《Pryde: The Red Queen [DC X Marvel: AU]》


 Issue I: META OR NOT

    GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING! WAKE UP!!


    Bang! Slamming her fist onto the blaring alarm clock, a young woman wrested her body out of her covers. "Stupid alarm, ugh." Combing her fingers through her curls, she let out a grown. "I need to get a new alarm clock," she grumbled.


    Rolling out of bed, she stumbled into her apartment to splash water on her face. Shaking her head, she finally felt awake, and with that awareness gave her a great deal of pain, "Ugh!" Clutching at her head, she groaned at the massive migraine that attacked her.


    Fumbling through the medicine cabinets, she pulled out a bottle of Tylenol, gulping a couple down, letting out a pained sigh. Brushing her teeth, she hurried back into the room at the ring of her phone.


    Sliding it onto her ear, she moved into the kitchen and pulled some leftover pancakes out of the fridge. "Yello?"


    A smooth voice swept through the speakers, "Morning Kitty, where are you?" Her tone showed hints of exhaustion.


    Plopping the hotcakes into the microwave, she began cutting up a banana: "Morning Rachel. I''m home, just woke up, and about to eat breakfast. Why?" She put a piece in her mouth.


    "Wanted to check if you were on campus yet, wanna meet up and head there together?" Rachel asked."


    Pulling the hotcakes from the microwave, she plopped the banana slices on top, smiling at the smell. "Sure! We can do that. Wanna meet up at Piotr''s coffee shop?"


    "I was thinking the same thing, I need something to wake me up." She sighed.


    "What? Didn''t get enough sleep last night?" Kitty spoke with a laugh.


    "NO!" She groaned, "Can you believe it, in the middle of the night Superman and whoever it is that he was fighting had me up all night, I couldn''t get a whiff of sleep." a sigh came through the phone, " I just need some coffee."


    "Fortunately it wasn''t on my street, I heard that Minnie lost her car last night. She''s already struggling with a handful of problems, her son stuck in Gotham with it imploding at the Asylum break out has her stressing out."


    Kitty frowned, "I know... Do you think we should open up a GoFundMe for her? With everything she''s dealing with, I don''t want her car issue to add to that stress, especially when she has to go to work and everything."


    Rachel hummed, "Maybe, I''ll talk to her. Ask what she thinks about it."


    "Right, then I''ll see you at the coffee shop."


    "Alright, cya."


    "Cya."


    Returning to the quietness of her apartment, Kitty was left to her thoughts for a moment. The news of everything that happens in Gotham every other day only led to her thanking her parents for their insight into coming to Metropolis, the only thing you have to worry about here is property damage. As long as one of the supes saves you, that is.


    The only thing that truly matters, however, is that you still have your life and freedom, which is not something that many of those in Gotham can say.


    Sighing to herself, she finished her hotcakes before throwing on some slacks and a checkered shirt. After checking her pockets and bag, she was out the door.


    Walking down the sides of the street, she bathed under the warm sunlight that took hold of the sky over the city of Metropolis, easily breaking past the tall highrises and spectacular pieces of architecture.


    There was a sudden gust of wind above her, looking up she spotted something flying fast towards the distance, most likely one of the many superheroes or villains that scour the city.


    Returning her sight to the street, she found herself standing in front of a building with a sign that read, Rasputina Caffe. Once inside she stood at the doorway, looking around the shop before she spotted a redhead with neck-length hair waving at her.


    "Hey, Kitty. How''s it going?" As she sat down, Rachel greeted her with a bright smile, a cup of coffee in hand.


    "As well as it can be, you?"


    "Better than it was when I called you, I swear that I''ll give my life to Joe. He takes such good care of me," She chuckled.


    Putting a hand over her heart, Kitty, faked heartache, "I can''t believe you! I thought you were going to spend your life with me!" She whined.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll always be first," Rachel laughed while patting her hand. "But I''ll have to give a bit of my heart to my coffee. You know how I am without it."


    Kitty scoffed, "Stop being ridiculous, you''re great whether you have it or not."


    "When''d you become an adorable little kitten? Where''d the fierce cat that broke Richard''s balls."


    "That sleazeball had it coming."


    "No doubt there. Had the gall to hit on you when he has a girlfriend," Rachel shook her head.


    "And I''m not adorable. I just want you to know that you''re a great and lovable person and I appreciate your presence around me. Honestly, I would probably be alone if I didn''t have you. The only person that bothers talking to me. You know what that means right?"


    She decided to humor her, "What does it mean?"


    "It means you can''t abandon me, I won''t let you, so you better be prepared. I''ll lock you by my side for the rest of our lives." Kitty finished with a grin.


    "Oh, whatever am I to do?" Rachel moaned out sarcastically. "I guess we''re stuck together, hmm?" She smiled


    "Forever." Smiling at her, the two locked eyes before a plate was set on the table with a loud clack.


    "As you always remind her." A thick Russian accent broke through their conversation.


    Looking at the large man dressed in an apron, Kitty gave him a nod. "What''s worth repeating must be repeated."


    "As you say." He chuckled, "How you do, Kazerine?"


    "Pretty fine, Piotr, you?"


    He placed a pie in front of her, "Fantastic, zi business has been great and zat''s all one can ask."


    "I hope so, but I-" Letting out a groan, Kitty grabbed at her head. Clenching her teeth, she closed her eyes in pain.


    Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes to make contact with Rachel''s concerned stare, "What''s wrong, Kitty? Are you all right?"


    "Yeah... Yeah. It''s just a major headache. It''s been bothering me all day."


    "Are you sure you want to go to the university, then? You can go home if you need to."


    "No, it''s fine. I''ll just fight it out. I took some Tylenol before I ate. It should go away in a while. I just need some water." The two women stood up. "Sorry, Piotr. I''m not in the mood for the pie. Thank you, though."


    "No vorries, I''ll save for you. Come later, or tomorrow." Nodding at the two, he returned to work, while they made their way out of the shop.


    The walk was quiet and thankfully uneventful, there were talks of a superpowered conflict on the other side of the city, but since they were going to the university so they would not get up in anything dangerous.


    "I saw someone heading over there and they were flying decently fast, no idea who it was though." Kitty sighed while massaging her temples as they entered past the gates of the Campus.


    "Probably one of those Super family people, you know Superman, Supergirl, and the like." Rachel muttered, "There are way too many heroes around the city that can fly, I don''t even want to guess."


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    Kitty groaned, "Right, let''s move on, I''d rather focus on not wanting to split my head open on the pavement."


    "Here, take these." Rachel tossed a pill bottle at her.


    Quickly catching it, she inspected the bottle with a raised brow, "Ibuprofen?"


    "I usually carry some with me, I get em all the time. Take em before your classes. Maybe it''ll get better."


    "Don''t you need it then?"


    "No, no, go ahead. I have another."


    "Rachel... are you addic-"


    "No!" She interrupted, "I just get pain from time to time and a lot of headaches."


    "You sure you don''t need a checkup?" Kitty questioned, "It''s not good to take so many."


    "Yes, I''m sure, now shoo, go to class. I''ll see you after, okay?"


    "Campus cafe?"


    "Yep."


    Katherine made her way to her first class of the day, Psychology, her migraine banging at the edges of her skull. The pain only felt like it was intensifying as the day went on. Taking two of the pills, she swallowed them and went about her day, the danger that held over her head went unnoticed by all.


    ***


    Classes were beginning to wrap up and Katherine had half her body sprawled out across the table, sitting in her emptying lecture hall, letting out groans at the painstaking migraine. "This is horrible," she moaned.


    Sending a quick text to Rachel, she decided to head home instead of meeting back up with her, the migraine pounding at her skull with the intensity of a jackhammer.


    Sighing to herself, she made her way off campus, walking down the sidewalks of the street that got less and less busy every minute, the presence of other humans.


    An unnatural quiet took hold of the street, a tense intensity left in the air. Its pointed fangs closed in further and further, the young woman ever the unaware.


    It all happened in a matter of moments, there was the sound of something charging up with the singing of electricity, and the next moment Katherine was stopped in place as she felt something incredibly wrong.


    Looking down she saw what seemed to be a blade of energy going through her stomach.


    With a yell of fright, she quickly moved away from the weapon, turning to look at the figure holding the weapon with wide eyes.


    Her pupils quaked, and in front of her was a tall man donning sleek black and red armor that glowed with blue energy wings protruding from his back, an energy scythe in hand, his faceless features stared her down.


    She was scared witless, "Wh-what do you want?..." The mere presence of the man, no creature before her had her frozen in place, unable to stop her shaking.


    The man''s mouth creaked open, a gravelly voice shaking within the air, "Shadowkat, Katherine Anne Pryde..." He spoke, "The time has come for a great... Culling, you shall be the first of many Meta-Humans to come."


    "Me-Meta-human''s?" She stuttered out, "I''m not one!.. I don''t know what you''re talking about, please leave me be!" With her finding it within herself to shout a plea, Katherine began stepping back slowly in an attempt to flee.


    "How foolish..." His wings spread out, "To lie to me!" Flying straight at her, she could hardly catch a glimpse of the man as he raised his scythe.


    Closing her eyes in fear of what was to happen, Katherine heard the swish of something cutting through the air, only for nothing to happen to her. Opening her eyes, she saw the man standing behind her, looking from her to his scythe.


    "You have already awakened them?..." He questioned, only fueling the young woman''s confusion, "This is... different."


    She was lost as to why she hadn''t been killed - but taking his moment of inaction she made a run for it.


    Hearing the flapping of wings, she didn''t bother looking back, she knew the man was coming after her.


    Running through the surprisingly dead streets of the city, Katherine navigated through the streets, quickly trying to think of ways to escape as her panic caused her to forget that her migraine had disappeared.


    Running through the streets, signs were a blur as she wound a corner only to find herself stuck at a dead end, turning around her breath was caught in her throat, and the man hovered over the ground at the entrance of the alley.


    Backing up closer and closer to the wall, Katherine couldn''t even find the voice to speak, to beg him to spare her.


    Is this how I die? She thought to herself, flares of acceptance beginning to tug at her thoughts, she could only think she would die he, not accomplishing her dreams, experiencing love.


    Telling her parents that she loved them one more time.


    As the tears fell from her eyes, Katherine tripped over a trash can, only for her entire being to phase through the wall and the ground on the other side.


    While she fell through the earth, she could hear the sound of impact and large explosions coming from above her¡ªthe strangeness of what was happening to her was only dwarfed by the relief that she was somehow safe.


    As her tears fell from her eyes and began to dry up, Katherine wiped her eyes, only for her nose to be greeted by the smell of sewage.


    She cringed at the stench, but her thoughts were stopped from going further as she heard more explosions coming from above.


    Panic returned, quickly running through the sewer passages, she pulled out her phone, her hand shaking as she dialed the numbers, tears again leaking from her eyes.


    "Kitty, you feeling-"


    "Rachel! Rachel! Please! H-help!" She sobbed, "Send help please, someone is trying to kill me, I''m going through walls and the ground... I''m in the sewer... just please..." her cries rang throughout the phone, a response of silence from the other side. "Rachel...?"


    "... I''m on my way, just hang on and calm down. Be strong, Kitty."


    "Wh-what do you-" Katherine was interrupted by the phone line being cut, "Rachel... Rachel...?" She cried out.


    The panic shot up in her as she heard the ceiling crumbling behind her, finding a crawl space, she quickly hid herself.


    "Calm, calm yourself..." "She whispered, "Be strong, you are strong, you are." Finding some semblance of resolve, she managed to calm herself enough to think. Rachel was coming, hopefully with help, so she needed to help herself first.


    Looking around, she found a pipe lying on the ground, "This''ll have to do." There was little she could do, the man hunting her had strange technology and his weapon was extremely dangerous, the most she could bet on against him was her swordsmanship training.


    Peeking around the corner, she saw his energy scythe slice through a pillar¡ªmaybe not, she completely shook the idea from her head.


    Deciding to sneak through the sewer, her fingers clamped over the bridge of her nose while she trudged through sewage.


    The sound of the man tearing the tunnels apart in his search echoed around her. Katherine squeezed her eyes in focus, praying in silence for what felt like hours before she found a letter leading to the surface.


    Her eyes visibly brightened at the sight of the exit, quickly made her way to it, as she was climbing she heard the flapping of wings quickly coming in her direction, a glance down the dark tunnel was all she needed to spot the blue light getting closer and closer.


    With haste, she hopped up the latter before clenching her eyes shut in focus and hope before launching herself at the manhole cover. Her hopes came true as she phased right through it.


    Landing on a street on the opposite side of town, Katherine found herself at the foot of the Superman statue, meaning she was in the center of the city.


    To her fearful joy, there were many people about, spotting an officer, she quickly ran to him, "Sir, sir, please help me. This man is chasing me, he-he has wings and some kind of scythe made of energy, can you... no-"


    The officer looked her in the eyes, noticing how they quivered. "Are you alright ma''am?" HE quizzed. "Do you need help?"


    "N-no... No, I''m fine... Sorry for bothering you." Running away, she could hear the sound of banging and explosions, after which screams followed.


    Glancing behind her, she could see the man, his wings flapping behind him, his faceless features pointed in her direction. Swinging his scythe, the screams were silenced for a moment, the golden statue of Metropolis''s hero creaked out a cry as it fell over before making contact with the nearest building.


    Not giving the officer firing at him a glance, the man flew out at her. Running as if her life depended on it, Katherine ignored the screams, the collapsing building, and the burn as her feet slammed against the ground.


    The only thing on her mind were the man''s flapping wings and the thoughts of running. There was no time for anything else.


    She could feel him getting closer and closer, he was practically breathing down her neck, tempting her to close her eyes into eternal. Yet as she felt the seduction to do so, the temperature around her spiked and moments later an explosion happened right behind her, sending her tumbling forward.


    Turning around in trepidation, Katherine was greeted with a blazing inferno. Fire and smoke were billowing a phoenix taking shape.


    Covering her mouth and nose, the smoke began to clear and her eyes widened at the sight before her. In the center of the fire was a surprisingly familiar figure dressed in red, black, and gold, a cape billowing behind her.


    "Rachel?" Katherine silently called out.


    Turning to her, her hair and eyes flowing behind her in ethereal fire, Rachel gave a dazzling smile. "Don''t worry, Kitty. After I deal with this, we''ll talk, " she finished.


    Before Katherine could say anything, a scythe cut through the fire at Rachel''s neck, "Rachel!" she shouted, only for her fears to turn into amazement.


    With both hands crossed in front of her, the scythe was stopped mid-attack, its shaking showing how his struggle to make the weapon budge from its place. At the flick of her wrist, the man and his weapon were tugged about in the air before being slammed into the ground over, and over, and over again.


    Slamming the man into the ground for the tenth time, his body slumped in a crater, she stopped before summoning a ball of fire in both of her hands, tossing them before they imploded, causing a large explosion.


    Rachel hummed before clearing away the fire, the man limped out of the hole, scythe in hand stopping meters away. Silence remained in the surroundings before his gravelly voice echoed around them. "...Askani... Alive?... Yes, alive. Peculiar... Rachel Anne Summers..." He stopped, almost as if in contemplation before he straightened up.


    "Your threat is immeasurable and power immense..." His entire body began to glow blue, "I will return to finish the culling." With those final words, he vanished from where he stood, as if he never existed in the first place.


    The young women were still momentarily before Rachel rose into the sky with Katherine behind her, "I''ll take you somewhere safer."


    In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared, leaving behind a streak of fire, gone a moment a man in blue and red arrived on the scene.


    ?|[|============|]|?Vol 1 : The Meta Issue?|[|============|]|?

 Issue II: META TRUTH

    Streaking above the sky of Metropolis City was a line of fire that lowered into one of the city''s highrises, a side of its walls opening for the fire to stream in, shutting behind it.


    Arriving at their location, the fire dispersed as Rachel softly landed in the expansive room with Katherine in her arms.


    Her hair and eyes reverted to normal. With her hands on Katherine''s shoulder, she gently peered into her eyes, which seemed to be somewhere else entirely, gazing over her entire body, the smell coming off of her making her nose crinkle.


    Sliding her hands from her shoulders to her cheeks, Kitty was back in the real world. With a soft smile, Rachel guided her out of the room. "I have so much to tell you, but first, " she paused. "You need to shower."


    "...Ok." Katherine blankly responded, going into the bathroom.


    "There are towels in the cabinets, along with body wash and shampoo. I''ll bring you some clothes." She smiled. "Take your time, Kitty. Let the stress of the past hour leave your body, okay?"


    "Ok."


    Now alone in the restroom, Kitty let out a breath she didn''t know she was holding before her knees gave out and she fell to the floor. Looking at her palms, she watched as they shook.


    Clenching them into a fist, she calmed herself, it was over, for now at least. Right now, she needed to think of the revelations shown to her in only hours.


    First, the most life-threatening issue; a creature, no, a man of sorts was hunting after her, not only her, but also all metahumans, that went to the second matter, she was a Meta-Human? Just the idea had her brain scattered, she was a Meta-Human? A Meta-Human!


    Moreover, her ability seemed to be the ability to go through things. Was there more to it, she''d have to try and learn more later. Finally, the second biggest shock to her was her fiery friend, a superhero. It''s insane, she''s been friends with a superhero the entire time she''s been in Metropolis... Maybe it''s not that shocking honestly.


    Pulling herself into the shower, she began lightly humming to calm herself, lulling into her thoughts, until she was in a new change of clothes and stepping out of the steaming bathroom, well more like accidentally walking through the door.


    After walking through the door, she rounded a corner to find stairs leading down into a large open space, in a large open kitchen Rachel was sat on a stool at the island, swirling a spoon in a cup.


    Her eyes were downturned on the cup letting out a sigh before taking a sip, a smile slipped onto her face.


    Seeing the woman coming down the stairs, Rachel pulled out the seat next to her. "You finished then, I''m glad to see you freshened up."


    "I''m glad to be freshened up," Kitty chuckled.


    "Want something to eat? We have some baked salmon and baked potatoes in the microwave, don''t worry it''s kosher, I got it for you."


    Softly smiling at the gesture, Kitty looked out the large windows. "Then I''ll take it, thank you." She tapped her fingers on the table as she watched Rachel quickly heat the meal.


    Kitty let out a breath, "...Who was that Rachel?" She quietly asked.


    With a short pause, Rachel leaned on the countertop, the two facing each other. "Harvest. He calls himself. I don''t know his actual name or where he is from, but I do know his goals. He wishes to execute the entirety of the Meta-Human kind."


    "But..." Kitty sighed, "How did he know of me? I-I''ve just awakened to being a Meta-Human, so how did he know ME?!" She paused, "And he called me something else, Shadowkat? Why? I''m sorry for asking so many questions, but do you know why?"


    "... I don''t know, I''m sorry I can''t tell you more. But you have to be careful, I''ve¡ªwe," she quickly corrected herself. "Have already learned of the deaths and disappearances of many Meta-Humans in the past two months."


    "How come I haven''t seen this on the news?"


    "The only time people like us are put on the news is if they were to fight a hero, villain, or cause chaos in some way." She sighed in frustration, "Any other news is seen as unimportant to the media, government, and the public."


    "... The unfortunate truth," Kitty silently muttered before slightly smiling at the scent of fish sliding up to her nose.


    "Dig in, after that, there are some people I want you to meet."


    "Are they the "we" you mentioned?"


    "Yep!"


    With a nod, Kitty slowly ate the food, humming in delight at the first bite. It didn''t take long for her to finish. Once she was done, Kitty thanked Rachel, before the ginger led her out of the room.


    The two walked down a corridor, before Rachel pushed open a pair of double doors, revealing to her a wide room, one with seats and couches spread around, tables with maps and plans covering them, and a large virtual display over one.


    On the wall was a digital map with markers and notes written on it. Everything in this room showed that it was some form of leisure and briefing room at the same time. That can''t logically work, can it?


    The two ideas interfere with each other completely. "This setup makes absolutely no sense, is this supposed to be a leisure room or a planning room?"


    "Both? Both, it''s supposed to be both," Rachel shrugged. "The last boss was a workaholic, made this room for rest, but didn''t even bother doing that and turned it into a planning room. I swear he never sleeps. The man was always up planning or researching something."


    "Last boss? Who was that?"


    "Batman."


    "... Batman? Isn''t he a part of the Justice League? Why would he be a part of this team?"


    "The Justice League, while heroes are stuck under the laws of the UN, and sometimes there are missions that need to be done that require moving outside those laws. Something the Justice League can''t do due to politics."


    Kitty groaned, "Even heroes have to follow these silly politics, why even be one when you can''t save people without government approval, it''s silly."


    "Then you get," Rachel smirked. "That''s why the big bat and a few others made the team. Batman was a vigilante first after all. Nothing new about taking the law into his hands."


    "So who is you''s guys leader now?"


    "Black Lightning."


    "Black Lightning..." Tapping a finger on her chin, Kitty''s mind swirled about in thought. "The hero who is the principal at Garfield High."


    "Yea¨CHow did you know that?"


    "It was pretty easy actually. The man isn''t the best at hiding his identity, he wears simple goggles, and his beard is too recognizable. Now tell me, Principle Pierce''s daughters get kidnapped by the 100 gang. After years of inactivity, the hero is suddenly back into action saving two kids. Explain in what way where that isn''t Mr. Pierce."


    "Reasonable..." Rachel mumbled, "I didn''t know of his identity until the boss told me."


    "I''m not your boss, just the leader." A deep and smooth voice broke into the room, catching the women''s attention. "I guess coming in costume was unnecessary, seeing as you already know who I am."


    Walking into the room and his black, blue, and yellow suit, with lightning designs etched into it. The large man strolled into the room with a confident stride to stand in front of Kitty with an outstretched hand.


    "Black Lightning, but I guess you can call me Jefferson Pierce."


    Taking his hand with a smile, "Kitty Pryde, no hero name, Mr. Pierce. Sorry if I ruined your entrance. You probably wanted to look cool right?"


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    Laughing at her comment, he shook his head. "Well, my daughters are growing up. Nobody is going to see me as cool in a few years."


    "Don''t be like that, I''m sure your kids will still respect you, seriously, you''re a superhero."


    He smiled, "You should tell that to the media, they title me a vigilante." Moving away from her, Black Lightning moved in front of the table that held the virtual display.


    "So, you called me here, Askani. You wanted to introduce your friend?" He questioned while swiping his hands at the display, changing the scene to central Metropolis. His voice quickly turned from lax to serious, "Did this have anything to do with you?" He turned to Rachel.


    "No."


    "It was mainly me, actually." Kitty hesitantly responded.


    "Explain," He demanded.


    Rachel spoke up, glaring at the man''s tone of voice. "It was Harvest. He was after her."


    Ignoring Rachel''s look, he looked towards Kitty once more. "Harvest only goes after Meta-Humans, are you-"


    Kitty gave a half-hearted shrug, "It seems so, recently awakened. I awakened the moment he attacked me." Slouching on a couch she put an arm over her eyes.


    The man''s brows furrowed, "Harvest has been getting more active in recent weeks, he''s gotten in a multitude of scuffles with the Teen Titans as well, but it appears that he has been up to something more serious recently." The display showed Superman arriving on the scene to help return the order.


    Shifting the display off, Black Lightning sighed before he began messaging his temples. Bringing up his arm, he began typing on a pad placed on his forearm.


    Looking back and forth between Kitty and Black Lightning, Rachel sighed. Gently taking Kitty''s hand, she gently smiled at her before motioning for her to stand. "Where''s the rest of the team?"


    "They went out, Batman wanted them to help. Some problems in Gotham, you heard about the Arkham breakout. He wants them to help round up the patients."


    "Batman asked for help?" She questioned in a tone of amazement.


    "Well, he''s off planet at the moment. Working with Green Lantern and Martian Man Hunter with something on the space station."


    "Okay then. I''ll be taking her to the training room so that she can get a grasp on her powers."


    "Go ahead, I''ll be in the communications room if you need me. I''ll also be telling Batman about your friend here."


    With a wave, Rachel pulled Kitty across the room, and through a set of doors that led down a hall, she pulled them into a large and empty white room.


    "This is our training room, I''m going to throw you through a multitude of tests to see how you do and see the basics of your abilities."


    Looking around the room, Kitty walked ahead of Rachel before standing in the middle of the room. "Pretty nifty room." She stretched a bit, "So what will we be doing?"


    "Well firstly, Dodge!" Hurling a ball of flames at her unaware friend, Rachel watched as it flew straight through her, she whistled. "So you can become... what''s the word, ineligible? Invisible?"


    "Intangible."


    "Yes, that. Well, either that or you can make things go through you."


    "That''s what being intangible means, Ray."


    "Moving on!" She shouted, "How did you do that?"


    "I just concentrated... There was this sense I got when I was attacked by Harvest. I''ve been feeling it ever since, and whenever I focus on it, I''m able to... phase through things."


    "Alright," Rachel''s grin grew wider and wider. "You''re a natural, Kitty. Just keep doing that, we''ll continue then."


    With a deep breath, Rachel was engulfed in flames, her hair stretched out and turned into pure flames that also pooled out of her eye sockets. Rising off the ground, she summoned hundreds of fireballs.


    "Now, dodge."


    With that single sentence, the fire began to launch after her. After the first fireball made contact with the floor behind her, another was right behind it. Moving out of the way, they only began to track after her.


    Diving out of the way of another, Kitty stopped her hands from going through the ground before launching herself into the air only to find that she was still in the air.


    Grinning at the revelation, she made steps in the air before running across the air, dodging the fire as she would suddenly jump higher into the air, or suddenly drop before launching herself in random directions.


    Laughing at her abilities, Kitty kept her focus on moving through the air. Before she knew it, she was quickly grasping how her power worked.


    They had been in the room for hours before she finally got a full grasp on them, learning to maintain focus on staying in the air, incorporating the movements she already knew with her phasing abilities.


    "Dodge!"


    Rachel''s sudden shout startled Kitty, causing her to fall. She accidentally dodged the flying punch the redhead had aimed at her head.


    With a burst of fire, she chased after the brunette. "Come on!" With her shout, Kitty tucked her legs into her chest before she made contact with the ground, landing with a roll.


    Busting back onto her feet, she faced the oncoming redhead, moving her head to the side, clenching her right fist before slamming it into Rachel''s stomach, sending the woman away from her.


    Kitty fell through the floor, disappearing from Rachel''s line of sight before she came launching out of the ground, aiming a fist at the redhead''s head.


    Swiftly bending out of the way, Rachel hopped back, shaking her arms out as she was still reeling from being gut-checked moments ago.


    Kitty''s laughter echoed throughout the training room, "You and I both know that I was always the better when it came to hand-to-hand, Ray."


    Rachel raised a brow. "Oh, really?" Her hair and eyes returned to normal before she took a stance with a smirk. "What say we end this without the wacky abilities?"


    Getting into a similar stance, Kitty brushed the hair out of her face. "Fine by me."


    With a second of silence, the two made agile steps in their charges at one another, One swung, and the other dodged. Swinging a kick at Rachel¡¯s side, Kitty had her leg blocked befor receiving an an elbow to the knee.


    Pulling back she moved to the side, barely dodging Rachel¡¯s axe kick, pushing forward with two quick jabs, hitting her in the shoulder once before stepping back.


    Rachel took quick steps toward Kitty, slipping into a crouch to swipe her legs under Kitty¡¯s forcing her to jump over them to avoid it, following it with a grab of her legs to spin before tossing her away.


    Falling into a roll, Kitty stayed crouched with her hand touching the ground, before launching herself forward, keeping her body low as she moved toward Rachel, swiftly moving to the side to avoid the woman¡¯s attempt to knee her, Kitty positioned herself behind her, wrapping her arms behind her waist before pulling her in a suplex.


    With a grunt, the two fell to the ground, out of breath from the short spar and the training hours from before.


    Catching her breath, Rachel turned her head to look at Kitty, who moved to lay beside her. ¡°Did¡­ did you just¡­ supplex me?¡±


    ¡°... Yep,¡± Kitty muttered with a tired smile. ¡°It was fun.¡± She took in a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s the most fun I¡¯ve had in a while. We haven¡¯t sparred in a while.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ just been busy with this¨C¡±


    ¡°I get it. You were being a hero.¡± She went silent, closing her eyes as she focused on her breathing.


    The two went into a soft silence, the both of them battling with exhaustion and their mental battles as they lay on the floor with their eyes closed.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Rachel said. Now on her feet, she wiped her pants. You can rest in one of the spare rooms near the bathroom. I¡¯ll walk you home in the morning.¡±


    "Gotcha."


    ¡­


    Crashing into the bed with a thump, Kitty let out a breath she didn''t know she was holding.


    As her form sank into the mattress, the day''s events played through her head. The stress, the fear, and the shock coursing through her.


    She had put up a tough front when speaking with Rachel and Black Lightning, but as the seconds passed in bed that exterior began to crack and whither.


    Her entire world had just been flipped on her head, what she thought she knew about herself had been left to crumble, and new truths took their place, she was a Meta-human. Not only that, she was being hunted by a psycho with an unfounded amount of hate for her, and it knew her name.


    Why did everything have to happen to her like this? She simply wanted to go through school, graduate, and follow her dreams, now she had to be worried about her life being threatened.


    Squinching her eyes at the thought, Kitty let out a deep sigh. Closing her eyes, she mumbled to herself, ¡°Tomorrow¡­ Worry¡­ about it tomorrow¡­¡± With that, she fell into her dreams.


    ***


    After waking in the morning, Kitty simply lay in bed staring at the wall as time quickly passed by her, by the time Rachel came to check on her it was already two in the afternoon.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Her red-headed friend questioned from the doorway. There was a soft yet sad look in her eyes as she gazed at the still body of her friend.


    With a hum, Kitty shook herself out of bed, sliding onto the floor before slipping onto her feet, ¡°Never been better.¡± She muttered. Slipping on the clothes she had come in yesterday, now clean, she made her way out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Kitty simply said while slipping by Rachel to make her way to the front door.


    Black lightning stopped her on their way out, a serious look on his face. ¡°If you ever feel like using these new powers of yours to help the world, don¡¯t be scared to give me a call,¡± he gave her his business card, ¡°Principle Jefferson Pierce¡±. ¡°Also,¡± He fished into his jacket, ¡°Think about calling them too.¡± Handing her one more card, he made his way out of the building first with a slight nod to Rachel.


    Reading the card over, Kitty read the large and surprising words on its display with a sense of amazement, ¡°The Justice League¡­¡±


    There was a hint of awe in the young woman¡¯s face before it crumpled into frustration, stuffing the two cards away, she marched into the elevator.


    Taking hold of Kitty¡¯s hand, Rachel pulled her to look her in the eyes, ¡°Speak to me, Kitty. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Struggling to look away from the steely gaze of her best friend, Kitty slumped her shoulders in exhaustion, her face revealing her fear and uncertainty.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Meta Humans aren¡¯t treated right. There are few exceptions, but those who aren¡¯t are treated with disdain and hate.¡± She sighed, ¡°I¡¯m just worried, forget hurting me, what if someone aims to harm my family.¡±


    Rubbing her thumbs across the back of the anxious girl¡¯s hands, Rachel sighed before a gentle smile stretched her lips. ¡°You worry for them, I understand. Of course, this world is dangerous for us and our loved ones, but the answer is simple, don¡¯t you see. It has been with you this entire time.¡±


    Kitty¡¯s eyes shook, ¡°W-what do you?¡± She croaked out.


    ¡°You, dummy. You¡¯re here.¡±


    ?|[|============|]|?Vol 1 : The Meta Issue?|[|============|]|?