GO WEST

Chapter 6: "Trick of the Light"

Emma Frost clacked up the first flight of stairs in the Administration hall, to the main faculty offices. The last day of an academic week was always the hardest, she reminded herself, stifling a yawn. She'd been getting far too little sleep of late, and maybe a good weekend would help her catch up on some much-needed rest.

Her assistant/secretary Tessa looked up as Frost passed by her desk. "Good morning, Emma," she smiled.

Frost gave her a startled look. "Tessa! I didn't expect you to be back at work so soon. How was your vacation?"

Tessa shrugged. "Suitably boring. If you don't mind my saying, you look awful. Coffee?"

"You're a dear, Tessa. Thank you. Any emergencies this morning?"

"Only the usual," Tessa reported, taking the pot from the coffee maker on her desk and pouring a mug. "Colbert's turned in her reports on your latest recruit, Shaw's called four times in the past hour alone, and Blackwood's people have faxed an update on next week's big summit meeting. Cream or sugar?"

Frost winced. "Best give it to me black; looks as though I'll need it."

"Fair enough. The morning mail's on your desk."

"Thank you," Frost sighed, taking a sip from the mug Tessa gave her. "If Shaw calls again, tell him that if he doesn't back off, I'll visit him in his sleep."

Tessa laughed. "I'll be sure to pass that on."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Tessa. Do I have any meetings today?"

"Not until two o'clock."

"Good. I'd have asked you to cancel them anyway. I have the ancestor of all headaches."

"Business as usual?"

"It's been a week to remember, my dear. I'll be in the office beating my head against my desk."

"You'll have to tell me all about it," Tessa called to her back.

"Later," Frost smiled over her shoulder as she closed the office door behind her.

Once she was safely ensconced in her little haven, she took a deep breath and counted to ten. She then drained her coffee mug and set it down on her desk, flouncing down in one of her guest couches in a decidedly unladylike fashion. Lethargy was not something she was altogether familiar with, but after the past two weeks, she was reluctant to face another day of work.

Such an attitude would not work for running a school, however. With one last sigh, she made an effort of kicking off her shoes, then padding across the office to her desk, where she checked the stack of mail that had been left there.

And froze.

Sitting on top of the usual stack of envelopes was a small rag doll, dressed in a sloppy violet and black outfit -- a poorly-made replica of the uniform worn by Frost's Hellions. The doll also had a tiny bouffant of purple hair, and a purple pipe-cleaner tail. What had caught Frost's attention, however, was the seven-inch blade piercing the doll's midsection and pinning it to the stack of mail.

Frost fumbled for the controls of her intercom. "Tessa, get in here!"

Almost immediately, the office door opened, and Tessa hurried inside. "Emma, what's wrong?"

Frost pointed to the doll. "How did this get here?"

Tessa's eyes widened as she looked at it. "Good Lord," she said, softly. "I... I don't know. The mail boy delivered everything about half an hour ago, like he always does. No one else has been in or out of this room all morning; not even me."

Frost wrapped her hand with the sleeve of her coat, and carefully pulled the knife free, setting it to one side to be studied later. She then spread the stack of mail across her desk, taking care not to touch any of the envelopes. Amid the stack, she found a single piece of stationery, with a handwritten message.

"What does it say?" Tessa asked, trying to read it upside-down.

"'Frost,'" Emma read. "'First your pussycat, and then it'll be your turn.' No signature... as though the bastard needed one..."

"You know who this was from?" Tessa was still mildly shocked.

Frost sighed. "As I said, Tessa, it has been a week to remember."

Tessa sat down in the chair opposite the desk. "Tell me."

"Wait," said Frost, reaching for her speaker-phone and dialing it. Over the speaker came four slow rings. "Come on, Sharon, pick up."

At last, there came a click, followed by a sleepy, yet still cheerful voice. "Hello, hello! Sharon Smith speaking!"

"Sharon, it's Miss Frost. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Oh! Hello, Frostlady. Yes, Catseye sleeping, but will talk to Frostlady anyway. Why called so early?"

"I... just wanted to make sure you were alright, Sharon."

"Of course! Catseye fine, Catseye happy. Why asking?"

"Has anything... unusual happened to you this morning?"

"Other than ring-ring during sleepytime, no. Frostlady sound worried. Is trouble?"

"No, Sharon, no trouble. I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll see you at your first class."

"Okay, Frostlady. Bye-bye!" Catseye then hung up.

"She seems to be alright," Tessa remarked. "Why didn't you just mindcall her if you wanted to see if she was... Oh, that's right. You can't. She's immune."

Frost nodded, then picked up the handset to make another call, this time off the speaker. "Hello, Security? This is Frost. I need a plainclothes bodyguard to shadow Catseye for the day. I've reason to believe her life may be in danger. Yes, that will do nicely. No, don't tell her; leave that to me. Make it as inconspicuous as possible. Yes. Thank you."

As she hung up, Tessa gave her a worried look. "For heavens sake, Emma, why would someone want to kill Catseye, of all people?"

Frost at last let herself sit down at the desk and exhale. "There have been a few changes since you left, Tessa," she began. "For starters, I've released Devin Johnson."

Tessa's eyes went wide. "Well, it's about time. What brought this on?"

"Last week, while you were away, Devin attempted -- shall we say -- a coup. You recall, I'm sure, how I've severed ties between this school and the Hellfire Club, yes?"

"As though I could forget, with Shaw calling every ten minutes to talk you out of it. And for what it's worth, I'm much happier working here than I ever was with them."

"That's all well and good for us, of course, but Devin had aspirations to join the inner circle of the Club. He decided that if he could deliver the Academy back into their hands, they would reward him by bringing him into the circle. To this end, while I was away on business one day, he used his powers to tamper with the minds of each and every one of my mutant students, and convince them to kill me at his command."

"When was this?!" Tessa exclaimed.

"As I said, it was last week, while you were away. When I returned, I called the Hellions together for their weekly meeting, as always, and it was then that he made his move, taking over their minds en masse and forcing them to attack me."

"But Catseye..." Tessa said, beginning to understand.

Frost nodded. "Catseye was not affected, thanks to her psi-blindness. She realized what was happening right away, and attacked Devin, nearly killing him. The others were snapped out of their trances, and I was saved. Having no legal course of action to take, I had him taken from the Academy grounds, with the knowledge that if he were to return, he would be shot on sight. I've been all week trying to undo the damage to the children's minds."

Tessa nodded, then with all seriousness, asked "Why didn't you just kill him while you had the chance?"

"You know," Frost replied, considering this, "a year ago, I probably would have, but to tell you the truth, Tessa, I didn't want to. Frankly, I'm tired of death being the only answer. That's hardly a proper way for a teacher to be thinking."

"No, but for someone with as many enemies as you, it should be at least considered a possibility. I hope that you don't come to regret that decision."

Frost thought about this, then nodded slowly. "Tessa, I'm going to need your help."

"Of course. That's what I'm here for."

"Get Security up here. I want this office searched, and I want our friends in the lab to check out the knife, the doll, and the note, to see if they can determine from where they came."

"I'll get right on it. What will you be doing?"

"I'm going to have words with the young man who brought the morning mail. Brainwash may have used his powers on the boy to force him into making this particular delivery. I'll need to scan his mind to be sure."

Tessa nodded again. "Are you going to tell Catseye?"

"Tell her what?"

"That her life may be in danger."

Frost looked down for a moment. "Not yet. No sense in worrying the children until we're certain what we're dealing with."

"I hope you're right, Emma."

"That makes two of us."

McAudry House, La Jolla CA 2:11 pm PDT

As usual, Doug was the first one home on Friday afternoons. He enjoyed the private time, as it gave him time to work out his weekly aggressions in a suitably loud manner without worrying about disturbing the others. Or having them laugh at him, for that matter.

He got changed quickly, going from his typical school outfit (jeans and a button-up shirt) to a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt, then headed out to the back/side yard. He took a few minutes to set some "targets" around the yard, or on the trees, or on the lawn chairs. Then, he headed back into the house, and came out with a towel and a boom-box CD player. After loading a disc, cranking the volume, and pressing a few buttons to set a program, he stretched for a few minutes, then hit the start button, setting himself up in the middle of the yard, standing very still.

The first song opened up with Pete Townshend's guitar blaring from both speakers, and Doug launched himself at an invisible enemy with a series of spinning kicks, each coming in time to Keith Moon's percussion.

Doug would be the first to admit that when it came to the martial arts, he was a hypocrite of the highest degree. For all of his efforts to get away from fighting, he loved being able to move this way. Ever since he'd made the connection between his power and body language, he'd been able to use Danger Room simulators back at Xavier's to master several fighting styles, and every Friday afternoon, he'd combine these moves with gymnastics exercises to a blaring soundtrack from The Who, kicking each weekly routine off with "Trick of the Light."

From the kicks, he dropped into a crouch, then sprang backwards, turning in a backward somersault, landing on his feet, and launching a back kick on some poor, foolish ninja behind him. A series of shock punches, then, to break up the crowd of karateka screaming for his blood, and then another backwards leap, this one landing him in the midst of a crowd of mutant villains. He knocked them down with a single spinning kick, singing along with Roger Daltrey as he went, still keeping every motion in rhythm.

"Was I alright?" he growled, timing a kick with the last syllable. "Did I take you to the height of ecstasy? Was I alright?" The words became punctuated by guttural emphases as he articulated each beat with a lunge or a block. "Did a shadow of emotion cross your face, or was it just another trick of the light?" Perhaps not the most sensitive subject for a song, but it was great to work out to.

He went to his knees, then, air-guitaring along with Townshend's solo, eyes closed, teeth gritted. He was completely lost in it now, aware of nothing but the music and his immediate surroundings. After the solo, he leaped back to his feet, and began to systematically take out each of the targets he'd set up around the yard. He was on a roll now, leaping to grab hold of a low branch and swing himself up, then dismounting with a flip that turned into a plummeting kick. From there, a series of cartwheels that brought him across the yard and ended in a crouch. From this position, he did a foot sweep to either side, then came up in a forward leap, turning over once in midair and landing unerringly on his feet.

"Lady of the night," he sang to his nonexistent audience, "won't you steal away with me?" The answer would have to go unsaid, as he had another faction of evil mutants approaching from the fence that overlooked the cliffs. He let them come to him this time, then fended them off with a complex series of maneuvers from half a dozen different fighting styles. Nothing could stop him now.

Nothing except a harsh buzzing coming from inside the house. Over the music, he recognized the sound as the front-gate buzzer. It puzzled him, seeing as none of the others were due home until the hour, and all of them knew the keypad combination anyway. He shut off the CD player, grabbed his towel, and headed for the sliding glass door that led into the living wing. Before he disappeared into the house, though, he looked back at the empty yard and bowed to his invisible opponents. "You guys were great today."

Once inside, he checked the nearest intercom panel, and saw that the front gate light was indeed on. He punched in the code to open it, then headed out of the wing, back toward the circular main corridor, wiping the sweat from his face with his towel.

By the time he reached the front doors, the door chimes were already ringing. Doug hoped it wasn't a salesperson; he wasn't in any condition to deal with that right at the moment.

No amount of mental preparation, however, could prepare him for the sight that greeted him as he opened the door. "Can I help... you?"

At first, he didn't recognize the two. One was a woman of about Doug's age, with curly blonde hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She had an air of elegance about her, in spite of her modern clothing and wide, unabashed smile. The other was a young man of about medium height, with close-cropped brown-black hair and a thin-lipped smile. As it happened, Doug recognized him first, mostly because of that smile. "Manuel?!" he gaped, looking from him to the other. A light went on somewhere in the back of his pre-death memory. "Amara?!"

"Hello, Douglas!" Amara grinned, stepping forward and giving him a hug. "It's good to see you!"

"Likewise!" Doug managed, holding one hand out to shake Manuel's. "I, ah, take it that Roberto's message got through to you?"

She nodded, still smiling. "We came as soon as we heard."

"Good Lord, Amara, I was expecting you to write us a letter or something!"

"She thought it would be better if we surprised you," Manuel laughed. "Roberto was kind enough to pay our airfare."

"Yeah, I'm surprised alright..." Doug chided, but he was smiling too. "I'll have to leave Bobby hate-mail for not warning me. Um, do you want to come in? The others should be back in about an hour or two."

"We'd love to," Amara replied. "We have so much to catch up on!"

"Yeah," Doug nodded. "We've been doing that a lot lately."

Massachusetts Academy, 5:33 pm EDT

There came two knocks on the door to Frost's office. "Come in," she called from her desk, not looking up from the manila file folder in her hands.

Tessa opened the door and came in, walking across the office to Frost's desk and taking a seat opposite her employer. "I've got the laboratory results."

"That was quick," Frost nodded, still not looking up.

"Only because they were inconclusive," Tessa went on. "There wasn't anything to analyze. Devin was obviously very careful not to leave any traces on the knife, the note, or the doll. No hair, no skin flecks, not even fingerprints."

Frost sighed. "Did you check the video logs from Security?"

"Again, inconclusive. We don't exactly monitor the mail room, after all. There are any number of times during the early morning hours that our delivery boy could have been intercepted, and Devin knows enough about the security system here to have stayed away from the cameras."

"I was afraid of that," Frost muttered.

"How did your... questioning session go with the lad?"

Frost took off her glasses, folded them, and set them down on her desk. "He has no memory of his deliveries this morning. He claims to have blacked out, and he swore that it wasn't from alcohol or drugs. When I scanned him telepathically, though, I found that a portion of his memory had been erased. Not tampered with, not cut off... erased."

"I... didn't know Devin was capable of that," Tessa stammered.

"Oh, yes," Frost nodded. "Frankly, I'm surprised the boy's mind is still in one piece. Devin has never been known to be gentle."

Tessa sighed. "Don't you have a student with clairvoyance?"

"Farsight, yes," Frost nodded. "I asked for her assistance earlier this afternoon. She wasn't able to sense anything."

"How does her power work? Could it have been blocked?"

"The past-reading aspects of her power allow her to 'tune in' on the psychic residue left in an area, and determine what events have transpired. She found nothing. Not just normal residue -- none."

"Can Devin shield his mind enough not to leave this... residue?" Tessa asked.

Frost nodded slowly. "I believe so. At the moment, I can see two possible answers to what happened this morning. Either Devin infiltrated the Academy, used his powers to convince the mail boy to give us this special delivery of his, and then erased any memory of it, or he had help."

"Help? From whom?"

Frost passed her the file she'd been studying. "Do you remember William Buchwald?"

"Camouflage," Tessa nodded. "He went AWOL from the Academy some time ago, yes? Shapeshifter and... psychic... chameleon. Oh."

"Such a mind would leave nothing for Farsight to read. It's possible dear Devin found our little malcontented former student and enlisted his aid. He could have taken the place of our mail boy and made the delivery himself. Tell me, Tessa, did the lad look any different this morning when he came to the office?"

Tessa shrugged. "A little preoccupied, maybe. He still gave me the usual 'good morning.' I imagine either of those possibilities could have been... well... possible."

Frost ran her hands through her off-white hair and sighed heavily. "Tessa, I think we're going to need to post extra guards around the perimeter for the time being, and have a few extra plainclothes Security agents watching the Hellions' wing of Dent Hall for the time being. Would you see to that?"

"Right away," Tessa replied. "Are you going to tell the children?"

Frost took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Later. Just post the guards."

"Alright."

McAudry House, 3:21 pm PDT

This latest warm reunion in an ongoing series ended up in the whatever room of the living wing, with Doug, Warlock, Rahne and Danielle exchanging stories with Amara and Manuel, and catching up on old times, as Amara had suggested before. Rictor, who'd never met either of the guests, just sort of let himself smile a lot and pretended to know what everyone was talking about.

Manuel's presence had come as somewhat of a shock to Danielle and Rahne in particular, given their less than fond memories of him, but to their surprise, and to Doug's, he was the very picture of friendliness and politeness throughout the reunion. For the first time since they'd met him, he was actually being nice. He was considerate and soft-spoken, and Amara seemed pleased as anything to be with him. Perhaps his years in Amara's company had changed his outlook on life.

After a while, Ric excused himself to go get something to drink, and as he went, patted Warlock on the shoulder and asked him to come with. Once the two were in the hall, Ric stopped his mechanical teammate for a question and answer session.

"'Lock, I need you to fill me in, here. Who are these guys?"

"Female entity is Amara Olivia Juliana Aquila, former member of team NewMutants, codex ID 'Magma.'"

"Yeah, I've heard about her. She can, like, shoot lava at people, or make volcanoes, or something, right?"

"Among other parabilities," Warlock agreed. "Her place of origin is Nova Roma, a colony of ancient Roman empire situated in Amazon jungle, isolated from outer world and unchanged by time, still possessing beliefs and governing system of imperial Rome."

Ric blinked at him. "You're making this up, aren't you? Nah, it's too weird for you to have made it up. Okay, so who's the dude?"

"Male entity is Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo De la Rocha, former member of rival mutant team Hellions, codex ID 'Empath.'"

"Empath," Ric repeated. Realization dawned, and his eyes widened. "Wait, I heard'a him. Nothin' but bad things, neither."

"All true," Warlock nodded. "Empath-entity, in previous encounters, has shown considerable signs of villainous intent and nature, with no regard for lives of victims or enemies."

"So that's why they're all so tense around him? Huh. And here I thought he seemed like an okay guy."

Meanwhile, back in the whatever room, the conversation went on. "How long do you plan on staying?" Doug asked the pair.

"Oh, just for the weekend, if that's quite alright," Amara replied. "Roberto didn't seem to think you'd mind."

"Nah, not a problem," Dani smiled. "We've got plenty of space."

"Yeah, if all else fails, there're a couple of guest rooms on the opposite end of the house," Doug waved.

"Actually," Amara went on, "I have a serious question to ask you, regarding this subject."

Doug exchanged looks with Dani. "What, about our guest rooms?"

Amara laughed. "No, silly."

What is it, then?" Dani asked her.

She looked up at Manuel, then back at her former teammates. "There's a bit of a story behind this. Do you recall why I was called away to Nova Roma two and a half years ago?"

"I thought it w's for yuir weddin'," Rahne replied. "Weren't ye engaged t' be married?"

She nodded. "Yes. Manuel came with me, to establish relations between Miss Frost and my people, then to act as live-in liaison. And believe me, my friends, I spent the next two years fighting against this betrothal. The idea of being wed to a man I'd never met? Father said I'd been tainted by the outside world, and I agreed with him. The wedding date kept getting pushed back, and pushed back, and only now have I finally gotten through to him, and to the other senators."

She paused in her narration, as they were rejoined by Warlock and Rictor. "Well, go on," Dani prompted her.

Amara gave Manuel a loving smile, then looked back to her friends. "They broke off the betrothal, and... Manuel and I are going to be married."

This news was met with stunned silence. Ric noticed that none of his friends seemed to be breathing, even.

"You needn't all congratulate us at once," Manuel pointed out.

"Sorry," Doug managed to get out, "but... when did... this happen?"

"My friends, it's been two years since I've seen any of you," Amara told them. "A lot can happen in two years. It's taken this long for Manuel and I to... find one another."

"Well, then congrats," Dani nodded, giving them as much of a smile as she could manage. She shot Doug a look that screamed "We've gotta talk."

"The wedding will be in less than a month," Manuel went on. "We'd love to have all of you with us."

"Of course," Doug nodded, out of reflex. "We'd... love to come." He looked at his teammates for support, and they quickly nodded agreement.

"And that brings us to our serious question," Amara sighed. "Roberto told us about what you're doing here, and why you've left the X-Men. We think it's a wonderful idea... and we'd like to join you."

"Oh?" Dani asked. "How do you mean?"

"I've no real reason to stay in Nova Roma any longer," Amara explained, a wistful look crossing her face. "Father was right -- I have been changed by the outside, and I want to be a part of it. And how better to do so than by being in the company of valued friends and comrades? I want to be a part of your school, and your cause."

"I agree," Manuel nodded. "I would be honored to work alongside you."

This, again, was met with silence. Doug found himself to be the focus of their question. Perhaps because it was his house, they thought it his decision as well. He couldn't think of a reply. On one hand, it would be wonderful to have Amara with them. On the other hand, he wasn't about to open the doors to someone who had, in the past, mind-raped three of his teachers and several of his friends. He found it difficult to believe that Manuel could be trusted. Suddenly, he realized that Manuel's empathy would be picking up on this doubt and apprehension, and he tried to think of something to say that would cover the issue long enough to get his thoughts together.

Thankfully, he didn't need to, as Danielle spoke for him. "Well, let's not just jump into anything earth-shattering right now, eh? You've only just arrived. Let's take some more time to talk and catch up before we try to deal with that; how's that sound?"

"Hey, I got an idea," Ric put in. "Let's all go out someplace. We can have a night out to work on it."

"That's a great idea, Ric," Dani smiled at him, thankful for the assist.

"That sounds delightful," Amara smiled.

"Aye," Rahne agreed, "but where'll we go?"

"Oh, I say we let them decide," Dani shrugged. "What do you two want to do, now that you're back to civilization for the first time in years?"

"Nova Roma is quite civilized, thank you," Amara teased. "But still... This may sound silly coming from one with my powers, but is there anyplace where we can... ice skate?"

"Ice skate?" Ric repeated.

"Oh, yes," she went on, getting an almost dreamy look on her face. "I miss that the most about living in New York -- being able to skate in the winter. There was certainly no place for that in the jungle."

"Doug, isn't there a rink near..." Dani began.

"Yeah, right by the arcade," Doug finished for her. "Sure, we could do that."

"Just like old times," Dani nodded, though when Doug looked over at her, her expression said quite the opposite. Things had changed. Again.

Massachusetts Academy, 7:21 pm EDT

Marie-Ange looked up from her desk as Catseye tapped twice on her door, then opened it partway and stuck her lavender-maned head in. "Hello, pretty redhair! Let Catseye in?"

"Of course, Sharon," Marie-Ange smiled, setting down her pen and turning in her chair to face her friend. "Comment ça va?"

"Oh, Catseye happy," Sharon grinned back, closing the door behind her and flouncing down on Tarot's neatly-made bed. "Redhair doing schoolwork?"

"No, actually, I was writing a letter."

This piqued Catseye's interest. "To who?"

Marie-Ange checked herself before she replied. The letter was to Douglas, actually, but Douglas had asked her not to tell anyone else at the Academy about his return. "It's nobody you'd know..."

Catseye gave her a hurt look, apparently not believing it for a moment. "Do not fib to Catseye, redhair. Come, tell."

"I... promised him I wouldn't tell anyone else. It's a secret."

"Catseye very good at secrets," Sharon insisted. "Will not tell, and will not be found out. Tell Catseye; is safe."

Tarot considered this. Sharon was right, of course. She had proven herself trustworthy many times over in the past, and with her immunity to psychic powers, no one could get the information from her. Even though she had given Douglas her word, there would be no harm in telling Sharon.

"Alright," she said, passing Catseye her address book and pointing to the open page. "Do you recognize his name?"

Catseye leaned forward and peered at the open page. "Aaron McAudry," she read, "aka..." She looked up at Marie-Ange, surprised. "Goldenmane? Prettyboy goldenmane? Thought he was dead!"

"No, he's very much alive."

"Oh! Happy news!" she said with a huge smile. She studied the address for a moment. "Where is La Jawl-ah Ca?" she asked, botching the pronunciation.

"It's 'La Hoy-a,' Sharon," Marie-Ange explained. "And it's in California, all the way across the country."

"Awwww," Catseye frowned, looking hurt again. "Goldenmane lives far away where pretty redhair and Catseye cannot see him?"

"Oh, I don't know," Marie-Ange shrugged. "I'm sure we'll see him again. He's going to school, with some other friends. You remember Rahne, don't you?"

Catseye's eyes got positively huge. "Prettyred furperson with goldenmane in La Hoya?" she exclaimed. "Splendid! Can go see them soon?"

"We'll see, Sharon," Marie-Ange giggled. "So what are you up to this evening, anyhow?"

"Ah," Catseye nodded, seeming to suddenly remember why she had come up in the first place. She leaned conspiratorially close, and whispered to her friend. "Catseye being followed."

"Followed? By whom?"

Sharon looked side to side, as though looking for any spies that might be listening in. "By guardperson. Followed Catseye all day, even to classrooms."

Tarot looked confused. "But... why?"

"Don't know," Catseye shrugged, suddenly sitting up, looking pleased with herself. "But Catseye decided to come up and ask if redhair and Jennyluck want to do music practice for recital."

"Well... certainly, but... I don't understand why a guard would be following you. Is there trouble, do you think?"

"Catseye know not," Sharon sighed. "But not problem. Catseye will be with happyfriends and not worry, yes?"

"Alright," Marie-Ange nodded. "Let me get my violin."

University Towne Center, La Jolla CA 6:14 pm PDT

The skating rink occupied the lower story of the huge building that also enclosed the UTC food court and the Yellow Brick Road arcade. The effect was that while skating below, the restaurants and arcade seemed to be on a huge terrace above, and those eating at the little plastic tables out in front of the fast-food places could look down and watch the skaters at play. Tonight, the crowd of skaters on the huge, oval rink came to include six mutants and an alien, though judging by the good time they were having, no one would have guessed them to be anything other than ordinary college students enjoying a Friday night triple-date.

Amara, for all her self-admitted time in the jungle, was the first one out on the ice, followed somewhat wobbily by Manuel, who was determined not to let her have all the fun alone. Dani and Doug were next, quickly getting the hang of the ice and building up speed. Warlock was a bit hesitant to try at first, until he actually took his first step out onto the ice. From there, he took it as a new challenge to master this new method of travel.

Rahne and Rictor, however, weren't having as much luck. Ric had never skated before in his life, and Rahne hadn't had much more experience than he. After strapping on the rented skates, Ric made his way to the rink, nearly breaking an ankle several times as he tried to balance on the blades. Rahne tried to steady him as they went, but her own balance was already tenuous, and they nearly knocked one another over several times.

"So, how exactly do you do this?" he asked her.

"Ye sort'a kick yuirself forward, side to side. I'll show ye." She then stepped cautiously up onto the surface of the ice and took a few experimental strides forward, gliding out into the rink. She then somewhat laboriously turned around and looked back at him. "Give it a try, Ric," she laughed, seeing his expression of dread.

"Right," Ric said under his breath, stepping up onto the ice. Immediately, one of his legs wanted to slide one way, and the other wanted to slide the other. He threw his arms out, and barely managed to catch his balance, grabbing hold of the large wooden railing that encircled the rink.

Rahne glided back over to him, and took his hand. "Alright, we'll try it together, then..."

Hand in hand, they each put their best foot forward, and immediately crashed into one another, Ric falling unceremoniously on his backside while Rahne, pulled off balance, landed more or less on top of him.

Sounds of applause passed by, and they looked up to see Amara and Manuel speeding by, giving them a cheery wave.

"Easy for them to say," Ric humphed.

"I'm sorry, Ric," Rahne laughed, looking into his eyes and smiling. "D'ye want t' take a rest instead?"

"Yeah," he grinned back. "But let's get up first. My butt's gettin' all wet."
 
 

Dani caught up with Doug on her third lap. "Hey, cute thang," she yowled at him, reaching out to tickle him as she passed.

The gesture almost had the desired effect of causing Doug to lose his balance. "Hey, Dani, wait up!" he called after her, regaining his composure and speeding after her.

She slowed down until they were in synch, skating abreast. "What's up?" she asked him.

"We need to talk," he said, echoing her own feelings from earlier. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something small and mechanical, which he passed to her.

"What is it?" she asked, looking it over in her hands. It looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't figure out what to do with it.

He demonstrated with his own, putting it over his head. "It's a modified form of the headsets we used back in the fire," he said. "I figure it'd be best to talk while we're away from the others, and this should give us privacy.

They took the slow one-hundred-eighty degree turn at the end of the oval and headed back in the other direction. Dani struggled with unfolding the little chingus he'd given her, and eventually got the headphones in place over her ears and the microphone in front of her lips. "Is it working?" she asked, hearing her own voice through the headset.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice coming in loud and clear. "They've got a pretty good range, so feel free to leave me in the dust at any time."

"Oh, is that a challenge, Doug?" she grinned, evilly.

"Sure, what the hell. Race you to the opposite end."

"You're on," she nodded, then immediately took off, pumping her legs as fast as she could, and as predicted, leaving him in her wake of ice flecks. By the time she reached the opposite end and made the turnaround, leaning sharply to her left to keep her balance, she'd already left him about thirty yards back. "You lose."

"I thought you were a distance runner, not a sprinter."

"It's all in the legs."

"Then you've got an unfair advantage. You're taller than me."

"Tough buns, chum. So what should we talk about?" She waved to Amara and Manuel, passing by in the other direction.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well, if you mean our latest blasts from the past, I've got a few opinions, and none of 'em match."

"Do you think it'd be a good idea to let them join us?" Doug asked.

"I don't know. On the one hand, it's great to have Amara back. And if Manuel's really gone and reformed on us, he could turn out to be a halfway decent human being. Maybe we could convince him to become an empathic counselor or something."

"Oh, that'd be great. Deanna De la Rocha."

Dani laughed at this comparison. "Or maybe not. But I can't give him a whole lot of trust right now, Doug. I just can't. You remember what he did to Tom and Sharon."

"And to Magneto. And to us, a time or two. I've been thinking the same things. But Amara seems to really care for him."

Suddenly, Danielle noticed someone doing a flawless double axle off ahead of her. "Did you see that?" she asked.

"I think that was Warlock," Doug answered, and she could hear him smiling. "He seems to be getting the hang of it."

"I'll say. I've been on blades a lot lately, and I can't do that..."

"Well, rollerblades, anyway. That's not the same thing, is it?"

"It's a good way to get to school in a hurry," she replied. "Speaking of which, when are you and I ever going to make the grand rollerblade tour of La Jolla like you've been promising me?"

"How about as soon as I get a pair of blades?"

"That'll work."

"Ayah. So, anyway, about 'Mara and Manny."

She almost smiled at his insistence, but it really wasn't much to laugh about. "Fine. You want the honest truth? I don't trust him. But I also don't trust a lot of people these days, so don't take my opinion as law or anything."

"Dani, your opinion means a lot to me. You know that." Doug said this in such a serious tone that Dani could not help smiling.

"You old softie," she teased.

"Yeah, that's me alright. Have you been checking them out at all in the time we've been with them?"

"Psychically, you mean?"

"No, actually, I was looking for your opinion on their fashion sense. Of course, psychically."

"Okay, I'll tell you what. You know how it's getting to be almost a sort of second nature for me to read surface fears and wants, right?"

"Right," he answered.

"Well, it's been difficult, considering that Manuel's got a lot of training in hiding his thoughts, but I've been getting some interesting... patterns from them. What's scary, though, is that they seem to match. And I don't just mean that they agree a lot; it seems that he and Amara always want the same thing at the same time, and that the one doesn't have the thought of it without the other. For instance, when she suggested this skating trip, it was something she wanted, on the surface, and he had the exact same want at the exact same time."

Doug did not answer for a while. "Do you think he's controlling her?" he asked at length.

"I can't tell. It could be that. It could be that he just picks up her wants and magnifies them unconsciously with his power. Or it could be that the two of them are as much in love as they say they are, and they've started to think alike on a lot of things. I just plain don't know." She once again leaned sideways and bent at the waist as she made the rapid turn at the end of the rink. "What do you think?"

"Nice," he replied, vaguely.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just admiring the view from back here."

She threw a dangerous, if brief look over her shoulder at him. "You keep those hands where I can see 'em, buddy boy," she laughed.

"Chief, would I do such a thing to a woman who could beat the shit out of me without breaking a sweat?"

"If I recall correctly, yes."

He shrugged. "So I like to live dangerously." Out of nowhere, he sped up beside her, grabbed her sides, and tickled her in return. Dani yelped, kicked out her legs in reflex, and immediately fell on her butt. Doug skated by, making a visible effort to pick up speed.

"You are a dead man," she said into the intercom, getting herself to her feet and giving chase.

"I love you too, Chief."
 
 

After skating long enough to satisfy even Amara, six of the seven mutants headed upstairs to the arcade. Only Warlock stayed behind, having positively fallen in love with ice skating. He seemed determined to fully enjoy and assimilate this new experience. After a few humored comments comparing him to the Borg, the others left him to his fun.

At the arcade, Doug was greeted by his old friend Harris, still working the Friday night shift, and was met with two bits of good news. First off, Doug had been hired on to work there two nights a week ("For sanity purposes," Doug explained to his friends). Secondly, the manager had, at Doug's continued insistence over the past six weeks, brought up an old game of Gauntlet II from storage, fixed it up, and re-installed it among the plethora of hand-to-hand fighting games. They immediately rushed it, choosing appropriate characters for themselves (Dani played Red Valkyrie, Doug was Blue Wizard, Amara was Yellow Elf, and Ric played Green Warrior), and generally having the rather unique bonding experience that comes from playing a multi-player game. Rahne made a quick exit, as she wasn't too keen on the decibel level, and Manuel watched the game for a little while before excusing himself as well. Eventually, he found Rahne sitting at one of the plastic tables of the food court, watching Warlock and the other skaters below.

"Hello," he smiled, taking the seat opposite her at the table.

She didn't exactly jump, but she was quite startled by his presence nonetheless. "Oh! H'lo, Manuel."

"You've been quiet this evening," he noted. "That... place didn't seem like you at all."

"Aye," she nodded. "I ne'er really saw the point of playin' a lot of silly, loud games, anyway."

"I know what you mean," he agreed. "After spending so much time in the quiet of Nova Roma, it's certainly... a change... to go back to this level of noise. Amara seems to enjoy it, though."

Rahne nodded and smiled, but did not reply. She was a bit nervous about being alone with Empath, but tried to remind herself that he'd been through a lot of changes since last they'd seen him.

"It seems strange to see you alone," he went on at length. "You and Rictor seem very close."

She nodded. "Aye. He needs time with the others as well, though."

"I know," he smiled.

Throughout much of everyday life, Rahne lived under a pretty fair amount of stress. Manuel's soft words, however, seemed to be setting her even further on edge. How could he not notice?

"I must admit that I didn't think I'd like Rictor when I first met him today," Manuel went on. "He didn't make the best first impression. I also have to admit, though, that I'm gaining more respect for him by the moment."

This, at least, piqued Rahne's interest. "Really? How d'ye mean?"

Manuel seemed to consider his next words very carefully before he said them. "I was afraid, at first meeting, that he'd turn out to be... a boor. He struck me as being like any other American teenager, regardless of origin -- the type that would think only with their hormones. I'm glad to have been proven wrong, though. He must be very strong of character."

Rahne was somewhat amazed at all of this. "I dinnae understand. What made ye change yuir mind?" Perhaps he saw something in Ric with his empathic powers.

"Well, frankly, little one, it's because you love him," Manuel smiled. "I can tell, as you know."

"Manuel," Rahne asked, carefully, "what're ye tryin' t'say?"

He took a breath. "You two are committed to one another, no?"

"Aye, we are."

"There you have it," he smiled, with what might have been a shrug. "You are a very strong and moral person, Rahne. I know that. When you commit, it is much deeper than what passes for a relationship among those of our age. Rictor must be cut of the same cloth, not only to be loved by you, but to love you in return. Few men would accept the rules by which you govern yourself. In that, I admire him, and I can see eye-to-eye with him."

"Ye can?" Rahne asked, unable to imagine any similarities between Ric and Manuel. "How so?"

"Well," Manuel said, looking a bit self-conscious for the first time since Rahne had seen him, "my own engagement to Amara has been chaste, as is the way of the Nova Romani, and of my own church. We wait until marriage, as your faith has taught you, as well. As I said, you're very fortunate to have a man who shall accept this -- such moral strength is sadly rare in this day and age."

Rahne nodded, not speaking. She looked away for a while, trying to digest everything Manuel was telling her. No one had ever accused Rictor of being moral before. She'd often had her own doubts about this, and hearing Manuel laud Ric as he was doing only brought those doubts to the forefront of her mind, where she could not ignore them. There had been compromises to her faith already in their relationship -- not just in the physical sense, which of course had been limited, but in the very fact that the two of them slept in the same bed almost every night. How long before the question of that last compromise would crop up? And what would she do if... when it did?

Somewhere below, Warlock did another double axle, to the delight of several other skaters. Rahne only noticed this peripherally, as her thoughts were racing.

"Hey, babe!" Ric called, suddenly. She and Manuel looked up to see the quartet of gamers heading back toward them, looking pleased with themselves. Douglas and Danielle were laughing at some shared joke, arms across one another's shoulders. Rahne watched as Manuel stood to greet Amara with a chaste kiss on the cheek, and then, not really paying attention to her own actions, she stood and put her arms around Ric, giving him a little hug.

"Finished yuir game?" she asked them, trying to get back to the here and now.

"More or less," Dani grinned. "I bet Doug could've played all night on one quarter, but we're all getting pretty much famished. How about you guys? Does Italian sound okay?"

"That sounds perfect," Manuel smiled.

Rahne nodded. "Aye, that sounds... nice."

"I'd better go get Warlock off the ice," Doug sighed, with no small amount of melodrama in his voice. He gave Dani something of a half-hug, then headed off to fetch their teammate. Rahne found herself wondering suddenly if there were something happening between Danielle and Douglas, and wondered how much of their possible relationship she had missed. How much had her narrow perspective allowed her to see?

McAudry House, 1:51 am PDT

That night, as most others, Ric quietly sneaked out of his room and headed down the hall to Rahne's. It had been a later night than usual with the two new guests in the house, and that had delayed his nightly stealth until this late hour. Now, with Amara and Manuel safely staying in guest rooms on the opposite side of the house, he could get on with the routine.

Barefoot and bare-chested, he padded down the hallway, past the door to Doug's room, and out into the main circular corridor, proceeding a short distance counterclockwise to Rahne's door. He carefully located the hidden knob, and pushed the door open.

To his surprise, Rahne was there at the door to greet him. "Come in," she whispered, all but pulling him inside and closing the door behind them.

Once the door was safely closed, Ric looked at her. She was dressed in her white terrycloth robe, and apparently nothing else. The only light in the room was a night-light near the bed, but it was enough.

"You okay, baby?" he asked her, quietly.

"Ssh," she whispered. She then took his face in her hands, pulled his mouth to hers, and kissed him deeply. Ric felt a rush of emotion as they kissed, and it intensified as he felt her fingers gliding down from his face, over his shoulders, then across the muscles of his chest and abdomen. "Rahney," he whispered, when they finally broke, "what... what are you doing?"

"Ssh," she repeated. Before his eyes, she untied the sash of her robe, and slipped it off.

Ric took a deep, shuddering breath. "Oh, Jesus, Rahne..." he whispered. "Are... are you ready for this, babe?"

She nodded, if somewhat hesitantly. "Aye. I... I love you, Ric. Are you? Ready, I mean?"

He smiled, with a single, nervous laugh. "Baby, I've always been ready."

She held him to her, and he felt a second, more powerful surge of emotion at the touch of flesh against flesh. They broke, then, and she padded over to the bed, pulling back the covers. Ric took a deep breath, slipped off his sweat pants, and then joined her.

"Be gentle, Ric," she whispered.

"I will... I promise."
 
 

Doug awoke in a cold sweat, as though from a bad dream, the emotions and sensations of the dream-state still lingering in mind and body. "Rahne," he whispered in a cracked voice. "Oh, God, Rahne..."

The thoughts did not fade. They carried over from his dream-state, and even awake, he could not shut them out. Desire, anticipation... a dream coming true. Only then did he realize the thoughts were not his.

The group had always shared a tenuous psychic bond after what they had come to call the reconstruction, when Doug had been restored to his true human form with the help of his teammates. Doug and Rictor, in particular, seemed closely bonded, almost as identical twins. It wasn't until now, though, that the link had come into such prominence. Rictor's highly charged emotions were bringing it all out.

Doug stood up shakily, leaning against his bed. He felt sick, he felt aroused, and most of all, he felt everything that Ric was feeling a few rooms away.

Trying to keep his feet, he staggered out of his room. He couldn't shut out the voices in his head. Back when they had been together, Doug had often had fantasies about making love with Rahne. Now, he was getting his wish, against his will.

He found his way to the kitchen, and numbly put a pot of coffee on. Even when they finished, he doubted he'd be able to sleep.

Then, the sensations redoubled, and his legs nearly folded out from under him. Shaking, he stumbled to the dining table and sat down. Tears of anger and pleasure fell from his eyes, and he wiped them away, each breath coming as a shudder.

In a few moments, Danielle came into the room and sat down opposite him. Looking up, Doug saw that she, too, was trembling.

"Hi," he whispered.

She nodded. "You, too?"

"Yeah. Through Ric."

"Oh." She looked horrible, and no wonder. This was bad enough for Doug, but Dani's link with Rahne was far more developed than his own with Rictor. It was probably sheer hell for her.

They sat in silence for a long time, struggling against their own unwanted feelings. "We could stop them," Dani remarked at last, though she didn't seem to believe it.

"And say what? 'Cut that out, you two, you're getting us all horny?'"

"Doug," she said, very deliberately, "we're being raped, do you realize that?"

He nodded slowly. "I doubt they know that they're doing it..."

"You know... I can think of one sure-fire way to deal with it..."

Doug looked up at her. The look in her eyes was familiar, and in this context, almost frightening. After a pause, he remembered that look, from months before, with similar emotions running through his head. That time, though, they had been his own. "Oh," he whispered.

"Your place or mine, hotshot?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I... don't think that would be a good idea, Dani."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. I just thought I'd point it out."

Instead, they sat there in silence, hands held tightly, and waited. After a while, Doug got up to pour them some coffee. It was going to be a long night.

Massachusetts Academy, Snow Valley, MA
Saturday, 23 October 1993 9:51 am EDT

Catseye was not in her room when Frost arrived in Dent Hall to check on her, and this unnerved her. Sharon always slept late on Saturdays -- Frost had come to accept this as established fact. Where else would she be?

Considering this for a moment, Frost continued down the hallway, and stopped again, two doors down, at Marie-Ange's room. She raised her hand to knock, but paused, as she heard sounds within. Someone was softly playing a hand-drum, and over this, she heard the quiet sounds of a mandolin, as well as several voices conversing. She could scan no minds present within, though, so obviously Catseye was there. She knocked twice.

"Come in!" Marie-Ange called from within.

Frost opened the door and stepped into Tarot's room/sanctum. Looking around, she saw that she was interrupting what appeared to be something of a jam session with Marie-Ange, Sharon, and Jennifer, the former playing the mandolin while the latter padded on her doumbek. "Bonjour, Mam'selle Frost," Marie-Ange smiled.

"'Morning, Miss Frost," Jennifer chimed in, keeping the beat going.

"Hello, Frostlady!" Catseye waved, happily.

"Good morning," Frost smiled. "May I sit down?"

"Please," Marie-Ange nodded, waving to her empty practice-chair.

Frost sat down cautiously. Marie-Ange was one of her first mutant students, and a valued assistant, but nonetheless, something about her room always set Frost on edge. Perhaps it was the decor, which ranged from Renaissance France to Aleister Crowley. Frost had never been comfortable with the occult, especially when it refused to accept that she didn't believe in it.

"What's up?" Roulette asked, dragging one hand across the head of her drum.

"I have... something I need to tell you, Sharon," Frost began, "though I suppose it's fortuitous that you two are also here to hear it."

Catseye cocked her head to one side. "Is what?"

"Sharon... there's no way to put this delicately. Yesterday morning, along with the daily mail, I received a threat upon your life, from Devin Johnson."

"Mon Dieu," Tarot whispered. "Are you certain?"

"It was explicit enough, yes," Frost nodded. "He was apparently able to evade Security, and one way or another, deliver the threatening message. I had a bodyguard tail you yesterday, just in case his plans were more... immediate."

Catseye simply shrugged. "So?"

"Sharon," Frost repeated, "the man threatened your life!"

"Worry not, Frostlady," Catseye smiled, reassuringly. "Catseye brave, Catseye strong, and Catseye clever. Sneakybad brainwash cannot even touch Catseye. Mindspeak cannot hurt Catseye, but Catseye's claws can hurt badman, sure enough."

"And he knows that, Sharon. He might try to find another way to get back at you."

"Won't work."

Frost sighed. "I wish I had your confidence. All the same, I want you to be on alert. I'm going to have to confine you to the Academy until we can deal with him. And that includes next week's field test."

Catseye seemed unfazed by this, but Roulette was surprised. "That's next week? I thought it wasn't until November."

"Originally, it was to have been," Frost nodded, "but I want to have the teams re-organized in time for the Mutant Fair. We'll be gone from Monday morning until Thursday night, and during that time, you three and Haroun will be the only Hellions present here at the Academy. I'm sorry to have to do this, Sharon, but it will not affect your chances to be made leader of the second team."

"Don't want to lead, anyway," Sharon shrugged. "Catseye will stay to make Frostlady feel better, but worry not. Catseye will be fine."

"Alright," Frost replied. "Nevertheless, I want all four of you to be on guard while we are away. Marie-Ange, Jennifer, if you must leave the Academy, I want you to have an escort. And if anything happens, you're to notify me at once."

"Where're you taking 'em for the test?" Jennifer asked.

"Australia. There will be plenty of wide-open space to test their powers and skills. With luck, everything will go smoothly, and the new three-team division can go into effect immediately."

"Great," said Jennifer, apparently not thrilled with the idea.

Frost, of course, picked up on this right away. "What is it?"

Jennifer looked her in the eye. "You're going to split us up, aren't you?"

"How do you mean?"

"The three of us," she said, indicating herself and her two friends. "The way it's looking, you're going to keep me with the A-group, put Sherry on the stealth team, and stick Angie with the rejects."

"I'd hardly call them 'rejects,' Jennifer," Marie-Ange put in.

"Yeah, whatever. But we're a team, Miss Frost. Us three have been on the first team together right from the start. We work real well together, and now you're gonna split us up."

"It's not as though you'll never see one another again," Frost assured her. "You're right in that the three of you, along with Haroun, are the most experienced of my students. I need you to share that experience with the others, so that all may learn from you."

"Uh huh," Jennifer nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I tell you, though, you're splitting up a good team."

"I think, Jennifer, that it will be worth it. For all of you."

McAudry House, 7:28 am PDT

Ric awoke to the glow of daylight through the curtains. The fuzzy, drowsy state of morning faded quickly as he was hit with the memories of what had happened just hours before. It was not unlike the feeling of waking and realizing he was late for a test. The sensation quickly passed, however, and he let himself relax.

He was cold where Rahne had fallen asleep against him, and it took him a few moments to realize that she was not there. Looking to his side, he saw that she had moved to the edge of the bed, and was lying with her back to him. "Rahne?" he whispered, leaning over to lay his hand on her bare shoulder.

His heart jumped as he heard her next breath come as a ragged sob. She was crying. "Dinnae touch me," she quavered.

"Rahney, what's wrong? What is it?" he asked her, voice filling with concern.

She rolled onto her back then, and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes filled with tears. "What've I done, Ric?"

Rictor had no words to answer her question. He couldn't believe his ears, truth be told. After all that had happened last night, had she changed her mind about everything? "Don't cry, baby," he said, lamely. "It's okay. I'm here. Everything's gonna be fine."

She shook her head slowly. "Ye'd better go, Ric," she whispered.

"Rahne, what's wrong?" he demanded, emotion rising in his voice. "Christ, baby, can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Just go, Ric. Please. Leave me alone."

This, of course, was the last thing Ric wanted to do. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that there was nothing to worry about, but he could not. In his shock, all he could do was abide by her wishes. He slipped out of the bed, put on his sweat pants, and backpedaled to the door. All the way, she kept her gaze fixed on the ceiling above her, tears slowly rolling from her eyes.

As he reached for the door handle, he finally found his voice. "Rahne..."

"Please, Ric..."

It took Ric a while to realize that there was nothing more to say. A wall had risen between them, and he realized that he just might have lost her forever. Almost unconscious of his actions, he stepped out and quietly closed the door.

When he was gone, Rahne at last let herself cry aloud, turning to bury her face in the pillows.
 
 

Ric heard the muted sounds of conversation from down the hall, and followed them around to the dining room. Dani, Doug and Warlock were sitting at the dining table, the former two drinking coffee, sharing a solemn talk. It was strange enough to see them all awake at this hour, not to mention fully dressed. In yesterday's clothes.

Doug looked up at him. "'Morning," he said, quietly.

"Yeah," Ric nodded, still in mild shock. "You guys look like you haven't slept all night."

"We haven't," Dani informed him. "Sit down, Ric."

He was taken aback by her bitter tone. "What's wrong, guys?"

"Just sit down," she repeated, pointing to a chair beside Warlock. Ric did as he was told, willing to let this new confusion keep him from thinking about what had happened in the bedroom.

"What's going on?" he asked them.

The other three exchanged glances. At length, Doug spoke. "Ric, what happened between you and Rahne last night?"

"None of your damn business," he shot back, immediately.

"Yes, it is," Doug insisted. His voice was even, but tense. "Dani, you explain it."

"Right," Dani nodded, slowly taking a sip of her black coffee. "Ric, did you notice anything... different about her last night?"

Rictor looked from the one of them to the other, then gave Warlock a positively bewildered look. They knew. Somehow, they knew. "What're you gettin' at?"

"Rictor," Dani sighed, "just answer the fucking question, okay? You may think you've had a bad morning, pal, but it gets worse. Last night, I got woke up out of a sound sleep by my psi-link with Rahne. There was something I'd never felt from her. I'm usually pretty well in touch with wants, with my power and all, and last night, I was getting wants from her that I'd never felt before. Does that sound right to you?"

Rictor stared at her, wondering just how much they knew. He suddenly remembered the shared nightmares at Xavier's school, and felt his guts turn to ice. "What else did you feel?" he asked.

"That's not important," Doug told him. "Just answer the question."

"Well... yeah, I thought it was a little sudden," he managed. "She'd always told me she wanted... to wait, but last night... she didn't look like she wanted to wait no more."

"And you did what came naturally," Dani nodded. When Ric shot her a defensive look, she raised one finger to shush him. "Not casting any blame here, Ric, just wondering. Anyway, reason I ask is this -- those wants I was reading last night were out of character, and I'm not so sure they weren't induced."

"Induced?" Ric repeated. "What the hell d'you mean, induced?"

"Ssh!" Warlock spoke up, suddenly, peering down the hall opposite the way Ric had come. "Here they come. On cue, as selfrienDoug would say."

"Monitor 'em, 'Lock," Doug nodded.

Amara and Manuel came into the dining room, then, looking the very picture of happiness. "Good morrow, comrades," Amara smiled at the table, as though there were nothing at all out of the ordinary.

"'Morning, Amara, Manuel," Doug nodded. "There's coffee on."

"Thank you," she replied. "Any for you, Manuel?"

"None, thank you," he smiled at her. He took a seat at the table and turned the smile on the rest of them. "Is something wrong?" he asked, eventually noticing their apprehension.

"Induced?" Ric repeated again, suddenly realizing what Dani had meant.

Doug shushed him again, then turned to Manuel. "Last night," he began.

"What of it?"

"During that time you were alone with Rahne, what did you talk about?"

He shrugged, looking a touch sheepish. Amara came around and sat beside him, stirring her coffee. "Just innocent curiosity. I asked her about her relationship with you, Rictor, and pointed out how much I admired the both of you for your devotion, and ability to sustain a Platonic relationship."

Ric just about went ballistic right then and there, but Warlock restrained him. "Oh, really?" Ric growled.

"My friends," he said, looking genuinely confused, "whatever is the matter?"

Dani looked over at Doug. "He's hiding something. I can feel it."

"Self agrees," Warlock confirmed. "Pulse and brainwave anomalies present, suggesting suppressed anxiety."

"What?!" Amara asked, shocked at this accusation. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Let's find out!" Ric snarled. He shook Warlock's arms off, then quite literally threw himself across the table at Manuel, knocking the both of them backwards across the floor.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Doug called Warlock over, and the two of them merged forms to prepare for a fight. Dani dove for the scuffling Ric and Manuel, trying to help Rictor get hold of him. Amara was so shocked that she nearly shifted into her Magma form right then and there, but even without this, the temperature in the room went up about thirty degrees.

"Amara!" Manuel called out. "Protect me!!"

Without hesitation, she did so, reaching to pull Rictor off of him. "Stop it!" she screamed, grabbing hold of Dani's arm. "Have you all gone mad?! Please, don't make me hurt you!" Dani's sweater smoldered under Amara's touch, and Dani jerked away before it could catch alight.

"Doug, Ric, he's controlling her!" she shouted. "Nail him!"

Manuel managed to throw Rictor off and get to his feet, backpedaling down toward the hall. "Stop this," he ordered them, the last hint of cordiality gone from his voice. "You won't attack me. You love me!"

The words were followed by his empathic power, crashing down on them like a wave. Amara and Rictor were hit the hardest, stopping in their tracks and almost melting at the feelings of peace and love thrust upon them.

Doug, however, was able to shake it off, as his link with Warlock prevented the mental touch from affecting either of them. Dani, too, was able to fight it off with her own well-developed psychic defenses. It was Doug, though, that reached him first, using his Warlock-given strength to land a perfect right hook to the Spaniard's jaw. Manuel reeled back, his concentration shattered, and in that moment of confusion, the two merged teammates grabbed him, got him in a full nelson, and dragged him back into the dining room, where Dani was waiting for them, looking none too pleased.

"Alright, you little bastard," she said, taking him by the hair and forcing him to look up at her. "Let them go, or I tell Doug and 'Lock to snap your neck."

"You won't do it," he choked out, trying to focus his power at her through his eyes. "You won't!"

She gave him a grin completely bereft of humor. "Ready to bet your life on that?" She pointed to Amara and Rictor, who were still dazed by the jolt they'd received. "Let them go, Manny. Let them go now, and let them go completely. Or you are a dead man, we clear?"

Doug and Warlock squeezed a little harder, just to make the point. "Alright!" Manuel gasped. "Alright, I'll do it!"

There was no visible effect, save that of Ric and Amara both blinking furiously, as though coming out of a trance. Amara looked up at the others, a look of shock coming over her face. "Manuel!" she cried. "What are you doing to him?"

Dani grabbed Manuel by the hair again and brought her face within an inch of his, letting him look into her cold, almost black eyes. "I said completely, you little shit, and I meant completely."

He stared into her eyes for a while, his breath coming in ragged wheezes. There was no sign of doubt in her eyes, and he realized that there were some threats that needed to be believed.

Amara's face changed again, the look of shock turning into one of numb outrage. "What have you done?" she whispered. "What have you done?!"

"Amara?" Doug asked, cautiously.

"Stand away from him," she grated.

"Amara, he's been controlling you!" Dani shouted at her. "Don't you get it yet?"

She nodded slowly. "Stand away from him, Dani," she repeated, "so that I may burn him down where he stands."

"Now we're talking," Doug nodded. "Nice to have you back with us, Amara. Sorry, Manny, looks like the wedding's off."

"Why'd he do it?" Rictor asked, shaking his head in angry disbelief. "What the hell did he expect to get out of this?"

"Like you said, Ric, let's find out," Dani nodded. "Let's take a look at your greatest wish, Manny, shall we?" She then reached into his mind with her power and wrenched this image free, his defenses shattered by her fury.

They saw the seven of them -- Manuel, Amara, Doug, Danielle, Rictor, Rahne and Warlock. They were a team. Manuel was their leader, inspiring confidence and morale with his charisma, and with his powers over emotions. His flawless leadership led them away from the school, and back among the warring factions of mutants. Their powers honed by his teachings, they took the Massachusetts Academy by storm, dethroning the White Queen and assimilating the remaining Hellions into their ranks. With this added power, no one could stand against them. The X-Men would realize the error of their ways, with his help, as would the Hellfire Club, and all other mutant and superhuman groups. They would unite under him, and follow him, and he, the greatest mutant leader of all, would forge a path into the next century, where mutants would no longer be the oppressed minority. Unity gave strength, and with this strength, none dared to oppose their will.

Dani broke contact then, and the images faded around them. "My," she whispered. "You don't think small, do you?"

"That's not it," he sputtered. "You're twisting things in your anger! You're seeing what you want to see! I only want to be part of your team, and help you achieve your goals!"

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Dani scowled at him. "If your goals are oh-so-lofty, how come when I scanned for your greatest fear a few minutes ago, it was that we'd find out your plans? I guess Nova Roma wasn't enough of a power base for you, was it? The five of us living out here with our naïve little goals, though? Must've seemed like a playground for your power, you sadistic pig. Did you figure you'd break us apart, then put us back together your way?"

"How long, Manuel?" Amara demanded. Steam was beginning to rise all around her as her power made her hotter and hotter. "How long have you had me in your power? How long has it been since I had a mind of my own?"

"I only wanted what was best for you!" he all but shrieked. "You didn't want to marry that buffoon! You didn't want to stay in that backward little city!"

"What do you know of what I want?! What do you care what anyone wants except yourself?! Danielle, Douglas, Warlock, stand aside. The honor of this kill is mine!"

"We can't kill him, Amara," Doug said. "As much as I'm tempted."

"And why not?" she snarled.

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," Dani added. "It's not our job.

"What are you going to do with me, then?" Manuel hissed. "Even if you could prove anything, no prison could hold me."

Dani considered this for a moment, then looked back at him and nodded. "You're right. I guess we'll just kill you after all."

She had the perverse satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen in shock before she cold-cocked him with one punch. Manuel crumpled, unconscious, against Doug and Warlock.

"Let's get moving," she said to Doug. Gather up his stuff."

Doug nodded, understanding her intention. He and Warlock separated from one another, the latter keeping hold of Manuel in case he came to.

"I thought you said we were gonna kill him!" Ric said.

"Nobody's killing anybody in my house, Ric," Doug called back, as he retreated down the hall toward the guest rooms.

"I figure we'll drive him to the city limits and leave him there," Dani added. "If he comes back, we call the cops. That's what we've got alarms on this house for, after all."

"You can't expect me to accept that!" Amara insisted. "Do you know what he did to me?!"

"I've got a pretty good idea, yeah," Dani snapped. "But I'm not about to let him make you a murderer, too."

Doug reappeared, Manuel's suitcase in hand. "We ready?" he asked Dani.

"Yeah, just a second," she replied, taking the unconscious Empath from Warlock's grasp and setting him over one shoulder. "Let's take the truck."

"I'm comin' with you," Ric said.

"No, you're not," Dani said back. "You've got your own pieces to pick up, chum."

"Warlock, stay here," Doug added. "Keep an eye on the place, would you?"

"Affirmative," Warlock nodded. "Concern: Will friendsDougandDani be safe from powers of foeEmpath?"

"Oh, we'll be just fine," Dani smiled, grimly. "We'll be back." With the unconscious Manuel still slung over her shoulder, she headed out, Doug walking beside her.
 
 

When Ric came back into the bedroom, Rahne was once again curled up near the edge of the bed, though she seemed to have stopped crying. "Baby, are you awake?" he whispered, as gently as he could.

"Leave me alone, Ric," she grated in reply. That, at least, answered the question.

Not ready to do that, Ric padded across the room, came around to her side of the bed, and knelt beside her, trying to meet her eyes. "Rahney, it wasn't your fault. It was that Empath guy. He used his power on you."

She allowed herself a single grim laugh. "I wouldnae be so sure o' that, were I you."

He tried to puzzle this out, but failed. "What d'you mean?"

"Temptation comes in many forms, Ric," she said, her voice remaining monotone. "An' I proved that I'm too weak t' resist."

"No, it's not that!" he insisted, shaking his head. "Rahne, this wasn't temptation; this was some guy using a mutant power to screw with your mind! It's not your fault!"

"Call it what ye will, Ric. But the fault's all mine."

His temper finally exploded. "Haven't you heard a word I've said?!"

"I'd like to be left alone, Ric," she told him again, her voice never rising above the cracked monotone. "Just go, please."

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he nodded. "Yeah. I'll do that."
 
 

It was mid-afternoon by the time Dani pulled back into the driveway. Exhausted, she and Doug got out of the truck and headed back into the house, leaning on one another for support. Both of them wanted nothing more than to be able to go to sleep and pretend that none of this had ever happened.

They found Amara and Warlock in the whatever-room of the living wing, softly conversing. "We're back," Doug announced, half-heartedly.

"Self expresses relief," said Warlock. "Selfriends were gone longer than expected, and self feared that foeEmpath had harmed selfriends."

Dani flopped down in the beanbag, looking utterly drained. "We took him a little further than the city limits, as it turned out. He was awake by the time we dropped him off, so we had the opportunity to let him in on what we'd do to him if he ever showed his face around here again."

"How's Rahne?" Doug asked.

"She's still in her room," Amara replied, looking downcast. "She doesn't want to talk to anyone."

Doug nodded. "Where's Ric?"

"FriendRictor has left," Warlock reported, looking concerned. "Took bugvehicle VW and drove from premises, leaving no word of destination or time of return. Selfriend showed considerable signs of anger and agitation before departing, and refused to answer self's queries."

"We thought he might be trying to find you," Amara added. "He seemed intent on finishing Manuel off."

"So did you, for a while there," Dani remarked.

Amara looked down. "I know. I... feel like such a fool." All traces of the haughty daughter-of-Rome Amara were gone now. "This is all my fault. I brought him here."

"Don't worry about Ric," Dani assured her. "He's probably just taking a drive to clear his head. He'll come back. And you couldn't have known what Manuel would do to us."

"I'm frightened," Amara whispered, looking as though she were on the verge of tears. "I don't know how long he controlled my thoughts, and my direction, but with him gone... I have none. I've alienated my father, and my people. I've betrayed my friends. I have nowhere to turn..."

"You have us," Dani said, softly.

Amara looked up at her, the first tears finally falling. "After all I've done?"

"You didn't do anything," Doug said then, reaching out to take her hand. "And Dani's right, you do have us. Manuel might've betrayed us, but you didn't. And if you want to stay here, with us, I know I'll be glad to have you."

"Add me to that list," Dani nodded.

"Self agrees as well, friendAmara," Warlock added. "Self hopes that selfriend will choose to stay."

Amara just shook her head. "You... put me to shame."

With an exasperated sigh, Dani pushed herself to her feet. "Amy, just once, would you forget about honor, forget about shame, and just accept? I don't have the energy to work around the Nova Roman attitude right now, okay? Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep."

She stalked off to her room, then, closing her door behind her. Amara watched her go, shocked, and then looked back to Doug. "I- I'm sorry. Do you think I should leave?"

"No," Doug sighed. "She's not mad at you, 'Mara. None of us are. Stay a while. You might even get to like it here."

She managed a small smile, which he returned, but they were both too hollow inside to mean it. The house seemed colder, emptier, and less welcome, and it would be a long time, if ever, before they could regain what they had lost.
 
 

Next: "Emotion Detector"

Go West #6: "Trick of the Light"
by Jeremy Bottroff, 21 October 1993

This story (c) 1993, 1999 Jeremy Bottroff

"Trick of the Light" performed by The Who, words and music by John Entwistle, (c) 1978, 1999 Whistle Rhymes Limited (BMI), from the album WHO ARE YOU

Amara Olivia Juliana Aquila (Magma), Marie-Ange Colbert (Tarot), Tom Corsi, Roberto DaCosta (Sunspot), Manuel De la Rocha (Empath), Sharon Friedlander, Emma Frost (White Queen), Magneto, Danielle Moonstar (Mirage), Douglas Ramsey (Cypher), Rictor, Sebastian Shaw (Black King), Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), Sharon Smith (Catseye), Jennifer Stavros (Roulette), Tessa, Warlock, Hellfire Club, Hellions, New Mutants, X-Men, Danger Room, Massachusetts Academy, Nova Roma, Snow Valley, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (c) 1999 Marvel Entertainment Group

William Buchwald (Camouflage), Marsha Wilson (Farsight), Dent Hall created by Jeremy Bottroff, (c) 1999 Jeremy Bottroff

Alexander Blackwood, Devin Johnson (Brainwash) created by Michael Jones, (c) 1999 Michael Jones/Everbard

The Mutant Fair is a joint-venture story based on an idea by Michael Scott Stewart.  It may be found elsewhere on this page.

The Borg and Deanna Troi (c) 1999 Paramount

"Gauntlet II" (c) 1999 Atari

Aleister Crowley, Roger Daltrey, Harris Finkelstein, Keith Moon and Pete Townshend are their own copyrights. (Boy, wouldn't they make an interesting band...)

University Towne Center and the Yellow Brick Road Arcade are real places in La Jolla, California.  Just take the 805 North from San Diego, take the La Jolla Village Drive exit, and Go West.  You can't miss it.

The word "chingus" (pronounced CHING-gus) is one I picked up from Shaz, who no doubt picked it up from her extensive and highly interesting family.