and Kyle Dibney, Wildstar and Wildchild, used their claws to tear open a bus, causing it to careen into a wall.
"Heh." Ace smirked at Wild Child. "We make a pretty darn good team, pal."
"Yeah, whatever." Wild Child shrugged. A wild Corvette smashed into a music store. "No, not the music store!"
"Aw, man! I was hoping to get some new strings for my guitar, man!" Ace whined. "That's not cool, man! That's not cool!"
"You play guitar?" Wild Child blinked.
"Oh, yeah." Ace grinned. "I also play saxophone, piano, and harmonica."
"Whoa." Wild Child blinked, showing that he was impressed. "Where'd you find the time to learn all those instruments?"
"Easy." Ace smirked. "I'm a virtuoso, baby. Been playing guitar since I was a little kid."
"Oi!" Lucas Xavier, Legion, snapped at the two as he used his TK to bat away a couple power drills, then using his flames to roast them. "We're nae here to socialize! Dibney, we're not gonna be working with these guys all the time." Wild Child sighed.
"Ah, well…" The Canadian feral grunted. "Let's just get back to work."
"Don't be so hard on them, Legion!" Shan laughed, smashing a vacuum cleaner with her staff. "I know ferals. They like to have fun doing this stuff."
"We're nae friends, Karma." Legion grumbled. "I only agreed tae do this so we won't have to worry about being blasted to bits by something even worse than your pet madman Drake!" The blond telepath scowled as he called upon his fire powers to toast another power drill.
"Everything with a freakin' microchip." John muttered as he swung a lamppost at a Cadillac. "I can't believe I'm fighting a freakin' Cadillac! It's just not fair!" He glanced at the green-haired magnetic manipulator known as Polaris, who was trashing some other mad electronic devices. "And I can't believe we're working with these Nightshift guys." Terrell zipped up to the powerhouse Apache, using his wind powers to blow away a few power saws that were heading towards them.
"Hey, Shan said she'd bring backup, didn't she?" Terrell shrugged. "And besides, I think they know if Virus wins, we're all screwed."
"Keep pushing!" Shan ordered. "We've got to get to the mall! I have a funny feeling that Virus himself is there! Hey, what…" The members of Freedom Force and Nightshift found themselves disappearing in flashes of light. They re-appeared in the throne room, a very large room with very sparse lighting.
"Where…" Legion looked around. "Where are we?"
"We ain't in Kansas anymore, that's for sure." Kyle quipped.
"I smell metal…all over…" Wild Child snarled.
"Me too." Ace agreed.
"Welcome to me new lair. Standing tall on the site of the former Bayville Mall." Virus walked into the light, smirking evilly. However, he looked radically different. He was dressed in a black costume which left his arms and shoulders bare, with electronic green boots and a green "V" design on the chest. He looked different, with his skin and hair looking like they were made of metal.
"Virus…" Shan's jaw dropped.
"He looks different…" Ace gaped.
"I've heard of being into metal, but this is ridiculous!" Alex gulped.
"Like the new look?" Virus smirked. "Thank the nanites and the organic steel generator. I managed to incorporate their technologies into meself, making me stronger, and making me the machine I always knew I was intended to be."
"Now that is a monster, Lucas." Lizzie pointed at Virus. "Look what he's done to himself!"
"It didn't hurt." Virus smirked. "But you all will!" He raised a hand. Before the shocked mutants' eyes, his hand morphed and changed into a futuristic blaster.
Stokes Maximum Security Facility
"Alone again…naturally…" Bobby Drake half-sighed, half-sang to himself. The young ice-maker looked out at his cell door. But the former X-Man wasn't staring out at the hall. He was staring into space, and he went back to doing what he had done a lot of since he got locked up: thinking. The guard who had talked to him earlier walked back and stood next to the door.
"You alright, kid?" The guard asked.
"Yeah." Bobby nodded. "As alright as I'll ever be, I guess." He looked up. "Is it true?"
"Is what true, kid?"
"Are Freedom Force in Bayville? Taking on Virus?" The young disgraced ice-maker asked. The guard nodded, although Bobby didn't see it.
"Yeah, that's the last I heard." The guard nodded. "The kid's a loon. Can you imagine if that lunatic conquered the world? We'd all be dead." Bobby sighed.
"And I can't be there to help." Bobby sighed. He looked down sadly. "They need me. They need my help, and I can't help them." He started to tear up. "I got myself into this mess, and now my new teammates are in trouble." He looked up. "They're in trouble. And I can't help them." If I could help them…I can be forgiven. They need my help! They can't take down Virus alone! Bobby started shuffling in his straitjacket, quietly trying to break his way out of it, until he noticed a small tear inn the sleeve. Bobby blinked, and then grinned. Perfect… Using the tear, Bobby managed to rip his way out, and then gave his collar a hard yank. "NEARGH!"
"What the-?" The guard turned and saw Bobby rip off his collar. In that instant, the young ice-maker could feel his powers returning to him. In one quick move, he fired an ice beam at the door of his cell, freezing the wall. Going into his ice form, Bobby busted his way out. The guard cocked his weapon.
"I'm sorry." Bobby apologized. He fired an ice beam at the guard, covering him up to his neck in ice. "I know you're just doing your job." He walked up to the guard. "I hope you understand…" He looked at the guard. "I have a job to do, too." The guard looked into Bobby's eyes.
"Kid, I hope you know what you're doing." The guard told Bobby as alarms blared out.
"I'm getting redemption." Bobby answered as he ran off. First of all, I gotta find my trenchcoat and glasses. I don't really feel like me without them anymore.
The Bayville Mall
"Look out!" Kyle yelled as he and Gina dodged an energy blast. Freedom Force and Nightshift were forced into battle with the crazed mutant electronic-controlling mutant Virus.
"AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The now metal-skinned English mutant cackled madly. His arms had morphed into futuristic energy blasters. With a loud VWOMM, the blasters released balls of golden energy. The beams forced the heroic mutants to keep on guard, and rendered them unable to do a whole lot to attack. Not to mention Virus was able to dodge every attack Freedom Force and Nightshift threw at him, including flames from Shiro and Lucas, plasma blasts from Alex, blue lasers from Ace, the claws of Wild Child, electric blasts from Thunderbolt, sonic attacks from Rictor and Theresa, wind attacks from Terrell, and even laser arrows from Lila.
"This is getting stupid!" Alex scowled. "Eat plasma!" The blond Hawaiian-born plasma generator fired a couple beams of plasma energy at the mad mutant. Virus cackled.
"Me friend, obviously you don't know the power of the human mind." A green aura appeared around Virus's body. The plasma blasts hit Virus hard, but they didn't even phase him. "Heh heh heh…"
"You have got to be kidding me…" Lucas snarled.
"That little…" Shan scowled. "Every attack we got, he's got a counter."
"He can't counter this!" Lorna grunted, calling upon her magnetic powers, making her eyes glow. "The metal in your body puts you at my mercy!" Lorna smirked. "And I'm not in the mood to give out mercy." She waved her hand, and Virus started to levitate.
"What the-?"
"That's it, Lorna! Show 'em who's boss!" Lizzie whooped encouragingly. Lorna smirked as she used her magnetic powers to send Virus flying all over the room and slamming into walls.
"AIE HEY LET ME GO, YOU BLOODY GRASS-HAIRED PLONKER! YI! OW! UGH!" Virus screamed and howled as he got slammed into walls left and right.
"Hey, this is fun!" Lorna grinned.
"Ever thought about joining Freedom Force?" Ace joked at the green-haired girl.
"…No." Lorna answered, slightly caught off-guard by that. The feral shrugged.
"Just curious."
Next: Path of Ice As Freedom Force and Nightshift battle Virus, Bobby Drake makes his way to Bayville, intent on finding redemption.