Chapter Nine: Musical Maladies Part Two
"Sweet!" Jubilee crowed as the New Mutants crowded around the X-Men and looked at the tickets to the Battle of the Bands. "Finally we have someplace to go on a Friday night!"
"This'll be a blast!" Amara exclaimed.
"Sounds like you're channeling Tabby there." Dead Girl noted.
"Oh man, Tabby'll be so mad that she missed this!" Bobby laughed. "We get to go to a concert while she's stuck with Misfit Morons!"
"Probably shouldn't say that to her face." Ray suggested.
"Or Sam's." Besty added as the southern mutant glared at Bobby who laughed weakly and shied away.
"Good point." Bobby gulped.
"I don't see what's so great about this." Scott grumbled as he crossed his arms. "That's valuable Danger Room time wasted!"
"What a pity." Roberto drawled.
"Such a shame." Everett agreed.
"I might get to live!" Doug said happily.
"What do you think Amira?" Lina asked. Amira looked at her for a moment and frowned.
"I think that Wildfire guy is a jerk."
"Maybe we just have to get to know him better." Lina suggested. Amira looked at her as if Lina had grown a second head.
"After what he called you? He wouldn't have said that if he wasn't a—" Amira dropped into Arabic to describe the lowest type of street scum. Doug winced.
"Well…" Lina trailed off. It was hard to deny that what Kyle said stung. It was even harder to deny that he was a jerk.
"Well at least that Paul Starr was dreamy." Kitty sighed. Peter buried his face in his hands.
"It never ends…" He moaned.
"He wasn't that good looking." Scott grumbled.
"Yes he was!" Jean, Kitty, and Rogue disagreed.
"Jean!" Scott whined.
"Well he was!" She protested. Amira rolled her eyes.
"Allah help me if I ever act that pathetic." She muttered in Arabic, blissfully unaware of just how she acted when Althea was around.
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"Why'd you go an invite those X-Dorks?" Kyle grumbled as they moved their gear onto the stage.
"Just because you can't get along with them is no reason why we shouldn't." Paul admonished him. "Besides it'll be nice to have some friends in the audience."
"Some friends." Kyle muttered.
"I wouldn't worry about that." Ace smiled enigmatically. "I met some lovely ladies who'll be attending."
"What is with you two?" Craig snorted. "It's a miracle every girl in the country isn't drooling over you two."
"Who says they aren't?" Ace grinned.
Kyle was about to voice his incredulity when he was nearly elbowed off the stage as another band headed up. "Hey! Watch it!"
The three band members put down their equipment and glowered at Kyle. One had long purple hair and carried a guitar, another had a green Mohawk and a base, and the third member, the drummer, wore a bandanna. They all wore black shades and looked to be wearing some kind of body paint since they were all light blue skinned.
"What's a matter? You jabronis lost your tongues?" Kyle demanded.
"Kyle—" Jake hissed.
"What's the hold up fellas?" The Wildfires and Starrs turned around to see a girl with lightning blue hair tied in a high pony tail and green eyes staring at them. She wore black eye liner that continued down onto her cheeks and wore a black top that left her midriff and left arm bare and black pants tucked into gray boots with skulls on the front. She also carried a purple guitar covered with light blue lightning bolts the same color as her hair.
"Who are you?" Jake blinked.
"The name's Maria Bersbeck." She said. "These are my band mates."
"Well, I'm Jake Wildfire and this is my brother Kyle and our friends, Paul, Craig, and Ace Starr."
"I've heard of you." Maria said. "You guys suck."
"You haven't even heard us play." Paul blinked.
"I was evaluating you as human beings." She snickered. "Later losers!" Maria laughed as she and her cohorts left.
"We are so going to beat them!" Kyle promised.
"Don't worry, we rock!" Ace assured him.
"No, I meant we should really beat them, as in to a pulp."
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That night, the X-Men made their way through the crowds to take their seats in the theater where the Starrs and Wildfires were playing. Kurt, Lina, and Dead Girl wore holowatches and the others were low-key in their outfits, so no one in this town would recognize them.
"This place is packed!" Jubilee exclaimed. "I hope your friends can see us from onstage!"
"Hey move it!" One girl said rudely as she tried to push her way through. "Out of my way, peasant!"
"Who are you calling peasant?" Amara demanded hotly. The girl turned around to glare at the X-Men. Amira went hot, then cold as she recognized her.
"Monet…" Amira growled.
"The Desert Rat…" Monet growled back.
"Hey, that line's taken!" Rogue protested.
"What's the hold up M? Oh…" Roulette glared as she joined Monet, flanked by Tarot and Catseye.
"What X-Men do here?" Catseye asked them.
"We were invited. What are you Hellfire whores doing here?" Amira hissed.
"Aww, could the little dyke miss her boy toy?" Roulette grinned. With a choked off scream Amira tossed herself at Roulette, landing a solid punch that split the blond girl's lip.
"Not fight here!" Catsteye protested as Rogue pulled Amira back. "We invited too!" She looked around and sniffed. "Where Rahne?"
"She's not here." Scott said shortly. Catseye's face fell.
"She's staying with the Misfits for a while." Lina told her. "I'll tell her we ran into you." Catseye brightened. Monet just glowered at her.
"Traitor."
"Where are the rest of you creeps?" Rogue asked as she restrained Amira.
"Not here." Roulette said glumly as she wiped her lip. "Otherwise we'd finish this once and for all!"
"But since we don't want to disappoint Ace and wreck his concert…" Tarot spoke up. The Hellion girls looked at each other and nodded. None of them wanted to ruin Ace's night though none of the four would consider Ace anything but "theirs'" so they turned around.
"Some other time X-Geeks." Monet hissed as they headed away. Catseye waved as she went.
"Can you let me go now?" Amira asked Rogue irately.
"Let's get to our seats, but be sure to keep an eye out for the Hellions." Scott ordered. "I'd say that we should leave but I know none of you would listen to me."
"Did you, like, say something Scott?" Kitty asked.
"Case in point…"
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Back in his lair, the White Pawn of the Hellfire Club (actually, one of several) waited and watched in anticipation from his home in Wisconsin. He knew that his lackey would give a stellar performance. One to remember…
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The X-Men took their seats just in time for the first band to walk onto the stage. They all applauded with the rest of the crowd even though they didn't recognize the band. But Dead Girl had a funny feeling that she knew the lead player and singer in the band. A shockingly pale skinned girl with lightning blue hair and green eyes...
Just then, she started to sing
Yeah! Ohh-ooohhh!
It was, it was September,
Wind blows, the dead leaves fall,
To you, I did surrender,
Two weeks, you didn't call...
Your life goes on without me,
My life, a losing game,
But you should, you should not doubt me,
You will remember my name...
Dead Girl looked down at the program in her hands and looked up the name of the lead for this band. M. Bersbeck. "M. Bersbeck." She repeated. A sudden thought grabbed her and she said the name again, slowly stressing each syllable. "M bers back. Oh no…"
Grinning, the ghostly pale girl sang loudly.
Oh, Ember, you will remember!
Ember, one thing remains!
Oh, Ember, so warm and tender!
You will remember my name!
Your heart, your heart abandoned,
Your wall, now perishing,
Like bad dreams in cold December,
Nothing, but ashes remain...
Oh, Ember, you will remember!
Ember, one thing remains!
Ember, so warm and tender!
You will remember my name!
Oh-woo-oh-woo, Ember!
You will remember!
Ember, one thing remains!
Ember, so warm and tender!
You will remember my name!
Yeah! You will remember my name!
"This is bad." Dead Girl said as she saw everyone around her, including her fellow X-Men fall under the sway of M. Bersbeck, or rather, Ember McLain. The ghost rocker.
"Tell me who you love!" Ember shouted.
"Ember! Ember! Ember!" The crowd roared.
"We'll do anything for you Ember!" One audience member bawled out loud.
"That's good." Ember grinned. "Because I want you to destroy the X-Men!"
"Ember! Ember! Ember!" The chant went up again as the crowed descended on the helpless, transfixed X-Men.
"It's a good thing I'm already dead." Dead Girl gulped.
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A/N: Ember McClain is © to Butch Hartman.