Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:09:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jason Decade <femtoka2@yahoo.com>
Subject: X-Men Legacy 36

Legend: Thoughts = <>
	Stray thoughts = ()
	Flashback **
	Com links []


Ok, guys, All the disclaimers apply, that means all thanks goes to Marvel
for the X-Men, I'm just making the story. And I do read all the other
stories, and they're great, keep up the good work. They inspire me!



Chapter 36: Nothing's ever good, just another day...



White light. Endless white light. The plane was white, is the point. The
part where he stood shone. The texture of the ground. The endless space
around me. All of it, white. The space had specks of black within them. My
robe. I was wearing a robe, which was white.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hollow said behind me.

"I guess." I said, looking at him, decked out in black. The space around
him as black as the endless space once was, " If you like the whole
blinding light thing."

"That's what I been sayin." Hollow smirked, " How's life."

I looked at him, " You killed my..." his head spun to me, " Our mother." I
said quickly.

He sighed, " That was an accident." he said sadly.

"I'm going to kill you." I said emotionlessly.

"That's one possible outcome." Hollow said.

"I gave you a choice. It's not my choice anymore." I said through gritted
teeth.

"You sure you're up to it? You have been dead..." Hollow said confidently.

"You don't know what I could do to you, right now, while we're both
dreaming." I said lowly.

"Who said I was sleep?" Hollow smirked, " And what makes you think I won't
just fry you now? I mean..."

"I could kill you now." I said angrily.

"If you could, you would have." Hollow sighed, " Wait," his eyes shot up,
"You'd die too, wouldn't you?"

"All those years." I said, reaching my hand out into the distance, " It
was you. Saving me. When I didn't know what powers were, you saved
me. Every bad thing...You were the reason I couldn't look in the mirror..."

"Is it me or did the story just go to a dark place?" Hollow asked.

"Too much light can make you dark." I said turning to him, " You better
bring everything you have."

"What about Scott?" Hollow asked.

"You don't have Scott." I said simply.

"You know where he is?" Hollow asked, " Does he know we're alive?"

"We?" I said, looking at him, " We're not alive? You weren't born. You
were made."

A light pulsated closer.

"Looks like it's time to go, brother." Hollow smiled.

I looked at him, then felt myself jolt into consciousness. I looked around
and found Warren looking at me, shocked, but still holding the fresh
Starbucks cups in his hand.

"Nightmare?" he asked, walking to the bed and sitting the drinks on the
counter.

I looked at him oddly, " Yeah, or maybe a dream. I think I figured out a
way to beat Hollow."

				=======================================================

"That sounds like a great idea, but where is he?" Jean asked.

"Last time I saw him...mentally, was in Cairo. He was sleep." I frowned, "
He doesn't know."

"While we are on the subject, do you think it is time to unveil yourself
to the whole world." Professor Xavier asked.

"I...Johnny can't know yet." I stammered.

"What about Spider-Man or Harry Osborn, they were instrumental in helping
us with..." Ororo started.

"No, O, they can't know." I sighed while everyone looked at me, " I know,
I caught that too. I just...I meet him once. I think."

"I feel compelled to advise against your secrecy." Xavier said warmly.

"I understand, but if Johnny knew..." I looked at Warren, then back at
Xavier, " I'm not ready."

"But what happens when they find out that you haven't told them?" Julian
asked.

"I can't." I said, not chancing a glace at warren.

"I think you should." Warren said quickly.

I looked at Warren, " Warren..." I said quickly.

"It's what you have to do. Look, you're going to be shown, Hollow's gonna
make sure of that, so wouldn't it be good to make sure your side will be
heard." Warren smiled nervously.

"If I were the Fantastic Four, where would I be?" I asked

"Johnny went to the army, or on a mission with the four." Xavier said.

"Do you need me to go?" Warren asked.

I looked at him, mouth gaping, " I...don't think that's on my list of
things to explain." I said slowly.

"Explain what?" Kitty asked. She looked between us, blushed and smiled, "
Oh. Good for you guys."

"Why not." Warren asked, ignoring her.

"It's not..."


"I'm not gonna..."

"I just..."

"I thought you said..."

"THE LAST THING I SAID TO HIM, A YEAR AGO, WAS GOODBYE!" I blurted.

"Sorry. I forgot." Warren said softly.

"Maybe this seems like just saying hit to you guys, but to me it's...'Hi,
I'm not dead after all! I was just away for the last year while my double
screwed every guy in the mansion!'." I finished.

Julian raised his hand, " Ummm, I don't remember you screwing with me." he
joked.

"So, who's going?" Logan asked.

"Nobody. Just me." I said quickly, leaving.


					==========================================

Johnny didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew that he was being
summoned to the interrogation room. Johnny had just gotten to the door when
he felt himself stop and his legs bent. He found that strange, something
that's never happened before. He turned the knob and was shocked to see
Pane sitting in a chair under the hot lights.

"WHAT THE FU..." Johnny said, shocked.

"Johnny," I said, standing, " I know...I..." I stammered, but Johnny ran
over and kissed me before I could talk again.

"HOLY CRAP! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Johnny smiled, " YOU'RE LIKE A ROACH, YOU CAN'T
BE KILLED!"

"Johnny, there's a little talk we need to have." I said quietly


					==========================================

"Hello, sir, can I help you?" the guard asked. The guard noticed the dark
skinned guy coming a mile away. He was in all black and very peculiar. If
the guard didn't know any better, he'd say that guy was...

"Nope." the guy said, " I can help myself." the guy said, causing dark
energy to spark from his fingers and the guard began to choke and he fell
to the ground, " Told ya."


					=================================================

"So, wait, you're not the Pane that...that we found?" Johnny asked.

"No. I'm the original. The one you met at the Mansion and who saved you in
the museum. When you found Hollow at the...when you found him, he thought
he was me." I explained, " I'm not the guy you fell in love with."

"Yeah, you are." Johnny said slowly, " I couldn't get you out of my
mind. The other guy, there was something about him. He was different and I
was in love with you."

*Sting*

"What?" Johnny asked.

"He's here." I said, staring at the door.

"Where is he?" Johnny asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked, " He'll be here in seconds."

"You can fly, right?" Johnny asked.

"No. Yeah, but I can't. I can, but..." I said quickly.

"It's okay, grab on." Johnny smirked.

I put my arm around his waist and his grin widened. I smiled a bit too and
I looked up at the ceiling, which began to tremble and it tore apart under
the pressure I put on it and Johnny shouted, " Flame On!" as we shot
through the hole and out into the atmospehere. I looked back and saw the
devestation. Tanks were falling to Hollow's power. I looked at Johnny, who
shared my same shocked expression and we sped through the air, me holding
onto him for dear life.


					====================================


Johnny and I sat in the Baxter building, watching t.v. The base had been
completely levelled and Hollow was long gone. Sue, Reed, and Ben stared at
me as if they had seen...a ghost.


"He killed your mother?" Johnny asked.

"Our mother." I said.

"Our?" Johnny asked.

"His and mind. It's hard to explain." I said.

"Try." Sue said, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"He's me. A clone, but me. In my dream, he was just as sad about it. He's
all about sorrys, but I'm weird. I joked about killing me, but I don't
think he wants to, it's sort of like..." I said, searching for the words.

"Brothers." Johnny asked.

"Yeah. He's not just a copy, he's aware. He knows what I know. He knows I
won't kill him." I said angrily.

"Why?" Ben asked, " He killed your mom."

"He's a human being. I won't kill a human being." I frowned, " That's
murder."

"Sooner or later..." Reed said.

"I won't." I said quickly.

"Even if he tries to kill you." Ben asked.

"He can be reached. That's what I'm gonna do." I said, trying to convince
myself.

"He's killed." Sue said quietly, " Are you sure..."

"If it comes to that...tell me that I have to kill my brother. I've got to
go." I said, standing and storming out.

As I got out the door, Johnny caught my arm, " Look, if it's between you
and him, I'll kill him." he said.

"Then you're not as good a hero as you think you are." I said angrily.

"To save you from dying again, yeah, I'll be the freakin villain." Johnny
said angrily.

I kissed his cheek, " I wouldn't ask you to be." I said, walking away.


					=======================================


Pane walked down the hall, clutching my hand to my face. Johnny had caused
something to re-ignite in me, some long since forgotten emotion. Lately, I
had been all about the gloom and doom. Johnny was like the flame of my life
and I felt like a moth. I had never met anyone like him. Ok, I had, but
almost no one exactly like him...

"Hey, that's one bad disposition." Julian said, joining my side as I
walked down the hall.

"Just wait, I've got so many moody expressions. It's amazing." I joked.

Julian chuckled, " It's better when you smile." he paused and we looked at
each other, " ...You know, because it takes more muscles to frown or
something like that."

"Right." I smirked, " So, where are you off to?"

He stayed silent.

"Training, huh?" I asked.

"Sorry, you're just not supposed to know." Julian said nervously.

"Yeah, I've been making with the dramatics lately. Too bad." I said
casually.

"What happened at the base?" Julian asked, " Does this have anything to do
with us having to train?"

"I imagine so." I said, looking down. Julian stared at me until I looked
up, " He slaughtered them. All of them and all I could do is run. If I'm so
powerful, why am I scared?"

"I'm sorry." Julian said, " But he's a murderer. You're not."

I looked at him, " Hundreds of people before I could even sense him." I
frowned.

"I really haven't seen you use your powers lately. Is something wrong with
them?" Julian asked.

"...I don't know." I said in shock. Could my powers be gone again? Could he
have done something to me, " Julian, you're gonna be late. You should go."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." I smiled as he hopped into the elevator and
left. I found myself walking the halls for a while, thinking about
everything Julian had said. Was I losing my powers? Was the reason why I'm
afraid because he's a murderer? How was I gonna save someone who was trying
to kill me?

I bumped into someone, " Excuse me." I said, stopping.

"Deep in thought?" Hollow said, causing me to look up at him, " Didn't get
to accomplish my goal, did I?"

"Not here." I said, looking around, " They're innocent."

"I know what they are. Innocent is just a word people use to get
sympathy. Doesn't exist." Hollow smirked.

There was a loud banging where the elevators were and shouting. I looked
over to them for just a second, but when I looked back, Hollow punched me
in the face and I flew backwards, smashing to the ground.

"Come on, you're the Phoenix, the all-mighty, world crushing
Phoenix...Show me the fire." Hollow smirked.

I felt something reach me and in my head, there was a screech! I snapped my
neck up and my white eyes shone up to him.

"The White Phoenix?!" Hollow asked in shock.

I tilted my head to the side and raised my hands, causing Hollow to jut
backwards, through a nearby wall!

"Sorry kid, daddy's home." I said in a deep baritone voice.

There was a chuckle from the rubble and Hollow stood out of the rubble, "
That's some primo power you got there. But if you don't mind, I'll
demonstrate." Hollow smirked, holding his hands up and causing the ceiling
to crash onto me.

I stood, surrounded by a white flame and smirked, " Not sure up caught the
irony of this." I smiled.

Hollow held out his hand and a kid flew to him, " Oh I caught it. Did you?"
he asked.

"Let 'em go!" I shouted.

"I think I wanna see his insides." Hollow smirked.

"There's not a word for what I'm gonna do to you." I said angrily.

"It's called," he leviated many items in the room, " revenge. Let it
out. You can do it! Don't raise your shield. You raise your shield and he
dies."

Before he could send anything at me, a red beam hit him in the middle of
his chest and he soared across the room, crashing into a heap on the floor,
then he teleported away. As he was hit, most of the items fell, but a large
piano smashed into me, squashing me. Someone pulled the debris away from me
and was pulling me from beneath the piano. I opened my eyes a little and
saw red. Ruby red.


"Scott." I panted, passing out.