Subject: [OTL]: (Age of Madelyne) Morrigan Chapter 1/? (R) Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 23:33:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Age of Madelyne: Morrigan Chapter 1 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. WARNING: Mature themes, LOTS of harsh language, and violence. Reams of violence. Tons of violence. (Well, maybe not at first. But it's coming ...) NOTE: " - spoken word # - personal thought ~ - telepathy [ - cyberpathy * - flashback sequence -------------------------------------------------------- 6/17/2001: X-Mansion Boathouse: Back Porch: 10:00 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- She sat, a bathrobe over her black bikini, at the umbrella-shaded table and watched her son and daughter splash around in the cove. #So normal,# Madelyne Pryor-Summers thought, smiling faintly as 14-year-old Rachel and 11-year-old Nathan horsed around and played. #A summer morning, siblings getting along well, enjoying vacation.# #What a crock.# She sighed, tightening her mindshield against the kids' occasional slip of a jolt of telepathy, and watched them frolic. Rachel moved lithely through the water - #and just WHERE did she learn to swim so well, hmm ?# Maddie thought with a note of wry amusement - clad in a green tank suit, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Nate swam fairly well, his brown hair still short from his last haircut, his body clad in a blue speedo Maddie smiled wryly at. #Emulating the big kids,# she thought, sipping her tea. She winced involuntarily as the sunlight glinted off of her son's metallic left arm. #Damnit. I can keep from hurting Nate when he's in front of me, but that damned TO-mesh always gets a reaction from me,# Maddie thought, shaking her head bitterly as she set down her Earl Grey tea. She looked at the cup, then laughed - a short, bitter chuckle - and said aloud, "Charles. Your leftovers are always so terribly amusing." "He'd be happy about this," a voice called, and Madelyne looked up with a welcoming smile. "Emma," Madelyne said, motioning for Emma Frost to find a seat at the table. "How's the recruitment drive ?" "Up to 24," Emma said, gratefully accepting a cinnamon roll and a cup of tea from Maddie. "Thank you - the children are up and active today." "Swim party at noon," Maddie said, shrugging. she grinned that lopsided grin again and added, "Nate learned to swim, but I think he's afraid he'll rust. And Rach couldn't care less - she's always been more of a martial arts kind of girl." "It's no surprise why they 'converted,'" Emma said, allowing a rare smile to slip from between her lips. "Yes ... Scott was SO surprised to find Ray kissing Frank at Sydney," Maddie snorted. "I love Scott, Emma, I really do, but he can be - myopic, I guess." Emma glanced at Maddie and sent, ~Interesting vocabulary ...~ ~Blame the chunks of Charles' psyche floating around in my head,~ Maddie sent, sighing psionically. ~How - is he ? Physically, I mean ?~ ~Doing better,~ Emma replied, squeezing Maddie's hand in sympathy. ~Henry believes his body's deterioriation has stabilized. And you - ?~ Maddie allowed Emma to poke at a specific portion of her mind, and sent, ~Shards. I'm afraid Charles Xavier's psyche is either so much astral trash, or miniscule shards floating in my brain. Either way, Charlie isn't coming back, Emma.~ "At least, not from your psyche," Emma said gently. Maddie arched an eyebrow as the former White Queen said, "There is ... evidence ... that Charles' mind is healing itself, albeit at a rudimentary level." "Hmm." Maddie nibbled at her roll, then said, "You're sure it's rudimentary ?" "If he tries anything ... untoward, Elizabeth, Xi'an, Monet, Jonothon and I will mindflay him," Emma promised. "He won't get the children, Madelyne. Or you." Maddie smiled sadly and said, "I'm not so worried about the kids, any more. It's been five years - they've grown a lot since then. Besides, Charles made a terrible mistake, Emma. He's the one who's been suffering the consequences ever since." Emma took a large bite from her cinnamon roll, then nodded. "I have to admit, as much antipathy as Xavier and I shared over the years, I didn't want to see him a vegetable," she said. "I never thought of him as weak," Maddie said, softly. "I still remember the first time we met - Logan and Mariko's aborted wedding." Emma rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, yes. THAT. Speaking of that dreadful event, did I tell you they found Wyngarde ?" "Alive ?" Maddie hissed. "WHERE ?" "Oh, 'alive' is pushing it," Emma said, grinning evilly. "He's drooling in a sanitarium back in London. It seems his last few living relatives paid his way to merry olde England before his brain gave out from your rightful ... payback." "I do have a bitch of a temper," Maddie admitted, blushing. Emma laughed, then steepled her fingers. "You know, I'd love to hear your life story some time," Emma offered. "Why not now ?" Maddie offered. "The rest of the kids aren't due to arrive for another two hours, and I can guarantee Sarah, Leech and Artie won't be up until at least 11." "I'm all for it," Emma agreed, leaning back in her chair. "Where do you want to begin ?" Maddie finished her cinnamon roll, then gave Emma a faint smile as Scott Summers walked towards them in boxer-style swim trunks. "Where it really matters to begin," Maddie said, telekinetically sending a chair to Scott. "With Tall, Dark and Red-Eyed here." "Emma," Scott said, sitting beside Maddie and giving his wife a peck on the cheek. "Hey, hon' - 'myopic,' am I ?" "Oops," Maddie snickered. "Bad Maddie - gotta watch that psi-link." "Seriously, Scott, you can't keep Rachel locked in a tower. Besides, Franklin is both disciplined, and a gentleman," Emma said. "I know. I'm an overprotective father, what more do you want, Emma ?" Scott smirked. Maddie playfully smacked the back of his head, then chuckled. "He was never this charming when we met," Madelyne said, psi-linking the three. ******************************************************** 9/23/1985: Outside of Anchorage, Alaska: 09:23 hrs local: -------------------------------------------------------- She finished checking the fuel levels, then stepped from the cargo plane with a satisfied nod. #Philip and Deborah were nice enough to give me a job after the ... incident,# Maddie thought, adjusting her parka against the Alaskan wind. #I don't want to screw this up, after -# She shuddered, the scent of fuel oil and burned bodies in her nostrils, before she heard her employers calling. "I'm right here, Philip !" Maddie called, walking over to where Philip and Deborah Summers were waiting at the main office. "Come in, dear - excellent time with that Denali run," Deborah said, shutting the door behind Madelyne. "We've someone we want you to meet." "It's a wonder - my long-lost son, Christopher, is alive," Philip said, beaming. Maddie smiled back, then looked at where the door to the Summers' living room opened. She nodded, politely, at the 40-something man standing there. "Major Christopher Summers, USAF, lately of the Starjammer," he said, shaking Madelyne's hand. "It's ... a long story, about the last part." "Madelyne Pryor, pilot for your parents. It's a pleasure to meet you, Major," Maddie said. #Hmm ... 20 years younger and - ah well,# she thought, looking at Christopher's face. #I can tell where Philip's looks went.# "My sons are here as well - Scott and Alex," Christopher said, waving into the living room. He gave Maddie a long look, then squinted and said, "You remind me of someone ..." "I'm pretty sure I'd remember meeting you, Major," Maddie said, face-palming as she added, "Then again, my memory went down the toilet in June. I was the only survivor of a 747 crash at Vandenburg - pretty severe head trauma." "You've made a miraculous recovery, Madelyne," Deborah said gently. "Don't rush it - Scott ! Alex ! There's a guest waiting !" Maddie forced a smile, thinking, #Probably teenagers -# She fought back an urge to drop her jaw when the Summers brothers walked in. The taller was perhaps 25, wearing some sort of exotic sunglasses with red lenses. His eyebrows rose, as did those of his shorter, blond brother. "Th-this can't be," the taller one stammered. "Small world," the shorter one whispered, loud enough for Madelyne to hear. "The brown-haired one is Scott - say hello, Scott," Christopher prodded, "and the blond is Alex. Guys, this is Ms. Madelyne Pryor." "Charmed," Scott said, shaking Maddie's hand with a still-shocked expression. #Funny. You seem anything but,# Maddie thought. #Still, he IS cute ...# ******************************************************** "Of course, knowing what we know now ..." Maddie said aloud, sighing with a weak smile. "I love you," Scott said, looking intently at his wife. She leaned over to kiss him, and Emma nodded. "We all know the rest - Wyngarde manipulated you both over the next several months, until his psychotic obnoxiousness ended in his getting smacked down by Scott and you two married in June '86," Emma said. "And then, things REALLY began to get interesting," Maddie laughed. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Pregnancy, Secret Wars I, the first New Mutants, and Rogue counseling ... PLUS: the Emma-Maddie dynamic ? --------------------------------------------------------