Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:38:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark <rahvin747@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fire and Ice - chapter 12

Disclaimer : The X-men are property of Marvel and this is a work of
fiction.

*********************************************************************

Bobby paced up and down impatiently in the Professor's study. He had been
here for more than an hour, and all these people did was talk! He'd come
here expecting some form of resolution but in the end all the Professor had
done was highlight problems he hadn't thought of. He'd zoned out of the
conversation a long time ago and was thinking about what he could do to
find Kevin before he did something to himself in his ridiculous drunken
state. Bobby felt himself pulled from his conversation.

"... I've told you before I can't locate him, Rogue. He keeps himself
hidden from me, and from anybody," the Professor said patiently.

"There must be something we can do," Angel said desperately. "He's an
intoxicated and very powerful mutant on the rampage. Doesn't that frighten
you, Professor?"

The Professor remained silent for a few moments. "To be honest, no." Angel
blinked with surprise. The Professor continued. "I sensed a change in Kevin
a few days ago when he arrived. He's not the insecure man he used to be
when he discovered the magnitude of his powers. Something shifted in him
after the conversation which he and I had. In my opinion, he won't hurt
anyone unless it's in the last desperate defence of his own life."

Bobby's eyes fell and he turned his head to disguise his shame. Guilt
surged up in his heart. He remembered standing there beside the lake
chastising Kevin with sarcasm that he wasn't there to destroy them all. How
that must have stung his boyfriend, to hear something which he'd tried so
desperately to change in himself, only to have it thrown in his face as
leverage to win an argument. Bobby felt like a dog. Kevin's behaviour was
less than exemplary but Bobby felt as if he'd rubbed salt into a wound
which Kevin was trying to repair. He had a intense desire to apologise to
Kevin, but that one thing which he needed, that being Kevin, was the one
thing he couldn't locate! It was all so frustrating.

"Are you saying we need to just wait here and do nothing?" Bobby said, and
he failed to keep the anger out of his voice.

The Professor sighed. "I'm sorry, Bobby, but I'm going to have to say
yes. I don't know how to find him. He could be on the other side of the
world for all we know."

Bobby wanted to lash out at the Professor but the logic of his answer was
inescapable.  This really was a conundrum. "What if we..." Bobby began, and
suddenly a mass fell on him in huge amounts. It felt as if every inch of
his skin was carrying a mountain.  The air crackled and vibrated, and he
fell to his knees holding his head in his hands.  "Bobby, help me!" a voice
roared, and it was as if every person in the world shouted it into his
ears. He knew at once that it was Kevin. Moments later the voice was gone,
and he clearly felt as if a wave had passed over him, and now that it was
gone, he could feel nothing. He staggered to his feet, but he was shaking
with shock. He suddenly realised that Angel was helping him up.

"Bobby, shit! What is wrong?" Angel said, and he had a fearful look in his
eyes.

He leaned against Angel for support. He didn't think he could remain
standing for long after what had just passed through him. "You mean you
didn't hear it?" Bobby said incredulously, and he realised he was panting
with exhaustion. He looked to his right and saw Marie with a consoling hand
on the Professor's shoulder, who appeared to be leaning against his desk
wearily.

"A psychic pulse," the Professor said, and his eyes were closed as if he
had a severe headache. "I've never felt one of that magnitude. It almost
crushed me."

"It was Kevin," Bobby said, and his blurred vision started to correct its
self. He never wanted to experience that again. Kevin would never try to
hurt him in that way.  Something was terribly wrong, as he'd feared would
happen if they didn't locate him.

"Clearly," the Professor said, and he staggered to sit in his large leather
chair. "The message was meant for you. He's in trouble."

"I know where he is. He's in the middle of the city, about twenty miles
from here. I don't know how I know, but I do," Bobby said. It was a strange
feeling, so be so sure of something which was clearly so abstract.

"Psychic pulses have complex dimensions. His location was probably
interlaced somewhere in the message."

"I need to go find him. Now!" Bobby said, and he didn't know what he'd do
if the Professor didn't agree. He felt ice run down his forearm, and
realised his subconscious was preparing for the possibility, and the
consequences.

"I agree," the Professor said surprisingly. "I need to go with you to aid
the situation, and we'll take Wolverine along to help us with any
unnecessary problems which we might need to overcome."

"We..." Angel began.

"... will not be joining us," The Professor said with a raised hand. "I
need you two to look after the mansion while we are gone." The Professor
turned his gaze to Bobby.  "Logan is in the billiards room. Tell him to
meet us in the garage in two minutes."

"The jet would be faster," Bobby said defiantly.

"Landing in the middle of a major city? Be realistic," the Professor
replied coarsely, and Bobby ran out the door before the Professor could see
his obvious embarrassment. Time was vital to their success, and with every
stride he knew that Kevin's fate was in his hands. For once.

*********************************************************************

Wolverine muttered as he failed to sink the black ball in his own private
game of pool. It was a game he enjoyed because it gave him time to
think. He usually played alone, mostly because there was no one near as
good as him in the entire mansion, and those who once were used to get
scared when he tore the table to pieces after losing.  Well, it had been
several years since he'd clawed the room into oblivion, and the Professor
had berated him about it, but he guessed those rumours followed one for a
few years after incidents like that.

His ears picked up someone running towards the room. Sighing, he turned
towards the door. If it turned out to be another female student attempting
to get hold of him, he thought he might lose it this time. Female students
made constant attempts to get hold of him, from subtle winks and gestures
to running into this room and pouncing on him to attempt to tear off his
clothes. The fact that he constantly wore a wifebeater was testament to the
fact that all his good shirts had been ruined over the years. The thought
of having his way with a young eighteen year old student made his chest
sweat, but he knew better than to choose a student. Sometimes it wasn't so
easy - some of these girls were fucking hot. One some rare occasions he
caught some guys leering at him subtly, their lusty thoughts betraying
their fears of looking at another guy. No guy had pounced him yet - no
doubt they thought he'd cut their heart out with his claws. Actually, he
wouldn't do anything - merely turn the guy down politely. Guys didn't do
anything for him, not like women did - like Jean did - but sometimes he
yearned for a male friend with whom he could share things with. He
considered portraying his more sensitive side, when suddenly someone broke
the door down and in a moment his claws were out and his throat was
growling. Perhaps his sensitive side would have to wait.

He recognised Bobby and retracted his claws, and saw the kid approach
wearily.  Bobby was a crazy, friendly kind of guy, but his head was screwed
on straight, and he didn't lose it easily. Whenever Bobby was a wreck, it
had something to do with Kevin.

"You found him?" he asked Bobby simply.

"Yeah," Bobby said. "Xavier said you must come with us to pick him up. Be
in the garage in two minutes."

Logan opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on, but Bobby was
already running out of the room. Kevin was a hurricane in this mansion, and
it had nothing to do with his powers. His effect on Bobby was
intoxicating. He liked Kevin a lot. He was a decent guy, who seemed soft
but had a powerful core inside of him. The guy only really wanted to be
with Bobby, and he'd tried to help him fulfil his goal as much as
possible. Logan was drawn from his thoughts...

"... clear that the complete destruction of the Cairo harbour was due to an
extremely powerful mutant."

Logan turned to look at the screen built into the wall. He sneered and he
linked the voice to the face. Senator Richard de Mille - avid mutant hater
and conservative fanatic. The idiot was once again trying to lobby support
for his anti-mutant campaigns, but Logan knew the truth of his accusations
and he felt a mantle of doom settle on his chest. This was only the
beginning.

"I have proposed a bill to the President which will make it mandatory to
consider mutants of the fourth level and higher to be national security
risks."

"What the fuck," Wolverine said, and he felt the pool cue snap in his right
hand.

"It will be compulsory for these mutants to register with the National
Mutant Authority. They will also be required to wear this collar, which
will display their location to any authority who questions them. The collar
also has the ability to neutralise the mutant's powers if necessary, and
failing that, the mutant."

Wolverine found his eyes widening with every word. He couldn't believe what
he was hearing. With one last disgusted look at the screen, he rushed out
of the door and headed for the hangar.

*********************************************************************

Bobby sat in the back of the sports car as it flew down the street towards
the city. It had been half an hour since they left but it felt like days
had gone by.

"Can't this thing go any faster!?" he shouted.

"Zip it, kid. If I go any faster, we'll fly off the road," Wolverine said
aggressively, but Bobby saw him sigh after his comment as if he regretted
his reaction. The Professor was silent as he stared out of the window. It
seemed like everyone in the car was on edge.

"He's in the south-east corner of the city. I can feel him," Bobby said.

"Thanks for the info. Again," Wolverine said with measured patience.

It took nearly an hour for them to reach the city, and by that time Bobby
felt like clawing at the windows. He couldn't believe that the two men in
the front seats could remain so patient during that time. They drove
towards the region he'd pointed them to, although the Professor also knew
where it was. He squinted his eyes as a haze started to greet them, thick
and dense mist which was almost impossible to drive through. He felt the
car slow down, and even though he knew it was necessary, he wanted to rage
at the timing of the situation.

"Let's walk the rest of the way," Wolverine said. "I don't think it's too
far."

They climbed out and immediately the humidity of the air choked them. The
mist was dense, and hot and moist. They started walking quickly towards the
epicentre where they all knew Kevin was lying, or had lain. It took less
than ten steps before they realised that something was seriously wrong with
the situation. Small objects of varying sizes floated past them, seemingly
suspended in mid-air - coffee cups, pens, shoes. Bobby glanced to his right
and saw a car, or what used to be one. All that remained was a molten blob
of metal, with tyre rubber running in seething rivers towards the nearest
street-side drainage. Suddenly a feeling of impending disaster settled on
his heart. The possibility that Kevin might have died here made him want to
vomit, but suddenly he was considering the idea. He tried to push it out of
his mind, but it gnawed at him maliciously and mocked him. The Professor
moved with trepidation, and whatever his powers were telling him caused him
to frown with confusion. Wolverine's claws were out and his nose seemed to
be working overtime.  Something about the situation told him that both the
other mutant's powers were being deceived by whatever was happening here.

The mist seemed to clear, and devastation caused them all to pause and
gasp. Kevin clearly lay in the middle of a large open area. Buildings
seemed to have once been there due to the evidence of old foundations, but
even the rubble of collapsed or destroyed structures had been mysteriously
swept away. The ground seemed to have been superheated in areas and seethed
with heat, and in others it crackled with thick ice which he could sense
penetrating deep into the earth. The shells of eight cars orbited around
Kevin's lifeless body, and seemed to be following intricate and pre-
planned paths as they tumbled and turned through the air. Pieces of tar
from the ravaged street around them continuously broke off in small pieces
and started to rise peacefully into the air. The whole scene seemed
peaceful to the casual observer, but widespread destruction had occurred
here, and evidence of fatalities had been erased to downplay the horror
which had taken place. Next to Kevin appeared to be another young guy,
apparently unharmed. Bobby wanted to focus on his peaceful demeanour but
his gaze was drawn to the charred remains of two people lying close to
Kevin, and another person who appeared partially molten into the ground, a
look of pure terror on his face. What the fuck had gone on here!

"We have to get him!" Bobby said and he started running towards Kevin.

"Stop!" he heard the Professor roar, and all his muscles cramped into
submission and refused to move. He couldn't even blink. The situation would
have been terrifying enough, but he was shocked that the Professor had used
his powers on him. It was a clear sign that he was desperate to avoid
something he himself didn't see. Suddenly he could move again, but this
time he stood his ground, and shivered with unease.

"Logan, try and get Kevin," Xavier said.

Wolverine looked towards Kevin and his eyes focussed with a carnal desire
to obtain his directive. He walked quickly towards Kevin, and then jogged
casually. Suddenly the air around him seemed to seethe as if it was alive,
and Wolverine cried out as his leather jacked and most of the flesh beneath
it was torn from him. Bobby's mouth dropped open in shock as he saw
evidence of Wolverine's rumoured adamantium exoskeleton showing
through. Wolverine fell back and lay at Bobby's feat groaning in pain. The
muscles of his chest were healing rapidly and moments later his strong
chest was fully regenerated. Panting, Wolverine leaned on one elbow and
shook his head.

"Shit," Wolverine said.

"As I thought," Xavier said. "Kevin's mind is protecting him from any
intrusion, which strengthens my believe that he was attacked, leading to
his subconscious taking the reigns to protect him."

"What can we do?" Bobby said, and he thought about how close he'd come to
death.

"If any of us enter that perimeter, we will not survive for longer than a
few moments.  I can try to contain Kevin's powers for a short time, perhaps
enough time to get us back to the mansion so that I can amplify myself with
Cerebro and contain him indefinitely until he regains conscious control of
himself."

"You sound unsure," Wolverine said.

"It's a risk," the Professor said worriedly. "If Kevin's mind suspects that
someone is trying to suppress it, and I lose the advantage of subtlety, it
may try to break free and exact its revenge. The problem is that if that
happens, none of us stand a chance. I cannot control his powers if they are
aware of me. I learnt that lesson more than once."

Silence greeted them for a few moments as they surveyed the situation. For
a moment all three of them stared at the cars floating aimlessly around
Kevin, and for a blessed time the world seemed simple and
uncomplicated. Bobby shook his head.

"It's our only hope," Bobby said, and the others looked at him with
new-found respect.

"Let's do this," Wolverine said with a nod.

"Right," the Professor said. "Once I start, you two need to fetch Kevin and
the young man next to him. I don't know why he was spared, but considering
the state of the victims around him, he has some level of importance to
Kevin's subconscious. He may also be a source of information if he seems
unwilling to discuss what happened here today."

"I'll get Kevin. You get the kid," Wolverine said.

"No, I'll get Kevin," Bobby said defiantly.

"Kevin is taller and heavier than the..." Wolverine begun, but Bobby
crashed in angrily.

"Just fucking do what I want, for once!" he shouted, and Wolverine nodded
silently after a moment.

"Brat," Wolverine said, and Bobby smiled to himself.

Concentration enveloped the Professor's face as he glared at Kevin. The
orbiting cars fell and crashed around Kevin. He heard the small objects in
the large radius around them falling with a significant clatter, and the
mist, fire and winds which had unnaturally inhabited the area seemed to
dissipate immediately.

"Now," he heard the Professor whisper into his mind, and immediately he ran
towards Kevin. The tar which had put up with so much abuse prior to this
fractured under his weight as he ran over it, and he zapped some renegade
fires with some ice as he passed them.

He reached Kevin in a few moments, and he wanted to crush him with a
lover's embrace. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but he couldn't
rouse him no matter what he tried. A few seconds later he was running
towards their car carrying Kevin on his back. Wolverine was right. Kevin
was heavier than he looked, but he strained to avoid showing any weakness
as he lumbered on. Wolverine was well ahead of him, and his stride seemed
unaffected by another male riding on his back. To hell with him and his
strength. After a minute or two he saw the car come into sight, and hope
surged in his heart. The Professor was already in the front passenger
seat. Wolverine dumped the stranger in the back seat on the right and
leaped to turn the car on. Bobby quickly but gently added Kevin to the
middle passenger seat at the back before jumping in. The tyres screeched as
they pulled away.

"Are you alright Professor?" Wolverine asked, but Xavier didn't reply. He
stared forward as if he was in a trance.

Wolverine cut corners at high speed, and already the army appeared to be
converging on the area. Bobby pulled Kevin to lie against his chest and he
stroked his hair. He drew energy from having Kevin against him. It felt so
good to have his weight against his chest, to hear his soft breathing and
see the rise and fall of his peaceful breathing.  If he would just wake up,
everything would be as it was. Bobby kissed his head and smiled before he
could stop himself.

They were fifteen minutes away from the mansion when the Professor gasped
softly.  "He's aware of me," the Professor said, and fear touched his voice
for the first time that Bobby could remember. "Hurry Logan," Xavier added,
and Logan accelerated to a mad speed in an attempt to reach the safety of
the mansion.

The Professor leaned forward and placed his hands on the dashboard. Sweat
ran down his forehead and down his neck onto his fine shirt. His eyes were
closed tightly and his breathing started to become laboured. "He's so
strong. I can't believe he's so strong," Xavier said in broken speech.

Moments later a small whimper escaped the Professor, and Bobby watched as
the windows of the car vanished. One moment they were there, the next they
were gone.  A ferocious wind entered the now open car, but Kevin's hair
remained undisturbed as the wind passed around him. A small smile had
developed on his lips.

"We need to do something," Wolverine said.

"We're almost there," Bobby said.

"We're not going to make it," Wolverine shouted. His voice was almost
inaudible over the sound of the raging car engine and the wind entering the
area around them.

"We will," Bobby said stubbornly, and to mock him, he saw fires start in
the forest all around him. Lightning arced around them and struck the road
in front and behind them, causing Wolverine to swerve wildly. The roar of
the thunder was deafening, and the Professor was now hyperventilating with
exertion.

Suddenly Kevin's eyes opened, and they were dark and wild. They looked
straight ahead, and his smile was wide and terrible to look at. It wasn't
him, Bobby had no doubt of that.

"You fool, Xavier," Kevin whispered, but his voice was amplified as if a
mythological giant had shouted them. "No one controls the power of Kronos,"
he added, and the words echoed until Bobby was sure he felt the ground
shake beneath them.

In that tenuous moment, Bobby felt that familiar anger wash over him - his
hatred for Kevin's powers and the demon which he sometimes became. He loved
Kevin, but standing here while this thing took its time with Xavier was too
much. He grabbed Kevin by the collar of his shirt roughly, and shock
covered the monster's eyes - for even it couldn't believe that such a thing
could occur. Bobby felt his hand harden as his powers strengthened his fist
into a frozen club.

"It's for your own good," Bobby said truthfully, but he knew he was trying
to explain his actions to himself.

A brief moment of pain crossed Kevin's beautiful eyes, before Bobby smashed
his hand into his face as hard as he could. Kevin cried out and collapsed
onto Bobby, and for the second time that day, the near-impossible
occurrences around them ceased instantly. The assaults on the Professor
appeared to end immediately, but the continued absence of the windows
proved to be more than irritating. Wolverine turned to look at him and
nodded with a deep respect, but Bobby's eyes fell to Kevin, his cheek
already blue and black from the strike. He loathed what fate presented him
with. He hated the world for putting him in these situations. To be with
Kevin was worth anything, but hurting Kevin as means to be with him was
fucked up, and seemed to be the story of his life. They sat in silence for
the rest of the trip, and Bobby knew that in a few days, Kevin would return
to normal. When that happened, he'd prove his love to him. He's apologise
for what he'd done. He'd heal their relationship. He'd have his way with
him until Kevin was begging him to stop. He just needed to wake up.

"Please Kevin, just wake up and smile for me," he pleaded.

********************************************************************

Xavier entered the teacher's lounge, and sat comfortably in the seat
nearest to the window. It was just past sunset, and the room was
full. Wolverine and Storm talked lazily on the opposite side of the room,
after greeting him respectfully, and Kitty and Colossus were laughing at
one another's drawings. Both were excellent artists and frequently
attempted to outmatch one another's skills.

He looked to his immediate left, to the leather sleeper couch illuminated
by a hazy yellow lamp light. Bobby was sitting on it but sleeping
peacefully with his head resting back. His breathing was shallow and
regular, and his brainwaves spoke of restful sleep, something which he'd
not sensed in the young man for quite some time.  He was not here for that
reason. He was here to check on Kevin. Kevin's head rested on Bobby's
chest, his cheek black from being punched, and he appeared to be in a deep
sleep to the casual observer, but his abilities told him otherwise. Bobby
unconsciously ran his hand through Kevin's hair.

It had been two days since the incident in New York, but events appeared to
have turned out better than he had expected. He had spent hours with Kevin
probing his incredible mind. The man hadn't regained consciousness since
his experience, and half of that was his doing. He'd managed to contact
Kevin through the wild turbulence which was the Kronos personality. Kevin
had agreed to wake up over the next few days quietly. Xavier had told him
he would place various mental barriers on his mind, which he could slowly
sift through until he felt he was ready to wake up.  Xavier knew that Kevin
and the Kronos personality would be in conflict if Kevin woke up
immediately, and that if he did it subtly, then Kevin could establish
himself as the dominant force of his mind. Considering he couldn't contain
Kevin even if he wanted to, he immediately decided to go for the diplomatic
approach in solving this situation. Luckily it had worked, and luckily he
had an excuse to calm Bobby's perpetual anxiety about the state of his
partner. The man was almost mad with anxiety when it came to the topic of
Kevin's wellbeing, and at times it could test the boundaries of patience.

They'd carried Kevin here yesterday, and Bobby had been attached to him
since that moment. He refused to shower, eat or do anything until Kevin
woke up. A small smile betrayed Kevin's face, but his brain impulses were
radiating enormous amounts of energy. He was aware of everything, but at
the same time he was slowly moving through the gentle forest of barriers he
himself had put there. Soon he would awaken from his deep sleep, and
somehow Bobby was aware of the fact. They had a strange bond those two,
something he was sure he had never felt before.

He sensed something amiss. "Logan, turn on the television. Channel
fifty-one please."

Wolverine's arched an eyebrow at him, but moved to turn on the
television. The other mutants in the room turned to watch, but Bobby
remained peacefully asleep.

"... latest mutant devastation on one of our own cities cemented the
President's decision to approve the Bill, and he came through as expected,"
the Senator intoned.  He was an arrogant and spiteful man.

"Impossible," Storm said, and he felt like saying the same. He knew the
President personally. He would never acquiesce to such a gross violation of
Mutant Rights.

"The first duty of this Bill is to introduce mandatory registration of all
level four mutants, and any level five mutants that theoretically could
exist. They are also to be collared according to this new law. As
undertaker of this law, I will make it my personal duty to see it
enforced. Any mutant who refuses these measures will face neutralisation by
force deemed necessary by me. As such, I present the American people with
this electronic soldier, Bane."

A glistening silver man-shape appeared next to the Senator. He was about
seven feet tall, and appeared to be robotic, but moved with human
grace. Kitty gasped, and the Professor frowned. How could it have gone so
far? He had to get the President on the phone and ask what this was all
about.

"The Bane can neutralise all levels of mutant power and contain these
mutants. Its abilities range from mild to lethal. Let this be a warning to
all high-level mutants. Do the right thing. The wrong one will cost you
dearly."

Wolverine turned off the television. Total silence greeted the room, except
for the rhythmic and innocent breathing of Bobby and Kevin who were lying
on the couch.  As if summoned, Bobby stretched and yawned, and his sleepy
eyes led to a smile.

"Hey guys," he said dreamily. "What's happening?"

The room was silent. He didn't have the slightest idea of how to answer
Bobby. He looked at Kevin, and pity swelled up in his heart. Would the pain
never stop for him?  Was he doomed to a life of suffering?

*********************************************************************

End of chapter 12

Thanks for the feedback over the weeks guys. Sorry this chapter took so
ridiculously long. Apart from moving house, I'm in the middle of a writer's
block, but I think I've overcome it. I also don't know how many people are
still reading this or if interest has been lost. I'll post the next one as
soon as possible, but any comments can be sent to rahvin747@yahoo.com