A/N: Standard disclaimer – I don't own anything recognisable…

The prologue is only short and may be confusing at first, but stick with it and I promise that all will become clear in time. I've stuck to a lot of original truth at the start of this as some of you may realise (even with the addition of the OC).

A warning that this story will start off rather dark but after the prologue things will lighten up a little. Due to this the rating will be T, however as I continue writing I may find that the M rating is more suitable (if that is the case I will give a warning before making changes).

This is the first time I've written something X-men related and the first bit of proper writing I've done in over a year so wish me luck I suppose and enjoy.

Prologue: Max meets Joseph

Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland – September 12th, 1944

Waves of depression will come and go in a normal life. The feeling of emptiness will come and go in a normal life. The dizziness of confusion will come and go in a normal life. The hollow feeling of powerlessness will never remain the same in a normal life.

This wasn't a normal life.

Because in a normal life… no man could possibly be so hollow for so long. No woman could possibly be so empty for as long as she could remember. And no child could possibly be so depressed and confused during their most innocent years.

And yet they were.

Because this was Auschwitz. And this was hell.

Hell for all – including a young mutant named Joseph Price.

Joseph was a man in his physical prime. He was tall, standing over six foot, and even kept up his bulk due to his unique mutation. While every other prisoner became scrawny during their first month, Joseph had kept his strength over the past year and had therefore become the perfect machine for gruelling labour.

He was currently outside with a large group of men and teenage boys, digging a hole in the ground that would be large enough for the next batch of clothing to be thrown into upon the next prisoner arrival. As Joseph rammed his shovel into the cracked dirt, his eyes – so dark of a brown that everyone referred to them as completely black – scanned the nearby area, taking into account the number of guards that were stationed at each specific post.

Thwack.

Joseph's eyes immediately snapped to the left to notice a boy no older than sixteen or seventeen doing his best to penetrate the dry dirt with his beaten down shovel.

"You're doing it wrong kid." He couldn't help but mutter, feeling a tiny spark of compassion enter his hollow heart.

The teen merely grunted in acknowledgment and continued to hack away at the ground.

"You keep on digging like that and they'll send you over to Birkenau."

"Then how do I do it right?" The young prisoner snapped, forcing energy into his tone although he could barely stay upright due to the obvious malnourishment and dehydration.

"Spread your hands wider on the handle and push harder with your shoulders." The teen did as instructed and the aid paid off. Joseph glanced to his right and noticed that the nearby wardens were no longer eyeing the skinny teen due to his struggles, and instead had moved onto harassing a withering man who seemed to be on the verge of dropping dead where he stood.

"Thanks," The kid mumbled, mimicking the actions of the tanned young man on his right. "Max Eisenhardt."

"Joseph Price." He replied through a mutter out of the corner of his mouth, aware of dangerous German eyes that were locked onto the side of his skull. "So, Max, huh? You look more like an Erik."

"Why are you talking?" Was all Max said in reply. "If you keep talking those men will kill you, just like they killed my family."

"They won't kill me, kid. They've already tried a painful amount of times."

"If they wanted someone dead then that someone would be dead." Max mumbled quietly, digging into the dirt once more.

"Not when that someone is a mutant." Joseph answered bluntly, carrying on with his work as if nothing had happened. Max on the other hand froze up, almost dropping his shovel into the slowly developing hole in the land in front of them.

"You're a mutant?" Max whispered in shock. "Is that why you're here?"

"Sort of,"

"What exactly can you do?"

"Not get too skinny for one." Joseph said vaguely. "My mutation keeps my body strong, so that my skin remains invulnerable to every outside factor that could possibly harm it." He explained. "It's fucked around with my aging process too, I think; what year's it now?"

"Nineteen forty-four."

"I was born in eighteen ninety-seven, so I should be forty seven right now,"

"But you look no older than twenty four years old." Max stated in disbelief. "That is amazingly unbelievable."

Despite the circumstances and hollowness, Joseph chuckled silently, finding some sort of satisfying amusement in the teen's shock and awe.

"Can I confide in you a moment, Joseph?" Max questioned suddenly, dropping his head to stare at the ground as a soldier walked behind them. He looked back up to see the mutant nod his head slightly, as if telling Max to go ahead. "I don't believe I'm normal either."

"Oh yeah?" Joseph asked. "What can you do Max? Fly? Teleport?"

"From what I've seen I believe I can control metal."

"Like a magnet?"

"Yes, I suppose." Max muttered thoughtfully. "I've never really tried doing it on purpose, but it just seemed to happen."

"Well it's a good job these shovels have wooden handles then, ain't it?"

"I'm not joking, Joseph." Max snapped, failing to find the dry jest amusing. "I'm… I'm scared almost,"

"We're all scared kid. A place that resembles the depths of hell will do that to a guy." Joseph stated.

"No. Not just about that." The famished teen replied. "It scares me to think about what they would do to me if my mutation acted up and they saw all the metal."

"Don't worry about that." Joseph said confidently, looking Max straight in the eyes for what was the first time during the quiet conversation. "You're too good of a kid to go through that; I will not – under any circumstances – let anything happen to you."

"They kill hundreds of people every day and they test hundreds more like they're animals." Max stated. "You can't guarantee that I won't be dead by sunrise."

"I can and I will. So you listen to me and you listen well." Joseph quickly scanned the area with his dark eyes once more and when he knew that no one could listen in he continued. "There's a group of prisoners planning an escape sometime soon. Two sonderkommando units to be exact. One day soon while they're staffing the chambers they're going to fight back to create a chance of escape. And when the time cones, I'm going to make damn sure that you're one of the ones that gets away…"