Part Five: The Learning Experience "The Black Queen departed last night," Tai told Emma during the ride to the academy. Firestar, Dazzler, Black Bishop and Night Thrasher accompanied the two women in the limousine. "Odd," Emma thought out loud. "It is unlike Phoenix to leave without even mentioning it to me." "She said that she was worried about Sebastian," Tai explained. "I was the only one awake at the time, so she left the message in my care." Emma wasn't certain that she believed her, but she said nothing. It would have been a simple matter for Jean to have telepathicly communicated her reason for leaving, and the red head had made it very clear that she did not trust Tai. "I believe that we should take a new approach with the special training this week," Tai told her superior. "The Hellions have learned to fight ferociously with their mutant abilities. I think that it is time they learned combat without them." "It could be interesting," Frost said, the image of yesterday's super powered brawl still fresh in her mind. "We'll have to make use of the mutant inhibitors that I keep in storage, otherwise, their powers will flow from instinct, but it should be a good challenge for them." "But I don't think that I'd like to have them fighting the robots," Emma decided. "I'd rather that they were fighting each other for this one." "Who would the teams be?" Dazzler inquired. "Bloodstrike and Beef are to be on the same side," Frost said firmly. "Catseye and Smiling Tiger are going to be together as well." "Sil, Fire, Bloodstrike, Beef, Firewall and Roulette," Kitty suggested, "against Empath, Bevatron, Magma, Tiger, Catseye, Jetstream and Jubilee." "This will be most enjoyable," Tai announced. The Hellions, each with a mutant inhibitor around their necks, stood squared off on opposite sides of the enormous room that was their daily battle field. Smiling Tiger wore thick metal gauntlets over his talons. "Do you understand the rules? Once your opponent has knocked you down, you are out of the battle." Tai asked over the intercom system. The mutants said yes. "Then Begin." Silhouette and Midnight's Fire began the assault, Sil pole vaulting with her staff while her brother doing somersaults forward. Jubilee jumped out of the man's way, while Smiling Tiger leapt up to catch Silhouette. She evaded his attack, landing smoothly and swinging her staff at him. They traded blocks and strikes, but seemed to have been taken out of the fight by their concentration on each other. Jetstream and Catseye had involved themselves with Beef and Bloodstrike. The pair of them dodged their lumbering opponents with seemingly ridiculous ease. Tai made a note, even with their superior strength taken away, the boys were much stronger than any ordinary humans. But without their super speed, even opponents of average strength and above average fighting skill would be capable of providing a challenge. She would have to train them in martial arts. Firewall and Magma seemed to be engaged in a cat fight. Neither of them were familiar with unarmed combat, and they were doing what came naturally. But the girl's natural idea of fighting was by scratching and pulling hair. Ming's shorter black hair was not as easy a target as Amara's thick blonde mane, and the older Hellion was loosing. "Where is Emma?" Tai asked Dazzler. "She and Firestar wanted to spend some time alone," Allison replied, her eyes intently watching the fight. "Ah," Tai's tone told Dazzler that she understood, but it seemed to be time to deal with Emma. Perhaps the same place she had dumped Phoenix would suffice. It would be a convenient means of moving the Hellions, if she chose to reveal their power to them. But Patience was a virtue. A little mystical prodding, and Emma would return to her former state of blind trust in the older woman. Besides, she wasn't ready. Her allies were still moving into position, and until they had achieved their goals, then she thought it unwise to act alone. "I'm worried," Emma told Firestar. "The Black Queen can handle herself," Angelica told her former mentor. "I'm not certain that I believe Tai," Emma told the girl. "She's never lied to me before, but the constant masking of her intentions has become unsettling." "So why not confront her directly?" Firestar asked her. "I'm not certain that I'm right," Frost confessed. "But I'd like your help in confirming my suspicions." "If the you or the Hellions are threatened, I'm happy to help," Firestar told her. "Thank you," Emma smiled gratefully. "I'd like you to use your microwaves to scan the campus. The Black Queen rides on electromagnetic energy, and she would leave a trail of the distortion, like you. Would you please see if you can detect the energy?" "Let me change clothes," Firestar suggested. "This dress would burn to pieces if I tried to fly with it on, and its unlikely that I'll be able to find anything from the ground." "Good idea," Emma said, telepathically summoning her driver. They would return to her residence, Firestar would get into uniform, and they'd start looking. It took them five minutes to get from the Academy Grounds to Emma's home. The White Queen felt a presence, a slightly annoyed one, watching them depart. She shielded her mind, and Firestar's, and they continued on their way. "Good work, Hellions," Black Bishop called over the IC system. Silhouette and Midnight's Fire had defeated their enemies, but they were the only ones not tagged out of the match. Kitty and Dazzler looked over the extensive notes Tai had made before leaving. Virtually all of them needed hand to hand combat training, something that Frost and her assistants had overlooked in their training. Dwayne entered the training facility through the door, while Black Bishop slid through the glass separating the control booth from the combat room. Dazzler logged out of the computer journal, and followed Dwayne. "Excellent," Night Thrasher said to his girlfriend and her brother. "You two are still the best around." "Of course we are," Midnight's fire smirked. "Otherwise, you'd never have hooked up with us." "Yeah, right," Beef growled. "Oh, shut up," Kitty told him. "This attitude is what makes you such a liability to the team. If you don't change it, I'll have to rip out your tongue to teach you some manners." "If she'd said that to anyone else," Dazzler interjected, "I might have questioned it. YOU, however, deserve it." "You're both just on my case because you want on my body." Beef ran his hand up his chest. "And you want this," Dazzler growled, pointing a finger at the large teenager. The laser sliced off the mutant inhibitor with stunning accuracy. "Thanks babe," he smirked at her. Allison raised her hand, pumping out glittering sparks of every color. Orbs of light glowed around her, and the Dazzler herself blazed like a new sun. "I can't see!" came startled cries from the suddenly blind Hellions. "Time for some TOUGH LOVE!" Allison's energy bolt took beef square in the chest, just like yesterday. He didn't simply give up this time. The overgrown bully stood up, and Dazzler knocked him down again. Tiring of the game, the Red Rook of the Hellfire Club smashed her subordinate's face with a photon blast, knocking him senseless. "Are we done with this?" Dazzler asked Bloodstrike, "or would you like to learn who your betters are the hard way too?" "Not today," Bloodstrike said prudently, probably the first time he'd backed out of a fight since the day he'd been born. Firestar soared above the academy grounds, her presence telepathically blocked by the white queen. She liked her new outfit infinitely better than the old one Emma had given her. This garment, a skin tight jump suit that left her shoulders bare, had a red bodice that revealed a little more cleavage than Angelica was usually used to displaying, but it did make her feel pretty, in a trashy sort of way. Besides, who was going to try to molest the Red Knight of the Hellfire Club? She still wore the red boots and gloves of her original costume, liking the flame design of them. But she had hung the yellow tights in her closet, hopefully forever. Now she had black leggings and gotten rid of that stupid mask. Frost's voice echoed inside her. Emma mused. . Firestar landed gracefully beside her teacher. Frost telepathically disguised their garments, although Firestar could still see that Emma was wearing her corset and cloak. But it wasn't the point to hide it from her, just the students. The women walked back towards the school, both feeling very uneasy. Daniel Thomas "...But I do not enjoy the killing...I AM NOT VIOLENT!! And I will put an arrow through the brains of anyone who says I am!!!"-Artemis (Artemis Requiem #4-DC)