Fan Fiction ❯ Power of the Elements ❯ A New Face In Town ( Chapter 2 )

Power of the Elements

 

By Ranitagoyle

 

Feedback to RJDolphin7@aol.com

 

Website: http://www . gargsmoon . com

 

Series/Sequel: This is the sequel to The Energy and the first in the Elements Trilogy.

 

Timeline: It's been six months since The Energy and six years since the first X-Men movie.

 

Disclaimer: Refer to the prologue.

 

Italics denote thoughts

Bold denotes location change

“…” denotes regular speak

`…' denotes thought speaking

 

 

Chapter 1: A New Face In Town

 

December 9

 

Manhattan was a city under siege. It wasn't a threat from foreign lands, but one from within. For the past few weeks, the NYPD, particularly the Manhattan department, had been overrun with riot calls. These calls were caused by the Quarryman and their new allies, the Friends of Humanity. The two groups were either tearing the city harassing every possible mutant or mutant-friendly organization and crashing People for Interspecies Tolerance (PIT) rallies or damaging buildings with gargoyle statuary.

 

Unfortunately, the trouble these groups caused called for every cop in the city to pull double shifts. Every cop included Detectives Elisa Maza and Matt Bluestone, her partner and head of the Gargoyles Task Force.

 

“Sometimes I wonder why I left the Bureau,” Matt sighed as he rode shotgun in his partner's car. Elisa, who had foregone her normal red jacket in favor of a thicker black leather coat, glanced over at her partner.

 

“Aw, come on, Matt. Don't tell me you wouldn't miss the gargoyles, hunters, faeries, or the secret societies,” she said, smiling.

 

“The gargoyles and secret societies I can deal with. Hell, I'd rather have a go with the faeries than deal with this mess the Q-men and FoH are causing,” he said, leaning back into his seat.

 

“Yeah, we could at least arrest the hunters. I'm tired of working crowd control with these nuts,” Elisa said.

 

“Speaking of these nuts, how is the clan dealing with them?” Matt asked. Before his partner could reply, the car was jerked to a fast stop. Someone or something had just run out in front of the car.

 

 

`I got to get away! They'll hurt me!' thought the girl. She could hear them. She could hear the mob chasing her. She could feel their hate. All she could do was run. She was unaware of the cars she jumped in front of, or the people she passed asking what was wrong. She would have remained unawares if she hadn't bumped into someone who refused to let her go.

 

 

Ranita was having one of those nights. She was late for her programming final due to another riot and now she was running late for her self-defense class.

 

With her medium build and medium height, Ranita could easily pass for the average girl, but she wasn't. Ranita was a mutant. She was one of the most powerful mutants in the world, though she didn't know it or at least didn't acknowledge it. She was twenty, but she could pass for sixteen. She had medium brown skin and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

 

`Wolvie would kick my butt if I didn't stay in shape.' The thought of her mentor made her smile. It had taken the combined efforts of her brother's wife and herself to get Wolvie to let her go off to college in Manhattan, though she had to promise to continue training. Her happy thought were abruptly interrupted by a body slamming into her. All of her training kicked in and she refused to let the person go. The girl, Ranita realized the person she held was a girl, still struggled.

 

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, kid,” Ranita turned the girl to face her. Seeing the absolute panic in the girl's eyes, Ranita asked, “What's wrong, someone chasing ya?” Her voice seemed to finally reach the girl. The girl stopped most of her struggles and looked behind her. Ranita followed her gaze. Eyes narrowing as she saw the FoH members being stopped by a couple of cops, Ranita realized the reason the girl was running. She was a mutant.

 

“They'll kill me!” the girl screamed, beginning her struggle anew. Ranita knew that the girl was right. They would try to kill the girl, but not if she had anything to do about it.

 

One of the FoH members noticed that their quarry hadn't gotten far and they broke away from the police questioning them. Said police gave chase radicals.

 

“Down this way. Hurry!” Ranita led the girl down the alley and turned back toward the alley's opening. Holding her hand out toward the opening, there was a greenish glow. As if someone was mending the ends together, the walls quickly came together, closing the wall off. Running back and grabbing the girl, they ran to the other end of the alley. Together, the girls ran down the streets of Manhattan, trying their best to lose their pursuers.

 

The pair kept running until they were five blocks away, in a small park, from the alley they once occupied. Feeling relatively sure they were safe, Ranita turned to the girl.

 

“All right, lady. The only reasons those good ole boys would be chasin' ya are if you're a mutant or a friend of a mutant. Now, which is it, sweetie?” Ranita asked. Leading them to a bench that wasn't real dirty, they sat down and rested while the girl seemed to contemplate Ranita's question.

 

“I'm a mutant,” the girl said, shyly.

 

“And what special ability have you been gifted with? You don't have to answer if you don't want,” Ranita added.

 

Without hesitation, the girl said “I can amplify and use the abilities of other mutants around me. I guess you could call it copying.” Ranita just look at the girl. How could such a shy girl just offer up that kind of information without considering the consequences? Ranita wondered.

 

“I'm glad you told me, but next time don't be so trusting, sweetie. I know many people, both mutants and others, that would love to make use of your power.” As soon as the words were said, Ranita wished she could take them back. The look of fear in the girl's face was enough to touch her heart.

 

“Okay, how a trade? Since, you told me something important about you I'll tell you something important about me. I'm a mutant, too. I can control the elements of nature. I'll do you one better. The name's Ranita.” Ranita hoped her deal and easy smile was enough to put the girl back at ease. She knew her plan worked with she heard “Amiya.”

 

“So, where are ya headed, Amiya?” asked Ranita, as they continued through the park. Receiving silence to her question, Ranita continued, “I know a place where the food is hot, and the couch isn't so bad. And if you don't mind I have some friends that can help you with your situation…” Realizing what she just said, Ranita managed to look embarrassed.

 

“And I just told you not to trust people out the talk to you because you're a mutant. Sorry, sometimes mah mouth runs away from mah brain. How about we just get the mah place and go at it from there?” Ranita asked. Ranita looked at her young companion and the girl silently laughing at her. “Hey! It wasn't that funny!” she said, though she smiled to take the bite out of her words. “So, you decided?”

 

Amiya let the last of her laughter out and then seriously considered the pros and cons of Ranita's offer. The pros were that she would have a warm place to sleep and food. The cons were that she would be going home with a virtual stranger, but then again Ranita hadn't done anything to her while they were alone in the park.

 

Hmm, food, stranger, warm place to sleep, stranger… “Sure. Can't get any worst than what I am doing now,” Amiya said.

 

“Good! Come on, we aren't far from my apartment and since it's so close to Christmas, I'll do you the honor of trying mah secret recipe for hot chocolate,” said Ranita.

 

 

It turned out that Ranita's apartment was just on the other side of the park. Though the apartment complex was in a `bad neighborhood,' you couldn't tell it from the inside. There were the usual staircase and a pair of elevators, but there was also something else. There was a security guard, but he didn't seem to be guarding anything. Ranita handed him a card and waited for him to swipe it through some type of computer. Reading the screen, he flipped a switch. The wall opened up to reveal another elevator with a hand shaped emblem on front of the doors.

 

“Please, place your right hand on the door,” the guard instructed. Ranita walked up to the door and did as the guard said. The guard, satisfied, turned toward the two girls.

 

“Welcome home, Ms. Kimble and have a good evening,” the guard said, holding the card out to her.

 

“You too, Sam, and what have I told you about that `Ms. Kimble' stuff,” she said, taking the card from him. Sam just smiled and turned back to his monitor. Ranita and Amiya just stepped inside the elevator. Once the doors were closed, Amiya turned to her host.

 

“Where in the world have you brought me?” Amiya queried.

 

“I told you it would be safe, didn't I?” Ranita asked. Having nothing to say to that, they continued the elevator ride in silence.

 

The elevator halted and the doors opened not to a hallway, but to an actual apartment. Once the two were inside, Amiya got a chance to see how her new friend lived. The apartment itself was spacious, to say the least. To Amiya's right, there was a kitchen (kitchenette just didn't cut it) and to her left there was a door that led to who knew where. There was a six foot Christmas tree in the corner, decorated with many ornaments. While Ranita made her way to the kitchen, Amiya opted for the floor in front of the couch. In front of her was a small television set and next to it was a stereo system. There's nothing really threatening about this place…well, except for the front door, Amiya thought.

 

“Girl, if you don't get up offa that floor…” Ranita's voice snapped Amiya up and out of her thoughts. She turned around to see her hostess holding two cups and a slight frown on her face.

 

“I didn't want to get your couch dirty,” Amiya said, looking down. Ranita eased the frown and shifted one of the cups until it was in Amiya's line of sight. When Amiya took the cup, Ranita moved to sit on the couch and patted the cushion next to her, in a silent command for her guest to sit.

 

“Look, you are a guest. I don't want you bein' uncomfortable just because you don't want to get something dirty,” Ranita sat her cup on the small side-table. “I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not exactly hurtin' for cash, so whatever gets dirty can obviously get cleaned. Don't worry about it,” she smiled at the bashful girl beside her. “Anyway, I offered you the couch and I meant it.” The two just laughed.

 

“Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how you drink you hot chocolate and get in a hot bath, while I make a few calls, okay?” Amiya nodded her agreement and Ranita got up to take her cup and headed for the kitchen area.

 

Stopping, Ranita turned back to her quiet guest. “Oh, and one more thing,” Ranita held her hand out toward Amiya and her eyes changed from a dark brown to a fire red. Amiya felt the cup in her hands warm-up, the liquid within steaming. “There, that's better.” As Ranita walked away, Amiya could only smile. Well, this is an interesting situation with an equally interesting person, she thought.

 

 

Elisa was tired and the last thing she wanted to be doing was additional paperwork. First, she had almost hit someone with her car. Then, almost immediately she had to deal with FoH members, who were obviously chasing the someone she had almost hit. She and Matt had managed to cuff a couple of the men while the rest ran off in pursuit of a couple of girls. One of those girls was a mutant or something more, she thought, recalling how the girl's eyes had glowed green before the wall sealed itself.

 

“Maza!” a voice shouted above the cacophony of the bull-pen. Elisa turned to see her boss, Captain Maria Chavez, standing in front of her desk. Elisa could see that her captain wasn't pleased.

 

“Yes, captain?” Elisa asked.

 

“What have you been able to get out of those FoH thugs?” Chavez replied. Elisa could see that these past few weeks have had as much if not more of an impact on her captain than she let on. But, she knew better than to bring it up.

 

“Well, before they lawyered-up, one of them let it slip that `the boss' wanted the mutant alive and that soon there wasn't going to be a mutant to stop them,” Elisa said, flipping through her little notebook. “I don't know what the last means, but it doesn't sound good.”

 

Nodding, Chavez said “Finally, a clue as to what's got the Friends and the Quarrymen so riled up. Good work, Maza,” turning to go back to her office, Captain Chavez looked back at her best detective. “Go home, Maza. That paperwork will be here tomorrow,”

 

And Elisa did just that.

 

 

Westchester, New York

Xavier Institute for Gifted Children

 

Logan was pissed and as he walked the halls of the Institute he wasn't opposed to letting everyone know it. Logan, also known to his friends and better known to his enemies as Wolverine, was known for being quick-tempered with equally quick reflexes. With everyone avoiding him like the plague, Logan made his way down to the Danger Room. Unfortunately, someone had beaten him to it.

 

Looking through the control room windows, Logan smiled at who working in the Danger Room. Down below, the woman known as Rogue was making short work of the robots.

 

“Lookin' good, darlin'. Care for some company?” Logan asked through the microphone.

 

She didn't stop her attack as she replied, “I'm almost done here. Gimme a minute and Ah'll be right up.”

 

As soon as the simulation ended, Rogue flew up towards the control room window and waited for it to lower. Once lowered, she landed in front of Logan. She took one look at his face, then threw her arms around his neck and drew him down for a kiss. Though the kiss was unexpected, Logan easily adjusted and drew the young woman closer to him. Slowly, the two released each other from their kiss.

 

“Okay, what's got you so riled up that ya had to come down here to work it off, sugar?” Rogue asked.

 

Logan sighed. Rogue knew him better than anyone at the mansion, even before their relationship went to the next level.

 

“Little sister's at it again,” was all he had to say. Rogue finally understood. Apparently, Ranita had gotten herself into some more mischief.

 

“What's Tempest done now? Pulled the toupee off the dean again during assembly?” she asked, walking over to the control console. “Surely, it can't be as bad as you're makin' it out to be.”

 

“She rescued a mutant girl that was being chased by the Friends.” That stopped Rogue's motions at the console and she turned back to Logan.

 

“Okay, so it's bad. What else?” she inquired.

 

“According to Chuck, Ranita brought the girl home with her. She's trying to talk the girl into joining the Institute, so she wants a couple of days to get the girl settled and convinced to come here,” he growled out. As he explained, he started to pace, very similar to a caged animal.

 

It was silent as Logan paced, waiting for Rogue's reply. Finally, she started, “Sounds like a good—” only to be interrupted by Logan.

 

“Don't finish that sentence, darlin',” he warned. “The only reason she's even in Manhattan because she promised to keep her powers on the down low and knowing her, they didn't get rid of the Friends by normal means. I can't believe that you're siding with them on this! We should just go down there and get'em outta there before anymore trouble comes her way!”

 

Rogue knew from Logan's yells, growls and rapid breathing that his berserker rage was close to taking hold of him. She stepped in front of him, cutting off his pacing and said, “I think it's a good idea, Logan. If the girl's a little skittish around new folks, then let Tempest handle it. Tempest isn't a little kid anymore and you know she kick your ass for acting like this. You know she can take care of herself. Now,” she put her ungloved hand against Logan's cheek, “tell me the real reason you're so upset about this.”

 

“I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, Marie. It just doesn't smell right,” he snorted.

 

“Okay, how `bout we take a trip to Manhattan in the morning, spend a day touring, then drop by Nita's apartment and introduce ourselves. That way Tempest gets her time, you can stop worryin' and I get a day to shop,” she said, smiling. Logan couldn't help, but smile return.

 

“You know just how to fix things, darlin'.” Though Logan continued to smile, he couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going down and that they would right in the middle of it.

 

 

Well, that's the end for now. I hope y'all enjoyed it. Email me and tell me what think!