“I have to make a classic diagram around you.” One of my fingers started sparkling thickly with electricity as I drove it into the molten ground and began to slide all the way around the new Phoenix in a large circle, gouging and spitting rocks and sludge out of the way as I made the outer circle with plenty of room. “Don’t move while I make the triangles.” The hexagram took shape as I scooted past her above the ground, drawing very precisely and accurately as she and everyone else watched.

“What will a magical design have upon an entity as powerful as the Phoenix?!” Prof. Xavier called out.

“Magical designs can draw the attention of, Bind, Seal, contain, and focus the power of Satan and Archdevils,” I shot back to him without looking. “Do you think the Phoenix Force is stronger than them, you idiot?!”

His mouth clamped shut. I kept working.

“Note how the lines are filling up with power. That’s the cosmic energy of the Phoenix being attracted to a completed thaumaturgic circle in this design. You’ll want to memorize these symbols.” The Runic signs between and in the intersections of the triangles took shape quickly under my scribing finger, and were glowing with fire spilling into them before I even completed them, harmonizing with the power there.

“There’s lots of entities that have command over fire, not so many that have creation and destruction, and even fewer that are cosmic, instead of mystical or elemental,” I explained, continuing to scribe. The flames falling off her had not dimmed, but they were now more like a stream, falling into the pattern around her, making it brighten. “So, we’re just going to attune this to the Phoenix.

“Now,” I continued in a lower voice, and she leaned in to hear automatically, “technically ANYONE can swear to the Phoenix, and if it allows it, boom, new Phoenix Warlock. But Pact Warlocks have limits that you, as the Avatar, don’t have, and they are all under your command, and you are invulnerable to their powers.

“So, you remember this diagram. If you ever want to share the Phoenix’s power, this is how you do it.”

“Oh...” she murmured, staring at everything. I doubted there was any way she could forget it all.

I scribed the last Rune, and it filled in so fast it looked like it had been that way all the time. Golden-red flames simmered and shimmered around her, clearly not ordinary and definitely very powerful.

They swirled in front of her, gathering into a burning raptor which wasn’t at all large... except when you looked at it, the background fell away into stars, and you were pretty sure you were looking at something bigger than a sun.

“Why did you call on me?” the flaming force of Creation murmured, and the flames jumped higher, straining at the binding Circle. Since I was inside it, I could see the sun-like eyes looking at me in interest for a moment, before noting I was already Claimed.

I touched Vier to her circlet, and quite suddenly, the new avatar could read my mind. She gasped at my mental focus.

“I Agree to a Pact with the Phoenix.

“I will be there from Creation.

“I will stay until Destruction.

“The world through my eyes,

“A spark in Time for my deeds.

“Born from flames, to die in fire.

“Infinity and Eternity,

“One Life and Mortality.

“May the Cycle continue!”

She read that all from my mind, and put her head down to bow.

The great Cosmic Force seemed to sigh, the flames swirled and danced as it looked at the pair of us.

“So It Will Be.”

There was nothing more than a whisper, and the flames died away, all of them, and the Phoenix itself was gone.

I let out a long, low breath as the redheaded girl looked up and around, down at her hands again, and then at the ground around us, which had all gone completely cold.

“Up ya go.” I took her hand and dragged her to her feet, while discharging plasma bolts from my other wrist. Explosive blasts danced across the Thaumaturgic Circle I’d made, and quickly obliterated it.

I was sure Xavier had totally memorized it, but this was in case anyone else wanted to.

“You should still be able to feel the flames inside you.” She blinked at me, then looked down at her hands. With fwooshes worthy of gasoline on a bonfire, new golden-red flames ignited over her hands.

I ignored it and its proximity, as if it were an illusion, instead of something that could melt steel. “There ya go. You’ll notice there’s now limitations on how much power you can pull out of the Phoenix Force. Unlike anyone else with a Pact, there’s no upper limit on how many times you can upgrade as its direct avatar. If you can’t control the power and the passion of the Phoenix... don’t upgrade. It’s that simple.”

“I...I...” she trailed off, hands on fire, and looking around now, wondering where to go and what to do.

“Time to go! Baldie, handle things with her folks, will you? Phoenix, you can lift yourself up with telekinesis, right? Use the flames to power them up a bit, and you’ll be flying in no time! Up we go!”

And I jumped into the sky.

She clamped a telekinetic grip on my arm, and I leapt ten stories straight up with Repulse. The flames kicked onto her feet, jetting out there, focusing her telekinesis as she wavered and wobbled and I sort of dragged her after me as I began to power-glide.

“Where are you going?!” Xavier’s shout drifted after me angrily.

“The Baxter Building!” I called back over my shoulder, and Phoenix’s eyes almost popped.

“We’re going to the Fantastic Four?” she blurted out in excitement.

“Yeah, it’s got the psi-shielding there so you won’t have to wear that circlet all the time. It also stops a certain bald someone from eavesdropping on the brains of the geniuses who live there and y’know, maybe stealing ideas and tech.”

Her lips pursed, and she glanced over her shoulder at the man in the wheelchair and the four young men around him. “He, he does that sort of stuff?” she had to ask.

“Stealing shit he wasn’t supposed to have is why he’s in that wheelchair. You know who Erik Lensherr is?”

“The Champion of New Israel? Of course!” she chimed up instantly, not even realizing she was starting to trail fire as we flew across the sky. I noted angel-boy behind us had taken wing and was following us hastily, catching up quickly.

“He was the one who crippled Xavier. That circlet on your head was popularized shortly thereafter; Lensherr invented them specifically to stop mindbenders from going into the heads of people they should not have.”

She flushed despite herself. “He seemed like a nice man...”

“Are you talking about the Professor?” the Angel asked, swooping in closer to us. My flight style wasn’t great, and Phoenix was a total noob, so he had no trouble catching us and following along.

“Yes.” I stared at him with narrowed eyes above me. He was actually riding on some of the updraft keeping me in flight. “Society pages. Blond. Blue eyes. Posh Boston accent. Worthington, worth, worth... Warren? The son?” I asked him, turning completely over and flying along upside down. Made no difference to me.

“Oh, you know who I am?” He seemed impressed, flattered, reassured, and embarrassed, all at the same time.

“No, but you just confirmed it, so sure.” He blushed despite himself. “What in the heck are you doing with Xavier? He’s a wild telepath, not a flier. You should be out in LA training with the Aerie, they specialize in fliers and pretty-boys.”

He winced despite himself. “They’re Tribal. My family is pretty prejudiced against the Tribes...”

“Is your family Powered?” I had to ask.

He shook his head. “No, I’m the only one...”

“Is your father the kind of person to let his prejudice interfere with doing the best thing for his son, especially with his money?”

He shut his mouth, and we all flew along towards Manhattan Island quietly for a moment.

“He’s worked with some people he absolutely despised if there was money involved,” he admitted.

“Xavier is a telepath who gets into people’s heads. I’d say the odds he pushed your father into sending you to him are very non-zero.”

I flipped back over as he clamped his mouth shut again. “Xavier says mutants are special,” he finally coughed up lamely.

“The Crux says White Christians are special. The Askari says Africans are. Muricans say they are special. Ten Rings claim they are. Mechers say they are. Royalty and nobility claim they are.

“Mutants are just a bunch of Powered who got their powers early. The differences between you and other Powered is less than the difference between blacks and whites. Special my finely-curved arse, angel-boy.”

He couldn’t help looking and agreeing. Nor could Phoenix.

“Are you really going to the Baxter Building?” We were making a beeline for it, so...

“Yes. There’s only one guest room at present. Don’t you have a penthouse or something in the city?”

“Uh...” he blushed again at my guess. “I’m just supposed to make sure you go there, then head back to the school.”

“Nah, come on in, you’re fine. I’m sure Johnny will be happy to see you.”

“Johnny Storm?” His own eyes flickered. “It’s been a while since I saw him.”

“You mean went party-crashing and girl-chasing with him?” I corrected him, turning back over with a shake of my head, so he wouldn’t think I’d see him blushing and looking down at my butt again. “Just roll with it. I’m sure your fathers know one another, too...”

--------

Unsurprisingly, they did. The Storm family was pretty well-established in the scientific community, Susan and her dad were both geniuses in their fields, and she and Johnny were used to being in society circumstances where men with money were looking for new things to make money with.

I beeped open the side lock, and we all flew or glided in, cycling into the inner chamber without any problems.

Johnny was actually right there, and Susan was in the kitchen nearby, preparing to get supper ready. She came out to see why I had come back.

“Warren Worthington?” Johnny blurted out, recognizing another lady-killer from society with ease, and staring at his wings. “Oh, damn, they probably fall all over you, don’t they?” he said, before realizing there were three women present.

Warren coughed as I lifted an eyebrow, Susan rolled her eyes, and Johnny realized he’d gaffed, before immediately proceeding on as if he hadn’t and forgetting the matter. “Dynamo, what brought you back so quickly? You and Peter tore out of here pretty quick...”

I reached over, popped off the circlet from Phoenix as I held up a finger. “Can you deal with this many minds? Granted, that one has the hormone control of a bull in heat.”

Johnny went flaming red, even his hair starting to burn, as she looked at him. She sighed, and put the circlet back down firmly. “I’m not going to have to put up with his wet dreams, right?”

Johnny’s head burst into flames from sheer embarrassment.

I walked up to him, leaned into his burning ear, and whispered, “She’s the new Phoenix. All Phoenixes are born male. An hour ago she was a teenaged boy. She knows EXACTLY what you are thinking, and probably wants you up in her as much as you want to be hammered by Mr. Grimm.”

His plasma form actually had less expression than his normal one. He swallowed hard, and his flames died out with a sad guttering.

“Uh, sorry, sorry. I can probably help you with fire control. Warren! I have to show you my bike collection!” With the air of someone who desperately needed some time to get his thoughts in order, he scooped up his winged peer and pulled him hastily out of there.