X-Men: Black Fire

By Paradox

BOOK II

4

All around her, glowing red eyes looked out from the shadows, hungrily looking at her. Kitty spun around and around, trying to get a fix on any one target. A snap of a twig made her spin one way, a chuckle the other. There was no way she could get a fix on any one target, there was just too many. One of the sets of eyes leaped out at her, its shadowed talons slicing towards her arm. Kitty simply phased her molecules and let the vampire pass through her.

A searing heat of pain tore through her shoulder as the vampire’s razor sharp talons pierced and ripped through the tender flesh of her right arm, severing nerves and destroying muscle. Kitty screamed and stumbled back, clutching her wounded arm, looking around in fear. Something was wrong, she hadn’t phased when the vampire had attack. Her powers were gone! Looking around desperately, she started to run. There was no visible exit, but Kitty knew she had to get out of there, fast. There was at least ten vampires around her, all of them hungry, and she had no powers.

When they all leaped out at her and pinned her to the ground, raking into her flesh beneath the nightshirt she wore, Kitty screamed and thrashed about, trying to fight of the undead creatures that easily outmatched her strength. When she happened to look up at one of the vampires, she was able to discern the long hair of a female. A voice floated into her ears as sweet as living music.

“Your powers are gone, little girl. Now you are nothing but food for us.”

Kitty sat bolt upright in bed, a scream tearing from her throat. The instant her eyes opened, the demonic visions of vampires ripping open her flesh and gorging on her blood disappeared. She looked around, her eyes vainly trying to find any signs of undead intruders. Then, she realized she was in a posh hotel in Chicago, with no vampires around her and a recovering Lila upstairs. Sighing, she reached for a robe and drew it over the silk nightie she wore. Normally, it would not have been her normal sleeping attire, but it just seemed the right thing to wear that night. Maybe she was just feeling more feminine than normal. The robe she pulled on was white silk as well, and Kitty reveled in the coolness of the fabric as it slithered across her skin, It was the only nice set of nighttime wear she owned; being an X-Man did not make her rich. Deciding to check on Lila and see how she was recovering from her short bout of vampire powers, Kitty phased her molecules and started to walk up the air towards the ceiling.

She had walked no more than two steps before she realized that she was still on the ground. Frowning, she mentally commanded the mutant ability inside her to phase herself out and walk on the molecules of air. Yet again, her body did not phase in the slightest. “What is going on?” she whispered to herself. True, if she were tired, Kitty had a difficult time phasing, but she had just gotten a good five hours of sleep. She tried over and over again to phase, each attempt meeting with failure. “My powers,” she suddenly realized, “They’re gone!”

“Yeah,” a sinister voice hissed, “I know.”

Kitty spun just in time to see a figure appear from behind the curtains of the window, its long, sharp fingernails angling towards her throat. Knowing how to more than simply phase, Kitty parried the attack with a martial arts technique and slammed a knee into her attacker’s groin. The man grunted in pain and he staggered back, clutching the wounded area. “Oh, I think I’m going to throw up,” he moaned.

“Good,” Kitty spat out, kicking out at the man’s head. Just before her foot connected, the man’s hand snapped up with inhuman speed and caught her by the ankle, a toothy grin spreading over his face so large Kitty easily saw the enlarged canines.

“Just kidding.” With strength that identified him as a vampire, the man threw Kitty into the wall just above the bed. Once again, she tried to phase through the wall, but again, her powers failed her. Kitty slammed into the wall, the air getting blasted from her lungs. She fell onto the bed, gasping for breath. The vampire was on her in a heartbeat, his claws raking through the silky fabric of the robe and tearing into her shoulder. Kitty screamed in pain the claws ripped open veins and tore out muscle. The vampire licked the blood on his claws and smiled. “Sweet,” he hissed, “And full of adrenaline and fear.” His eyes glowed red with undead bloodlust, and Kitty suddenly knew what he was going to do. Before she could react, the vampire buried his fangs into Kitty’s throat. She felt the energy quickly start to drain out of her as her life’s blood poured down the dead man’s throat, giving him strength and life.

“No!” she cried weakly, her fists frantically beating on his head with the strength of a child. Her vision began to blur and she felt her heart start beating wildly in an attempt to re-supply her veins with the lost blood. Soon, her hands fell to her sides, too weak to continue a struggle.

The vampire pulled his head away with a sigh, a single line of blood tracing down his chin. “Yummy,” he sneered, “You taste really good girl. I think I might come back again.” He traced a finger down her cheek, causing a whimper from Kitty. “Aw, don’t worry, I won’t kill you. You’re much too good to me alive.” He flicked a finger from his forehead in salute. “See you around.” Before she could blink, Kitty saw the vampire dive out the open window and disappear.

Gasping for breath and greatly in need of blood, Kitty tired to reach for the phone next to the bed. Her hand shook as it rested on the receiver, and it took a severe effort for her fingers to close over the hard plastic and lift it from its cradle. She had just enough energy to pull the receiver to her ear and rest it on the pillow before all the strength left her limbs. For several minutes, there was only a dial tone. “Please,” Kitty whispered, “Help me.”

The dial tone changed to a beeping sound, followed by a recorded voice saying, “If you would like to make a call, please hang up and dial again.”

“Help,” Kitty croaked to the phone.

There was a click and a female voice said, “AT&T, how can I help you?”

“The Excalibur club,” Kitty whispered, “Connect me to the club.”

“The Excalibur club ma’am?”

There was a pause and then a ringing, indicating that the woman had made the connection to the club. The phone rang for several minutes with no one picking up. “Pick up,” Kitty begged the phone quietly, “Someone pick up.”

Finally, there was a click and a voice said, “Excalibur, we’re closed right now.”

“Priest,” Kitty gasped, her throat constricting with the effort, “I need Priest.”

“Um, I’m not aware of any priest here, ma’am, you should try your local church.”

“Need help,” Kitty whispered, “Get Priest or Cole, please.” The end of her words came out in a plea.

“May I ask who is calling?”

“K-ki-” her voice faded off, her vocal cords no longer containing the strength to work.

Seconds latter, a familiar voice came over the phone. “Kitty, Kitty are you okay?”

“Cole,” she said, her voice barely there.

“Kitty, what is it, where are you?” Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. “Kitty, talk to me dammit!”

Help me Cole, she mouthed, trying to force the words from her throat, but failing, I’m dying Cole, please help me.

Just before she blacked out, she heard Cole yell over the phone, “Kitty!”

* * * *

“Where the hell are you going?” Cole ignored Ash as he pulled on his coat and slid his guns into their holsters. “I said where are you going?”

“Kitty’s in trouble.” the mage said simply, trying to keep from hitting the vampire in anger.

“It’s nearly sunup,” Ash pointed out.

“And I’m not Kindred, so I’m not too worried.”

Ash sighed and followed Cole as he nearly ran towards the front door. “Cole, we won’t be able to back you up if there’s trouble.”

The mage threw a leg over the motorcycle at the curb and keyed the ignition. “There’s no time to wait, Kitty sounded like she was dying. Get on the phone to Kelly and get her over here, I may need her to help Kitty.”

Ash crossed his arms over his chest and gave Cole a long look before nodding. “All right, but what the hell is going on Cole?”

Cole kicked up the kick stand and glanced once at Ash before slipping on a pair of Ray-Bans. “I don't know, but I’m pretty sure that the shit’s going to go sky high soon.” He revved the bike and kicked it into gear, sending him screaming down the street. Two seconds later, the sun peaked over the horizon, its light hitting him square in the face. The Ray-Bans kept the sunlight from blinding him as he raced towards the Waldorf. As he moved through the streets with expert precision, his thoughts raced through the possibilities of what was wrong. Had she been attacked? Was she still being attacked? Was she dying? The last thought made him yank even harder on the accelerator, making the speedometer jump from sixty to eighty. Fortunately, at six in the morning, there were few cars on the street. Even so, he pulled out his cellular phone and magickally kept it aloft by his ear while he used both hands to steer the bike. Another tweak of magick dialed the phone.

After two rings, someone picked up and a voice said, “Chicago Police Department.”

“Patch me through to Officer Jennings,” Cole said hurriedly.

There was a click and a moment later another voice said, “Jennings.”

“Pete, it’s Cole.”

“What’s up Cole.”

“I’m on Clark street right now and I’m trying to get to the Waldorf. I’m in a hurry and I can’t have any of your boys in blue stop me.”

“Well, I’m on patrol right now, so I’ll make sure you’re clear. Is there anything I can help with?”

“No,” Cole said, yanking on the bike and careening around a corner so hard the back end fishtailed and nearly flipped, “If it’s what I think it is, you’d better stay clear.”

“All right, give me a call if you need help.”

Cole had the phone hang up and slip back into his coat pocket. Seconds later, he pulled up to the Waldorf. Squealing to a halt, Cole jumped off the bike and raced into the lobby. He could have used magick to simply fly up to her room or teleport in, but there were three normal humans standing around and using magick in front of them always resulted in painful consequences. As he ran up to the main desk, he said, “What room is Kitty Pryde in?”

The woman cocked a skeptical eyebrow and asked, “And just who are you sir?”

Cole’s mind snarled angrily and his eyes flashed with magick for a second as he quickly manipulated the woman’s mind. “I’m a friend.”

“Certainly sir,” she said, typing in the computer, “Ms. Pryde is staying in the honeymoon suite.”

Without saying a word, Cole spun and raced to the elevator, magickally causing it to “happen” to be at the lobby and open just as he reached the doors. He ran into the car and punched the top floor button. The doors closed and the elevator slowly started its assent. Reaching into his coat, Cole drew out the two Glocks and checked the clips on them. When he was sure they were both full and locked and loaded, he looked up at the ceiling of the elevator car and evoked more magick, this time directing it towards the motor that controlled the elevator. Manipulating Time magick, he caused the motors to move faster, so the elevator car rose at an incredibly fast pace. Cole staggered slightly at the increase of speed, but quickly regained his balance. At the floor just below his destination, he set himself up squarely and raised both guns towards the doors, ready to blow away anything that was not human when the doors opened.

There was a soft ding and the elevator opened, revealing an empty hallway. Quickly clearing both directions, Cole raced from the car and sped down the hallway to the honeymoon suite. As soon as he reached the door, he tried the knob and found the door locked. He pounded on the wooden frame with one of the guns, yelling, “Kitty, can you hear me?” No answer greeted him, sending his heart beating rapidly. Maybe he was too late. Shaking the thought aside, Cole magickally manipulated the lock and gave it a magickal push, flinging the door open wide. He dropped to a knee in the doorway, scanning the area for any potential targets. When all he saw was Kitty laying on the bed, blood spreading through the sheets, he holstered the guns and raced to her side. “My God Kitty, talk to me!” He gently turned her head so he could see her face. His heart stopped beating for a moment when he saw how pale she was, her eyes closed and her pale lips parted slightly. She was breathing, but it was very faint and ragged. He had seen this before and knew with stark reality what was happening to her.

She was dying. Wrapping her up in his arms, he called out a single, arcane word. Instantly, red, magickal energy swirled around them like a cyclone. Seconds later, they both disappeared.

* * * *

Ash hung up the phone and sighed sleepily. He had done what Cole wanted and called Kelly and told her that the mage had wanted her at the club, pronto. Although not happy about it, she had agreed and told him she was on the way. Although not a vampire herself, Ash knew she had pulled an all nighter already and was probably tired. The thought made him yawn and look at his watch. The sun was already up, but the club was well sun proofed. He would be fine for the whole day, but he was feeling exhausted. “He’d batter have a damn good reason for this,” Ash muttered, retrieving a bottle of blood from behind the bar. If he was going to be up late, he wanted a drink.

The cork had not even come off the bottle when a cyclone of crackling, magickal energy filled the dance floor. Ash immediately put the bottle down and raced over as Cole and Kitty’s body materialized and the cyclone disappeared. From past experience, Ash knew that Cole never used teleportation spells unless they were truly necessary. The amount of magick it took to initiate them was great and usually drained him. That, and the fact that it usually caused a great deal of Paradox backlash kept him from using the spell except in emergencies. Judging by the look on the mage’s face and the condition of the girl in his arms, Ash determined that it was definitely an emergency. “What the hell happened to her?” Ash demanded.

“Don’t know,” Cole said, cradling her in his arms and rushing up the stairs, “Probably attacked and drained from the looks of it.”

“One of us?” Ash exclaimed in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Cole shot back as they came to a large bedroom. He raced over to the king-sized bed, only to find Priest laying upon it in a pair of boxers, completely asleep. Ignoring the slumbering vampire, he set Kitty down on the bed and smacked Priest on the head. “Wake up sleeping beauty.”

Priest’s eyes snapped open, blazing with rage. He sat up and snarled at Cole, his fangs bared and ready to rend flesh. When he saw who it was, the snarl disappeared and he regarded the mage with an air of anger. “What the hell are you doing? I’m trying to sleep here you know.”

“I need the space,” Cole said quickly, his fingers running over Kitty, checking her pulse, how deep her wounds were, and trying to do anything else for her.

Priest looked down at the young woman and grimaced. “Is she gone?”

“No, but she will be soon with the all blood she’s lost. I’ve Kelly coming over here, but I’m not sure she’ll make it in time.”

Priest leapt from the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, running over to the phone and snatching it from the cradle. He punched in a number and said, “Yeah, it’s Priest. Yeah, I need you over here, now! I’ve got a very sick girl here who’s probably dying. Probably a vampire attack. Great, thanks.” He hung up the phone.

No sooner had the phone settled on its cradle, a glowing white disk suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. A beautiful woman stepped from the disk, her body covered in a decorative green gown. The disk immediately collapsed on itself once she was through. “Where’s the patient?” she asked in a musical voice.

“Right here,” Cole said, already starting administer potions and salves from his coat to the wounds, “She was attacked, probably by a vampire. Lost a lot of blood and her shoulder’s been practically ripped open.”

The woman moved to the other side of Kitty and gently put a hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before opening them and saying, “I need to work fast, give me some room.” Cole immediately backed off. The woman placed both her hands on Kitty’s chest and spoke a few soft words of prayer. Her hands began to glow with green energy that spread throughout Kitty’s body.

Cole watched as color flooded back into her cheeks and her breathing became deep and regular. The wound on her shoulder knitted itself back together until the skin was pink and fresh. “You have got to teach me how to do that one of these days,” he said.

The woman smiled. “Maybe I will, but we need to focus on your friend here right now.” She turned back to the sleeping girl and gently shook her. “Wake up little one,” she said gently.

Kitty moaned softly and turned on her side, gripping at the blankets of the bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room, staring at the people huddled around her. “Where am I?” she asked quietly.

“The club,” Cole said, sitting on the bed next to her, “You were attacked in your hotel room.”

Kitty slowly sat up, Cole quickly jumping to help her. “I remember, a vampire attacked me after I had woken up from a nightmare.” She rubbed her forehead, as though trying to force the memory forward. “When he attacked, I tried to phase out, but my powers wouldn’t work.” Realization flooded into her eyes and she shot her hand down at the bed. Her fingers pushed desperately at the mattress. “My powers are gone,” she whispered.

“What?” Cole asked in surprise, getting to his feet.

Kitty looked up at the group. “I don’t have my powers any more, I’m completely human.”

Silence filled the room, no one knew what to say. Ash was the first one to recover his voice. “How the hell did you lose powers that are a part of your DNA?”

Kitty shrugged, wincing at the wound in her shoulder. “I don’t know. When I woke up and that vampire attacked me, I couldn’t phase. I knew how to do it, but my powers just wouldn’t respond.”

Kelly looked over at Ash. “Is she a mutant?” The vampire nodded. “If I may, I might be able to determine the cause of your problem.” Kitty nodded in agreement and Kelly sat down next to the girl, gently placing her hands on Kitty’s brow. She mumbled some words and her hands began to glow. Cole felt a twitch in his stomach, indicating the magick was being used. He tried to aid Kelly’s efforts by filtering his own magickal energies into her, thereby boosting her own abilities. Kelly’s hands began to glow more intensely and Kitty winced. “I believe I have discovered the problem,” Kelly announced, removing her hands from Kitty.

“What is it?” Priest asked.

“Someone has dived into you mind and mentally cut off your body’s response to your mental command of your powers.”

“Meaning?”

Kelly sighed. “Your powers are still present, your mind simply cannot send the electrical impulses to your body to active them.”

Kitty narrowed her eyes slightly, understanding reaching them. “Someone put up a mental block around my powers?”

“Yes.”

Cole shook his head. “But, can’t we just get rid of the block?”

Kelly shook her head. “No, I am not powerful enough and I know no one who is.”

Kitty jumped out of bed. “I bet Professor Xavier could do it, he’s the most powerful telepath on the planet.”

“Good idea,” Priest said, reaching for the phone, “You call him up while I get back into bed and sleep the day away like a good little vampire.”

“Ditto,” Ash said, not bothering to suppress a yawn.

Cole couldn’t help but laugh. “You guys. We’ve got a high level telepath on the loose and all you guys can thing about is racking out.”

Priest nodded with wide eyes. “Hell yeah, I’m exhausted.” He flopped down on the bed, the phone forgotten. “If you’re worried about Kitty, take her to your place.”

Cole’s eyes widened and he suddenly spun away, hiding any further reaction from Kitty. “Yeah, good idea.”

Ash stumbled to the door and called back, “Call me if the world blows up, nothing else.”

“I will stay with you, if you wish,” Kelly offered.

Kitty looked at Cole, to see if he would give an opinion, but he still had his back to her. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”

Kelly nodded. “Perhaps we should adjourn to your home, Cole.”

Cole nodded and turned to face them. “Okay, but I’ll have to teleport us there, I sort of forgot my bike at the Waldrof.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Kitty said, hugging her arms to herself.

The mage took a deep breath and extended his arms out, red magickal energy beginning to crawl down his arms to his hands. He chanted a few words and quickly drew his arms in to his chest so they crossed. A second later, a vortex of magickal energy swirled through the room, surrounding the three of them. With a silent thunderclap, they all vanished.