Kid Dynamo Chapter Five: Win, Lose or Draw by Connie Hirsch Our Story So Far: Teenage telekinetic fireproof mutant runaway (whew!) Jessica Pierce was rescued from the clutches of the Right by a very surprised Magneto. Our heroine hates his guts for more than the usual reasons -- her mother's mutant fire powers went berserk and killed the poor woman after Magneto had tampered with them way back when. So it was with some fear and loathing that Jessica decided to try Xavier's school for a month -- as a pure point of fact, Jessica had nowhere else to go. It's been over a week and a half since Jessie began classes, and it's been an eventful time. It started with Jessica's first Danger Room run, where she blew up robots and took out the forcefield. Since then, she's destroyed Colossus's training ram, and an alien spaceship belonging to the Toad. Doug Ramsey may not have been joking when he suggested the codename "Overkill." Magneto: Debriefing session Friday -- excuse me, Saturday 15th October, 0221 hours. Students, Ms. Hunter, I should like to run this formally if briefly, while events are still clear in the memory of the participants. We can flesh out our accounts later in written form. Any questions? Splendid. Present at this session are, from my right, Mirage, Wolfsbane, Magma, Ms. Hunter, Cypher, Magik, Jessica Pierce, and on my left Cannonball. All were present at the dance held at the Massachusetts Academy, and all were witnesses to or participants in the events encountered there. Cypher: I'll say. Magneto: Thank you for the illuminating comment, Cypher. Now, let us put the events of the evening in chronological order. Specifically, before we left for the dance, did anyone notice anything out of the ordinary? Cannonball: Ah think we were all excited about the dance, sir. But not beyond the ordinary. * * * I looked in the mirror at myself. When Stevie had had me try on the white formal dress, she'd been there to be encouraging and somehow had made it more elegant. Maybe I hadn't noticed the ridiculously long legs and lack of bust, or maybe it had just been the lights in the dressing room. I sighed, and picked up my makeup from the bureau. Stevie had promised to paint me up; she was down the hall in Illyana's large room for wardrobe consultation. I pirouetted one last time in the mirror -- the big white dress twirling out from around my knees like a ballerina's tutu. For a moment, maybe, I didn't look like a little girl dressed up in her mama's clothes. I could hear Dani all the way through the door. "I look _terrible_," she said. I knocked and slipped in. Dani did look terrible -- red didn't suit her. "Maybe a scarf or something to drape around your neck, if you're going to wear that color," said Stevie. _She_ was dressed in a classy lilac gown, off the shoulder with a matching bolero jacket of lilac silk. She looked absolutely dashing. "I'd better to just junk the dress and start fresh," Dani said glumly. Her waist length hair was unbraided for once and fell in that crinkly wavy pattern that looks so neat. "It's not so much the dress, it's the color," said Illyana. "Why not try this one?" She held up a black velvet minidress with rhinestones crusting the shoulders and ends of the sleeve and scattered like stars across the skirt. Amara practically wafted into the room. She was dressed in a classically styled pale blue gown, her blonde hair piled up like you see on Greek vases. I saw her glance at Illyana helping Dani tug the red dress over her head and suppress a laugh. "Amara, why don't you start on Jessie's makeup," Stevie said, folding away the red dress while Illyana zipped Dani up. Amara had me sit in front of a well-lighted vanity and began applying foundation. "You're so fair-skinned I have to use the lightest shade," she said. "I know," I said. "I can't tan at all. My power absorbs all the excess sunshine." "How useful," she said. "Nova Roma is on the Equator -- it is nearly impossible to avoid a suntan. It's considered desirable to be as pale as one can." "It must be such a challenge to live in this culture, so different from your own," I said. "I've learned so much here," she said. "Really, it is not so different. I was of the patrician class, and we have pastimes and concerns that are not so different from the average American. Yours is a rich country, Jessie." I'm an ersatz American, but I wasn't about to bring that up. "You've adapted so well," I said. "Nova Romans have makeup too," she said. "Though it has a tendency to go bad in the heat." She began to apply blusher. Rahne came into the room. "Magneto is lookin' nervous an' pacing aboot the foyer," she said. "Oh, that silly man," said Stevie. She and Illyana were working feverishly on Dani's face now. "He knows very well we're not to leave for another 20 minutes." "Tis his nature to fuss," said Rahne. She was attired in a pink lacy dress, very delicate, a color which complemented her red hair. I went over to Stevie for final touchups. I had to admit the results were better than I'd hoped for. "Shall we?" said Stevie, leading the way out of the door and down the stairs. Magneto and Sam and Doug were standing in the foyer, decked out in full tuxedo regalia. Sam looked distinctly uncomfortable, but Doug managed to appear as though he were born to wear it. Magneto was magnificent in a white full metal tuxedo. He actually smiled fondly as we swept down the grand staircase. "You look lovely, ladies," he said. Tom came out of the kitchen with a 35mm camera. "Time for a picture, everyone," he said with a grin. Stevie stood next to Magneto and we clustered around on either side. I managed to stand at the far end without looking too obvious about it. "I wish Roberto and Warlock were here," I heard Rahne whisper to Dani. "Illyana, if you will do the honors," said Magneto. Tom stepped back and a bright circle of light came up from the floor beneath our feet. While it wasn't the first time I'd been transported by Illyana's stepping disk, it was the first time I'd been fully conscious during it. There was a wrenching sense of displacement and we were elsewhere: Limbo. It seemed to be a gloomy cobweb-festooned hall. I hardly had time for sightseeing, Illyana gestured again, the light came up and we were in a copse of woods. "Why do we _always_ end up in the middle of nowhere?" Doug said. We were in a little wood on the main campus of the Massachusetts Academy, actually only a few steps away from a paved walkway that led to the main building. This was the school run by Emma Frost, notorious White Queen of the Hellfire Club, and headmistress of our "rival" mutant class, the Hellions. We went directly to the ballroom, where the dance was just beginning. One thing I noticed about the Academy: the place had about as much security as your average police state. However, the guards merely nodded to Magneto and let us by, one of the benefits accruing to him as the White King, I suppose. It was a nice ballroom, with a stage at one end used for school plays and other things. A band was setting up for a later performance, in the meantime a DJ played records over the superb PA. There were real crystal chandeliers in the room, and expensive looking chairs and tables set in little groups about the perimeter of the room. I guess evil gets to go first class. Some students were already dancing, and mingling over at the buffet, and more were arriving all the time. A woman separated herself from the crowd and came over to us. She was extremely blonde, clad in a long white dress that looked sedate until you realized it was backless and slit up-to-here. "The White Queen," Doug whispered to me but I'd heard her description so many times before I already knew who it was. She walked right up to Magneto, and held out her hand. I was relieved to see he didn't kiss it. "How nice to see you... _Michael_," she said, and unless you knew the true state of affairs you'd've thought it was genuinely friendly. The Master of Magnetism gave her a remote smile in return. "Emma, always a pleasure," he said. "May I introduce Stevie Hunter, a valued member of my staff." He touched Stevie's shoulder gently, but something in his body language warned of dire consequences should harm come to her. "Charmed," said the White Queen, her eyes raking Stevie up and down, and in that moment I began to hate her. Before I'd only disliked her in the way you do an abstract concept, but in the flesh you could really appreciate what a bitch she was. "I've heard _so much_ about you," said Stevie with an unperturbed smile. I could see the corners of Magneto's mouth give the tiniest twitch at her words. Frost kept eye contact longer than necessary, trying to stare her out. "Why, _Michael_," said Ms. Frost, turning to me. "You have a new student." She had pale, almost colorless eyes and a quasi-English accent that you sometimes hear in old-money New England families. I found myself wishing I had worn heels. She must be nearly six feet in hers and I had an urge to stare down at her. "Jessica Pierce, Emma Frost," said Magneto. "Jessica is a new transfer student," he added. Frost kept staring at me. What a perfect name for her, I thought and realized she might be trying to read me. _Curtsy while you think, curtsy while you think_, I repeated to myself over and over. Hey, it worked for Alice. I wondered if it felt like anything if someone read your mind? * * * Magneto: Jessica, did you notice anything out of the ordinary on your first encounter with the White Queen? Jessica: (pause) Other than fear and loathing? No, I'm serious. My stomach started feeling upset. Magneto: That's a not uncommon reaction to such a situation, but in light of later events.... * * * "Emma, I believe we have some matters to discuss," Magneto said, breaking the White Queen's concentration. "Of course, Michael," she said, giving me a last speculative look. _Curtsy while you think_, I thought. To tell the truth I felt oddly queasy. Confrontations like this usually don't unsettle me. The White King and White Queen walked away across the floor, the crowd parting for them. They weren't dressed in silly supervillian costumes but there was still an air of power about them, setting them apart from ordinary people. My mother had projected that kind of presence -- I'd just assumed everyone's parents were like that. "You okay, hon?" said Stevie at my elbow. In a lower voice she said, "She didn't hurt you, did she?" "No, not at all," I said. "I didn't feel anything. But then maybe I wouldn't." "She's not known for being subtle," said Stevie. "Charles said telepaths can read surface thoughts easily, but anything deeper takes work -- and is noticeable. It's a shame he's not here to teach you the mental equivalent of judo." "It's a shame he's not here, period," I said. Stevie and I chatted on for a while, watching people on the dance floor. Doug danced past us, partnered with a blonde girl. He gave us a wink and mouthed something that might have been "later." I'll say this for the White Queen, her school had good taste in DJ's. He alternated set of 'contemporary dance music' with older tunes that the romantically inclined, or the fuddy-duddies, could dance to. I admit to being prejudiced; Noemi was always a Motown fan. Sam came up to us with a willowy redhead in tow. "Marie- Ange," he introduced her. She had a Parisian accent. "I heard so much about you," she said to Stevie. "All the time they were students here, Amara and Rahne made talk of their so excellent dance teacher." Stevie dimpled. "Time to do mah duty by you ladies," Sam said to us. "Stevie, may I have have the pleasure of the next dance." "If Jess doesn't mind being left--" said Stevie. "No, Marie-Ange and I can chat," I said. "[So, are you really from Paris?]" I said once we were alone at the table. "[Why, yes, from Neuilly,]" she said. "[You speak French?]" "[No, I speak Japanese,]" I said. Noemi had spent a lot of time in France when I was little, and she'd made sure I spoke it well. "[It's rare that I get a chance to talk in French these days.]" "[It's what I miss most about living in the U.S.,]" she said, and paused. "[Have you been a New Mutant long?]" "[Only all my life,]" I said. "[But no, I'm new at Xavier's.]" "[Oh, then you are the new student Mademoiselle Frost asked us to observe,]" she said with a wicked smile. "[For teams who are supposedly friends we do much... observing.]" "[I suppose,]" I said and gave an inward sigh. _Everybody_ just assumed I'd joined the team. Well, they were in for a rude surprise, soon enough. Marie-Ange -- it was easier to call her that than Tarot, the code name she used -- and I fell to discussing the White Queen and very amusing she was on that subject. "[It is useless to hide one's feelings,]" she added, "[so one may be refreshingly honest. Even if the truth is not flattering."] "[What a way to live,]" I said, appalled, as Sam and Stevie came up to the table. "Don't worry, Sam, everyone steps on someone's feet sooner or later," said Stevie. She wasn't noticeably limping, anyway. "May Ah have the honor of this dance?" said Sam, and he was so gallant that I said yes despite some reservations. Luckily a good song was playing -- "I Just Can't Get Enough," by Depeche Mode -- so Sam's "dancing" was nearly bearable. You'd think with four years of lessons from Stevie he'd be a better dancer. I think he gets too nervous; he's usually well coordinated. I could see Doug over on the other side of the dance floor with the blonde from earlier. _He_ could cut a swath. Sam must be dancing-challenged. At least he was enthusiastic, so much it was infectious. I was just beginning to relax when a good-looking guy tapped Sam on the shoulder and said, "You bothering the ladies again, Guthrie?" "Oh, uh, hello, Jim," Sam said, a little confused. "Jim" couldn't have been any older than 18, despite his height and build. He was Amerind, with long hair held back by a headband, filling out a buckskin tuxedo in a manner that is probably illegal in uptight states. Despite his arrogance in interrupting our dance, I kind of liked him. He had a great smile. "Just can't stand by while there's a pretty lady in distress," he said. "Mind if I cut in?" Well, Sam didn't look _too_ put out and I certainly didn't want to cause a scene on the dance floor. Also, I had a very good idea who Jim was, so it was a good excuse to "get acquainted." "I don't mind, Sam," I said and he nodded and went off in search of solace. Jim led me back into the dance, where we finished out the song. When the music changed to one of the "slow" sets he offered me his arm, saying "I haven't had a chance until we've danced an entire song." How could I resist? As we waltzed, he said, "I haven't seen you around the Academy before. You aren't Sam's date, are you?" "Oh, Heavens, no, _Thunderbird_," I said. Feeling devilish I added, "I'm the new student at Xavier's you've heard so much about." For a microsecond I lifted him off his feet just a half inch or so. The look of surprise on his face was quite gratifying, and I'll give him this -- he didn't miss a step of the waltz. "Oh, ho," he said. "I haven't heard much about you at all." "I'm Jessica Pierce," I said in a quiet voice I knew wouldn't carry. "The New Mutants actually say nice things about you, you know." "And why shouldn't they?" he replied smoothly. "I'm a nice guy." All through the conversation we hadn't missed a single step. I hadn't waltzed since I was a child taking dance classes. It is quite a different experience when your partner is tall and strong and masculine and smells wonderful. Thunderbird didn't seem to have an inkling of the effect he had on me. It's a good thing waltzing is generally out of fashion or there would be more teenage pregnancies, I bet. We danced right past Magneto and Dani, and I could feel my face get hot at their expressions. Magneto looked startled and Dani looked -- it might have been my imagination -- jealous. We stayed out on the floor through the next song, then it was time to sit down. My heart was thumping so hard I felt positively giddy. There was quite a little gathering around Stevie now -- Marie-Ange and Sam, Doug and his blonde friend, and Rahne with a purple-haired girl, the one they called Catseye. Off to the side there was a dark-haired young man who didn't seem quite part of the group. I didn't really notice him until he spoke as I walked up. "Europa!" he said, in a state of total shock. I stopped dead. There weren't many people who knew me by that name; I hadn't used it since we moved to America. I looked at the young man for the first time; he was brown- haired, brown-eyed, with a thin but handsome face and a slim swimmer's body. I drew a complete blank. "Do I know you?" I said. "[But of course!]" he said in the purest Castilian Spanish, and my heart leaped. "[Lito,]" I said. "[It's been seven years. You've grown up, little brother of my heart.]" "[You've grown up too, Sister,]" he said. Somehow we'd rushed together into an embrace. It was weird; I'd always been much taller than Manuelito and now he was a little taller than me. "[I can't believe it, I never thought I'd see you again,]" I said. "[Mother and I came to America and went deep underground.]" "[How is your mother?]" he said. "[I think of you both often.]" It would have been hard for me to give an easy answer to that, but I was saved by the sudden appearance of Stevie and Sam on either side of us, flanked by Thunderbird close by looking puzzled. "Jessica," said Stevie. She seemed worried. "Manuel," said Sam, a hard look in his eyes. "What's the matter?" I said, and to Lito I said, "You've met my friends?" "I've ...met Sam," Lito said, cool as a cucumber, so much like his father I almost shuddered. "But I have not had the pleasure of an acquaintance with the Senora." Something was terribly wrong. I looked around the circle of faces for a clue. "What's going on?" I said. "Europa, your friends didn't tell you?" said Lito. "I'm Empath." * * * Jessica: I'm not sure if my mouth gaped wide in surprise. I'd heard Empath talked about at length, I'd even heard his name -- Manuel de la Rocha. But I hadn't made the connection; there are plenty of de la Rochas in Spain and elsewhere, and Manuel is a common name. If you'd said Manuel Alphonso de la Rocha de Guzman, I'd have known right away. * * * "Jessica, can I speak with you?" said Stevie urgently, her hand on my shoulder. But I don't push easy. "It is all right, Europa," said Lito with a smile. "The Senora merely wishes to warn you against me." "What'd you call her?" said Sam. The hard light hadn't left his eyes. This was a side of Sam I hadn't seen before; he was one of those quiet men you don't annoy easily. But when you finally do, watch out. "'Europa,'" I said. "It used to be my name ...before I came to America." "[I'll wait,]" Lito said. "[They can't stop us if we want to talk.]" "[Better to reassure them,]" I said. I followed Stevie 'til we were out of earshot. Our little confrontation hadn't attracted much notice; we hadn't even raised our voices. "Are you okay, hon?" Stevie said. "Of course I am," I said. "I've know Lito since we were six or seven. He wouldn't do anything to me." "I'm not so sure," she said. "_Think_, Jessica. Are you feeling normal?" "I'm feeling annoyed, that's what I'm feeling," I said. I sighed, I guess I could understand Stevie's concern. It was hard to believe Empath, that devil, that totally and hideously evil person was my "little brother," Lito. There must have been some mistake. "He's in a terrible environment. The White Queen must have been controlling him when he did those things." "I wish I believed that," Stevie said. "Where do you know him from, anyway?" "Alphonso de la Rocha Betancourt sheltered Mother and me while she was working for the Basque separatists. I stayed with his wife and son on and off for nearly three years. Lito and I were like brother and sister." "He's changed a lot since then," Stevie said. "So have I," I said. "He's the brother of my heart. We pledged we'd be friends forever, and a promise like that means something to a de la Rocha." "He controls people's emotions, Jess," she said. "How do I know he isn't messing with you?" "He wouldn't do something like that to me," I said. "Look-- he only just recognized me. Do you think he had enough time to do something like that to me?" "He sure seemed surprised," Stevie said thoughtfully, "Empath doesn't strike me as a good actor." "I'm okay, Stevie, and I'll _be_ okay," I said. I glanced over at the little group we'd left being. Sam looked thunderous, Rahne was on the verge of wolfing out; Marie-Ange looked upset and even the normally cheerful Doug was visibly agitated. At least Lito looked calm, but I knew that was deceiving. "C'mon, let's go back before there's fireworks," I said and walked away from Stevie before she had a chance to object. I didn't get the impression they'd been doing much talking while Stevie and I were gone; more likely they'd just been glaring. Defusing the situation seemed the best course. "Would you dance with me, Manuelito?" I said. He glanced casually around the mostly angry or bewildered faces and then to me. "[As my sister wishes,]" he said, offering his arm to me. "Jess," said Sam intently. "Don't fuss, Sam," I said, turning to Lito. "I know what I'm doing." I looked up -- up! -- into the eyes of my little brother and we waltzed away across the dance floor. * * * I only let us get halfway across; Magneto was standing on the other side of the floor and I didn't fancy another confrontation before I'd got things sorted out. There was a terrace along this side of the room. At the first opportunity I pulled Lito out the door with me. "[Now we can talk,]" I said, and he smiled and embraced me. "[You remember how we pledged to be always friends,]" he said in my ear. "[And much more besides,]" I said. "[They've told you the most terrible things about me,]" he said. "[Some of it's true.]" "[Even if it's true, you're still my brother,]" I said, and hugged him tighter. "[A lot of it ...wasn't my fault.]" he said. "[I have a mutant power ...to manipulate emotions. Sometimes I'm the one that gets manipulated, though.]" "[I'm a mutant, too,]" I said. "[I can do things.]" "[I'm glad,]" he said. "[You deserve to be able to do wonderful things.]" "[You're not surprised?]" I said. "[You're the daughter of your mother,]" he said. "[I should be surprised?]" "[You're the surprise,]" I said and I had a wicked thought. We were out of the line of sight of the door to the terrace and there was no one about. "[Hold my hands,]" I commanded, and trustingly, as he would when we were little, he did. I lifted us up into the air over the building. Lito gasped and clutched my hands tight, and then a great smile slid over his face. "[It's you,]" he laughed. "[You're doing this?]" "[Yes!]" I laughed and tumbled us about so the earth seemed to revolve. The moon was full and it was nearly cloudless; you could see the whole campus spread out below, toy buildings and a tiny duck pond with a miniature moon river in it. I leveled us out and gazed into Lito's eyes. "[So how did a nice boy like you end up in a place like this?]" For the first time Lito looked away, but he gripped my fingers tighter. At last he said, "[Four years ago, Mother died in her sleep. The coroner said it was a heart attack, but when Father moved his mistress into the house I was suspicious. I went to the doctor and _persuaded_ him to tell me what she really died of. Poison.]" Manuelito looked at me. His pupils were wide in the soft light of the moon, and the light brown irises were nearly black in the light. "[It was the first time I meant to use my power, Europa,]" he said. "[After that it was ...easier. I waited until Father's wedding night, then I killed them both.]" "[Oh, Lito,]" I said. "[I'm so sorry.]" "[I'm sorry, too,]" he said, his voice flat, all but devoid of human emotion. "[I'm sorry I didn't make it slower and more painful, and I'm sorry I could only do it once.]" I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. Maria -- Lito's mother -- had been sweet and patient and shy, such a contrast to her husband. "[After that, I went crazy for a while,]" Lito said. "[Ordering the servants about. They had no choice. Eventually the police came, and I controlled them too. But there's a limit to my influence -- too many people for too long-- and things got serious. Senora Frost came and ...put things right. I came to America, to this school. I was only thirteen, and no one takes a thirteen-year-old seriously. I'll wait until I'm of legal age and then.... I don't know.]" We moved together in the air and I hugged him, and then we were both crying. "[I'm sorry,]" he said. "[If I'd only had my power when my father was... when I got your mother to rescue you. I could have made her kill him then, she was so furious, it wouldn't have taken much to push her over the edge. I'd have saved us so much grief... we'd have never been separated.]" I shuddered, remembering the feel of Alphonso's fingers on my neck. He'd promised to kill my mother if I told. I was only ten; I believed him. When Lito summoned my mother, Alphonso had turned coward soon enough. But it had meant Lito and I were parted; Lito had known that was the price of ending my torment. It was a terrible choice for a nine-year-old to make. * * * Magneto: So, once you had Empath aloft with you? Jessica: We ...talked about old times and how we'd gotten where we were. Magneto: And--? Jessica: That was all. Magneto: You were aware of his powers. Jessica: You're not the only one who has implied he must have been influencing me. He wasn't; he wouldn't do something like that to me. Magneto: I'm not about to make a judgment on what happened this early in a debriefing. The record reflects you do not believe you were influenced at any time.... * * * We spent some time just talking, holding hands. I told him how Noemi died and he held me tight while I cried a little. While I dried my eyes he said, "[Would you like me to kill him for you?]" as casually as he might have asked me the time of day. I admit to hating Magneto, bitterly at times, and especially during my mother's protracted and painful death. If he had showed up _then_ I might have tried to kill him. But Noemi had always told me to preserve life, not take it. And Magneto didn't deserve death. Noemi had loved him, despite the fact that she had left him because of his craziness; despite the fact of the pain he'd caused her. "I'm sure he never thought this would happen," she'd said to me once. All these and more raced through my mind as I held us up over the Academy. "[I'd rather you wouldn't,]" I said. Lito studied my face; his was a mask of calm. "[Why not?]" he said. "[Has he not harmed one whom we hold dear? Why should he not pay deeply for his crimes?]" I shivered. It wasn't just the thought of killing Magneto that chilled me: it was the realization that my beloved Manuelito was -- crazy. "No!" I said. "[I need not kill him,]" said Lito thoughtfully. "[He could -- suffer.]" "[No,]" I said. Lito stared at me. "[Too many people depend on him--]" It was true; I just hadn't thought of it that way before. What would become of the New Mutants if he wasn't there? The X-Men were all well and good but they hadn't bothered to show up the entire time I'd been at the school. Tom and Sharon and Stevie would keep it together as long as they could, but what if Mr. Sinister or one of his peers showed up? My own need for revenge meant nothing; it would dishonor my mother's memory and all she believed in. "[It would not be so bad,]" Lito said. "[You come come here to the Academy -- we could be together again.]" "[I'll think on it,]" I said. "[If it were not for the White Queen...]" "[Together, we could take her,]" he said with a cold cold smile. "[She would not trouble you then.]" "[Or we could go off by ourselves,]" I said. Yes, that might be a solution -- though not right away. If I could learn enough to defend us, I could set up fake identities -- but then I couldn't become a doctor. If only I could get Lito away from the baleful influence of the White Queen and the Hellfire Club, that would make it worth sacrificing my dream. My little brother needed help; I'd just have to figure out how to do it. First things first, I told myself. We couldn't go off tonight, and it would be better to wait until I was of legal age, Lito too -- he would have just turned 17, we were nearly the same age. "[We've got so much to talk about,]" I said to him, "[but not now. We'd better get back to the dance before they start accusing us of abducting each other.]" I took us down to the terrace we'd stood upon. * * * Magneto: Now, as to the interesting part of the evening -- I'd like to go around the table now. Where were you all? Cannonball: Ah'd gone to dance with Rahne -- er, Wolfsbane, sir. In the middle of the dance floor. We were hoping to spot Empath and Jessie. Wolfsbane: Aye -- that's where we were when yon Sassenach started his antics. Mirage: I was talking to Thunderbird. We were on the far south side of the ballroom. Near Ms. Hunter. Stevie: I had just reached your side, Magnus. I was somewhat upset with Jessica and Manuel. Magneto: Everyone else? Cypher? Cypher: I was, uh, taking in the sights with Roulette out by the lake. Wolfsbane: Douglas! Magneto: Rahne, that's enough. Continue, Cypher. Cypher: Really we _were_ just going for a walk. She'd had a little more of the punch than was good for her -- it _was_ spiked pretty bad. So we went for a walk. Magneto: I do not doubt it. Illyana? Magik: Huh? Magneto: Kindly pay attention to the proceedings. Tell us your whereabouts just before the incident. Magik: Well, I'd stepped out to Limbo to check up on Jess with a scrying pool. Jessica: You'd what? Magneto: Jessica. Magik: It's just because I don't trust Empath, Jessie. I thought I'd check to see if things were kosher. Jessica: I don't like being spied upon. Magik: You were both speaking Spanish, anyway. I was trying to tell if he was "influencing" you. Magneto: And was he? Magik: I can't prove he was. I can't prove he wasn't. Both their emotions were running pretty high. If Empath used _magic_ I could tell for sure... Magneto: I fear we will have to leave this unproven. Jessica? Jessica: I was on the balcony with Manuelito, on our way back to the dance. Magma: I was looking for Manuel. I'd been talking to him earlier. I couldn't find him anywhere.... * * * We stepped off the balcony holding hands. I was still a little starry-eyed from our reunion. "[You will think on my proposal,]" Lito said as I came into the room, his hand on my shoulder. "[Of course, I shall,]" I said, turning back to him. I gave him the slightest kiss on the cheek and a hug. Behind me I heard a distinct gasp. I didn't know what to expect when I turned around. Amara was standing there, her face pale. "Manuel!" she said, and the floor seemed to tremble just slightly. "You _hussy_!" she said to me, her face beginning to flush. "Wait -- I can explain," said Lito, taking a step toward her, an all-too-friendly smile on his face. "NO!" she cried, bursting into her energy form. She didn't so much burn as she glowed like molten lava, red-hot. I could feel the heat she gave off wash over me like a wave; Lito gasped and backed off. People around us were yelling, running away. I don't blame them; I'd've done the same if extreme heat had bothered me. "Amara, what's the matter?" I said, spreading my hands. She took a step towards me, her hands balling into fists, the floor visibly shaking. The heat went even higher; I could smell the front of my bouffant skirt scorching where it lay outside my bodyfield. "You thought you could steal my love," she said. Her eyes were blazing pools of fire; she was bright and terrible as an angel. I wasn't frightened; just confused. I didn't think she could hurt me. "Amara, you _must_ calm down," Lito said. He'd slipped behind one of the buffet tables to use as a partial fire screen. "There's a simple explanation for all --" he never finished the phrase. Rahne and Illyana popped up behind him, and the little werewolf hit him in the back of the head with a silver serving tray. It made an oddly musical "K-whang!" and Lito went down like -- well, like he'd been hit over the head with a silver tray. Illyana grinned broadly and Rahne said, "That took care of yon kelpie!" "How DARE you!" cried Amara, her eyes flashing even more fire than before. She gestured with her hand and a blast of lava went hurtling towards them. Thank Heaven -- or whoever -- for Illyana, who whisked the three of them off to Limbo. I'd already acted, to deflect the blast up into the ceiling. It's harder to catch moving than stationary objects, Magneto had had me practice in the past week. Lava on the ceiling had one deleterious effect; the sprinkler system came on with a vengeance, adding water to the mix of flames and smoke and people running around screaming. There was quite a crush at the other end of the floor. "Amara--" I said again and she turned to me. The rug was on fire where she stood. She said something in Latin which if I'd had time to think about I might have been able to puzzle out; there are probably some Spanish root words that have the same relationship some English epithets bear to their Anglo-Saxon roots. At any rate, their meaning was clear enough, especially as she followed her pronouncement up with several fireballs. I got my shield up just in time. In retrospect, I'm amazed I managed it, as I'd only practiced forming a personal shield at Magneto's direction the day before. Air isn't as empty as you think; there's plenty of molecules to grab and hold firm. It worked just fine: the lava hit my shield like snowballs crashing into a very tough window. Amara threw a little wildly; one lava blast just missed hitting some of the bystanders who'd been too stupid to flee. If I didn't get us away there'd be lots of people hurt. Reasoning thusly, I removed a section of wall by pushing it out onto the lawn outside. I was getting frighteningly used to doing gross things like that, I thought as I picked Amara up and flew us out. She thrashed in my grip, calling out in Latin. I don't "hold" a person per se, so she could move her arms and legs freely. I dropped her from about a foot up, so she staggered. I hoped it would bring her to her senses. Well, that was the plan. I hadn't joined the New Mutants team practice yet; if I had I might have been more aware of how intimately Amara's power is connected to the Earth. Dumping her on the lawn just made her stronger. Amara raised herself a little volcano right there in the middle of the Academy quadrangle, using it to elevate herself to my level with amazing rapidity. She kept up a steady stream of fireballs in my direction. I'd really had it by now. Not only was I not getting anywhere trying to reason with her, the trees and cars in the parking lot were taking a beating. We didn't need the light from the moon to see by; the burning trees provided all that we needed. I wasn't in the mood to be gentle anymore. It hadn't helped anyway. I plucked Amara from off the top of her volcano and tossed her into the duck pond about a hundred yards away. I thought it would cool her off, one way or another. I was right but I hadn't considered what happens when you drop an extremely hot object in water. There was a steam explosion as the water frantically boiled away from her. For the record, I'm sorry about the ducks. If I'd known what it would do to the poor innocent duckies, I'd've come up with something else. Since I didn't, I guess I'll be on the Enemies list of the Audubon Society for the rest of my life. At first I couldn't see for the steam. I flew around to the upward side of the pond and that was a little better. For a while I wondered what was going to give out first, the heat or the water, but the water won. When the steam cleared, Amara was laying face down in the fuming water. I plucked her up and held her upside down over the grass, hitting her on the back till most of the water was out and then I felt for a pulse. It was strong; when I went to start artificial respiration she woke up and coughed out the rest, followed by vomiting. It's not uncommon in near- drownings. From the smell of it, she'd had a lot of the spiked punch to drink. "Are you okay?" I said repeatedly until she nodded. "What was I thinking of?" she said to me, clearly distressed. She was a bedraggled sight; her dress was wet and muddy, her curly blonde hair hung in dark sopping ringlets around her face. "I don't know what came over me," she said. I didn't look much better. My skirt had been reduced to a singed tutu; my gloves were burned up to the wrists and I'd lost one of my pumps over the lawn. "It's all right, I don't think you hurt anybody," I said, hoping it was so. I hadn't seen any injuries, but then I'd been plenty busy. "I was talking to Manuel," she said. "He stepped away for a moment and I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked and looked, and I got so upset...." "You had a little too much to drink," I said. "No, I only had some of the punch." "It was spiked," I said, and she gave me a quizzical look. "Spiked -- that means somebody added hard liquor to it on the sly. Probably vodka -- that doesn't taste like much." "I thought it tasted odd," she said, "but then so many things do --." She stopped abruptly, gasping. "Ow!" she said, her hand going to her head. She relaxed, her eyes blank. I stared at her but her expression didn't change. Armed men dressed in strange costumes came walking up to us; in their midst was the White Queen, still in her ball gown. "Well," she said to me. "Jessica, you've certainly caused enough trouble tonight." Her eyes caught mine -- that's the only way I can describe it -- and my head started filling with about a zillion buzzing bees; sort of like when Magneto and I crossed powers, only worse. Strangely, I flashed on Alphonso's fingers around my neck, and then I was gagging, trying not to throw up. The White Queen wasn't so lucky. She was being thoroughly sick, on her hands and knees. Amara had snapped out of it. She looked at the Queen and back at me. "You did that?" she said. She wasn't the only one who thought that; one of the Hellfire Club goons raised his rifle towards us, followed by the others. I'd had enough, so I "froze" the triggers and proceeded to take the guns away and dump them in what remained of the pond. The goons reacted with considerable surprise -- several of them had the intelligence to run away. I didn't know whether to be glad or appalled. "Perhaps we should rejoin the others," said Amara, getting to her feet. She offered me a hand up. Whatever had been wrong with her had passed. I'd just got to my feet when one of Illyana's stepping disks appeared next to us. It held Illyana, Magneto and Dani. "See -- I told you they were okay," said Illyana with a grin. Not a stitch was out of place on her or Magneto, but Dani looked like she had rolled a couple of times on the floor. "Emma, what is the meaning of this?" Magneto said. The White Queen paused her retching long enough to glare back briefly, but then she started dry-heaving again. In the distance, I could hear sirens -- fire-engines, probably. "I'll leave you to clean up this mess, then," said the Big M, hands on his hips. The goons didn't seem inclined to argue with him. * * * Magneto: Initially, we were not aware of the true nature of the situation on the other side of the room. The loud music and lighting of the dance floor prevented a clear view of the activity. Dani? Mirage: First thing I noticed was the floor shaking and people running off the dance floor, yelling "Fire! Fire!" I immediately thought of Amara, and tried to go towards the disturbance. Too many people -- I got knocked off my feet. If Thunderbird hadn't helped me up I'd've been trampled. Couple of people were. Magneto: Cannonball? Cannonball: Got separated from Rahne in the rush, sir. Ah spent the next five minutes looking for her, 'til Illyana 'ported me out. Magneto: Illyana, of course, teleported Rahne off the dance floor. Magik: She was starting to wolf out anyway, and I figured she was the smallest and in the most danger. Crowd like that knocks you down, you can get really hurt. Magneto: You showed some resourcefulness under pressure. How did the encounter between Jessica, Magma and Empath look to you? You're our only independent witness to the actual event. Magik: Happened so quick. Wish I had instant replay on my scrying pool. One thing I was sure of -- Amara was out of it. _Non compos mentis_. Figured Empath was the one doing it, so I thought if we put him out of commission, maybe things would right themselves. Wolfsbane: So Illyana said, "Knock Empath out." Sure, and I was glad to. But it just seemed to make Amara angrier. Magneto: Anyone else? Before we get to the principal participants. Cypher: I was already out of the building when people started running out. They were headed away from the Quadrangle, so that's where Roulette and I went. Stevie: And I was with Magnus. It wasn't until Illyana waved us over that we found out what was up. Magneto: Magma? No, don't look so tearful, Amara. No one is blaming you for tonight's events. We are just attempting to establish what happened and why. Magma: ...it seemed more like a nightmare than ought else. I was looking for Manuel everywhere, so anxious to see him. Cannonball: If only Ah'd seen you. Ah'd have talked to you, maybe snapped you out of it. Magik: Don't forget the spiked punch! Magneto: Yes. I was unaware hard liquor was being served to the students. Douglas, you have something to say? Cypher: Er. I was just saying to Sam, "That's traditional." Wouldn't surprise me to find out the White Queen knew about the punch and didn't care. Magneto: I intend to question her on this point. Magma, how much punch did you have? Magma: At -- at least three cups. I was so thirsty. I -- we don't have distilled liquor in Nova Roma, only wine and beer. Magneto: You had talked with Empath during the earlier part of the evening. Magma: Yes, we had talked and danced. Magneto: So Empath would have had plentiful opportunity to influence you earlier. Add in a certain degree of inebriation. Plus his intense emotional state upon meeting Jessica. Magik: "Europa." Jessica: All right, so I changed my name, already. Magik: I don't blame you. Cypher: Look who's talking, _Illyana_. Magneto: Students. We are straying considerably from the topic at hand. Jessica -- Empath knew you by a different name. Jessica: Yeah. I was christened "Europa Majewski" after some great aunt of my mother's. Changed my name when we came to the states. You're not so surprised, are you? Magneto: My background research revealed your original name. I did not consider it a matter of consequence. One has the right to call oneself by the name that is comfortable. Jessica: Well. Thank you. Magneto: Now back to the incident. We know Empath is capable of influencing emotional states, over distance and for considerable lengths of time. He had the opportunity and motivation to warp Amara's emotions towards himself. Perhaps his emotional state further influenced Amara, who was already uninhibited by intoxication. Jessica: You're saying you think he did it. Magneto: It is not clear that he intended what resulted. He himself was threatened. We have your testimony that he attempted to calm Amara once things were out of hand. Magik: You mean knocking him out was the worst thing we could have done! Magneto: Under the circumstances it would have seemed a prudent move. Appearances were deceiving. Cannonball: Who'd'a thought it. Magneto: In the rush of battle, one has to make decisions quickly, based on the evidence at hand. It was not a bad action: it was as good a decision as you could have made. * * * Illyana 'ported us to a clearing on the other side of the Academy. Magneto counted heads. Stevie was already there with Sam and Rahne and Doug, so the four of us completed the set. Before you could say "temporospatial displacement " we were back at the mansion entrance hall. There was the usual milling about as we got sorted out. Tom and Sharon came rushing downstairs in their pajamas; we were hours early. Sharon and Stevie made Magneto take Amara, Dani and me down to the infirmary right away, he'd wanted to question everybody right there. Of the three of us, Dani was the most injured, with some nasty bruises from being stepped on, and a skinned knee that didn't hurt as much as it looked. Amara had swallowed pond water. Stevie pointed out that it was probably sterile anyway, having been boiled, so Sharon didn't prescribe any antibiotics. I guess I was down there because I looked like I'd been in a fight, though nothing had actually touched me. But my dress was a complete loss, half burnt up. I looked like a deranged ballerina. While they were bandaging up Dani in the other room Amara and I were left alone, seated on adjacent tables. Amara started crying, so I went over and put an arm around her and before you know it I was bawling too. More than anything else I realized how _scared_ I'd been -- scared I'd hurt Amara, scared she'd hurt other people, or _I'd_ hurt other people. I just hadn't been able to think about it before. Magneto must have come back into the room sometime during this. When I came up for air, he was holding out a box of tissues for us. I don't know how Amara felt at his presence, I know I clung tighter. Magneto looked down at us, his face unreadable. "I see that I will not have to worry whether you two have made up," he said. We must have looked like those stuffed toy monkeys that cling to each other with velcro on their paws. Once it was established that we were at least physically okay, we had a formal debriefing session in the mission room of the underground complex. We went around the table talking about what we'd seen and heard and done that evening. By the time we were finished it was after 3 AM and everyone was yawning. Good Nights were said and we all turned in. All well and good in theory. I was still too keyed up to sleep, so I decided to sneak down to the kitchen for some cocoa. I had on one of Storm's daishikis, and as I left the room I caught myself in the mirror, silhouetted. For a moment I looked romantic or something, even though I had such lousy short hair. To avoid making noise I floated down the hall, out onto the landing and over the rail and down into the foyer. It was dark, so I used my "radar" sense to steer by. In the silence I could hear voices in the kitchen before I reached it. "C'mon," Doug was saying to Illyana, as I opened the door. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know." Illyana glanced over at me and nodded to the chair next to her. "Join the late night club," she said. "Cocoa and recriminations all around." "Just cocoa for me, please," I said more lightly than I felt. "I'll skip the recriminations, I'm trying to lose weight." "Har de har har," said Doug. He was dressed in blue surgical scrubs that were stenciled "Property of Salem Hospital." Illyana was in some kind of lacy teddy and a peignoir. The cocoa had cooled down, so I popped a cup of it into the microwave. While I stood watching it I could feel Doug watching me. "Hey," he said. I turned and looked at him with resigned curiosity. "Your power can cool things down, right?" he said. "Do you think you could reverse it -- heat things up?" I lifted an eyebrow at him. "Well, that's an interesting idea," I said. "But since I have no idea how I do the first part, the second part will be a little bit hard." "All you'd have to do is vibrate the molecules," he said. "That's what heat is -- kinetic energy." "'Thank you, Dr. Science,'" I said. "You make it sound so _simple_, Doug," said Illyana. "All Jess needs is a wide-angle electron microscope so she can draw a bead on those little buggers." "I was only suggesting," said Doug with a shrug. "You don't like my advice, you don't have to take it." "Who keeps telling _me_ not to be so sensitive?" I said to him. "Touche'," he said and took a sip of his cocoa. "So Empath is your long lost brother?" We'd already gone over that in the briefing. Why bring it up now? "Brother by adoption, sort of," I said. "And don't call him that -- his name's Manuel." "I can't believe you're so friendly with that dude," Doug said. "Don't you know what he did to us? To Tom and Sharon?" "And Magneto," added Illyana. I think Doug and I managed to simultaneously say "What?" in exactly the same tone. Illyana sat back in her chair, obviously pleased she'd startled us. "When Maggie sent us to the Academy that time -- he went on a three day drunk. Dani told me. The reason he let us go in the first place at all was Em -- Manuel influencing him." "Really?" I said. I could scarcely imagine how Magneto could have left him living after that. "We're not supposed to know," said Illyana. "I heard it from Dani and pried it out of Stevie." "Wow," said Doug. "I'm surprised," I said. "That any of you even considered going to a dance at the Academy, if you feel so strongly about Em -- Manuel." "Most of them are okay," said Illyana. "Except for Manuel. I think _everybody_ is his enemy." The microwave beeped and I took out my boiling cocoa. It was just the right temperature. "I think," I said. "I think -- he's nuts." "No shit, Sherlock," said Doug. "I'm serious, Doug," I snapped. "Well, so am I," he said. "Yeah, right," I said. "Listen -- I knew him when he was just a kid. He was the nicest little kid. He's been through so much. And ...his power leaves him wide open to everyone around him." Illyana looked gloomy. "I think some powers are just evil." "I don't hold with labeling an object or an ability as good or evil," said Magneto. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, dressed in a dark purple bathrobe over pajamas and slippers. On him it looked suave and sophisticated. "Excuse me, I heard voices and thought to investigate," he added. Doug indicated a chair. "Join the club," he said. Magneto's mouth quirked and he went over to the stove and turned on the burner underneath the kettle. "Since I'm up, I'll have some herbal tea," he said and came over to sit next to me. "I take it you were discussing Empath?" Why did he always have to single me out, I thought. "Yeah," I said, and almost found myself sobbing. "He's -- sick, not evil." "Charles left notes, speculations on how Empath's power functioned," Magneto said. "It's parapsychic, not true psi. He influences brain waves and hormonal secretions. Charles said he did not know how much or how little Empath was influenced by the emotions of those around him." "Something Manuelito said makes me think he's quite at the mercy of that," I said. "Did you ever think," said Illyana, "That maybe some mutant powers aren't a good idea -- an evolutionary dead end?" She was still and I realized that somehow this was a very important question to her. "A power is not good or bad of itself," said Magneto. "Evolution is a blind man feeling his way along, trying many routes. Some are ...less advantageous than others -- but that does not mean good or bad in an absolute sense." "All well and good," said Illyana. "But what if using a power corrupts you, does bad things to your mind?" "Save in special cases, that is hard to prove," he replied. "It seems to rest more on the wielder's environment. Take for instance, Charles and the White Queen -- both gifted with telepathy, but what a difference in philosophy and efforts." "But what if the more Empath uses his power, the more he loses touch with reality?" said Doug, for once without the slightest trace of humor. Magneto gave him a tired smile. "One would hope his teacher would realize this and take steps," he said. "It's more her style to use," said Illyana. "You are correct," he said reluctantly. "If it makes Empath a better tool, if he is insane, insane he will stay." "How can you let that happen?" I practically cried out. "What can I do, Jessica?" Magneto said. "Bring him into this school? I do not have Charles's ability to treat the emotional ills of my students as it is -- and I think Empath's problems would challenge Charles. And were I to try, I have doubt my present students might survive his presence." "I wouldn't stay if he joined," said Doug. "No offense, Jess -- I couldn't trust him -- ever." "But don't you see that _trust_ is what he needs," I said. "If he is affected by emotions around him, how will he ever be sane if all he feels is distrust?" "You see what I mean by a bad power?" said Illyana. "Trust may be what he needs, Jessica," said Magneto to me. "But I dare not offer it, lest we suffer for it." I turned my head away but he continued. "Trust was what Charles offered _me_, despite serious doubts of many. Believe me when I say I know how valuable that chance can be." "If I could just-- " I caught my breath and did not sob. "He'd reform for me, I know he would." Behind us the tea kettle began to sing softly. Magneto gestured and the burner switched itself off. He got up and made his tea. "I sincerely hope you have the opportunity to extend the hand of friendship to Manuel. A friend can make such a difference." "Yeah," I said, and finished my cocoa in one big swallow. You can drink much quicker when you don't have to wait for it to cool down. Just another little thing that separates me from a normal human existence. I floated the empty mug over to the sink and got up from my chair. "Guess I'll get back to sleep," I said. I paused at the door -- almost I felt like adding something but I didn't feel Magneto deserved any further concessions from me that night. "Well, Good night, all." "'Night," Illyana and Doug chorused. Magneto gave me a cautious smile and nod. Going for cocoa had been a bad idea. It just gave me more to think about. It was a while before I slept. This story (c) 1992 Connie Hirsch The New Mutants, Magneto, the Hellions, and all constituent characters (c) 1992 Marvel Comics Group. This story is not for sale and is not to be distributed without permission of the author.