Believe
by heyjupiter/Renata of Doom (renata@frowl.org) 7/18/03
Summary: Magneto angsts, tries to recruit some new mutants, then angsts some more.
PG
Movieverse, X2
Archive: Sure, just let me know. renata@frowl.org
Notes: Vague sequel to my fic "Strange". But you don't have to have read that to read this, although it might enhance it a bit? 5th in my series of X-Men movieverse fics based on Tori Amos' album Scarlet's Walk; the first four being "Withered", "Strange", "Skipping School", and "On Scarlet's Walk". (Each stands alone, they're only connected by using songs from the same album.)
(Lyrics are "Sweet Sangria" by Tori Amos.)
Mystique's departure had left Erik shaken. He was outraged at Senator Kelly's enforced retirement; couldn't she think about how useful it was for mutants to have an active voice in Congress? He had thought she was just as dedicated to the cause of mutant rights as he was. And beyond that, he realized, he viewed her leaving as a personal betrayal. He had cared for her, and knew that she had felt likewise. And she hadn't even said goodbye. But, Erik had dealt with abandonment before, and would do it again. This just meant that he and St. John would have to redouble their efforts to recruit mutants. It never failed to amaze Erik how unwilling mutants seemed to be to fight for their own rights. But then, most of them hadn't lived through what he had lived through; hadn't seen how seemingly innocent the path to genocide begins...
I know
You
know every
desperado
and
Sharp shooter
in the
West
You say that
I can't
see behind
the mask
of those
who call
themselves
The Good Guys
in this
who take
and
take "so are
you with
me or not"
you say
"this
time
decide"
Not for the first time, Erik wished that he had access to something like Cerebro. It would be most convenient to be able to locate mutants with the relative ease that Charles could. Being that he could not, he would have to settle for recruiting mutants he already knew about, or waiting for them to come to him. As sitting around waiting was not usually Erik's style, he considered each of the X-Men in turn, weighing the usefulness of their abilities and the likelihood that they could be swayed to switch sides. (Though he didn't really consider it switching sides... more like switching to another perspective of the same side. After all, both he and Charles wanted equality for mutants. Charles just had far more naive thoughts about how to achieve this goal.) He did not think any of the adult X-Men would be easily convinced-- Cyclops was far too dedicated, Storm too stubborn, Wolverine... ah, Wolverine might be a possibility. He certainly had enough anger. And with those metal bones, he'd be easy enough to control. He made a mental note to find out more about him. Nightcrawler, he didn't think would be a possibility. If Mystique couldn't exploit the orphan's desire to learn more about his family, he didn't think what else would convince him.
As for the children... he had correctly gauged St. John's attitude, maybe the boy could help him find more students who would be likely to see their point of view. He decided to pay him a visit; it wouldn't do for the boy to feel neglected. He walked down the hall to the room St. John had chosen in the large rural mansion that was currently serving as their base. They had chosen it for its relative proximity to Washington, DC despite its isolated location. It wasn't the ideal spot for planning a guerrilla war against humanity, but it was certainly more comfortable than their last dungeonesque hideout, he mused. He knocked on the door. "St. John? May I come in?"
"Oh, ah, sure!" The door opened, revealing what Erik supposed must be a typical teenage room, as he had no reason to suspect St. John of being excessively slovenly. He looked with distaste at the piles of clothes, books, and CDs that had been strewn about. St. John must have noticed his roaming eyes, for he quickly stammered an apology about the mess. Erik merely shrugged.
"It is your room, you may do what you like with it. I have come to speak with you of rather more important matters... could you please turn that stereo off? Thank you."
"Yeah... what is it that you wanted to talk about?" asked St. John as he fumbled with the stereo.
"As you know, Mystique has recently... taken some time off. It is important that we have as many mutants as possible, who believe as we do that mutants are a superior form of humanity, and one that needs to fight back against the imminent oppressive steps that humankind will take against us."
"So you wanna know if any of my old buddies at Xavier's academy would be interested in turning traitor?"
"St. John! Fighting for the rights of mutants is not traitorous, it is something to be proud of. However, I am indeed hoping that you could name some mutants who would be likely to join us." Erik was pleased to note that this conversation had had quite the desired effect on St. John-- not only would he hopefully be able to name some mutants, he also felt trusted. Involved. It would only serve to further cement his dedication to the cause, and to Erik himself.
"Right. Well... lemme think. Rogue's right out, I'd say... she's not too happy about you trying to kill her and all."
"A necessary sacrifice, my boy. Xavier is naive to believe that bloodless wars can be fought."
"Well... Rogue didn't quite see it that way." He shrugged. "Bobby's probably out too, he's so head over heels for her. Piotr might be a possibility, but I kinda doubt it. He's got sort of a... you know, noble streak, I guess?"
"Piotr? Who is that?"
"Oh... he's a pretty new student, I guess. He's from Russia... he can turn his skin into organic steel, it's pretty cool."
"Interesting. Please continue."
"Well, there's Kitty, she can walk through walls and stuff. I wasn't that good of friends with her, she was kind of, y'know... girly. She was smart and all, I mean... but like, she talked a lot. So I don't really know if she'd... see things our way or not. Um... oh, and there's Jubilee. She can make little firework things... what'd the professor-- I mean, Xavier... call them? Pyrokinetic, I think."
"I see. And what is this... Jubilee like?"
"I didn't really know her that well either... um, I know her parents were killed, and she's an only child... she was pretty good friends with Kitty. They both liked clothes and shopping and stuff."
"So, is it likely that we might find these two out on a shopping excursion?"
"Oh, yeah! They went into the mall in Salem Center almost every Friday after school got out, and usually on the weekend too."
"Unaccompanied?"
"No... usually Jean went with them... um, but I guess probably Storm or someone would have to take them now... but, usually she'd let them shop around on their own."
"Hmm. Well, St. John, what would you say about a trip to Salem Center this Friday?"
"You mean you wanna try to recruit Jubilee and Kitty?"
"Actually, I was thinking of just focusing our persuasive efforts on Jubilee... does this seem like a wise course of action to you?"
"Oh... yeah, she might be easier to convince." He paused. "And then if she joins us, it'd be easier to convince Kitty!"
Erik smiled.
Balmy days
sweet sangria
she's been gone
have you seen
her
senorita
shyly turning
away
leaving me
our
fading
flame
He did rather wish Mystique hadn't walked out. This whole plan would have been much simpler if she had been around to help. And besides, he had gotten rather... accustomed to her. He admired her ferocity, her intelligence, her dedication... well, her former dedication. They had made a good team. But no sense dwelling; Mystique would be impossible to find if she didn't want to be found, and he had more pressing concerns at the present. He mused over the information Pyro had given him regarding the two mutant girls.
Thursday night, he and St. John began the long drive up to Salem Center, New York. (The FFA did not take kindly to unauthorized aircraft, particularly this close to Washington, DC, and while Erik knew he could easily have taken care of that problem, he did not want news of anything suspicious reaching the X-Men and possibly alerting them of his plan.) So they drove on, and he even let St. John control the radio, such was the sunny state of his mood.
They arrived at the mall around 3PM, and St. John showed him the stores that the girls would most likely shop at-- "Express", "Gap", "The Limited"... odd names, all, Erik thought. Erik was dressed simply, in slacks and a polo shirt, and he was certain that no one-- save the X-Men-- would recognize him, unless he suddenly started mentally throwing cars around. He was a mutation, not a face.
"Now, St. John. I will be somewhere out of sight, but you can always contact me with your radio if you need help. Do not start a conflict; you do not want to draw attention to yourself. I will see to it that Jubilee will be on her own, inside this store." He pointed at the Gap. "Then you will talk to her, and convince her that helping us is in her best interests. Do not force her, this needs to be her own decision. Any questions?"
"Well... how are you going to make sure Jubilee is on her own, what are you going to do to Kitty?"
He opened his hand to reveal a small metal dart. "She'll be fine, in half an hour or so. And she won't remember what happened, she'll think she just fainted. Of course, when she tells her story back to the X-Men, they might suspect something... but it'll be hard to prove it." He saw the look of relief in St. John's eyes when he discovered that his former friend wouldn't be killed. He knew how to keep loyalty, oh yes, he did.
"Okay... yeah, I'll try to convince her."
"Good." Without another word, Erik walked into the store and let himself into a dressing room. He'd found that people rarely paid attention to elderly white men, and of course it had never occurred to the employees that anyone would want to break into their dressing rooms. He took a seat and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
"Hey M- Erik?"
"Yes, St. John?" he replied quietly.
"Well, Kitty and Jubilee are here... but so are Rogue and Wolverine."
"I see." He was not altogether surprised; Rogue was a teenage girl as well, it would be expected for her to be at the mall. And he knew that Wolverine felt very protective toward her. He was glad he had brought extra darts; he hoped to avoid a direct conflict. "Well, no matter. Continue with the plan. Try not to let any of the others see you."
"No problem."
"Make sure that it isn't." Another pause.
"Okay, Rogue and Wolverine went... I don't know, somewhere else, and Kitty and Jubilee went to Express, next door. So they'll probably be in Gap next. Jubilee's wearing a yellow trenchcoat, and Kitty's wearing jeans and a gray shirt."
"Excellent." Erik sighed with relief. This was going almost too well.
Soon he heard two giggling girls, and assumed it was them. It was still early in the afternoon, and the mall was relatively empty. A quick update in his ear soon confirmed this suspicion.
"That is too cute! You just have to try it on!"
"Omigosh! Okay, but only if you try on this!"
Erik smiled.
He quietly widened the keyhole of his dressing room and peered out. He saw each girl enter a separate dressing room.
He opened the door, and walked down to the room he had seen Kitty enter. Silently, a large hole widened in the metal doorknob, and he sent one of the small darts flying directly into her arm. He smiled as he saw her noiselessly crumple to the ground. Then he picked up his radio and said, "St. John, you'd best come back here now!" Then he let himself back into a dressing room, figuring it to be the best place to hide out.
He heard Jubilee step out, and say "Kitty? Hurry up already!" Then he heard St. John walk up. "You know, that's not really your color."
"Who asked you?! Wait... John? Omigosh, what are you doing here? I thought Magneto kidnapped you! Oh, Rogue will be so happy to see you! And--"
"Jubilee, Magneto didn't kidnap me. I joined him. And I came back to see you."
"Me? Why?"
"Just... can we go somewhere and talk?"
"Well... sure, how about the food court? Let me just tell Kitty."
"No... I already told Kitty. She's fine with it."
"Oh, cool!"
Foolish girl, thought Erik. But he was thankful for that.
St. John and Jubilee walked off, and all Erik could do was wait. He hated the waiting.
Yeah you think
about that
What you Believe
in
It matters
now
to you and me
He heard Kitty wake up. "Jubilee? Oh... I think I fainted! ... Jubilee, are you still there? Hey!" She opened the dressing room, and he heard her run out of the store. Erik picked up his radio. "St. John, you may have company soon. Kitty has awakened and left the store."
He waited awhile longer, and finally heard St. John in his ear, "Hey Erik, Jubilee says what we're saying makes sense. She wants to talk to you, though."
"Excellent. Where shall I meet you?"
"We're at the food court, in front of Sbarro. There'll be a map of the mall on your left when you leave Gap."
"I will see you shortly."
Erik saw St. John sitting with a nervous-looking Asian-American girl. He smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Jubilee."
"Um... hi, Magneto. I... I've been talking to John."
"Yes?"
"Well... like, it makes sense, I mean... I kinda learned about humanity after my parents died... I think... like, mutants need to make a stand." She bit her lip. "Uh, but could you excuse me a minute? I have to, you know, use the bathroom."
"Sure." After she had left, Erik smiled at St. John. "Excellent work, St. John." The boy blushed.
Then they saw Jubilee walk back, holding a cell phone. Soon Rogue, Wolverine, and Kitty all came running into the food court. "Scheiss."
"Jubilee! Are you okay?" Kitty called.
Wolverine didn't say anything, but his glare required no words.
"You didn't really think I'd leave the academy so easily, did you?" smirked Jubilee. "I'm not one to take the easy way out."
Erik arched an eyebrow and said "Are you so sure that my way is the easy way out? ... But I don't think we have time to get into that." He sighed. "Pyro, I believe that our visit must end now."
"Do you think we're just gonna let you go?" Wolverine snarled.
"Yes, I rather think you are." Mentally, he reached out and grabbed the metal coating of Wolverine's bones and held him in place. Then he put up a magnetic field around himself and Pyro as they walked away. Jubilee tried shooting her fireworks at him, but they bounced harmlessly off. Rogue just looked at them sadly. "John..."
"I have to do this, Marie," he replied, not looking back.
Kitty ran toward them, but Wolverine called her back. "Just let them go, Kitty." Erik smiled and let go of his skeleton. He and Pyro walked steadily out toward the parking lot. He heard a mall security guard shouting, but ignored him. The X-Men could deal with the humans, see what the people they were trying to save were really like.
Much of their return drive was silent, although St. John once spoke up to apologize shyly.
"Come now, it's not your fault. I expect you tried your best to persuade the girl, but sometimes it can be hard for people to accept a new point of view. They'd rather be blind to the obvious. One day they will all understand that we were right. But you understand, don't you? That we must fight, not only for ourselves, but for all of mutantkind?"
"Yes. I understand."
"Good."
What you believe
in
I'm
Takin' in
I said
I'm
Takin' in
What you
Believe in
it matters
now
to you and
me
When they returned to their rural home, Erik retreated to his quarters. He needed to think. Not about recruiting more mutants; he was sure that they would find others willing to join the cause in time. Rather, he thought about Charles. They had once been close, had seen eye to eye on many things. It was not to last, however, and soon they fought more and more frequently. Erik had always thought of Charles as naive and overly optimistic, convinced that peace was a possibility. He saw now that at least he was prepared for a conflict, with his "X-Men". Still, however, there were sacrifices he was unwilling to make. But Charles had grown up pampered and wealthy, was unused to sacrifices. To stay alive in the camps, Erik had sacrificed everything-- his pride, his dignity, perhaps his humanity. ... The only time he had ever truly been angry with Charles had been when he compared Erik's plans for mutant superiority to the Nazi's Aryan superiority. He had been so outraged, shouting that ht was only trying to protect mutants. To prevent another Nazi invasion. Now he wondered if he had gone too far... if indeed Charles had been right that evening, if he was willing to become that which he hated in order to protect himself-- and his people (mutants, not Jews-- he wasn't sure if he had given up on God or if God had given up on him first, but somewhere along the line they had fallen out long ago). Even if he was... wasn't it better? Weren't there some things worth losing?
He thought back to when the girl, Rogue, had been his prisoner. She had asked if he was going to kill her, and he had said yes... In private, Mystique had asked him if there wasn't another way, if he and Rogue could work together to power the machine, so neither one of them would have to die. He told her no, and she nodded. Had never said another word about it. He had thought she had understood. Maybe she had. But he still wondered what had caused her to leave so suddenly. Maybe she was having second thoughts, was not willing to accept the deaths of innocents.
Erik knew better, knew that no one was really innocent. The kind of hatred that leads to the slaughter of 12 million people-- men, women, children-- lurks just beneath the skin, waiting for an excuse to come to the surface.
And if some were squeamish, well, that was their prerogative. But he would not, could not, sit idly by and watch another attempted genocide.
Before sundown
the Mexicans
leave
San Antone
the car
will then
Drop him at
the Border
the breaking
point
I know
Your people
have suffered
time and time
again
But what about
I ask you
now
the
innocents
on
both
sides
It gave Erik a small amount of pleasure to know that, although he had not initially set out to have St. John-- or any of the students join him, Charles would know the pain of betrayal. It was nothing compared to the pain of being betrayed by one's own wife, who couldn't stand to live with a man with strange powers. He had tried to explain to her-- that they had let Anya die, had refused to let him save his beautiful, innocent daughter. They deserved to die. But she had been terrified of his powers, of his rage. And so he had lost his daughter and his wife the same day. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened... if Magda had not left him, if Anya had not died... Would he have been able to convince Magda to agree with him? Would Anya have been a mutant? ... but too late for such thoughts. Only he was left, the sole remnant of the happy family that had briefly existed. For a short time, when he and Mystique and Pyro had shared the mansion... it had almost been like a family. But once more, he had been betrayed, and he and St. John hardly made a family. They were just two angry men, alone together.
Sitting at his desk in the bedroom that he had once shared, Erik idly began to play with the steel balls that hung suspended above it. Mystique used to tease him about his makeshift Newton's cradle-- "Boys and their balls," she had laughed. But it helped him relieve stress in a harmless manner. He watched them swing, and thought. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Maybe that applied to relationships... love, and be hated in return. It was a silly thought, he knew, and yet... it seemed to apply to him.
He was growing sentimental in his old age. He pushed back the emotion. It would only be a hindrance to his plans.
Balmy days
sweet sangria
she's been gone
have you seen
her
senorita
shyly turning
away
leaving me
your
fading flame
Yeah you think about that
What you
Believe in
It matters
now
to you
and
me
Glancing at his watch, Erik realized he'd spent more time in reverie than he had realized. He headed downstairs to eat dinner with St. John. He prepared a simple meal-- salad and sandwiches-- and they ate it almost entirely in silence. He and St. John didn't have much to say to each other. But then...
"Uh, Erik?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Something besides that, you mean?" He gave the boy a small smile. "Yes, go ahead."
"Well... what you said to Jubilee... about this not being the easy way out? Do you believe that?"
"As much as I believe in anything... yes, I do. I believe that for many it is easier to be blindly optimistic and think that things will work out than it is to face the truth and fight. I think you know how appealing it can be to believe as Charles does, that one day a peace with humanity will be possible. But he does not see that we are more than humanity. It is the natural step. Just as homo sapiens became the dominant species after countless years of evolution, now homo superior is coming into power. It's nature's course."
"Oh... well, I guess that makes sense... only..."
"Yes?"
"Well, I mean, apes and stuff are still alive. And humans didn't kill them. Wouldn't it be possible for... humans and mutants to live together like that?"
"St. John... think of all the humans you know, and how they treated you when they discovered your gift." He watched the boy's face fall. "If apes ever threatened humans the way humans threatened us, I assure you that they would not exist today. Rather, they are peaceful creatures, and do not protest when humans destroy their land and otherwise abuse them."
"I never thought about that." He frowned. "You make a lot of sense."
"So you are not regretting your decision to join me?"
St. John blinked a few times. "No, of course not!"
"Even though you realize it might come down to the point where you might have to fight against your old friends?"
"Hey... if they can't face the facts... I mean, well, if they choose to side with the humans then that's their problem."
"Your practicality is admirable, especially for someone your age."
"Thanks... uh, well, I'm going to go back upstairs... I'll talk to you later." He glanced at Erik briefly, looking for approval, then walked off. He was a bit of a loner, and Erik couldn't blame the boy for not wanting to spend time with a man who was so many years his elder.
Alone again, Erik thought. But it was for the best. Wasn't it?
so
you give me
a no Window
I ask you,
give me
a Bloodless
Road
Tell me
Why does
Someone have to
lose?
--fin
by heyjupiter/Renata of Doom (renata@frowl.org) 7/18/03
Summary: Magneto angsts, tries to recruit some new mutants, then angsts some more.
PG
Movieverse, X2
Archive: Sure, just let me know. renata@frowl.org
Notes: Vague sequel to my fic "Strange". But you don't have to have read that to read this, although it might enhance it a bit? 5th in my series of X-Men movieverse fics based on Tori Amos' album Scarlet's Walk; the first four being "Withered", "Strange", "Skipping School", and "On Scarlet's Walk". (Each stands alone, they're only connected by using songs from the same album.)
(Lyrics are "Sweet Sangria" by Tori Amos.)
Mystique's departure had left Erik shaken. He was outraged at Senator Kelly's enforced retirement; couldn't she think about how useful it was for mutants to have an active voice in Congress? He had thought she was just as dedicated to the cause of mutant rights as he was. And beyond that, he realized, he viewed her leaving as a personal betrayal. He had cared for her, and knew that she had felt likewise. And she hadn't even said goodbye. But, Erik had dealt with abandonment before, and would do it again. This just meant that he and St. John would have to redouble their efforts to recruit mutants. It never failed to amaze Erik how unwilling mutants seemed to be to fight for their own rights. But then, most of them hadn't lived through what he had lived through; hadn't seen how seemingly innocent the path to genocide begins...
I know
You
know every
desperado
and
Sharp shooter
in the
West
You say that
I can't
see behind
the mask
of those
who call
themselves
The Good Guys
in this
who take
and
take "so are
you with
me or not"
you say
"this
time
decide"
Not for the first time, Erik wished that he had access to something like Cerebro. It would be most convenient to be able to locate mutants with the relative ease that Charles could. Being that he could not, he would have to settle for recruiting mutants he already knew about, or waiting for them to come to him. As sitting around waiting was not usually Erik's style, he considered each of the X-Men in turn, weighing the usefulness of their abilities and the likelihood that they could be swayed to switch sides. (Though he didn't really consider it switching sides... more like switching to another perspective of the same side. After all, both he and Charles wanted equality for mutants. Charles just had far more naive thoughts about how to achieve this goal.) He did not think any of the adult X-Men would be easily convinced-- Cyclops was far too dedicated, Storm too stubborn, Wolverine... ah, Wolverine might be a possibility. He certainly had enough anger. And with those metal bones, he'd be easy enough to control. He made a mental note to find out more about him. Nightcrawler, he didn't think would be a possibility. If Mystique couldn't exploit the orphan's desire to learn more about his family, he didn't think what else would convince him.
As for the children... he had correctly gauged St. John's attitude, maybe the boy could help him find more students who would be likely to see their point of view. He decided to pay him a visit; it wouldn't do for the boy to feel neglected. He walked down the hall to the room St. John had chosen in the large rural mansion that was currently serving as their base. They had chosen it for its relative proximity to Washington, DC despite its isolated location. It wasn't the ideal spot for planning a guerrilla war against humanity, but it was certainly more comfortable than their last dungeonesque hideout, he mused. He knocked on the door. "St. John? May I come in?"
"Oh, ah, sure!" The door opened, revealing what Erik supposed must be a typical teenage room, as he had no reason to suspect St. John of being excessively slovenly. He looked with distaste at the piles of clothes, books, and CDs that had been strewn about. St. John must have noticed his roaming eyes, for he quickly stammered an apology about the mess. Erik merely shrugged.
"It is your room, you may do what you like with it. I have come to speak with you of rather more important matters... could you please turn that stereo off? Thank you."
"Yeah... what is it that you wanted to talk about?" asked St. John as he fumbled with the stereo.
"As you know, Mystique has recently... taken some time off. It is important that we have as many mutants as possible, who believe as we do that mutants are a superior form of humanity, and one that needs to fight back against the imminent oppressive steps that humankind will take against us."
"So you wanna know if any of my old buddies at Xavier's academy would be interested in turning traitor?"
"St. John! Fighting for the rights of mutants is not traitorous, it is something to be proud of. However, I am indeed hoping that you could name some mutants who would be likely to join us." Erik was pleased to note that this conversation had had quite the desired effect on St. John-- not only would he hopefully be able to name some mutants, he also felt trusted. Involved. It would only serve to further cement his dedication to the cause, and to Erik himself.
"Right. Well... lemme think. Rogue's right out, I'd say... she's not too happy about you trying to kill her and all."
"A necessary sacrifice, my boy. Xavier is naive to believe that bloodless wars can be fought."
"Well... Rogue didn't quite see it that way." He shrugged. "Bobby's probably out too, he's so head over heels for her. Piotr might be a possibility, but I kinda doubt it. He's got sort of a... you know, noble streak, I guess?"
"Piotr? Who is that?"
"Oh... he's a pretty new student, I guess. He's from Russia... he can turn his skin into organic steel, it's pretty cool."
"Interesting. Please continue."
"Well, there's Kitty, she can walk through walls and stuff. I wasn't that good of friends with her, she was kind of, y'know... girly. She was smart and all, I mean... but like, she talked a lot. So I don't really know if she'd... see things our way or not. Um... oh, and there's Jubilee. She can make little firework things... what'd the professor-- I mean, Xavier... call them? Pyrokinetic, I think."
"I see. And what is this... Jubilee like?"
"I didn't really know her that well either... um, I know her parents were killed, and she's an only child... she was pretty good friends with Kitty. They both liked clothes and shopping and stuff."
"So, is it likely that we might find these two out on a shopping excursion?"
"Oh, yeah! They went into the mall in Salem Center almost every Friday after school got out, and usually on the weekend too."
"Unaccompanied?"
"No... usually Jean went with them... um, but I guess probably Storm or someone would have to take them now... but, usually she'd let them shop around on their own."
"Hmm. Well, St. John, what would you say about a trip to Salem Center this Friday?"
"You mean you wanna try to recruit Jubilee and Kitty?"
"Actually, I was thinking of just focusing our persuasive efforts on Jubilee... does this seem like a wise course of action to you?"
"Oh... yeah, she might be easier to convince." He paused. "And then if she joins us, it'd be easier to convince Kitty!"
Erik smiled.
Balmy days
sweet sangria
she's been gone
have you seen
her
senorita
shyly turning
away
leaving me
our
fading
flame
He did rather wish Mystique hadn't walked out. This whole plan would have been much simpler if she had been around to help. And besides, he had gotten rather... accustomed to her. He admired her ferocity, her intelligence, her dedication... well, her former dedication. They had made a good team. But no sense dwelling; Mystique would be impossible to find if she didn't want to be found, and he had more pressing concerns at the present. He mused over the information Pyro had given him regarding the two mutant girls.
Thursday night, he and St. John began the long drive up to Salem Center, New York. (The FFA did not take kindly to unauthorized aircraft, particularly this close to Washington, DC, and while Erik knew he could easily have taken care of that problem, he did not want news of anything suspicious reaching the X-Men and possibly alerting them of his plan.) So they drove on, and he even let St. John control the radio, such was the sunny state of his mood.
They arrived at the mall around 3PM, and St. John showed him the stores that the girls would most likely shop at-- "Express", "Gap", "The Limited"... odd names, all, Erik thought. Erik was dressed simply, in slacks and a polo shirt, and he was certain that no one-- save the X-Men-- would recognize him, unless he suddenly started mentally throwing cars around. He was a mutation, not a face.
"Now, St. John. I will be somewhere out of sight, but you can always contact me with your radio if you need help. Do not start a conflict; you do not want to draw attention to yourself. I will see to it that Jubilee will be on her own, inside this store." He pointed at the Gap. "Then you will talk to her, and convince her that helping us is in her best interests. Do not force her, this needs to be her own decision. Any questions?"
"Well... how are you going to make sure Jubilee is on her own, what are you going to do to Kitty?"
He opened his hand to reveal a small metal dart. "She'll be fine, in half an hour or so. And she won't remember what happened, she'll think she just fainted. Of course, when she tells her story back to the X-Men, they might suspect something... but it'll be hard to prove it." He saw the look of relief in St. John's eyes when he discovered that his former friend wouldn't be killed. He knew how to keep loyalty, oh yes, he did.
"Okay... yeah, I'll try to convince her."
"Good." Without another word, Erik walked into the store and let himself into a dressing room. He'd found that people rarely paid attention to elderly white men, and of course it had never occurred to the employees that anyone would want to break into their dressing rooms. He took a seat and waited. He didn't have to wait long.
"Hey M- Erik?"
"Yes, St. John?" he replied quietly.
"Well, Kitty and Jubilee are here... but so are Rogue and Wolverine."
"I see." He was not altogether surprised; Rogue was a teenage girl as well, it would be expected for her to be at the mall. And he knew that Wolverine felt very protective toward her. He was glad he had brought extra darts; he hoped to avoid a direct conflict. "Well, no matter. Continue with the plan. Try not to let any of the others see you."
"No problem."
"Make sure that it isn't." Another pause.
"Okay, Rogue and Wolverine went... I don't know, somewhere else, and Kitty and Jubilee went to Express, next door. So they'll probably be in Gap next. Jubilee's wearing a yellow trenchcoat, and Kitty's wearing jeans and a gray shirt."
"Excellent." Erik sighed with relief. This was going almost too well.
Soon he heard two giggling girls, and assumed it was them. It was still early in the afternoon, and the mall was relatively empty. A quick update in his ear soon confirmed this suspicion.
"That is too cute! You just have to try it on!"
"Omigosh! Okay, but only if you try on this!"
Erik smiled.
He quietly widened the keyhole of his dressing room and peered out. He saw each girl enter a separate dressing room.
He opened the door, and walked down to the room he had seen Kitty enter. Silently, a large hole widened in the metal doorknob, and he sent one of the small darts flying directly into her arm. He smiled as he saw her noiselessly crumple to the ground. Then he picked up his radio and said, "St. John, you'd best come back here now!" Then he let himself back into a dressing room, figuring it to be the best place to hide out.
He heard Jubilee step out, and say "Kitty? Hurry up already!" Then he heard St. John walk up. "You know, that's not really your color."
"Who asked you?! Wait... John? Omigosh, what are you doing here? I thought Magneto kidnapped you! Oh, Rogue will be so happy to see you! And--"
"Jubilee, Magneto didn't kidnap me. I joined him. And I came back to see you."
"Me? Why?"
"Just... can we go somewhere and talk?"
"Well... sure, how about the food court? Let me just tell Kitty."
"No... I already told Kitty. She's fine with it."
"Oh, cool!"
Foolish girl, thought Erik. But he was thankful for that.
St. John and Jubilee walked off, and all Erik could do was wait. He hated the waiting.
Yeah you think
about that
What you Believe
in
It matters
now
to you and me
He heard Kitty wake up. "Jubilee? Oh... I think I fainted! ... Jubilee, are you still there? Hey!" She opened the dressing room, and he heard her run out of the store. Erik picked up his radio. "St. John, you may have company soon. Kitty has awakened and left the store."
He waited awhile longer, and finally heard St. John in his ear, "Hey Erik, Jubilee says what we're saying makes sense. She wants to talk to you, though."
"Excellent. Where shall I meet you?"
"We're at the food court, in front of Sbarro. There'll be a map of the mall on your left when you leave Gap."
"I will see you shortly."
Erik saw St. John sitting with a nervous-looking Asian-American girl. He smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Jubilee."
"Um... hi, Magneto. I... I've been talking to John."
"Yes?"
"Well... like, it makes sense, I mean... I kinda learned about humanity after my parents died... I think... like, mutants need to make a stand." She bit her lip. "Uh, but could you excuse me a minute? I have to, you know, use the bathroom."
"Sure." After she had left, Erik smiled at St. John. "Excellent work, St. John." The boy blushed.
Then they saw Jubilee walk back, holding a cell phone. Soon Rogue, Wolverine, and Kitty all came running into the food court. "Scheiss."
"Jubilee! Are you okay?" Kitty called.
Wolverine didn't say anything, but his glare required no words.
"You didn't really think I'd leave the academy so easily, did you?" smirked Jubilee. "I'm not one to take the easy way out."
Erik arched an eyebrow and said "Are you so sure that my way is the easy way out? ... But I don't think we have time to get into that." He sighed. "Pyro, I believe that our visit must end now."
"Do you think we're just gonna let you go?" Wolverine snarled.
"Yes, I rather think you are." Mentally, he reached out and grabbed the metal coating of Wolverine's bones and held him in place. Then he put up a magnetic field around himself and Pyro as they walked away. Jubilee tried shooting her fireworks at him, but they bounced harmlessly off. Rogue just looked at them sadly. "John..."
"I have to do this, Marie," he replied, not looking back.
Kitty ran toward them, but Wolverine called her back. "Just let them go, Kitty." Erik smiled and let go of his skeleton. He and Pyro walked steadily out toward the parking lot. He heard a mall security guard shouting, but ignored him. The X-Men could deal with the humans, see what the people they were trying to save were really like.
Much of their return drive was silent, although St. John once spoke up to apologize shyly.
"Come now, it's not your fault. I expect you tried your best to persuade the girl, but sometimes it can be hard for people to accept a new point of view. They'd rather be blind to the obvious. One day they will all understand that we were right. But you understand, don't you? That we must fight, not only for ourselves, but for all of mutantkind?"
"Yes. I understand."
"Good."
What you believe
in
I'm
Takin' in
I said
I'm
Takin' in
What you
Believe in
it matters
now
to you and
me
When they returned to their rural home, Erik retreated to his quarters. He needed to think. Not about recruiting more mutants; he was sure that they would find others willing to join the cause in time. Rather, he thought about Charles. They had once been close, had seen eye to eye on many things. It was not to last, however, and soon they fought more and more frequently. Erik had always thought of Charles as naive and overly optimistic, convinced that peace was a possibility. He saw now that at least he was prepared for a conflict, with his "X-Men". Still, however, there were sacrifices he was unwilling to make. But Charles had grown up pampered and wealthy, was unused to sacrifices. To stay alive in the camps, Erik had sacrificed everything-- his pride, his dignity, perhaps his humanity. ... The only time he had ever truly been angry with Charles had been when he compared Erik's plans for mutant superiority to the Nazi's Aryan superiority. He had been so outraged, shouting that ht was only trying to protect mutants. To prevent another Nazi invasion. Now he wondered if he had gone too far... if indeed Charles had been right that evening, if he was willing to become that which he hated in order to protect himself-- and his people (mutants, not Jews-- he wasn't sure if he had given up on God or if God had given up on him first, but somewhere along the line they had fallen out long ago). Even if he was... wasn't it better? Weren't there some things worth losing?
He thought back to when the girl, Rogue, had been his prisoner. She had asked if he was going to kill her, and he had said yes... In private, Mystique had asked him if there wasn't another way, if he and Rogue could work together to power the machine, so neither one of them would have to die. He told her no, and she nodded. Had never said another word about it. He had thought she had understood. Maybe she had. But he still wondered what had caused her to leave so suddenly. Maybe she was having second thoughts, was not willing to accept the deaths of innocents.
Erik knew better, knew that no one was really innocent. The kind of hatred that leads to the slaughter of 12 million people-- men, women, children-- lurks just beneath the skin, waiting for an excuse to come to the surface.
And if some were squeamish, well, that was their prerogative. But he would not, could not, sit idly by and watch another attempted genocide.
Before sundown
the Mexicans
leave
San Antone
the car
will then
Drop him at
the Border
the breaking
point
I know
Your people
have suffered
time and time
again
But what about
I ask you
now
the
innocents
on
both
sides
It gave Erik a small amount of pleasure to know that, although he had not initially set out to have St. John-- or any of the students join him, Charles would know the pain of betrayal. It was nothing compared to the pain of being betrayed by one's own wife, who couldn't stand to live with a man with strange powers. He had tried to explain to her-- that they had let Anya die, had refused to let him save his beautiful, innocent daughter. They deserved to die. But she had been terrified of his powers, of his rage. And so he had lost his daughter and his wife the same day. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened... if Magda had not left him, if Anya had not died... Would he have been able to convince Magda to agree with him? Would Anya have been a mutant? ... but too late for such thoughts. Only he was left, the sole remnant of the happy family that had briefly existed. For a short time, when he and Mystique and Pyro had shared the mansion... it had almost been like a family. But once more, he had been betrayed, and he and St. John hardly made a family. They were just two angry men, alone together.
Sitting at his desk in the bedroom that he had once shared, Erik idly began to play with the steel balls that hung suspended above it. Mystique used to tease him about his makeshift Newton's cradle-- "Boys and their balls," she had laughed. But it helped him relieve stress in a harmless manner. He watched them swing, and thought. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Maybe that applied to relationships... love, and be hated in return. It was a silly thought, he knew, and yet... it seemed to apply to him.
He was growing sentimental in his old age. He pushed back the emotion. It would only be a hindrance to his plans.
Balmy days
sweet sangria
she's been gone
have you seen
her
senorita
shyly turning
away
leaving me
your
fading flame
Yeah you think about that
What you
Believe in
It matters
now
to you
and
me
Glancing at his watch, Erik realized he'd spent more time in reverie than he had realized. He headed downstairs to eat dinner with St. John. He prepared a simple meal-- salad and sandwiches-- and they ate it almost entirely in silence. He and St. John didn't have much to say to each other. But then...
"Uh, Erik?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Something besides that, you mean?" He gave the boy a small smile. "Yes, go ahead."
"Well... what you said to Jubilee... about this not being the easy way out? Do you believe that?"
"As much as I believe in anything... yes, I do. I believe that for many it is easier to be blindly optimistic and think that things will work out than it is to face the truth and fight. I think you know how appealing it can be to believe as Charles does, that one day a peace with humanity will be possible. But he does not see that we are more than humanity. It is the natural step. Just as homo sapiens became the dominant species after countless years of evolution, now homo superior is coming into power. It's nature's course."
"Oh... well, I guess that makes sense... only..."
"Yes?"
"Well, I mean, apes and stuff are still alive. And humans didn't kill them. Wouldn't it be possible for... humans and mutants to live together like that?"
"St. John... think of all the humans you know, and how they treated you when they discovered your gift." He watched the boy's face fall. "If apes ever threatened humans the way humans threatened us, I assure you that they would not exist today. Rather, they are peaceful creatures, and do not protest when humans destroy their land and otherwise abuse them."
"I never thought about that." He frowned. "You make a lot of sense."
"So you are not regretting your decision to join me?"
St. John blinked a few times. "No, of course not!"
"Even though you realize it might come down to the point where you might have to fight against your old friends?"
"Hey... if they can't face the facts... I mean, well, if they choose to side with the humans then that's their problem."
"Your practicality is admirable, especially for someone your age."
"Thanks... uh, well, I'm going to go back upstairs... I'll talk to you later." He glanced at Erik briefly, looking for approval, then walked off. He was a bit of a loner, and Erik couldn't blame the boy for not wanting to spend time with a man who was so many years his elder.
Alone again, Erik thought. But it was for the best. Wasn't it?
so
you give me
a no Window
I ask you,
give me
a Bloodless
Road
Tell me
Why does
Someone have to
lose?
--fin