Blaze
by candy

Disclaimer: Blaze is my creation, I don't own the X-Men. I love you Miss Hughes 
so please don't sue me for using your station and your name in my story. Marvel 
you can e-mail me with all job offers at darksydelady@aol.com.

Notes: Blaze is based on a friend of mine who is a grade A bitch and I love her 
for it.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Number six. She was number six...or seven, he forgets. The only thing he had 
ever kept track of was his money. Victor Creed was on a roll in Baltimore, 
having killed his share of beautiful young woman this week. He stood over 
Victoria Campbell licking his chops, unfortunately there was nothing left of the 
once beautiful redhead to fulfill his 'needs', a mere pile of blood, organs, and 
skin, Vicky wasn't fun anymore. "Oh well," Creed sighed, "time to find a new 
playmate."

Creed walked over to the table in the dinning room and flipped through the junk 
mail, he'd won a million dollars and there was one of those flyers with a 
missing kid...he didn't have anything to do with this one. *MMM, what was this*, 
he pondered? "You are invited..." he flipped the postcard over, the face of an 
ebony angel stared back at him, DJ Blaze was going to be on the 'wheels of 
steel' at Kathy Hughes Plaza on St. Paul Street for 92Q's Back to School Jam. 
She was also going to be his new playmate.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kimberly Lewis hated when her piece of shit car brokedown on the way to work; 
right now on 83 her 1989 Celica was a blaze, she had enough of the damn thing 
and set it on fire when it wouldn't start again. Oh well.

She walked down Calvert Street, planning to cut through Mercy Hospital to get to 
St. Paul St, less traffic, less hilly. As she passed under the viladuct, she 
could make out a tall, correction huge, blonde white man dressed in a black tank 
top and jeans. She raised an eyebrow.

Creed sat on the hood of his blood red Lexus and watched his prey walk closer 
and closer. He found her earlier and had been tracking her all day; to the 
grocery store, the mall, the liquor store, and then home. He had thought about 
getting her then, but that was so 'already done' it bored him. He tailed her 
until her car died on the highway. She stayed with the piece of junk for ten 
minutes then gave up, finally she started to walk away then it blow up. She 
didn't been bother to turn around and look just kept walking...with style.

Oh yeah, he had picked this one well. She was a rich mocha color with naturally 
long brown hair and dark onyx eyes. She was a tall drink of water and those six 
inch killer heels didn't help, the girl was stacked in all the right places, her 
leather bustier and jeans showcased the assets her mother blessed her with very 
well. It was way after sunset, but she was rocking seriously dark shades that 
completed the look her buttery black leather trench coat started.

He licked his lips and waited, she was looking at him, good. With her interested 
it would be easy for him to try a pick-up line and then snatch her into the car. 
"Yo, asshole," Creed turned his head to face the boy stupid enough to disturb 
his hunt. Two 'kids' who were maybe old enough to cross the street without Mommy 
stood behind him, guns drawn. "The keys or ya neck fool...." POP POP. 

Two shots, for two dumb asses. Creed watched with wonder while blood poured out 
of both young men's chest as they fell to the ground. It wasn't his fault, he 
didn't even carry a gun...anymore. Turning his head, his eyes fixated on his 
prey, and her chrome plated Desert Eagle .50 calibre handcannon. She waited, as 
if to see if the boys were going to get up. Assured that they weren't she tucked 
the weapon in the back of her jeans and walked on, void of any remorse or 
emotion for the murders she just committed. "Nice car, Mister. Try not to get it 
stolen." She flippantly remarked and strided on down the street. Creed was 
floored.


Xavier's Institute


"Professor, are you sure about this, usually you send..."

"Scott, you don't understand, this woman is extremely dangerous. I'd rather send 
Logan and Bishop with you, besides I think sending Jubilee may help as well."

"How so, if this woman is that 'dangerous' why put the child in the line of 
fire."

"Kimbery Lewis is dangerous, but she also very observant, the presence of a none 
threatening mutant, a child, may help to ease her. Jean will act as diplomate 
while Logan and Bishop serve as escort."

"I don't like this, why should we even try and recruit a woman like her."

"Because we don't want anyone else to."

"When do we leave?"

"Within the hour, take the Blackbird and be careful, I have read that there has 
been a string of serial murders in the area."


Baltimore...

The party was over, the crowds were gone, the sun was coming up. Kimberly 
counted her money in the bathroom of the Hilton, satisfied that she wouldn't 
have to kill anyone else before going home . The subway would be the fastest way 
to get to her beloved bed, she could still picture her car in flames on the 
highway, it brought a smile to her tired face. 

She gathered up her purse and secured her CD player's headphones to her ears and 
began to walk in the direction of the subway station. As she exited the building 
she saw HIM again, the big blonde man from last night; his Lexus was parked in 
front of the transit center. She smirked, he was okay. She was sure he'd be a 
great fuck, especially with those big powerful thrusting legs, but no, casual 
sex was not her cup of tea. She turned the corner, a black stretch limo caught 
her eye. The driver stepped out and ran around to the back passenger door. 

A beautiful red-head and rather cute sixteen year old Asian girl exited the limo 
and began to approach her. Kimberly wiggled, an innocent looking way to insure 
that her gun was in positon to grab. The red-head stalled a second. The woman, 
who was now frozen with fear, looked very familiar to Kimberly, but in Kim's 
line of work, everyone in the world tried to talk to you about spinning their 
cuts, even stuck-up white girls.

Sighing, Kim finally recognized the woman as Jean Grey-Summers. The same woman 
who had tried to talk to her about attending some school two years ago, Kim 
hated school the first go round, no way was she going back, especially to one 
for muties. "Miss Lewis, I don't know if you..."

"I don't bite Mrs. Summers...unless provoked," Kimberly said approaching the 
woman with an out reached hand. Jean shook her hand, but seemed extremely wary 
of this new possible recruit, Jean had picked up the fact that she was armed, 
she also picked up the murders. A snap shot of a man and two kids trying to kill 
him, quickly sprinted across Jean's psychic eye.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if it was you, it has been a while," Jean's 
explaination for freezing up was transparent. 

"I also don't take to being lied to by a telepath," Kim warned, having 
remembered Jean mentioning that during their first conversation at the 
Cheesecake Factory near the Inner Harbor.
"Don't worry, I don't kill because someone lied to me," she turned her attention 
to the innocently dressed, but clearly uncomfortable Asian girl. "And you are?"

"Jubilee, Jubilation Lee," she returned while restlessly fidgeting with the hem 
of her shirt.

"Cool, I'm Blaze, Kimberly Lewis to anyone that ain't in a club." Kim looked up 
at Jean,"So what do I owe the honor?"

"Professor Xavier would like to invite you up to the campus for two days. It's 
free of course, call it an complimentary recruitment tour." Campus, limo, well 
dressed 'students', Kim could smell the money, okay she thought, if this place 
was cool, two days lounging by a pool and eating steak sounded good. If this 
place was a joke, she'd lift a few credit cards and have her fun in New York. 
What were they gonna do report the cards stolen? Have her arrested? Fine she'd 
report them as mutants...to a few people she knew, like the FOH.

"When," she was trying not to sound like she had made up her mind?

"Now, if you like we can stop by your place and get a few things..." There was a 
long moment of silence. Kimberly looked back over to where the blonde guy had 
been, he was gone. Smirking she turned to Jean, "Okay, but I ain't staying 
longer than that, I gotta work."

Creed looked on from another location, down wind of the limo, just in case the 
Runt was around. This could be fun, the X-Men were interested in his prey.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The Blackbird floated to a solid four point landing in the underground hanger as 
the basketball court slide back into place. Kimberly was not impressed, so far, 
nothing but the kid had impressed her. At her place, Kim gave the girl a pair of 
cut offs and a haulter top to wear as she'd grown tired of watching the poor 
thing squirm in her cute little top and her cut little skirt, with her cute 
little hair style. The girl was far to spunky and aged for the crap she was 
wearing. Kimberly could see pain in Jubilee's eyes and an independant nature the 
others just didn't have. Clearly this kid was here for the cute cuddly 
we-are-harmless-so-trust-us effect. She sized this bunch up pretty well, but 
she'd reserve her full judgment until she talked to Xavier. 

Jean gave her a quick tour of the grounds and house, not revealing anything too 
important but showing enough to let Kim know that this was no ordinary school. 
Cynically, Kim followed the red-head, noting the silent escort of the short 
pointy haired guy the kid seemed extremely attached to and the black Hercules 
with the s-curl. Neither of these guys looked like Welcome Wagon Club material. 
Obiviously, her 'rep' had preceeded her.

Jean finally lead Kim to the Professor's office, the kid held back. "You comin' 
Jubilation," Kim asked?

"Naw, I usually don't..."

"You usually don't get to sit on the good stuff after the big dogs use you as 
bait," Kim broke away from the group and moved back to Jubilee. A rumbling of a 
growl developed in Logan's chest. "Okay, my little friend, here," Kim was going 
for shock value, she wanted she how good a telepath Jean was. Knowing that only 
Jean should know that she was carrying a gun, Kim went into her back pocket. 
Logan's growl grew, Bishop's bootheels clicked a few times, but then there was a 
thick silence. Only Jubilee seemed uneffected by her actions, a dumb move, the 
kid should have also been told about the weapon for her own protection. 

Kim removed a mini disc from her back pocket,"You guys have a mini player 
right," Jubilee nodded,"Here, it's my new remix of club stuff, put this on," 
Kimberly lowered her lips to Jubilee's ears,"I promise you'll love it." Jubilee 
smiled brightly and ran off to her room. 

Kimberly stood still with a deceitful smile, Jean still had a hand up barring 
Logan and Bishop from passing. Jean passed her test, the woman was clearly a 
superior telepath. There was really no way to tell if Kim had a gun on her, Jean 
found out by violating her mind, then passed the info along to her friends 
telepathically. Not once did Jean mention the gun aloud, Kim was positive of 
that. "Is this what you want, Honey?" Slowly, she moved her coat to one side 
exposing the gun. 

Bishop approached and roughly relieved her of the weapon, "MMM, I have a few 
other things you can grab like that," she whispered as she passed Bishop. Jean 
looked at her with slight disgust but tried to hide it. Logan just out right 
gleered at her.

Upon entering the office Kim made a flip comment about going to see the Wizard 
of Oz and took a seat in front of Charles's desk. "Thank you Miss Lewis for 
coming BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH, dream of a world,BLAHBLAHBLAH..." she tooned him out 
and looked around the room. Logan was still fuming, the red-head was sitting 
next to a very protective pretty boy with red glasses. A beautiful Asian woman 
with purple hair held the hand of a wannabe Brad Pitt. Bishop stood at the door 
with her gun, quiet and observant. A couple in their late teens or early 
twenty-somethings were standing close to each other but there was tension. He 
whispered something to the curly headed girl in a Russian accent. Then there was 
the female with the white streak lording over the cutie with the black and red 
eyes, sex like air between them. 

"Enough," Kimberly yelled to the Professor,"forget it I'm going home, you people 
are sick." Everyone in the room became silent and still.

"Excuse me my child," Charles asked, surprised by the outburst?

"C'mon Chuck, what you runnin'?"

"You have me at a loss." *Don't move anyone, no matter what she does, let it 
go,* he ordered his students who only nodded their acknewledgments.

"Oh that's classic, I..have a telepath at a loss. You really expected me to hang 
around this toilet bowel of emotional bullshit. Please.."

"Miss Lewis..."

"Please call me Blaze, but look let me give you all some advice, you guys need 
real psychiatric help." At that Kimberly got up and walked to the door. She 
quickly moved to get her gun. Bad choice, Bishop grabbed her by her neck 
slamming her into the door. She kicked him in the groin and pryed the gun out of 
his hand as he fell to the floor.

SKINKT

*Logan No, let her go* Charles psychically ordered.

Ignoring his mentor, Logan charged her, she turned trying to aim the gun at him, 
but he was too close. He knew her intention, he also knew his what had to be 
done, this girl was a danger he was going to stop, maybe not kill, but a good 
chunk of her was about to be on the floor. He drew back and slashed forward. 

His claws contected, but... no scream, no yelp, no collapse. Logan began to feel 
heat, in his knuckles first then up his arm. Like touching a hot pot, only he 
couldn't move. "You may have been asking yourself why they call me Blaze," her 
upper arm was red and glowing like lava, then it ignited. Her coat sleeve 
vanished, the heat in his arm burned like the flames of hell. "Well Honey this 
is why." She pushed him away, he fell to the floor gripping his arm. The 
adamantium on his bone claws looked as if it had been partially melted. The pain 
in his right arm like nothing he'd ever know, even the pain of having his 
adamantium removed by Magneto could not compare.

Her whole arm was ablaze with a bright red flame. She stretched her arm out in 
order save the rest of her coat. Three slash marks were clearly visible in her 
'arm' then they melted together and smoothed out. The flames died like the 
flicker of a candle in a gale force wind. A perfectly smooth and uninjured arm 
sparkled with a white hot after glow then returned to normal.

"What the flamin' hell.."

"You said Honey, flaming. Blaze, my name and my gift are one in the same. I can 
become a flame, I can even semi-solidify fire," she smickered.

"Young woman, this is unnecessary, we mean you no harm." Charles remained 
seated, he feared this, but he also perpared himself for it too.

"No," she said moving back towards his desk, "this whole mess you call a school 
is unnecessary," she barked while circling her gun to around to point out that 
'this' meant the school. "It's like fucking 90210 around here, he is completely 
pussy whipped," she pointed to Scott,"and she is playing him for all it's 
worth," said while pointing to Jean. "The couple in corner just need to get it 
together," she pointed to Peter and Kitty. "The cutie with the dark eyes can do 
way better than that trailer park trash hanging around his neck." The 'cutie' 
being Gambit, the 'trash' being Rogue. "Oh don't even get me started on Brad 
Pitt and Lucy Liu all hugged up on the sofa," she smirked while pointing to 
Warren and Betsy. "And worst of all is THAT sicko right there," she said 
pointing down at Logan,

"You got nerve, I ain't whack two kids last night like I was shotting ducks in a 
barrel," Logan snarled still nursing his burning arm.

"Yeah, but I wasn't trying to fuck them either, really can't you find anyone 
your own age. I do think Jubilee is bit too young for you," She sucked her teeth 
with disgust.

"KIM, enough," Charles ordered.

"Nope, I never. Get. Enough. Maybe I can do something for you," Kim forced the 
image of her and Charles having sex on his desk into her mind for him to read. 
He flinched as the image filled his mind,"What's the matter, been so long you 
forgot how?" She smiled. Scott stepped forward, Charles told them to leave her 
bee, he warned them, let her vent, let her yell, but Scott had had enough of 
this. 

"Scott," Jean grabbed his hand,"Let her go." Blaze looked over at Jean as if to 
say think you. 

"Look, Chuck, no more invites, no more visits, no more anything. You expect me 
to defend the fucking flatlines, screw that. While you and your little lap dogs 
are up here in Mutie Disneyland, the rest of us poor Muties have to deal. I'm 
sorry but if you hadn't noticed, humans are kicking our collective asses and 
nothing you have done has helped. It's gotten worse, maybe because of you, maybe 
inspite of you. Let me let you in on a little secret, there was another man with 
a dream. He caught a few bullets for his trouble, the KKK still do midnight runs 
and my cousin who has never been to jail, graduated from high school and can 
pass any drug test you give him still can't get a job to support his girl and 
baby. Dreams are just that, dreams. A dream hasn't stopped racism, it only 
buried it under polite smiles. Your dream won't stop the haters either. Wake up 
before it's too late."

Kimberly backed away from Charles's desk and walked towards the door, nobody 
moved, Charles had ordered them to let her go. Just as Blaze was about to pass 
Logan she stopped. There was a long moment of silence, finally she began to 
speak to him without looking directly at him,"You seem to like little girls so 
let me tell you a story about one," SKINKT, she waved his threat away and 
continued," when I was two, my Mommy died and Daddy was real sad. He drank, he 
fucked alot of broads, he raised alot of hell, but he loved me...treated me like 
a princess. Sound familiar? On my twelveth birthday, he came into my room in the 
morning to get me up for school, when I got out of bed he looked at me and said 
how much I looked like my Momma. I was happy," she reflected while smiling 
sadly,"cause my Momma was the bomb. That night, he came home, I was picking up 
something, I don't remember what. The next thing I knew, he was behind me 
ripping my panties off, fucking my brains out. He did that every night for two 
years after. On my fourteenth birthday, I. Shot. My. Own. Father." tears welled 
up in her eyes, "I say this because, I see how you look at the girl, I see how 
she looks at you. You may not be her father, she may not be your girl, but I'm 
asking you keep in mind, my little tale, when you look at her's." 

Logan was now in a feral rage, it took the combined telekentic efforts of Jean, 
Betsy, and the Professor to stop him from charging the woman again. She looked 
around herself one last time and stormed out the room.

Before Kimberly knew it she was at the gate, climbing over it she began to walk, 
she remembered the plane flying over a small town. As she made it to Main and 
First Streets, a red Lexus pulled up, Creed wound down the window and smiled, 
she smile back upon remembering who he was. 

Unknown to her and the others,Creed had watched the whole thing using his 
binoculars while purched on a tree in the near by forest. He'd watched the long 
period of lecture, her outburt, beating up Bishop, blazing up on the Runt, and 
finally her stormy departure from the place. After last night and having seen 
the way the she handled the X-Men,especially the Runt, he decided his 'victim' 
would be far more fun alive then dead.

"Hey Kiddo, the losers made you an offer you could refuse?"

"What's it to you?"

"How about...$30,000 a week and all the fun of Resident Evil, only live and in 
person."

"Now THAT'S an offer," Kimberly walked around to the front passenger side and 
got in the car. 

To be continued....