Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 06:04:15 GMT
From: Blake Alexander <writemeastory@juno.com>
Subject: Tales of the New Phoenix: Story Of The Birds Of Prey chapter 4

Enter the infamous legal disclaimer NOW:

I do not own any of the following. I wish I did. OH how I wish I did. Do
you know how much money some of these bring in? But alas, I am but a meager
college student working towards a teaching degree. That's right; I am in
college, and going to be a teacher. Going from no money at all (college
student) to no money at all (teacher). Please don't sue. You'll get a
crappy pen set that I got from my brother many moons ago. Now, onto
everything I do not own. Repeat. Don't own. I don't know sexual
orientations or personalities either. DON'T OWN, DON'T KNOW!

Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Pink, Christina Aguilera, The
Wallflowers, and any other celebrities. I also know nothing of their sexual
orientations.

Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and all related characters.

The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book series by Laurell K. Hamilton.

The Vampire Chronicles, Tales Of The New Vampires, The Mayfair Witches, all series and characters  written by Anne Rice.

Buffy & Angel television series.

Birds Of Prey television series.

Star Wars

Star Trek, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek The
New Frontier, Enterprise television series, movies, and novels.

Ok, now that that is taken care of, a little publicity for my
co-authors. Go read these four stories in the Boy Bands, and Celebrity
sections:

Tales Of A Real Dark Night (The series that started it all.)
celebrity/boy-bands/tales-of-a-real-dark-knight/

Marvel Knights
celebrity/marvel-knights/

Tales Of A Super Hero Band
celebrity/boy-bands/tales-of-a-superhero-band/

Tales Of A Young Mutant
celebrity/tales-of-a-young-mutant/

There may also be a new writer up and coming. Good luck! I love the
storyline I've seen so far dude! Keep writing!

Finally, this is it I promise, we are entering into a section of the story
where 4 stories converge. I am hoping that this is not confusing, but
exciting for you all. So, enjoy!


The Story of the Birds Of Prey
Chapter 4: Onward into the star filled night.

	It was a while later that Eric and everyone else emerged into the
dining hall. Lance had been standing next to a window and Eric went
straight there. Jessica spotted me, Josh, and Andrea and came over.
	"Hey, I'm glad you two made it ok. You should have seen him,"
Jessica said focusing on Josh, "He was a mess without you."
	Josh turned towards me smiling. "So was I." He said taking my
hand. I couldn't help but smile.
	"How did the translating go?" I asked.
	"We forged ahead valiantly, getting quite a bit knocked away, but
are still left with more questions about what's going on than answers." She
looked worried, but fought to find a smile.
	"That's to be expected when dealing with sketchy descriptions being
written hundreds of years ago by people hardly able to understand what they
are seeing." I turned to see Andrea sitting there with a small smile. "Then
you also need to take into account the writing style of the time. Whether
it is poetic or more realistic."
	"Do you know anything about interpreting prophecies?" Jessica asked
Andy.
	"No. I just know my literature. Writing styles are very different
now compared to even just a hundred years ago. Language changes,
grammar. That can really affect any piece of writing."
	Eric spotted us talking and walked over from where he was.
	"Hey." He said in greeting.
	"Hi." I said, he then really noticed Josh and Andrea.
	"What are you two doing here?" He asked.
	"Well, I'm here because Devin and Blake think that the extra help
is needed," Andrea offered. "Josh is here because he can't stand to be away
from Blake for more than 30 seconds. I think it's like a fish without
water. I was waiting for him to start flopping around the condo at any
moment." Josh started giggling, I soon joined in.
	"So, Blake, how are you holding up after what happened?" I knew he
was referring to today with the child.
	"Better. It's just... I don't think they heard it," I motioned to
everyone in the room. "The minds of all those people. Those children..." I
got lost in thought, grabbing Joshes hand for support. "Their minds
screaming in terror for the very last moments of their lives. After I found
that child, broken and... I can't help wonder what scream was hers." He
looked me straight in the eyes; unshed tears welled around the edges. "I
don't understand, I heard it so clearly so far away, and they didn't."
	"God Blake, I'm so sorry." Josh pulled me into an awkward hug still
sitting in our seats. "I should have been here with you."
	"It's ok, you're here now." I let a few tears fall down my
face. "You're here now."
	Eric looked at Jessica, then the rest of us. "Lance and I have
invited his friends to come to our room and talk.  Would you like to join
us?"
	"Yeah." I said sniffling.
	"I'm pretty tired Blake, I'm going to head for bed. I think you
should go talk though. Eric can help." I looked at Josh, sensing his lack
of sleep.
	"Me too." Andy said, rising. "We are all in the same room, right?
When you come in, if you wake me, I'll kill you slowly." She smiled to let
me know she was kidding.
	"I'll see you in a bit." I said pulling Josh into a hug, then a
kiss.

	I had gotten to bed late that night, and woken up early. Josh and
Andrea were still asleep when I woke, so I left as quietly as I could,
writing a note before leaving. I wandered the halls of the school when I
heard a voice.
	"It's a bit early to be up and about, isn't it Blake?" the voice
said.
	"Couldn't sleep." I said, searching for the voice. I looked down
and realized I was wearing nothing but my pajama bottoms. I hadn't been
sleeping well for a while, and was never a morning person. I chocked it up
to being tired.
	"Which is exactly why you should be sleeping."
	"Who are you?" I asked the empty hall.
	"Professor Charles Xavier."
	"Well, Professor, how can I help you?" I said, while shifting the
matter around me to create some clothes.
	"Since you are awake, and don't seem to want to sleep, I was hoping
we could talk."
	"Shouldn't you also be asleep sir?" I asked, heading forward
without much direction.
	"Quite correct Blake. Like you, I can't sleep. I am about to send
people I care about into battle, something I've done too many times. That
task always steals my sleep."
	"Understandable. Where should I go to meet you face to face?" I
asked rounding another corner.
	"There is an elevator down the next corridor to your right. Ask it
to go to sublevel 4. In front of you will be a metal door marked Danger
Room. Turn right at that door and you will see a staircase. Go up those
stairs and you will find me."
	I followed his directions, and was soon climbing the stairs. I was
met with a control room over looking an immense empty space. The professor
sat, in his floating gold colored metallic chair, at the control panel in
front of the large window.
	"I do apologize for using my telepathy on you Blake, but given the
situation I have been more active when it comes to my powers. I do not want
anyone from Apocalypse or the Brotherhood of Mutants to infiltrate my
school and put the students at risk." He turned to me, a serious expression
on his face. "It's also why I wanted to see you."
	"Sorry Professor?" I asked confused as to why he would want to see
me about that.
	"I can reach everyone's minds but yours. You, with the enhancement
of The Phoenix, are out of my powers reach. I would have to attack your
mind to gain access, and don't want to resort to that. I am about to assign
men and women I care about to fight along side you, and I hope you can
understand that I do not want to place them in jeopardy. I am asking that
you allow me to scan your mind."
	I was a bit taken aback by his words. He was able to hear my
thoughts, but not get into my mind? I then realized what he meant. A
persons mind truly is like an onion, very layered. After the bombings I
locked my mind away. All he could sense were my most surface thoughts.
	"Quite right Blake." The Professor said. "You are not shielding
those thoughts, but your inner most thoughts. The core of your mind that
holds who you are, that is locked behind the most powerful shielding I have
seen in quite a long time. The last time I sensed anything like your shield
is when the last Phoenix was on Earth, inhabiting Jean Grey."
	"Basically, you want to see who I am as a person. To make sure I'm
not going to stab your people in the backs." I nodded, understanding his
point. "I fully understand."
	When I put up a psychic shield, I imagine a steel ball encasing the
energy of my mind. The shield is perfectly round, the core of my being
inside. I closed my eyes and pictured my shield. I then made it open,
exposing my mind as if it were a star within an opaque bubble. I then felt
the Professor searching my mind, probing as quietly as he could. When I
felt him leave, I closed my shield back up.
	"Thank you Blake, I feel much better now."
	"So, what is this space? A cargo hold?" I asked, looking into the
empty space bellow us.
	"Actually, it's a training space. The Danger Room can recreate any
environment, and provide the user a chance to train his or her battle
skills. Would you like to give it a try?" I smiled at his offer.
	"Sounds like fun. Can this thing create an outer space training
field?"
	"Yes, I believe it can, though it has never been done." The
Professor began searching the computer files, and then accessed the
appropriate file. The room bellow us began to shimmer, then was replaced
with a view of the Earth from a distant orbit, the Moon slightly eclipsed
by the Earth.
	"Perfect. So, what sort of training does this offer? Can it create
a fleet of Alien ships?" The Professor grinned at my eagerness and the room
suddenly spun away from the view of Earth, and showed hundreds of small
ships flying towards the planet.
	"How do I get in there?" I asked, smiling.
	"The door down the stairs. Be careful when entering. The
antigravity generators are active." I turned and rushed downstairs. I stood
before the door, and then shifted into my Phoenix costume. I pressed what I
assumed was the door command button to the side, and it slid open. The
moment I entered I felt the lack of gravity. I let loose the Phoenix and
steadied myself. "Phoenix," I heard the Professor say over a com
system. "Do not hold back. This room can contain a small nuclear
explosion. Attack those ships as if they were real." He said. I nodded and
started for the ships, amazed at the technology this room must contain. It
was just like Holodecks on Star Trek.
	"Ok aliens, let's dance." A small group of ships veered of towards
me. Most people might veer towards them and take them on before going back
for the larger fleet. I decided to kick into a higher speed, head straight
for the large fleet and allow the strays to follow me. As I flew over the
fleet I let loose a volley of Plasma Blasts. The blasts set fuel supplies
aflame in giant explosions where they hit. I turned and headed straight for
what I assumed was the command ship by its sheer size compared to the rest
of the fleet. As I neared the ships following me began firing. The blasts
started getting close as they zeroed in on me so I started to play with my
course.
	I was spinning and dipping, curving and pulling up. I had also
erected a force shield around me. One lucky blast hit me and sent me flying
off course. I turned and saw the ships that had followed me, along with a
number of new ones. I held my hands up and fired an unending stream of
plasma energy straight at the ships. Acting as if it were a fire hose blast
of water, I began sweeping the ships. Once they were all dispatched I
turned back to the Mother Ship.
	I let the Phoenix grow to its full size, feeling its power and
eagerness to stretch its wings. When I had fully unleashed it, it measured
roughly the size of a Boeing, 727. I turned back towards the Mother Ship
and pulled together as much speed as I could. A trail of blazing energy
trailing me, I slammed my left wing right into the main body of the
ship. The ship was much larger than I, but my attack left a gouge that went
into its very heart. All the other ships started veering away from the
mother ship, which had small explosions blasting through the surface of its
hull. I decided to follow the smaller ships leads and flew away from the
ship.
	With a gigantic explosion the Mother ship was gone. I turned to the
smaller ships and saw them flying away at their best speeds. I laughed and
pulled the Phoenix back inside. Then the room simmered, and I felt gravity
being restored.
	"Amazing Phoenix, just amazing." The Professor said over the
comm. System, "You may be new to the Phoenix powers, buy you are handling
them well."
	"I'm more running on instinct then anything else." I said looking
up at the window.
	"Instinct can be your best friend in battle Phoenix, but always
remember to think. I sense the others are beginning to wake. You may want
to go retrieve your friends from your room. I will be calling a meeting
very soon." I nodded, and headed back for my room.

	Josh, Andrea, and I all headed to the meeting the Professor had set
up for the morning. There were a lot of people at the meeting. There was
the group I had come to know as the Marvel Knights, Eric, Lance, and
Jessica, and also the group I had met last night, The Kindred. I ended up
sitting between Jean and Scott, with Josh next to Jean and Andrea next to
him. I turned to him giving a smile then projected `Love you babe.' to him.
	What surprised me was his `Love you back.' That I heard loud and
clear. I began to wonder if there was some sort of psychic connection
developing between him and I. With a couple minutes before the start of the
meeting I asked Jean about it.
	"Well," she began, "psychic mutants can sometimes develop a link to
people they have strong feelings for. Scott, who has very little in the way
of psychic talent, and I have a strong link. I think it's perfectly normal
for a mutant and a regular human to have that connection. It is probably
only strengthened by your Phoenix powers." Josh smiled at me after she said
this.
	"Told you it would be ok." He said.
	"Blake, why don't you and I trade seats?" Jean said laughing.
	"Sounds like a plan." We stood, and traded spots as Professor
Xavier called the meeting to order.
	"I appreciate everyone's patience; it took us a week to get all the
information we needed.  I am confident that we have everything we need to
continue investigating. I will reveal to you all that we know of
Apocalypse. When Blade arrived here over the weekend, I admit we didn't
have much about the mutant. But now, we've contacted just about everyone,
including the group known as the Talamasca, in order to get the information
we needed.
	"Apocalypse was born nearly five thousand years ago in Egypt as a
member of the Akkaba clan. Even as an infant, he inspired fear. Ugly and
malformed, he was abandoned by the tribe to die in the harsh desert
sun. The baby was found by a roving band of feared desert raiders known as
the Sandstormers. Most of them, too, thought the infant should
die. However, their ruthless leader, Baal, somehow recognized the potential
power in the child. He named him En Sabah Nur, which means "The First One",
and raised him as his own son.
	"As En Sabah Nur grew, he surpassed the other tribesmen in
intelligence and strength. Everyone in the tribe except for Baal hated and
feared him for his inhuman looks and great abilities. Nur did not
understand their fear, but hardened his heart against it. Moreover, he
believed in the principle that Baal and the tribe lived by, that only the
fittest, tested by hardship, would, and should, survive. On the day of his
tribal rite of passage into manhood, the seventeen-year-old En Sabah Nur
killed three armed warriors of the tribe using only his bare hands.
	"At this time Egypt was ruled by Pharaoh Rama-Tut. On the day of En
Sabah Nur's rite of passage, Baal explained to him that Rama-Tut was no
god, as most believed, but a man, who had arrived in a strange
vessel. Years ago the tribe had stumbled upon the time-traveler's crashed
ship, taken the injured man back to their camp, and nursed the injured and
temporarily blinded man back to health. One night he wandered away, taking
with him objects the tribesmen had brought from his vessel. Weeks later,
his sight restored, Rama-Tut returned, wielding weapons of devastating
power and leading the Egyptian army. He massacred the tribe and enslaved
the survivors. Although he tortured them, no one revealed the time ship's
location.
	"In actuality, Rama-Tut was a time traveler from the far future who
would later become known as Kang the Conqueror. Kang knew that Apocalypse,
one of the most powerful mutants who ever lived, and the one who was
destined to rule the world, had been born in ancient Egypt. Hence, Rama-Tut
had gone back in time to find Apocalypse as a child, raise him, and thereby
become the master of the most powerful being on the planet.
	"On the day of his rite of passage, Baal brought the young Nur to a
sacred cave whose entrance became blocked by a cave-in, trapping them
underground. After a week of wandering without food or water, they found
the remnants of Rama-Tut's time ship within an underground Egyptian
tomb. Baal told Nur that he believed him to be a conqueror whose coming was
foretold in ancient prophecies, and that Nur was destined to overthrow
Rama-Tut. Then Baal died from lack of nourishment, and Nur, whose mutant
physiology kept him alive, vowed to take vengeance on Rama-Tut and claim
his destiny. Four weeks later he finally made his way back to the surface.
	"Nur became a slave, but eventually he had a vision of the Egyptian
death god Seth, who urged him to become a conqueror. It was at this moment
that Nur first manifested his superhuman powers. Eventually, the Pharaoh
finally came face to face with En Sabah Nur. Rama-Tut offered to make him
his heir if he would swear his loyalty, and then tried to kill him when Nur
refused. Nur defeated Rama-Tut's warlord Ozymandias and Rama-Tut, who
finally escaped back into the future, eventually to take on the identity of
Kang.
	"From then on Apocalypse plotted the conquest of the planet through
bringing about wars and conflict, in which the strong would defeat and
destroy the weak. Over the centuries he was worshipped by many
civilizations under a variety of names. Mutants, he was certain, would one
day rule the world, with him as their leader, and so he waited. Most of
what Apocalypse did during these centuries is as yet unknown.
	"At the time of the Crusades, Apocalypse arranged for the warrior
Bennet du Paris to activate his latent mutant powers for the first
time. Renaming him Exodus, Apocalypse made him his servant but later cast
him into a deathlike trance when Exodus rebelled against him.
	"According to information I gleaned from Magneto, an old friend may
be working with him.  He may very well be the man Cloak saw in Columbus
with Apocalypse.  That is an angle that I have a team set up to
investigate.
	"Dylan, I appreciate how you and your team have offered to help.  I
would like for you to go with Kitty to England and work alongside the team
Excalibur.  Working together you may be able to uncover more information as
to why Juffrey is involved with Apocalypse.
	"Ororo, Jean, and Rogue, I would like you to investigate Egypt
along side Blake and Andrea.  The rumors from the Watchers are that rumors
are flying around of your vampire Dasro working with Apocalypse.  You may
uncover some information about Apocalypse and how he met up with Dasro.
After all, the legends of the beginning of Dasro's species of vampire began
with a king and queen of Egypt, Enkil and Akasha.  Since Apocalypse came
from Egypt as well, you may be able to uncover how the two met and why they
would work together now.
	"Scott, Jessica, Blade, Weatherby, and Eric, I would like for you
to go to Orlando, Florida."
	"You're sending us home?" Eric asked.
	"No.  There is a mutant by the name of Northstar that I want to
join your group." The Professor explained. "He has some information about a
mutual mutant that might link her with Apocalypse.  She may help lead you
to Ghost Rider. From there, you will go wherever the leads take you."
	"Lance is coming with us," Eric said.
	"Are you sure that it is safe enough for him? You don't want him
getting hurt, do you?"
	"I won't put him through what he went through when I went to
England. Where I go, he goes."
	"The same goes for me." Josh said. "I saw what happened to Lance, I
refuse to go through that my self." Josh took my hand and looked at
me. "I'm not strong enough."
	"Very well," Professor X said.  "Any questions?"
	The room remained silent. You didn't need psychic powers to feel
the tension radiating from the men and women present; everyone was scared
about going into battle. Everyone looked to Eric when he raised his hand.
	"Eric?" The Professor asked.
	Eric looked at each of us in turn. As if he were memorizing our
looks, reading our fears.
	"The world hates us because we are different. Some of us are
different in more than one way. We are going out from here to face that
which goes bump in the night, to face that which the world doesn't want to
accept. Vampires, mutants who want to take over the world, and other forces
that not all of us could begin to imagine. It is going to be rough. This
will be hard for all of us. We will probably be pushed beyond our
limits. And for what? To protect the world, to protect people who could
care less about whether we have the same rights as them? To defend a
population who would rather we all died because of our differences so they
could have everyone in the norm? It seems unfair. That's because it is
unfair. The world is full of ignorant, selfish people. But I believe that
this world will, one day, be better than what it is. They've come so far in
a short amount of time. That is evidenced by how ethnic minorities and
women are treated. They are being treated more and more equal. That is
evidence the world can become better than what they are.
	"Looking at each of you, looking through the window to your souls,
I can see beautiful people, beautiful on the inside. You are a group I'm an
honored to say I've known and worked with. You are a people who can
accomplish. You are what heroes are made of.  And I want to say thank you
for knowing you and having the opportunity to work side-by-side with each
of you."
	Eric sat and I smiled at his words. It was a very stereotypical rev
up speech, but it did strike all of the right cords for those present,
describing feelings quite well.
	"Thank you, Eric," Professor X said. "Are there any more comments
or questions?"  There was no response. "Very well.  Let's get ready. The
X-Jet will be leaving in few hours to take Kitty, Dylan and the rest of the
Kindred to England. I suggest everyone else get packed and ready for their
return."
	Everyone stood and Ororo looked at Jean, Andrea, Josh, and I. "We
should locate Rogue and plan our trip to Egypt."
	We were about to leave when the Professor stopped us. "She is
currently fueling two of the Mini-Jets. I contacted an old friend in Cairo
and arranged a landing place in the desert. Rogue has already been given
the appropriate information, com frequencies and such, and will be able to
make contact once there." We all nodded and headed out. Jean and Scott
headed for their room, holding each other tight.
	"I can't imagine that. Being separated at a time like this." I
said, pulling Josh close to my side.
	"Me neither. You know, I've always wanted to go to Egypt." We
laughed as Ororo turned to us.
	"We leave in a half hour; you should gather your belongings." We
nodded and headed for our room.