POV: Mystique
The resistance of Mutants has been divided. I now lead the Brotherhood of Mutants since the recent disappearance of Magneto at an assault on New York. Last month we teamed up with the remaining X-Men to go and fight the government's main base for Sentinel holdings, the entire city of New York. My resistance has not only decreased because of that battle, but Magneto was lost. We have not been confirmed yet of his death, but seven days later the X-Men had informed us that Charles had gone mysteriously missing while escaping three Sentinels. My team still have thirteen surviving members, one of whom is me. Now our base is in the basement of the now abandoned Stark Tower, located in New York. It is a dangerous location, but we are willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war. At the moment I am having a meeting with my team on our daily updates on the surrounding world, since we have not left the base since Magneto's disappearance. The base is high tech since we took all the technology from the building that looked useful before we disappeared underground. My team is as followed; Toad, Havok, Warpath, Bishop, Blink, Beast, Sabbertooth, Juggernaut, Jubilee, Rouge, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. My team managed to recruit some X-Men members when some went lost during the New York assault and didn't have any choice, but to escape with us. Rouge, Jubilee, Beast, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch have wanted to leave although since we haven't left our hideout for no reason they must stay. Without them my team would be only a team of eight.
When we are all seated around the circular metal table, my world informer, Toad, stands to give his update of the war today.
" Mystique... Fellow Brotherhood members... Today is not the turn around in the war. Today Sentinels murdered five mutants who were teams somewhere in Neveda and also the X-Men breached New York City borders."
I stand confused. Damn them.
" When did they breach the city? Do you have their exact locations?"
Toad gulps, being intimidated by my questions.
" They crossed the city limits four hours ago. The ones that crossed were Wolverine, Iceman, Colussus, and Gambit although cannot be detected anywhere on the city grid."
Those guys will be killed in seconds, but I won't risk my team on a blind hunt. By having their location it might of persuaded me to act as a hero today, but that faded once Toad said their location is undetectable. I see the X-Men members expect for me to start a plan to go save their team members, but I stay silent waiting for Toad to continue his announcements. After a long period of silence I get up from my seat and walk towards the door. Before I exit the room I feel a strong hand grip around my arm, turning me around to face Beast.
" Mystique, you can't let them die out there. They could find a safe house here until they can leave the city again."
" I'm not going to risk my team and I am not risking the location that actually is keeping us safe from the governments hands."
" Mystique you can't let your friends die!"
" If they were dumb enough to come into the city it had to be for a good reason. Obviously they have a plan that we may just interfere with. Wolverine wouldn't go on a suicide mission."
" But..."
" It's done! My orders stay the same! Toad and Sabbertooth, don't leave our signal room for any reason! I want to know when they die or leave New York."
I turn back around and push the doors open, leaving the meeting room. I walk down the hall, my footsteps echoing and confusing my thinking. I walk straight and the turn to the right, entering my office which also is my bedroom which I previously was sharing with Eric. As I open the doors and walk in to one of my only rooms where I can be alone, I hear footsteps running towards my room down the hall. I still continue to walk to my bed, collapsing onto it and almost releasing tears for knowing that more deaths will be partly my fault. When I let out my emotions I show my true blue skin, so as I am filled with sadness I turn to my actual state. As I feel myself turn to my regular state I see Havok walk into my bedroom. I wipe my eyes and sit up, trying to act normal.
" Mystique, you couldn't control your emotions again? You used to bare through sadness."
" Ever since the assault... I can't... I just can't control my powerful emotions."
" So you do care about the X-Men crossing into the city border."
His sarcastic tone makes me smile on the outside, but feel weak on the inside. I was able to control my power and emotions before, but now they seem unbearable to have at once.
" I have been a bit emotional lately, but I have a war to end. I don't need a therapist to tell me that I've grown weak."
" So would you reconsider your plan?"
" I can't... I know that this plan will only start to lose some teammates, but if I stay I know people will still die. It is a lose-lose situation, but I know staying will lower the risk of more deaths."
" Rouge and them are all crying out there... A little sympathy from miss generous could help that."
I laugh at the nickname he called me. When we met I gave him an apple since I wasn't hungry and since then the nickname he would bring up every so often to cheer me up. It worked every time.
" I wish I could help, but I'm sure a pretty boy like you can solve the problem."
" You're the leader... You're supposed to lead me at everything."
He sits next to me on the bed, our hands interlocking. I felt a small warmth grow inside me as I stare into his eyes, but then an explosion is heard outside of my bedroom. Havok and I stand up and run out of the bedroom and down the hall. We turn to the left and run down the hall and into the meeting room. Inside we automatically see the battle happening. I see Blink being punched in the face by Jubilee on top of the meeting table. I then notice Rouge punching Bishop in the face while Quicksilver had him in a headlock. The X-Men were attacking my team. I run on top of the meeting table and down a ground spin, tripping Jubilee onto the metal table face down. I stand and expect her to start kicking, but instead she throws a purple spark at me, throwing me onto the wall. I land on the floor with a thud and watch as Jubilee shocks Blink until she falls unconscious. One of my teammates were out. Warpath I see gets punched unconscious by Beast and Havok starts to join the fight. I don't continue to watch now because the Sparkle brat wants to fight. I run to the table and land a kick onto Jubilee's jaw. As I hear the crack I know she won't come back up from the floor. The fight was now four against six; the X-Men was still at a disadvantage. Sabbertooth and Toad are at the signal room because of my orders. Great. Juggernaut I see tries to land a punch on Beast, but he jumps up and grabs hold of the ceiling causing the punch to hit Havok's face. Havok falls onto the floor and I wait for him to get up, but he doesn't. I turn my focus back to Bishop who I see is punched by Rouge until he is unconscious. Now it was four on four. I run towards Quicksilver and Rouge, I flip over Rouge and twist her arm and land a light punch to the back of her head, making her fall to the floor. Quicksilver stops me from continuing the fight by punching me back about fifty times with his super speed. My stomach becomes sore, but I don't fall. I change my body into Jubilee and see that Quicksilver stops running, thinking that I left. I run up to him pretending that my leg is wounded. When he approaches me for sympathy I punch him hard on the pressure point near his neck, making him fall unconscious. Rouge starts to run away towards the meeting room exit, but in five seconds I catch up to her and do a spin kick to her face to make her knock out. Juggernaut I see finishes Beast with one last punch and I notice someone missing. Where is Scarlet Witch? She didn't join in on the battle so where could she be? I signal Juggernaut to follow me and we exit the meeting room and I automatically head for the exit of the hideout. The exit room is where Tony Strak used to hold all of his Iron Man suits which now holds our costumes for missions. I look for her in the room and I see her floating near the ceiling, muttering some spell. The exit was the ceiling to this room opening, but we had Scarlet Witch put a spell over the entrance after the assault. While they fought she was to be ready with the doors open. Smart plan. Not smart enough though. I have Juggernaut throw me up towards the high ceiling and I land on top of Scarlet Witch's back, ending her spell. She tries to push me off her, but instead I punch her head causing her to not float anymore and we both fall to the ground. Before she gets back up Juggernaut slams her back down with his hands interlocked into a giant fist. She is now unconscious and the battle is won. This sneak attack showed me how desperate they were to save their friends.
I then had Juggernaut collect all the X-Men bodies and put them in the Iron Man suit cases which were now rigged with smoke gas. Once they are all trapped I stand before them at the exit hall with my fellow teammates standing with me. One by one they awake, asking questions which we did not answer. They all punch the glass yelling to release them, but I intructed my team to not speak to them. Once they all awake thirty minutes later I start to say my new rules for them.
" You have been suspended your usual rights for now on until the X-Mem have been confirmed to have died or left the city. After your attack on us my trust in your loyalty to us won't be as high. This will be your punishment furthermore."
In union they all started to yell and object to their punishment, but I just flipped the red switch and the sleeping gas turned on and they all coughed until they fell unconscious. My team and I left to do our usual routine, but Havok tried to still convince me to reconsider my decision. I ignore him and shut my bedroom door behind me. I know I'll regret my decision later.
I know.