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. Lets
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. Hes 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 Kittys
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 lovers 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
Priests 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 Haunts 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 were 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, Id say it was done by the
werewolf.
Thats 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, Id 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.
Ive 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, Ill go with Hellfire.
The last type of wounds we discovered was just some guy torn to pieces. Now,
normally I would say thats 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 victims
wounds. Demon saliva.
Correct, Ash said in a game-show announcers 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 well 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 didnt
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?
Shes 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, wheres
Vlad?
Ash looked down at his feet. Oh, uh, Vlad sort of, well, slipped out
when we were at The Haunt.
Coles 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,
Ive got people out looking for him too. I know that you need
him to free up the X-Mens minds. Just relax, it got screwed up on my
end, my endll fix it.
Good, Cole said, his eyes narrowed, Who do you have on
it?
Flexor and his team. I figure well have him inside three
hours.
The mage shook his head. Im not so sure, ol Dracula knows
a lot about hiding, hes been doing it for a couple of centuries
now.
Yeah, Priest said with a smile, But hes in my town
now, and Flexor knows the streets and sewers better than anyone. Trust me,
well get him.
Cole breathed a sigh of relief. He took a drag from the cigarette and blew
out a smoke ring. Okay, so whats our next move?
Ash leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his neck. Well,
Ive 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, Ive 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 cant get any more
infor-
Coles 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, Coles 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 demons
eyes.
The green demon only chuckled, its bloated, purple tongue slipping out its
mouth and caressing Kittys 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?
Ive 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. Im 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 well go get them for
you.
No way, Cole said with determination as he struggled to his feet,
Im coming with you.
You can barely stand up straight Cole, Ash admonished,
Theres no way you can operate in a
fight.
Coles eyes suddenly flared with black flames and he collared Ash, slamming
him into a wall. Im 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.
Ill 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, youll 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 wed better let her go guys, she
looks like she might threaten us to death.
The other girl cackled with delight, Oh, but thats 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.
Isnt 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, Im older than you kid. Her words were rewarded
with another slap that caused white spots to exploded behind her eyes.
Youre lucky Im wearing this flammin collar thats
suppressing my powers, she threatened, Or Id be turning
you into wallpaper right now.
But the fact remains that you are powerless to do anything, isnt
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, Im 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 Kittys 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 youre
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.