Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any related associates
Summary: Eight years after the events of X3…
AN: Please don't make such a big deal if I mess up on any of the accents. When characters think, I will not write their accents. This is to avoid any confusion on my part. Think of it as you're reading the translated version of their thoughts.
Chapter 1: Second Chances…
Raven Darkholme… That's what the world knows me as now. I used to be feared as the mutant activist, or what they call a terrorist, named Mystique. Eight years have been hell for me; it has been eight years since I've been 'cured'. Eight years I have contemplated whether to end my life or not, but I rather die in a less cowardly way. I've survived these past years by using my extensive knowledge of infiltration to access information for shady characters.
I don't know where I am right now. Last thing I remembered, I was staring in front of my shattered mirror trying to see if my reflection is real or not. I'm strapped to a bed or table of some sorts with a bunch of wires hooked to monitors. I take a look at my unfamiliar surroundings and notice an old pile of bloody bandages and dusty bottles of antibiotics. It looks like they haven't been touched in years. Odd that now the cold sensation of the table hits me, that I've now only noticed that I'm completely nude. It's not that I feel naked; it's that I feel exposed without my powers. Now I'm stuck here at the mercy of whoever captured the elusive Mystique, I mean Raven…
"…'ello, been a long time huh?" asks a voice in the corner of the room, breaking my thoughts.
I look to the corner and find a hooded figure crouched over another table. It's back is to me and the voice is deep and raspy, completely unrecognizable to me. I don't know how to respond, the figure could want anything with me. Sex, drug experimentation, revenge, just to name a few things. I mean, I've done a lot of terrible things to people and it was bound to catch up to me eventually. I guess this is it huh? Death by a crazy asshole whom I've probably screwed over in the past.
"Now now, don't make that face. It's not becoming of a lady," the figure turns towards me, his face still obscured by the hood of his robe and the poor lighting of the room. A syringe is visible in one hand. Damn, I didn't want to die by a lethal injection. Makes me feel like an animal.
"Fuckin' asshole," I bark out as the syringe enters my arm. I don't know what's happening but my heart feels like its burning, my body is contorting out of control, and my eyes are rolling to the back of my head. Funny, I thought this injection would be painless. Silly me.
~&~
I always liked Raven. She was the only one of the Brotherhood that understood how I felt. To her I was no longer Toad or that freaky mutant terrorist. No, to her I was simply Mortimer Toynbee. I was glad to find out that the injection had not killed her, but I needed to find out if I can kill this 'cure' before it killed her. For the past eight years, I've been researching this 'cure'. Many of the things I've found out have disturbed me. It's only recently that I've created a cure for the 'cure'. Sadly, I haven't had anyone to test it on until I tracked down Raven. I didn't know her powers were gone until she no longer appeared underground as Mystique and went as Raven, the thief.
No one in the Brotherhood had heard of me since what had conspired at Ellis Island. In fact, I don't know how I survived what had happened at Ellis Island. I remember fairly clearly that I had been struck by lightning by that weather bitch, I mean witch, Storm. I woke up about a week later; half dead near the bank of the Hudson River.
That year was excruciating, most of it spent underground trying to heal my body and tongue. That Wolverine is lucky; his healing abilities far surpass mine. Eleven years, that's how long my body took to completely heal. Eleven years and I dedicated all my time to learning and creating new things. I've always been the mechanical genius of the Brotherhood, but I felt that I might as well broaden my horizons and dab into this science shit.
Actually, there's a specific reason why I had chosen Raven as my test subject for my cure. It's not that I hate her or anything and that I rather use her as a guinea pig. But it's for the fact that I want to give her back what gave her so much joy. I've always noticed how proud she was as a mutant. A strong woman she was, not me. I was the cowardly one when it came to public exposure. I opted to hide in my little workshop at the now abandoned base. I find it ironic, that she has the ability to hide her appearance and that she would rather flaunt her true appearance. It was always that quality that I'd admired. I look at her sleeping figure stir, the blue skin and scales reappearing. No matter how freaky anyone says she looks, I prefer her natural body. I place my hand over my face, a blush working it's way there. I still am not used to that woman and her nude body.
"…Where am I?" asks Raven as her eyes blink at the dimmed lights above.
"…Fin'ly awake huh, luv?" I ask.
"I'm not… dead?"
"Wot? Why would you think that you're dead?"
"Well I don't know. I'm strapped to a table and I was just administered a shot from a hooded figure. What do you think?" she yells. I turn my back away from her.
"What you can't even look at me? You fuckin' don't have the balls to look me in the eye anymore?"
"Erik's dead…" I say somberly.
"What?"
"Erik, you know. Magneto's dead…" I repeat.
"Who the fuck are you to tell me that he's dead?" I take off my hood and look at her.
"Mortimer!?"
~&~
I don't know what to say. I'm mesmerized by his almost fully black eyes. Though I would never admit it to him, I've always felt at ease with him and I was heartbroken when his body was never found. In the Brotherhood, we were more than just comrades fighting for the same cause. We were friends that knew what the world was like to mutants. Next to me, Mort was the only one who truly understood Erik's cause and loyally followed him.
When Erik had found Mortimer, he was a scrawny ten year old orphan that had just murdered a man that was about to kill him. With the support of Erik, Mort had grown into one of the most vital members of the team. He could hack into files, create crazy inventions, great at infiltration, and was one hell of a fighter. Even though Sabretooth had thought of his mutation as useless and Mort as a weak member, Mort had still proven Sabretooth wrong time and time again.
"Mort!? Is that you?" I asked surprised.
"Yeah, it's me Raven," says Mort.
"What the fuck are you doing kidnapping me you fucking…" Mort cuts me off by placing two of his fingers over my mouth.
"I thought that you might want to help me out."
"What are talking about?"
"The dream. Erik's dream. Xavier's dream. A world where not only are mutants and humans able to coexist, but a world where mutants are looked upon as superior rather than scum. I'm asking you to help me create a new Brotherhood."
"But, I'm no longer a mutant Mort…" I look away from him, tears start to build up in my eyes. I hear a click. I look at Mort, who already turned away from me.
"Why do you think I kidnapped you?" The straps that kept me bound to the bed loosened. I stand and inch both my hands towards his unsuspecting neck. I stop when I see my hands. They've returned to the blue hue that they had been when I had my powers.
"There's a mirror in the bathroom, but I know you haven't forgotten where it's at." I look at Mort puzzled at what he meant by that. I look around a little more, until I realize that I'm back at the old base. I walk towards a mirror, touching the reflection. Tears come from my golden eyes and I see the reflection of Mort behind me.
"When do we start?" I ask.
"Soon my dear, soon…"
"Why not start now? Who else are we working with?"
"We're not starting until you get used to your powers again and as of today, it's only us two working together, luv." Mort turns away from the mirror and walks into his workshop, rifling through a pile of documents.
"Only us? How are we going to accomplish anything…?" I stop, when Mort finally turns back towards me with a grin plastered on his face.
"I vaguely remember when the Brotherhood started; it was only Erik, you, and me…"
"What are those?" I ask looking at the files.
"These are our new members." We walk towards a table and he spreads each file out, careful to not mix any information together. He flips one open to reveal a mug shot of a kid, probably eighteen or so, with long auburn hair, chin stubble, designer shades, and a cocky grin.
"Who's the kid?"
"This isn't a kid no more. The photo was taken eight years ago. Now, he has taken the cure."
"How are we going to convince a kid that wanted to take the cure?"
"The same way we're gonna convince everyone else." Mort eyes glaze over, as if he were reminiscing.
"How did he die?"
"Erik… He died because of the cure," that catches me off guard, "The body reacts to the loss of the x-gene in violent ways. The only reason not so many mutants have died yet was because Erik already had a weakened body. In a few years…" Mort left it at that, but I get what he's going to say. He returns to the file.
"His name is Remy LeBeau. He used to be a master thief by the name of Gambit, in New Orleans he was better known as the demon kid or Le Diable Blanc because of his red on black eyes. His power was to convert potential energy into kinetic energy in an object until it became unstable and combusted. Right now, Remy is working as a jeweler in Atlanta," Mort laughs at the irony of a thief working as a jeweler.
"Who else are we getting?" Another file flipped open to reveal a beautiful young woman with black hair and green streaks running through them.
"This is Lorna Dane. She dyed her hair black to hide the fact that she was a mutant. She lives in San Francisco, working as a model. Her power is actually quite similar to Erik's, considering that she is his daughter. In fact, if we can get her on the team then it will be easier to get the next two mutants." Mort shows me a file labeled Alex Summers. The boy is fairly young and he is smiling with his parents on what appears to be the beach of Hawaii. He looks nothing like his brother, his expression more care free and relaxed, his long locks of hair a lighter shade of brown, and his skin tanned to a darkened bronze.
"If he's related to Cyclops, won't he be with the X-men?"
"You would think that, but that's not the case. Alex doesn't know that he's adopted. He still believes that he's Alex Blanding. He took the cure to avoid any discrimination amongst his family. Alex's power is to create and absorb energy based attacks. He lives in Honolulu and works in a local rental shop."
"How is he related to Ms. Dane?"
"Alex and Lorna used to be arse over tit 'bout each other. They separated a couple of years ago as friends." Continuing on, Mort took out another file. I recognized the Asian woman as Elizabeth Braddock. Mort sees that I know her and smiles.
"You know her?"
"Yes, she used to be a former Brotherhood member."
"Then I don't need to tell you much. All I know is that she lives with Lorna as her coworker. I'm going to fuckin' hate talkin' 'bout the next one…" Mort grumbled.
"Why?"
"She talks with a bleedin' French accent. Other than that she will be pretty hard to convince to be against the X-men." I look over to see another Asian woman, this time with shorter hair and more conservative clothing.
"French?"
"Bloody French, she's Vietnamese and she's speakin' French. Stupid bird. Anyway, her name is Shan, Xi'an… I don't know how to say it! She lives in Philidelphia as a local school nurse and her power is to possess other people."
"How hard can it be to get her?"
"Before she took the cure, she had a crush on that girl that can go through walls." Mort handed me the last two files.
"The first one is a bloke named, Roberto da Costa. He can absorb and refocus solar energy into strength or energy blasts. You handle him, the boy fuckin' messes around with everyone by speaking in a different language every time. If you need to find him, go to Macapá, Brazil. And the girl's name is Noriko Ashida…"
"Mort, do you have an Asian fetish?" I joke.
"No, shut up!" I love it when I can get him to blush.
"Anyway, the girl can generate and manipulate electricity. She's a littlun and she's homeless. Last time I checked, she was in New York City."
"Which one do we go after first?"
"I say we get the hardest and more elusive ones first. The first one we should go after is the ex-master thief…."
~&~
It's been eight fantastic years since I've gotten rid of my powers. Sure it was harder to get women in bed without my 'charm', but I'm happy that I can maintain a normal job. Don't get me wrong, I loved being a thief but I've always wanted to live the normal life. To be accepted by people other than swooning, drunk women. I still pick pockets and steal vehicles, but only as a hobby now. Also, I don't have to worry so much about the Guild life. Turns out, after my powers went away, so did any interest that Jean Luc saw in me. The Guild and my powers only caused me trouble and pain anyway. I smiled once more, no Guild, no powers, no scared people, and definitely no more Sinister.
I walk into my favorite bar and I spot a face I haven't seen before. She's a beauty, nice curves, soft and luscious lips, and two strips of beautiful silk white hair, accommodating her softer features.
"…'ey homme, ya know the femme?" I ask Harrison, the bartender.
"Naw, I haven't. But I know that the girl is upset. She be here fo' a few hours, drinkin' and sobbin'."
"Well den, Remy bettah cheer up the femme." I grin and grab a beer before I walk towards her and pull up a barstool.
"Bonjour ma p'tite, can ya tell Remy why a tres femme belle such as yo'self be cryin'." She looks over to me, her eyes half closed indicating that she had one too many.
"Ya gonna answer moi or are ya tryin' to seduce me wit' dos magnifique emerald gems," I say with a wink.
"Layke you care…" she says, going back to her drink.
"Oh… yahre a 'Sippi river rat, non?"
"Leave… meh alone swamp rat…" she slurs.
"Swamp rat? Ya know Remy fo' deux minutes an' ya already have a pet name fo' moi? So tell Remy, petite. Why a pretty femme lahke yo'self cryin' in dis shitty bar?"
"Don' ya evah give up swamp rat?"
"Give up? Non, don' even know wha' dat means." She giggles a little at my comment, before settling back to her drink.
"Who?" I ask her.
"What?" She finally looks back at me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Who be da homme dat break dis ange's heart?"
"How'd ya know?" She asks incredulously.
"Ah know where ya be comin' from, chere. But next tayme ya run away, mebbe ya could take me too. So, wha's yo' name petite?"
"Marie, just Marie."
"Well 'Just Marie', mon nom est Remy. Remy LeBeau, at yo' service."
~&~
Ages
Remy Lebeau: 24 (Took the cure during the events of X3) AN: He looks mature for his age.
Lorna Dane: 19 (Took the cure three years ago)
Alex Blanding/Summers: 20 (Took the cure four years ago when his powers manifested)
Elizabeth Braddock: 22 (Forced to take the cure during the events of X3)
Xi'an Coy Manh: 25 (Took the cure during the events of X3)
Robert da Costa: 17 (Took the cure last year when his powers went haywire)
Noriko Ashida: 16 (took the cure last year, when she finally reached the US)
xX Sanity Through My Eyes Xx: Before the major storyline takes place, the introduction of each new Brotherhood member will take a few chapters. Next chapter will focus on Marie, Remy, and the X-men. Next Chapter: Southern Hospitality.