1-MONTH LATER
Steam hissed from the waiting train, curling around the platform like restless ghosts. Zack stood near one of the iron pillars, his white dress shirt crisp against the black tie and overcoat. The black visor and brim of his hat threw his face into shadow, only the faint glow behind the lenses betraying who or what he was.
A small boy a few feet away stared at him, clutching a toy train. Zack felt the gaze, then let his lips soften into a faint smile and raised a gloved hand.
Zack: Hi.
Before the boy could answer, his mother snatched his wrist.
Mother: We don't want you hanging around with these freaks, son.
Her words cut sharper than claws. The boy looked back once as he was pulled away, but the mother's glare buried any question he had.
Zack's hand lowered slowly. His smile slipped. He stared down at the concrete between his shoes.
Zack (quietly): …Is this really where mutant and human co-exist… if people with powers are still…
A gust of wind announced Laura's return. She came striding from the kiosk with a plastic bag heavy with food, a faint smirk on her face.
Laura: Here our food, pal. C'mon, let's move. Train's about to go?
She walked past him toward the open carriage, her boots clacking. Zack exhaled and followed, the bag swinging at her side. The train whistle howled as they stepped aboard.
Inside the carriage Laura plopped down onto a seat, tearing into one of the wrappers and glanced back at him as they found seats.
Laura: Sooo… still weird seeing a Cyclops with red hair. Been a month now.
she said around a bite and Zack gave a short laugh, sliding into the seat across from her he leaned against the window, arms crossed.
Zack: My hair was magenta first. Years later it turned red. My slim teal eyes turned red too.
He tapped the edge of it with one finger, metal clinking softly of his black visor.
Zack: See this? Got it from old man Stan. He… was a friend... who died during the zombie invasion. Same invasion that took my mom, my pet and my other friends.
For a heartbeat his jaw tightened, the weight of those memories showing beneath the visor.
Zack: …I just came here because of that stupid magic book.
Laura stopped chewing, looking at him. For a moment the rhythm of the train and the soft rattle of the rails filled the silence between them. Then she reached across, nudging one of the bags toward him.
Laura: Eat something... You talk too much when you're hungry.
Zack gave her a real smile this time and took the bag, the black visor hiding the flicker of pain still in his eyes. For a heartbeat his jaw tightened, the weight of those memories showing beneath the visor.
Zack leaned his shoulder against the window, visor glinting from the passing lights, while Laura unwrapped one of the sandwiches from the plastic bag.
A sharp voice cut through the murmur of the passengers.
Illyana (Shouting): You keep picking rock!
Another, deeper voice rumbled back.
Juggernaut: Of course I keep picking rock! I'm not a wimp. Problem is you!
Laura's head turned first. Zack followed, peering over the seat backs. Two unmistakable figures took up nearly an entire section of the car Cain "Juggernaut" Marko hunched in his street clothes, hands like shovels slamming on the little fold-out table between them, and Illyana Rasputin, blonde hair shining under the dim train lights, her fingers curling into claws of irritation.
Illyana leaned forward, a vein pulsing at her temple.
Illyana: Do I look like a wimp to you, Marko?!
Juggernaut slammed his palm down on the table, the rock-paper-scissors tally sheet fluttering like a white flag.
Juggernaut: Then quit whining and pick rock like a real fighter!
Zack blinked behind his visor, then turned to Laura.
Zack (confuse asf): Who the hell are those two? You know them?
Laura's eyes narrowed in a mix of recognition and disbelief.
Laura: Yeah… kinda? That's Magik. And the big guy's Juggernaut. One's from the Brotherhood of Mutants once enemy now allies... the other from the New Mutants.
Zack raised his brows under the visor, unimpressed.
Zack: …Rock, paper, scissors. Seriously.
Zack kept watching the spectacle, Juggernaut and Magik practically nose to nose over a children's game.
Laura shook her head, muttering just loud enough for him.
Laura: I'm still in shock you've had the Phoenix Force a month ago.
Zack exhaled sharply, visor glinting as he looked away from the argument.
Zack (cold): Shut it.
Then the train to clattered along the mountainside, a rhythmic ka-thunk, ka-thunk that almost lulled Zack into calm. Laura was mid-bite into another chip when the world ripped open.
A flashnthen a deafening "BOOM!". The floor heaved. Metal screamed.
The car behind them tore away like paper. One second Juggernaut and Illyana were bickering, the next their section of the train was sliding backwards, sparks flying as it ripped from the coupling. Screams filled the air.
Zack shot up, heart hammering.
Zack: Laura hand on!
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to him. His visor glowed like a furnace as a dome of shimmering red energy pulsed out, a Psionic Force Field wrapping around them both just as glass shattered and luggage tumbled like meteors.
Laura's claws instinctively sprang out, scraping against the inside of the barrier.
Laura: What the hell?!
The front half of the train jumped the track, screeching, sparks cascading down like fire. Gravity shifted. The cliff edge was rushing up, empty space beyond.
Passengers screamed. Some tried to leap. Some were thrown.
Zack braced his boots into the floor, teeth gritted as the field strained.
Zack: Hold on tight!
The train tilted, groaned, then snapped free of the rails and plunged.
Everything turned weightless. Windows exploded. Cold air blasted in. Then the entire carriage smashed into the river below with a bone-rattling "SPLASH!", water swallowing the wreck in seconds.
The psionic field cracked under the force but held just long enough to keep Zack and Laura from being crushed by the debris. All around them passengers were fighting to surface, some bleeding, some unmoving.
Laura coughed, clinging to him.
Laura: You…you just saved us.
Zack's jaw tightened, visor dimly glowing.
Zack: Not everyone.
The water churned with twisted metal, floating luggage, and cries for help. Zack adjusted his grip on her, scanning for survivors even as his field flickered and died around them.
Steam rose off the river as Zack dragged himself out of the wreckage, water streaming from his visor. Survivors coughed and cried behind him. He tilted his head back, staring at the sky. The clouds above churned unnaturally, green light flickering inside them like a storm about to break.
Zack (quietly): I think I know the reason now, Laura…
He stripped off his soaked shirt, boots and tattered slacks, each movement deliberate. Beneath he wore a skin-tight black leather jacket and matching pants. He tossed his ruined hat aside; it landed in the mud with a slap. The black visor on his face gleamed with a hot crimson line.
Laura hauled herself up beside him, claws clicking as they slid back into her knuckles.
Laura: You're really wearing that?
Zack turned his head just enough for her to see the faint smirk at the edge of his mouth.
Zack: What'd you expect? My blue spandex?
He cracked his knuckles, then rolled his shoulders until his spine popped, the sound sharp in the humid air. His gaze went skyward, his right hand rising slowly, index finger pointing like a challenge.
Laura followed the line of his finger. Her eyes widened.
Laura: …oh, c'mon. Just what the fuck are you even trying to fight with now?
Above them the clouds tore open. A titanic claw, green and scaled, reached down, followed by a horned head with burning yellow eyes. The beast's voice rolled over the landscape like thunder.
Fin Fang Foom: I AM THE GREAT FIN FANG FOOM!
Zack's lips peeled back into a snarl, his visor flaring bright.
Zack: Great, my ass!
He unleashed a searing optic blast straight into the monster's chest. The beam carved a glowing line up its torso, throwing sparks and mist into the air.
Laura sprinted to the side, claws snapping out with a metallic "snikt". She bounded up the jagged rocks like a cat, her eyes locked on the beast's flanks.
Laura (grumbling under her breath): For my snack…
Her claws dug in as she launched herself upward, while Zack kept firing, the crimson beams hammering into Fin Fang Foom as the dragon-giant roared in fury.
Zack's beams finally sputtered to a halt, steam rising from his visor. His chest heaved, water dripping from his jacket.
Zack: Oh, you gotta be...
The rest of the sentence was lost in a deafening "WHOOSH" as the dragon-giant's head lunged downward, jaws like a cathedral closing over him. Zack dove, boots kicking off a half-submerged piece of wreckage, vanishing beneath the river just as those jaws slammed shut, splintering the debris where he'd stood.
Laura didn't hesitate. She vaulted from her perch, claws flashing out with a "snikt". She landed on the monster's horned brow, jammed her claws into the soft flesh at the corner of its eye and drove them deeper.
Fin Fang Foom screamed, a sound like an earthquake, thrashing his head as she held on, stabbing again and again.
Suddenly, from under the water, a crimson glow pulsed. A concentrated optic blast shot up through the river like a spear and smashed into the monster's wings, searing membranes and throwing up clouds of steam.
The beast roared and plunged an enormous hand into the water. Claws like anchors closed around Zack and yanked him up, dripping. Before Laura could react, Fin Fang Foom's jaws snapped open again and swallowed Zack whole.
Laura: NOOOOO!
She clung to its brow, eyes wide with fury. Her scream echoed through the valley, raw with rage. She raised her claws to dive deeper into the dragon Fin Fang Foom tilted his head back, about to speak, when his voice caught in a choking growl.
Fin Fang Foom: Now your little ne-ghhkkk?!
The words died in his throat. His massive body jerked violently from inside his gut, red light began to glow, burning through his scales.
His belly bulged. A blinding red light flared through the scales of his chest. Inside, Zack grinned like a devil, his hair plastered to his face, one arm braced against the monster's stomach wall. In his other hand, his black visor dangled loosely, leaving his eyes uncovered twin suns burning.
Zack (snarling): Let's see how your guts like this and... Hope your organs can take the heat, you bastard.
He unleashed his optic blast point-blank, a continuous torrent that tore through muscle and organs. Blood and light erupted from the dragon's torso as Fin Fang Foom howled in agony, thrashing and staggering toward the riverbank, the glow inside him intensifying with every second.
The beams shredded through Fin Fang Foom's stomach walls, carving him apart from the inside. The dragon staggered, roaring in agony as smoke and fire burst from its scales.
Laura's claws dripped with green ichor, her eyes widening at the sight.
Laura (breathless): …holy shit.
Fin Fang Foom's entire frame convulsed, scales glowing red from the optic energy tearing through his insides. The monster bellowed and, in a desperate frenzy, began hammering his own stomach with fists the size of trucks, trying to crush whatever was inside. Each blow sent shockwaves through the valley, trees toppling under the force.
Inside the furnace of the beast, Zack braced himself against the pulsing, claw-like muscles. His visor was gone, his eyes burning with raw energy. He clenched his jaw and unleashed everything he had Quartz Laser cutting through membranes, Concussive Beams hammering at bone and scale from the inside out.
Zack (straining): Not… stopping… now!
Fin Fang Foom lurched, staggering, wings tearing at the sky. He slammed a claw into his gut one last time and roared, a sound that shook the river.
Then, with a sickening shudder, a blast of pressure and flame erupted from the wound Zack had carved a shockwave of force and steam that tore open the creature's lower flank like a ruptured boiler. Zack was expelled in the blast, thrown clear of the dragon's body as if shot from a cannon.
He tumbled through the air, glowing red from his own energy, and crashed into the river with an enormous splash. Water geysered upward, hissing against the heat still radiating from him.
On the rocks above, Laura threw an arm over her face as debris and spray rained down.
Laura (staring): …did he just blow himself out of a dragon?
In the water below, Zack surfaced, coughing, hair plastered to his forehead, red eyes still burning.
Zack: Next time… I'm bringing mouthwash.
Behind him Fin Fang Foom swayed, smoke and ichor spilling from the wound, the titanic beast finally collapsing to its knees with a quake.
Laura wrenched her claws free from the dragon's ruined eye and kicked off his brow ridge. She dropped thirty feet, twisting in the air, and landed in a crouch on the torn-up ground below, knees bent, claws still glistening with green ichor.
Above her, Fin Fang Foom's wings beat the air like thunder. Smoke and steam hissed out of the rents in his scales. His voice was still a rolling boom, but it had lost all of its earlier arrogance.
Fin Fang Foom (growl): Enough!... I'II Fin Fang Foom is out of here!
With a final roar he lifted off, the downdraft from his wings flattening the trees around them. The massive shape dwindled against the stormy sky until it was just a dark speck, then vanished into the clouds.
Laura straightened slowly, scanning for Zack. She found him on his knees at the river's edge, one hand braced against the mud, his whole body trembling from exhaustion and heat. The crimson glow of his eyes had dimmed to a faint ember.
Zack coughed hard, then doubled over, gagging up a mixture of bile and river water. The stench of dragon-smoke clung to him; every breath burned.
Laura walked over, claws sliding back into her knuckles with a soft "snikt". She crouched next to him, her tone softer than usual.
Laura: Easy. You just tore through a dragon from the inside… it's a miracle you're still breathing.
Zack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried to smirk, though his face was pale and putting his black visor back.
Zack (hoarse): Remind me never to do that again.
Laura shook her head, a hint of a smile flickering at the corner of her mouth.
Laura: Yeah. No arguments here.
The two of them stayed there a moment, the wreckage of the battle steaming around them, before Zack finally pushed himself upright, still shaky but alive.
The valley was quiet except for the hiss of steam and the cries of survivors. Pieces of the shattered train bobbed in the dark water like driftwood. A few bodies floated, unmoving.
Zack stood at the edge of the river, his soaked leather clinging to him, black visor dim. He watched the wreckage for a long moment, jaw tightening.
Zack (quietly): …I think we should help the people. Some of them… some are still in there. Some aren't.
Laura followed his gaze, her claws half-extended, then retracted with a soft "snikt" she gave a short, solemn nod.
Laura: Right. Let's go.
They waded into the water without another word. Metal groaned and shifted as they pried open twisted doors and pulled passengers from the submerged cars. Laura hoisted a stunned woman onto her shoulder, while Zack ripped away a jammed seatbelt with a blast of concussive force, freeing a trapped man.
Farther downstream, on the other side of the gorge, the detached rear cars had come to rest against the rocks. Illyana's glowing stepping discs blinked in and out as she teleported the injured to safety. Juggernaut crouched low, his massive hands gentle as he lifted debris off a pinned passenger.
Back at Zack's side, a familiar small voice hiccupped. Zack turned to see the same boy from the station, trembling, clinging to a broken seat cushion. The child's eyes were wide with terror.
Zack's visor softened to a faint glow. He scooped the boy up carefully, holding him close, his voice low and steady.
Zack: It's okay now. No need to cry. You're safe. I've got you.
The boy's sobs quieted a little, his tiny hands gripping Zack's collar. Zack tucked him closer, shielding him from the sight of the wreckage as he carried him to the shore.
Unbeknownst to him, a man with a camera one of the passengers had just climbed out of the river. Shaking and dripping wet, the photographer raised his lens almost out of instinct. Through it he captured the image of a red-haired stranger in black leather with black visor glowing faintly, holding a child against the backdrop of ruin.
The shutter clicked softly.
"Snap."
Zack didn't notice. He was already kneeling to pass the boy to a waiting medic, still murmuring reassurances under his breath as Laura trudged up beside him, another survivor over her shoulder.