SINISTER RECKONING

Part II: Fighting Chance

By Dino Pollard

His name is Scott Summers. And right now, he’s scared as all hell.

He returned to the house he grew up in at the request of his younger brother, Alex, who was worried that something was wrong with their grandparents. He thought everything was fine. Alex told him that something was going on in the basement.

While investigating, Scott realized that Alex was right. His grandfather was actually some sort of shape-shifter with white skin. His real grandparents were held in some sort of suspended animation. And now, Scott was wondering what the hell he was going to do.

Scott watched carefully as the man picked up a device of some sort. Then, he began to speak into it.

“Entry #253: Scott Summers has returned home from school for some odd reason. His presence threatens to jeopardize everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish. I’ve viewed the footage from Magneto’s attack on New York, and I witnessed a young man allied with Magneto’s opposition who could fire beams of energy from his eyes. This man possessed Scott’s same physical attributes and mannerisms, and due to the fact that Scott constantly wears dark red sunglasses, I’m positive that he is part of this team. Their mode of transportation is far too advanced not to be government issue, meaning that they either work for a government agency, or they pirated the technology. Either way, that means that Scott has received specialized training over the past few months. I realize that I must dispose of him quickly if I am to succeed in my plans.”

A chill was sent down Scott’s spine as he heard the man speak. He began to remove his sunglasses, prepared to unleash his optic blasts on this man.

Wait, what am I doing? he thought, quickly sliding his glasses back over his eyes. I don’t know a damn thing about this guy. If I try to fight him now and I lose, that means nothing’s changed. I gotta get Alex out of here first.

The man moved over to the vats which housed Scott’s grandparents. He moved around towards the back of the lab, and when his back was turned, Scott ran out the door. The man turned to hear the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. He pressed a button on a control panel.

{{ “Mutants are an aberration!! They’re creatures crafted from the Devil! We were warned of dangers such as the one they pose in the Book of Revelations! The day is coming soon, and we must be prepa-” }}

*KRASH*

“Sodding cow, I was watchin’ that!!”

“Too bad.”

“If it weren’t fer M-”

“Children, please.”

The mutants looked to see a figure with a commanding presence approach them.

“That minister won’t be much of a concern, anymore. It’s time for us to make our presence known.”

Westchester

{{ “Tonight on Behind The Music, we explore the short-lived career of one of the most-dazzling pop-stars to ever appear on the music scene! Alison Blaire had it all – fame, talent, fortune – and at the age of sixteen, no less!! Known for her captivating lightshows at concerts, Alison’s powerful voice was what packed the crowds in. Many believe that she was on the path to becoming the next Madonna!” }}

{{ “Then, tragedy struck. During her last concert, she was attacked by men with guns, when her body suddenly emitted brilliant light. After a showdown with the men, as well as backed up by another mutant, Blaire vanished. What happened to her? Where did she go? With her career in shambles, where is she now? Join us, as we explore the short life and career of Alison Bla–” }}

*CLICK*

“I was hoping that they would forget… that anything that was left of my career would just become filler for the tabloids…”

She rubbed her eyes and placed the remote control back on the table.

“But they don’t forget, do they? They’ll never forget. No one forgets something that… that big. No one ever forgets watching someone’s life being ruined…”

Ororo Munroe looked at her teammate with a bit of unease. Since her time with the X-Men, she’s barely spoken to anyone on the team, save for John.

“Umm… maybe I’m not the best person you should be talking about this with, Ali…” she stated. “I mean… we’re not exactly…”

“But look at you!!” Ali exclaimed. “You never seem to talk at all!! It’s like, you just show up, fight the bad guys, and then run to your room to sulk. I know John’s life was ruined, too… but he seems to be over it. You though… you don’t say anything about what your life was like. What happened to you?”

“I’m not real comfortable talking about this,” Ororo stated, turning away.

“So why don’t you make yourself comfortable?”

“Why are you so interested, anyway?” Ororo asked. “What’s it matter to you?”

“I just thought that maybe we might have some common ground…” Ali replied. “And I thought maybe it’d be better if you talk about these things…”

“Common ground? Common ground?! Don’t make me laugh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Face it, blondie,” Ororo replied. “We ain’t got any common ground!! You’re a spoiled little white girl who grew up in suburbia!! You got your big break and became a pop-star!! Now, you’re not a spoiled, suburban white girl – you’re a spoiled, RICH AND FAMOUS white girl!! And me? I grew up on the streets of LA. I hadta steal to survive! I hadta hook up with some… people just to stay alive! Common ground my ass…”

“You wanna tell me about it?” Ali asked.

“Y’know, for someone whose power is based on sound, you sure don’t know much about listening,” Ororo replied. She turned and walked out the room.

Ali sighed and looked at the phone on the table. She almost considered calling her parents or her agent – but what would she say? They hadn’t seen or heard from her in months. What was she supposed to do?

“Oh yeah… REAL great life…” she muttered, creating some small light bubbles with her fingers.

“Scott…?” Alex asked, as Scott ran into the room and closed the door. “What’s going on?”

“You were right, Alex,” Scott replied. “There’s some… guy impersonating Gramps. He’s got really white skin, and there’s like some sort of lab or something in the basement. Something out of a movie…”

“What about Gramps and Nana?” Alex asked. “Does that mean they’re…?”

“I dunno,” Scott replied. “I saw them in some sort of tubes… but I couldn’t tell if they were alive or dead. Alex, we gotta get out of he-”

*KNOCK*

“Alex? Scott? Are you guys in there?”

“Sounds like Nana’s voice,” Alex said.

“It’s not her, it’s something else…” Scott stated.

“What’re we gonna do?”

“We gotta get out.”

“How?” Alex asked. “She’s right there at the door, how are we gonna…”

He turned to see Scott opening up the window.

“Ooooooooh no, no, HELL no!!” Alex exclaimed. “You better just be opening that window to get some fresh air, because there’s no way in hell I’m…”

“Dude, just shut up!” Scott exclaimed.

*BANG*

“BOYS, OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!!”

“The door’s beginning to crack…” Alex muttered. Scott grabbed him and pulled him by the windowsill.

“Remember the last time we did this?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, but we had a parachute back then,” Alex replied.

“Go limp.”

Scott pulled off his glasses and placed them in his coat, keeping his eyes shut. Alex grasped onto him firmly, and they leapt out the window.

“YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!!!!!” Alex shouted as they fell. Scott opened his eyes, unleashing concussive energy from them. It began to slow their descent, and when they got close enough to the ground, Scott closed his eyes, and they both fell in the snow.

“You okay?” Scott asked, reaching into his pocket and putting his glasses back on.

“Yeah…” Alex muttered. “Ow… that landing felt familiar…”

“Look, I want you to do something,” Scott said. He reached into his pocket and handed Alex his cell phone. “Go somewhere safe and call the first number in the memory. Talk to someone there and tell them what happened – tell them everything I told you. Tell them you’re my brother.”

“Hell no, I’m staying with you!” Alex exclaimed.

“Don’t be a dumbass!!” Scott shouted. “Just go somewhere safe and make the call!”

Alex stood there before running off.

Scott walked up to the house and removed his glasses again, blowing the door off its hinges. He walked inside, to see his “grandmother” walking towards him.

“Why did you slam the door, Scott?” she asked, stepping forward. Her eyes began to glow strangely. “You really shouldn’t have done that. You’re being very bad today.”

Scott slid his glasses up again and fired an optic blast at his “grandmother.”

The blast cleaved her in two, revealing that she was nothing more than a robot.

“Whoa…” Scott muttered.

He walked towards the basement door, when something hit him from behind.

“UNGH!!!”

Scott looked up and saw the man with white skin standing there.

“I would have preferred the young one, but I suppose you’ll do,” he stated. “By the way, we haven’t been introduced, yet. You can call me Sinister.”

He lifted up a gun and fired it at Scott, knocking the X-Man unconscious.

“C’mon… c’mon… answer… somebody answer…” Alex muttered.

{{ Hello? }}

“I’m Scott’s brother!”

{{ Oooookay… }}

“Listen to me, something’s happened!!” Alex exclaimed. “Scott came up here because I asked him to, because something was funny with our grandparents. And he did, and found out that some psycho had built a lab in our basement and imprisoned our grandparents and was impersonating them!! So now, he’s still there, probably facing off against that psycho, and he told me to call you!”

Alex stopped for a second to listen to the voice on the other end. What he didn’t realize was that he had gotten too excited. His hands began to glow, and the phone became vaporized in it.

“Hello? Hello?” Jean asked, speaking into the phone.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Logan asked, laying across the couch with a beer in his hand.

“That was Scott’s brother,” Jean replied.

“How’s he doin’ up there?” Logan asked.

“I don’t know, his brother said that something strange was going on up there… something about his grandparents being kidnapped and Scott facing off against some psycho. Then, the connection was lost.”

“Better t’be safe than sorry,” Logan stated, placing his beer on the table and standing up. “Go tell the others to suit up and meet in the hangar.”

*FWZAAAM*

Alex looked at his hands and the small crater he just made in the road.

“Whoa… cool.”