Our Survival.
Chapter One: What if Erik was successful?
"Mum? Mum? I'm home."
Diana called as she released the clip from the shaggy Newfoundland's collar upon entering through the front door. With a flick of her foot she shut the door, a firm click resounding, before hanging the lead on one of the many hooks on the wall in the hallway. She barely paid attention to the large black and white, otherwise known as a landseer colouration, canine trotting away towards the kitchen as she turned right into the living room. An excited yelp interrupted her scanning of the living room. Before she knew it a large blur of red and white fur was pressed up against her as its tongue began to lick her cheeks enthusiastically.
"Demon!"
She began, although it soon faded into laughter. Eventually she managed to encourage the large half husky half wolf hybrid to stand back on four paws instead of two. Running a hand through her caramel coloured hair, she bit her bottom lip as she made her way through the living room and into the doorway that led to the kitchen.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Rogue screamed only to have Magneto return to her. Try as she might to fight his mutation she could not and despite the fear flooding through her body her hands were forced upon the solid, white orbs. It wasn't long before the curved metallic blades began to whirl around her.
Logan, Scott, and Ororo watched as Sabertooth was blown out of the statue and fell to the icy cold waters below. None of them saw that despite the great height and the cold waters that Sabertooth resurfaced and began to swim to shore.
Unable to risk the girl coming to harm Jean shoved Scott out of the way. Unfortunately despite Jean's faith in Logan to reach Rogue in time, he was not able to reach her in time. The white, electric cloud flooded across the globe, enveloping every human and mutant around the world. Whilst the mutants remained unharmed, the humans were not so lucky.
Humans born to a mutant parent, who carried a dormant X gene, had their X gene activated.
Everyone else died.
Humans were extinct within a matter of five minutes.
Diana screamed in agony as she fell to the floor. It felt like fire was burning beneath her skin. It was as if something twisted and turned in her gut. For five whole minutes it felt like she was dying. She couldn't even hear Demon or Beast whining and howling in fear for her or feel them huddled against her. She could see nothing. All she could feel, all she could focus on, was the excruciating pain she was being subjected to.
Then it was as if nothing had happened. Her body felt fine. There was no pain, no ache in her bones or high temperature. There was no ringing in her ears or a headache pounding in her skull. The only proof it had happened was that she was breathing rapidly. Eventually her breath evened out and then she could focus on the world around her.
"What the hell was that?"
She asked although she didn't expect a reply. She most definitely did not expect the reply she got.
'We were so worried! Are you okay? Do you need to see the vet?'
At that Diana sat bolt up right, her wide cobalt blue eyes trained on the Newfoundland known as Beast. Even though his mouth had not opened to mouth the words as humans did, and his mouth had only opened to vocalise normal canine sounds, she somehow knew he had just spoken.
She had understood him.
"Oh my god..."
She breathed. She was a mutant. It was the only explanation. She just didn't know how. Was it that pain she had been through that had made this possible? She knew she had always had a deeper connection with animals but this was something else.
'Mistress?'
Came Demon's slightly posher sounding voice compared to Beast's husky drawl.
There was chaos on Ellis Island in the aftermath of the machine's work from Liberty Island. The most important people from all over the world were in one place. Some died and others were irrevocably changed with no hope for a cure. Some died without mess but others were not so lucky. Most had tried to run for their lives but none did ever get that far.
Magneto's hold on Logan's skeleton was absolute. Jean Grey was far too weak from her sojourn with Cerebro to be able to hold him steady for long, and when it came time for Scott's last chance to send a beam at the whirling rings, his instinctive love for his fiance snatched him in that one vital second as Jean fainted. His arms wrapped around her instead of sending that beam, Storm's attention also diverting in that split second as she saw Scott catch Jean.
It was all over. The machine powered down. The humans were dead or turned. Magneto survived, escaping with Mystique - aka Raven Darkholme. Toad was most certainly dead. Rogue, despite Logan's touch, didn't heal and didn't survive.
Logan was most certainly alive and just before departing Ellis Island he smelt a familiar scent in the air.
He told the rest of the X-men he'd catch up and ventured further around the island only to find Sabertooth unconscious but washed up. Still wild with grief most would look upon what Logan did next as out of character. It was probably even against better judgement, but following his instincts, Logan carried Sabertooth back the way he came. When he found the X-Jet still there, he was surprised but surprised even more so when they allowed him to take the other feral mutant on board.
The next day most went about their usual routines with a desperation to cling onto something normal. However their new mutations could not be ignored for long. Many schools for all ages closed down and others were taken over by experienced mutants, opening for everyone nearby to help them control their new mutations.
The humans that were in power were no longer in power. Everyone was brought down to nearly the same level.
There was no Royalty, no Governments, no Prime Ministers or Presidents. The older, tougher, and wiser mutants took large territories as their own and took charge. It was them that helped get the world back onto its feet. However there were two mutants, the oldest and deadliest, that drew others to bow down to them when they were near.
The world was re-organised. A lot of structures built by mankind, human kind, were torn down. A lot of nature was re-established whilst chemicals, weapons, and other dangerous material were destroyed near to be used again. The Earth became healthier then ever, making a full recovery to the damage done to it, and soon everything was thriving. Animals and plants that were extinct started to come back whilst newer species began to crop up as well.
Eventually things settled down. Most jobs became obsolete. No longer needed. However newer jobs were created to fill in the gaps of Mutant Society. It was a large eye opener to those who had previously been human just how bad things had been for the Mutants previously. It was this sympathy that gave Magneto and Mystique a second chance to have a real, normal life which they embraced.
Not only this but it gave Magneto a chance to build a stronger bond with his children, whilst Mystique hunted down her own children as she finally had a chance to raise them without them being in danger. Fortunately this did not include Grayson Creed who was one of the humans that did die due to the machine. Despite his father and mother being a mutant he had no mutant gene at all - not even one that was dormant. Considering he was the leader of a mass anti-mutant cult, no one really mourned him anyway.
The X-men stayed intact. Whilst humans were now extinct, and thanks to the machine the X-gene would always be passed on, there was still a fair bit of chaos from the aftermath of the Revolution of Ellis Island as the event was now called. The X-men helped everyone to get back on their feet. They brought those mutants with mutations that were hazardous without tutoring back to the mansion, helped cities and villages rebuild as well as settle back into a normal - if different - lifestyle.
The world got back onto its feet. Everyone adapted and survived. Eventually the X-men and teams like it were no longer needed. At least not in the way they used to be. Now they were there as a sort of emergency service that was called when a mutant's power had gotten out of control. They also, due to once being James Howlett's - aka Logan or Wolverine - friend, worked for them as far as Ferals were concerned. Quite a few had come out of the woodwork and since this new way of life was very new, and not much was known about ferals, when an incident arose concerning a feral the team would accompany either James or Victor (Creed, aka Sabertooth) to the scene and help sort it out. Mostly this happened when a feral had found their Mate and started the courtship as far as the feral was concerned. Unfortunately not many knew this courtship was happening, even the 'Mate', and thus it was only seen as harassment. The team was vital in these instances and had solved many a conflict.
It took Diana a while to get used to being able to communicate with the animals.
To other people it looked like she was talking english to animals as any normal human would do but in a full conversation that had others feeling uneasy. This was despite the fact the animals replied back in their own language. For example, the dogs would bark or whine or howl or growl or snarl or yip or yelp in response. It often left Diana feeling sore when othersiders looked at her as if she was crazy. It wasn't until they were told her mutation that they would relax.
To Diana, she could hear each animal speak as if they were talking english. It was just a normal, every-day kind of conversation for her. Only instead of other mutants it was with animals.
It didn't take Diana long to find a job she could be successful at. Infact it just came to her one day - or at least Demon and Beast told her what she should do and she did it. They had never been wrong though. They had always looked out for her and took care of her. Especially when she found out her mother, the only family she had left, had died from that mutant's machine when Diana had not. Apparently her mother was just human. She couldn't be turned into a mutant. She had been one of the unlucky ones.
It took a while for Diana to finish mourning, during which time Demon and Beast looked after her. However, eventually she had to move on and so she did. Their suggestion of being an animal trainer was inspiring in its simplicity. Of course it was the right thing for her to do. Who else could understand animals as well as she could? Thus far there had been no sign of anyone else being able to talk to animals in any way what so ever. It looked like so far that she was unique. Why not take advantage of the mutation she had been given? She wouldn't be the first one to do so after all.
Although she did not become a celebrity, despite her many successes, she ended up being quite well known after three years. At age twenty eight she could set her own hours and she got to travel quite far from her home in South East England. Her life was good and she was content.
What she didn't know was that things would, very soon, never be the same again...