Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2003 01:01:03 -0600
From:  <kyjedi@msn.com>
Subject: XMen: Firewalker  "The Awakening" 1

X Men
The Firewalker


*This story is based, loosely, on The XMen, a property owned by Marvel
Comics.  I will add my own elements to blend the story and characters, but
will try to stay true to the continuity of the comic book.

This is my first submission to Nifty, so forgive me if it's very bad. :)
Also, most of the XMen stories have wilted and died over time, but I will
try to keep this one going, as long as my interest stays high.  Any feedback
is always appreciated.  Send mail to kyjedi@msn.com.  Thanks!


Issue 1  "The Awakening"


     It had been a long day.  School had kept Brady busy for most of the
day, running from class to class.  He had tried to keep up, but the last
week of the school year was always like that.  He had thought all day that
they must make it like that on purpose, to make the summer break even more
worth the wait.  It was sixth period now though, and his easiest class by
far, Advanced Chemistry, was about to start.

     "Good morning, class."  said Mr. Browning, the teacher who Brady had
most enjoyed throughout high school.  Brady looked up in time to see Mr.
Browning staring at him, then swiftly move his eyes around the room.

     "Today is your final.  I hope you all did at least a little to
prepare."  He said with a slight smile on his face.

     As he passed out the final test, Brady looked around the room.  He
wasn't really going to miss any of the people here, since he didn't have
many friends.  He was mostly a loner all throughout school, and preferred it
that way.  He had a few people he would talk to and hang out with sometimes,
but not really any close friends.  He knew that most of them would not
understand him, and possibly hate him, if they got too close.

     Mr. Browning laid the test paper on Brady's desk, and smiled down.

     "Hope you do well."  He said, showing the same slight smile he had
earlier.  His eyes glanced down to the test paper,  and Brady followed his
eyes down.  There was a small post-it note attached to the front of the
paper.

     "Thanks."  Brady said, slightly frowning as he stared at the small
piece of paper.

     Wondering what the note would say, Brady took it from the test papers,
and unfolded it.  Written very neatly was "Immediately after school.  My
office.  Don't be late."  Brady quickly folded the piece of paper up and
stuck it in his pocket.  His stomach started to get nervous, and he began to
sweat.

     "Could he know?"  Brady thought to himself as he began answering the
test questions.  The test was very easy, or so he thought.  But it would be,
since he had been told on more than one occassion that he had an outstanding
grasp of chemistry.  He always replied that it just came easy to him.

     "What if he knows, and he is too, and wants to hit on me?"   Another
thought crossed his mind.  That sent a shiver through him, and he tried to
conceal it.  He had always liked Mr. Browning, but as a teacher, and
certainly not in that way.  He wasn't ugly or anything, just a bit too old
for him.

     Brady had come to terms with his homosexuality about a year ago, when
he first started to develop the feelings of attraction to other boys.  He
had never done anything to follow up on those feelings, and had decided to
keep it a secret.  His foster parents would probably be alright with it, but
he never could find a comfortable way to tell them.  Even though he had
lived with them for six years, he was still afraid to talk to them about
some things, not like he had been with his mother.

     Frowning, he brought his attention back to the test.  Why would he be
thinking about his mother again?  Maybe it was just the fact that he would
be graduating from high school in a few days, and his 18th birthday was
right around the corner too.  He was probably just wishing his mother could
be here to share it with him.

     After sitting there for 15 minutes after finishing his test, the bell
finally rang and the day was over.  He gathered his things, and layed his
test paper on the desk as he walked out.  He couldn't look at Mr. Browning,
even though he felt him staring at him as he left.  He hurried down to his
locker, which was on the first floor, and thew his things inside.

     "Hey Brady!"   Trish said, as she leaned up against the locker next to
him.

     "Hey."  Brady said, trying to sound interested, but failing.  Trish
smiled as he looked up at her.  She was pretty, with long blonde har, a nice
figure, and usually pleasant to be around, but of course, not Brady's type.

     "A bunch of us are going out for pizza.  Wanna come?"  She asked,
batting her eyes.

     "I would, but I have to meet with Mr. Browning right now, and I don't
know how long it will take."  Brady replied, not able to lie, but not
wanting to give her any hope either.

     "Oh, ok, well maybe next time then.  Give me a call next week, and
we'll hang out."  She said as she walked away, looking back and trying to
flash him her sexiest smile.  It might have worked on anyone else.

     "Yeah, I'm sure hanging out is what you have in mind."  Brady thought
as he walked back the other way, toward Mr. Browning's office, and the
mysterious meeting ahead.  As he rounded the corner and came in sight of the
office door, he saw Mr. Browning standing against the wall.

     "Hi there Brady."  Mr.  Browning said, smiling and looking deep into
his eyes.  Brady got nervous again and looked away, just as Mr. Browing
began to frown.  "Oh, I'm flattered, really, but it's not what you are
expecting."  He said, grinning again.  Brady looked up, a bewildered look on
his face.

     "How did he know?"  Brady thought to himself.

     "I know alot, and some things I shouldn't."  He heard Mr.  Browning
say, but as he was looking right at him, he hadn't seen his mouth move.

     "I've got some people you need to meet.  Come on in, and don't be
afraid or nervous.  I'd never let anything bad happen to you."  He said.
Brady suddenly felt better about everything.  He wondered how that could
happen, since just a moment before he felt like he was about to spew his
lunch all over the floor.  He looked at Mr. Browning confused, but he just
smiled again, and opened the door.

     "Charles...Jean, I'd like to introduce Brady Carter.  Brady, this is
Professor Charles Xavier, and Mrs. Jean Grey."  Mr. Browing said, motioning
to the two people sitting in his office.  I looked at the two people sitting
there, glancing at the older guy in the wheelchair and nodding, the looked
at the beautiful young redhead standing next to him.  Her powerful green
eyes looked into mine, and all at once, the room started spinning.  I saw
deep into those eyes, and things I hadn't thought about for years started
resurfacing, things I didn't even know I knew.  I saw my mother, laying in a
pool of blood.  I cried out her name, but she wouldn't answer me.  I heard a
noise, and looked up.  There, before me, was the most hideous creature
imaginable, all dressed in black and blue body armor, with a cape that was
splintered into pieces flowing down his back.

     "I have looked everywhere for you, young one.  You shall come with me
now, and soon you will know power beyond your wildest dreams."  The dark
figure laughed, standing beside my mother's form, hand outstretched in
invitation.  I stood there crying, not knowing what to do.  I was only a
child at thirteen.  I wasn't supposed to be seeing things like this.  I was
supposed to be with my mother, on our way to see a movie and enjoy some ice
cream at a local shop.  The man had come out of nowhere and made a grab for
me, but my mother had pushed me out of the way, and that's when it had
happened.  The man, outraged that someone would try to thwart him, had taken
my mother up in his hand, and snapped her neck.  He had thrown her to the
ground as if she were a piece of trash.  I just stood there, looking at my
mother's lifeless body, tears streaming down my face.

     That's when it started.  I remember it clearly now.  The burning
started in my stomach.  It worked its way through my body, causing me to
start crying more.  I couldn't understand what was happening to me.  The
dark man before me was laughing.  I looked up from my mother's body, and
glared at him.  I let the hatred for this man who had taken everything from
me burn in my eyes.  I raised my hands toward him, his laughter still
echoing all around me.  I saw flames dance around my fingers, and a startled
look formed on the dark man's face.  Suddenly, I was engulfed in flame, but
was not scared.  I was angry.  The flames did not burn, but felt as natural
as clothing.  The flames danced around me, lighting up the street.  The dark
man took a step back, but began laughing again.

     "So, you can access your powers now.  That's a very nice light show,
and I'm truly impressed.  You have such great potential.  Come with me now,
and I will show you power."  The dark man said, smiling and showing his
sharp fangs.  He held his hand out again, beckoning me.

     Then I saw it, streaking across the sky.  It was beautiful.  A bright,
glowing bird, swooping down to land between me and the dark man.  Flames
were dancing around the bird, not the same as the flames around me, but
still bright and terrifying.  The birds wings enveloped me, and I was drawn
up into the air.

     "Sinister, this boy is now under my protection.  You shall not cause
him further harm."  I heard a woman's voice say, coming out of thin air.  I
looked around for the woman, but saw nothing but the dark man before me, and
the glowing bird surrounding me.

     "Phoenix!"  The dark man hissed between his teeth.  "You should not
interfere when you are not wanted!"  The dark man raised his hand, and  a
beam of pure light shot out from his palm.  The beam struck the fiery bird,
but was absorbed upon impact.  The dark man lowered his hand.

     "Fine, then, have the boy.  But remember, one day, he shall be mine.
Soon, you shall not be here to protect him."  The dark man, grinned, and
vanished into thin air.

     I stood there a minute, tears still streaming down my face.  Then I
realized I was still hovering in the air, and that I was on fire.  Suddenly
I felt afraid, and started to cry more.

     "There is no need to be frightened, my friend."  Slowly I started to
drift back to the ground, and the great bird settled onto the ground in
front of me.  The brightness was more than I could look into, so I covered
my eyes.  I felt the light around me dim, and looked up.  Then I saw her.  A
beautiful woman was walking out of the fire, dressed in green, with bright
red hair and deep green eyes that seemed to sparkle when she looked at me.
She noticed me looking at my hands, the fire still dancing around my
fingertips.  She smiled, then I could feel her looking at me with such
intensity, I felt she could see my very soul.  Suddenly, the burning inside
and out stopped.

     "I'm truly sorry for your loss.  There is nothing I can do to erase
that."  She said as she looked at the figure of my mother laying beside us.
"I will, however, protect you from Sinister.  He has nothing but dark deeds
in mind for you, and that is something I cannot allow."  She held her hand
out before me, and touched me in the center of my chest.  I felt a flood of
emotions pouring forth, both love and hate, happiness and sorrow, joy and
pain.  Then I blacked out.

     I woke up in a chair, Mr. Browning hovering over me, seeming shouting
my name.  I sat up a little.

     "What happened?"  I asked, looking around the room.  The two guests
were still there, exactly as they had been when I walked in.  The older guy
seemed to be studying me a bit, and the lady had a concerned look to her.

     "You passed out just as soon as you walked in.  Do you not remember?"
Mr. Browning asked, clearly concerned, but getting better now that I was
awake.

     "No...I must've had a dream while I was out...." I stammered out,
looking directly at the redhead again.

     "It wasn't a dream, Brady."  The older man said.  "We all saw what you
saw.  And if I'm not mistaken, a few people around the area are waking up
with a bad headache right about now."  He smiled, and I felt the genuine
honesty roll off him.

     "Then what happened?"  I asked, very curious now, since the dream had
seemed so real, but that wasn't how it happened.  My mother was killed by a
mugger.  I saw it.

     The lady finally spoke.  "No, you're mother was not killed by a mugger.
  And before you ask, I read your mind.  Not intentionally, of course, but
for some reason, I can't block your thoughts."  She smiled at me, and
winked.  I looked away, and felt my cheeks turn red.

     "So you're a mutant?  And you're also the same woman from my
dream...errr, vision, or whatever it was.?"  I was still terribly confused.

     "Let me start all over."  The older man said, inserting himself into
the conversation with a nod from the lady.  "I am Professor Charles Xavier.
I am a mutant.  As, I suspect, you are.  I run a school for the, ahh,
gifted."  He smiled at that part, and I couldn't help but smile.  I had
heard of mutants, of course, but had never even seen one, much less talked
to one.  "You're teacher here, Mr.  Browning, is also a mutant, as is my
friend, Jean.  All three of us are telepaths.  That means we can read others
thoughts, though we only do that with permission.  I will tell you now, I'm
at a loss as to how we found you, since I've never recorded a mutant
presence in this area before."

     "I think I can answer that one, professor."  The lady, Jean, spoke up.
She stood and walked over to me, setting a hand on my shoulder, comforting
me.  "When Brady here looked into my eyes, he unlocked a deep hidden memory
in me.  I hadn't even known it was there.  Apparently, the Phoenix force had
set the memory to be unlocked the moment we met, which she knew would come.
Now that the memory is unlocked, the Phoenix left instructions with it."
She smiled at me and continued on.  "It was the Phoenix that chose the
foster home for Brady, and it was her that got Mr. Browning here to transfer
to this school, so that he would be around to keep an eye out for Brady.
She implanted a mental suggestion in him that at the end of Brady's senior
year, he was to contact you, and introduce us to Brady."

     "So that's why I felt the urge to move to this place.  I never could
quite figure it out."  Mr. Browning said, smiling.  Apparently, he wasn't
angry at being used.

    "Yes, so many things make sense now."  The professor said.  "Jean, did
the Phoenix say why Brady was so important?"

     "No, that is the troubling part.  I can sense that he is somehow
supposed to be with us, and at this time, but I have no idea why.  Also,
I'll assume that the Phoenix set up a link between me and Brady, and that is
why I can't block out his thoughts."  She looked at me and smiled as I
turned 4 shades of red.  <Don't worry>  I heard in my mind, and she smiled
even more.  I grinned back, thinking this had to be the coolest thing in the
world.

     "So what do we do now?"  Mr. Browning asked.

     "Well, that's entirely up to Brady.  I'm prepared to offer you a place
at my school.  It will give you a chance to learn about what powers you
have, and how to control them.  It will also enable us to try and figure out
what happened that night, and why Sinister wanted you.  I don't want you to
be afraid, Brady, but Sinister is a very evil person, and if he sets out to
get you, he will not stop.  We, however, will be able to protect you."  The
professor looked at Jean, then back at me.  He smiled as he saw me looking
up at her, a grin on my face.

     "Will you be there?"  Brady asked, directing the question toward Jean.

     "Of course.  The school is my home, and I was one of it's first
students."  Jean smiled at Brady, then nodded slightly, letting him know it
was okay.

     "Then I'll be safe."  Brady said, looking around the room.  "When do we
leave?"  He said, with a smile.


To be continued.......   :)