章 1: Chapter one
Obligatory Disclaimer : I do not own anything (except maybe OC characters) all characters, places, worlds, universes…etc mentioned here belong to their respective owners and/or companies.
This is purely a work of fiction. Not meant to offend or incite, but to entertain and maybe inspire
'Mental conversations'
"inverted commas" means a normal conversation.
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NEW BEGINNINGS
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"Ss-so ff-fug-gging c-cold" I shuddered and shivered, my teeth clattered like glasses clapping. A deep chilling cold penetrated into my bones and seeped into my being. It's been like this for a two days now, a whole 48 hours of cold torment. I felt the agony of my blood freezing in my veins and the misery that came with world's most nightmarish brain freeze. I balled up deeper in the crystal ice coffin that surrounded me and the white snow that had blanketed it.
I actually thought I had gone to the lowest levels of cold hell, that was until this body's memories flooded my head. I didn't even have the respite of blacking out, I had to sort it out through the pain.
This wasn't my original body, that one had died in a way I don't want to speak of, I had no idea about how or why I had ended up here. I died, I know. But then I woke up to the bone freezing cold, that seemed to surround me. It wasn't coming from outside my body, it was from inside me.
Something kept churning and churning and the more it churned the more cold was drawn towards me and put out of me. The more I felt like my soul was being encased in ice, as was my body which was trying to adapt. The cold turned my breath to snow. Something deep inside me was breaking free, it was being unleashed. My body hovered for a moment when it suddenly happened.
BOOM! An explosion blew it all away. The crystal coffin was blown into ice chunks. The resulting shockwave turned everything in the blast radius with me at the center to clear ice. And like a miracle, all the pain just stopped. There wasn't a pain anymore, no there was a comfort. Like taking a dip in a warm bath at the right temperature. Like fitting exactly into that comfort zone. I have never ever felt such….a rightful connection before. I was where I should be and everything was clicking into place.
I say it was the most amazing thing I had felt, but it was second to being alive. Feeling alive, knowing that you exist nothing beats that. I looked into the memories to find this body's home and try to find out what the hell was happening to me and also find a roof and a bed to sleep on.
The previous owner a 16 year old Bobby Drake, had run away from home for some very insubstantial reason and fell into a deep ravine. It was dark he didn't notice it, and when he did it was too late for him to save himself. He was knocked out and when his body fell, his face was buried in a puddle of murky water, in which he drowned. If that wasn't the most pathetic, meaningless death a person could ask for I don't know what is.
If his that name sounds familiar that's because it should.
This guy was Iceman. No not the hitman, the one from marvel movies, The most underrated character from the X-men. And not only that, but this world was where reality blended with fiction. Things I learned from his memories proved to me that I was in a very different world, in a very different universe. I've had two days to go over these memories, to analyze them and I still don't know how to react.
I hadn't even fully gotten over the shock of being alive through means I had yet to fathom, and now I wasn't even on my earth but one that should clearly be fictional instead. One with gods, aliens, mutants and super people. And it probably wouldn't be long till trouble comes after me, I was in the body of, no, I was now a mutant. Discrimination and hatred would come like a tsunami wave of destruction. Any chance at having a calm peaceful life was thrown out the window the moment I got here.
But I'd say it's worth it. I get to relive my life. That one reason made it all worth it.
My previous life was a complicated one, I was happy with it. If I wasn't I would've said so. No one lives a perfect life, but it's how you see it that matters. You see your life as a giant failure and that's what it'll become to you, you'll be filled with bitterness and regret at every turn. But if you see it as a great journey, one which you enjoyed, where you met people and did things, then you will be pleased with it. After all the mind is quite powerful.
The pressing situation now was trying to leave this ravine, I knew how to use my powers. Just the basics but still I knew them. It's intrinsic like knowing to breathe, you don't learn it you just know it. It was almost involuntary.
I was interacting with this power around me, and it was waiting for me to tell it what to do. It was waiting to communicate with me. It's like a doorway waiting for me to enter it.
I pushed my hands down, the gesture helped me visualize, I knew it wasn't necessary. I imagined a wave below me building up to a straight pillar. Something switched open and responded to my commands. Something that only I could connect to, it was me and I was it. I could feel it in my very being.
Foooshhcclk! "Woah!" A white pillar of ice shot up under my feet and lifted me upwards. I had a reasonable fear of heights, but everything felt so natural that it melted away. I was rooted to the ice pillar, I could feel every crack along its length, it was like an extension of me. I stretched out my hands a again and formed a straight bridge from the ice pillar to the edge of the ravine. I didn't have to walk, I propelled myself and glided too fast on the ice. "Woah! Holy Sh!t" I instinctively created a ramp and kept myself sliding on it going high into the air in swirls and loops till I got dizzy and fell face first into the sand.
I got up dusted myself and spat out the sand. Doing that felt too easy, I thought it would've been more taxing it it was as easy as closing a finger. It barely even scratched the surface of what I knew I could do.
I was too engrossed in my newly obtained abilities, created a perfect square ice cube out of thin air and made it hover in front of me. It was like, I was Leonardo da Vinci and this ice was play dough I could mould expertly like a God, I was only limited by my imagination. I knew every nook and cranny, every edge and smooth face was laid out bare in front of me. I turned the cube into an intricate snowflake made out of pure ice. I reshaped it into a mirror and then into a perfect sculpture of my face with moving expressions. There was just so much to do! This was crazier than admiral Kuzan's ice-ice fruit. This wasn't just a Manipulation of moisture and water vapour, but molecules. I was controlling something deeper, something more fundamental.
I picked up a dandelion flower and began freezing it. What I was doing was not only sapping out the heat of the plant using my thermokinesis but I was utterly freezing it's molecules with ice manipulation. I could suck out the heat like water through a vacuum straw. So not only did I have supreme control over the cold, but I could manipulate energy, maybe the ice is a byproduct of that.
Heat is energy, molecular motion creates energy. I have the ability of thermokinesis, cyrokinesis and hydrokinesis. I can cause temperatures to reach absolute zero. At absolute zero there is no molecular motion, it all stops dead. Heat death as a result of the big freeze occurs at absolute zero. I can affect molecular momentum which generates heat, and sap it out of things thereby freezing them with my cyrokinesis. These powers aren't as simple as they seem, there's something deeper involved. Like how the hulk accesses his mass, or how antman changes his size.
And this was just the zero year, how vast would my powers grow?
The flower turned into white frozen brittle glass, my fingers turned ice blue the air around them hardened and the temperature was dropping, this wasn't even absolute zero and neither was it my limit. I know heat transfer shouldn't work this way, but tell that to my powers and the physics that govern them. There might be another dimension involved too.
I flicked the flower away, it shattered into ice dust that froze air particles around it into small blocks and condensed fog before it all dissipated when the temperature regulated. Iceman was underated and underestimated. I wasn't going to limit myself to parlor tricks. I wonder what happens beyond absolute zero, would I be able to freeze space? Would that then advance to freezing even concepts? Not now, I could cause serious environmental and physical damage if I didn't act thoughtfully. Repercussions of actions.
I'm going to minimize the use of ramps, I would create ice wings and use them to fly.
Of course not now, no now I would use a iceboard.
The cube flattened into a crystal clear oval shaped board that hovered before me. I jumped onto it and it still remained afloat. Slowly and steadily I began to accelerate forward. This was too damn amazing. I'll have to repeat it, this was too damn amazing. It made me forget all my worries and just made me enjoy the moment. It's been too long since I've felt peace and serenity like this. If only Cruz could see me now, what right did I have to enjoy life she'd ask, and then she'd tell me to fuck off but secretly smile. Dan would probably tell me to live it to the fullest and get all the girls, and John would just give me the finger and go back to reading his verses. Heh. I had to get back pieces of my past life I could. I can never forget my people, that would make me a traitor deserving of a painful meaningless death. I'll make sure I never forget those precious ones.
****
When I neared the town I jumped off the board and dissipated it into cold vapor.
I made my way into the town. At once I could tell that it was a tight knit community of individuals who wouldn't accept nothing less than order and the values they projected onto you. This place was called Fort Washington, in the Nassau County of long Island.
Neatly mowed lawns, clean neat sidewalks. Houses built close to each other only separated by a fence of sparse green trees or short hedges. I could already hear the beautiful bird songs and carried by the calm blowing winds. An outer appearance of perfection, that would deceive you into thinking it was paradise where everyone got along with each other. From my memories I could see that he had lived here his whole life, mastering to hide his true self in this place where wolves pretended to be sheep.
It was a quiet day. People were probably catching up to their 'holy' TV shows and whatnot. For your information I have nothing against religion, I actually am Christian, just not the misguided kinds. I respect my religion, but I won't hesitate to call you out on your shit when you start twisting words of freedom to suit your needs. I'm also into meditation, just putting that out there.
And I'm also 100% not gay. Just saying it now before someone asks down the line, because I know that Bobby became one. I have nothing against gay people, shit I respect them, it takes a certain type of strength to do that. Plus all the gay people I've actually met were hardcore badasses. I'm talking of large lumberjack guys, with mean mugs that make you take a step back. Heh. But I prefer women.
I walked to the doorstep of my house and rang the bell. Hurried footsteps approached the door and opened it wide. Madeline Drake had bags under her eyes from crying, guess she must have been worried about me right? No, she's a hypocrite, trust me. Her brown hair was in a neat ponytail, fully displaying her expression of shock. I stepped in and then went past her.
"Who is it, honey?" a distinct male voice questioned out loud. I walked past the man who sat in his couch watching TV, he looked like Ned Flanders but somewhat larger, less kind and without the glasses.
I open the fridge and grabbed a coke can. Popping it with a satisfying whizz, the sweet scent wafting to my nose. I chugged down on the coke can and grabbed wrapped up leftovers. Taking them to the microwave and setting it to warm. I turned back and stared back at them.
"Boy! What the hell do you think you're doing in my house?!" the man yelled at me, threateningly rising from his chair. The woman standing behind him, supportive. They were disgusted at their son. The father saw him as a weak wuss and the mother had to always fan the flames.
"I'm right here, what are you yelling for?" I said flatly scratching my ear with a finger. They looked like they had the senses shocked out of them. They both stood with their mouths hanging. open.
"I took some time to clear my head and I'm better than ever now. I'm not afraid, there's nothing for me to fear so don't try intimidating me. I'll be in my room if you need me"
I said, pulling the warm food from the microwave and walking upstairs to my bedroom.
Iceman, was a character who was always overlooked or outright ignored, and the guy was an omega level mutant that barely even tapped into his true potential. You should understand that omega level mutants were very dangerous existences, like Jean Grey with the Phoenix, or Franklin Richards who could quite literally create pocket universes.
And iceman was up there with them. But he never utilized his full potential, there was a scan were Emma frost possessed his body and did things he never even thought possible.
Imagine Tracy Strauss from heroes having her ice powers taken to god levels and then you've got iceman.
The guy was basically godlevel Sub-zero. And he never really put all that power to use, no he just wanted to make fun and be loved.
From what I could see, he was just a hurt little child that wants to always please his parents, he was afraid of rejection, so he hides behind a mask of cheerfulness and clownish acts. What a shame. I wasn't that child, I wasn't naive or looking for acceptance. I wasn't 'Bobby' in fact no one is going to be calling me Bobby anymore. My names Robert Drake. They could either call me Rob or my last name, but not nice guy Bobby. Bobby is dead.
*********
The skies today were sunny and clear with a cool tinge of blue.
I held yellow plastic bags in my grasp as I exited the supermarket doors and began making my way back to the house, it's been a week now. I don't plan on actually staying here too long.
"Hey Drake, you wuss!" I paused and turned to look back at the brash voice. A teenage male older than I currently was, had a sneer on his face. He was larger and more muscular, he walked towards me with two of his cronies who stuck to his sides like puppies.
Rocky Beasley, town bully and tormentor of Bobby. Way number 1 to end a bully, don't let it start. He came forward and held my shoulder.
Thudd!
"Heh, c'mere you littl- AHHH!" a blood curdling scream was the result of my foot smashing against his unprotected nether region. He crumpled to the floor and rolled around in pain.
The brave crony ran at me in a tackle.
I dropped my bags. And shot my hand out, gripping the back of his head and directing forward swaying my body out the way.
Crash! The first crony had his head embedded into the glass display behind me, knocking him out and breaking the glass. The second one stared and then ran off, abandoning his friends.
I steadily packed up all the spilled items back into the yellow plastic bags. In a blink I could freeze his body over, I could turn his organs to glass and his blood to ice with just a single snap. It was so very easy to do so, but that wasn't the right choice for such a situation. I'm just saying, I could take his life away if it so pleased me.
I kicked Rocky twice more in the stomach, "Urghh!" making him puke out his half digested breakfast and stomach acid all over the sidewalk. I left the area with bags in hand..
/X/
I looked at my reflection on the ice mirror. I dyed my hair to a more fitting black, it complimented my sea blue eyes. The sharp ice razors went to work. Black hair strands fell on the grass, as each blade skillfully touched my scalp. I had gone for simple side fades and the results were quite pleasing. The style actually fit me, it expressed my facial features and made me quite the looker, not that I already wasn't.
Once I was done with that, I brushed and began exploring more of my powers. I was having trouble with the organic ice form. I could feel it in me, but it wouldn't be easy to pull out since it was supposed to be a secondary mutation. I could create crystalline ice armor over my skin that would look physically indistinguishable from it, but that wouldn't even begin to touch on my organic ice form. In the organic ice form, I would be allowed more freedom and control over my abilities. Plus it would come with a healing factor that would rival even wolverine's.
So sufficient trauma, or stress was necessary for me to get that one. But for now I could make do with what I had access to.
Ice gathered to form a humanoid fluffy snowman. I refined and reshaped it till it resembled a crystal sculpture of myself. And then I willed it to move, it was clumsy at first but it became smoother and smoother. The ice clone didn't have emotions, it only followed my orders. To be honest it was like having a second body connected to me, like having another hand. I could see whatever it did and I didn't know how that worked. I suspected that my consciousness or the connection to the ice allowed this to be possible.
If I had to define it, I'd say it was like having a shadow clone based on ice instead of Chakra. What? I watch Naruto from time to time.
"Break dance" I said to it. It stared up, brought it's head down and then it kicked out a foot and twisted around, it's hand over its crotch. Michael Jackson. It started with thriller moves and then went all Billy Jean. "Haha!" I created another one who joined in on the dance, in perfect harmony.
You know since we're talking about Naruto, let's try this.
The clones stood across me with ice bands on their heads and a swords in their hands. I added two more clones to the mix with anbu masks each of them holding kunais. They nodded and sped at me.
My palms were brought close together at my sides, ice waves crackling in my open grip. "Mega snowflake shuriken!" I shouted and tossed. A giant intricate snowflake with micron thin edges tore through the ice clones and any trees or obstacles in its path like knife through butter. It would've gone through the sparse forest had I not called it back and dissipated it.
That gave me an idea for another type of creation. I focused and expertly sculpted a ice sparrow, like my clones I could see what the little bird saw. I stretched out my finger and the little bird flapped its wings and perched on it. It was just too lifelike, it could be mistaken for a real bird made out of crystal and ice. I let it fly and it showed it all it saw from a birds eye view, ice scouts. It couldn't go too far off and it was rapidly melting.
That was it for today. I reached into the hoodie vest pocket and popped a cigarette out of the pack. Habits die hard, plus it wasn't like it could kill me now, when I could cleanse myself with ice. No really, the ice was inside of me, it's like my outer layer of skin was just a covering and the real me was the ice beneath it.
I took a calming drag of the lit cigarette, this world's cigarettes were highly improved. They didn't have as much of the tar the ones back in my world did. If John was here he'd ask me for one and then proceed to crumple and destroy the pack. Heh. Bastard.
The bitter aftertaste of the smoke being swallowed into my lungs. The nostalgia that comes with, tastes no less. I am left alone with my silence, my mind drifts back to where I came from, to all I had lost. The sorrow of missing them and being missed. The yearning of my heart, and the knowledge that I'll never truly get to see those ones again washes over me like cold piercing water. I embrace the emotions, I let it all come to surface, the temperature drops as do icy tears down my face. Dying sucks. I don't cry, I never do I always have to be strong. But the ones I had to be strong for aren't even here with me, I was given another chance but for what purpose? I died, yes. The bullet tore through my vitals. It was irrefutable.
Damn cigarette was already done was what I thought, the cigarette was frozen solid as was my hand. I don't know when, but I had turned into my organic ice form.
It was something else, every inch of my body was crystalline. From the strands of spiky hair on my head to the soles of my boots. My clothes were frozen solid, they cracked and fell off around me at the exposure to the temperature I was giving off. This was very unexpected. It's like my skin fell off and exposed the true ice cold form of my being. I didn't feel the need to even breath because in this form air or food wasn't necessary. The jagged edges all over my shoulders, back of my arms, knees and head all felt very natural and necessary.
I refined my ice form like I had my clones. I wasn't exactly see through, I had a more blue tint and slightly translucent form. I morphed parts of my body into various shapes and sizes, creating fitting jeans with an ice chain across the pockets and some kicks for my feet, the spikes I could drop them into my body whenever I wanted to. This was my organic ice form.
But it wasn't enough to distract me from the melancholy still knocking at my heart. I formed a pair of magnificent crystal wings and flapped. Shooting off into the clouds and then past them. The soft cotton looking tufts below me as I just floated there above it all.
"I Love you!!!!" I yelled out at nobody in particular. "I hope you're all living well. I already miss you bastards, you were the only family I had. I'm sorry I went so soon. But I'm glad you all get to live now, my sacrifice was worth it. Don't cry for me, be strong. Cruz, you were all I ever would've wanted, but I hope you're happy with John. Dan settle down and lay off trying to corrupt John.
John, smile more you bastard. Don't miss me too much, take care of Cruz. I'm in a better place, don't cry for me, don't cry. " I just let it all out, the beautiful skies easing the pain. The taste of sunlight and freedom on my icy tongue.
A wave spread out from my body and it started to snow in the warm July weather. Maybe my heart was as cold as my body.
*********
It was very easy for me to control my organic ice form. I could alter my shape, size and weight in ice form. But the changes dissipated in my normal flesh form. I know iceman had trouble with turning back to flesh when he went into his organic ice form but that wasn't the case for me. And not only that, but I could deform and reform myself from a single crystal, it was freaky like that fluid metal terminator. And when I focused hard enough I could turn parts of me into intangible fog, like Smoker from one piece.
Every part of me had the necessary information stored in each crystalline molecule and structure, like a brain that encompasses my body. I could also see the heat signatures of things. I don't even know how my eyes work when in organic ice form or in fog form.
I packed the last of what I needed into the bagpack and zipped it up. I stood and stared at the room, the single comfy bed, the posters of girls on the walls and the small TV on the desk. I turned around and walked out the door closing it behind me.
The parents were out standing by the maindoor.
"Where do you think you're going young man?" the woman asked,her arm crossed on her chest. The man standing with a more relaxed pose.
"I'm leaving, going out there to make a life for myself. I'm a mutant, I won't be accepted here" the recoiled in shock when I changed my hand to ice. I began walking towards the door when I felt a grip on my shoulder.
"You know what you want. I know things have been not so good, but I am proud of you. I can see it in your eyes, you've finally grown up.
Use this, call it a parting gift just don't forget to call and visit your mom from time to time
" the man said sincerely, he opened his wallet and gave me his credit card.
"Thanks..Dad, I'll visit. Mom take care if yourself. I'll call you when I get to where I'm going." I accepted the card and said my goodbyes. The woman hugged me one last time and I shook the man's hand. With that I walked through the door, drawing the hood of my open vest over my head.
/X/
The man took back his tattoo gun and wiped. away all the residual blood and ink on my stinging skin.
"So, how is it?" he asked.
"It's great" I said looking at the mirror.
"It's rad dude. A masterpiece, makes me want to put your skin on the walls! It's that good"
"Heh"
I had Tibetan Sanskrit half sleeve tattoos reaching out to my chest and sides with a dark multicolored backdrop, on my left shoulder and across my upper body. Those were for Cruz. Dan's blue dragon was over my shoulder coiled around the backdrop and the Sanskrit letters like a guard.
It's tail reaching over my back to my right hand where I had John's Bible verse coiling and spiraling along the length of my upper arm all the way up to my chest and shoulders. It said:
'They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
His will be done.'
I'm not a piercings type of guy so I didn't get any of those, those were Dan's shit, I wasn't going to go down that hole.
I slid on the sleeveless hoodie and unzipped the chest, the tattoo had to heal and it's not like I could feel cold. I reached into my black jeans pockets and took out the payment cash. I paid the guy a little more than listed price, since I was still a minor and this was below the counter type of deal.
I left the store and earned myself some looks before I went into a secluded alley and turned my upper body into organic ice, the tats could be washed away by replacing the tattooed parts with ice, but I wasn't trying to do that. I went back into flesh form and the wounds had fully healed up, with none of the complications, itch or scab. I drew very thin ice threads and particles into my skin to highlight and lace the tattoos with them, giving it a more beautiful balance and brilliant hue. This was good enough.
I boarded the bus and with that I was off to my next destination. The X-men, that would be the safest and most dangerous place to be right now. Mutants were in really bad situation right now. Magneto's Island of genosha was razed to the ground and utterly destroyed, a population wiped out. And do you know what they say? Who's gonna lose sleep over dead muties. Imagine that.
And now, they've supposedly created a still experimental cure that takes away mutations, so mutants are now a disease.
The abuser blames the victimized for their own victimization. A hate filled society expecting you to fit into it, when rather society should be more inclusive.
I would use my powers to help people, but I wasn't going to stay an xman boy scout for long, I'm not as benevolent as Jesus Xavier, I give back as much as I am given.
It was just a springboard for me. Till I got a better hold on things and a steady income. Then I could find a hq or a base. Talking of bases, I'll build one in the polar regions. A literal crystal palace and call it the fortress of solitude. Yeah that's right, I'll channel the inner superman in me to create it.
One thing at a time.
*'***
Hallo zusammen, guten tag.
There you have it people, chapter one of our journey. Whoo! I'm feeling ignited, on fiahhh!
So what are your thoughts? How'd you like it? Do you see parts that can be improved? Send in your reviews and let me know!
Did you enjoy it? If you did, you see that small box? The one next to the favorite and like, just smash it, smash it so hard a check appears and viola you have supported moi and le story. *****
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