Flare (xmen)

Chapter 20: "Mutant and proud"

I just noticed that the word count for my last chapter was 2021. Damn. 

"It shall be the policy of this nation-" JFK read from his paper. "To regard any nuclear missile that crosses the embargo line that surrounds Cuba, as an attack-'' Ali cursed under her breath. Jesus Christ. With the government ready to blow shit up at the first moment, why the hell did it take Shaw this long to do it? Or do it himself? Shit, he could probably do it in like half the time. "By the Soviet Nation on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response-" Erik interrupted the broadcast.

"That's where we'll find Shaw." Erik stated. Easy enough to see.

"How do you know?' Alex crossed his arms and turned to him.

"It's perfect. Too perfect." Ali turned to face him. "Two trigger happy armies who are pissed off."

"She's right. Two superpowers facing off and he wants to start World War 3. He won't leave anything to chance." Charles agreed.

"So much for diplomacy." Erik sarcastically mumbled. He then raised his voice. "I suggest you all get a good night's sleep."

Everyone slowly shuffled their way out of the room. Ali walked back to her room in silence. Time to go and face her nightmares, the ones that took her forever to overcome and only left her alone after she just clamped her ability shut. She could find Donald Pierce, kill him and sleep in peace. Wait, kill?

Ali paused walking. Was she really going to kill him? He was a monster, but could she? Ali began breathing faster, and her heart rate began going faster, the thump-thump noise rising. Was she going to murder someone? Those kids, the kids. They were seven or eight and they were dead, or damn near it. And she was going to do that to someone else? She hated him, hated everything about Shaw and his stupid band of idiots who believed that the world would burn before mutants were accepted. Oh god, she couldn't breathe.

Ali stumbled into the room, trying to find a window, the door, anything. She needed air, her throat was burning and everything hurt so bad.....

Her vision was blurring, and her eyes were stained with tears. Ali wanted to start crying, but her tears were pooling at the bottom of her eyes, but they wouldn't leave. She could barely breathe, and she could feel someone shaking her, and yelling.

"Not so fast, you little bitch!" The man yelled, pounding behind her. Within a few seconds he grabbed and pinned her to the floor. "I think it's time someone taught you manners!" He plunged the knife into her side.

Ali screamed in the memory, screamed at the blood seeping into her white shirt. The man pinned her arm down and began making a series of cuts through her skin, each searing like that time she burned herself serving soup to her siblings. The pain was hot, unbearably long. Just when she accepted she was going to die, she could hear a scream.

"Leave my sister alone!!" A wave of energy burst out of her sister throwing everyone back twenty feet, except her. After, the room began rumbling and she knew what was going to happen. Running over to her siblings, she created a forcefield-

"Ali!" A voice yelled, snapping her out of the memory. She gasped loudly and dropped the pillow she was clutching. She turned and saw someone leaning next to her. Without thinking, she swung her fist, knocking the person back onto the floor. When her vision cleared, she saw the person groaning on the floor, clutching their jaw.

"Good god, child." Erik groaned. "What the hell?"

"Sorry." Ali mumbled. Child? She wrinkled her nose. "I'm only like, 15 years younger than you." She pulled Erik back up. "I hope it doesn't bruise. It would look a little weird to go into battle with a black eye."