Fan Fiction » Hellions Unlimited » Hellions Unlimited #14
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Hellions Unlimited #14
Post by Prime on Mar 3, 2007, 3:59pm
Note: From the pens of BornIn1142 and Last Hero…
There's, I think, one major problem here: there's not much of a plot. Otherwise, I think it came out well. It was about time that Emma and Nicolette's relationship was made clearer.
Hellions Unlimited #14
The Game of Life
Cover description: A close up of Nicolette, looking as bright as ever, from the waist-up. Emma Frost stands behind her, holding her hands on her shoulders and smiling slightly.
Setting: Before New Mutants Mission 14.
As Emma sat at her desk, coffee in one hand, newspaper in the other, and a stack of freshly graded exams at her front, the true depth of her current situation fell on her.
Of course, this hadn't been the first time she realized where she was and how she'd gotten there. A few years ago, when she'd first met the X-Men, when she had unpleasant encounters with Jean Grey and even more unpleasant encounters with Storm, she would've laughed at the notion of ever being within these walls and teaching these students. She would've laughed maniacally, at that.
But nonetheless, the past few years had been a winding road, and while there were parts of the trip she regretted, her current suited her. Despite her father's worst wishes, she'd become a teacher. Distinguished, respected and legitimate, if secretly feared by some of the student body - but she didn't mind some small intimidation. It made her time all the more interesting.
She never would've thought it possible, but this was quickly becoming the happiest time of her life…and that worried her. The greatest moments of her life always seem to prelude the worst ones.
She set her cup aside as a knocking came at her chamber door. Of course, she already knew who it was, even without a little help from her powers. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was exactly five o'clock PM. Nicolette's timing was impeccable, as always. Putting the foreboding thoughts aside and putting on a more relaxed suitable face, Emma put the paper aside and looked to the door. "Come in."
Nicolette entered without hesitation. As typical for her, she pushed the door wide open and hovered in. Closing the door behind herself quietly, she moved closer to Emma's desk. She was, quite naturally, smiling. Emma had noted that a friendly smile on her face was one of the constants about Nicolette. She appreciated the optimism, but too often, it felt like a matter of public relations only.
"Good day, Miss Frost," the girl greeted her.
Emma motioned to her chess table at the side of the room, still set up from their last match, a match ready to be finished. Emma had managed to secure more of Nicolette's pieces and had a higher score, but the girl's position was formidable – despite most likely having scores more experience, Emma was slowly being backed into a corner. Emma hadn't looked at the setup since they put a pause on the match, but if it went on the way it did, she was bound to lose. The challenge was well appreciated.
"Good to see you, my dear. How goes life?"
Emma followed Nicolette to the table and took a seat on one of the two luxurious armchairs there. Her young companion had sat down as well, crossed her legs relaxedly and was now carefully looking over the board to refamiliarize herself with the course of the game. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, Emma played white, and it seemed like Nicolette had been quite all right with black herself. Emma had to notice that she was wearing a rather skimpy skirt and a flamboyant blouse – something that was out of her norm. She wondered if it was for her benefit somehow.
"All right," Nicolette replied to her question, "I'm actually somewhat bored. Days and days of just training, going to classes and hanging around have left me almost lethargic."
She looked Emma in the eye and leaned back in her chair.
"When are the Hellions going to have their first real mission for the X-Men?"
"It's all in the works, dear."
Emma started again, looking for a way to get herself out of the corner… she had a fair amount of pieces left, including – of course – her queen… what to sacrifice? Her opponent had fewer pieces, she planned to weaken any of her possible offenses further. First, by seeing if Nicolette was willing to sacrifice her knight in order to get at two pawns.
"Don't let my words leave this room, but there are many above us who give us very little trust. Not that it's unwarranted, I'll grant them. A mission will come, but there has to be one suitable for our perceived level of trustworthiness."
Nicolette didn't raise her eyes from the board. She ignored the opportunity presented to her, instead opting to attack and audaciously put Emma's king under check. As difficult that was for her, Emma had to admit it was the smart thing to do. It was easy enough to get the king out of harm's way, and she did just that. The message, however, was clear: Nicolette was going to do this aggressively.
"An issue of trust…” she said, “I suspected as much, to be honest. Ever since we got to the Mansion, I've been trying to talk to everybody here - apologize, present a diplomatic attitude, the works… Perhaps I haven't been as successful as I had hoped."
"Don't be so self-deprecating, my dear. It doesn't suit you." Emma had her pieces take a defensive position, but made sure to keep Rook ready and willing to go. She also still had the castle option to go with, but decided to keep that in check. "The fact that our two teams haven't destroyed the mansion yet speaks volume to the progress. I was expecting much more resistance, but you've all adjusted admirably.”
She held back on using her queen, typically having a bad habit of abusing its power and falling into traps. Well, not today.
Nicolette leaned her elbow on the chair's armrest and supported her chin in the palm of her hand, looking over the board and seemingly contemplating the situation.
"I'm really not as self-deprecating as you might think," she said thoughtfully, "I'm proud of my… teammates for the move happening smoothly, and the New Mutants have been exceptionally forgiving as well, all things considered. Still, I firmly believe that no matter how good things are, they can be better."
She moved one of her remaining pawns into a strangely precarious situation.
"I certainly hope I've made a good impression on the staff here. Have you heard anyone's opinions on the matter, if I might ask?"
Emma could see that Nicolette was setting up something. She couldn't gleam what exactly yet, but she was certain there was a greater plan involved: effective misdirection was a strategy Nicolette employed well, and Emma made sure to keep their matches fair by not using her powers. There were times when she was tempted, but she wasn't honestly considering it. Further witling away at her offensive abilities was also a tempting prospect, even if it was a mere pawn, but she had the oddest feeling she might rue it.
"The thing is, we're often judged by the company we keep. And as long as you keep company with me, people will think that the negative traits they perceive me to have are shared by you." In the end, Emma preferred to be on the safe side. She castled her rook, switching places with the King and putting him in the corner, surrounded by his subjects. "So I'm afraid to say their opinion of you is most likely the same as their opinion of me. All the Hellions really. Not too good…"
Nicolette smiled absentmindedly.
"Really now… I'd say that's rather superficial of them. Aren't all of us here by their collective goodwill? I'd really have thought the X-Men of all people would know better than to judge someone by their past, or a few lightly passed judgments. I guess I'll try harder then, but I have no intention of changing the company I keep…" "
Nicolette moved her knight slightly, employing a simple fork tactic. Two of Emma's pieces were under fire: a rather well-protected rook and a pawn that had gotten to Nicolette's half of the board discomfortingly. She probably hoped to remove it before it could get a shot at promotion. Emma approved.
"I'm glad to hear that," she said, and brought her knight to the forefront, using it as an effective shield for the pawn - she had plans of promotion in mind, no doubt. If the pawn made it all the way, having a Queen on Nicolette's side of the field would do irreparable and give a great advantage; when Emma made her way to the top, she always stayed there. And, even if it didn't work, stopping it required Nicolette's well-made defenses to scatter.
"I think that, all too often, people forget about the 'homo' of 'homo superior'; we may be a new breed of humans, but we still are humans. Misconceptions like that aren't above us. And you're right, it is superficial. But trust is something you have to earn, I suppose. Give it time."
Nicolette considered for a moment. Emma could almost see the cogs moving in her head. It pleased her, to an extent. At least it seemed like Nicolette was taking the match seriously and giving it her best, while others in her position might have held back. Other perhaps didn't like winning so much…
Ultimately, she seemed to decide on remaining aggressive. Moving her rook across the board, Nicolette put Emma's defenses under some pressure, but also placed the rook in a position where she could pull it back and bar the offending pawn's way. Being as utilitarian as possible was a necessity.
"I will, I suppose," she said thoughtfully, "I can be patient when I want to. Speaking of the Hellions and New Mutants… I've felt that since this new influx of students, both teams have gotten quite large. And somewhat more volatile, if that's possible. This seems to make everything about them more difficult to one extent or another. I was wondering if it was a good idea to maintain us in such a clumsy formation…"
"There are some plans for that, actually, but I'm not at liberty to specify." Emma considered her next move for a minute, in total silence. Nicolette was doing well under the pressure; maintaining a fair balance between offense and defense. Emma's pawn wouldn't get promotion without extreme resistance. Her king's position was fortified, but if Nicolette pressed her attack, things would get messy.
Emma decided to be more aggressive and boldly let her pawn venture forth into enemy territory. Nicolette would likely bring her rook back in defense and make an effective block, but it would at least take some of the pressure away. "There's going to be some divvying up of the teams, but it will lead to more opportunities for all of you. I think you'll enjoy it."
Like she had expected, Nicolette retreated her rook without hesitation, pulling it back towards to the offending pawn. There were two squares between them horizontally, and she left it one square ahead of Emma's pawn, so it could be taken if it moved ahead just once. The rook still had some influence in supporting Nicolette's pieces on the offense, but it wasn't a very fortuitous move overall. It would have been in her nature to press the attack, but such lack of foresight was below her.
"That sounds fairly intriguing," she said, "I'm looking forward to hearing more of this, though… I'll naturally stay with the Hellions." She managed to make it sound as if she was fully convinced.
"Loyalty is a good trait to have, my dear. But there's a wealth of opportunities out there, and while I'd certainly love your presence with the Hellions, you shouldn't throw away a rare opportunity."
Emma hated being rash; after all, overaggressive attacking had led to her downfall before. She'd start winning, get overconfident, underestimate her opponent and wind up paying the price - it was a curse in life, it was a curse in chess.
However, she was feeling a bit dangerous at the moment; if they kept playing defensive with each other, no headway would ever be made. Invoking her namesake, Emma brought out the white queen and placed it on the far side, right where it could take Nicolette's precious rook with a diagonal strike.
"Whatever happens won't be permanent, and no matter where you go, the team will always be waiting for you. No one will ever question your loyalty, whatever path you choose."
Nicolette looked at Emma seriously for a while before she even started of thinking a move. Once she looked down on the board again, she slowly and grudgingly moved her rook horizontally to the square directly before Emma's pawn. It depriving her attacking pieces of cover and pretty much locked down her rook. She didn't like the move, and showed it with a quiet, annoyed grunt. After another moment of thought, she spoke, carefully measuring her words.
"I think, perhaps, I will question my loyalty… But you are correct, I shouldn't make a call before I truly know all the facts and factors. If the teams are being divided, then my choice will depend greatly on what the teams will be doing and on… individual details."
"That's a good mindset to have. Weigh your options and act accordingly - you're a young girl, but you won't be young for much longer. You have a future to consider. Also…" Emma moved her queen in a position where the king would be a straight shot away, a clear line through the hole Nicolette's Rook made. "Check."
Nicolette sighed and moved her king out of the way. It was a rather clumsy, unfitting thing to do, but she was out of options.
"I have been thinking about my future lately, actually. In the past, I've been very hesitant to make any kind of decision… Not to sound arrogant, but I've always been good in such a great many things that it's hard to choose, while still not feeling a sort of true calling…"
She smiled, despite the apparent course of the game.
"I'm fairly certain I have a path. It might be overly ambitious, probably humongously difficult… but it's all right. I can handle it."
Emma was about to move… but she paused. Thought for a moment as Nicolette's words settled in. "I'm not saying I regret anything, but there's no denying that I cheated to get certain things. There was a time when I stopped caring about being equal or abiding to some sense of morality, and when that happened, I used my powers to get what I wanted, when I wanted it. I forced life to be what I wanted it to."
Emma moved once again, this time bringing her bishop over to join the queen. Trapping a king with one piece was next to impossible, of course, so if that was her plan she'd need backup. "I'm not saying that I wouldn't do the same things again if I had the chance, but there are many aspects of my life that I'm not particularly proud of. Having said that, I'll say this: whatever path you take, go for it fully - but don't take any shortcuts. Your mind and your mind alone are enough to accomplish your goals. I have the utmost faith in you, for what it's worth."
"Thank you," said Nicolette, keeping her eyes on the board, "You're one of the very few people ever to have this kind of faith in me, and that matters a lot to me. Still, I have faith in myself as well… It's hard for me not to feel confident, and I'm fairly sure… well, absolutely certain I can handle anything I set my sights on. Eh, by myself if necessary, but I'd prefer not to…"
Nicolette's king was in a rather precarious position. It was only defended by two very awkwardly placed pawns, nothing more. Emma was feeling rather hopeful. Still, the more resources she diverted to attacking, the more she took off from defending her own king. Nicolette moved her own queen closer to Emma's king. It wasn't in striking distance – yet.
"I'm not going to lie to you… I'm going to bend the rules a little where necessary. I have no intention of doing anything that could harm anyone, I promise you that much at least… but, for now, I'll keep cheating as an option to turn things to my favor when they otherwise wouldn't be…"
She looked up at Emma once again.
"I'm sorry."
Emma smiled an odd smile; there was warmth there, of course, but just a hint of devious. Two smiles that just weren't meant for each other, but came together well enough. "I'm in no position to criticize. Just be careful, is all I suggest. When using the ends to justify the means, it can be very easy to forget what the actual ends are."
Emma moved her queen between the board, placing it in middle-ground, striking distance from both sides of the field. It only put the king under a modicum of pressure, but it also made sure that, if Nicolette's queen made any long-distance forays, there'd be much trouble for her. A cross of offense and defense with extra attention paid to defense, but Emma had no plans on being passive for long.
"I'm going to maintain perspective, of course…"
Nicolette was staring at the board rather intensely. After a moment, she used her knight to bridge some of Emma's pawns. It landed exactly where Emma didn't want it to be. Her defense was all but compromised now. By this point, they were racing to see who could get a checkmate first.
"I guess I've always felt fairly ambivalent towards the future in general,” Nicolette continued, “On one hand, it would be tempting to stay a child forever, with relatively few duties and worries. Even in a rather… difficult position, life would be fun and irrelevant. I think I've thought so for a long while… But, really, by now, I'm just impatient to move on. To show that I can…"
"Let me ask, where are you moving on to, exactly?" Emma had a habit of being self-centered, she was aware of that, but that didn't mean she couldn't take the occasional hint. "You have ambition, yes, but what's that ambition driven towards?"
Deeper into the maw, deeper into the maw… Nicolette had became even more aggressive, as well as more efficient with the pieces she had, but Emma her own plans as well. Her rook and bishops had just the right positions… which piece came in range of the king first, wouldn't be getting out alive. It didn't matter. Sacrifices were a part of the game, and Emma knew she could be much more damaging to her opponent.
Nicolette scowled slightly. She couldn't really afford to slow down her offense, but it was too risky not to. She moved her rook over to the right side of the field, giving her king some tentative cover. Her expression and body language made it clear she didn't like the move, perhaps purposefully so. With that action, she had let Emma's pawn go free. But now, the climax of the game was at hand. The pawn was still a few moves away from promotion - by the time it got there, the game would surely already be decided.
"Politics," said Nicolette in reply to Emma's question simply.
"Foremost, I think it would fit me very well. Not only would I be good in it, I'd also enjoy it greatly. It's really a quite fascinating subject, if you think about it. I got the idea a little while after coming to the Mansion - and after my ideas for the Hellfire Club flopped. From that point, it kind of kept developing onwards…"
She looked up from the chessboard to Emma.
"I think I could do a lot, if I aimed high enough."
"Politics." Emma shivered at the word. "You're a braver women than I am. I'll fight Magneto, Apocalypse, Sinister and every sort of rogue you'd care to name, but the political machine is a beast I have no interest in taming. More power to you, as they say."
Emma decided it was time to make things furious. She shot her rook across the board, almost hitting the other side – just a move away from being in striking distance of the queen… but if the queen struck, it would have the indignity of being slaughtered by a lowly pawn, and a new white queen would soon be formed right over its corpse. Hellish thinking, really, but the imagery worked. Great motivator, really.
"You have the right mindset, though; every successful politician has a little bit of ruthlessness, even if they'd like the public to believe otherwise. Ambition, tenacity, wit, and intelligence, all in good proportion - yes, you'll excel in that arena."
"I know," said Nicolette with decidedly withheld grin. Emma got the feeling that it was genuine, but mostly supposed to serve as making her seem less arrogant. Still, she knew Nicolette loved praise. "But, again, thank you anyway…" For a moment, she looked serious again. "I greatly enjoy being thought of as adequate."
With that, she turned back to the board…
And that, Emma decided, was probably the ultimate truth about Nicolette. Every one of her actions, no matter their purpose, was geared towards making sure that she wasn't inadequate – nor seen as such. Even more than that, actually… She wanted to be excellent. Her pride was a worryingly large part of her, and most people probably didn't even know how big. She always projected on image of not really caring about criticism, but privately, Emma had to wonder…
She cared about all her charges, of course, but she reserved a special connection to Nicolette. She made sure to try not to be especially preferential, but Nicolette was really the face of the student body for her. They were very similar, indeed… Beyond the obvious similarities, there was the fact that while she, Emma, longed for children to teach, Nicolette was looking for a proper parent figure – whether she admitted it to herself or not. Emma had to think about it whenever they met up, but for now, she was perfectly fine with a simple teacher-student relationship.
Suddenly and uncomfortably, Emma realized that Nicolette had made a move and she had pretty much missed it. And what a move it was… She checked and double-checked the whole board. Indeed, Nicolette seemed to be one move away from checkmate. She supposed she should be proud, but she didn't want to lose either.
And after a few moments of thought, she saw a chance. Nicolette had left herself open after all…
"You're more than adequate, my dear,” she said encouragingly, “But never forget… no matter how skilled you become, or crafty you are, or thorough you protect yourself…" She adjusted the position of her attacking rook slightly, and it was done. "…always keep your guard up." Nicolette's king was cornered: blocked by two defending pawns on one hand and her own rook on the other, under check by Emma's rook and it's only escape route covered by Emma's queen. It was a checkmate. Emma smiled.
Nicolette allowed herself to look disappointed for just a moment, before she smiled back, looking as friendly and pleased with herself as ever. She held up her hand towards Emma.
“Thank you for a good game, Miss Frost,” she said lightly, “I enjoyed it.”
Emma took her hand and shook it.
“Likewise, my dear…”
