Shattered Mirror
"Have at thee!" cried the mighty Thor as he swatted mutants like flies with his hammer. No prison can hold the God of Thunder. These mutants were foolish in their attempt. As Thor made his way through the X-Brig, he came upon the prison cell that contained Jessica Drew. With a powerful hit, he shattered the door to release his comrade.
"Come my friend. Let us be gone from this infernal place". To Thor's dismay, Spiderwoman did not leap at the possibility of escape. She just sat on her cot, starring at the floor. "What ails thee?"
"This is all just a mind-game Thor. A sick, twisted mind-game" replied Spiderwoman.
"Nay, 'tis I. Thor, son of Odin".
"You're still in your cell, Thor. None of this is real".
"Nay, 'tis not a trick. I am….." before Thor could finish his sentence, the X-Brig dissolved around them as the simulation came to an abrupt end. "What foul villainy is this?"
Thor, Spiderwoman, Hawkeye, and Luke Cage were released from their virtual hell and reawakened in the real world. Hawkeye blinked his eyes and took a quick look around. "Ok, now what?"
A short distance away, a young mutant had copied Magneto's powers and had used them against the mechanical menace that had been tormenting the captured Avengers. She hung in midair, dumbfounded by the young man's sudden treachery. Mirror, the mutant that could imitate any power-set just by watching it, turned to address the Avengers.
"Please tell me you have a plan for stopping them".
Thor attempted to smash his way out of the large tube in which he was confined. "This is impossible".
Hawkeye rolled his eyes at his would-be rescuer. "Seriously? You're just going to ask us what the plan is. Lame! Could we go back to the phony, doomed escape attempt now?"
"Tell me you can stop them!"
"Anxious to switch sides, traitor?"
"SHUT UP!" Mirror unleashed an energy blast that knocked the mechanical maniac into the opposite wall of the room. As he turned to speak to the Avengers, tears had begun to form in his eyes. "Please".
"GO TO HELL!" cried Spiderwoman. "Enough with these mind games. Just kill us and be done with it".
"Oh God! Oh God! They don't have a plan!" Mirror began to pace back and forth. "They don't have a plan! God this cannot be how it ends". Mirror was beginning to wish he had not helped to stop Skynet from destroying the world. He had returned to the X-Men just in time to see them betray everything they had once stood for. "Please let this be a dream. Let this be a dream".
"Oh, it's not a dream, child" chimed Emma Frost as he appeared in the room.
Mirror turned to face her, his heart filled with rage . "You….BITCH!" Mirror unleashed a Chorus Sentry attack against Emma Frost. This attack could vaporize a Shi'ar warship. It had no effect whatsoever on Emma Frost.
"Really, boy? Screaming like an infant throwing a temper tantrum? Is that the best you can do?"
"How about THIS!" Mirror tried to use Havoc's plasma attacks, which proved to be as ineffective as the Chorus Sentry scream.
"And I was so looking forward to this fight. Mirror: the boy who can do almost anything. So disappointing".
"First, I'm 25. Second, time for you to leave!" In a last ditch effort to defeat Emma Frost, Mirror imitated the abilities of the Scarlet Witch. To his dismay, the Hex attacks had no effect on his opponent. "What? I know this can knock one of you out".
"Maximoff can harm us. You are not Maximoff. You are just a child playing with the big boys. You should show your elders some respect. All we have done has been for the good of the mutant race".
Mirror realized he was going to die. He just needed to say a few things first. "How does wiping out Wakanda help mutant kind?"
Thor looked down at the ground. The other prisoners just stared in shock. Even Emma Frost was surprised by Mirror's statement. "I don't know what you are talking about".
"Do you know the funny thing about being able to read the mind of every person on earth at once Emma? You never expect someone else to read yours. Tell me, have you always wanted to exterminate the humans? Or is that the Phoenix I am sensing right now?"
A condescending smile crossed the lips of Emma Frost. "What else have you soon, oh magic Mirror".
Mirror no longer cared about the condescension. He no longer cared about being treated like a child. He already knew that he had nothing to lose. "Who will be your new puppet now that you can't manipulate Namor into massacring entire countries? Or will you do your own dirty work?"
"I have to admit, you are better than I thought" replied Emma Frost with that same condescending smile on her face.
"Scott really can't see it, can he? That you manipulated Namor into destroying Wakanda? That you plan to kill all of the humans? He won't see it until it's too late".
"I know it's a bit of a cliché to say you know too much and must be eliminated, but…."
"Just shut up Emma. I've been reading your mind since you captured Thor. With Scott hiding the truth from the world, how else would I know about Wakanda?"
"My God" announced Spiderwoman. "You really have all gone crazy. This is…..this is it for humanity".
"Ok, now I'm hoping this is just a simulation", added Hawkeye.
"I don't think it is" replied Luke Cage.
"Then, we're screwed. Aren't we?"
"Sure looks like it".
"If you don't mind" interrupted Emma Frost. "I will be sending you all back into your virtual prison. As for you, Mirror, any last words?"
Moments before Mirror was incinerated, he managed to utter one final phrase. "Better to die an X-Man than live as a citizen of Utopia". The last thing the captured Avengers saw before they were returned to their virtual hell, was Mirror bursting into flames.