********************************************************************** DISCLAIMER 1) This material is not used for monetary profit in any manner. It is done solely for enjoyment purposes, and as homage to the great stories and characters of Marvel Comics Group 2) All the characters, events, and locations portrayed within are recognized as property of Marvel Comics Group should they so wish. 3) This story has been written by Samy Merchi . Any commentary in the form of compliments or critique is welcomed, and eagerly hoped for. So go ahead and drop me a line telling me what you thought, okay? It'll make my day. ;) 4) This story is being archived at least at my fanfic page at . Previous parts can be found there if needed. ********************************************************************** *********** * SUNFIRE * *********** * STARRING * Roberto 'SUNSPOT' Da Costa * CONTINUITY * This story takes place after X-FORCE #80. *** HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR SHTHM TSHHHH SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF "Mr Da Costa." "Ruth. How are you?" "Just great, Mr Da Costa, thank you. And you, sir?" "I am well. Has there been any trouble?" "None at all, sir. Been quiet as a mouse 'round here." "Good. Make sure to keep it that way. Open the doors for me, please." "Sure thing, Mr Da Costa." TAK TSHHHH SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF TAK TSHHHH "Ahhhh. Alone at last. And how are you feeling, my dear 'brother'?" "Da Costa." "Yes. Roberto Da Costa. The man whose life you conspired to destroy. The man who defeated you. The man who now holds your own life at the very palm of his hand." "I'll get back at you. I'm REIGNFIRE! I'll KILL you!" "You can't kill me." "I almost DID already! I'll KILL you! I'm REIGNFIRE" "Please spare me your posturing, pretender. You are little but an insignificant flea who by chance got a few moments in the spotlight. You are nothing. You are a pale mirror image of me, and nothing else. You are not a complete person unto yourself, as I am." "That's not true! I'm REIGNFIRE! I've achieved things you only dreamed of! I almost destroyed you!" "And with what did you achieve those things?" "What?" "Everything you achieved. Everything you ever were. It is all me, and me alone. You are a little fraction of the darkness in my soul, a darkness I have long denied and confined, a fragment of that darkness that got away and for a moment got a life of its own. But never again. I am a Da Costa, and my achievements are my own. You are nothing." "NO! That isn't TRUE! I'm REIGNFIRE! I did it all! ME! No one else!!" "You could never have done a thing without me, pretender. You would not live without me. You would have never amounted to anything had it not been for my powers, my skills, my knowledge. Everything you ever did, was done by a part of me gone rogue. And that is why I arranged for Da Costa International to confine you down here for SHIELD. I belong to myself, and no one else. I will not allow anyone else to hold custody of a part of me. I will not risk you getting loose and besmirching my reputation again, because of someone else's error. You are mine now, Nineteen, and so you will remain, forevermore. I choose to let you live, because you are such a vivid reminder of the darkness within me I must never give in to. A darkness I must contain." "You can never contain me! I am REIGNFIRE! I'll KILL you for this humiliation! I made more out of you than you ever will!" "Sim. Partially, you are correct. You have no patience. No control. A bright flame, burning intensely for a few moments, and then dying. You made more out of me than I have so far done. And in doing so, showed me the potential I have. Your time has passed, Nineteen. You made more out of me than what I have been -- but as for what I 'ever will' be -- I will far exceed your petty aspirations and your wildest dreams. I am a Da Costa. You are nothing but a science experiment gone wrong. You were not sired by my father, nor born by my mother. You were not raised in the same environment I was, training and studying constantly. You are weak, Nineteen, and a Da Costa is not weak. You will, at best, remain a footnote in my memories years from now when your little dabbling with the Mutant Liberation Front has been long forgotten." "NO! I will not be forgotten! I am REIGNFIRE! I almost destroyed you! I led the Mutant Liberation Front! I almost defeated X-Force! I got Feral to defect to me! I got Locus' undying loyalty!" "Please. Do not humiliate yourself with your desperation. As amusing as it is to watch, there is a part of me in you. Have you no pride? ... You led the Mutant Liberation Front, you say? True. But with whose ability, Nineteen? You are a science experiment. You had no memories, no abilities, no skills of your own. You have not been educated. Everything you know, came from me. You almost defeated X-Force? You got Feral to defect? You got Locus to be loyal? Fine accomplishments all, but nothing I could not do. Remember who you are, Nineteen. Everything that you have, everything that you are -- is inside me as well. I possess all the skills of leadership that you do, if not more. I am stronger, more patient, more mature. I do not burn out like an intense flame. I can plan, I can wait, I can use time, unlike you. You are not a true Da Costa. You possess but a fragment of the strength and steel that being a Da Costa means. You are a fragment of me. But I? I am all of you, and more. I am Roberto Da Costa, and anything that you have done, I can exceed. Because I am a Da Costa, and you are nothing." "I am NOT NOTHING! I am REIGNFIRE! You're WEAK, Da Costa! You don't have the resolve, the stomach, to do for mutantkind what I would do!" "On the contrary, Nineteen. As I just said, I have everything that you are. It is you, who do not possess my maturity, my patience, my strength. I am SUNSPOT. I am a New Mutant, a Fallen Angel, and a member of X-Force. I have seen things, been to places, that you only know from some files that were copied from my head to yours. Badly. Your leadership? Your powers? I can do it all, and far more. When I so desire. And as for your madness...? Yes, I have that potential. As I told Gosamyr -- whom, by the way, you never made love to. It was I. You have but the memories of the thing, but it was I who experienced it. Anyway, as I was saying, as I told her, I have a great deal of darkness within me. In you, that part surfaced. Why? Who knows. Perhaps because you do not have my goodness in you. Perhaps because you are not a true Da Costa, and do not have the strength to resist the easy temptations of immediate results. Perhaps because I have tasted the power, ruled one of the world's largest corporations, and you only have the memories of that, and the jealousy snapped you. I do not care. All I care about is the fact that like an alcoholic who keeps a bottle on display, I must visit you down here every now and then, to remember who I am, who I could become, and who I must become. You are not a person, you are a number. Project Nineteen. You are my bottle, my trophy, however I feel like looking at it. You are nothing." "NO! I AM REIGNFIRE! You can't talk to me like that! You can't! I've done...I've done --" "-- nothing. You have done nothing that I can't duplicate, you are nothing I can't be. You are Pinocchio, a little craftsman's project who wants to be real. Well, let me tell you something, Nineteen -- there is room for only one Roberto Da Costa in this world, and as long as I live, you will not walk the earth to besmirch my name. And there is no way you can end my life, because I am better than you. Because I am whole, while you are flawed. Because I am a true Da Costa, while you are not even a real person." "I AM! I WILL BE --! I'LL KILL YOU!" "You'll try." "I'll SUCCEED!" "You'll try." "I'll KILL you! I'm REIGNFIRE!" "No." "Wh-- What?" "You are not Reignfire. Weren't you listening? You are but a failed copy of me. All that you are, down to your name, is but a failed copy of me. And so I take the last ounces of what you are, Nineteen. I take your name. I am Reignfire. You are nothing." "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" TAK TSHHHH SKUF SKUF TAK TSHHHH "What was that hideous scream, sir?" "Nothing to concern yourself with, Ruth." "Why, you certainly seem in a good mood, Mr Da Costa. I haven't seen you smiling like that in a long time." "I am in quite a good mood, Ruth. Effective immediately, you have a 25% raise." "Sir??" "No, I am not joking. Thank you for the good work you do down here. I will see you again next week." "Sure thing, sir! Have a good day!" "You as well, Ruth." SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF SKUF TAK HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR SHTHM TSHHHH SKUF SKUF TAK TSHHHH SHTHM HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR "-- but I am also Sunspot. And that is why I am who I am, and you will never be anyone. Because -- conflicted as I am, and perhaps because of it -- I am whole." *** GLOSSARY: HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR: Elevator going up or down. SHTHM: Elevator stopping. TSHHHH: Elevator/security area doors. SKUF: The sound of one foot walking. TAK: The sound of one button pushed. *** AUTHOR'S COMMENTS: I am known on the Internet as probably the biggest Roberto Da Costa fanatics ever. I am obsessed with him. I possessed X-FORCE #79 and #80 for over a month before I was able to open them, and read thru the stories. I was not impressed. John Francis Moore absolved Roberto completely of any culpability of having been Reignfire. He destroyed years of character development in two short months, and returned Roberto to the simpering sycophant he was in the New Mutants, a brat who has no idea where he is going in life. As Reignfire, Roberto had a goal. He had drive, he had maturity, he had a cause, he had strength/ego, he had leadership. As Sunspot, he is reduced to the spoiled rich brat who has no idea where he is going, acts immaturely (though that bit I don't mind that much), doesn't have an ego to rival Magneto's, and most definitely is never going to be allowed to lead X-Force. Roberto Da Costa was an adult when he led the Mutant Liberation Front. Now, Roberto Da Costa is again becoming a child, thanks to John Francis Moore. I've seen him as a child in New Mutants. I want to see him as an adult in X-Force. He has controlled Da Costa International. He has been Sam's second-in-command when Cable was presumed dead. I am NOT content with him sinking back into submission, and following Theresa and Dani's orders mindlessly. I am NOT content with Roberto losing focus of his life, and losing the cause that finally brought light to his life, and gave him a goal other than just hanging with his friends. The above story was written right after I put down X-FORCE #80. It is my emotional backlash against the regression of Roberto into a child. It it not a concession. I do not concede that Roberto wasn't Reignfire. Roberto was Reignfire, no matter what John Francis Moore says. And one day, I'll prove it.