AUTHOR'S NOTE: Much gratitude going out to Thanx4reading, whose reviews I
always look forward to. If you guys like Rachel's character, you should
really check out these sites: members.shaw.ca/houndmarks/default.htm and
askani.precious-illusion.com/ . One centers on Rachel and another is all
about the Clan Asakani, which we'll explore in chapters to come. I love
Rain; I wish I was as talented as she is!!
616 timeline 08-25-2004 Westchester, New York, United States
Even the air felt silent, as the two stood in a moment of hesitation. Both were fully aware of all that lay in wake of their battle, of the consequences dependent upon the outcome. It was as if the space-time continuum itself were stagnant, groping for its next course. For indeed, time could never resume its function, until this moment, this paramount moment answered the questions looming through eternity.
The angry seventeen-year old felt herself turn to face her enemy. At this point, she was no longer Rachel Summers; her subconscious had given her body over to the Phoenix Force, unwittingly providing the Hound persona with an all-powerful outlet to her rage. She watched on helplessly, as she attacked her own godfather yet again.
Logan was surprised by this new evil, so different from the one he'd faced a little over a year ago. Then, Dark Phoenix had been arrogant, taunting, lusting for devastation. Yet, through Rachel, it knew no pleasure. It gave no speeches before it unleashed its wrath and it gained no delight from its destruction. In fact, it seemed that Dark Phoenix now lashed out against creation more out of rage than malice. But he couldn't think of Phoenix, or Rachel, right now, not if he wanted to live through the encounter.
As the Hound charged forward, she sent out huge sweeps of telekinesis in all directions, letting her anger flow unfettered. Logan preformed several timely acrobatics to avoid the blasts, and landed horizontally upon the tall barricade of the racetrack, his claws supporting him once again. The Hound reached the wall, and hit it with such force that the entire structure collapsed. Thankfully, he'd leapt away the second she'd pulled back her fist, so that most of the debris flew in the opposite direction of him.
He landed upon a long piece of wood, presumably from the Net's main bar. The Hound flew high and pirouetted round to where Logan had fallen. She dropped onto the plank with absolute grace, and took a defensive stance, suddenly craving hand-to-hand combat. And she couldn't have chosen a better opponent. Wolverine wasted no time. He ran forward with a scream, dropping to one knee at the last moment, so that he slid toward her at an amazing speed. But she jumped up, just before he reached her. She gave him a hard kick to the small of the back, catapulting him forward, but he gracefully somersaulted to a stand. The second he pivoted, she'd reached him, and he turned into a fist that nearly shattered his skull. Logan shook his head to clear blacking spots.
Then, pissed, he began to put forth much more effort. He swung for her head, and was blocked, but plunged his extended claws into her abs. She howled in pain and gave him an uppercut to the jaw. He rose from the ground to meet her third charge. And time began to blur, excited and hastily awaiting the pinnacle of the defining moment. There was a punch and a block. A roundhouse, mirrored by a jump kick. A jab. An elbow. A back-handspring. Knee block. Punch. Backhand. Palm thrust. A high kick sent the Hound spiraling onto her back. Raising with a sinister sneer, she gave a spontaneous jump into the sky, and swan dived back toward him. Putting a tk shield around her body, she became a veritable bomb, plunging straight for him. Logan only had time to cross his claws before him in defense.
He became immersed in the Atlantic Ocean, waves biting into his skin at 49° F. Immediately, he looked for something to grab a hold of, something with which to keep above water. His skeleton weighed over 300 pounds with its adamantium lace, and that made it more than a little hard to swim at times. But, as the force of the water slowed his motions considerably, it almost seemed to give speed to the Hound. She flew toward him in a streak of current. In an instant of instinct, Wolverine flexed the muscles at the bend of his forearm, and six metal claws, each a foot long, popped out of his knuckles without a sound.
Just as they did, the current came to a halting stop, and the Hound winced in pain, giving Rachel Summers just enough time to slip into her own body once more. She woke as Logan pulled his claws out of her lungs. He tread water with some difficulty, pulling away to see if he had done the impossible and somehow killed the all-powerful. Her eyes lost their glow and became green again, her face trapped in the grimace of death. Rachel felt his mind sigh with relief, and assumed he'd somehow sensed her cast away the Dark Phoenix's hold over her mind. She came forward for an embrace. Shocked, Logan extended his claws again, sinking them into her heart. He stared cruelly into her eyes, as a fire began to glow within her pupils.
The fire grew, and grew, until it encompassed the entire ocean. Sound and light popped away in one fatal moment. And this time, Rachel knew the death she'd already experienced but had never felt. The space-time continuum changed its course, and rushed past, no longer concerned with this one small moment. There was always another day, another saga, awaiting the next generation.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, it's not the end. Death is never the end for the Phoenix, remember? ;)
616 timeline 08-25-2004 Westchester, New York, United States
Even the air felt silent, as the two stood in a moment of hesitation. Both were fully aware of all that lay in wake of their battle, of the consequences dependent upon the outcome. It was as if the space-time continuum itself were stagnant, groping for its next course. For indeed, time could never resume its function, until this moment, this paramount moment answered the questions looming through eternity.
The angry seventeen-year old felt herself turn to face her enemy. At this point, she was no longer Rachel Summers; her subconscious had given her body over to the Phoenix Force, unwittingly providing the Hound persona with an all-powerful outlet to her rage. She watched on helplessly, as she attacked her own godfather yet again.
Logan was surprised by this new evil, so different from the one he'd faced a little over a year ago. Then, Dark Phoenix had been arrogant, taunting, lusting for devastation. Yet, through Rachel, it knew no pleasure. It gave no speeches before it unleashed its wrath and it gained no delight from its destruction. In fact, it seemed that Dark Phoenix now lashed out against creation more out of rage than malice. But he couldn't think of Phoenix, or Rachel, right now, not if he wanted to live through the encounter.
As the Hound charged forward, she sent out huge sweeps of telekinesis in all directions, letting her anger flow unfettered. Logan preformed several timely acrobatics to avoid the blasts, and landed horizontally upon the tall barricade of the racetrack, his claws supporting him once again. The Hound reached the wall, and hit it with such force that the entire structure collapsed. Thankfully, he'd leapt away the second she'd pulled back her fist, so that most of the debris flew in the opposite direction of him.
He landed upon a long piece of wood, presumably from the Net's main bar. The Hound flew high and pirouetted round to where Logan had fallen. She dropped onto the plank with absolute grace, and took a defensive stance, suddenly craving hand-to-hand combat. And she couldn't have chosen a better opponent. Wolverine wasted no time. He ran forward with a scream, dropping to one knee at the last moment, so that he slid toward her at an amazing speed. But she jumped up, just before he reached her. She gave him a hard kick to the small of the back, catapulting him forward, but he gracefully somersaulted to a stand. The second he pivoted, she'd reached him, and he turned into a fist that nearly shattered his skull. Logan shook his head to clear blacking spots.
Then, pissed, he began to put forth much more effort. He swung for her head, and was blocked, but plunged his extended claws into her abs. She howled in pain and gave him an uppercut to the jaw. He rose from the ground to meet her third charge. And time began to blur, excited and hastily awaiting the pinnacle of the defining moment. There was a punch and a block. A roundhouse, mirrored by a jump kick. A jab. An elbow. A back-handspring. Knee block. Punch. Backhand. Palm thrust. A high kick sent the Hound spiraling onto her back. Raising with a sinister sneer, she gave a spontaneous jump into the sky, and swan dived back toward him. Putting a tk shield around her body, she became a veritable bomb, plunging straight for him. Logan only had time to cross his claws before him in defense.
He became immersed in the Atlantic Ocean, waves biting into his skin at 49° F. Immediately, he looked for something to grab a hold of, something with which to keep above water. His skeleton weighed over 300 pounds with its adamantium lace, and that made it more than a little hard to swim at times. But, as the force of the water slowed his motions considerably, it almost seemed to give speed to the Hound. She flew toward him in a streak of current. In an instant of instinct, Wolverine flexed the muscles at the bend of his forearm, and six metal claws, each a foot long, popped out of his knuckles without a sound.
Just as they did, the current came to a halting stop, and the Hound winced in pain, giving Rachel Summers just enough time to slip into her own body once more. She woke as Logan pulled his claws out of her lungs. He tread water with some difficulty, pulling away to see if he had done the impossible and somehow killed the all-powerful. Her eyes lost their glow and became green again, her face trapped in the grimace of death. Rachel felt his mind sigh with relief, and assumed he'd somehow sensed her cast away the Dark Phoenix's hold over her mind. She came forward for an embrace. Shocked, Logan extended his claws again, sinking them into her heart. He stared cruelly into her eyes, as a fire began to glow within her pupils.
The fire grew, and grew, until it encompassed the entire ocean. Sound and light popped away in one fatal moment. And this time, Rachel knew the death she'd already experienced but had never felt. The space-time continuum changed its course, and rushed past, no longer concerned with this one small moment. There was always another day, another saga, awaiting the next generation.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, it's not the end. Death is never the end for the Phoenix, remember? ;)