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HELLBLAZE BLASTS IN
a Generation X fanfic by Multi-FacetsFaithfully dedicated to Lisa "bum" McKee, 'cause I love your work and you pulverize Hama's butt any day! Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Snow Valley, Massachusetts. Emma Frost, the telepath also known as the White Queen, stood in front of her polished mahogany desk, hands planted on the top, and fixed a serious eye on her assembled students: the team called Generation X. "I have spoken with one of my most trusted business associates, and he claims that his niece is interested in joining our school," Emma stated in her cool Boston lilt. "I am picking the niece up at Frost Enterprises tomorrow at twelve o'clock for a lunch interview. I insist that some of you come with me," she said. "That sounds familiar," Jubilation Lee/Jubilee muttered, thinking of the time when she, Everett Thomas/Synch and Angelo Espinosa/ Skin had to pick up the kids Artie and Leech, but had picked up trouble instead. "Aw, what the heck. I'm comin'," she decided. "I'll come," Everett offered, as Paige Guthrie/Husk lifted her hand in a silent request to tag along. "Very good. Anyone else?" Emma asked. She surveyed the rest of the students, who apparently had little interest. Her ice-blue eyes fell on Jonothon Starsmore -who was staring out the window- and smiled. "You should come with us as well, Chamber," Emma stated, using Jonothon's codename. "I heard the girl can manipulate bio-kinesis." Jonothon's head snapped around and he stared at his teacher in surprise. *Really?* he asked in his ghostly psionic speech. "Yes," Emma responded. "Are you coming?" *Of course,* Chamber answered. Emma nodded in satisfaction. "All right. Be at the garage at nine-thirty tomorrow. Dismissed." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* the next day at Frost Enterprises.... Emma and the kids were waiting in Emma's office, and the kids were bored. Everett had synched with Emma's telepathy and was reading various minds on the street thirty stories below. Paige had brought along a book and was thoroughly engrossed in it. Jubilee stared longingly out the window at the shops below, and Jonothon sat gazing at a painting. Emma rested her chin on her hand and gave a restless sigh. "She's late," she muttered, looking over at her fancy wall clock as her speakerphone/intercom squawked to life. "Ms. Frost, Ms. Barrow called and said she got lost on her way here, and would be late for her appointment. She sends her regrets, and apologizes for the inconvenience," Emma's secretary said. "Thank you, Olivia," Emma responded, and clicked out. "Well, it looks like we have to wait a while longer," she said. "Is that Barrow kid the one we gotta meet?" Jubilee asked, looking over at her teacher. "Yes. Her name is Krys Barrow," Emma replied. "Why doncha tell us more about her?" Jubilee asked. "I would if I knew more," Emma said testily. Jubilee looked back out the window. Suddenly, a grappling spear with a line attached stuck into the wall above the window, and Jubilee's gaze jerked upward. She saw a man in black clothing with all sorts of high-tech gadgets strapped to his chest was sliding down the line, and a very muscular man dressed in a red and black body suit and mask sliding after him. "Guys, guys! We got incoming!" Jubilee squealed, falling to the floor. "What?" Emma questioned, glancing outside the instant the man in black hit the glass, and the mercenary Deadpool sailed after him. "I gotcha now, sucker!" Deadpool sang in his cracked voice, pouncing on the man in black, and they began wrestling. Immediately, the kids moved in to pull Deadpool and the man apart, but Deadpool just waved his arm and shoved them all off. "Oh, no you don't, kiddies! This guy is worth fifty-five thou, and he is mine!" he squawked, putting the guy in black in a choke hold. Jonothon jumped on Deadpool's back and copied him, hoping to subdue him. Feeling dizzy, Deadpool choked and cried, "Get.... off!" roughly jabbing his elbow in Jonothon's gut. *Whoulp!* Jonothon gasped, slipping off Deadpool and staggering, trying to regain his balance. Deadpool kicked out and hit Jonothon in the stomach. Jonothon gasped again and fell down hard, his thighs hitting something solid. He pitched backwards, met no resistance and began to fall. Oh no! I hit the window ledge! he thought, and desperately flailed about for something to hold on to. His grip slipped on the ledge and Chamber fell, speeding toward the asphalt. "CHAMBER!" Husk shrieked, bolting to the window, but not in time to grab Jonothon. "You'll pay for that, you deadbeat!" she yelled, whirling around, jumping forward and kicking Deadpool on the back. Outside, Chamber closed his eyes and waited for impact while fervently wishing he could fly. Abruptly there was a rush of tremendous heat and a myriad of neon sparkles flew about as hands grabbed him under the armpits, and Chamber began rocketing upward. *What the ruddy-? Who?* Chamber asked in surprise, relief and confusion as he craned his neck around, trying to see who -or what- had him. "Hiya, Handsome," a girl's voice laced with a Western drawl chirped, and Chamber looked over his shoulder. A girl with straight, light earthy-brown hair, a rosy-cheeked/freckled face and light gray eyes met his sight. "Listen, a word of advice," the girl continued as she soared towards Emma's window. "When you go bungee-jumpin', use a bungee cord," she said, and flew in, unceremoniously dumping Chamber on the floor. Then, she soared over to Deadpool and the man in black -whom the others still hadn't managed to subdue- grabbed the backs of their necks and smashed their foreheads together. With simultaneous groans, they hit the floor, unconscious. "That takes care a' that," the girl said with satisfaction. Then, with a charming smile, she landed, turned and held her hand out to Emma. "You must be Ms. Frost. It's a pleasure t'meet'cha. I'm Krys Barrow, Mr. Barrow's niece. Sorry I'm late," she said casually, as if nothing had happened. While Security took the two unconscious men away, a slightly stunned White Queen took the proffered hand and shook it while sizing Krys up. She was petite, with a solid build and muscle-laced limbs. Her hair fell to the middle of her back in a low ponytail. She stood with her weight on the balls of her feet so she could move swiftly if she had to, and her hand loosely clenched at her side. Emma said, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Krys, and I cannot thank you enough for-" "What? Saving the guy from certain death? Think nothin' of it. I'd do it again," Krys interrupted. "So, are we still up for that lunch date? We'd better be, 'cause I'm starved," she said cheerily, releasing Emma's hand. "Why, yes we are," Emma said, pulling herself together. "Come everyone, let's go," she ordered, and everyone began filing out the door. Jonothon leaned over and psi-whispered to Krys, *Thanks anyway.* "You're welcome," Krys answered, clapping him on the back. "What's your name, guy?" she asked as they began riding the elevator down. *Jonothon Starsmore, but you can call me Jono,* Jono replied. "Cool name. You're British, huh? Just so happens I'm an Anglophile," Krys confided as the elevator doors open and everyone started to walk over to Emma's van. *A what?* Jonothon inquired, baffled. "I really like anything British," Krys translated. "The language, especially. You'll probably hear me say a few British slang, insult or swear words by the time the day's over. Expect me to grill ya about England, if I have the time," she added with another smile as she settled in the back seat with Paige. "So what about the rest o'ya? Where're ya from, what's your name, that sort of thing," she said, leaning back and looking at Paige expectantly. "Well, my name is Paige Guthrie, and I'm from Kentucky," Paige began. "Really? Cool! I saw Churchill Downs when I moved from Virginia to Colorado with my family," Krys said enthusiastically. "You did?" Paige asked, facing Krys. "Yup! But I don't remember much of it, 'cause I was reading a very interesting book at th' time," Krys said sheepishly. "You like to read?" Paige questioned, pleasantly surprised. "I devour books by the ton!" Krys exclaimed. "I also write, do a lot of 'Net surfing, listening to jazz and rock music, acting, singing and practicing some martial arts. Well, enough dirty tricks to take care o' m'self." *How did you learn them?* Jono asked. Krys shrugged, seeming a little embarrassed. "I'm a blue-belt in Shotokan style karate, my dad taught me some nerve pinches and suchwhat, and I picked up a lot of stuff from.... well, comic books, movies and Tekken 2. But hey, I practiced with a Sensei and perfected everything." "That's doesn't seem like much," Jubilee commented. "Not until you spar with me," Krys said with a confident grin. "By the way, who are you?" Jubilee answered, "Jubilee. I'm from the San Fernando Valley." "California, right?" When Jubilee nodded, Krys grinned and said, "I was born there, in Orange County." Jubilee lifted her eyebrows in interest. "We are here," Emma declared, pulling up to a deli and parking the van. Krys unbuckled her seat belt and enthusiastically vaulted out the door. Everett and Jubilee were right behind her. "What's your name?" Krys asked Everett. "I'm Everett Thomas," Everett said. Emma cleared her throat and looked to the deli door with a "can-we-get-on-with-it" expression on her face. Krys took the hint and strolled in with the other kids. Emma followed. After they had been seated and ordered their lunch (and Krys had ordered a meal big enough to shock everyone), Emma exerted her telepathy, making every customer in the deli ignore them, and began the interview. "What do you know about your powers?" she questioned Krys. Krys took a bite of fruit salad and chewed thoughtfully before answering. "Plenty, I guess," she said. "I studied myself carefully, and my sister helped my learn about my abilities. She's psychokinetic, in case you're wonderin', but she didn't want to come. Now, I can-" here Krys took a sip of hot chocolate and immediately began sputtering. "Glack! This stuff's cold!" she complained. She frowned, and soon steam began rising from the surface of the beverage. Krys took another sip and beamed in satisfaction. "Much better. Anyway, I can discharge heat, light, and explosive energy; I can fly; I can 'live' off my bio-kinesis, which means no nourishment, no air. I can project protective energy fields. I'm sensitive to other people's body heat, and I can read it like a children's book. I can rearrange molecules, which means I can turn myself and other things intangible, shapeshift and heal wounds. But shapeshifting and healing take a lot out of me. I got stuck in a different form, once." *What kind of form?* Jonothon inquired. Krys gestured to her muscled body. "This one," she answered. "But I'm not complaining. Getting back to the subject, I can also channel energy through various things, boost other people's energy, supercharge my physical abilities, turn off a mutant's power or heighten it, convert energy to matter and vice-versa, and probably some other stuff I haven't figured out yet," she finished. "Now you see why I eat so much. All the fuel for that stuff has to come from somewhere." Emma, Jubilee, Jono, Paige and Everett sat in stunned silence. This girl was powerful! Everett broke the silence, thinking he had to say something. "Why didn't your sister want to come, Krys?" he asked. "Gug," Krys gargled, grimacing. "She didn't want to leave her boyfriend. And I guess she's not too interested in learning about her powers. Her boyfriend helps with that, and she helps with his. Don't understand her attraction to him m'self. I mean, what's t' see in a guy who can turn into a giant iguana?" Krys answered, as Paige arched an eyebrow. "How old is your sister?" Jubilee asked. "She's 17; we're twins." Krys paused, then turned her attention back to Emma and smiled sweetly. "Any more questions, Ms. Frost?" she inquired. Emma replied, "Yes. How much control do you have over your powers now?" "Hmmm," Krys mused. "Flyin's no problem and neither is the discharging heat, light and explosions part, or the intangible thing. Field projecting and energy channeling is harder. Heat-readin's not hard; turning a power off or on is like usin' a light switch. I'm still learnin' about boosting another person's energy and heightening my physical abilities. 'Living' off the bio-kinesis is just a matter of relaxing a little. Healing, shapeshifting and energy conversion aren't fun, 'cause they really hurt. Rearrangin' molecules is easy." "Very good. How comfortable are you with your abilities?" Emma asked. Krys squirmed uncomfortably. "Not very," she admitted. "I want to cut down on the physical pain that happens whenever I shapeshift, and the exhaustion that results when I heal or convert energy. Plus, sometimes nothing happens when I try, and sometimes I can't control it, no matter what I do. And I'm always afraid that I'm gonna lose control and hurt someone, or blow somethin' up, or worse." *I know how you feel,* Jonothon said sympathetically, surprising everyone. Krys gave him a wavering, "thanks-I-needed-that" grin. Emma wrested control away from Jono and continued the interview. "How do you feel about human/mutant co-existence?" she questioned. "It shoulda happened long ago," Krys growled, crumpling up her sandwich wrapper. "Do you work well with a group?" Emma asked. "Yea. But I'm not exactly a team leader, and I need lots of time alone. Also, I want plenty o' one-on-one work, so I'll know I'm actually learning something," Krys responded. I think she's perfect for our school, Emma thought in satisfaction. "I have to make a quick call, and then I'll let you know if you can join us," she said, pushing her chair back and going to find a phone. "Translation: She has to talk with our other teacher and get his approval," Everett explained. Krys glanced at the Gen-Xers. "Well?" she asked. "I think you're going to get in," Everett said with a confident smile. "Here's hopin'! Where is your school?" Krys inquired, sipping her drink. "Snow Valley," Paige answered. "Hey, that's not far from Boston, is it?" "Only a two hour drive," Paige said helpfully. "Cool! I'd get to see my sister a lot," Krys stated happily. "Any strict rules I'd have to adhere to?" "No drinking, no coed sleeping, and no staying out after curfew, to start," Jubilee recited. "Awwww, maaaaan. You guys have a curfew?" Krys whined. "That stinks! I mean, I'm a night owl and I always stay up late." *That's not going to work, luv,* Jonothon interjected. *Y'see, we have to get up at seven o'clock every morning to get our schedule done by six at night.* "Ya don't have nothin' to complain about, Sparky," Jubilee said sourly. "I mean, ya never train and ya never do schoolwork. Ya just sit around that gloomy ol' basement o' yers and, like, mope." Jonothon shot Jubilee a look that could fry a small planet, pushed his chair back and angrily stalked out the door. Paige glared at Jubilee. "He has good reason to mope," she snapped, and went after Jono. Krys winced. "Ouch. They were so mad, their heat signatures went off the scale. What's up with those two?" she asked innocently. "Jono's got a bad attitude, and Paige fell for the guy," Jubilee answered flatly. "Wow. What's he so 'bad attitude-ish' about?" Jubilee glanced around to see if anyone was eavesdropping and leaned forward. "Jono's missing everything from his upper lip to his gut. It's all nothin' but a hollow hole of bio-kinetic energy," she whispered. "Yikes! Nothin' but?" Krys squeaked. "Yea. He can't even smile or eat or breathe. He lives off the bio-kinesis," Jubilee said. Krys looked solemn. "Sounds like he got the pile o' crap for a mutation," she mused. Suddenly Emma came back. "Where are Jonothon and Paige?" she inquired. "Waitin' outside," Jubilee said. "So wha'd the Seanster have to say?" Emma smiled. "Krys Barrow, as of now you are a resident of the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." "So welcome to Generation X!" Jubilee exclaimed, as Everett shook a grinning Krys' hand. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* a month and a half later.... Krys Barrow had moved onto the campus, been issued a uniform, memorized the computer files on the team, their allies and enemies, and had undergone rigorous power testing under Sean Cassidy/ Banshee and Emma. Having learned a little more about how to manipulate her powers, Krys felt ready to take on at least one teammate in a sparring match. Sean was worried about that. Emma understood that Krys was just testing herself. So for this first Biosphere session, Krys did not know who her opponent was. She moved stealthily, stretching her senses to the limits to find the student stalking her. She cocked her head, thinking she heard something.... Gray trendils entangled her ankles from behind and yanked, bringing her to the ground. Krys screeched in anger, concentrated, and let her body become intangible, floating through the trendils. "Okay! Who's the wise guy who got the jump on me?" she yelled, walking on the air and looking around. "Just me, chica ," a gravely voice called, and Angelo stepped out of hiding, drawing his fingers back to his hands. "Oh, hi Skin," Krys greeted. "Bye, Skin," she deadpanned, then glided over, became tangible and punched Angelo on the jaw. "OW! No fair!" he yelped as he hit the ground. "Who said this sparring match had to be fair?" Krys questioned, landing on the soil and tackling Skin while jabbing a knee into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Then she swiftly jumped behind Skin, laced her arms around his, clasped her hands behind his neck and fell forward, effectively pinning him to the ground. As Skin flailed about madly, Krys heard a muffled "Ow kampt bweeve!" and let the unfortunate, disgruntled Skin up. "Sorry, guy," Krys said. "Guess I got a little carried away." Skin grimaced "No prob, I think," he replied, rubbing the dirt from his face. Then he actually smiled. "Teach me that hold," he demanded. "Sure," Krys said, and let him practice on her. "Y'know, there are a few disadvantages to this hold," she said, once Angelo had gotten the hang of the move and was holding her captive. "Such as?" Angelo asked. "I could kick ya in the crotch, stomp on your feet or reach back and flip ya over m' head. I'm good at that," Krys said deviously. Angelo got the point and quickly let her go. In the control center/monitor room, Jubilee was watching with Emma. "She plays really mean," Jubilee said admiringly. "Hmmmm. Maybe she needs more of a challenge," Emma muttered, then reached for the intercom. "Angelo, come back to the observation deck," she ordered. Then she turned to Jubilee. "Go out there," she said, with a sneaky smile. Jubilee dashed out into the Biosphere, eagerly anticipating a good sparring. She scoured the interior, but found no sign of Krys. After a few moments of frustration, Jubilee stood on the stream bed and thought about what clues she could have missed. Her gut twisted as her instincts buzzed. Something wasn't right. Someone tapped Jubilee on her shoulder. With a startled yelp, she whirled around and let loose a volley of blinding pyrotechnic blasts. They sailed through the air and an intangible Krys. "Where did you come from?" Jubilee squealed, stomping her foot in anger. "Underground. I was intangible," Krys said, her voice strangely flat and dead. Jubilee noticed the paleness of Krys' complexion and asked, "Hey, you okay?" "Oh, I'm fine. Just 'living' off bio-kinesis. I didn't know when you'd get here, and I'm not THAT good at holding my breath when underground," Krys responded. "Don't worry 'bout me. Worry about yourself," she added, and preformed a similar blinding trick on Jubilee. Jubilee yelped, "YAAAAAGGHHH!" as she staggered backward, her hand over her eyes. Krys became solid again, went low and kicked Jubilee's feet from under her, sending her straight into the stream. Jubilee sat up in the water, spluttering madly and fuming. Little sparks flew about in the air around her. Krys snickered and strode into the stream, offering her hand to her teammate. Grudgingly, Jubilee took the proffered hand, and yanked down hard. With a yowl, Krys hit the water. She sat up and spat a mouthful of liquid at Jubilee. "You pillock! I was going to dry you off!" she said coldly, and climbed out of the stream, literally steaming as bio-kinetic heat flooded her, drying the damp. Jubilee, feeling embarrassed, followed Krys out of the water. Abruptly, with impressive speed, Krys went low again and kicked upward, connecting with Jubilee's ribs and knocking her back into the stream. Jubilee sat up, a sour expression on her face. "PMS much, Krys," she muttered. "I am so not," Krys snapped. "Now quit pretending to be a fish and spar." "That's it!" Jubilee yelled, and leaped out of the water, tackling Krys to the ground, where they wrestled madly for a minute or two, shrieking as hurtful blows fell. Then Jubilee pinned Krys to the ground. Krys just grinned, unfazed. "See ya," she said cheerily, and swiftly sank into the earth. Jubilee hit the dirt. "Hey!" she yelped. Great, she's intangible again! An' still "livin'" off her power, too. What am I gonna do? she thought, disgusted. "Boo!" Krys barked from behind, and as Jubilee jumped, startled, Krys leaped out of the ground and slapped the back of her opponent's head. "Gotcha!" she cried triumphantly. A weird tingle of sorts spread through Jubilee's consciousness and then vanished. "What did you do? " she hollered, shaking her head to get the cobwebs out. "I turned off your power," Krys explained, then bolted away with a laugh. Jubilee squealed in rage and tore after her. Krys relaxed as she ran and focused her attention on becoming a super-speedster. The scenery became a blur and wind screamed in her ears as she ran faster and faster. I'm actually doing it! I'm boostin' my runnin' power! This is so cool! she thought triumphantly. Suddenly Krys saw Jubilee's back ahead of her. Oh no. I'm goin' way too fast. No time to stop! "Uhhh!" Jubilee grunted as something slammed into her from behind, carrying her a short distance before she slipped off and hit the grass. "Sorry!" Krys yelled over her shoulder as she ran off, still super-speeding. "Would someone cut that girl's gas supply?!" Jubilee shouted, getting to her feet and dusting her jacket off. "Look out!" Krys called as she collided with Jubilee again, bowling her over. Jubilee spat out a few choice expletives as she got up. "Get outta th' way!" Krys exclaimed as she crashed into Jubilee yet again. This time Jubilee reached down her teammate's back and grabbed her belt while holding on to Krys' shoulder with the other hand. "Slow down!" she demanded. "Whadda ya think I was doin' the other times I hit ya, playin' chess? I've been tryin' t' do just that!" Krys shouted. "Oh, and I was a convenient brake, is that it?" Jubilee snarled. "No! You just din't get outta the way fast enough," Krys answered. "Hold on; I've got an idea." "It better be good!" Jubilee snarled. Krys stopped running. Her boots cut deep swaths in the mossy undergrowth as she literally skidded to a stop, sliding several yards before halting. With a gasp, she made her legs intangible and stepped out of her smoking boots before dropping a wind-blown Jubilee onto the ground. Jubilee panted heavily as she got over her impromptu ride. After a short silence, Krys spoke up. "I think I ruined my boots," she commented, poking the steaming, wind-tattered footwear. "I'm close t' roadkill and yer worried about yer BOOTS?!?" Jubilee screeched. "Relax, Jubes. You're fine," Krys said reassuringly. "Thanks for the diagnosis, Speedy Gonzalas," Jubiliee grumbled. "'Hellblaze,'" Krys corrected. "I'm codenamed 'Hellblaze.'" "What kinda name is 'Hellblaze'?" Jubilee asked scornfully. "When I first got my powers, I couldn't control them, o' course. Now that I can control them.... somewhat, I'm gonna raise some good ol' hell. And not many things are more destructive than a wild blaze, hence my name," Hellblaze explained. "You wanna keep sparrin'?" "No thanks," Jubilee muttered. Hellblaze smiled and patted Jubilee on the back, restoring her power and energy. "Okay, then, Jubes. Who's my next victim?" Hellblaze inquired. "How can you be so. so fly?" Jubilee countered with her own question. "Believe me, it's all just to cover up my fear," Hellblaze responded. This time, there was nothing joking about her tone or face. *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* In another dimension, a man stirred and summoned his servant. "Is the warp emulator working?" the man rasped in a weak, hoarsely sickening hiss. "Yes, sir," the servant sniveled. "Good. We leave for the Xavier School tomorrow. Now leave me, D.O.A. I must gather my strength." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* that night.... A figure staggered as quietly as possible through the lush vegetation, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Heavy, rasping breaths scraped through a tired chest. The figure stopped before a large tree and roughly embraced it, pressing a smooth cheek against the bark. "I am sorry, tall serene one," a voice whispered hoarsely, "but I need your energy. I've gone too long without a supplement, and I foolishly expended my power today. I would drain the energy from the campus systems or the people, but they would suspect. Please.... forgive me." Neon lights crackled wildly, and energy flowed from the tree to the one holding the tree. In seconds, the leaves, flowers and branches began to wilt. The neon lights leapt from the tree to another, and another, spreading along the ground, sucking the life from and burning all the plant life within a six-feet radius in the Biosphere. All the life flowed into the tree-hugger. "Ahhhh," it sighed in relief. Suddenly it realized the extent of the energy drainage and jerked away from the tree with a gasping sob. "Oh, no, no.... I never wanted that to happen...." But it was too late to give the lost energy back. All the flora was dead. "Oh my God," the figure croaked. "I've lost control...." *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* "Paige! Oh, Paige, wake up.... I need to talk to you," a cracking voice whispered urgently. With a low groan, Paige pulled herself from a wonderful dream and opened her eyes. Krys stood over her, gasping for breath and her face streaked with drying tears. "Krys? What's wrong?" Paige asked, sitting up and reaching out to touch her teammate's shoulder. "Don't touch me!" Krys yelped in a stifled shriek, jumping away. "I could.... I could...." She broke down into tears again and she slumped to the floor. "Oh, Paige. I've.... I've done someth-thing horrible," she moaned. "I didn't -sob- didn't know who else to talk to. I ho-hoped you could ke-keep a secret.... I hoped y-you would underst-stand." Paige climbed out of bed and knelt in front of the scared mutant. "I'll do what I can to help," she assured Krys. Krys gulped and whispered, "D-do you s-swear not to repeat a word I'm gonna.... gonna say? If.... if the others knew, they'd be terrified of me, I know it." "If it means that much to you, I swear," Paige said soothingly. Krys spoke. the next morning in the kitchen.... "Emma, would ye come take a gander at this?" Sean asked, striding up to his co-worker with a worried expression on his face. "What is it, Sean?" Emma inquired, sipping at her usual morning tea. "'Tis somethin' in the Biosphere. I was running some random tests and found something.... disturbing, t' say the least," Sean answered. Curious, Emma rose, set her teacup down and followed Sean to the Biosphere. Once inside, she saw immediately what had worried him so. A twelve-foot wide circle of dead plants marred the otherwise lush tropicality. "What happened?" Emma gasped in shock, kneeling down and tentatively tapping a few grass blades. They crumbled into ashes at her touch. Emma stared incredulously at the ash on her fingers. "I dinnae know, Emma," Sean answered. "I'm as baffled as ye are. It could have been anything from an electrical fire to one o' the kids having a power accident here." "We must speak with the children and see if they know anything," Emma decided, dusting off her hands and turning to go inside while telepathically calling a meeting in the main lounge. When the team was assembled, Emma counted heads and noticed Krys was missing. "Where is Hellblaze?" she inquired. "She went to work out in the gym as soon as you left with Mr. Cassidy," Monet Saint Croix/M explained. "We'll talk tae her later," Sean decided, and explained about the dead plants in the Biosphere. "Does anyone have any explanation?" he questioned. The kids either said "No," or shook their heads. Paige looked uncomfortable, but shook her head anyway. Emma noticed, and was about to question her about it when the air behind her crackled and split open into a wide circle.
