Nixe Goldenfire: In Memory Of....
by Nike
***********************************************************************
The past. The year 1999.
Somewhere over Olympia, Seven years ago....
<This not the way it should end,. Nixe Goldenfire said to herself as she sat by the B-16's navigation system and watched her companions argue among themselves on who would stay behind to steer the plane away from the city below while the rest parachuted to safety. The pilot was wounded and unconscious and the battered plane was losing fuel fast. There were five of them and there were only four parachutes left. It was clear that one will have to stay behind to allow the rest to live.
She brushed loose strands of her long, blood-red hair that was tied into a ponytail, away from her dark green eyes that was the color of emeralds and stood up. <Time was running out,> she thought as she narrowed her eyes, making then blaze with a green fire. <This crate will crash any minute.>
Jasper Serpiyente stood by the door, his short black hair being blown by the wind, and gestured at the four parachutes lying on the battered metal floor. "We have to leave, now!" he shouted over the roar of the wind. "This bird will lose fuel any minute soon! "
Hecate Darkmoon shook her head, her long dark green hair flying in all directions and pointed at the pilot who was being guarded by Vinze Ironlance. "But we can't just leave the pilot behind!" she argued at him. "And someone will have to stay behind to make sure that the bomber won't crash into the city!"
Vinze Ironlance glanced up and passed his fingers through his unruly brown hair. "Great idea, Kate." He began, frowning. "And just how are we going to get someone to stay behind ?"
"I'll stay." A quiet voice spoke up from the plane's navigation system behind them. They all spun around and saw Nixe Goldenfire standing silently with her arms crossed.
"Nixe?!" Hecate spluttered in surprise upon seeing her best friend. "What the-----!?"
Nixe stepped forward, her pale face making her eyes seem to blaze with some kind of green fire. "There is no need for you people to argue, Vinze." The red haired young woman began and solemnly stared at them. "I'll stay behind and pilot this crate away from the city."
"No!" Hecate shouted angrily as she faced her pal. "We've already lost one in our team! I will not lose my partner too!"
Nixe then glanced at her friend, her face expressionless, and then placed a hand behind Hecate's neck. ""Forgive me, Kate." She whispered softly as she pinched a nerve. Suddenly, Hecate collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "This is for your own and everyone else's good."
Jasper stared at their red-haired companion after glancing at Hecate. "Nixe?" he began in a mixture of shock and surprise as he kneeled before their unconscious pal. "What did you do----!?"
Nixe glanced down at her. "Don't worry, she'll be all right. Kate will only be unconscious for while and then she'll wake up with a headache." She replied and then faced the other two. "You guys better strap the other two parachutes on her and the pilot and then prepare to jump. This metal bird is going to crash land any minute now."
Vinze glanced at her as he strapped the pilot into a parachute. "Nixe?" he began as stood in front of her. "I-----" His voice trailed off at the same time his light brown eyes met her dark green ones.
She took a deep breath and to steel herself from the gaze. "Don't even think of stopping me, Vinze." Nixe warned him while narrowing her eyes.
He bowed his head. "I am sorry, Nixe," he whispered as he carried the pilot in his arms and walked towards the open shuttle door. "Good luck," he added as he jumped off.
Jasper carried the unconscious Hecate Darkmoon in his arms and stood before the door. Nixe sadly smiled and then placed a hand on her friend's forehead. "Tell Kate that I am sorry, but I have to do this." She said in a hushed voice.
Jasper stared at her. "Stormshadow's death wasn't your fault."
Nixe shook her head. "No, it was." She replied in a hard voice, then she looked down. "Goodbye, Jasper. I guess this is it."
Jasper looked away, to hide the tears that were streaming down from his amber colored eyes. "Goodbye, Nixe." He murmured as he jumped.
Nixe watched from the open door as her friends parachute away to safety. The she took a deep breath and glanced at the shuttle's wrecked controls. "Well then." She whispered softly, walking towards the controls. "A flaming end. Just like in the legend of the phoenix bird."
Hecate woke up as she hit the lake below. "OWW! My head! Wha-what happened?" she moaned as she tried to shut off the construction sounds going in her head. She then glanced around as the memory of what had happened earlier flashed before her mind. "Nixe? Where's Nixe?!"
Jasper pointed to the flaming shuttle as it headed towards a nearby mountain. "Kate, look!" he shouted at her. "It's going to crash on Mount Olympus!"
Hecate watched in horror as the shuttle hit the steep mountain top, making the spot explode with fiery bang. "Nixe!!!" she screamed. "No!!!"
*********
The present. Seven years later.
Somewhere on the slopes of Mount Olympus......
The young woman with long blood-red hair kneeled on the grassy ground with her head bowed down, deep in thought. She stared her dark green eyes at the small ordinary marker standing on the ground. The soft gentle breeze blew on the dry brown leaves that littered on the grass, making them dance around the cold hard, gray gravestone. She glanced up at the clear blue ocean of air above her. It was such a nice day.
It seemed hard to believe from looking at her surroundings that they were at the brink of a Civil war. Everything seemed so peaceful. Birds were hopping from tree branch to tree branch and singing around. The lake nearby was so calm that you could see your reflection clearly at the surface. Still, she wasn't a bit surprised. The area around the mountain was holy ground. No Firebird or Harpy would dare break the peace around here.
"Phoenix.....!"
She looked up upon hearing the familiar voice in the air and faintly smiled to herself. Dazzler and the others must have discovered that she was missing from the group. They were probably combing the entire mountainside for her by now.
<Well,> the young woman thought as she got up on her feet. <I mustn't keep them searching for me. Dazz is one of my closest friends. I'd hate to see her worry just because the leader of the group decided to play hooky on the others for a few minutes.> She placed a hand on the surface an ancient gnarled tree beside the grave site. It had been a long while since she had come to this certain spot in the mountain, that it was almost forgotten. In fact, she was the only Firebird who knew about this place.
"Phoenix.....!!" the voice seemed to be getting closer.
<I'd better go before they find this spot,> she thought as she cast her eyes towards the direction of the voice. She could hear their footsteps already.
As she turned to leave, her eyes fell on the grave site. She felt a pang of sorrow touch her beating heart. She didn't know why she always felt like that every time she visited the place. She wasn't even sure why she visited the same spot every year. She didn't even know who was the person whose name was on the inscription. She only knew that she fulfilling a debt she had owed to this person a long time ago.
"Goodbye," Phoenix of Olympia whispered softly as she plucked a small red wildflower that was growing nearby and placed it on the top of the marker. Then she sadly turned her dark green eyes at the site and melted away into the shadows.
A beam of sunlight shone on the engravings carved on the stone's surface. It read:


Nixe Goldenfire
1980-1999


********
Dazzler brushed her long blond hair from her sparkling blue eyes. She glanced at her watch. <It was getting late,> she thought to her herself as she watched the others look around for their missing leader. <Odd,> she said to herself. <This is definitely not Phoenix's normal behavior. She had never tried to sneak away from us before.>
She leaned against a nearby tree and wiped the beads of sweat that were starting to form on her forehead. She remembered that her friend's odd behavior had started when she had asked, no, insisted her to join them for a picnic on the mountain. Phoenix didn't want to go and when she had asked why, her friend had ignored the question. <She even remained silent during the whole trip,> Dazzler shook her head at the memory.
"A penny for your thoughts, Dazz?" A familiar voice from above suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Dazzler looked up and saw Phoenix of Olympia standing on a branch of the tree that she was leaning against. Her friend was looking down at her with an amused smile on her face."Phoenix!" Dazzler exclaimed in her surprise as she straightened up and faced her friend. "Where have you been? Don't you know that we have been looking for you for the past fifteen minutes ?" she angrily demanded at her.
Phoenix shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Dazz," the red haired woman replied in a flat voice and then leapt off the tree branch, landing on the ground a few feet away from Dazzler. "I didn't notice the time." She added as she silently turned her gaze back from where she had came.
Dazzler studied her friend's eyes, wondering if there's something that Phoenix wasn't telling her, and then thought better of it. Whatever it was, Phoenix can tell it to her later. "It's getting late." She reminded her friend in a soft voice.
The red haired woman nodded and glanced up at the sky.
"I know. Tell Hotshot and the other Firebirds to start heading back for home now. I thought that I heard a faint rustling sound from the other side of the mountain and I know that they weren't caused by you people." She frowned quietly for a few moments before facing Dazzler. "Even though this is holy ground, I still don't trust Hecate and her troops a bit. They might be watching us and waiting for the moment when we are out of the mountain's boundaries to strike. Our small party can easily be outnumbered." She added and a faint smile shone on her lips. "Besides, I don't want to be the one to carry you all the way back home if you ever get wounded in battle."
Dazzler grinned. <This was her friend, all right.> she thought as she shook her head. <Whatever had been eating her friend a while ago, it was gone. She's back to her normal self again.>
"I'll contact them now." She replied as she raised her wrist communicator. "I don't think I want to be the one to carry you back to the base if ever you get wounded either."
*********
Meanwhile, somewhere outside the boundaries of Mount. Olympus, Hecate of Olympia, Majestrix of the Harpy Fleet stood near her assault group and waited. One of her spies had seen tracks heading towards the mountain. <So, it seems that the Firebirds were fools enough to leave the safety of their base with only a small party,> Hecate thought, narrowing her dark green eyes. <It would be so easy to destroy them and, at the same time, test my new invention, the molecular accelerator ray.>
"Hecate!" Gale, a Harpy soldier with gray eyes and grayish blue hair spoke up. "The Firebirds!! They're coming!" he shouted as he pointed to the direction of the sound of faint footsteps.
The Harpy Majestrix nodded and narrowed her eyes. "I see." She replied and then glanced at the other two Harpies who were manning the ray. "When I give the command, fire the ray at the first person that steps out of the woods."
********
"Dazz! Wait!" Phoenix shouted as she tried to catch up with Dazzler. "Stay close to the group! Don't try to go ahead of the others!"
The blond woman glanced at her friend who was fast approaching her and grinned. " Oh, come on, Phoenix.!" Dazzler began, "We haven't found any signs of those miserable wretches the moment we got here. What could go wrong?" she added as she parted the bushes that were blocking their path.
********
Hecate's sharp eye's noticed the bushes moving. "Steady," she whispered softly and pointed at the bushes. "Aim the ray at those plants."
The bushes parted, revealing Dazzler, the blond second-in-commander of the Firebirds, standing beside Phoenix of Olympia, the Firebird Majestrix.
"Fire!!" the Harpy Majestrix shouted.
*******
Dazzler had her face turned towards her friend when she heard the shout. She quickly spun around and saw the Harpies surrounding them. "Huh ?! What the--?!"
"Dazz, look out !!!" Dazzler heard Phoenix shout. Then she felt someone or something push her from behind, sending her body flat on the ground.
Phoenix gasped in pain and felt the ray jolt her body and sent her back crashing into the woods. She jerked involuntarily as her body rammed through trees and bushes. Finally she slammed her back against a huge rock. Then Phoenix of Olympia bowed her head and knew no more. <Kate....>
********
Dazzler glanced up and saw her friend being thrown away by the ray. "Phoenix!!! No!!" she shouted in her shock. Then she faced the Harpies. "Merciless scum bags!!! Take this!" she cursed as she blasted the enemy with a hail of laser fire.
Blast swept her bluish black chin-length hair as she turned to glance back at their second-in-commander. "They're too many of them!" she yelled, narrowing her dark blue eyes. " We have no other choice but to fall back and retreat!"
Dazzler nodded. "Cover me while I'll go and get Phoenix !" She replied as she dived back into the bushes.
********
She found Phoenix lying with her back against a huge boulder. Her friend was unconscious and her body emitted a strange fiery glow. Dazzler wasn't alarmed, she had seen her friend like that a couple of times before, especially when flying or fighting in the air. Phoenix was the end product when the Phoenix force got itself a living host body in order to survive.
"Phoenix?" Dazzler whispered, nudging her friend by the shoulder. "Wake up. Phoenix ?"
No answer. For a moment, Dazzler thought that her friend might be hurt more than she seemed to be. Gently, she tried to carry her friend, supporting her incredibly light body on her right shoulder, and made her back to their other companions.
"Phoenix?!"
<Help me,> Her friend's mind touch sounded in Dazzler's mind. It sounded strangely weak to the blond lady. She frowned, thinking that her friend will soon snap out of it when they reach the base.
********
The chill wind blew softly and a new pair of dark green eyes opened to a strange and unfamiliar surrounding. A young woman slowly got up to a sitting position, and a soft moan escaped from her lips. Her head was hurting like hell. <Where am I ?> she asked herself as she brushed away strands of dark red hair from her face. <What is this place ?>
She paled as a faint recollection of the hazy past flashed in her mind. She remembered sitting in the controls of a battered shuttle craft a few moments before everything blacked out. "Kate?" she began as she looked around. She hoped that her companions were all safe. She hoped that they all made it out of the crash site safely.
Her sharp ears pricked as she heard a the faint sound of footsteps and voices heading her way. She stood up, alert, and suppressed a hiss as pain jolted her head. <Got to stop it. Friends or enemies, whoever those people are, they are heading this way..> she thought as she tried to shake the feeling of nausea away.
*********
Callisto, a brown haired Harpy Amazon, and Lynx, a werepuma, searched the forest for any Firebirds left behind. They were triumphant and they were just relishing the fact that they had sent the enemy party away to retreat back to their base from their surprise attack.
A pair of dark green eyes narrowed as it watched them from above.
The werepuma growled, sniffing the air. "Someone is nearby us. I can smell it."
The Amazon glanced around her but saw no one in the area, save for her and the werepuma. "Keep your eyes open, Lynx." She whispered to her companion. "There is no telling what will happen in this---WHAT THE !??" she began in surprise upon seeing a young woman with dark red hair pouncing at her from above.
"Sweet dreams, Amazon." The young woman replied as she sent the Amazon to the ground with a swift kick.
Lynx growled as the woman landed on the ground a few feet away from him. Fangs baring, she jumped to attack. "You will not escape that easily, stranger. I will tear your body into shreds!"
"I don't think so," the young woman smiled at her as she shot her as psionic blast, sending her against a nearby tree.
"Argh!"
Callisto opened her eyes and saw the woman fighting the werepuma. "Must call for back up." She muttered as she fumbled for her emergency homing device.
********
Seconds later, the woman held the half-conscious Amazon face to face. "Now that the three of us had just finished our little workout, Amazon, I don't suppose you'd mind if I begin asking you a few questions. Huh?!" she began in surprise as a small laser beam shot from her behind, narrowly missing her head by a few inches.
The Harpy Majestrix stood tall among the rest of her troops. "Drop the Amazon, lady, or I'll order my people to open fire."
The woman turned around. "Kate?"
Hecate Darkmoon blinked upon seeing the face of an old friend. "Nixe?"
"Kate!!!"
"Nixe!!!"
Nixe Goldenfire ran towards her pal and hugged her tightly. "Kate! You're safe! For a moment there I thought that the monster had destroyed you before you got out with the others!"
"Nixe," the Harpy Majestrix whispered in disbelief. "You're alive!"
The young woman gave her one of her trademark sly smiles as she faced her pal. "Of course, I am alive. I wouldn't be talking to you if I weren't."
Gale stared at them. "Would someone please tell us just what the hell is going on ?"
Hecate faced them and gestured at Nixe Goldenfire. "This is Nixe, an old friend of mine."
********
Meanwhile, inside the Firebird base, Red Cross, the pink haired Firebird medic, was trying to figure out what was wrong with their leader. It has been three hours since Dazzler and Blast had brought Phoenix's body and yet, she is still unconscious. Frowning, she read the printout coming from the computer and gasped.
"No way," R.C. whispered.
********
"What do you mean that isn't Phoenix ?" Dazzler demanded upon hearing the medic. "RC, you are not making any sense."
"I'm afraid its true, Dazzler." Red Cross began, pointing at the figure, floating in a glass cylinder filled with clear liquid. "The computer identified her as the Phoenix force and not Phoenix herself. This is one serious problem. If we have to find it's host body within twenty-four hours or...."
"Or what ?" Firehawk asked.
"I am afraid that the Phoenix force will revert to its original form and Phoenix will cease to exist."
Hotshot frowned. "Come on, let's find her."
Red Cross shook her head. "Easier said than done, kid. There is strong possibility that the host body might not even remember anything, much less want to be the entity's host body. We could assume that the person may have a hidden instinct that it had stolen her or his life when the union was made."
"Couldn't we just get it another host body?" Hotshot suggested.
"No."
********
Nixe followed the Harpy Majestrix as she stepped inside the command center of the Harpy base. "You got to be kidding." She began as Hecate told her that she had been missing for seven years and there was a Civil War between Firebirds and Harpies.
Hecate shook her head. "It's true." She faced her pal. She knew that inspite of her friend's talent for combat, Nixe Goldenfire was no war freak. All right she may sometimes go overboard when she executes a mission, but that was only during active duty. "Wihat is it?" she asked upon seeing the pale look on her face.
Nixe turned away. "I don't know." She replied and walked away. Hecate stared after her.
********
Hotshot was walking away from the base. She just had to get out of there. The young woman combed her short orange hair with her fingers. She didn't like what was happening and could not stand there, feeling pretty useless while Dazzler and the others frantically figure out a way to find where is Phoenix's body.
She looked around and discovered that she was already far away from the base. She felt for her gun, just in case that there were any enemies nearby.
"Don't bother," a voice came from nearby. "If I had wanted you dead, you'd be dead by now."
Hotshot looked up and saw young woman standing atop of a branch of a nearby tree and looking down at her. "Who are you?"
The woman jumped off and quietly landed on the ground before Hotshot. She stared at her. Hotshot thought she looked kind of familiar. "Hello, Firebird." The woman aimed a laser blaster at her and smiled thinly. "The name's Nixe. Nixe Goldenfire. I got some questions that need some answers right now. So, talk, before I lose my patience and decide to kill you right here. Right now."
********
Later that time.
"So it was true," Nixe whispered, her face turning even paler than before. "I had been missing for seven years."
Hotshot frowned in corncern upon seeing the young woman's pale face. Even though Nixe had threatened her a while ago, she didn't seem to be evil or any thing. "Are you all right?"
The red haired woman recovered at once. "Stay back, Firebird!" she warned, leveling the gun at Hotshot.
Hotshot blinked and took a step back. "Hey, hey! I was only trying to help." She protested. "Sheesh, if Phoenix was here, she'd tell you that."
"Phoenix?" Nixe asked in puzzlement, wincing as the sharp throbing pain lanced her temple. The name sounded so painfully familiar. "Who's she?"
Hotshot stared at her in surprise. "You mean you don't know her? Phoenix happens to be the Firebird Majestrix. She's the best, if you ask my opinion." She blinked as the young woman's features seemed familiar. "Hecate should tell you about her. You even resemble her a bit. You would often see her soaring the skies with a flaming bird-like figure surrounding her.
Nixe blinked as a faint memory of a fiery bird-like monster diving towards her just seconds before the shuttle hit the ground flashed in her mind. She shook her head and faced Hotshot once more. "Where did she come from?"
"Well, I don't know. They say that she was found in the woods around Mt. Olympus seven years ago, somewhere near the charred remains of a battered bomber plane."
Nixe let out a gasp. <A battered bomber plane...>
The young woman remembered that they had been flying a battered bomber plane when they crashed down around Mt. Olympus!
"The people in that metal crate didn't have a chance to get out of there alive before it when boom, I suppose. But unfortunately, the Phoenix Force was somehow separated from its host body now. We have to find it or Phoenix will never exist."
Nixe would have wanted to ask her more questions, when she suddenly heard unfamiliar voices head for their direction. "What the--?!"
"Hotshot! Where the hell are you?"
Hotshot got up and waved her arms. "I'm over here!"
Blaze emerged from the bushes. "Oh, there you are! Dazzler has been looking all over for you !"
"But I'm just here with Nixe."
"Who?"
"Nixe," Hotshot turned to face the young woman. But there was no one there. "Wha--?!"
*******
Dazzler faced Hotshot upon reaching the base. "You sure that she said that her name was Nixe Goldenfire?"
Hotshot nodded, puzzled. "Yes, I'm sure. I have never seen her before. Why do you ask?"
The blond second-in-commander frowned. "The name just reminded me of something." She muttered and then faced Blaze. "See if you can find anything in the computer about a certain Nixe Goldenfire."
Blaze nodded And faced the computer screen behind her. "Aye, aye, Dazzler."
Then Dazzler faced the other Firebirds. "Come on, people. We haven't got much time left to find Phoenix's host body."
********
Nixe Goldenfire reached the crash site, alone. She saw that there was a gray marker in the center of the spot and gasped upon realizing that it was a gravesite. The young woman paused for a few moments as if deciding whether she really wants to find the truth. Then finally, walks slowly towards the gravesite.
She reached it and stared expressionlessly at the inscription. It read, "....1980-1999." She whispered.
A picture of her was mounted above her name. It showed her face, but captured none of her. She remembered the light that used to sparkle in her green eyes. She crouched down and traced the name with her finger so slowly, confirming that it was really there. "Nixe Goldenfire...."
Nixe closed her eyes and moved her hand quickly away as if she burned by the touch. "No!" the woman screamed out in anguish, sinking slowly to both knees of the soft earth of the grave.
********
At that same moment, the Phoenix Force burst out of the large glass cylinder that contained it and blasted out of the base. It gave a loud shriek and felt its host body cry out nearby.
"Dazzler, its escaping towards the woods! " Blast shouted and pointed to the cosmic entity that was heading away from them.
"Quick, follow it!" Dazzler ordered as she led the others after the Phoenix Force.
********
"No, it can't be," Nixe whispered and wept on the gravesite.
Hecate emerged from the shadows. She had been following her for sometime now and saw her friend crying. "Nixe ?"
"Kate, tell me the truth." Nixe began, without glancing up to her pal. "I never did get out of that shuttle in time, didn't I?"
The Harpy Majestrix didn't answer.
Nixe glared up to her. "Dammit, Kate !" she cursed. "Tell me!" she added.
Hecate turned away. "No, Nixe. You didn't."
Nixe turned pale. She winced inwardly and bowed her head in defeat. She remained silent for a few minutes and slowly stood up. "You knew." She whispered softly. "You've always known."
"Nixe ?" Hecate began as she watched her. She reached out her hand towards the red haired woman. "You died, seven years ago. The Phoenix Force possesed your body and you became Phoenix of Olympia."
"The leader of the Firebirds," The red haired girl continued, in a soft whisper. "Your worst enemy."
Hecate nodded, her face serious. "Yes."
Nixe looked up, her face looking hopefully bright. "But I'm here now, right Kate?" she began. "The past doesn't matter anymore, right? I can stay here and we'll be together again. Just like old times, right?" her expression crumbled upon seeing the the hard look on her friend's face. "If you want, I...I'll help you destroy them. I...I can use Phoenix's memories to your advantage...Kate? Please?"
Hecate looked at her and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nixe. I can't do that. You know that it isn't right. As much as I hate to tell you this but you're Phoenix now, you can't leave your people like that."
"I lost you before, seven years ago." Nixe whispered, her voice pleading. "I don't want to lose by partner and best friend. I don't want to lose you again."
Hecate faced her. "Let it go, Nixe." She whispered, shaking her head. "You know it has to be."
Nixe didn't answer. She took her hand back and watched her friend walk away. <Kate,> she thought as she bowed her head and wept.
********
The cosmic entity flew towards the woods. It knew that somehow it's host body there.
Nixe stood there, waiting.
The Phoenix Force shrieked as it dove down to the red-haired woman down below.
Nixe Goldenfire glanced up. She saw the flaming bird-like figure dive towards her direction. <Goodbye, Kate,> she thought.
*******
The past.
Seven years ago....
Nixe Goldenfire saw that she was going to hit the mountaintop fast. She managed a faint smile, ignoring the strange flaming bird-like figure that was heading her way. It doesn't matter, she thought just seconds before she was plunged into darkness. Her friends were safe.
<Goodbye, partner...>
********
BOOM!!! A gigantic fiery explosion, similar to what had happened seven years ago rocked the surrounding area.
"What was that?!" Firehawk exclaimed.
"I don't know but it came from over---Oh no! The Phoenix Force!" Dazzler shouted.
They came to the site of the explosion, hoping they weren't too late. Blast pointed upon seeing Phoenix lying on the ground. "Dazzler, its Phoenix!" she cried out as a muffled groan came out of their missing leader's lips. "She's alive!"
Dazzler ran towards her friend and hugged her tightly. "Phoenix, is that really you? Are you all right?"
"I guess so," Phoenix began as she got up and tried to shake away the dizziness. "What happened? Where are we?"
"Hey, Phoenix!" Firehawk yelled at her as she pointed at the Harpy Majestrix who slowly walked towards them. "Its Hecate!"
"Hecate?" she began in a surprised voice and signaled the others to lower their weapons. "Don't shoot!"
Dazzler frowned. "But she's all alone. We can take her on." She protested.
"I said, don't shoot!!!" Phoenix glared at her causing Dazzler to step back in surprise. She had never seen Phoenix that way before.
"Phoenix...?!" Dazzler whispered.
Phoenix ignored her and turned to face the Harpy Majestrix. "Hecate..."
Hecate looked at her, holding a bracelet in her hand. "Seven years ago, a girl once sacrificed her life to save her partner in battle. This used to belong to her. I guess it belongs to you now." She tossed it to the Firebird Majestrix.
Phoenix stared at the bracelet in her hand. It was made of gold and a bright red jewel adorned its center. She faced Hecate and Nixe stared out from her emerald eyes as she stared at the Harpy Majestrix. "Kate, I .re..."
"No, Phoenix . Don't start." The Harpy Majestrix in a low voice and began walking away. "Don't make it for both of us."
"K-Kate?" Phoenix whispered softly, ignoring the others who were staring her in surprise.
Hecate stopped walking. "What happened seven years ago, wasn't my fault. And it wasn't yours either." She glanced at Phoenix over her shoulder. "We had chosen our paths a long time ago. It's no use going back to the past." She added and then continued walking away. <Goodbye, partner...>
<Goodbye, partner...> Phoenix silently said to her as she watched Hecate go. Then she bowed her head as if in deep thought before turning to face the other Firebirds. "Let's go." she ordered in a harsh voice.
********
Minutes later, the Firebirds stayed inside the command center of their base. They were all relaxing after a hectic day. Dazzler sat near the base's defense systems while Phoenix stood nearby, leaning her back against a nearby wall with her arms crossed.
"Well. I'm glad that everything's back to normal." The blond second-in-commander yawned as she stretched her arms. "Thank God!"
Phoenix managed a sly smile. "Why? You didn't like being in command while I was gone?"
"Hey, Dazzler!" Blaze exclaimed as she spun around to face them. "I've finally found out who Nixe Goldenfire is! She was one of the five people involved in a shuttle crash at the mountain seven years ago. She was said to be the one who stayed behind to keep the shuttle from crashing into the city, while her companions parachuted to safety. She was presumed dead when the plane had exploded as it crashed."
"Poor girl," Dazzler whispered, shaking her head. "I wonder if she knew what she was going for when she let herself be left behind when that B-16 crashed to the ground."
Phoenix winced and then glanced at Dazzler. "Do we ever?" she said in a bitter voice as she turned away from them.
Tears were falling from her dark green eyes.
*******
The past.
Seven years ago....
The old man watched the old woman with the dark red hair sitting on a huge boulder by the lake, her emerald green eyes somber and staring at the water's clear and smooth surface. He had found her in the woods, with no recollection of her past.
"But surely you have a name," the old man insisted as he leaned over his wooden cane. "What will I call you ?"
The young woman bent over and picked up a bright red flower growing in the grass below. "Call me Phoenix, " the young woman smiled as she stared at the flower. "After the legendary bird."