X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
Notice: All Marvel characters are copyrighted by Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc., and all White Wolf powers, race names, and clan names are copyrighted by White Wolf, Inc. The material herein is intended as not-for-profit fan-fiction; no copyright infringement is intended.
BOOK I
Prologue
In the quiet of the night, a singular voice rose in song. The words were of an ancient and lost language that the world had not heard in centuries. In a heavily wooded area, next to a running brook, a large bonfire blazed. Its flames licked high enough to threaten tree branches, yet the great oaks did not become damaged. A black silhouette clothed in what appeared to the naked eye to be shadows danced about the fire in a clockwise direction. Its arms moved about in a fashion not unlike praying, with the exception that the prayer was not solely aimed at the heavens, but at the ground, the water, and the fire as well. More words in an ancient tongue floated through the air. Almost immediately, the wind picked up to the extent that scientists would have classified the phenomenon as an F1 tornado. The shadow thrust both open palms at the ground and a low tremor shook the earth with the effect of an earthquake of level three on the Richter Scale. With a muttered word, the shadow swept one arm across the brook, making its waters crash against the dirt sides and splash into the air a few inches. Spinning, the figure faced the blazing fire and thrust both arms wide, calling out a single phrase.
“Anal Nothrok Dochiel Dienday!”
The flames of the bonfire roared into the air, licking at the air above the tallest tree. For several moments, the fire remained a pillar stretching to the sky. Then, it shrank back to its normal size, shivering and shaking to the side, as though it were trying to form itself in some other way.
Suddenly, fiery wings burst from the sides of the bonfire, stretching out to a length of ten feet each. The main body of the fire shrank and thinned out into the form of a reptilian body. The top of the flames flattened and spiked in certain areas, forming a head with horns.
The flames had taken on the unmistakable form of a dragon. It looked down at the silhouette and bowed its head, as though acknowledging its master. The figure mimicked the gesture exactly. “You know the question on my mind, can you answer it?”
The fire dragon stretched to its full height and regarded the questioner for a moment. Then, it collapsed on itself before exploding out. The silhouette shielded its eyes for a moment and then looked up just in time to see the fire had become to singular rays. They wavered and bowed, like a charmed cobra. Then, they crossed over each other and reformed together, making the plain, ordinary bonfire once again.
But the whole event had not gone misunderstood, for the shadow-figure had seen the image that the fire dragon had wanted him to see. For a second, the two fire rays had given him a symbol to seek out to aid him.
The symbol was an X.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
One
The sun shone down on the peaceful setting of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. To the unknown eye, it would appear to be a school built around a mansion, as the brass plaque on the brick posts at the head of the driveway stated. Yet, to those who dwelt there, it was more than just a school. It was a training facility for those who were set apart from the rest of humanity by the strange and wondrous powers they held at their command.
Although most of the residents of the mansion would have loved nothing more than to bask in the sun, they instead found themselves deep within the bowels of the complex, fighting holographic and robotic enemies.
The large, city block large metal room was known as the Danger Room. It was a facility that was used to train and hone the powers of the superhuman students of the institute. The students were more widely known as the heroic team the X-Men. Time and again, they had put their lives on the line to save humanity from countless dangers. Very rarely did they have time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
This was one of those times that the team’s leader, Cyclops, wished he had. Instead. He was dodging laser blasts and returning his own via his mutant power to fire red blasts of pure energy from his eyes. Unchecked, he could not control this power other than shutting his eye, but he had found various ways to be able to harness his power and control it with deadly precision. One of those ways was a visor made of ruby quartz that covered his eyes, such as the one he currently wore.
Spinning, he unleashed another blast from the visor that neatly cut the approaching robot in two. Although his opponents were far from challenging, the goal of the exercise was to try and better narrow the band of his optic blasts so they were more like a surgical laser scalpel rather than blunt blasts of energy. So far, he had been rather successful in his attempts.
An explosion from behind him drew his attention, making him spin around, ready to attack. He held back when he saw the tall man in a brown duster leaning against the metal wall of the Danger Room, a cigarette in his mouth and a playing card crackling with kinetic energy in his hand.
“You really ought t’ be more careful wit what you be doin’ Cyke.”
Cyclops glared at the man, although he knew that the look would not be visible behind the visor. “And you should let me know that you’re behind me, Gambit, or I might have pulverized you with a blast.”
Gambit smiled his characteristic crooked smile and hurled the crackling card at Cyclops. The team leader stood still, frozen with shock, as the card flew passed his ear. There was the sound of an explosion behind him and Cyclops turned to see a robot laying on the ground in pieces. If Gambit had waited a second longer to hurl the card, he would have been hamburger.
“An to tink dat I could’ve jus’ let dat mean ol’ ‘bot just pound away at you.” Gambit said with a smile, then turned and went to attack his own opponent.
Cyclops sighed and looked to see how the rest of his team was doing. They all seemed to have things well in hand, but that was to be expected. The program they were using was a relatively low one and the threat level was practically zero.
“Don’t let the Cajun get to ya Cyke.” A gravely voice said off to the side. Cyclops turned to see a small man in a black and yellow costume tearing away at five robots at the same time with three bone claws that extended out of the back of the knuckles of each hand. Although it was taking him a long time to dispatch the robots, Cyclops could tell the man was just playing with them.
“Thanks for the advice Wolverine.” he said.
Wolverine smiled and drove a clawed fist through the head of one of the robots. “No prob’.”
“Uh, guys, could I get a little help over here?”
Wolverine spun around to get a glance at who was speaking, even though he already knew who it was. “Hang on a sec kitten, I’ll be right with ya.”
Kitty Pryde, otherwise known as Shadowcat, smiled sweetly at him even as she struggled against the metal tentacles that held her in their grasp. Using her power to phase her body through matter, she slipped through the tentacles and dropped to the ground. Yet, as she solidified to try and attack them, the metal appendages simply wrapped her up again. “This is getting annoying.” she grumbled.
“Try solidifying yourself in them Kitty.” Cyclops advised.
Kitty looked over at him with wide eyes. “Are you nuts Scott, that’ll probably cut my arm off at the same time!”
Wolverine chuckled. “Well, at least it’ll get the job done.”
Gambit shook his head as he used his mutant power to take the potential energy of an object, such as his trademark playing cards, and turn it into explosive kinetic energy. He hurled three such energized cards at the tentacles. “And here we t’ought you liked d’ p’tite kitten.” The cards blasted three of the tentacles to pieces, leaving three left. Two of them wrapped around Kitty’s waist and ankles, while the third one snaked around her throat. Her eyes went wide as the appendage tightened painfully.
“H-hey, this isn’t supposed to hurt.” She reached up and tried to pry the tentacle away, by the metal would not give. “Guys, I think something’s wrong here.”
“Phase through it Kitty.” Cyclops called, momentarily delayed by a squad of robots.
Kitty continued to struggle, trying to pry loose the arm that was cutting off her oxygen. “I can’t, can’t concentrate, can’t breathe.” Her breaths began to come out in small wheezes, growing fainter by the moment.
Wolverine saw what was happening and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Dammit, there’s a problem with the safeties!” He raked his claws through the three remaining robots and spun, rushing at the tentacles. “Hang on punkin, I’m coming!”
Cyclops blew apart another robot with his blasts and looked over at Gambit, who was pulling out more cards from his coat. “Remy, take out the tentacles on her waist and legs.”
Gambit smiled and hurled two energized cards. “Remy already be ahead of you mon ami.” The kinetically charged cards blew into the base of the tentacles, blowing them to atoms. The appendages dropped limply to the ground, effectively freeing Kitty’s waist and legs. This, however, caused another problem. With the tentacles no longer holding her up, Kitty was only staying aloft by the one metal appendage wrapped around her throat. The affect was like a suicide victim hanging from a noose. Kitty’s eyes went wide as her chest heaved in an attempt to catch anything that resembled oxygen. Then, her body went limp, her fingers falling from the metal around her throat to rest at her sides, lifeless.
“Kitty!”
Wolverine’s cry of rage and despair seemed more like a roar of an enraged animal than common speech. He launched himself into the air and severed the tentacle in one swipe. Kitty fell to the ground in a heap, the piece of metal around her throat falling limply away. Wolverine dropped down beside her, his hand gripping her shoulder. “Kitty, Kitty wake up! Come on punkin, don’t do this to me.”
Her eyelids fluttered and then fully opened, her brown eyes looking at Wolverine almost sleepily. A faint smile touched her lips. “I wouldn’t do that Logan,” she said weakly, “Who would keep you in check?”
Wolverine smiled and picked her up in his arms, rushing from the Danger Room. He cast a look at Gambit that actually made the cocky Cajun shrink back. Running through the hallways, he burst into the medlab, where the hulking, blue-furred form of the Beast was working on the computer. He looked up at his guests, his eyes widening at the scene before him. “What happened?” he asked as he bounced over to the med table that Wolverine laid Kitty on.
“Damn safeties in the Danger Room screwed up,” Wolverine growled, “Almost choked Kitty to death.”
Kitty shook her head and started to sit up. “No, I’m fine, just a little dizzy.”
Beast gently pushed her back down with one furry hand. “Now, Ms. Pryde, let your doctor take a look at you.” Kitty smirked at him as he took medical scanner from his oversized lab coat.
“How do I know that thing won’t give me cancer in the future anyway?” she quipped.
“It probably will,” Beast said in a humorous mater-of-fact manner, “But it is right now that we are concerned about.” He ran the scanner over her face and chest, nodding at the readings. “Well, you seem to be okay. There’s no damage to your lungs or trachea.”
Kitty nodded and sat up, looking pointedly at Wolverine. “I told you so.”
He shrugged. “So I wanted to make sure, so sure me.”
“Why, I wouldn’t get anything out of it.”
The three of them laughed and Kitty swung her legs over the side of the bed, taking the dark blue mask of her costume from her face. “I’d better check the Danger Room’s computers.”
Before Wolverine or Beast could protest, klaxon alarms rang out. As though it were routine, Beast jumped over to a control panel on the wall and activated it, bringing up a schematic of the mansions landscape. “It appears we have an intruder.” he said, “Right at the edge of the forest.”
Kitty jumped from the bed and ran over to the control panel. “That’s not possible, the warning sensors should have picked them up just as they entered the forest.”
Beast shrugged and pointed at the red blip on the screen that was positioned at the edge of the grounds. “Apparently, our guest has found a way to slip by them undetected.”
Kitty shook her head. “No way, I just upgraded those things myself.” She immediately looked over at Wolverine and pointed at him. “Don’t you say a thing Logan.” she threatened.
Wolverine lit a cigar and put his hands up in defeat, a smirk on his face. “Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Yeah right.” Kitty grumbled as she headed off.
Wolverine looked over at Beast, the smirk turning into a grin. “Kid sure does hate being shown up, huh Hank?”
Beast chuckled. “Indeed Logan, I think you may be rubbing off on our tender kitten.”
Wolverine’s grin turned feral as he started out of the medlab. “Just tryin’ to leave my mark on the world Hank. Come on, Kitty might need a hand.”
Beast nodded and flung his coat over a chair before heading after Wolverine. On his way out the door, he grabbed a comlink and activated it. “Storm, this is Beast, did you monitor the intruder alert.”
“Yes Hank,” the regal voice said from the other end of the link, “I’m heading outside now. Do you have any readings on the intruder?”
“No, dear lady, I’m afraid I have not yet been able to get to Cerebro to determine the nature of our guest.”
“Why don’t you head over to the control room and do just that while I get a bird’s eye view.”
“Consider it done. Also, Shadowcat and Wolverine as heading out as well.”
“Wolverine I understand, but why is Kitty going to check it out?”
Beast chuckled. “It appears our kitten is suffering from wounded pride.”
There was a pause, then, “Oh yes, she was the one to upgrade the system.”
“Storm!”
Beast laughed at Kitty’s voice floating down the corridor and bounced off to the control room.
The woods whispered in his ears, guiding him through the forest. He felt his body almost meld with the foliage around him, easily slipping passed the security sensors spread out through the forest. As he passed each device, a growl escaped his lips. How could someone defile The Mother like this? The answer would not immediately be forthcoming, he knew. As he came to the clearing of the forest, his eyes settled on the vast, landscape of the mansion. A smile crept over his lips as he stepped from the edge of the forest. After traveling hundreds of miles, he had finally reached his goal.
The, he felt it before he saw it. Looking up, he saw a dark-skinned woman swoop down from the sky, like a hawk attacking a field mouse. Her white mane of hair fluttered it the wind like a live entity. Upon her silver uniform, he saw a distinctive red circle with a black X in the middle of it. That was the symbol he had been looking for. Raising his hand, he hailed a silent greeting to the goddess-like woman that approached him.
He was not prepared for the sudden upswing of wind that took him off his feet, throwing him to the ground. Immediately, his combative instincts took over and he rolled to the side, disappearing into the brush. As the woman landed, he crouched amongst the green foliage, ever muscle in his body taut with readiness. Patiently, he waited for her to approach his location.
Storm looked around, trying to find the stranger in the black leather coat. He had appeared out of nowhere and saw her coming from a good distance. When he had raised his hand at her, she instinctively reacted to the ensuing attack, throwing him to the ground with a quick down draft of wind. Almost faster than she though possible, he had rolled to the side and disappeared into the woods. Although hopeful that he was adequately dissuaded from trying to reenter the premises, Storm somehow knew that he was still around, waiting for her.
Using the wind currents to bear her aloft, she scanned the area with her eyes, unable to determine whether or not he was still there. The sounds of people drew her attention to the front door of the mansion. She watched as Kitty, Wolverine, and Beast came running out, Kitty in the lead. Despite the tense situation, Storm smiled at the expression on the young woman’s face. She was very upset that someone could get passed her security systems. “He’s somewhere in the forest.” she called down.
Kitty stopped and looked up at her. “Just one guy?” Storm nodded. “How did he get passed you?”
Storm shrugged. “He is much faster than he looks.”
“Did he try to attack you?” Wolverine asked, the lust for combat apparent in his voice.
“No Logan. In fact, I think I frightened him more than anything.”
Kitty started forward when Wolverine caught her arm. “Hold on Kitty, we don’t know who it is we’re dealing with. This guy might be armed.”
Kitty shrugged off his arm. “Logan, I appreciate the concern, but I intend to find out just what kind of guy can bypass Shi’ar technology. Besides, I can phase through anything he can throw at me.”
Beast came up beside them. “Kitty, although I do understand you concern, Wolverine is indeed the logical choice for this recon.”
Kitty glared at him. “How do you figure that Hank?”
“He has done this sort of thing for many years and his senses make him the perfect bloodhound, as you know.”
Kitty huffed and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I can just phase through everything until I find the guy, and then call you guys.”
For a moment, Beast and Wolverine looked at each other , then smiled. “All right punkin,” Wolverine said, pulling back his mask, “Go for it. You call us over if you get into trouble.”
Kitty nodded and ran off into the woods, phasing through the trees.
He silently watched as the girl melted through the trees like a ghost. Instinctively, he wanted to just stand up and open his arms to the beautiful young girl that floated before him. Yet, the combative side kept him crouched in the bush, watching silently as she moved throughout the forest, passing through everything without a care. She was looking for him, he knew this. With her method of searching, she would find him soon. It was only a matter of time.
“No time to act stupid,” he muttered to himself, “Just have to do it right the first time.” Quietly, he drew out a high tech pistol and looked at the damage level on the side of it. Stun, should be enough to end this. I don’t wan to hurt her after all. After making sure the gun was fully charged, he slipped through the forest, his footfalls not making a sound. He pressed his back against a tree ten meters from where the girl stood. Her back was to him and she was looking around, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Breathing once, twice, he spun around the tree and leveled the gun at the back of the girl’s lovely head.
Before he could even think about pulling the trigger, something lifted him up into the air and threw him out of the forest, a good thirty meters. Landing hard on the grass, his fingers lost their grip on the pistol and it skittered away. Rolling up into a crouch, he scanned the people before him. Two of them were standing on the lawn, one a big, blue furred creature and the other a short man in a yellow and black costume with a cigar in his mouth. In the sky, he saw the black woman with the mane of white hair hovering only a few meters up from them. All three of these he had seen before while he was hiding in the forest. One more was now added to their ranks.
A woman with flaming red hair dropped lightly to the ground. She looked at him with hard eyes. “Just what do you think you were doing?”
“Defending myself.” he growled.
A second later, Kitty’s voice rang out from the woods. “Jean, I could have handled it, you didn’t need to jump in.”
The young man turned to see Kitty walk out of the woods, a disappointed look on her face. “Kitty, he was about to shoot you.” Phoenix said, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.
“I could have phased out.”
“I do not believe you could Kitty,” Beast said as he picked up the gun, “This is an energy-style weapon and would have struck you solidly even if you had phased in time.”
Wolverine’s eyes narrowed and he stalked towards the young man. “So, you think that you were going to shoot someone in the back, huh?” Sknit! The claws on Wolverine’s right hand extended out. “No one takes cheap pot shots at my friends.”
The young man reached into his coat faster than anyone could see and pulled out another gun identical to the one Beast held. He aimed it at Wolverine. “Fine, then I’ll take one head-on.” A twisted smile crossed his lips. “Oh, and it’s not on stun either. I know your capabilities Logan, so this baby’ss set a little higher.”
That made Wolverine pause. “How the hell do you know about me kid?” he growled.
“Doesn’t really matter, because it’s apparent I came to the wrong place. Bye now.”
In the blink of an eye, Storm unleashed a whirlwind upon the young man, engulfing him in the spiraling vortex. She manipulated the winds so they would bear him aloft and tear the weapon from his hand. Yet, when she looked to the spot where he should have been, there was only blank air.
“Storm,” Wolverine called, “Cut the wind off, you’ll kill the poor boy by tearing him apart soon.”
Storm nodded and disbanded the windstorm. To her amazement, the young man stood exactly where he had been before she had formed the tornado, weapon and all. He looked up at Storm and shook his head, his eyes narrowed.
He was not happy.
“You apparently can control the elements,” he said quietly, “For one to have such strong control over the forces of nature, I respect and commend you on your accomplishment. There is only one thing you should know when manipulating the forces around us. Do you know what that is?”
Storm shook her head, her eyes narrowed with tension. “No, what?”
Suddenly, the wind picked up, about twice the strength of Storm’s tornado. The white-haired mutant had to strenuously call upon her command of the elements to stay aloft. When she looked down, the wind seemed to circle around the young man, as though creating some form of barrier between him and them. A gust of wind lashed out and tore the gun from Beast’s hand, sending it spinning through the air and slapping grip-first into the young man’s awaiting hand. He lowered both guns to his side, but did not put them away. Slowly, a smile crept across his lips as he saw the X-Men struggling to maintain their positions. Phoenix threw up a telekinetic shield that kept the swirling debris from injuring any of them. Kitty phased her molecules so any flying objects would pass right through her. Storm tried desperately to bring the winds under control, but for the first time in her life, the elements refused to obey her commands. She looked down at the young man to see him smiling up at her.
“Never screw with my element!”
He placed the guns in his coat and raised both of his hands to the sky, crossing them at the wrists. With a sharp movement, he clenched his fists and thrust both arms to the ground. Instantly, Storm was hurled to the grass, the wind knocked out of her. The same happened to the other X-Men, who were pushed to the ground by winds so fierce that they could do nothing but lay on their stomachs as the gales pushed down on their backs.
Then, as suddenly as they had started, the winds stopped, and all was quiet. Phoenix looked over at the other four and saw then slowly recovering. Wolverine was already on his feet, checking Storm to see if she was okay. She had taken it the worst when she had been flung down from the sky. The impact seemed to have rattled her, but there was no real damage. Turning her head, she looked over at the young man-
And found herself staring down the angry glowing barrel of a gun. Just behind it was the young man, his face deadly serious. “I didn’t want it to be like this,” he said quietly, “I came here for your help. I though you were supposed to be the good guys, but I guess the newspapers are right about you.”
“Who are you?” Phoenix demanded.
“Cole Raven.” he said, backing away so he could level the other gun at the group of four beyond Phoenix. “I’m here to talk with someone by the name of Charles Xavier.”
“Why the hell would we be inclined to let you do that after yer little stunt, kid?” Wolverine growled.
Cole shrugged. “In all reality, you shouldn’t. The fact is, though, that I could find him all on my own if I really wanted to, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing you guys could do to stop me.”
Wolverine brought his claws up. “You wanna make a bet on that, punk?”
Cole actually lowered his guns and glared at Wolverine, hard. The small group of X-Men felt the ground beneath them begin to tremble, growing stronger by the second. “You want to go round two with me, old man? I know all about you Logan, and I know you’re not an idiot.”
For a moment, Wolverine hesitated. “Just who the hell are you kid, and how do you know so much about us?”
Cole sighed and the ground ceased to tremble. “I’ll gladly tell all of you the story, if you’ll just back off and let me talk to Xavier, that’s all I want.” He looked around at the skeptical faces. “Do you want a show of truce? Fine,” He put the guns back within his coat, “How’s that for a start.”
“Even without those fine pieces of technology,” Beast said, his Webster’s Dictionary vocabulary returning to him, “How can we be reassured that by some whim you do not utilize your remarkable control over the elements to wreck havoc on our peaceful abode?”
Cole looked over to Kitty, who was on one knee next to Beast. “Is he always like this?” She nodded, her face still a mask of distrust. Cole sighed and bowed his head. “Okay, what would make you happy?”
“You, unconscious.”
Cole cast Wolverine a sideways glare.
“In truth,” Storm said, slowly approaching, “The very fact that you have not killed us when you had the opportunity shows that you may indeed have good intentions.”
“Who says he could’ve killed us?” Wolverine grumbled.
“Even you can’t live with no skin on those bones short stuff.” Cole said.
The short mutant grumbled something that the others knew they were glad they didn’t hear and headed into the mansion. Cole walked over to Storm and cocked his head to the side. “Are you okay, any bones broken?”
The comment actually made her step back. “You were the one that attacked. Did you not know what the extent of your damage would be?”
Cole shrugged. “I didn’t know if you were able to whip up a current to slow your fall or not.” He looked at her arm and saw that her uniform was torn at the shoulder, a nasty cut in its place. “That looks pretty bad.”
Storm looked at the wound, as though the first time noticing it. “It does not hurt.”
The young man nodded. “Yeah, but I’ll bet it’s about two seconds from getting infected.” He reached for the small black felt bag on his belt. “If you’ll permit me?”
Storm nodded cautiously and allowed him to rub some of the brownish powder on the wound. There was a cool sensation and then nothing. Cole cinched the bag back up and tied it back on his belt. “That should keep it from getting infected and heal it up quicker.”
“What was that substance?” Beast said, bounding over.
Cole smiled and pulled up the collar on his coat before starting for the mansion. “Family secret.”
NEXT CHAPTER
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Two
The darkness surrounded them, covering them like a cold blanket of misery. In the center of the blackness, was a small fire, barely staying alive with the three sticks that fed its flames. Right next to the fire, a wooden plank lay upon the ground, the skull of a horned animal upon it. A bloody, inverted five-pointed star anointed its forehead. At the base of the skull, a golden pendant with the head of an Egyptian pharaoh lay in a pool of soft light. The five huddled shapes all hummed softly, keeping in tune with each other. One stood and extended his arms out, inviting the others to stand as well. They did so, never ceasing the hum. Slowly, they began to sway to the beat of an unheard drummer. The one that had initially stood drew a wicked looking knife from within his robes of black, raising it high over the skull.
“I call upon the powers of Lilith, Goddess of Darkness and Evil, give us your strength so that we might do your will.”
He plunged the blade into the skull between the horns, splitting the bone in half. As though on cue, a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, accompanied by the crack of thunder. The robed figure looked up at the skylight.
He almost fainted with shock and fear when he saw the image of a beautiful woman clothed in silks and scales floated down into the room. The rest of the group watched in rapt attention as she lit upon the floor, her bare feet hardly touching the concrete. Looking around, her glowing green eyes focused on each person as they removed the hoods from their robes. A smile crossed her face.
The group of five was a motley crew of kids in their late teens. One boy had short brown hair that was chopped up like he had tried to style it with a chain saw. Another boy had bright blond hair and glasses that seemed to indicate he was the brains of the group. A strawberry blond girl sat next to him, her face ravaged by disease and bad luck in birth. It was apparent that something had gone awry in her DNA for both her eyes seemed to droop of their own accord. Another girl with red hair sat next to her, her green eyes sparkling with delight. She was definitely prettier than the blond, and she had an eagerness that pleased the woman.
The young man standing up was apparently the leader. He held himself straight and had a certain aura around him that she was certain would affect others, should he issue commands to them. His brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail that was probably supposed to be fashionable, but only made him look desperate in that department.
“You have called me,” the woman said in an echoing, phantom-like voice, “What is it you wish of me?”
The leader spoke first. “Great Lilith, we ask you to grant us power beyond the human mind, so we might turn this world into a shrine to you.”
Lilith, Goddess of evil, smiled and scratched her chin with a purple fingernail. “An interesting proposition. I would agree to this under one condition.”
The young man, as well as the rest of the group, bowed deeply. “You have only to name it, my Goddess.”
“You must do a favor for me before you begin conquest of this planet.”
“What is this favor, Goddess?”
Lilith opened her hand and green mist formed a kind of portal that flared with light. When the light subsided, a picture of a young man remained. “I want you to kill this boy first. I will give you the means to find him and destroy him.”
“As you wish.” they all said in unison.
Lilith smiled and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the five began to writhe and cry out in pain. The brunette boy’s skin quivered and shook as brown hair began to grow from the exposed flesh. His muscles expanded and grew, tearing the clothing from his body until he stood seven feet tall and his clothing was nothing more than shreds of fabric. He looked down at himself to see his whole body was covered with brown fur and a tail had sprouted from his rear.
The blond boy grabbed his head, as though trying to keep his brain from exploding out his skull. His head expanded out, pushing his skin to the limits of its elasticity. then, his head shrunk back down to its normal size, leaving him shaken, but okay.
The strawberry blond girl’s face contorted not with pain, but with a rippling of skin. Slowly, her flesh began to reform, changing her from ugly to gorgeous. She looked down at her hands to see they had been changed into claws.
The redhead’s body did not alter, but multicolored flames engulfed her, seeping into her pores. She screamed and the flames shot from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Lilith smiled as her disciples recovered themselves and regarded her with awe. “I have given you powers to adequately complete your task.” she said, pointing at each one. “You,” pointing to the brown haired boy, “Have been given the gift of the werewolf, with all of the powers and none of the weaknesses. So be your name from now on.” She turned to the blond boy. “You I have gifted with the knowledge of science, so you may use your talents to corrupt not only the physical world, but the electronic as well. Spread my will through what you call the Internet and create a new realm for me. Your title shall be Quantum.” The boy bowed as she turned to the strawberry blond. “You have been given beauty, along with the powers of the vampire to use as weapons when you lure in your victims with your beauty. You shall be known as Vampress” Her attention shifted to the redhead. “I have given you control over the flames of hellfire.” she said simply, “You will be called Flame.”
She turned to the leader. “To you I will bestow the power of the demon within you. Use its magick well, and pay me my tribute.” She snapped her fingers and instantly the boy was wrapped in swirling mists. His screams caused his companions to cringe in fear. When the mist cleared, a demon of green skin with wings stood in his place. After a moment, the demon shrunk from its ten foot stature to that of the boy. “You will be called Styr.”
She stepped back and reviewed her group of worshipers. “Now go, my children, and do my bidding.”
Charles Xavier looked up from the book in front of him to see Cyclops walk into the room. “Yes Scott, what can I do for you?”
“Professor, we have had a problem outside the mansion.”
Charles cocked an eyebrow. “What kind of problem Scott?”
Cyclops walked over to the desk Charles sat at and leaned against it. “Apparently, Hank, Logan , Ororo, Kitty, and Jean came across a young man who was somehow able to sneak passed the security systems of the grounds.”
“Really? I though Kitty had just upgraded them.”
Scott couldn’t suppress a smile. “She did, and that fact really got her steamed. She’s been trying to get him to tell her just how he did it for the passed twenty minutes. He’s been able to stave off her charms for now, but he keeps insisting on seeing you.”
Charles nodded. “Of course, send him in.”
Cyclops nodded and walked out of the room. A few moments later, Charles heard two voices trail down the hall into his study.
“Come on, can’t you at least give me a clue as to how you were able to bypass my security systems?”
“Sorry, Kitty, but if I did that, I’d have to kill you, and I really don’t want to do that.”
“You know I’m going to get it out of you one way or another.”
Charles could almost picture a smile on the stranger’s face. “Well, it sure will be fun proving you wrong.”
At that point, Kitty walked in with a young man in his late teens in a black leather coat. He was fixing the black braid that dropped down passed his shoulders as he spoke to her. When he set his eyes on Charles, he dropped his hands to his sides and bowed his head slightly. “Mr. Xavier, I am Cole Raven. I have been trying to find you for some time.”
“Why is that?”
Cole paused for a moment and looked at Kitty pointedly. She stared back at him for a moment, defiant, and then sighed and left the room, leaving the door open. “Kitty, close the door please.” Charles said.
“Unnecessary sir.” Cole flicked his hand and Charles felt a slight breeze of air as the door softly clicked closed.
For a moment, the two looked at each other silently. “Just what is it I can do for you young man?” he asked quietly.
“I have come to you seeking aid.”
“How so?”
Cole sighed and leaned up against the brick fireplace. Charles noted that the flames seemed to shift so they would be around his form and touch him. He reached into his coat and looked at Charles. “Do you mind if I smoke?” Charles nodded and Cole took a cigarette from his coat. He made a small gesture with his hand and the flames from the fireplace rose up to form a sort of tentacle that hovered just before Cole’s face, touching the tip of the cigarette. Cole took a drag from the cigarette and nodded at the flame. “Thank you.” The tentacle seemed to bow and them retreated to reform with the rest of itself.
Charles shook his head, almost in disbelief. “Remarkable. What are the extent of your mutant abilities?”
“I’m not a mutant.”
Charles wrinkled his brow in confusion. “Then how is you are able to do that?”
Cole sighed and took another drag from the cigarette, blowing smoke rings. “I have powers, and I was indeed born into them, but they are not something derived from any X factor in my genes.” He paused and looked directly at Charles. “Professor Xavier, do you believe in the supernatural?”
Xavier cocked his head to the side, considering the question. “Well, I have been exposed to many different things that would lead me to believe in the supernatural, per say.”
Cole shook his head. “I’m not talking about things like aliens and other mutants with weird powers. I’m talking about the stuff of legends and myths.”
Charles shrugged. “Well, who is to say that the stuff of myths and legends are not related to mutants?”
Cole growled softly and crushed his cigarette in his hand before hurling it into the fire. “Look, please don't start getting philosophical on me; do you believe in magick?”
That was a question that Charles had not expected. The theory of magick was almost up with the theory of genetic mutation. There had only been one case in which Charles had heard of magick, and that was with Dr. Strange, the sorcerer. Even so, he had not met the man or been given proof to the fact that magick did indeed exist. “Well, I am not certain as to whether I believe in it or not. I suppose the question is do you?”
Cole gave him a lopsided grin. “Why don't you ask your students?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cole shrugged and headed for the door to the study. “Just ask them about the little altercation we had outside. If then you are willing to accept me into your school, please let me know.” He drew out a business card from his coat and tossed it into the air. A gust of wind caught the card and swept it over to Charles, where it dropped lightly into his lap. He looked up at Cole, who gave him a two-fingered salute and left the office. Charles looked at the card for a moment and then dropped it onto the desk. He pushed a button that activated the intercom.
“X-Men, please meet me in the conference room.”
“What’s this about Chuck?”
Charles looked over at Wolverine, who had changed into jeans and a flannel and had his cowboy boots propped up on the table. “It is about the young man that came to see us today.”
Kitty leaned forward anxiously. “Did he tell you how he got passed our security?”
Charles shook his head. “Not directly, but he did ask me something that may have been a form of an answer.”
“What was that Charles?” Beast asked.
“He asked whether or not I believed in magick.”
For several moments, the room was quiet. Then, Gambit spoke up. “De only magick dat Remy believes in is de kind dat you make wit your sweetheart on a warm summer night.”
Beast chuckled. “Well, although I don’t exactly share Mr. Lebeau’s opinion, I have always been fascinated by the theory of magical workings and if they might be possible.”
“Garbage, magick is fairy tale stuff.” Wolverine grumbled.
“Could it not be argued that mutants are the same Logan?” Jean asked. “I personally don’t know for sure whether I believe in it or not, but it would be interesting to explore the option.”
Kitty shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “Are you saying this guy claimed to use magick to get passed my security?”
Charles nodded. “I think that is exactly what he was saying. Although I do not know whether to believe him, I do know that he does possess mutant-like abilities.”
“I think he does have magick.”
The comment drew surprised looks from everyone. They all looked over at Storm as though she had just said something completely and utterly insane, which was not far from the truth. “What do you mean Ororo?” Charles asked.
Storm straightened in her chair and looked over everyone before speaking. “When we fought this afternoon, somehow, he was able to take control of the winds that I had been using. No matter what I did, I could not regain command of them. After that, the ground seemed to shake at his whim, as though it were an extension of his emotions.”
Charles nodded. “Yes, he also seemed to be able to control the fire in my fireplace to the extent of making solid forms from the flames, not unlike our enemy Pyro.”
Storm nodded. “That , and he also said something to me just after I had engulfed him in a tornado that had absolutely no effect on him.” That made Charles raise his eyebrows in surprise. “He said not to screw with his element.”
Cyclops nodded and looked over at Charles. “I have read somewhere that some forms of magick are based upon the four elements of the world: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Maybe he actually has magically control over these elements.”
Xavier held up a hand when he saw the rest of the group was about to speak. “In any case, the question I pose to you all is do you wish for him to join the school?”
The X-Men looked around at each other for several minutes, each trying to weigh their own opinion, as well as everyone else’s.
The end result was a unanimous decision.
NEXT CHAPTER
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Three
The symbols on the computer screen would mean nothing to someone off the street. Yet to Cole, the represented centuries of magick rites and incantations. He read through them at light speed, having memorized them hundreds of time before. He did not truly need to look at them, but it was a pleasant way to pass the time and keep himself up to date.
Looking at the small clock at the bottom of the screen, Cole stretched and lit a cigarette before switching the computer off and moving into the small living room of the apartment. He switched on the television just as there was the sound of a knock at his door. Cole smiled and turned the television off, standing up. “Who is it?” he asked, even though he had already guessed.
“Tony’s pizza.”
Cole froze. He had not ordered a pizza. Slowly, he reached around behind his back, saying, “I didn’t order a pizza.”
Suddenly, the door to the apartment crashed in. Three men in military uniforms with assault rifles rushed into the room. Cole yanked the pistol from the back of his waistband and opened fire. One of the men went down with a smoking hole in his chest about the size of an apple. The other two quickly fired off bursts that sent Cole diving for cover. As bullets ricocheted off the wooden coffee table and punched into the couch, Cole clenched his fist tightly, whispering a few arcane words. Instantly, his hand began to crackle with energy. He dove out from behind the couch and hurled the energy at one of the men in fatigues. The man screamed in pain a moment before his body exploded and turned into a red stain on the wall.
The remaining attacker pulled the trigger on his assault rifle and sprayed the room with bullets. Cole tried to dodge out of the way, but he had no room to maneuver. Three bullets struck him in the shoulder, thigh, and abdomen. He hissed in anger more than pain and yanked the second pistol from the coffee table. Leaping into the air, he leveled both guns and opened fire. The air crackled with the ionized energy blasts from the guns. The man in fatigues had no time to scream before his body vaporized.
Cole dropped to the ground and fell to a knee, gripping at the wound in his abdomen. He was losing a lot of blood, fast. With visible effort, he staggered over to the bedroom and took a red bag from the night stand. Opening it, he sprinkled a black powder over the wound and then took out a lighter from his pants pocket. Gritting his teeth, he lit the powder, which flashed up as soon as the flames touched it. Cole hissed with pain as the wound cauterized, and ripped what remained of his shirt off, tearing it into bandage strips. He wrapped one strip around his thigh and the other around his shoulder. Taking another small bag, he gently sprinkled a fine powder over each wound, letting it soak up the blood. Sighing, he pulled on his coat and walked back into the other room to examine the bodies. More than likely, the police had been called and he would only have a few minutes before he needed to run.
Cole stopped in his tracks when he reached the living room and saw Cyclops, Storm, and Kitty staring at the bodies. They looked up at him with equally shock expressions. “I was late paying my, uh, water bill.” Cole explained lamely.
Cyclops knelt next to one of the bodies and check for a pulse. “I think we’d better get out of here before I get some more guests.” Cole said as he grabbed a black duffel bag.
“Why don’t you tell us what happened now?” Storm said, blocking his way out of the door.
Cole sighed and shook his head. “Look, I’ll explain everything to all of you once we’re back at the mansion. Right now, you’d better move before a bunch of cops get here.”
Kitty put a hand on Storm’s shoulder. “He’s right Ororo, we need to ask our questions in private. I can already hear the sirens, and their getting close fast.”
Storm nodded and walked out the front door to the apartment, followed by Cyclops. Kitty looked over at Cole and saw the bloody bandages peeking out from beneath his coat. “Are you all right?” she said, moving to examine the wounds.
Cole gently took hold of her wrist to keep her from touching him. “I’m fine, we can worry about these scratches once we’re clear of this place.”
Kitty nodded and headed out. Cole took one more glance around the room. Kneeling down, he ripped the assault vest from one of the dead men and threw it in his duffel bag. Then, he stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
The X-Men and dark young man moved outside and quietly slipped inside the awaiting car. Cyclops slid behind the wheel while Storm got in n the passenger side. Kitty and Cole slid into the rear of the car where Cole slumped in the seat almost as soon as he got in. Kitty pulled his coat aside and saw the two bloody wounds in his shoulder and thigh, and the cauterized wound in abdomen. “My god.” she whispered. “Storm, we have to get him medical attention, fast.”
Storm looked back and saw the wounds, gasping quietly. “Agreed. Scott hurry to the mansion, Cole’s losing blood.”
“It ain’t that bad.” Cole grumbled as he pulled a small black box with a single red button from his coat. “At least not as bad as them.” he said, nodding in the direction of his apartment. “Kitty, tell me something.”
“What’s that Cole?”
“How far do you think we are from my apartment?”
The question struck Kitty as rather mundane at the time. She looked back and did a quick calculation in her head. “I’d say about four hundred meters.”
“Any cops or civilians around it?”
Kitty shook her head.
“Good.” Cole pushed the red button.
In the next second, the top of Cole’s apartment building turned into a erupting fireball. The windows shattered out and the walls visibly cracked, even from their distance of view. Scott hit the brakes, pulling the car over to the side and bringing it to a skidding stop. “Just what the hell was that?” he demanded.
Cole smiled. “C4 in just the right proportions and exactly the right locations.”
“You have killed everyone in that building!” Storm admonished
Cole shook his head. “Not possible, I owned the building and didn’t rent it to anyone. Trust me guys, I make it a habit of effectively covering my tracks and not hurting anyone. Now if you don’t mind,” he continued, his voice getting fainter, “I’d like to go to a hospital before I die of blood loss.” He looked over at Kitty, his vision blurring suddenly. “Damn, I think I’m going to black out; This is...so...embarrassing.”
He was just able to get the last word out of his mouth before he passed out and fell into Kitty’s waiting arms.
A moan escaped from Cole’s lips as he came awake. He opened his eyes and immediately slammed them shut as the fluorescent lights stabbed at his eyes. Slowly, he reopened them, letting his vision adjust to the brightness. When he was able to see clearly, he looked over to his right to see Kitty curled up on a chair next to the bed. Cole marveled at the peaceful expression on her face as she slept. Wincing, he sat up, looking over his bullet wounds. To his surprise, they were nearly healed. Even with his herbal potions, he shouldn’t have healed this fast, unless he had been unconscious for longer than he had thought. Noticing his clothes on the counter at the foot of the bed, Cole swung his legs over the side of the biobed, dully noticing that they were bare and he only wore a hospital gown. Staggering over to the counter, he gathered up his clothes and began pulling them on. When he pulled on the jeans, his abdomen wound flared up hot, causing him to utter a growl of pain.
Kitty’s eyes fluttered open at the sound and she stared at Cole. “What are you doing?” she asked quietly.
Cole spun and looked at her, his hand instinctively reaching for a gun that was not there. “I’m getting some clothes on.”
Kitty pulled back the blanket that had been wrapped around her and stood up, brushing back a lock of hair. “You should be in bed, those wounds aren’t healed yet.”
Cole shrugged on his shirt and grabbed his coat. “I’ve been hit with worse.” He looked around, “Where are my guns?”
“Hank has them, he wanted to see what made them tick.”
Cole’s eyes went wide. “He’s doing what?”
“Finding out how they work.”
Cole growled a curse and ran from the room, pulling on his coat as he did. Kitty started after him, phasing through walls to try and get ahead of the fleeing young man. Yet, even as she passed through a wall that should have brought her directly in front of him, Cole was already down the hall, moving faster than anyone she had ever seen. She pushed the intercom button on the wall. “Hank, it’s Kitty.”
“Yes Kitty, what may I do for you?” came Beast’s voice.
“Cole’s awake.”
“Ah, excellent, I will come see to him immediately.”
Kitty smiled wryly. “No need, he’s on his way down to see you now.”
There was a brief pause. “He’s out of bed already? My word, it has only been twenty-four hours.”
“Yeah, and he’s not happy about you tinkering with his guns.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I’ve had a little difficulty finding a way to dismantle them anyhow, but I think I might have found a way.”
Kitty glanced at the electronic map of the mansion and saw that the blip representing Cole was thirty yards from Beast. “Oh no.” she said, and phased through the floor directly into Beast’s laboratory. The blue-furred scientist looked up at her in surprise. “Kitty, couldn’t you use the door?”
“No, and I doubt Cole will either.”
As if on cue, the metal door to the laboratory blew in with an audible explosion. Cole came charging in, his eyes widening at the sight of Beast about to dismantle on of the high tech guns on a steel table. “Don’t touch those, or you’re dead!” he cried.
Kitty jumped in front of Beast, ready to defend her friend. “No way am I going to let you hurt McCoy, Raven.” Cole narrowed his eyes slightly and sprang into the air, flipping over Kitty before the mutant could react. He dropped down on the other side of the metal table and snatched up the gun, quickly looking over it.
“Aw crap!” he muttered, and quickly began fidgeting with the gun. Beast took a step forward to see what the young man was doing. “Get back.” Cole said calmly without looking up from the gun. “If I can’t disarm this thing we’ll all be dead in thirty seconds.”
Kitty ran around Beast, looking at what Cole was doing. “My god,” she said quietly, “That thing has an anti-tamper device on it that’ll blow the whole mansion up.”
Cole pulled the slide back and allowed it to snap back forward. There was a soft beeping sound and Cole sighed in relief. “Well, it won’t blow anything up now. I was able to cancel the self-destruct.” He looked over at Beast. “In the future, don’t try to take these things apart to see what makes them tick.”
Beast put up his hands. “Point taken.”
Suddenly, Cole hissed in pain and fell to a knee, the gun falling from his grasp. Kitty dropped to her knees beside him and saw that his wounds had ripped open and begun bleeding again. “Hank, we need to get him back upstairs.”
Beast nodded and picked up him, cradling Cole like a baby. The two rushed off to the medlab to try and help their strange new companion.
“What is your opinion Scott?”
Cyclops looked over at Charles and sighed. “Well, he’s a little rough around the edges, and I’m not so sure that he’ll be able to work with a team.”
Charles nodded. “And you Ororo?”
Storm looked into the fire that blazed in the hearth. “He is a highly intelligent young man, and very resourceful. Yet, he is also very ruthless.”
“So am I,” Wolverine said with a smile, “That didn’t stop you from letting me in.”
“Very true,” Charles said, “Wolverine, you have been invaluable to us. The question that is on my mind, though, is just what place does he have with us?”
The group of mutants muttered amongst themselves and finally looked up at the man whom they all called friend, mentor, and father. “Professor,” Storm said, “Why don’t we all talk with him and find out everything we can about him. Have you been able to pick up any surface thoughts?”
Charles shook his head. “No, nothing. Have you Jean?”
Phoenix shook her head. “No, it’s as though his mind has a steel wall around it. I don’t know if I’d be able to break through it if I wanted to.”
“So we just have to trust what he says?” Wolverine said, not too happy about the idea. “From what Scotty an ‘Ro tell me, this kid’s got all kinds of people after him. I’m not sure that we can trust what he says.”
“Everyone’s got dere secrets, mon ami. Why should dis boy be any diff’rnt.”
Wolverine looked over at Gambit, who was absently shuffling cards. “Because it could get us killed, gumbo.”
“I only kill people who piss me off Logan.” The mutants spun to see Cole leaning against the door frame of the study, a lit cigarette in his hand. “Lucky for you, I like you guys.”
Kitty then appeared beside Cole, apparently out of breath. “Sorry Professor, but I couldn’t stop him. He insisted on seeing you.”
Charles held up a hand. “It’s all right Kitty, we were just about to go see him.”
“Saved you a trip then, huh?” Cole walked into the room and then stopped to grunt and put a hand to his shoulder wound. Kitty was instantly by his side, ready to support him.
“Are you sure you are all right young man?” Charles asked with a raised eyebrow.
Cole nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine tomorrow.” He dropped down into one of the chairs by the fire, glancing once at the flames and then back at the team. “So, ask your questions.”
For a couple of moments, everyone was silent, debating on what they should say.
“All right,” Wolverine started, “You said you know me. How?”
Cole smiled. “About five years ago, a government agency called Black Fire recruited me into its ranks. Granted, this wasn’t by choice. It was join them or get a bullet in the brain. Considering I was only sixteen and I didn’t feel like dying yet, I said yes. They trained me in every form of combat known to man. We had guys from the Army, Navy, and Marines, each of them teaching us their special fighting tactics from the Special Forces of the Army to the Navy SEALS.” He paused to take a drag from the cigarette. “My team was made up of basically young kids like me, all mutants. I was the exception because they thought my powers were mutagenic, not magickal. They outfitted us with weapons and equipment so top secret that no one knows about it with the exception of the agency. This was big time Area 51 type stuff, space-aged technology that would eliminate the need for ammunition in weapons. My guns are from their weapons racks. They don’t need bullets, only sunlight for an hour to recharge the energy clips. The agency sent us out on black ops missions to assassinate high level diplomats of opposing countries, steal information about enemy and terrorist activities and weapons, and other lovely jobs.” He looked over at Wolverine. “We were given very detailed intelligence on other covert organizations, like the Weapon X program that put the adamantium in your bones and claws, that’s how I knew about you.” Wolverine glared at Cole, but said nothing. “My group was the Black Dragon team, and we were the best. Not once did we fail a mission, not once did one of my team die.
“Then, we got this job to go into Baghdad to try and take out a supposed nuclear missile sight that was targeting the U.S. We went in and got through their security easy, too easy. As cliché as that sounds, it was true. As soon as we entered what was supposed to be the missile sight, we discovered it to be nothing more than a room full of explosives. I had just turned to my team to tell them to get the hell out when the whole place blew bigger than Pearl Harbor.” Cole sighed and took a deep drag from the cigarette. “I don’t know how, but I survived.”
“Just how much explosive was in there?” Beast asked.
Cole looked over at him. “I don’t know, about two thousand pounds of C4 at a guess.”
Everyone’s mouth in the room fell open in blatant shock. “Even I couldn’t survive that!” Wolverine said.
Cole smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
“You mean to say that your magick is so strong that you were able to activate a shield that protected you from two thousand pounds of the world’s most powerful explosive?”
Cole looked over at Jean pointedly. “Ms. Grey, I did not consciously activate the shield. As far as how strong I can make one, I’ve only been able to deflect a blast about the size of a hand grenade, but that’s it.”
“So what are you saying Cole?” asked Charles.
“What I am saying, is that someone else with really powerful magick is out there, and I think they have joined forces with Black fire in trying to bring me in.” He paused so he could looked at Cyclops, Storm, and Kitty. “Those dead guys in my apartment were from Fire. There is no way they could have found me by simple intelligence gathering, I covered myself too well. They have other magick on their side, and it’s a hell of a lot tougher than mine. That’s why I’ve come to ask for your help, and a place in your ranks.”
“Did you lose half your mind in that explosion kid,” Wolverine yelled, jumping to his feet, “You expect us to make you an X-Man just so you can have protection from some government agency that’s hunting you down?”
Cole nodded, his face completely serious. “That is exactly what I am asking.” He looked over at Charles. “Professor, I know that you require much training and study before allowing one of your students to become a member of the team. I am willing to do what it takes to accomplish this.”
Charles sighed and looked over into the fire. “Why do you desire to become one of the X-Men? What is it about us that attracts you so?”
Cole stood up, gently pushing Kitty away when she moved to stop him from moving. “Professor, one of the things we needed to study on Black Dragon was the X-Men. We never knew when we would run into you on one of our missions. I know what it is you do for the planet and for parts of the universe. All that Black Dragon every did was to take out politicians and dictators that threatened just the United States. I’m tired of worrying only about just America when I know about all of these mutants who try to take over the world, time and again. Pretty soon, if my team hadn’t been killed, we would have become invalid because there would be no America to defend. I want to be a part the greater good that you try and accomplish every day we breathe.”
For several long moments, no one said a word, all taking in what the young assassin was saying. Finally, Charles turned to face Cole. “You indeed present a good case. It is obviously well thought out and researched.”
Cole narrowed his eyes. “This is the part were you tell me you don’t think I would be cut out for the X-Men, right?”
Charles shook his head. “Mr. Raven, we fight against people much more dangerous than dictators and human terrorists. Several of ours have died fighting with us.”
Cole clenched his fists, his teeth clenched together. “If you don’t think that I can take on the bad guys you do, then listen to this: You ever hear of a guy by the name of Ramrod?”
No one spoke, for no one knew who Cole referred to. “Don’t tell me none of you have heard of him.”
“I know him.”
The X-Men looked over at Wolverine’s soft statement. The short man was looking very serious as he eyed Cole. “I went up against him when I was with Canadian Special Forces. Guy nearly killed me. I was able to get in a couple of good shots before getting away with my life.” He looked over at the X-Men’s shocked expressions. “This was before Weapon X, okay.”
Cole nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He dropped back down into the chair, taking a drag from the cigarette. “He resurfaced about a year ago. Black Dragon was called in to take him out before he made a strike on the government. I killed him without a shot fired.”
Wolverine bolted from his leaning position against the wall and grabbed Cole by the collar of his coat. “Bull,” he growled, “Ramrod was one of the toughest SOB’s I’ve ever gone up against. No way a punk kid like you took him out hand to hand.”
Cole shot up from his chair, looking Wolverine dead in the eye. His hands began to crackle with black energy. “Are you saying I’m lying?”
“I want proof.” the mutant growled.
A smile crept onto Cole’s lips. “Look down genius, the tell my I’m lying.”
Wolverine shifted his gaze to where Cole directed, and his eyes went wide. He slowly let go of Cole and backed away. “The kid’s for real.” he said quietly.
“How do you know?” Cyclops asked.
“He’s for real!” Wolverine snarled at him. The team leader put his hands up in a sign of defeat.
“Does this do anything to my chances of joining the team?”
Charles looked around the room, his eyebrow raised in a silent query.
Wolverine pulled out a cigar. “Kid’s got my vote.”
“He does indeed have fine technological skills. I would welcome his input.” Beast said.
“His skills would be a fine addition to the team.” Storm agreed.
“Considerin’ what I been tol’ ‘bout his pe’tite skirmish wit Stormy, I give him a t’umbs up.” Gambit threw Storm a wicked grin, which she returned with a glare.
Cyclops nodded. “He certainly was able to handle himself against those agents that attacked him in his apartment, and he has a good knack for contingency plans.”
Kitty looked over at Cole silently. “Kitty,” asked Charles, “What is your opinion?”
“I’d like him on the team.” she said quietly, as though afraid to admit it.
Charles nodded. “Very well, we will begin your training as soon as you are well and see how you do.”
Cole smiled and stood up. “Then we’ll start tomorrow.” He ripped the bandages off, revealing totally healed skin.
Beast’s eyes went up in shock. “How are you completely rejuvenated? Those bullet wounds should have taken weeks to heal, especially the wound that you cauterized.”
Cole chuckled and pulled out a cigarette. He opened his palm and a small ball of flame leapt from the hearth and landed in his hand, flickering almost happily. Cole lit the cigarette and looked at Beast, a wicked grin on his face.
“It’s a kind of magick.”
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Four
Cole dodged to the side as a metal arm snapped out to grab him. He back flipped out of the way and drew his guns, firing a shot at the arm before he landed. The energy shot severed the arm in half, dropping the clawed hand to the ground, twitching in its electronic death throes. Cole spun around, scanning the area with his guns. All about, metal skeletons of robots lay, their circuits sparking from the areas of their bodies that had been snapped open. When he saw there were no enemies left, Cole calmly slid the guns back into their holsters and looked up at the observation/control center. “So, how did I do?”
“Very well Cole,” came Charles’s voice over the intercom, “It is apparent your training was quite extensive.”
“I was trained by the best.” His voice held a hint of remorse.
“Indeed. How about we see how well you do against a super-powered opponent.”
Cole cocked an eyebrow. “Like who?”
“Like us.”
Cole spun and saw Wolverine and Gambit standing on the other side of the Danger Room. Uncertainty crept onto his face. “You really want me to fight them?”
Gambit smiled, balancing a playing card on his finger. “What’s de matter pup, afraid we’ll beat de tar outta you?”
Cole smiled and opened his arms at his sides. “Let’s dance.”
Immediately, the card Gambit had balanced on his finger crackled with energy. His fingers closed around it and he hurled it at Cole. The young assassin rolled out of the way of the energized projectile and came up running. Gambit hurled another card, but Cole merely shifted the course of his run slightly so the card sliced right by him. Before Gambit could react, Cole was on him, grabbing the hand that was outstretched with the throw, and hurling him halfway down the Danger Room.
“Try that with me.”
Cole whirled just in time to see Wolverine slice at him with his claws. Cole spun to the side of the strike and smashed an elbow down on Wolverine’s elbow, hitting him right in the nerve cluster of the joint. Wolverine gave a yelp of pain and his arm went limp, just before Cole grasped his wrist and flipped him down onto his back. Wolverine snarled and swept back with a clawed hand, aiming at Cole’s knees. The young assassin jumped over the claws and slammed both feet down on Wolverine’s face. The clawed mutant howled in pain and scrambled out of the way. When he looked up, Cole was smiling at Wolverine with a grin that rivaled his own berserker rages. “Giving up so soon?”
“Don’ bet on it.”
Cole whipped his head around just in time to see Gambit throw a card at him. Judging by the amount of energy that crackled around the simple piece of waxed cardboard, Cole knew it was enough to blow him into a thousand pieces. There was no time for him to dodge out of the way, so Cole did the only thing he could.
He spun and caught the card. Gambit’s mouth dropped open as Cole hurled the card back with deadly accuracy. An explosion later and Gambit was nothing more than smoke and ashes. Cole felt something grab his arm and spin him around. He found himself face to face with Wolverine, and he was not happy. A flash of bone was all the warning he had before three of Wolverine’s claws appeared before his eyes. Out of pure instinct, Cole shifted the position of his body so he was inside Wolverine’s wrist. The strike stopped as the clawed mutant’s wrist struck the young assassin’s shoulder. Cole grabbed the wrist and again flipped Wolverine onto his back. This time, Cole balled up his fist and slammed it into Wolverine’s chest. There was the sound of a thunderclap and Wolverine’s body practically exploded. What remained was not enough to be considered a body.
Cole took a step back and dropped down to one knee, breathing deeply. “How was that?” he asked to the air.
“Excellent Cole. Although those where not Wolverine and Gambit, and their fighting levels were not at what the real ones truly are, you have certainly proven that you are most adept at combat.”
Cole smiled. “Hell, what do you think I was trained for?”
“Indeed, so let us see how you react to this.”
Suddenly, the Danger Room shifted to look like the streets of New York. Cole was on a rooftop, looking down at a crowded street. It seemed peaceful enough until an explosion blew out the side of a building. Cole looked over to see three men jump from the hole in the brick wall. They all wore strange costumes, giving them the appearance of super powered beings. One lanced out with a beam of energy from his hands, striking down a group of pedestrians. Cole wasted no time in waiting for the other two to attack and leapt from the roof, angling at the three. He knew that if he hit them at the speed he was going, he would break several very important bones, thereby taking him out of the fight. Calling upon his magick, he created a miniature cyclone that slowed his decent enough so that when he slammed into the men, he only felt the impact of punching one in the face. That one fell to the ground, stunned for the moment. He spun and faced one of the other men, this one with a white and gray costume. This one pulled a gun and fired at him. Cole dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, drawing out his own guns and opening fire. The energy blasts punched into the man, tearing out his insides. The gunman fell to the ground, his own weapons skittering across the sidewalk. Cole dropped the clips on his guns and pulled out two more from the tactical vest he wore, slapping them into the guns. He spun to face the one standing man.
That man smiled at him and said, “You’re good in a fight, but I bet your mind is weak.”
Cole felt something that could best be described as a tapping in his brain. He knew that normally it would have been a stabbing pain, but the young assassin had had mental barriers of magick erected within him since he was five. Unfortunately, the telepath did not know that. His face changed from glee to shock as Cole raised up the guns and fired one shot from each gun, obliterating the telepath’s chest.
A scream of fear made Cole spin and bring up his guns. His eyes went wide when he saw the man that he had stunned was holding a young girl by the throat with his other hand pressed up against her temple. His fist glowed with deadly energy, waiting to be released into the girl’s head. “Put the gun’s down.” he growled.
Cole clenched his teeth together and slowly put the weapons on the ground. He stood back up and raised his hands. “All right, you’ve got me, let her go.”
The man laughed. “You idiot, you might have taken me out even after I killed her, but now you’re both dead.”
In the instant before the man unleashed a bolt of energy that would vaporize the girl’s head, Cole whipped his hand out, as though he were throwing a baseball. In effect, he was, for a ball of crackling energy formed in his hand as he began the motion. The man’s eyes went wide a split second before his head became fine red mist. The body dropped to the ground with a thud. Cole picked up his guns and put them in their holsters before going over to the girl, who was on her knees sobbing. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She looked up at him with complete and utter fear. “Get away from me!” she screamed.
Cole took a step back, no indication of surprise on his face. All around, people started running at him with sticks and pieces of metal. All of them were yelling, “Kill the mutie!”
With a sigh, Cole spun and walked into a nearby alley. The citizens poured into the alley.
Charles sighed and went to freeze the program, knowing that Cole would be beaten to death soon. His hand froze over the controls when he saw the young assassin appear on a rooftop a block away, unharmed. He looked up at the control booth and said, “Well, how was that?”
For a moment, Charles did not say a word. “You killed the humans?”
An expression of hurt came over Cole’s face. “What do you take me for, just look over there.”
Charles looked, and indeed the humans all walked out of the alley, looking confused and disappointed, but not harmed in any way. “How?”
Cole smiled. “Easy, I’ve been hiding in shadows for a lot of years. I’ve become part of them.”
As the young man hopped down onto the street and headed for the exit doors to the Danger Room, Charles turned to face Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine. “Comments?”
“He definitely has great combative skills,” Storm said, “But I think that perhaps he is too lenient towards violence as opposed to trying for a peaceful outcome.”
“True,” Cyclops said, “But in these situations, violence was necessary to stop the enemy from creating more destruction and killing innocent people. Also, he did not try and stop that mob that came after him, he only evaded them and then disappeared, effectively removing the cause of their hostility. All of this was in a completely passive nature and not one civilian was harmed.”
Charles nodded at Cyclops’s explanation. “Wolverine, your opinion?”
Wolverine took out a cigar and lit it, puffing away for a few moments before responding. “If we got into a scrap, I’d feel a lot better if he was on our side.”
Charles smiled at Wolverine’s blunt, yet truthful statement. “Your opinions are all dully noted and I will take them under consideration. Would you like to give your opinion as well, Kitty?”
The four of them looked over at the entrance door to the control room as Kitty passed through the door, a sheepish expression on her face. “Hi Professor.”
Wolverine chuckled. “Decided on checkin’ the kid out yourself punkin?”
Kitty shot Wolverine a look. “I, was just going to check and see if the Danger Room systems were okay.”
“Very well,” Charles said, “The systems appear to be fine, and since you obviously saw Cole’s demonstration, would you like to give an opinion?”
For a few moments, Kitty didn’t say a word. She had a look on her face that described deep thought. “Well, he’s definitely a good fighter, like Logan said, but maybe he’s a little too fierce. Maybe all of that assassination training will make him unpredictable.”
“I was an assassin too Kitty.”
The mutant girl looked over at Wolverine and blushed, realizing she had just described Wolverine as well as Cole. “Oh yeah.”
Charles smiled and shook his head. “Why don't we go have some lunch, and then we can start on teaching our young protégé some of the finer points of the team.” The group turned and headed for the mess area.
Cole was already eating when the group entered. He looked up casually at them and then returned to his meal of a salad. “You guys have a nice meeting?”
Charles floated his hoverchair so he was across the table from Cole. “I have some good news, we have decided that you would make a fine addition to the X-Men.”
Cole had started to raise his fork to his mouth and stopped, his eyes looking up at the mentor of the team. “I feel a ‘but’ coming on.”
Charles nodded. “You will require training before you start going out with the team regularly.”
“I figured as much.”
“We won’t be teaching you much in the way of combat,” Cyclops said, moving to stand beside Charles, “It’s apparent that you already have a firm grasp of that. What we will be instructing you on are ways you can better hone your powers, so they might be more effective. We will also train you in other knowledge so if we get into a battle with a super-powered enemy, you’ll know how to handle it.”
Cole stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. “Sounds good. When do I start?”
“Well, I can begin your tutelage right away if you would like.” Beast said, wiping his glasses with a cloth.
Cole smiled and pulled back the bolt on his gun, letting it snap back forward. “Let’s party.”
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Five
The woods whistled passed him in a blur. Everything around him was alive with a different scent. The trees seemed to pump out the sweet smell of sap. The ground beneath his feet gave slightly with each step, yet he felt it as clear as anything he had ever experienced. Looking up, he saw the moon begin its rise into the sky, striving to join its twinkling companions, the stars. A smile creased his lips as he lowered his gaze directly in front of him. The woods would have stopped any normal, living man, but he was far from normal.
And he sure as hell was not alive.
Ash wove through the trees with unnatural skill, instinctively knowing where each branch was, how to get around it, and where such a movement would place him in relation to the rest of the trees in the forest. Stretching out with his senses, Ash hunted for the being he knew was on his way here.
There he was, already too far ahead of him to make a different. “Damn,” he hissed, “I knew I should have taken the car.” Reaching inside him, Ash drew on the power within the blood that coursed through his veins, telling it what he wanted to do. Almost instantly, Ash shot forward with what could only be described as inhuman speed. Everything around him that had been merely a blur before now blended together, like a fresh painting that had water thrown on it. Colors ran into one another, making shades the human eye would never comprehend. Sounds seemed to fade away, yet remained as crystal clear as before.
Moving so fast that he could not be seen, Ash raced towards the mansion that loomed two miles ahead.
“So, you really can do magick?” Kitty asked, wide-eyed.
Cole nodded with a smile. “Sure, wanna see some?” The girl nodded and Cole looked over at one of the candles sitting on a small table. He whistled at it and crooked his finger in a “come here” gesture. The flame instantly hopped off its wick and split apart at the bottom, forming into two tiny legs. The living flame walked over to the two of them and bowed in a grand gesture. Kitty giggled.
“Remarkable,” a heavy voice breathed behind them, “I have never seen such a curious application of pyrokinesis before.”
Kitty and Cole turned to see Beast crouched on the back of their couch, looking at the fame intensely. With his glasses on, Henry McCoy looked like a comical version of the boogie man. He scratched his chin with the sharp nails of his right hand, considering. “Can you control the flame at a molecular level, or merely project some form of telekinetic field around it to maintain its structural integrity?”
Cole drew back, raising his eyebrows in total confusion. “Say what?”
“How do you do it?” Kitty translated.
“Oh, well, I just ask it to do something and,” he shrugged, “It happens.”
“Curious,” Hank said.
A beeping sound from the com unit interrupted any other questions that might have been posed. “Kitty, Hank, Cole, could you please come outside for a moment?”
Beast bounced over to the intercom and pushed the talk button. “What seems to be the problem Scott?”
“There’s someone out here who wants to speak to all of us, including Cole.”
Beast looked back at the two young people and nodded, indicating that they should follow him. Both stood and started after the hulking, blue-furred form. Cole paused before leaving the room, checking the charge on the clips of his guns, and then quickly caught up with Kitty. They swiftly moved through the halls until the trio stepped out the front doors into the cool night air.
As soon as they did, all three froze. A heartbeat later, Cole was in motion, drawing out both of his guns and aiming them at the man with the European features and long, flowing cloak that stood apart from the rest of the X-Men. “What the hell is he doing here?” Cole growled.
Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, and Storm all turned to face the young man. “He has come requesting assistance,” Storm replied.
“Yeah right,” Kitty retorted, taking up a position beside Cole, “I remember the last time he decided to ask for a favor. What is it this time, more problems with your disciples?”
Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, inclined his head towards the two young people and spoke in a resonating voice that tried to seduce away their worries. “You have nothing to fear from me, young woman, I wish you no ill will. I have come asking for the assistance of the X-Men.” He looked over at the young man that stood beside her. “I am somewhat surprised to see you here Cole.”
The young assassin’s aim never wavered. “No more than I am to see you Blue Blood,” Cole sneered, “How did you know where to find me?”
Dracula smiled a fanged smile and shook his head. “It was never my intentions to come for you, young man. Although, I must say, it is indeed good fortune that you happen to be here. Your skills could be quite useful in the problem that exists.” He looked at Cyclops. “If we might adjourn inside?”
Cyclops nodded and the group of X-Men started for the door. Cole jumped in front of them, his face a mask of disbelief. “Are you guys crazy, inviting him inside?”
Cyclops merely brushed passed the young man, not even bothering to look at him. Cole’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked at the rest of the X-Men. When he saw the look on their faces, he gasped. Looking over, he saw Kitty start to look Dracula directly in the eye, a scowl on her face. Although the young man knew that Kitty meant to tell the vampire lord off, it would have been a grave mistake. Reacting with reflexes born of years of training, Cole hurled himself at Kitty, knocking her to the ground. The two hit the ground hard, becoming a tangled mass of arms and legs.
“What are you doing?” Kitty yelled at him, “Are you crazy?”
In response, Cole rolled to his feet and brought one of his guns to bear, snapping off two shots before anyone could blink. The energy shots blasted into Dracula’s eyes, making his head snap back. When he looked back at the two, the area around his eyes smoldered and smoked, but the vampire was apparently unharmed. “Damn!” Cole hissed.
“Young man,” Dracula said in a low, dangerous voice, “That was very rude.”
“So’s dominating the X-Men’s thoughts,” Cole fired back.
“What!” Kitty said in surprise, looking over at her friends as they disappeared inside. “What did you do to them?”
Dracula smiled. “Nothing permanent, I assure you. They will remain as you see them until what I wish is brought to me. For that, I will need you two.”
Cole shook his head in confusion. “Wait up, what the hell are you talking about? You want us two to get something for you?”
“In exchange for the X-Men’s life, yes.” A dark smile curved the vampire’s aristocratic features.
“Why don’t you tell me why I shouldn’t just kill you now?” Cole challenged.
The question drew a laugh from the vampire lord. “Young man, I do so miss the laughter you bring to me. Have you forgotten that your magickal powers, though powerful indeed, can do nothing to me?”
Cole cursed under his breath.
“Come, I have already been invited inside, why do we not make ourselves comfortable so I might explain to you what it is I require.”
Cole helped Kitty to her feet, making sure her head was in any direction but Dracula’s eyes. “Whatever you do,” he whispered, “Don’t look into his eyes.” Raising his voice, he addressed the vampire, “Just what is it that we can do that the X-Men can’t?”
Again, the vampire lord only laughed. “Come, and all will be explained.”
The three followed Dracula through the mansion until they came to the living room. The dead man seated himself in on of the plush chairs, the fabric and wood shifting and rippling until it formed a regal throne. Cole and Kitty sat down on the couch, watching the vampire closely. “So,” Kitty said finally, “Speak.”
“Very well,” Dracula sighed, almost looking human for a moment, “I require you to recover something of mine that has been stolen. It is the ancient pendant of Ra.”
Cole cocked an eyebrow. “Ra? As in the Egyptian god Ra?”
The vampire nodded. “Indeed. I have had it for many centuries and it was stolen recently when someone happened upon my place of rest.”
“And this amulet does what?” Kitty asked, her interest piqued.
“That is none of your concern, little girl.”
“Hey,” Cole snarled, “You address her with a little more respect!”
“Silence, young man, or something terrible might happen to your new friends.” He snapped a finger and Cyclops and Wolverine walked into the room. “Gentlemen, please show our young attendants here what I mean.”
Moving almost robotically, Wolverine grabbed Cyclops by the collar, placing his knuckles directly beneath the team leader’s jaw. In return, Cyclops pressed his ruby-red visor against Wolverine’s eyes. As soon as their preparations had been made, both men suddenly become motionless. “Should I chose to, I could simply have these two kill each other in a heartbeat. I dare say that Wolverine’s claws would be more than adequate to shear Mr. Summers’ head from his shoulders.” He looked over at Wolverine. “And dare I say it, One full blast from Cyclops’ visor at this range just might kill our short friend here.” A smile played on his lips as he turned back to Kitty and Cole. “Now then, are you prepared to assist me?”
“Go to hell,” Cole spat.
Dracula sighed. “Well, I can see that there is no true love between the elder of the team,” he paused, looking at Kitty. Unconsciously, she huddled closer to Cole. “But perhaps the lovely Ms. Pryde could change your mind.”
Before either of them could react, Kitty was wrenched from her seat on the couch, pulled through the air until she was in Dracula’s grasp. The vampire lord smiled as he bared his fangs just a breath’s distance from her throat. “Perhaps I should bring this tender young girl over. Maybe that would inspire you to help me.”
The young assassin snapped up his guns, painting two red dots on Dracula’s forehead. “If you try anything with her,” Cole breathed, “I’ll die trying to kill you.”
The vampire only laughed. “Young man, you do not have the power or skills needed to defeat a vampire such as myself.”
As soon as the words were out of Dracula’s mouth, the doors to the mansion crashed inward, snapping off their hinges. All three looked over at the doorway to see a shadowed form in a black trench coat slowly walk into the room. “Is this a private party, or can anyone crash?”
Both Cole’s and Dracula’s mouth dropped open as they said at the same time, “Ash!”
The shadow walked into the light revealing his features. He was a young man, not much older than Cole. His long black hair was tied in a pony tail, revealing his features. They were almost wolf-like in their ferocity. Sharp, blue eyes looked at them, taking in every detail. When they finally settled on Dracula, a smile curved his lips. “Drac, Drac, Drac, you just don’t seem to learn.”
“What are you doing here?” the vampire lord demanded.
“What else,” Ash said with a shrug, “Following you.” He shifted his glance to Kitty and smiled. “Hi there, nice to meet you.” Kitty nodded mutely.
“Young man, I suggest you leave now before something happens that no one wants.”
Ash looked at Cole, one eyebrow raised. “Is Mister ‘I think I’m lord of the vampire’s’ threatening me?”
Cole only smiled and looked at the vampire lord. “You know, I think he is.”
Ash’s grin turned wicked and Kitty saw the young man’s canines lengthen and sharpen into fangs. “Ooo, I love it when they do that.”
For a moment, Dracula was caught off guard and Kitty took advantage of it. Using her mutant ability to make her molecules unstable, she phased through the undead lord and rushed to Cole’s side. “Who is that guy?” Kitty asked in awe and fear.
“Just a good friend of mine with a knack for really good entrances,” Cole replied with laughter in his voice.
“Thank you very much,” Ash said with a grand bow before focusing on Dracula once more. “Now then, where were we?”
Dracula took a step back so he stood behind Cyclops and Wolverine. “Attack me, Outlander, and these two, along with the rest of the X-Men, will perish by each other’s hand.”
Ash looked over at Cole and cocked an eyebrow. “Do we really care about that?”
Cole sighed and nodded. “Afraid we do, Ash.”
“Damn,” he said under his breath, “I was hoping for a workout.” He looked back up at Dracula and locked eyes with him. “All right Vlad, spit it out, I don’t have all night ya know.” He chuckled at the joke.
“Simply retrieve my amulet and return it here to me. I will keep the X-Men here, the way they are, until you return.”
“And if we can’t get it?” Kitty asked, already knowing the answer.
Dracula merely shrugged, an eloquent motion of his shoulders. “Then the fabled X-Men will become my new progeny.”
“Bull,” Ash hissed, taking a threatening step forward, “You know the rules as well as I do, and embracing against someone’s will is forbidden.”
“You have no power over me, whelp.”
Ash smiled. “No, but I’ll bet Priest would be a might upset with you if something were to happen.”
The vampire lord visibly gulped with nervousness, not something that happened, ever. “Very well, Ash, I will keep the X-Men the way they are now until you return, but nothing more.”
“Fine,” the young vampire said, “But don’t break your word, or I’ll be calling in some serious favors.” He turned and faced the two young people. “Let’s get out of here, I hate the stench of Blue Bloods.” He walked towards the front door, his coat sweeping behind him in an odd, modern parody of Dracula’s old fashioned cloak. With a shrug, Cole took Kitty’s hand and led her outside.
As soon as they were on the grounds, Kitty tore herself from Cole’s grasp and glared at him. “What are we doing? We need to go back in there and rescue my friends,” she yelled.
Cole put up a calming hand. “Kitty, relax for a moment. For right now, the X-Men are safe. Dracula is one guy who will keep his word. With the threat of Priest over his head, it’s the best guarantee you can get.”
Kitty shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “Okay, first off, who are you?” She pointed at Ash.
The two young men exchanged glances and smiled. “Sorry about that,” Ash said, stepping forward, “The name’s Ash, I’m a good friend of Cole’s.”
“Are you a vampire?”
“Yeah.”
“So how did you get into the mansion without being invited?”
Ash looked at Cole for a moment before the two broke out laughing. Kitty put her hands on her hips and glared at them. “What is so funny?”
Ash choked back his giggles and broke forth with a few more before finally getting them under control. “Well,” he gasped, “Only old fogies like Dracula have to ask permission. They built it up in their minds a long time ago that you can’t go into someone’s home without asking. To them, not being invited is like putting up a mental brick wall that’s as real to them as anything.” He spread his arms wide. “Us modern vamps don’t need to worry about things like that.”
Kitty cocked an eyebrow. “Holy symbols?”
“Nope.”
“Holy water?”
“Uh, uh.”
“Coffins?”
“Good in a pinch, but unnecessary.”
“Stakes, sunlight, decapitation?”
Ash’s expression grew serious. “Now those things can do some damage. Cutting off our head is a pretty good way to kill us. Sun can too, but some of us are tough enough to withstand it for a while. A stake only puts us into a sort of suspended animation. Take it out and we’re back and kickin’ mad.”
Kitty looked over at Cole. “Did you know about this?”
Cole shrugged. “Yeah, but he’s one of my best friends, so I have an excuse.”
Kitty shook her head and looked up at the stars. “I think I’m more confused than ever. Why don’t we go use Cerebro and see if we can pinpoint this medallion Dracula was talking about.”
“Good idea,” Ash said, starting back into the mansion.
Kitty and Cole watched him go. When he was out of hearing range, the mutant leaned over and whispered, “Um, should I be worried about him sucking my blood?”
“Nah,” Cole said with a smile, “He knows that if he tried to feed from someone I called a friend, I’d kill him.”
“Really?”
Cole looked into her eyes and in that instant, Kitty knew he was telling the truth.
“Okay, so we know that it’s not on any other continent. It’s got to be in the United States. Any ideas as to where we should start looking.”
Cole leaned over Kitty’s shoulder, looking at the digitized map on Cerebro’s computer screen. “Well I’m not too sure.” He looked over his shoulder at the man standing just behind them. “Just where did you lose the thing?”
“In Chicago,” Dracula said nonchalantly.
“What?”
The three turned to see Ash standing with his mouth agape. “You were in Chicago and didn’t tell us. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Dracula’s eyes glowed red, like two small pools of blood. “I am the lord of the night, Outlander, I need tell no one my whereabouts.”
Ash walked up to Dracula and looked him squarely in the eye. “Priest is prince of the city. It was your obligation to introduce yourself to him.”
“I introduce myself to no one I do not wish to.”
Ash glared at him so hard Kitty thought he would burst a brain vessel. Finally, the younger vampire backed down, moving off into a corner to sulk. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat and lit one. Kitty opened her mouth to tell him not to smoke in the mansion, but Cole quickly put a finger on her lips. “Pissing him off right now by telling him he can’t smoke is not a smart thing to do right now.”
“What do you mean,” Kitty asked quietly, “What would he do?”
“Tear your heart out and eat it.”
Kitty gulped, her face paling. “Ouch.” She turned back and typed in the coordinates for Chicago, trying to pinpoint any unusual energy source. “So, have there always been vampires in Chicago?”
“Yeah,” Cole said, “For as long as I can remember.”
That made her shudder. Kitty had been born and raised in Chicago. Knowing now that, among mutants, vampires lived possibly right next door to her was not a comforting thought. “Okay, I can’t seem to find anything that might resemble this amulet of yours, Dracula.”
The undead lord sighed. “Very well, then I will have to accompany you.”
Kitty spun in her chair. “You will not! What happens if you leave and the X-Men get attacked. It’s been known to happen and they can’t defend themselves when they’re comatose.”
Again, Dracula sighed. “Young Pryde, I can assure you, no one will cause harm to the X-Men while we are gone. I have several of my progeny on the grounds as we speak. They will be able to sufficiently watch over your friends.”
“Uh, excuse me,” Ash interrupted, raising a finger, “But by progeny, you didn’t happen to mean those six vampires you had hanging around outside, did you?”
The vampire lord spun, glaring at the younger vampire. “What have you done to my children?”
Ash only shrugged smiled. “I was hungry. Moving that fast, I used up a lot of, ahem, energy.”
Dracula was nothing more than a blur. One moment, he was standing by Kitty and Cole, the next, he had Ash collared and slammed into a wall. “You dare kill my childer!” he roared.
Ash’s eyes narrowed and then glowed red. “Vlad, you have two seconds to let go before I see just how fast I can rip your heart out of your chest. They tried to stop me after I told them who I was. If you haven’t forgotten, I am still Archon.”
The two glared at each other for a long time and for a moment, Kitty thought she would need to grab Cole and phase the two of them from the room before something started that would rival World War II. Finally, Dracula relaxed and placed Ash back on the floor. “Your luck holds, Outlander, for I do not have time to deal with the likes of you.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Ash said, moving over to Kitty and Cole. “That guy never learns,” he muttered.
“I thought Priest told him to stay out of his city, not to mention the country,” Cole said.
Ash shrugged. “He did, but I suppose ol’ Count Dracula feels he doesn’t need to listen to anyone but himself.”
“Priest’s gonna be pissed.”
“Priest’s always pissed.”
Cole laughed at that and nodded. “Yeah, he usually is. Okay, so what do you have Kitty?”
The young woman typed up a sequence and looked at the map. “From the looks of things, we should head into downtown and figure out things from there.”
“Sounds good,” Cole said, looking back at Ash, “Did you drive here?”
“No, walked.”
The mage looked back at Kitty. “Do you happen to have transportation?”
Kitty nodded and stood up, heading off into the house. “Yeah, we can use the Blackbird. I just hope I remember how to fly the thing.”
Ash and Cole started after her when Dracula took a single step in their direction. Ash stopped and glared at him. “Just where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
“I am coming with you,” he said plainly, as though addressing a foolish child.
“Like hell,” Ash growled.
Dracula regarded the younger vampire with an air of what Kitty could only describe as a scolding adult. “You have no say as to where I go Outlander.”
“I’m Archon, Blue Blood,” Ash shot back, “That says I do. You were banned from the city. The definition of being banned is that you never return under any circumstances.”
“It is my property I am retrieving, therefore it is my right to accompany you.”
Cole stepped up beside Ash. “The last time you were in Chicago, you nearly caused a war between the clans. There is no way we’re going to let you do that again.”
Dracula actually sighed. “What can I offer you to prove that I mean no ill intentions.”
“Your head,” Ash bit out. Dracula threw the young vampire a glare.
“I need your personal assurance that you will nothing to try and disrupt the clans while we are in Chicago.” The vampire lord regarded Cole. “As is, Priest will probably be hunting for you the minute we enter the city.”
For a moment, Kitty thought she saw the dead lord’s already deathly white pallor go one shade whiter, but then it was gone. “I have nothing to fear from that fool,” he said confidently.
When Kitty looked over at Ash, she saw that he had noticed the trace of fear as well. He smiled and turned, “Yeah right. Kitty if you would kindly direct us to the plane, we need to get the hell outta Dodge.”
She nodded and headed off to the hangar, the three supernatural allies in tow.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Six
Cole looked out the window of the Blackbird’s cockpit, watching the scenery below him whip by at an alarming rate. He had flown in planes before, of course, but the X-Men’s transport ship was nothing short of astounding. The only thing that could have equaled it was something that Black fire had made. When he looked back towards the front of the ship, he saw Kitty working the controls of the plane with expert care. He marveled at the way she was able to operate such a technologically advanced craft with such ease. Obviously, there was much more to this girl than just her outward beauty.
With a silent growl, he mentally slapped himself. They were on an important mission with the lives of the X-Men at stake, and he was busy undressing Kitty with his eyes. With a muttered curse in an ancient language, he spun and stood from his seat, heading to the back of the plane where he might be able to achieve some solitude. When Ash saw him moving away, he opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it, thinking better of it. Cole silently thanked his friend and moved into a tight, darkened area in the cargo area of the plane. Sitting down cross-legged, he closed his eyes and opened his mind to all around him. Fortunately, he was flying high in the air, which was one of the elements he had full control of. The bad part was he was surrounded by technology, and it was dampening his connection with the natural world.
Yet Cole was a mage with power unlike any had seen. He had long ago learned to deal with the possibilities of working magick among technology. The metal and plastic did little to hamper the flight his mind took into the spirit realm. He could feel himself lifting into the air, passing through the hull of the ship, and hanging freely in the air. Looking down, he saw the Blackbird beneath him, steadily moving through the air. It would only be an hour or so before they reached Chicago, and he had preparations to make.
With a thought, he appeared on the streets of Chicago. It was exactly as he remembered it, bustling with activity. Everywhere he looked, people were quickly moving about, yet none seeing him. After a quick survey of his surroundings, Cole nodded with approval at his location. He commenced searching for anything that might resemble the medallion Dracula spoke of. Shortly after he began, and having a few failures, Cole decided to save his energies and wait to talk with Priest. Cole nodded at his decision and willed himself back into his physical body. The instant his astral form joined his physical one, a throbbing headache ensued. Cole groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to rub the pain away.
“Headache?”
Cole looked up to see Ash crouched next to him, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Yeah, can I get one of those?”
The vampire responded by drawing out a pack and offering the mage one of the cigarettes. “What where you doing?”
Cole lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. “Just doing a little astral reconnaissance.”
Ash nodded in approval. “Good idea. Let’s get back up front before Vlad decides to start hitting your girl there.”
Cole stood up and scowled at the vampire. “She is not my girl.”
Ash only chuckled. “Yeah, sure.” He turned and headed up to the cockpit. Cole followed, glaring at his friend’s back.
“We’ll be landing in a few minutes,” Kitty reported, “You might want to strap in”
The two young men dropped into their seats and fastened their crash harnesses moments before the plane shuddered as its wheels touched the ground. Throttling back, the plane slowed to a stop. “Okay,” she said, looking at Dracula, “We’re about ten minutes north of Chicago, do you have any idea where to start looking?”
The vampire lord considered for a moment. “I believe we should start at a club called Excalibur.”
Kitty blinked, speechless for a moment. “Um, Excalibur as in my old team?”
Dracula shook his head. “No, young Pryde, I refer to a night club in the heart of Chicago. It is a frequent vampire haunt.”
Ash unbuckled his crash webbing and stood up, heading for the hatch of the ship. “That’s because it’s Elysium, and neutral ground for us. Don’t tell me you lost the thing there.”
Dracula stood and idly brushed away some specks of dirt from his cloak. “No, of course not. I am simply saying that it would be wise to ask our brethren if they may know who has taken it.”
Ash looked at Dracula like he was a moron. “You think that by going into Elysium, where Priest will be no doubt, and asking every vampire there if they happen to know who might have stolen a medallion of great power, you’ll be able to find it?”
“I have my ways,” Dracula said with a smile.
Cole looked at Kitty and sighed. “This is going to be a long night.”
The club Excalibur was relatively narrow, but it was two stories tall, making up for its lack of girth. Thumping gothic-style music poured through the open doorways like groans of the dead. A line of people of all different types of ethnic backgrounds, religions, and tastes wrapped around the side of the building, waiting to get in. Ash led the ragtag ground around the line so that they were at the entrance in a matter of moments. A large man as muscular as Arnold Schwartzenager stood before them with his arms folded across his chest. He looked over Ash and nodded. “Good to see you again Archon.”
Ash patted the man’s shoulder as he walked by. “How’s it going Tony?”
Cole continued after him, nodding at Tony as he did so. “Been a while Tony.”
“Good to see you Cole.”
When Kitty went to follow, the bouncer dropped his arms and placed a meaty hand on her shoulder. “And just where do you think you’re going?”
A dozen ways to either get around the man or drop him to the ground, flowed into Kitty’s mind. Yet, showing off her mutant abilities and starting a brawl were not on the top of her things to do list. “I’m just going in with my friends,” she said innocently.
“I don’t know you,” Tony said, his hand never leaving her shoulder, “So you don't get in.”
“Let her in Tony,” Ash said from the doorway, “She’s with us.”
Tony looked over his shoulder at Ash. “She ain’t Kindred Ash.”
“Don’t care,” the vampire said, “She’s with us and she gets in, end of discussion.”
“Priest know about her?”
“No.”
Tony grimaced. “He ain’t gonna like it Ash,” Tony warned, “And he’s already in a pissy mood.”
Ash stalked over to the two of them, glaring at Tony. “Priest is always in a pissy mood, now let her go before I embarrass you in front of the rest of the Rabble.”
Reluctantly, the burly bouncer released Kitty and moved to let her by. Warily watching the man, Kitty walked by, wiping her sweaty palms on the designer dress Ash had insisted she wear. Under normal circumstances, Kitty would never have even considered wearing a dress. With everything the X-Men did, she found it much easier to operate in pants or her formfitting uniform. Yet, for some reason, Ash and Cole had both insisted it would make a good impression on whoever it was they were going to see. Being somewhat out of her element, Kitty was forced to agree with them.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw a young man in highly fashionable clothes walk passed the bouncer. The burly man did not even seem to notice him. Upon looking closely, Kitty could see the sharp aquiline features that were favorable to Dracula. “Is that who I think it is?” she whispered to Cole.
The young mage looked over his shoulder to where she indicated and nodded. “Yeah, it’s Dracula. Some vampires have the power to shift forms so they look like someone else. Ol’ Vlad there doesn’t use them often, but he can do it.”
“But how did he get by the bouncer?”
“Another vampire trick,” Cole explained, “They can vanish from the mind’s eye so no one can see them. I guess he didn’t want to bother with Tony tonight.” He smiled and followed Ash inside.
As soon as they entered the club, Kitty was assaulted by the thudding of gothic music. All around her, bodies writhed in time to the sounds coming from the giant speakers. One boy slipped in beside her and began rubbing himself suggestively against her. Kitty gasped, she hadn’t even noticed the boy move up beside her. Cole seemed to hear her and turned, glaring at the boy. “Back off Jack,” he growled, “She’s with me.”
The boy raised his hands in a sign of defeat and stepped back. “No problemo Cole, didn’t know.”
Cole merely nodded and caught up Kitty’s hand, guiding her through the crowd. Eventually, they came to a staircase, which the four of them began to ascend. The staircase wound about in a tight circle, taking them high over the large dance floor. More than once, she caught several of the boys below looking up at her with a combination of male interest and inhuman hunger. “I don’t know why you had me wear this thing,” Kitty whispered to Cole, “Seems like the only use for it is so every kid with raging hormones can try and look up my skirt.”
Cole offered her a sympathetic smile. “Trust me,” he whispered back, “You’ll be glad I insisted on it in a minute.”
Kitty gave him a look that said “I’d better be”, and continued the climb. When she looked back, she saw Dracula had reverted back to his original form, his cloak flowing around him like a separate entity. Looking back up at Ash, she noticed his long trench coat seemed to move in the same way, as though it were another being that reflected its owner’s mood. Kitty supposed it must be a vampire thing and continued up the stairs.
When they had reached the second floor, Ash guided the group to a set of double doors. Two men stood on either side of the doors, each holding an MP-5 submachine gun. Ash stopped in front of them and said, “Is he in?”
One of them walked over and offered his hand, which Ash took and shook in what Kitty could only deem as friendship. “Yeah he’s in,” the man said.
“How bad a mood is he in?”
The man considered. “I’ve seen him in better,” he finally said, “But he’s been in worse.”
Ash nodded. “I guess that’s the best we’ll get him at.”
The man put a hand on the young vampire’s shoulder and said, “Good luck to you son.” His voice gave Kitty the impression of someone walking to their doom. Just before she could ask about it, the two men burst out laughing, slapping each other on the shoulder. “You want me to let him know you’re here?” the man asked.
Ash shook his head with an impish grin. “Nah, let me surprise him.”
The guard grimaced, yet could not suppress a grin. “You sure you want to do that?”
Ash nodded and reached out, grasping the handles of the doors. He looked back towards the rest of the group, making sure they were ready, and then flung the doors open wide, yelling, “Look out, the Sabbat’s here, the Sabbat’s here!”
Kitty screamed as she saw a ball of flame roar towards them. She knew she had no time to phase out and the flames would turn her into a smoldering husk. Reacting as though this were a common thing, Cole lifted his hand and projected a crackling disk of energy in front of the group. The fireball crashed into the shield and dissipated. Cole lowered his hand and, eyeing the high-back chair behind the large oaken desk, asked, “Now is that any way to say hello?”
“Only way I know how,” a voice from the chair said, moments before it swiveled and revealed its occupant.
What Kitty saw was not impressive, thought it was surprising. The man looked to be maybe a year or two older than her. His dark brown hair dropped down behind his shoulders in a pony tail. A cigarette dangled from his mouth and his steel gray eyes looked at them in a predatory and calculating gaze. The only other person she had seen look at her in such a way that her heart began to race in fear was Wolverine when he was on the verge of a berserker rage. “What’s up Ash, you said you had some business to handle.”
Ash nodded and walked into the room. “That I did, that I did. You got an extra smoke?” the man in the chair reached into his duster and tossed him a cigarette. “Thanks,” he said, lighting it. “Yeah, took care of that and ran into Cole on the way back.”
The man nodded and stood up. Walking around the desk, he made his way over to Cole and extended his hand. Cole took the offered hand and shook it. “Been a long time Priest.”
The Vampire Prince of Chicago nodded and smiled. “Yeah, it sure has. Where’ve you been hiding yourself?”
Cole shrugged. “Here and there. Just recently went to Winchester to try and hook up with Xavier’s group.”
Priest shook his head and sighed. “Man, how many times have I said you’d be more than welcome to come work for me?”
“I know, I know,” Cole professed, “But I wanted to explore my options. Xavier and his team have done a lot of good for the planet.”
“True enough,” Priest allowed. He looked over at Kitty, his eyes raking over her. She tried to keep from squirming and failed. “And just who is this. I sure as hell know she isn’t Kindred.”
“Yeah,” Cole said, “Priest, I’d like you to meet Kitty Pryde, Shadowcat of the X-Men.”
Priest’s eyebrows raised slightly. “No kidding? An X-Man in my office, well isn’t this my lucky night.” He took her hand and lightly kissed it. Kitty noticed that his touch was just as warm as any other human’s. “And a lovely one at that, the dress becomes you beautifully,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.
Kitty blushed and drew her hand back. “Um, thanks.”
Priest chuckled and gave her a wink before turning towards their other companion. He had scarcely begun the motion when his movements became a blur. Before Kitty could blink, Priest stood beside Dracula with a double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun pressed against the vampire lord’s skull. “I thought I told you to stay out of my city,” the Prince growled.
Dracula actually gulped and Kitty saw fear plain as day on his face. “If you will permit me a moment to plead my case, highness.”
“You have thirty seconds.” The shotgun never wavered.
Dracula took a few precious moments to compose himself before speaking. “I have come here in search of an item of mine that was stolen in this city.”
Priest raised a curious eyebrow. “So this is the second time you’ve just plain ignored me and come into my city.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes,” Dracula said, stiffening his spine, “I was journeying through this state when I was attacked by an entire sept of werewolves. Your connection with the shape shifters is well known, and I knew I would be safe within the city limits. During my daytime rest, the object we seek was stolen from me.”
“What was it?”
“The Pendant of Ra.”
For several moments, neither Priest or Dracula moved. In fact, neither of them breathed, not that they needed to. Suddenly, Priest spun and bashed Dracula in the face with the shotgun, sending him tumbling back. Kitty’s mouth fell open. She had fought Dracula before with the rest of the X-Men, and no one short of maybe Storm or Rogue had enough power to throw the vampire lord back twenty feet the way Priest had.
The dead lord slowly stood, rubbing his chin. “A good blow, Priest.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t feel like ripping your face in half in front of a lady,” the Prince growled. “As is, I’m inclined to just let you walk out here with only a few painful reminders.” He turned and looked at Ash. “Get him out of my sight and throw him out of the city. Kill him on sight if he comes back.”
“No!” Kitty cried, rushing forward.
Priest instantly spun on her, his eyes blazing red, like flaming blood. Kitty gasped and halted her flight, but not before almost colliding into the vampire. “What did you just say?” he said slowly.
Kitty gulped and looked around, trying to find a wooden shaft that might serve as a stake. Yet even with such a weapon and her martial arts training, she was far from sure she could beat an opponent that could strike fear into the infamous Count Dracula. “I, uh, said no?” she offered dumbly.
Priest looked from her to Cole. “Cole you sure know how to pick ‘em, pretty but dumb.”
Kitty glared at him, but Cole spoke up first, coming to her side. “Give her a chance Priest, you’ll want to hear this.”
The vampire Prince nodded and looked at Kitty expectantly. She gulped once and steadied her wracked nerves with a ninja calming technique. In moments, her pulse had returned to normal and she was fairly certain her voice would be steady. “Well, it’s like this, uh...”
“Priest’s fine,” the vampire said with the hint of a smile.
“...Priest, Dracula here came to the Xavier Institute and mesmerized the whole team. Then, he said he wanted our help in finding this Pendant of Ra. He threatened to have my friends all kill themselves if we didn’t cooperate.” She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t want my friends to die like that.”
Priest nodded and moved to his desk, plucking a cigarette from a box and lighting it. “Well, I can certainly sympathize with you, Ms. Pryde. Vlad here is a real pain in the ass when it comes to him wanting his own way.” He sighed and finally nodded. “All right, I’ll see what I can do to help out.”
“Thanks Priest,” Cole said.
Priest was about to respond when the intercom on his desk beeped. The Prince pushed the speaker button and sad, “Yeah, what is it?”
“Someone is here to see you sir.” a female voice said.
“Who?”
“Conrad sir.”
Priest sighed, “Okay, send him in.”
No sooner had he spoken the words, the doors flew open and a man in jeans an a black jeans jacket hurried in. His long blond hair fell partly down his back, one lock tied into a braid in the middle of the wave of hair. “We’ve got problems.”
Priest indicated a seat and the man took it. “What’s up? Oh,” he said, facing the others, “You’ll have to excuse me, it seems like I’ve got some other business.”
The man looked over at the quartet and narrowed his eyes. “Hold that thought Priest,” he said, “You may want them to sit in on this.”
The Prince raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“Trust me.”
The vampire shrugged and indicated the rest of the group should sit. They did so and focused their attention on the blond man. He seemed slightly nervous about all the attention, but Kitty soon noticed it was a quivering with pleasure. This stranger seemed to like to be in the spotlight. “I just got in from Rush Street,” he began, “It seems that someone with really strong arms, sharp claws, and a flame-thrower decided to have a little fun there. There’s been a three block radius blocked off for investigation.”
What were you doing there?” The Prince asked quietly. Kitty noticed his expression had grown dark.
“I got into a scrap with a bunch of the Bloods and had to replenish myself.” The man seemed to think nothing of it.
When Kitty looked back at Priest to see his reaction, she wished she hadn’t. The vampire Prince was shaking with barely controlled rage. His eyes blazed red, bathing a small portion of the desk in its soft glow. Once again, she was reminded of Wolverine just before he was about to fly into one of his lethal berserker rages. The memory made her wish the short companion was beside her and ready to help instead of being frozen in a mesmerized state back at the mansion. Fully ready to phase through the floor if need be, she leaned over and whispered to Cole, “What’s so special about Rush street?”
“Neutral ground,” Ash answered, “No hunting, fighting, or anything there. Anyone who breaks that rule usually gets...” He looked at Priest and smiled at what he saw. “Well, I guess you’ll get to see yourself.”
No sooner had he said that, Priest bolted up from his chair and roared, “Gun!” Ash drew out what looked to Kitty to be a black flare gun. He handed the gun to Priest, who in turn aimed the gun at the blond man’s leg. The man’s mouth fell open and he began to blubber apologies when Priest squeezed the trigger. The sound of the round going off was deafening. Kitty watched as the man’s leg from mid thigh on down exploded. The man howled in pain and fell to the ground, clutching at the smoldering appendage. When she saw the charred leg, its flesh hanging off in strings, the tendons and muscles black and oozing with pus, a scream rose in her throat, but she pushed it back. Being an X-Man, she had seen some pretty bad things before and dealt with them. Yet when the acrid smell of burnt and decaying flesh filled the room, her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach and moaning. Cole cried out and dropped down next to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern wrinkling his features.
“The smell,” she gasped.
Cole looked back up at the Prince and growled, “Dammit Priest, she’s new to this, why didn’t you warn her?”
The vampire stood and slowly walked over to where the two of them lay on the floor. “Sorry about that, but immediate disregard for laws necessitates immediate punishment.” He shrugged and walked over to a small dresser, drawing out a pair of Glock 40 pistols from it and slipping them into shoulder rigs.
Cole glared after him and then turned back to Kitty. “Are you going to be okay? Do you need to throw up?”
“Just, get me some air,” she gasped, trying to stand. Cole helped her up and guided her to a window, which he kicked open so hard the panes spider webbed with cracks. Supporting her at the waist, he used his magickal abilities to shift the current of the wind so a strong breeze blew through the room. Soon, Kitty felt the nausea die away, along with the smell. When she looked back, Kitty saw that the man had pulled himself to his feet and stumbled off. “What the hell was in that gun?” she asked.
“White Phosphorous,” Cole replied, “Fire has as strong effect against vampires as the sun does.”
“Oh, I’ll have to remember that,” Kitty said, pointedly looking at Dracula. The vampire lord merely smiled.
“All right kids,” Priest called out from the doorway, “We have a problem in this city and it needs to be fixed, now. Let’s get moving.”
“Hey,” Kitty interjected, raising to her full height, “What about the pendant and my friends?”
Priest sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. “Tell you what, you help me out with this little problem I have and I’ll help you out any way I can, deal?”
Kitty looked at Cole for advice. “It’s the best you’ll get from him,” he admitted.
“All right, it’s a deal. Just one thing.”
“What’s that,” Priest said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Does anyone mind if I get out of this dress first?”
Ash grinned wide. “Just give me a second to get my camcorder and you can do that right here.”
When Cole punched Ash in the face, Kitty actually laughed for the first time that night.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Seven
Although being part of the X-Men for some time, Kitty was not ready for the horror that lay in wait for her and her new supernatural friends. The group had ridden in a huge black van filled with the latest in computer technology. Kitty had gone nearly crazy trying to get Ash to allow her to play around with the systems on the drive over. Yet despite her begging, the vampire refused to let her even touch the systems. He explained that they were experimental and very touchy. Kitty finally had accepted the excuse and settled back in her chair, crossing her legs and reveling in the feel of wearing normal jeans again.
During the trip she noticed that Cole kept casting furtive glances towards her. Every time he realized she noticed him, he quickly turned away and looked out the window. She smiled and looked out her own window, her thoughts momentarily shifting away from the mission at hand that the lives of her fellow X-Men depended on the success of. Instead, she thought about Cole. Ever since he had come into their lives, she felt sort of a kinship with the young mage. Yet, it seemed to be much more than that, and she knew it. Kitty felt an attraction to him that she had rarely felt towards anyone. The only two people that ever evoked such feelings from her were her former teammates Colossus and Pete Wisdom. Yet with both of them, the romance that had started out as a roaring blaze had sputtered and died abruptly in such a way that it left a hole in her heart. After being broken hearted so many times, she was not sure she could love again.
The van finally stopped at the entrance to a low-level club with a glowing sign above the door proclaiming it “The Haunt”. No one was on the streets, and being only midnight on a Friday, that was surprising. Kitty could already feel the uneasiness in her gut that accompanied her combat instincts. For the moment, she was glad she wore her X-Men body suit beneath the street clothes. The entire group dismounted from the van and started into the run down club.
The stench of rotting flesh and flowing ichor was the first thing that reached her. As soon as the scent filled her nostrils, she had to close her eyes and focus her mind for a moment to prevent her from vomiting. When Cole noticed Kitty’s reaction, he stopped and stood next to her. “What is it?”
She shook her head, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s just the smell, I’m not used to anything this bad.”
Cole nodded in understanding and produced a black handkerchief from his coat pocket. “You want to use this? It’s specially designed for situations like this, no smell will get through it.”
For a moment, Kitty was tempted to take Cole up on his offer. She really wanted the stench to go away, and fast. Yet, “No thanks Cole,” she said with an appreciative grin, “I want full use of my senses, in case we find any clues.”
Cole nodded. “I suppose that’s a wise choice.”
“How come you don’t look like you’re about to upchuck your last three meals?”
The mage shrugged and pulled out a cigarette. “I’ve been around this kind of stuff so much that it doesn’t really bother me too much anymore.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Although I gotta say, this place reeks worse than anything I’ve ever been through.”
Kitty smiled at his honesty, and suddenly started when she felt something wrap around her shoulders. Giving a little squeak of surprise, she jumped forward, spinning around and hunting for the source of the object. What she saw was Cole standing before her, red-faced and embarrassed. “Um, sorry,” he said lamely.
Kitty sighed and hung her head. “It’s okay,” she replied, “I’m just a little on edge. Supernatural stuff really isn’t my forte.”
“Understandable.”
Kitty moved back beside Cole and the two continued after the rest of the vampires. When a harsh wind blew through the entrance hallway of the club, Kitty shivered unconsciously. It was not from the cold, though, but from the eerie feelings she got from howling sound it made. This time, when Cole’s arm gently wrapped around her shoulders, she snuggled into them further. Somehow, being near him made her feel, safe.
Her dreamy feelings evaporated as soon as the group walked into the main part of the club. A visage not unlike something that might be from hell filled her vision. All around were bodies, either ripped apart, decapitated, burnt to a crisp, eviscerated, and worse. There had to be at least fifty bodies that were still in some semblance of togetherness, but there was so much more scattered about that there could well have been over one hundred people in the club when, whatever it was, struck.
Almost immediately, Kitty fell to her knees and retched violently. Cole crouched down next to her and gently supported her. When her stomach was empty and her heaving ceased, he pulled the handkerchief from his coat and carefully dabbed her mouth. “I warned you,” he said with a small smile.
“Oh shut up,” Kitty grumbled, slowly getting to her feet.
Priest looked over his shoulder and eyed the two of them. “Are you sure you can handle this? It isn’t too late to back out you know.”
She glared over at the vampire and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Let’s just get this over with and get out of here.”
Priest looked over at Cole with a look of mild surprise. “She’s a tough one.”
“She’s an X-Man,” Cole replied with what Kitty thought she detected as pride.
Priest merely shrugged walked over to where Ash was examining a, more or less, whole body. Cole and Kitty followed him. When they reached the bloody mass that was once a human being, Kitty once again felt a sharp tug in her stomach. With a heroic effort, she forced the bile down her throat and managed to keep a neutral face. “What killed them?” she asked quietly.
Ash shook his head in confusion. “I’m not too sure, there’s so many variables in here it just doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked, crouching down next to the vampire.
“Well,” Ash said, indicating the body before them, “This poor sap right here had his chest ripped open like a bag of chips. Judging by the claw and bite marks, I’d say it was a Garou.”
Cole nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”
“But this one over here,” Ash continued, indicating a more wholesome body laying across a now shattered glass table, “Has only one wound, two bite marks on his neck and no blood in his system.”
“Vampire,” Priest growled, “Give me a name Ash.”
“Can’t,” Ash said with a look that asked for forgiveness, “No vampire in the city has been known to work this closely with any Garou or Magi.”
Cole’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? What makes you think my boys were involved in this?”
Ash pointed at the charred husk stuck to a far wall. “Aside from the Warlocks, I don't know any clan that can do that, and they aren’t known for tag teaming with werewolves.”
“Is that what Garou are?” Kitty asked, moving up behind the two, “A nice name for werewolves?”
Ash looked up and over his shoulder at the mutant, a humoring smile on his face. Kitty thought it looked too much like a grown up’s when they were about to explain something to a child. “Yes, Garou is the name they prefer to use when referring to themselves.”
“Just asking,” Kitty grumbled, turning and walking away.
“Ease off Ash,” Cole warned, something flashing in his eye.
The vampire raised his hands in defeat and stood up, sighing deeply. “Okay, quick monster review: Kindred are vampires, Garou are werewolves, and Magi are mages like our good friend Cole here.”
“I get it,” Kitty threw over her shoulder.
“Figured you did,” Ash said, turning back to another body, “There’s only one problem.”
“What is it?” Priest asked from behind the bar where he was examining another body.
“Well,” Ash said, leaning against a wall and lighting a cigarette, “Although we have both vampires and werewolves in the city, very seldom to they work in tandem like this. The fact that they have a mage with them too is above and beyond coincidence.”
“So someone’s looking to take the city down,” Cole said matter-of-factly.
“No,” Priest said, hopping over the counter with panther-like grace, “Some one’s looking to take me down.”
“Who?” Kitty asked, raising a questioning eyebrow, “Considering all I’ve heard about you so far, there probably aren’t that many people who pose much of a threat to you.”
“Oh, I fully agree with you on that Kitty. I just want to find out who it is so I can shut them down before they do any more damage to my city. Repairing this stuff can put a real dent in my wallet.”
Kitty chuckled and looked around the room once more. “Well, I guess there’s not much else here to-” Her voice trailed off as her eyes focused on one corner of the room.
“What is it?” Cole asked, moving up behind her and gently placing his hands on her shoulders.
Without a word, Kitty hurried over to the far end of the club and started examining the walls. Cole looked at the two vampires and shrugged before moving to catch up. When all four of them were together, Cole asked, “Um, exactly what are you doing?”
“Well,” Kitty explained as she scoured the wall, “You said that all of these bodies were made by a bloodthirsty vampire, a crazy werewolf, and a mage, right?”
“Yeah,” Ash said with a nod, “What’s your point?”
Kitty touched the wall with her fingers, gently tracing over it. When her fingers skipped over a small hole, she utilized her mutant powers and allowed the molecules in her hand to become unstable. Her hand phased into the wall for a moment before coming back out, a small, metal object between her fingers. The two vampires and the mage leaning in close to see what she held.
It was a bullet. “Why, with these great powers at their disposal, would they use guns?”
“Could be from one of the customers,” Ash offered.
“Not a single gun around,” Cole rebuffed, “I did a thorough check.”
“Hmm,” Priest rubbed his chin. “Any ideas?”
“Someone isn’t what they seem to be,” Kitty said.
Cole looked around the room, searching for something Kitty could not identify. He moved to a hand that lay on the ground and lifted it up. “I think we can use this.”
Kitty narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “I thought you didn’t use blood magick.”
Cole looked at her with shock. “I wasn’t talking about the hand Kitty,” He pulled off the skull and crossbones ring on the hand’s middle finger. “I was talking about this.”
“What are we going to do with that?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest, “It’s not exactly my type of jewelry.”
Cole winced and looked down at the ring. “Well, some vampires can read an object and get a snapshot of what the owner last saw. That, and I can use Time magick and work in tandem, thereby getting more of a motion picture than a photo.”
“Oh,” Kitty said, letting her arms drop and turning away, her face slightly red, “Good idea.”
“Come on,” Priest said, a tone of authority in his voice that made Kitty want to jump to attention. Probably a vampire trick, she thought, “We need to get back to Excalibur and call in the Artists, they can read that thing. Cole, you need any spell components?”
“No, I just need access to your computers, mine’s still in Winchester.”
“You got it, let’s go.” Priest turned and headed for the entrance to the club.
Before he had taken one step, five shapes suddenly melted out of nothing to appear all around them. “There he is,” one yelled, pointing at their group, “Kill him!”
“What the hell?” Ash cried, spinning around, “Where did these guys come from?”
“Who cares,” Priest yelled back, “They’re probably the ones responsible, take ‘em out!”
Before any of the four could react, one of the boys in the group growled low, like a wolf. His skin rippled as his face began to elongate into a snout. Before Kitty’s eyes, his whole body sprouted fur from his pores. In less than a second’s time, what was a boy of perhaps sixteen, now stood an eight foot monster. “It’s a werewolf!” Kitty cried.
“No kidding,” Priest snapped, reaching into his long coat and drawing out a Glock 40. In the blink of an eye, he lifted it and fired, the bullet tearing into the werewolf’s chest. The creature staggered back with the force of the shot. “I knew there was a reason why I still carried silver bullets,” the Prince said, throwing Kitty a grin.
His smile vanished when the mythical beast stood straight, the bullet hole closing almost instantly. A feral smile formed on its wolf features. “Holy shit!” Priest said quietly.
One of the other boys of the group stepped forward and smiled. “You’re efforts are a waste, fool.” Smoke enveloped his body, until there was nothing left. When the smoke dissipated, a demon with green skin stood in his place. A smile curled his scaly lips. “We are stronger than you could ever hope to be,” He said in a raspy voice, “Now the chosen one will die.” He looked at the others. “Kill them all.”
One beautiful girl smiled as she approached Kitty, her canines lengthening into fangs. “A vampire!” she cried, as the girl leapt at her. Kitty spun out of the way of the creature’s claws and slammed a spinning hook kick into her stomach. The blow did nothing to slow the vampire down as she spun and slashed at Kitty. Scrambling desperately, Kitty was only just able to move out of the way, the deadly claws raking across her arm instead of her chest. She gritted her teeth against the pain and drove a punch into the girl’s face, making her stumble back.
Her honed combat instincts warned her to phase out just seconds before a gout of flame roared through her body. Looking over at her new opponent, she saw another girl standing engulfed in fire. She pointed at Kitty and sent another gout of flame towards her. Kitty dove out of the way and rolled behind a booth. “Who are these guys?” she called out.
“Beats the hell out of me,” Ash responded, catching up the vampire girl’s wrists and hurling her into a wall.
Kitty crawled along the back of the booth, trying to find someone she could sneak up on. When her hand plunged into an open chest cavity, she cried out in horror and leapt back. Seconds later, the demon dropped down in front of her, yellow saliva dripping from his jaws. “Pretty thing, I hope you taste as good as you look.”
“Keep dreamin’ punk!”
Kitty barely had time to look behind her when she saw Cole slide across the ground behind her, his guns blazing. The energy blasts slammed into the demon, throwing him back. When she looked to see if it was dead, her hopes died. The wounds closed almost instantly and the demon was racing back towards them. “Any other bright ideas?” she asked cryptically.
A second later, a crackling ball of energy seared passed her ear and slammed into the demon’s chest, sending it crashing through the wall. Looking at Cole, she saw a grin on his face. “I think I might be able to come up with something.”
Kitty shook her head with a small smile and glanced around to see how the others were doing. What she saw made her cringe. The girl on fire was doing a more than adequate job of making the vampires run for cover as she shot fireball after fireball at them. “Someone take this bitch out!” Priest yelled, “She’s starting to piss me off!”
“I’m on it!” Kitty yelled, using the girl’s focus on the vampires as a distraction. Phasing through every object in her way, Kitty pounced on the girl, delivering several swift combo strikes that left the girl on her back and unconscious. “How’s that?” she asked, throwing a wink at Cole. She gasped as the werewolf crashed into the wall beside her. Spinning around, she saw Ash brushing his hands off.
“Not bad, but you need to fight more and talk less.”
Cole snapped up one of his guns and opened fire, the energy blasts barely skimming the vampire’s body. When Ash spun, he saw the vampire girl stagger back into the wall. “Take your own advice Ash,” Cole said.
No sooner were the words out of his mouth, he uttered a cry of pain as the werewolf raked its claws down his back. He fell to his knees, blood dripping from his shredded coat. Kitty’s eyes went wide for a moment and then narrowed. She leaped at the werewolf and slammed a kick into its snout. The werewolf’s head snapped to the side and then slowly turned back to regard her with what she thought was amusement. Then it merely slapped her away like it was swatting a fly. She flew into a wall, white spots exploding behind her eyes. Her vision became dizzy and she could not find the strength to get to her feet. Blinking away the spots, she saw Ash race towards the werewolf, his hands balled into fists. The werewolf met his charge and for a few moments, the two became a tangle of fur and trench coat. When the two finally broke, they both had sustained wounds, but they were rapidly healing. Although Ash moved slightly slower, the werewolf was as fast as ever. It grabbed Ash and hurled him across the room, sending him crashing through a wall.
“Enough of this crap!”
Kitty slowly forced her head to turn in the direction of the yell and saw Priest become a blur, moving across the room in the blink of an eye. His fingernails grew into claws and he tore into the werewolf. The werewolf in turn traded its own blow with the vampire. The fight reminded Kitty of the times Wolverine fought his arch nemesis, Sabertooth. Both had claws and healing factors, so it was nearly impossible to kill either one of them. The current battle seemed the same way, both combatants trading blow for blow and not getting anywhere. Both healed their wounds too rapidly for it to make a difference.
Finally, Priest faked a slash across the werewolf’s gut, which the creature moved to block. In the next moment, the werewolf’s head bounced off the ground and rolled next to Kitty. When she saw the head shift back into that of a terrified human boy, she screamed. The shock was just enough to force her body to roll away from the decapitated head. When she looked up, the rest of the group was gone.
“I think we scared them off,” Ash said, slightly out of breath.
“No,” Cole said, slipping his guns back into their holsters and limping over to Kitty, “I felt magick in the air just before they disappeared. Someone opened a magickal gate and took them, probably someone they had in the rears.”
Priest looked around, the bloodlust in his eyes apparent. “Is everyone okay?”
“I’m fine,” Ash said, pulling out a cigarette.
“Cut up but alive,” Kitty responded, “How are you doing Cole? Cole?”
She looked over and saw the young man laying on the ground, blood pooling around him.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Eight
“We had them! We could have simply killed them!”
“Agreed, we were superior in numbers, what went wrong?”
Styr opened his eyes, looking at the group of his friends, now one less in their ranks. “We should have just focused on the one we were sent to kill,” Flame argued, “Just kill him and leave. If we had done that, Werewolf would still be alive.”
“But we tried to do that,” Vampress countered, “He had help with him we did not expect. there was nothing we could do about it.”
“I know that,” Flame said, her hair beginning to glow with her power as she grew angry, “But now we know who we deal with. Let’s go back and get them.”
“No!”
Both of the girls looked over at Styr in surprise. The young man stood up, taking a drag from his cigarette and throwing it onto a bundle of sticks collected in the middle of the damp, abandoned building. Moments after the cigarette had landed, the cluster burst into flames, casting an eire glow across the walls. “We cannot simply charge head on into battle again,” he said calmly, “To do so would mean our deaths.”
“But we are stronger than them, great Lilith made sure of that,” Flame rationalized.
In a flash, Styr was on the platinum blond girl, hoisting her up by her throat. The girl gave a few choked gasps and looked at her leader with eyes full of fear. “Understand this Flame,” Styr said in a voice that sounded more like his demon persona, “We may have more powers than the others, but they are far better trained at using what they have than we. In case neither of you noticed, Werewolf was killed and they have suffered no losses.”
“Wrong,” Vampress sang, “I saw the guy with the guns fall down just before we left. He’s got to be dead with the wounds he got.”
Styr turned his head to look at the vampire girl, his eyes glowing a sickly green. He released Flame to let her fall to the ground, gasping for breath. “And just who do you think wounded the man with the guns?”
“Well, Werewolf did, but-”
“Exactly,” Styr roared, causing the two girls to jump, “The one person who was the most experienced in combat was the one that was killed!”
“Calm yourself Styr, we have better things to do than bicker amongst ourselves.”
The boy turned to glare at the one remaining person in their foursome. “What do you mean Quantum?”
The blond boy smiled and ran his fingers over the keys of a large an elaborate computer system. Seconds latter, four holographic images appeared. There were three boys and one girl. All of the images rotated slowly, giving the viewer a full look at each person. “I was able to get significant data regarding our opponents during your fight. Using what I gathered, I ran a background check on each person.” He typed on the keyboard and all of the images disappeared. A moment later, the image of one of the men reappeared, doubled in size, with numbers and technical information running along next to it. “This is Ash, he is a vampire in Chicago in high standing. From what I could gather, he is more of a bestial fighter than style. If I were to classify him, I would say he is a street fighter. This, coupled with the vampirc abilities I was able to gather from his usage during the fight, makes him a worthy, but not unconquerable foe.” He typed on the keyboard again and the image disappeared, replaced by one of the other men. “The only thing I was able to gather on this one was a name and some scope of his abilities. He is Priest, the Prince of vampires in Chicago. After a quick background check, I have also discovered that he has rule over at least two other cities in the United States by utilizing the Princes he has placed in those cities. The only powers that I could discern about him, with the exception of obvious vampire abilities, is that he is incredibly fast and has the ability to grow his fingernails into razor-sharp claws, not unlike the mutant Sabertooth.” The image shifted to show Priest with the fingertips replaced by claws. “Other than that, I could not get anything else on him. Yet, judging from the battle and his current standing in vampire society, I would surmise that he is not someone who should be dealt with lightly.” The image disappeared and was replaced by the third man. “This is Cole Raven. He is a mage that was formerly part of an elite strike force called Black fire. Judging by his fighting prowess during the battle and his skill of magick and weaponry, I would surmise that Mr. Raven is going to be the largest problem we will encounter.”
“So what do we do about him?” Flame asked impatiently.
Quantum held up a finger and smiled, typing on his keypad once more. The image of Cole disappeared and was replaced by the image of the girl. “This, ladies and gentleman, is Kitty Pryde, A.K.A. Shadowcat of the X-Men.”
Vampress’ jaw dropped. “The X-Men?”
“Yes,” Quantum said, frowning at the interruption, “The X-Men. Although she is on the low end of the spectrum in regards to powers, she does possess martial arts skills almost equal to that of Mr. Raven. This, coupled with her mutant power that allows her to make her molecules unstable enough to phase through solid objects, makes her the perfect person to use to lure the rest into a trap.”
“Perfect how?” Styr asked curiously, sitting on a wooden box and cupping his hands beneath his chin.
“It is quite simple, really. We kidnap the lovely Ms. Pryde and lead the others into a trap of my design.”
Flame huffed. “And just how do we do that? You just said she can make herself untouchable, so how are we supposed to grab her, much less keep her hostage?”
The blond genius only laughed. “Ah, my dear girl, have ye so little faith in me?” He reached into a large, steel box and drew out a set of technical equipment. “I have created a mutant power dampening system that will render her powers null. With this done, she can be hit, cut, knocked out, and bound as easily as any other human on the planet.”
Styr smiled and stood up, walking over to Quantum and patting him on the shoulder. “Good job Quantum, I knew I could count on you.”
The blond boy smiled. “Of course, I am the brains of the outfit after all.”
Styr laughed and turned back to the two girls. “Okay, the next thing we need to do is get a hold of the Pryde girl.” He smiled wickedly. “And it just so happens I have a plan on how to do that.”
With that, the group began to prepare.
Cole moaned as he slowly fought his way towards consciousness. It seemed as though he were swimming through super-thick honey. Everything was slurred and blurry beneath his eyes. When his eyelids cracked slightly, he snapped them shut against the bright light that stabbed his pupils. Turning his head to the side, feeling his face press into a pillow, he slowly opened his eyes again. This time, a soft whiteness filled his vision. Taking a few moments to let his eyes adjust to the reflected light, he took a deep breath and turned over on his back. Instantly, white light blinded him, making him groan and throw an arm over his eyes. “I hate it when this happens,” he muttered and rolled over onto his side, and nearly bumped into Kitty’s sleeping form. With a silent yelp, he rolled off the bed in the opposite direction, his hands groping for a weapon. With a hiss, fiery threads of pain shot up his back, reminding him of the injuries he had sustained. Using martial arts breathing techniques, he calmed his racing pulse and forced the pain towards the back of his mind where it would not bother him. He then opened his eyes and looked to see if he had disturbed Kitty.
His breath caught in his throat when he looked upon her. She was dressed in a white lace nightie, her right shoulder lightly bandaged. Her chestnut hair gently fell over her cheeks, like a lover’s caress. Even in sleep, her lips were slightly parted and begged to be kissed. Her feminine form looked so soft and inviting that Cole had to literally punch himself in the chest to keep from leaping back onto the plush, queen-sized bed.
With a growl, he quickly found his clothes and pulled on his jeans. He hunted for his guns and found them draped across the back of a chair. Tucking one in the back of his waistband, he silently walked out of the posh bedroom into the room next door.
As soon as he walked in, Ash and Priest looked up from their work at Priest’s desk. “Hey Cole,” Ash said somewhat brightly, “How are you feeling?”
Cole looked down at the white bandages that encircled his stomach and crossed diagonally over his chest and sighed. “Considering I nearly had my spine ripped out, pretty good.”
Priest chuckled. “Yeah, I had Lucy come in and patch you up.”
“Thanks,” Cole said as he walked over to the desk. “So, what are you guys working on?” He looked at the computer on the desk and quickly examined the screen. It was a photo of The Haunt’s interior after the massacre. Beside several of the bodies were computerized words with an arrow pointing to the corresponding body.
“Well, I had Mac do a photo scan of the interior of The Haunt, as you can see, and had him overlay explanations of how each person was killed. I figured it might give us some idea what we’re dealing with.”
Cole nodded. “Good plan, what do you have so far?”
“Well,” Ash said, taking over and pointing to one body, “We have dead guy number one, who had his head ripped off and his chest torn open like a birthday present. Off hand, I’d say it was done by the werewolf.”
“That’s be my guess,” Cole agreed.
“Contestant number two,” Ash continued, “Had her throat ripped out and all the blood drained from her veins.”
“Vampire.”
“Our third man on the list was fried to a crisp and stuck to a wall. Now off hand, I’d say that the person who did this was a pyrokinetic, probably a mutant.”
Cole shook his head. “No, I think it was mystical flames, probably Hellfire.”
“Why do you say that?” Priest inquired.
“I’ve dealt with the stuff before and I got a definite sense of it when we first checked the place out.”
“Okay,” Ash said with a nod, “I’ll go with Hellfire. The last type of wounds we discovered was just some guy torn to pieces. Now, normally I would say that’s just the work of a really pissed off werewolf or vampire, but we discovered something just now.”
“What is it?” Cole asked, intrigued.
Priest typed in a command on the computer and the image zoomed in on one of the torn apart victims. Neither vampire needed to speak before Cole saw what they were talking about. A greenish ooze covered all of the victim’s wounds. “Demon saliva.”
“Correct,” Ash said in a game-show announcer’s voice, “And you can win another ten thousand dollars if you can tell me where it came from.”
“The green son of a bitch that went after Kitty,” Cole growled.
“Give the man a cupie doll,” Priest said.
“Give me a cigarette and an explanation of the sleeping arrangements next door and we’ll call it even.”
“Fair enough.” Priest dug inside his coat and produced a cigarette, tossing it to the wounded mage, who lit up by snapping his fingers and producing a small ball of flame in his palm. “As for the sleeping arrangements, daylight was coming and this was the first place I could think of to stash you two.”
“Why not just stick us in a hotel run by one of your guys?”
“Because,” Priest said with a high lilt in his voice, “Those guys that attacked us were specifically targeting one of us three. I didn’t want to take a chance that they would try again while both of us were asleep and you were recuperating.”
Cole held up his hands in a sign of defeat. “All right, all right, good answer. You may want to be gone when Kitty wakes up, though.”
Priest cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Well,” Cole said with a snicker, “She might be a little upset about the sleep wear you chose for her, not to mention dressing her in it.”
Ash looked aghast. “My dear boy, do you think we would do such a thing just to cop a cheap look or feel.”
Cole gave him a dubious look. “Damn right I do.”
Priest laughed. “Don't worry Cole, I had one of my girls do it.”
“Good,” the mage said with a nod, “How is she doing by the way?”
“She’s fine,” Ash reported, “Just a cut on the shoulder that Lucy took care of. The bandages were just for sanitary purposes.”
“Good,” He thought for a moment, “By that way, where’s Vlad?”
Ash looked down at his feet. “Oh, uh, Vlad sort of, well, slipped out when we were at The Haunt.”
Cole’s eyes went wide. “What!?”
Priest nodded. “Yeah, he overpowered the two guys I had watching him and shifted into mist. He could be anywhere in the city right now. Don't worry,” he said when Cole opened his mouth to say something, “I’ve got people out looking for him too. I know that you need him to free up the X-Men’s minds. Just relax, it got screwed up on my end, my end’ll fix it.”
“Good,” Cole said, his eyes narrowed, “Who do you have on it?”
“Flexor and his team. I figure we’ll have him inside three hours.”
The mage shook his head. “I’m not so sure, ol’ Dracula knows a lot about hiding, he’s been doing it for a couple of centuries now.”
“Yeah,” Priest said with a smile, “But he’s in my town now, and Flexor knows the streets and sewers better than anyone. Trust me, we’ll get him.”
Cole breathed a sigh of relief. He took a drag from the cigarette and blew out a smoke ring. “Okay, so what’s our next move?”
Ash leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his neck. “Well, I’ve got my boys out on the streets looking for these guys. I also contacted the Sewer Rats and have them working on it from their end as well.”
Cole nodded. “Great, if anyone can find them, they can.”
“Yeah,” Priest agreed, “I expect results in a few hours.” He paused and snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, I’ve got a new coat for you, seeing as how yours got trashed helping me.” He pointed to the leather coat hanging from a wall peg.”
Cole nodded his thanks. “All right, why don't we get to work on that ring I picked up and see if we can’t get any more infor-”
Cole’s words were cut off by a scream from the bedroom next door. Instantly, his gun was in his hand. “Kitty!” The group of three crashed into the bedroom, knocking the doors off their hinges as they went through. As soon as they were through, Cole’s eyes went wide.
Kitty lay upon the floor in her lace nightie, her wrists and ankles manacled together with some kind of high tech restraints. Crouched above her was the green demon, flanked by the vampire girl and the girl shrouded in Hellfire. When they saw the trio of people from the club massacre, they skidded to a halt, Ash clenching his fists into a fighting stance, Priest extending his claws and dropping into a crouch, and Cole dropping to a knee while bringing his gun to bear. “Get away from her!” Cole growled, putting the red dot from his laser sight squarely between the demon’s eyes.
The green demon only chuckled, its bloated, purple tongue slipping out its mouth and caressing Kitty’s cheek, causing her to squirm in revulsion and let out a cry of disgust and fear. “I don't think so,” it rasped, “I think such a pretty girl will make a fine playmate. Later.” Their bodies started to suddenly fade out. Cole roared a denial and opened fire, emptying his entire clip into the demon.
Yet it was too late. The only thing that remained was the blast holes in the wall behind where the group had been. Not one shot had struck its target. “No!” Cole howled as he raced to the spot Kitty had been only moments before. He crouched down and pressed his hand to the carpeted floor, his eyes closed in concentration. The two vampires watched as his hand began to glow with a red energy. Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his face. He bared his teeth and growled with the strain it took to cast such a spell in his weakened condition.
Finally, he dropped back on the ground, gasping for breath. Ash crouched next to him, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”
“I’ve got a fix on their location,” he gasped, “I was able to magically trace it from the teleportation site here.” He gulped air and said, “It put a big strain on me, though. I’m still pretty messed up from that fight.”
“All right,” Priest said, walking over and looking around the room. “You tell us where they are and we’ll go get them for you.”
“No way,” Cole said with determination as he struggled to his feet, “I’m coming with you.”
“You can barely stand up straight Cole,” Ash admonished, “There’s no way you can operate in a fight.”
Cole’s eyes suddenly flared with black flames and he collared Ash, slamming him into a wall. “I’m going with dammit!”
The two vampires looked at the young man as though seeing him for the first time in their unlives. “I don't want you to get killed Cole,” Priest said quietly.
“I’ll sleep in the fucking van on the way over,” he growled, releasing Ash and moving over to the chair his clothes were draped on. With grim determination, he pulled on the rest of his clothes and strapped on his guns. Pulling on his coat, he turned and started for the door. When he looked back to see the two vampires gaping at him, he snarled, “You need an engraved invitation or something?”
With a shake of their heads, the two hurried to catch up, marveling at the fact that Cole no longer seemed to be in a weakened state of any kind.
“Let me go!” Kitty yelled at the snickering youths that surrounded her while struggling against the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles, “If you don't untie me and let me go right now, you’ll be sorrier than you ever have in your entire, short lives.”
“Ooo,” the beautiful vampire girl cried melodramatically, wringing her hands for effect, “I think we’d better let her go guys, she looks like she might threaten us to death.”
The other girl cackled with delight, “Oh, but that’s no fun. I think we should play with her first.”
“On the contrary,” the blond boy with glasses said with an evil smile, “I believe she would serve as an excellent test subject for my experiments in human pain tolerance.” He chuckled and leaned in close to Kitty, his smile feral. “The standard for humans is five minutes of correctly applied cuts with a scalpel. How much do you think you can endure?” Kitty blanched and quickly looked away, trying to calm the rising fear in her chest.
“Enough,” a dark voice said from the shadows. The three looked over at the voice, each one of their expressions changing to that of someone ready to receive orders. “All of you prepare to meet our guests. I have a feeling they will be arriving soon.” Immediately, the three hurried away to their individual tasks.
Once they were gone, Kitty looked over to the shadows, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to penetrate them. “Who are you, and what do you want with me?”
“It is quite simple, Ms. Pryde,” the voice said, “You are merely the bait and the spoils of our quest.”
“What quest?”
“The quest to kill the one that She has chosen.”
Kitty shook her head. “What chosen one? Who is this She?”
The voice said nothing. Instead, the owner melted out of the shadows. He looked to be perhaps seventeen, with short brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He wore a simple robe of black that was open at the front, revealing a well-muscled chest. Kitty figured him for a football player, maybe a wrestler. “Isn’t it a school night?” she sneered.
In response, the boy slapped her hard with the back of his hand, making her head snap to the side. She felt a warm trickle at the corner of her mouth and knew it was blood. “Do not presume to make foolish remarks that cannot be backed up by deeds, girl.”
“Girl? Hey, I’m older than you kid.” Her words were rewarded with another slap that caused white spots to exploded behind her eyes. “You’re lucky I’m wearing this flammin’ collar that’s suppressing my powers,” she threatened, “Or I’d be turning you into wallpaper right now.”
“But the fact remains that you are powerless to do anything, isn’t that right?”
“Go to hell.”
The boy laughed and ran his fingers through her hair. Kitty tried to move away, but the boy simply caught up a handful of her chestnut locks and yanked hard enough to force a cry of pain from her lips. “Hell is exactly where I have recieved such gifts. Soon enough, you will meet the Goddess that granted us all such presents.” He smiled evilly. “I have a distinct feeling that she will enjoy you.” He let go of her hair and turned away.
“When I get my hands on you,” Kitty yelled, “I’m going to phase what little brains you have out of your thick skull and shove them down your th-”
Her words were cut off as the boy suddenly spun and slapped a small, square piece of metal over her mouth. She tried to curse at the boy, but the sound was muffled as the adhesive on the underside of the metal square fastened itself to the skin around and on Kitty’s mouth. She tried to scream, but barely a squeak came from her throat. Her eyes widened in surprise and fear. “I would prefer if you would simply shut up for a while,” the boy said, looking emotionally tired, “All of this noise you’re making is starting to give me a headache.” He turned and walked off into another room.
Kitty resumed her struggles against the ropes, by they held her firm. Not only were they tied with expert care, but they were made of some material that seemed to cinch tighter the more she struggled. Every time she thought the ropes might be slack enough to wiggle out of, they drew tighter against her skin. None of her skills as a ninja could help her in this situation. Even her ability to phase had been cut off by the mutant power nullifying collar around her throat. She was helpless in every sense of the word.
Racking her brain, she tried to think of a reason why she was being held captive. For one, it was obvious that these freaks wanted to use her as bait to lure Priest, Ash, and Cole into a trap. The apparent leader of the group had said some goddess wanted one of them dead, but which one, and why. In any case, she needed to get free so her friends would not fall into the trap. Yet, there was nothing she could do; her wrists and ankles were tied tight, the chair she was seated in was bolted to the floor to keep her from moving, and she was gagged so not even a peep could get out.
Her shoulders slumping, Kitty realized there was nothing she could do but wait for someone to come and rescue her.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Nine
“Okay, we’re five minutes out, everyone ready for a little party?”
Ash smiled and opened the good sized foot locker in the back of the van. Inside was an arsenal of weapons ranging from a 9mm automatic pistol to an M60 heavy machine gun. “Take anything you need, I got plenty.” He pulled the M60 from the foot locker and loaded a belt of ammo into it. He took the small duffel bag the belt ran into and slung it over his back. Taking a few pistols and a sawed-off shotgun, he strapped the weapons to his body in easy, quick release holsters.
Priest looked into the foot locker and shook his head. “Jeez Ash, you expecting a war or something?”
The younger vampire only shrugged and smiled. “You can never have too much firepower.”
Priest shook his head again with a laugh and drew out a pair of MP-5 submachine guns. He took several extra clips and stuffed them into the pockets out his coat before cross-slinging the weapons. “You need anything Cole?”
The mage slowly opened his eyes until they were barely slits, regarding his two friends. For a moment, he remained still, as though asleep. Then, he drew out both of his guns in the blink of an eye, pulling the slides back on both and letting them snap back into place. “I only need my guns.”
“You sure?” Cole simply ignored the vampire and glared out the window. “Well fine, be that way.” Ash looked over to the driver of the van. “Jake, you be ready to back us up.”
“Always,” the large man said from behind the wheel.
Priest moved to the captain’s chair beside Cole, drawing out a pair of cigarettes. He offer one to the mage, whom took it silently and lit by conjuring a small fireball in his palm. Priest looked at his young friend for a long time before speaking. “All right, spit it out.”
“What?” Cole growled in annoyance.
“Dammit Cole, I can’t have you going in there like you can take on the world!” The vampire Prince swiveled so he was facing the young mage. “Tell us just what the hell is bugging you so much?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Cole said in a low, dangerous voice, “Those kids’re dead before the night is out.”
Priest shook his head in disgust. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Cole, last time we mixed it up with these guys you nearly had your spine ripped out! Will you just stop and think for a second about this.”
“You already took care of the werewolf, he was the main problem. The only ones left are the vampire, the Hellfire girl, and the demon. They’re only kids and we can take them in the blink of an eye.”
“I know that, but just tell me what’s eating you up, I’ve never seen you this way.”
For several long moments, silence filled the van. Being soundproofed, no one hear the buildings and traffic whip by. Finally, Cole spun and looked Priest directly in the eye. “Dammit Priest, it’s Kitty! I think I love her!” he yelled.
For a moment, the Prince was taken aback. Even Ash spun around at Cole’s words, his eyes wide. “Did I just hear what I think I heard?”
“Yeah Ash, you did.”
“Boy,” Cole said with sarcastically, “You two are sure supportive.”
Priest put a hand on Cole’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Look, Cole, I’m not saying I’m not supportive. It’s just, well...” He looked at Ash for help.
The younger vampire came to the rescue, and Priest wished he hadn’t. “Well damn Cole, it’s just that you’re a living, breathing, killing machine. Who the hell would love you back?” Both Priest and Cole punched Ash in the face before any of the three knew what was happening. Ash’s head hit the side on the van and he let out a yelp. “Ow! Hey, what’d I say?”
“Ash,” Priest said slowly, “Don’t help.” He turned back to Cole. “Listen Cole, The way I see it, there’s a problem here, and a sollution.”
“Spit it out, oh wise one.” Cole remarked cryptically.
Priest chuckled despite himself. “Well, the way I see it, and I have been watching mind you, Kitty, the girl you’ve fallen in love with, has been captured by a band of supernatural freaks. It is now up to us to rescue her by inflicting incredible amounts of pain on those that took her. How am I doing so far?”
“Sounds good to me,” Cole said, his expression lightening ever so slowly.
“I’m getting goose bumps,” Ash quipped.
“After such rescue, the two of you find yourselves a nice quiet corner and have a long talk over a bottle of fine red wine, which I will provide of course, where by the end of it you two are kissing passionately in a consummation of the profound love you have for each other.” He stopped and smiled. “That sound about right to you Cole?”
“How ‘bout we just go in there, kill every one of those sons of bitches, get Kitty out of there, and worry about the rest of that stuff later.” He paused. “I’ll take the alcohol though.”
All three of them laughed.
“Hey,” Jake called from the driver’s seat, “We’re here.”
Cole drew out his guns from his coat and shifted so he could leap out the sliding door once it was opened. “Give me two minutes and then follow me in,” he instructed.
“Your show,” Priest said with a shrug, grasping the handle to the door, “Ready?” Cole nodded. Tugging on the handle, the van side door slid open, revealing the blurred images of the buildings rushing by. Priest looked out at the streets and shook his head. “You know, this is something I would expect from Ash, not you.”
“A stopped van draws too much attention to itself. Slow down a little Jake,” he called up front. Almost instantly the van’s speed decreased by ten miles an hour. Taking a deep breath, Cole threw himself out of the van. Instantly, he used magick to slow his momentum while simultaneously contorting his body to better absorb the impact of landing on the asphalt. The moment he felt his shoulder touch the ground, Cole, tucked up his legs and rolled along the ground, gritting his teeth against the small bits of concrete that dug into his exposed flesh.
Upon completion of the roll, Cole slid to his feet and broke into a run, using the momentum of the roll to carry him even faster across the small space between the street and the broken down warehouse where Cole sensed Kitty being held. He stopped just beside the door, pressing his ear to the wood, and tried to hear anything from inside. Only deathly silence greeted his ears, which sent his heart into a tight spin. Bringing up his guns to a ready position, he spun, lifted a foot, and kicked in the door, using a little magick to tweak the effect. The giant sliding door snapped off its tracks and flew into the room. Instantly after, Cole dove in behind the flying piece of wood and rolled into a kneeling crouch, snapping up his guns and scanning the room. Instantly, he saw Kitty, bound to a chair in her lace nightie, a square piece of metal over her mouth. He was about to charge over to her when the four shapes appeared out of the shadows.
The demon dropped down right behind Kitty, causing her to look over her shoulder and issue a silent cry. The vampire girl appeared on the right side of the room, seeming to materialize from a group of crates. The Hellfire wielding girl blazed to life on the left side of the room, the magickal flames sheathing her in a corona of searing heat. From behind the demon stepped a blond-haired boy with glasses, totally encased in some form of power armor. The energy and missile weapons systems all targeted on Cole as a smile lit his face.
“Welcome to your death,” the demon rasped with a smile.
Kitty’s eyes went wide as demon, fire girl, and blond boy with the cybernetic armor all attacked. They did not run up and engage him hand to hand, as Kitty had thought they might do. Instead, the demon fired a purple beam of energy, the fire girl unleashed a gout of pure flame, and the cyber boy fired all of his energy weapons and missiles. Kitty screamed as the entire area around Cole erupted into one big explosion. The ground seemed to vomit up concrete into the air, vaporizing into dust as it did so. The grouping of crates that had been near Cole splintered and shattered, throwing their own wooden forms into the mix. What was left of the attack was nothing but a fog of concrete dust and falling splinters of wood. The demon looked over at her and smiled. “Do you see how easy it was, little girl?”
Kitty could only scream silently behind the gag.
“Hey,” the vampire girl cried, “Look there!”
The other three turned to see a form slowly walking out of the dust and debris. As it drew closer, its shape began to take on detail. A single shoe stepped from the cloud, followed by an arm covered with black leather. The gentle swish of a thigh length leather coat followed after that, along with a pair of black jeans. Finally, the head revealed itself to all. Kitty screamed again, this time with joy.
“You think,” Cole said dangerously, a dome of crackling blue energy around him, “That a bunch of pansy little upstarts like you can get the drop on me?”
The demon hissed something Kitty could not make out and said, “Foolish mortal, we will kill you now anyway.”
“Dream on,” Cole growled, diving out of the way of one of the fire girl’s blasts of flame. As he slid along the ground, he opened fire with both guns, riddling her body with energy shots. Kitty watched as the girl was thrown back into the wall, sliding along the metal until she slumped upon the ground. Her flames died away, leaving her a charred, broken corpse. Rolling to his feet, Cole spun to face the remaining three. “Next.”
“Your soul will scream for mercy when I am through with you,” the demon snarled.
Cole remained silent, his guns ready. In truth, he was nearly exhausted. The amount of energy it had taken to erect a shield strong enough to withstand the group’s initial attack had nearly depleted his magick resources. He would need time to build them back up before casting any truly effective spells. Also, the wounds he had received from the werewolf were no where near healed. Every time Cole twisted or deftly moved, the slash wounds screamed in protest. There was a definite dampness on his back and he was sure the wounds had ripped back open. If he wasn’t careful, he would pass out from blood loss. As it was, sweat beaded upon his brow, dripping down his face. His guns were effective enough, but Priest and Ash needed to hurry their undead asses up!
The demon charged at Cole, swiping at him with its gruesome claws. Cole leapt out of the way, vaulting over the creature, spinning in mid air, and dumping several rounds into its back. The demon stumbled a few steps forward with the impacts of the rounds, but it immediately spun and resumed its attacks. Cole swore and dodged out of the way, rolling along the ground until he ran smack into another set of legs. Looking up, he saw a pair of red, glowing eyes smiling down at him. “Hi sweetie,” the female vampire purred, seconds before she raked her claws across his chest.
Cole howled in agony as he kicked out with both feet, catching the girl in the stomach and throwing her back. He scrambled to his feet and leapt forward in an attempt to dodge the incoming energy blast the blond boy fired at him. The concussion threw him across the room, slamming him into Kitty. The two of them went tumbling, the chair she was tied to shattering to pieces. As soon as their uncontrolled rolling ceased, the ropes that bound Kitty instantly slithered around Cole, pinning his arms to his sides and legs together. “Damn,” he hissed, struggling against the ropes, “Where the hell did they get this stuff?” He spat out a magickal word and almost instantly, the ropes evaporated.
As soon as her hands were free, Kitty reached up to the metal piece over her mouth and tried to pry it from her skin, yet the adhesive held firm. She looked at Cole and saw the vampire girl charging towards them. She tried to cry out something, but her voice was still captive behind the gag.
As soon as Cole saw Kitty’s eyes go wide, he pointed both of his guns over his shoulders behind him and emptied the clips from both. A scream pierced the air, letting the mage know he had hit his target. A smile slipped onto his face for a moment and then disappeared. He reached out and touched the metal on Kitty’s mouth, hissing out a word as soon as his fingers touched her. To Kitty’s surprise, the metal plate fell from her mouth as though nothing held it on in the first place. The collar around her throat that suppressed her mutant powers also unlocked and fell away, clattering to the floor. She was about to ask how he did that when she noticed not only his wounds, but how weak he looked. “Cole, you’re bleeding everywhere, we have to get you out of here.”
“No time,” he gasped, “Gotta take these guys out or they’ll just come back.”
“Cole, you’re dying!” Kitty screamed at him.
“Wrong,” a voice roared before them, “You’re both dead!”
She looked up to see the demon, cyber-armored boy, and the very much alive vampire girl all smiling at them with devilish glee. “Hope you liked the reunion,” she giggled, baring her fangs.
“Unfortunately, it will be cut short by your impending funeral,” the blond boy added.
The demon took a step forward and lifted a huge hand, pointing a wicked-looking talon at them. “Kill them and bring me their souls.”
Before anyone could blink, the east wall of the warehouse suddenly vaporized in a fiery explosion. As the three supernatural foes were flung across the room, Kitty threw herself on top of Cole to keep the debris from getting in his wounds. When the dust settled, everyone looked up to see a single form walk in, some form of weaponry in his hands that no ordinary human could hold. “I hope no one minds, but I brought a few party favors to the shindig.”
“Yeah!” Cole shouted with adrenaline-filled joy, “Take ‘em out Ash!”
Ash stepped from the smoke, theM 60 hefted easily in his hands. “With pleasure.” In the next second, the air erupted with the sound of the machinegun. The vampire girl was instantly cut in half, her two bodies turning into dust before they hit the ground. The blond boy took the rounds, which flung him back into the wall. When he looked down at his armor, only a few dents showed. He looked up at Ash and smiled. “I specifically designed this armor to withstand the force of a neutron bomb.” Ash stood dumbfounded. “Drop the gun and surrender now.”
Slowly, the vampire switched theM 60 so he held it in only one hand. Kitty was astonished to see that he was not even straining at the weight. still moving slowly, Ash began to lower the machine gun to the ground. At the last second, a .45 popped out of the sleeve of his free arm and slid into his hand. He sighted for less than a split second and fired. The blond boy’s head snapped back, a small entry hole between his eyes. There was not enough left of the back of his skull to be considered anything but mush. Ash smiled and stood straight, the .45 slipping back into his sleeve. “Next time, make some armor that don’t leave you open to head shots.” He looked at the demon. “You still wanna play?” he asked.
The green creature only smiled. “You cannot kill me with that puny weapon. You will never have the power to defeat me.” Ash said nothing, his smile only widening. “Why do you smile, fool. Your death is at hand.”
Before Kitty’s eyes, Priest materialized out of the shadows behind the demon, his eyes blazing red and a feral smile on his face that clearly revealed his fangs. Before the creature knew what hit him, Priest grabbed it by the back of the head and slammed its face into the metal floor. The demon grunted and swept its arm back, throwing Priest away. The vampire Prince slid to a halt next to Ash. “Shoot that damn thing!” Priest barked angrily.
Ash complied by opening fire, riddling the creature’s body with bullets. The demon stumbled back, but would not fall. When Ash stopped firing, it looked down at its perfectly healthy body and smiled at the two vampires. “Fools.”
Not thinking, Kitty sprang to her feet and rushed the demon. This creature was instrumental involving an attacked her friends, kidnapped her, and had Cole wounded so badly he might not survive another ten minutes. Her only thoughts were of rage. She knew she would probably die, but it just didn’t matter any more.
With a martial arts cry, she leapt into the air and slammed a kick into the demon’s face. The creature did not even flinch as she landed in front of it in a crouch. It grinned, yellow saliva dripping from its jaws. “How lovely,” it rasped, peering down the front of her gown, “Do you really think you can hurt me little girl?”
“I’m damn sure gonna try,” she shot back, phasing her hand and reaching for its chest. Faster than she thought possible, the demon spun out of the way and backhanded her across the back of the head. The impact caused her vision to spin. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Just as Ash and Priest moved to help, the creature gripped her head with one taloned hand. “Come a step closer,” it threatened, “And I will crush her head like a melon.”
No sooner had the words left its mouth, a blast of pure energy blasted the demon off its feet, sending it flying into a wall. When Kitty looked up, she saw Cole on his feet. He was hunched over and bathed in sweat with the effort it took to stand. Blood covered his chest and back, pooling on the floor at his feet. All around him, the air crackled with magickal energies. When Kitty saw his eyes, she gasped. They were no longer normal eyes, but black orbs with no pupil. They eyes focused on the demon as it slowly got to its feet. A large wound oozed a greenish like substance that Kitty guessed was blood from its shoulder. The creature glared at Cole and clacked its talons together once in excitement. “You were warned human, now the girl will suffer.”
A growl more animalistic than any sound Kitty had ever heard Wolverine make issued from Cole’s throat. Instantly, his eyes burst into black flames, licking at the air by his eyebrows. The magickal energies around him intensified so much Kitty scrambled back away from the pulsating energy. He lifted his arms and drew both his hands back to his right side, curling his fingers as though he held a ball. The red energy snaked down his arms to his hands, shooting from his fingers and coalescing into a call of crackling, red energy. Finally, he spoke.
“Never threaten her!” he roared as he thrust both his hands forward, sending the ball of energy hurling towards the demon. The creature had barely time to scream before the ball slammed into its chest, vaporizing it instantly. When the dust settled, Cole fell to his knees, his hands clutching his chest. His breathing came out in ragged gasps, hunting for life giving oxygen.
“Cole!” Kitty cried out, racing aver and sliding to her knees beside him. “How bad is it?”
“Nicked a rib,” he growled out in pain, not anger, “Probably punctured a lung too.” He coughed fiercely, blood flecking on his lips.
Kitty looked over her shoulder at Priest and Ash. “We need to get him to a hospital, now!” she cried urgently.
Both vampires rushed over, Priest quickly assessing the injuries. “We won’t make it in time.”
Kitty shook her head. “No way,” she said in fierce denial, “He’s going to live if you two get off your asses and help me!”
Ash immediately jumped in to help, grabbing Cole around the shoulders and knees and lifting him up. Cole snarled in pain, but did nothing else. “We need to hurry,” Ash said, his expression worried, “He’s losing too much blood too fast. That back wound’s ripped open and bleeding bad.”
“He’s got maybe ten minutes left,” Priest said ominously.
“Shut up!” Kitty yelled at him, slapping the vampire across the face, “Don't you dare talk like that! You guys are the only hope he has right now. You’re vampires, use your powers.”
“We could always bring him over.”
The group of three all spun around in surprise. Ash was just able to keep a hold of Cole, his hand involuntarily twitching towards his coat. Priest, unencumbered by carrying a body, reached into his own coat and yanked out a .45, immediately sighting it. Kitty dropped to a knee and scooped up one of Cole’s guns, aiming it at the new voice. “Who’s there?” Kitty demanded.
With dramatic flare, Dracula stepped from the shadows, his cloak fluttering around him in an unseen wind. He smiled and offered a deep bow. “Good evening all, I trust I have not interrupted anything too personal.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Priest growled. “I would think you’d have been halfway across Ohio by now.”
The vampire lord wiggled a finger. “Oh no, my dear prince, I have something that needs collecting, as you may well remember.” He looked around, eyes searching. “Now, where could it be? Ah, there it is.” He walked over to a corner and reached down. Kitty saw light glint off something metal just before he stood up. “Excellent, the Pendant of Ra. I have been looking for you, dear friend.”
Before Kitty could spit out an acidic comment out only having inanimate friends, Priest fired a shot that struck Dracula in the back. The vampire lord barely flinched as he looked back. “Now, was that supposed to hurt?”
Priest shrugged and smiled. An instant later, Dracula’s face switched to an expression of pain and he howled in agony. Kitty looked at the vampire Prince curiously. “What the hell was in that?”
“Hollow point filled with wooden slivers. Even a sliver of wood can hurt a vampire.”
“Ouch,” Kitty agreed. She focused her attention back on Dracula and fired a shot at him, striking the vampire in the shoulder. He grunted in pain and stumbled back.
“You must not be too concerned about your lover,” the vampire said with a smile, “I’m sure he’s dead now.”
With a growl, Kitty hurled the gun and rushed at Dracula, snapping a kick into his head as soon as she was within reach. The blow connected solidly, making his head snap to the side. “You don’t have the right to even lick is boots,” she yelled in his face just before her fist followed, snapping his head back.
The vampire lord smiled and shook his head. “Little girl, although you amuse me, I must depart. There are places I wish to go and cities in need of conquering.” He laughed and slowly started to fade into mist.
His laughter abruptly ceased when he suddenly became solid once more. Looking around in surprise, he exclaimed, “What is this?”
“Never count you chickens...”
Kitty spun and saw Cole on his feet, no evidence of wounds on his chest, magick crackling along his body. He smiled. “...And all that.”
“Cole,” Kitty gasped, “How?”
Cole only shrugged and grinned at her. “It’s a kind of magick,” he rasped, doing a fairly good job of impersonating Christopher Lambert from the first Highlander movie. “Put the medallion down Vlad.”
“I will do no such thing, young man,” the vampire countered, “This medallion gives me more power than you can ever hope for.”
Cole cocked an eyebrow. “How, by looking really expensive?”
All three vampires looked over at him in surprise. “Huh?” they queried collectively.
Cole laughed. “Yeah, that’s right, the damn thing is just a fancy piece of jewelry. The only thing it’ll do for you is maybe get you about seven hundred bucks; but no power, sorry.”
“Wait a sec,” Priest interjected, “Are you saying that that little trinket Vlad here has been hunting for and beating up my men for is nothing more than normal jewelry?”
Cole considered for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
“So why do you wish it so?” Dracula asked cautiously.
“Because it was used by those freaks to call upon an evil deity that granted them the powers they had. They inadvertently imbued the medallion with magick that could cause some problems if the right person had it.”
Dracula smiled. “Someone like me?”
Cole laughed. “Vlad, you wouldn’t be able to access the power from that thing if someone took the energy and slammed it into your heart.” He paused, cocking his head to the side, “Kind of like a stake, huh?”
“What do y-”
Before the vampire lord could finish, Cole extended his arm out to his side, red energy crackling in his palm. With a throwing gesture that Kitty thought reminiscent of Gambit, Cole hurled the energy at the vampire. Halfway through its flight, the ball of crackling electricity lengthened and thinned, one end becoming a point. Kitty saw the energy take on the substance of wood a split second before it slammed deep into Dracula’s chest, burying itself three feet into his heart.
The vampire lord let out a gurgled cry and fell to the ground, completely motionless. The medallion dropped from his lifeless hand, clattering to the ground. Kitty slowly walked over to the gold circle and picked it up by the chain. She looked from Dracula to Cole, her eyes narrowed slightly. “Is he dead?”
“No,” Cole said with a shake of his head, “Just in torpor, suspended animation. He’ll revive once the stake’s pulled out.”
Kitty nodded and walked over to the group of two vampires and a mage and extended the medallion to them. “I guess you need to get rid of this.”
“Yeah,” Cole sighed, taking the gold circle and weighing it in his palm. “Damn shame though, I could get some serious cash for this.”
“Which reminds me,” Kitty said, putting her hands on her hips, “Two things.”
“Shoot.”
“One, how did you survive having your chest ripped open and your lung punctured?”
Cole chuckled. “It was all an illusion. True, I did get hit by the demon kid, but it was only a scratch that I healed up with magick almost instantly. I used some glamour magick to make everyone thing I was hurt bad so Dracula here would show himself. He knew that we would lead him right to the medallion and I needed him to think I was down for the count. One thing I like is surprises.”
“Obviously,” Kitty remarked, looking at the medallion, “So, you knew that the thing was just plain old jewelry the whole time?”
Cole cocked his head to the side. “Well, not really.” He smiled at Kitty’s surprised expression. “Before you ask how I knew when Dracula had it, let me explain this way. As soon as I broke in here, I was close enough to the thing to magically determine what it was. As soon as I did that, I realized it was just a simple broach that the kids used to summon a deity to give them power. The thing itself has no power, it just acted as an emotional focus for the kids.”
“So they had the powers themselves the whole time?” Ash asked, lighting a cigarette and tossing one to Cole.
“No,” he said, catching the cigarette and lighting it via a small fireball that formed in his hand, “Thanks. What happened was the deity felt their intense emotions and came down to this realm, granting them the powers. Fortunately, she’s not around anymore and can’t hurt us.” He smiled and held up the medallion. “I bet she’ll be pissed when I do this, though.” His eyes narrowed a millimeter in concentration and the broach imploded, turning itself inside out until nothing was left of it but empty air. “Well,” Cole said, “Now that that’s done, why don’t we go and get a beer and something to eat, I’m starving.”
Priest hoisted Dracula over his shoulder and smiled. “I think I can arrange that,” he said impishly, “Free food at Elysium.”
“Killer,” Cole said with a grin, “I’m gonna need a new coat again, too.”
“Yeah,” Kitty agreed, taking his arm, “And I would really like a change of attire, this thing has a heck of a draft.”
Priest laughed. “I’ve got you covered Kitty, we brought your costume along. It’s in the car, along with a trench coat for you to cover it with.”
“Course,” Ash piped in, “You don't need to cover up on our account.”
Priest howled with laughter as Ash yelped in pain after Kitty and Cole both punched him in the face.
X-Men: Black Fire
By Paradox
BOOK I
Epilogue
“Are you sure you don't want to come back?” Kitty asked, taking Cole’s hands in her gloved ones, “I know that the rest of the team would be more than happy to have you.”
Cole smiled and shook his head. “No, I can’t. Priest asked me to stay here and help him out for a while, and I told him I would. Besides, we need to deal with Dracula so he won’t mess with you guys any more.”
“Can’t Priest and Ash handle it?”
“Yeah,” Cole admitted with a nod, “But I need to stay back here, at least for a while. I promise I’ll visit you as often as I can, but Priest needs me now more than he ever has.”
“I understand,” Kitty said softly. “It’s too bad, I was just starting to,” she paused, gulping secretly, “Like you.”
“Kitty...” She lifted her eyes, looking into Cole’s dark ones, “I’ve found myself falling for you from day one. If I’m not careful, something might happen to you because you’re with me, and that’s something I could never forgive myself of.”
“I can take care of myself,” Kitty insisted, squeezing his hands for effect, “And the rest of the X-Men will help us in any way they can.”
Cole shook his head and looked down. “No, it’s just too soon.” Looking up, he allowed a small smile to lighten his features. “But, as soon as I know it’s safe, I’ll come get you, okay?”
“Okay.”
Before Cole could blink, Kitty threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately. Cole kissed her back with fervor unlike anything he had experienced. It was like a ray of sunshine had broken through the dark clouds of his soul and warmed his heart. When they finally broke, both were out of breath. “Wow,” Cole gasped, “For a kiss like that, I’ll do my damnedest to make sure I get this thing over with as soon as possible.”
“I’ll hold you to that Cole,” Kitty said softly before releasing his hands and running up the ramp of the Blackbird. Just before she disappeared inside, she threw him a wink, and then the entry door slid shut. With a silent whine from the engines, the plane lifted from the top of the Excalibur club, where they had hidden it earlier with magick, and shot off into the night.
Cole sighed as he watched the small black speck grow fainter and fainter. “Soon Kitty, I promise.”
“You realize that I am quite upset with you,” a female voice said from above and behind him.
“Do you think I really give a shit?” he shot back.
“You had best, young Raven,” the voice said menacingly, “Or I might just take my revenge out on that little mutant girl you have fallen in love with.”
Cole spun, his body crackling with magick. “Stay the hell away from her Lilith or I’ll send the entire conclave of magi against you!”
The voice laughed merrily, yet no body accompanied it. “You do not have the status to be able to carry out such threats.”
“Maybe,” Cole agreed, “But I also have high status in the Kindred and Garou societies, and they can both come with to the ass-kicking party at your house.” The comment drew silence. “We’ll have our showdown soon,” he reassured the dark Goddess, “I promise you. But stay away from Kitty and the X-Men.”
For several moments, nothing was said. Then, “Very well, mage, I will leave your precious X-Men alone, but I will come for you soon.”
Cole felt a tingling of magick and knew the presence of Lilith was gone, leaving him alone on the roof once more. Soon, he would have to confront her, and he only hoped he had the power to defeat her. It was the main reason he refused to return to the X-Mansion with Kitty, to keep her out of the battle. If he lost, he wanted her to live a full and healthy life.
“Oh well,” he sighed to himself, “Might as well busy myself with interrogating Vlad.”
He turned and started for the private office when he heard “Gun!” A second later, the sound of a double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun going off filled the air, accompanied by the screams of its victim. “That’s if he leaves me anything to work with,” he chuckled, walking into the office.
It was going to turn out to be an interesting night.