Legend: Thoughts = <>
Stray thoughts = ()
Flashback **
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Ok, guys, All the disclaimers apply, that means all thanks goes to Marvel for the X-Men, I'm just making the story. And I do read all the other stories, and they're great, keep up the good work. They inspire me!
Chapter 36: Nothing's ever good, just another day...
White light. Endless white light. The plane was white, is the point. The part where he stood shone. The texture of the ground. The endless space around me. All of it, white. The space had specks of black within them. My robe. I was wearing a robe, which was white.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hollow said behind me.
"I guess." I said, looking at him, decked out in black. The space around him as black as the endless space once was, " If you like the whole blinding light thing."
"That's what I been sayin." Hollow smirked, " How's life."
I looked at him, " You killed my..." his head spun to me, " Our mother." I said quickly.
He sighed, " That was an accident." he said sadly.
"I'm going to kill you." I said emotionlessly.
"That's one possible outcome." Hollow said.
"I gave you a choice. It's not my choice anymore." I said through gritted teeth.
"You sure you're up to it? You have been dead..." Hollow said confidently.
"You don't know what I could do to you, right now, while we're both dreaming." I said lowly.
"Who said I was sleep?" Hollow smirked, " And what makes you think I won't just fry you now? I mean..."
"I could kill you now." I said angrily.
"If you could, you would have." Hollow sighed, " Wait," his eyes shot up, "You'd die too, wouldn't you?"
"All those years." I said, reaching my hand out into the distance, " It was you. Saving me. When I didn't know what powers were, you saved me. Every bad thing...You were the reason I couldn't look in the mirror..."
"Is it me or did the story just go to a dark place?" Hollow asked.
"Too much light can make you dark." I said turning to him, " You better bring everything you have."
"What about Scott?" Hollow asked.
"You don't have Scott." I said simply.
"You know where he is?" Hollow asked, " Does he know we're alive?"
"We?" I said, looking at him, " We're not alive? You weren't born. You were made."
A light pulsated closer.
"Looks like it's time to go, brother." Hollow smiled.
I looked at him, then felt myself jolt into consciousness. I looked around and found Warren looking at me, shocked, but still holding the fresh Starbucks cups in his hand.
"Nightmare?" he asked, walking to the bed and sitting the drinks on the counter.
I looked at him oddly, " Yeah, or maybe a dream. I think I figured out a way to beat Hollow."
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"That sounds like a great idea, but where is he?" Jean asked.
"Last time I saw him...mentally, was in Cairo. He was sleep." I frowned, " He doesn't know."
"While we are on the subject, do you think it is time to unveil yourself to the whole world." Professor Xavier asked.
"I...Johnny can't know yet." I stammered.
"What about Spider-Man or Harry Osborn, they were instrumental in helping us with..." Ororo started.
"No, O, they can't know." I sighed while everyone looked at me, " I know, I caught that too. I just...I meet him once. I think."
"I feel compelled to advise against your secrecy." Xavier said warmly.
"I understand, but if Johnny knew..." I looked at Warren, then back at Xavier, " I'm not ready."
"But what happens when they find out that you haven't told them?" Julian asked.
"I can't." I said, not chancing a glace at warren.
"I think you should." Warren said quickly.
I looked at Warren, " Warren..." I said quickly.
"It's what you have to do. Look, you're going to be shown, Hollow's gonna make sure of that, so wouldn't it be good to make sure your side will be heard." Warren smiled nervously.
"If I were the Fantastic Four, where would I be?" I asked
"Johnny went to the army, or on a mission with the four." Xavier said.
"Do you need me to go?" Warren asked.
I looked at him, mouth gaping, " I...don't think that's on my list of things to explain." I said slowly.
"Explain what?" Kitty asked. She looked between us, blushed and smiled, " Oh. Good for you guys."
"Why not." Warren asked, ignoring her.
"It's not..."
"I'm not gonna..."
"I just..."
"I thought you said..."
"THE LAST THING I SAID TO HIM, A YEAR AGO, WAS GOODBYE!" I blurted.
"Sorry. I forgot." Warren said softly.
"Maybe this seems like just saying hit to you guys, but to me it's...'Hi, I'm not dead after all! I was just away for the last year while my double screwed every guy in the mansion!'." I finished.
Julian raised his hand, " Ummm, I don't remember you screwing with me." he joked.
"So, who's going?" Logan asked.
"Nobody. Just me." I said quickly, leaving.
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Johnny didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew that he was being summoned to the interrogation room. Johnny had just gotten to the door when he felt himself stop and his legs bent. He found that strange, something that's never happened before. He turned the knob and was shocked to see Pane sitting in a chair under the hot lights.
"WHAT THE FU..." Johnny said, shocked.
"Johnny," I said, standing, " I know...I..." I stammered, but Johnny ran over and kissed me before I could talk again.
"HOLY CRAP! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Johnny smiled, " YOU'RE LIKE A ROACH, YOU CAN'T BE KILLED!"
"Johnny, there's a little talk we need to have." I said quietly
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"Hello, sir, can I help you?" the guard asked. The guard noticed the dark skinned guy coming a mile away. He was in all black and very peculiar. If the guard didn't know any better, he'd say that guy was...
"Nope." the guy said, " I can help myself." the guy said, causing dark energy to spark from his fingers and the guard began to choke and he fell to the ground, " Told ya."
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"So, wait, you're not the Pane that...that we found?" Johnny asked.
"No. I'm the original. The one you met at the Mansion and who saved you in the museum. When you found Hollow at the...when you found him, he thought he was me." I explained, " I'm not the guy you fell in love with."
"Yeah, you are." Johnny said slowly, " I couldn't get you out of my mind. The other guy, there was something about him. He was different and I was in love with you."
Sting
"What?" Johnny asked.
"He's here." I said, staring at the door.
"Where is he?" Johnny asked.
"Does it matter?" I asked, " He'll be here in seconds."
"You can fly, right?" Johnny asked.
"No. Yeah, but I can't. I can, but..." I said quickly.
"It's okay, grab on." Johnny smirked.
I put my arm around his waist and his grin widened. I smiled a bit too and I looked up at the ceiling, which began to tremble and it tore apart under the pressure I put on it and Johnny shouted, " Flame On!" as we shot through the hole and out into the atmospehere. I looked back and saw the devestation. Tanks were falling to Hollow's power. I looked at Johnny, who shared my same shocked expression and we sped through the air, me holding onto him for dear life.
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Johnny and I sat in the Baxter building, watching t.v. The base had been completely levelled and Hollow was long gone. Sue, Reed, and Ben stared at me as if they had seen...a ghost.
"He killed your mother?" Johnny asked.
"Our mother." I said.
"Our?" Johnny asked.
"His and mind. It's hard to explain." I said.
"Try." Sue said, sitting on the edge of the couch.
"He's me. A clone, but me. In my dream, he was just as sad about it. He's all about sorrys, but I'm weird. I joked about killing me, but I don't think he wants to, it's sort of like..." I said, searching for the words.
"Brothers." Johnny asked.
"Yeah. He's not just a copy, he's aware. He knows what I know. He knows I won't kill him." I said angrily.
"Why?" Ben asked, " He killed your mom."
"He's a human being. I won't kill a human being." I frowned, " That's murder."
"Sooner or later..." Reed said.
"I won't." I said quickly.
"Even if he tries to kill you." Ben asked.
"He can be reached. That's what I'm gonna do." I said, trying to convince myself.
"He's killed." Sue said quietly, " Are you sure..."
"If it comes to that...tell me that I have to kill my brother. I've got to go." I said, standing and storming out.
As I got out the door, Johnny caught my arm, " Look, if it's between you and him, I'll kill him." he said.
"Then you're not as good a hero as you think you are." I said angrily.
"To save you from dying again, yeah, I'll be the freakin villain." Johnny said angrily.
I kissed his cheek, " I wouldn't ask you to be." I said, walking away.
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Pane walked down the hall, clutching my hand to my face. Johnny had caused something to re-ignite in me, some long since forgotten emotion. Lately, I had been all about the gloom and doom. Johnny was like the flame of my life and I felt like a moth. I had never met anyone like him. Ok, I had, but almost no one exactly like him...
"Hey, that's one bad disposition." Julian said, joining my side as I walked down the hall.
"Just wait, I've got so many moody expressions. It's amazing." I joked.
Julian chuckled, " It's better when you smile." he paused and we looked at each other, " ...You know, because it takes more muscles to frown or something like that."
"Right." I smirked, " So, where are you off to?"
He stayed silent.
"Training, huh?" I asked.
"Sorry, you're just not supposed to know." Julian said nervously.
"Yeah, I've been making with the dramatics lately. Too bad." I said casually.
"What happened at the base?" Julian asked, " Does this have anything to do with us having to train?"
"I imagine so." I said, looking down. Julian stared at me until I looked up, " He slaughtered them. All of them and all I could do is run. If I'm so powerful, why am I scared?"
"I'm sorry." Julian said, " But he's a murderer. You're not."
I looked at him, " Hundreds of people before I could even sense him." I frowned.
"I really haven't seen you use your powers lately. Is something wrong with them?" Julian asked.
"...I don't know." I said in shock. Could my powers be gone again? Could he have done something to me, " Julian, you're gonna be late. You should go."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'll be alright." I smiled as he hopped into the elevator and left. I found myself walking the halls for a while, thinking about everything Julian had said. Was I losing my powers? Was the reason why I'm afraid because he's a murderer? How was I gonna save someone who was trying to kill me?
I bumped into someone, " Excuse me." I said, stopping.
"Deep in thought?" Hollow said, causing me to look up at him, " Didn't get to accomplish my goal, did I?"
"Not here." I said, looking around, " They're innocent."
"I know what they are. Innocent is just a word people use to get sympathy. Doesn't exist." Hollow smirked.
There was a loud banging where the elevators were and shouting. I looked over to them for just a second, but when I looked back, Hollow punched me in the face and I flew backwards, smashing to the ground.
"Come on, you're the Phoenix, the all-mighty, world crushing Phoenix...Show me the fire." Hollow smirked.
I felt something reach me and in my head, there was a screech! I snapped my neck up and my white eyes shone up to him.
"The White Phoenix?!" Hollow asked in shock.
I tilted my head to the side and raised my hands, causing Hollow to jut backwards, through a nearby wall!
"Sorry kid, daddy's home." I said in a deep baritone voice.
There was a chuckle from the rubble and Hollow stood out of the rubble, " That's some primo power you got there. But if you don't mind, I'll demonstrate." Hollow smirked, holding his hands up and causing the ceiling to crash onto me.
I stood, surrounded by a white flame and smirked, " Not sure up caught the irony of this." I smiled.
Hollow held out his hand and a kid flew to him, " Oh I caught it. Did you?" he asked.
"Let 'em go!" I shouted.
"I think I wanna see his insides." Hollow smirked.
"There's not a word for what I'm gonna do to you." I said angrily.
"It's called," he leviated many items in the room, " revenge. Let it out. You can do it! Don't raise your shield. You raise your shield and he dies."
Before he could send anything at me, a red beam hit him in the middle of his chest and he soared across the room, crashing into a heap on the floor, then he teleported away. As he was hit, most of the items fell, but a large piano smashed into me, squashing me. Someone pulled the debris away from me and was pulling me from beneath the piano. I opened my eyes a little and saw red. Ruby red.
"Scott." I panted, passing out.