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Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107623 09/17/05 04:07 PM
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Scott dropped his shirt on the floor, then thought better of it and draped it carefully over the back of a chair. "Got time for a little...comforting, Jean?" he said a bit stiffly, as though the words had been rehearsed a dozen times over.
Jean turned her head in the pillow to gaze at him. "I...I'm sorry, Scott. I want to, more than you know. But everytime we try, all I can see is the children you've already had, none of them by me. Especially Rachel. When I first met her, she called me 'mother', and since then...
"Scott, have you ever felt like you were only an actor doing a play with lines and actions you HAVE to do? Something else else you really have no choice in at all?"
He lay back, one hand slapping the blanket. "Jean, this makes it almost a month since..., is that really what's bothering you, or is it Emma's arrival?"
"Don't mention that...person to me! Every time i see her, she's moving in on one man or another around here. She has all the instincts of a shark, without rven those morals.!"
"Why, Jean, you actually sound jealous."
"I...do I? Maybe that's part of it. But I have memories, from the time the Phoenix posed as me, of battling her as the White Queen. We were the bitterest of enemies then."
"Does she frighten you? The almighty Phoenix? Truth to tell, Wolverine does me at times, especially when he's around you."
"Now who sounds jealous? Still, I know what you mean. I think he's part of the problem. Maybe I just need to get away from him for a while."
"And me?"
"Of course not. Scott, do you want me to 'touch' your mind like I've done before?"
He sighed "It's not love, but I suppose it's better than nothing."
She waited until his thrashing stopped moments later, then lay on her back, her green eyes blazing as she stared at the ceiling.
'Yes', she told herself 'a good, long vacation might be just the thing.'

"Go ahead, Danielle, start the training system. I'm only here to watch, not instruct."
Danielle Moonstar leaned forward, brushing back one strand of thick black hair as she did. She checked the settings on the control panel, then spoke into the microphone "Jubilee, Meltdown, in this session, you have to learn to work together. If you use your powers separately, you won't last the count of ten."
"Do I have to work with her?" both of the girls complained, glaring at the other, "She's such a weenie."
Jean laughed. Dani glanced at her before answering the girls. "You either do it or you both get your buns nicely toasted."
Without waiting, she activated the system, at the same time shutting off the microphone.
"Jean," she asked, "If you don't mind, do you prefer being called 'Ms. Grey' or 'Ms. Summers'?" I mean, most married women settle for their husband's last name, but Suzanne says..."
"Suzanne?"
"Oh, I mean Rogue. That's her real name."
"And how did you happen to learn that?"
"It was a few nights ago. She was having a real bad dream, thrashing around so much that I thought she was going to hurt herself. So I used my powers to enter her dream and turn intoa pleasant one, one where she and her boyfriend, Cody, could kiss without any problems.
"In her dream, he called her Suzanne Casey, only he pronounced it Cazey. So I figured that had to be her real name."
Jean tried to glare at her, but instead started laughing. "After all the time the professor and I tried reading her mind! And now..."
"Grandfather always said there was more than one way to catch a wild horse."
Her low voice trailed off as a neon-blue globe about the size of a human head appeared between the two women. Slowly the globe coalesced into a cruel-featured man's face.
"Kang." Jean called, recognizing the holographic image. She aimed a psychic 'punch' toward it.
Dani used her mental power as well, projecting an image of his greatest fear toward him.
The powers intertwined, each opening a conduit back to their users' minds. Dani, struck by Jean's punch', slumped back into her seat. Jean, stunned into momentary shock, collapsed onto the floor.
The image drifted over to her, mouth set in a mirthless smile.
A second later, both it and Jean were gone.

(to be continued)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107624 09/17/05 07:20 PM
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Nice fan-fic, Baycent...I definitly want it to continue... smile nod

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107625 09/19/05 05:47 PM
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She opened her eyes to see pine branches above her. Getting to her feet, she glanced around at a completely unfamiliar tree and field landscape. 'All right, I'm not ashamed to use that old line. Where am I?
'Wherever it is, it's warm. Better change to something more comfortable.'
A thought, and her attire converted to a baseball cap, a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. Then she looked around again to notice the woods around her, and transformed the tennis shoes into a pair of hiking boots.
'That's better. Now I'll contact Scott and have him come to...here? On second thought, I better find out just where 'here' is. Then I can simply phone him.'
She pressed her fingers to her temples, sending telepathic waves rippling from her. A long moment later, she turned to her right.
'There's people in that direction - but what language is that? I don't recognize it at all. Hank could undoubtedly translate it for me, but then I'd have to ask him to translate his translation.'
'Ah well. I'll focus on one person and see if any words at all are familiar.
She found three: Odysseus, Ilium, and Ithaca.
'Ilium? That was another name for Troy. And Odysseus was from that era. But that was something like 3500 years ago!'
'Well, so much for phoning Scott. I'll just have to get back to the right time on my own. I've got more than enough power for that.
She raised her arm; the phoenix raptor flared around her, then flickered and quickly died away.
'But I don't know how! I've never time-traveled on my own before.
'Damn it, Kang! When I get home, I'm going to turn you into so many blue mushrooms!'

"Yes, that most definitely resembles Kang. Now the question is what he hoped to gain by abducting Jean. For all his trickery, I sincerely doubt he has sufficient power to harm her, and he undoubtedly would be unable to hold her hostage."
"Quite true, Beast. But that still doesn't help us locate her. I've used Cerebro extensively to no avail. There's simply no trace of her on Earth."
"Professor," Cyclops spoke up. "Kang and the X-Men have never met. Why would he start anything now?'
"No reason that I know about. But, again, that gives us no help."
"Charles..."
Everyone turned to look as the White Queen forced her way into the crowded booth. She ignored them and only stopped moving when she was directly in front of Professor Xavier.
"I may be of help. I have resources that none of you know about. Through them, I may be able to find your missing teammate."
"You, Emma? From what I understand, you and Jean aren't on the best of terms."
"Whether we are or aren't isn't the point. I'm part of the team now and will do my share of work to prove myself a vital, helpful member."
She laid one hand on Scott's shoulder. He flinched in surprise, but did not otherwise move.
"Before I start, I'm afraid I must demand that all of you leave the booth. My...contacts insist on their privacy."
"Do they now? Professor, I must object to this. The White Queen cannot be trusted on her own."
Emma straightened to stare coldly at Storm. "Of course, wind-rider. Feel free to locate Jean Grey through your own limited resources. Once you fail, though, how much time and effort you wasted."
"I'm afraid we have no choice." Professor Xavier said. "Go ahead, Emma. We'll be waiting to hear from you."
She closed and locked the door before sitting at the console to type and send a single message.
Phase One completed. The entire X-Men team believes that Kang is involved with Grey's disappearance. Starting Phase Two as planned.

(to be continued)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107626 09/20/05 11:34 PM
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This is good stuff - as Harbi would say "More more more!"

One word of suggestion - it might be better to keep the whole story together in one thread rather than risk losing parts on to later pages. Apart from anything else it means that people coming along later can read the story in one take, rather than searching for parts that are lost / out of order.


Hic!
Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107627 09/21/05 09:44 AM
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I considered that, but wasn't sure if people would read the whole story at one time. It IS rather long. (21 pages hand-written. I don't know how many pages it would take here.)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107628 09/22/05 10:36 AM
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'Enough!' she decided. 'I could spend every minute between now and the future I came from and still not come any closer to understanding why Kang chose this time and place to strand me. The thing for me to do is make a place for myself the best I can.'
She used her TK to lower herself from the tree limb where she'd spent the night, wincing at the stiffness caused by the discomfort of her location, added to by the rain which soaked her before she could form a barrier to shield herself.
'I've learned enough Greek to let me speak it passably. Noe about the clothing...'
A thought altered her attire; t-shirt and shorts to an off=white chiton, a gownlike ankle-length article of clothing, and a chlamys, a waist-length cloak. She added a hood to keep the morning sunlight off her head, and finished by adding a pair of sandals.
In her haste to exactly duplicate the clothing, she changed the material to wool; hot, scratchy and heavy wool.
'Ugh, this isn't going to work! Wait a minute. Didn't they have linen about this time? Ah, that's better. Now for a little embellishment.'
A row of navy-blue X's came into being around the chiton's neckline, another on her sleeves, and a third along the hem at her ankles. She added a gold-colored sash, then looked herself over.
'Good enough. Now is there anything else I might add? I'll probably be doing a lot of walking, so...
She mentally reached into the tree, brought down a long, slender branch, and fashioned it into a full-length walking staff.
'First person who calls me 'Gabrielle' is going to get smacked with this!'

It wasn't until just before noon that she finally came to a major road of any kind. People trudged constantly along the dusty, rutted lane, many of them laden with cumbersome bundles, and Jean worked her way into the southward flow opf travellers.
She kept her pace brisk as she could, not noticing at first how different it was from the shuffling gait of those around her. The first few stares she noticed only nominally, then the whispering made her aware of the gathering attention she was getting.
"Look at her! Parading around with ehr clothes so spotless and perfect. Probably makes her feel like royalty to come out here amomg us farm-folk and show off her 'perfection' to us!"
She did glance around then, discretely. Everyone but her was clad in well-worn, stained, often mended rough clothing.
Even as she realized this, she heard the rush of feet, felt an outburst of anger. In midstep, she swung around and struck the first attacker alongside his head. He dropped, groaning, and she turned her attention to another person, and another, and another.
'Hmmm. I'm beginning to see what Wolverine sees in this kind of brawl. I could use my powers to take them all down, but somehow this is more satisfying.'
Eight would-be assailants were on the ground in a few moments' time.One, though, she was aware, was shamming, waiting for her to turn her back. A mental image of a skinning knife appeared in her mind.
Smiling tightly, she gave him the opening he wanted. When he rose and lunged, she pivoted to whack him repeatedly using either end of her staff backed by her teke power.
Those who stood around her hurriedly backed away. She ignored them, walked away, and almost laughed when she heard the one-word descriptive term passing from mouth to mouth.
"Amazon."

"Any news yet, Emma?"
"Not so far, Scott. These things sometimes do take time to filter down. There is an encouraging lead from the Brazilian rain forest. You know, rumours of a red-headed woman who appeared quite suddenly days ago, but so far that's all, just rumours.'
She leaned close to him, voice lowered. "Scott, it isn't good for you to conastantly worry. You need something else, a diversion to help you take your mind off your troubles."
"Someone like...you?"
"Why, my dear boy! You're more perceptive than you let on! No wonder you're so attractive to those people who are truly discerning."
She slowly raised a white-gloved hand up to caress his cheek, moving her head close to his at the same time. "Any time you're ready, Scott."
His hand closed around hers as though to pull it away. But he merely held it firmly for a long moment.
"Scott, you know I can give you so much if you'll just let me."
"I'm sure you can. Believe me, I'm sure you can."

(to be continued)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107629 09/23/05 07:02 AM
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Baycent, this is good stuff! Feel free to keep posting as your doing or create one large thread for yourself--whatever suits you!

I think the idea of a Kang/X-Men story (even if its only the lead-in) is pretty damn cool too. I'm surprised its never been done before.

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107630 09/23/05 05:47 PM
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For any readers who are interested, there is a drawing (by me, naturally) of Jean as I pictured her later in the story.
It can be found at www.freewebz.com/centaur/index.html
gallery 3, pic #8

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107631 09/24/05 11:05 AM
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'A real city at last! After four days of dawn-to-dusk walking, I was beginning to think I'd never reach one. That's got to be the most I've ever walked.
'It's so stupid. I could've so easily used my powers to get me here in practically no time. Instead, I plod all these miles. Why?
'For that matter, why do I bother hiding myself? I'm Phoenix, damnit! If anything, it's these supstitious pagans who should be hiding from me. I'm from a future they couldn't begin to understand
'Chill out, Jean. Sure you can destroy the world, but then what? The time paradox means you'd never be born, which means you couldn't possibly be here, which means...'
She sat down on the hillside overlooking the city and the harbor beyond it, rubbing her feet.
'It's a beautiful view from here, especially the Meditteranean. There's a nice cool breeze here, and i bet the sunsets here are simply gorgeous. Hmmm, I wonder...'
She swung to view the hillside above her, a pleasantly sloping, grassy meadow.
'Why not? I can easily hollow the hill out, convert the soil into marble, and make myself a beautiful home. Something else else in the classic Greek style would be perfect- with a few slight modifications of course.'
She waited until dark before starting, first removing tons of dirt at a time. Most of this went into widening the hillside path into a wide veranda. The rest was transformed into immense
marble slabs, then set into place to form a temple-like structure half-buried in the hillside. The front was a highly polished and carved single piece of marble with a bas-relief of a phoenix above the human-size doorway.
'It needs a sun porch', she decided, and proceeded to create another marble slab to serve as a roof. A number of ornate collumns were formed to hold it up, and the ground into a thick sheet to support it all.
'Very nice. Now for the interior.'
She cut out a lattice-work window on either side of the building, and set aside the back as he personal chamber. Three steps led up to it, with a violet curtain in front that served to further insure her privacy. The creation of a comfortable bed, bathroom facilities, and an insulated room for food storage were her last improvements indoors.
For her final act before she went off to sleep, she returned outdoors as an idea came to her.
'I think I need a statue there - and one over there. One of a woman pouring water, trhe other...of an Amazon with sword and shield.'
Maybe she was more tired than she thought. When the statues were finished, she staggered to her bed and fell asleep immediately. She didn't think to examine the statues, and didn't realize that both, though set in appropriate Greek attire, bore her face.
The room, and, indeed the whole building, she soon found out, was stiflingly warm. She studied the side walls carefully in the morning light, trying to decide the best place for another pair of windows when she heard people's excited voices outside.
"Look at this place! There was nothing here yesterday. Only a god could build such a structure overnight!" These and similar comments greeted Jean when she reached the front doorway.
'Oh great! I should've realized that the abrupt appearance of a building would draw such attention. The last thing I want - or need - is someone calling me 'goddess.' Think fast, Jean. You've only seconds to come up with an explanation.
'Oracle? No, that wouldn't work. Somethikng a bit more impressive. A...priestess. Pefect. A priestess of some god or another, who had the god build this for her.
'A name. Jean Grey doesn't sound much like a Greek name. Something else else more suitable would be...Ah! Sukasi. That's it. Sukasi is who I'll be.'
She used her telepathic powers to calm the crowd, stepping into view only when it was quiet enough for her to speak.
"Good people, I am the priestess Sukasi, come to serve and protect you through the powers granted me from...the gods."
'If they buy that' she thought, 'I've got some swampland in New Jersey...'

(tbc)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107632 09/26/05 11:14 AM
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A rather stout women heavy with child was the first to approach,her boy of perhaps twelve trailing close behind. She knelt on both knees, lowering her head until her nose all but touched the stone.
"Great one, priestess Sukasi, you are indeed favored to have the Gods build such a magnificent temple. Your presence honors us. Of what service can my son and I be for you?"
Jean sighed. 'I expected as much. Still, I hoped it wouldn't happen. Well...'
"Only this," she answered, "Stand and tell me your names. I'm not a goddess, and not deserving of such devotion. All I want for now is some food. I haven't eaten in days."
"I, Cydippe, and my son, Acontius, will be pleased to bring you our finest cheese and wine."
"All right - but this time only. After this, I want to earn my meals."
Cydippe backed away, glancing to her left. Jean followed the focus of her gaze to a large venomous snake slithering across the marble toward a shady refuge from the sunshine.
"No! Don't hurt it! I can take care of it without any problem."
"But that's an asp! It's bite will bring a slow, painful death!"
"IF it bites." Jean wrapped a teke shield tight around her hand and arm, then almost casually picked the snake up. It struck at her without piercing the barrier, and she held it high to show she was unhurt, though she did flinch a bit when it coiled around her upraised arm.
"It's true! It's true! The Gods do favor and protect her1 All hail Sukasi, the snake priestess!"
'Oh boy, what have I let myself in for?'

"Scott! Good news!"
"Oh?"
"Indeed. Forge and I have constructed a pair of mechanisms capable of penetrating time itself. We are preparing to launch them even at this very moment to aid us in our search for the absent Jean.
"Our theory is that Kang somehow 'transplanted' her to a different time, so we programmed our devices to respond to her energy signature. One will be sent into the past, the other into the future. When either one registers that, we can simply request Reed Richards' permission to use his time machine and..."
"How soon will we know the results?"
"A few hours at most. I estimate it will take longer to locate her geographically then temporally."
In her room, Emma stirred, telepathically listening to the conversation. She moved swiftly to a phone and punched in a series of numbers.
"This is Emma Frost. Implement program XG96-S6, subroutine SBTXT immediatly."
Leaning back, she hung up the phone, a thin smile on her face.
'No, gentlemen. It's not going to be that easy. Jean Grey stays where and when she is, at least until I have what I'm after. Mr. Scott Summers, you're going to be mine."

She stared at the object for several moments, examining it from all sides before setting it back on the table.
To her, it looked like three fezzes, each a different shade of blue with a yellow rim, stacked one atop the other. But the fabrics were stiff, almost rigid. Ornate markings were cut shallowly into each part. At the very base, a slight tip of silver, like a narrow brim, projected forward less than half an inch.
"All right. I give up. What is it?"
"Your ceremonial helmet, of course. As snake priestess, you kmust have an appropriate symbol of your office."
"I,,,," she started, then choked back her initial reply, "am deeply honored, Acontius."
'First a domino mask that looks like it was made of snakeskin, and now this! Well, at least these are objects I can take off whenever I wish. It's not as though they're tattoos or something like that.'
She tried the tall helmet on. It was a bit ungainly at first, but not so much she couldn't quickly get used to it.
'Wonder how I look with this on. If only I had a mirror. All the same I'd probably die of embarrasment if any of the X-Men saw me now. Especially Scott. I can just imagine what he'd say.'
She watched silently as laborers maneuvered a shallow copper brazier about the size of a large barbecue grill through the doorway and carried it to a location near the rear of the temple, not all that far from her private chambers.
"Does it have to be set here? This place is already so warm; any fire is going to make it unbearable."
"So warm? Is the priestess joking?" one man asked.
"You mean it gets warmer? Oh boy!"
"What does that mean?"
"Oh, it's just a term in the country I used to live in. Nothing of importance. I'm wondering, though, what I did to deserve the honor of this brazier."
"It's not what you did. It's what we hope you will do for us."
"Which is?"
The man's reply was just as short. "If you will come with me..."
She walked quickly to keep beside him, rather than trail behind. He raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. When he reached the doorway, he stopped and pointed toward the sea.
:Look."
"I see a small fleet coming. Raiders?"
"Exactly. We hoped you would be able to intercede with the Gods so they would aid us."
"Now I understand. How convenient that you had the brazier on hand to give to me. Wait inside, and I'll do what I can."
The laborer stepped back several paces. Jean knelt on one knee, spread her arms, and chanted.
"Bee-bop-a-lula, she's my baby. Bee-bop-a-lula, she's my baby now!"
At the same time, she released the phoenix raptor from within her. It flared up to take immediate flight while she probed the minds of the approaching pirates - if such they really were.
'No doubt about it,' she realized, now I don't have to worry about attacking innocent men.'
She reached the foremost ship in less than a heartbeat, seized it with the raptor's enormous talons, considered briefly if she could simply leave it grounded far away - then tightened the claws to crush the ship into fragments.
When the survivors reached the surface, the raptor plucked them up one by one and swallowed them whole. Each ship, each crew suffered the same fate. By the time she finished, not one man was left alive.
The phoenix' flight back to shore was erraticv, ending with the return of a shaken, distraught Jean Grey.
'I wasn't going to kill them! Gods know, they would have killed these townspeople without a thought, but still...all I intended to do was strand them far from the sea or from other people.
'The first time since I got here three months ago, i draw out the Phoenix, and look what happens
'Damnit! When am I going to learn how to keep it under control?'

(Finally - the conclusion is next)

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107633 09/29/05 11:35 AM
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"I fail to understand. Forge and I spent hours, hours, and more hours examining every aspect of the mechanisms. They simply shouldn't have failed so badly in what they were programmed to do."
Beast slammed his hand on the table, making the others seated around it recoil a bit. "We know WHERE Jean is, but not precisely WHEN. The place is the Greek coastline, the time...?"
"Atleast that's a start." Rogue answered. She slumped back in her chair before Beast could glare at her.
"I know." he finally said. "It's so terribly frustrating to come this far without getting the answers we need. The best we've done so far is coming to within fifty years -give or take - of Jean's arrival there. That is, we might be fifty years before that, or fifty years after.
"Since this tactic has failed, I thought to try another angle. A book from the professor's library, a rare, extant listing of notable people known to be living at that approximate time had - so I'd hoped - some indication of Jean's presence. But that also proved futile.
"You have to understand that this book is comprised of portions of hundreds of scrolls written by various authors, who all pre-date Homer by up to 500 years or better."
Rogue yawned. "Sorry, Beast. Ah guess it must be almost impossible to find one person's name in all that."
"Actually I'd hoped Jean could have managed to leave us some message, one way or another, using a code or something only we in the present might comprehend. But I found nothing so far.
"For a while I'd hoped I had a lead with one writer when he mentioned a woman who appeared quite suddenly. But she was of questionable occupation; as snake-priestess, of all things, who went by the name of Sukasi -"
Rogue sat sharply upright. "What did you say?" she demanded.
"Sukasi. That was her name."
"Oh mah god! Hank, that's her! It has to be."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Nevah you mind how I know! That's Jean. Trust me."
"Implicitly. As soon as I contact Scott, we can get things started. He should be the first to go in our recovery trip."
When he tried to contact Scott, however, the first thing he saw was the White Queen's face set in almost a snarl.
"What is it?" she snapped.
"Could I speak with Scott? It's extremely important."
There followed a brief, uncomfortable silence. The Beast realized she was reading his thoughts.
"So you found her," she finally said. "I'll inform Scott at the earliest convenience."

"Priestess Sukasi, may I speak with you on a personal matter?"
"Of course, Acontius. We've known each other for a good thirty years now, and have always been friends."
"Yes. Thirty years. And in that time I have grown from a boy into a middle-aged man, while you have remained exactly the same physically. So many times in the past I wished we could be lovers, but I always knew you were dedicated to serving the Gods and could not wed. Is such devotion the reason you remain ageless?"
"Yes. I've served them most faithfully, especially Artemis, since I arrived here, and my reward is eternal youthfulness, if not eternal life. In their names I have guided this city, and, indeed, all of Hellas toward a greatness it would otherwise have achieved nor maintained."
"I know. You warned all of Hellas that, once Ilium fell, a city called Rome would be founded, which would surpass us in might. Because of you, we were able to destroy it before that could happen.
"We are a united empire now, due to you. All the kings respect your decisions. Even the fierce Amazons follow as they would not follow a man."
"And that is your reward from the Gods," she answered, "Or aren't you satisfied with that? Do you think because you are among my most faithful, you should be especially honored?"
"N-no great priestess! We respect your teachings too much for that."
"Glad to hear it. Now could you allow me the privacy to change my clothes before I talk with the people today?"
Acontius turned away, closing his eyes.In a heartbeat he felt her hand upon his shoulder.
"Ready.{ she said.
Sukasi wore the tall helmet and partial mask, a gold-colored bandanna around her neck, and some assorted armbands and bracelets - and nothing else above her waist.
Her skirt was sky-blue, long and flowing, with a gold-colored sash. A single pink panel ran dowm her right side to just above her ankles.
Her arms were outstretched, with hands raised. In each hand she held a large, venomous, hooded snake.
"I'm ready," she repeated. But somehow she didn't feel ready this time.

Scott halted in front of the statues, gazing first at one, then the other. 'It's Jean all right. One portrays her as a serving woman, one as an armed warrior. Quite a difference in nature, just like Jean herself. Marvel Girl vs. Phoenix.
'Should I have taken Hank up on his offer to come along? No doubt he'd love to see classical Greece at it's best. One thing for sure: Emma would have preferred he come instead of me. That woman is the textbook definition of 'possessive'.'
He used the image inducer to disguise his appearance. When he reached the temple doorway, he started pushing hixs way through the crowd, then stopped to stare at the woman standing before them.
"Jean...?"
She didn't hear his soft question. He tried again, shouting to make himself heard.
"Jean!" He turned off the inducer. It's me, Scott."
'She looks like some pagan goddess' he thought, not like my wife at all.'
She broke off in mid-chant to stare at him, mouth open and green eyes wide and blazing. A flood of rapid-fire Greek erupted from her, and he suddenly realized she didn't understand English any more. After all the years speaking Greek, English was a forgotten language.
He stepped forward, then recoiled from the snake's hissing. One hand went to his visor; he focused his gaze, intending to knock the one in her left hand from her grasp.
The blow cut the serpent in half, along with two of her fingers. Her following shriek was one of mixed pain and rage.
He barely had time to close his visor and reach out to her in regret before her teke blast shoved him violently backward. His next attempt to reach her brought a cold smile to her face, then he was yanked forward - right into the surviving asp's striking range.
Even after it bit him, he still could barely believe it; it seemed to him that Jean had actually pushed the snake in the attack.
Her next assault carried him outside and well away from the building. Trembling from the shock of knowing would quickly die from the venom unless he got immediate help, he reached the time machine controls.
"Hang on, Scott," he told himself, and then whispered as the device activated, "Hank, help."

Acontius raced up. "Who was that? What was it he called you? J-ean?"
"I have no idea - and my name is Sukasi, as it has always been."

END

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107634 09/29/05 05:27 PM
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AAAAAAGGGGGHHH! It's the end! More, more and flippin' more! Totally surprised by Jeans identity at the end!

I'm going back to re-read from the start, will comment later.

Bxx

PS - you might want to link your story arcs or, perhaps even easier for the reader and you, put them together in one thread - cut n' paste them onto the first one if you want an easy way!


Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107635 09/29/05 05:31 PM
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Would LOVE to put them all together, but I'm NOT very good at computerese.
If I knew how...

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107636 09/29/05 05:40 PM
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I'm the biggest techno phobe ever Baycent so trust me, if I can do it then anyone can! Here's how I would do it:

Left click with mouse and hold down button to highlight area, move cursor to edit, choose copy.

The go to appropriate post and go to edit, choose paste and there you go! Dead easy, even I can do it!


Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107637 09/29/05 06:01 PM
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Okay, I'll give it a try

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107638 09/29/05 06:26 PM
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Tried it, got as far as copy, moved to page w/story end - don't find paste.

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107639 09/29/05 08:00 PM
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Um...later after I watch my shows. I can consolidate all of the topics into one.

Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107640 09/29/05 08:05 PM
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Sorry Gary... I went ahead and pasted them into the thread for part one before I saw this. Just delete my posts and do your combining trick smile


Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
Re: Phoenix: Solo Flight (The Complete Tale)
#107641 09/29/05 09:24 PM
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Quote
Originally posted by Spellbinder:
Sorry Gary... I went ahead and pasted them into the thread for part one before I saw this. Just delete my posts and do your combining trick smile
Fixed! Sorry Cru! Thanks for the thought (and effort)! smile At least your post count is higher! hug

And I think this is easier to navigate Baycent.


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