Primal Flame

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Logan?" Black Widow whispered as she looked through the scope of her sniper rifle. She had found the perfect vantage point to pick off a squad of Public Eye officers from a safe distance, but while she had removed herself from the heart of the battle, Wolverine had failed to do the same. In fact, his berserker attack had drawn all of the corrupt lawmen toward him. This wasn't the first time her Adamantium-clawed ally had put himself directly in the line of fire. Since he arrived in the year 2099 alongside the rest of his fellow Mutants, Wolverine had been caught in the crossfire on numerous occasions. And while his healing factor always got him back on his feet, the wounds still hurt. If Black Widow allowed her friend to become collateral damage yet again, she feared he might reconsider his participation in her band of freedom fighters. Desperate for another solution, Black Widow remembered her recent visit to the planet Klyntar.There, she temporarily became the host to a small fraction of the Phoenix Force.And while she eventually relinquished that primal power, she still felt the slightest tinge of cosmic fire burning within her.As she closed her eyes and concentrated on the Phoenix's eternal flame, the chamber on her rifle began to glow... Saying a quiet prayer in Russian, she pulled the weapon's trigger, unleashing a flaming bullet that soared directly toward the battlefield. As it reached its destination, it exploded in a dazzling display, instantly eliminating all of the Public Eye officers while leaving Wolverine unscathed. Black Widow watched through her scope as her friend's initial frustration gave way to relief as he realized that the he wasn’t injured by the explosion.In fact, the power of the Phoenix Force had accelerated his recovery! Black Widow quickly turned as the Phoenix herself descended from the sky behind her.By the look on her face, the Phoenix was caught off guard by the Widow’s use of her power...but she was eager to see how her former host might use her cosmic flame again...