Chapter One
Jamie Madrox sat back in the booth he was occupying in the diner and thought, Yeah, I could get used to this.
He finished off his cup of coffee—the second that he'd had with breakfast—and signalled the waitress for another one. He watched as she approached, coffee pot in hand. She was wearing an apron over a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Not your typical waitress' uniform, Madrox said silently. But she sure is pretty. Her long, brown hair was tied in a ponytail that made her look seventeen (Madrox estimated her to be no older than twenty-three), she had a trim figure, and her smile was like the morning sun (or at least, that's how it looked to him).
"So, you believe in me now, mister?" she asked, refilling his cup.
"Yes, ma'am," Madrox replied. "This surely is the best coffee in the world."
"I told you, didn't I?" she said, favoring him with one of her smiles.
"Uh-huh," Madrox said. "That you did."
"Want anything else?"
"How about some more biscuits? These are good, too."
"I make them myself when I get in," the waitress declared proudly. "How many do you want, mister?"
"Four more ought to do," Madrox said, smiling shyly at her.
"All right—four biscuits coming up." The waitress left and went to attend to another customer on her way to the counter. She glanced back, though, and that made Madrox's heart skip a beat or two. He felt like asking her what time she got off and then inviting her for dinner or a walk or something like that when she came back but he knew it wasn't possible. He was going to regret leaving when he was done with his job.
As if on cue, a woman dressed in a light tan jacket, jeans, and sensible walking shoes entered the diner. Her hair was short and black, cut in a vaguely European style. She was about to approach the counter when she spotted him.
"Well, well—seems to me that I've seen that disguise before," Madrox remarked as the woman joined him at his booth.
"So you have," the woman said. The waitress who'd been serving Madrox came over with a plate of biscuits and a menu which she handed over to Madrox's guest . "Welcome to Irma's Diner, ma'am," she greeted her.
"I'll have a cup of coffee for now, please," the woman said, barely looking at the menu. "I'll order something in a little while if I get hungry."
"One coffee, coming up," the waitress said. "You want some more coffee, mister?"
"In a while, ma'am," Madrox said. "Let me enjoy these biscuits first."
"All right." She left them to fetch the woman's coffee.
"That's a good choice," Madrox said, buttering up a biscuit and dipping it into his cup. "This is real great coffee."
"I can see that," the woman said. "Now, have you found out where our target is or have you been spending all your time in this diner?"
"Tsk-tsk, you think I'd waste what you're paying me even if it is government money, Mystique?" Madrox said. "Of course I know where he is. What do you think my dupes are for? I've got this entire neighborhood covered."
"And am I going to learn where he is or will this be costing me extra?" Mystique asked. Briefly she wondered why she even thought of recruiting Madrox—otherwise known as the Multiple Man—for this assignment, considering what was at stake. I should've left him in that detention center, she thought.
"Hell, I'll take you there if you want—after I finish these biscuits." Madrox actually smiled at Mystique as if he was playing some immensely enjoyable game.
Mystique sighed. Part of her wished she could shoot Madrox right then and there but there were too many witnesses. She would also be unable to find out what he'd learned from his surveillance.She signalled the waitress. If Madrox was going to take his sweet time, she might as well eat something just to keep up her strength for what might happen.
A couple of hours later, Madrox and Mystique were sitting in a nondescript car across the street from a somewhat large, old house. It looked like it had been standing there before the neighborhood was even an idea in some architect's mind.
"He's in there," Madrox said softly. "He's alone today, from what I can tell, but he's usually got people there."
"Who might those people be?" Mystique asked.
"Oh, a bunch of kids. He's got a school in there, if you can believe it," Madrox replied. "Plus there's a man and a woman who visit him from time to time. The man comes over more frequently."
"I don't suppose you have any surveillance photos of those people you're referring to, do you?"
Madrox reached over to the back seat and produced an envelope. Mystique opened it and took out the photos inside. She skimmed through them—and then stopped. She held up two photos.
"When did these two visit him?"she asked.
Madrox took one photo. It showed the man he'd referred to earlier. In the photo, he was conversing with Magneto while they were on the way out of the house. "This one visits him a lot," he reported. "Almost every other day, in fact, although he hasn't been around lately. What I've found out is that he owns the house. He was the one who brought your former boss there to stash him. He also helped set up the school. Goes by the name of Carlos Webb, according to the records I got."
"And this one?" She handed the other photo to him. Madrox smiled. He didn't need to ID the girl in the photo, at least not to Mystique. She probably knew her by sight.
"Rogue's been there several times," was Madrox's comment. "She's accompanied Webb three times over the past few months. You have to wonder what an X-Man is doing visiting your ex-boss, though."
Mystique was silent. She didn't know why Rogue and David Caine (Carlos Webb, thought Mystique. Where does he get those names?) would have anything to do with the man they were going after, either. But then again, perhaps it was something to be expected.
"Does he go out? To get groceries, maybe, or something like that?" she asked after a while.
Madrox checked his PDA. "Since he's got no classes today, he's most likely going to go to the neighborhood park to play chess with himself. After that, he may go to the public library."
"We've got to take him before he gets out into the street." Mystique spoke into her ear piece's microphone: "Status report."
"We're in position, boss," was the reply. "I still don't know if this is such a good idea, though."
"I agree," another voice added.
"Listen—if we don't take him in, we might as well go back to the DMA and turn ourselves in." Mystique paused and waited.
"Standing by for instructions, boss," was the response to her statement.
"We take him inside the house." She turned towards Madrox when he shook her shoulder to get her attention. "What?"
"Look," he said with a trace of urgency in his voice. She did—and swore inwardly.
Rogue was heading for the house.
"Now what?" Madrox asked.
Fleetingly, Mystique wanted to back off for now and try again another day but she knew that their time was short. They had to bring Magneto into custody.
"Ten minutes," she told her team.
Erik Lehnsherr—otherwise known as Magneto—looked at the grandfather clock in the library and shut the book he was reading. It was time for him to take his regular trip to the park. He put the book back in its place on the shelf and then went to his room to get his hat and coat.
David Caine had picked a nice house for him to live in. And the history of the house—according to David, the family who originally owned it were Abolitionists during the slavery era. Then they offered safe haven to Jewish folk who were targeted by bigots, even after World War II. All in all, Magneto thought, it was a house that defined the word sanctuary.
He was putting on his coat when he heard the doorbell ringing. He held out his hand and the silver-headed walking stick that he'd found in one of the rooms upstairs flew into his grip. Then he exited his room to see who was at the door.
Rogue rang the doorbell and waited for someone to come to the door. She looked around, taking note once again of the quiet neighborhood surrounding her. David sure can pick some nice places to live, she thought.
She heard someone come to the door and open it. "Well, my dear Anne Marie," Magneto greeted her with a smile. "Good morning to you." In all her life until she had spent time with him, Rogue never knew that Magneto could have such a warm smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Lehnsherr," she said. "May I come in?"
"I'm afraid you've caught me on my way out, my dear," Magneto said. "However, you're welcome to join me, if you wish."
"I would, if you don't mind the company, Mr. Lehnsherr," Rogue said.
"Of course not," Magneto said. "Come in for a moment then—I need to get one more thing."
Rogue stepped inside the house. "Where is everyone else?" she asked.
"I gave them the day off," Magneto told her. He went back to the library and went over to a table near the street-side window. A chessboard lay atop it with the pieces still in formation from a recent game that he had with Victor Mancha, one of his students. An intelligent boy, if a bit withdrawn. In some ways, he reminded Magneto of himself. A smile played upon his lips at that thought. Never did he believe that he could actually see himself in a young boy.
He held his hand over the board and the pieces floated upward. With a gesture, he clustered them together. Turning the board over, he began to pack up the pieces. When he was done, he went to the living room where Rogue was waiting for him.
"All set," he said. "Come, my dear."
That was when the doorbell sounded again.
"Now who might that be?" Magneto remarked. "Did Mr. Caine mention that he would be joining us?"
"No, sir," Rogue replied. "I know he's with Colonel Fury right now."
Magneto went to the door and looked out the spyhole. There was a woman standing there. Beyond her, a car was parked in the street, its hood up.
Magneto opened the door. "Yes, madame? How may I help you?"
"Hi, sorry if I'm bothering you," the woman said, "but I was wondering if I could use your phone? My car just broke down and I wanted to call my auto club for a tow...unless you know something about fixing cars." She smiled, obviously a little embarrassed at her situation.
"Why? What's wrong with your car, ma'am?" Rogue asked, standing behind Magneto. "Maybe I can help."
"You know how to repair automobiles?" Magneto asked.
"I learned how as a kid," Rogue told him. "I had a lot of time on my hands."
"Well, why don't you take a look at the lady's vehicle and see if you can fix it? Then perhaps she can repay us by giving us a ride."
"Sure. Why not?" Rogue stepped outside with Magneto close behind her.
Mystique moved slightly to the her left to allow Rogue and Magneto to come out into the open. She kept her cool while keeping an eye on the two of them. Damn it, why did you have to be here? she asked Rogue silently.
They were both out of the house. Mystique spoke softly into her mike: "Green for go." She drew two pistols hidden beneath her jacket.
"Freeze, Magneto—you're coming with us!" she said, aiming the guns at her former leader. Rogue turned, obviously caught by surprise and hesitant to attack an armed adversary. Magneto, however, reacted instinctively. He held out his hand and—to Mystique's surprise—took the guns away from her.
"He's active, repeat, he's active!" she said into her mike. Rogue took advantage of her distraction by catching the guns as Magneto brought them down within her reach. She aimed them at Mystique.
"You freeze, lady," she said. "You're not taking Mr. Lehnsherr anywhere."
"Wanna bet?" someone said in a menacing voice. Magneto turned towards the stairs leading up to the house. Sabertooth was stalking towards them, fangs bared and claws at the ready.
"Victor Creed, you think too highly of yourself sometimes," Magneto said. He held his left hand palm-out and Sabertooth was knocked off the stairs as if he had hit a brick wall. With that taken care of, he turned towards Mystique. "Now, my dear Mystique—time to give up the disguise and leave."
"Not just yet," Mystique answered.
"Oh, but I think you will be going," Magneto said. He made another gesture with his right hand, thinking he could use whatever metal Mystique was carrying to levitate her.
Nothing happened.
Magneto tried again.
Nothing happened.
"What's wrong, sir?" Rogue asked, concerned.
"Nothing," Mystique said, dashing forward and kicking one gun out of Rogue's hands. She caught it deftly and pointed it at Magneto's head. "Now hand that to me if you don't want anything untoward to happen."
"I don't understand—what happened?" Magneto asked, clearly bewildered by the sudden loss of his abilities once again.
"That would be me, sir," someone said. Two more mutants came up to the house to join Mystique. One was John Allerdyce, otherwise known as Pyro. The other was a man whose eyes were lit up with a reddish pulsing glow of light.
Rogue stepped in front of Magneto again, gun still at the ready. "I said nobody's taking him and that's final!" she cried out defiantly.
Sabertooth bounded up the stairs. "Let me take care of the girl, Mystique," he said. "Let's see how tough Logan's little friend is."
"Hey, hold on—we've got Magneto," Pyro spoke up. "I don't think we've got to hurt anyone anymore."
"She's got a gun, flame boy," Sabertooth pointed out, ready to pounce. "But not for long."
"Hold it!" Pyro approached Rogue. "Rogue, hand over the gun," he told her in what he hoped was a calm and rational voice.
"You're working with them, John?" she hissed, the disdain in her voice quite plain.
"It's not what you think," he said. "We've got DMA authorization. We're working for the government. I promise—nothing's going to happen to him. The new Mutant Affairs secretary wants him taken into custody alive."
"Is this true?" Magneto asked Mystique.
"It is," she answered him. "This is a government-sanctioned operation approved by President Cockrum himself. Dr. Windsor doesn't want you getting killed by anyone, pro- or anti-mutant."
"Enough talking already," Sabertooth growled. He advanced on Rogue. Pyro put himself between them. He ignited the miniature flamethrower on his left arm and created a small disc of flame in a warning gesture.
"Stop it—both of you," Mystique said. "Magneto...Herr Lehnsherr—please. No one has to get hurt. I'm asking you to come with us peacefully. Dr. Windsor wants peace between humans and mutants and he's asking for your help to achieve that. Please—come with us."
Magneto appeared to consider Mystique's offer. Rogue maintained a defensive posture. If need be, she could probably take out Sabertooth and the man with the pulsing eyes—even Pyro, if it came to that—before Mystique shot her.
"All right," Magneto finally said. "I'll go with you."
"What?" Rogue said. "Sir, they're going to arrest you!" The gun wavered momentarily and that was all that Mystique needed. She quickly disarmed Rogue.
"Okay, you heard the man," she said. "He's coming with us of his own free will. Pulse, Pyro—take him to the vehicle."
"Right." Pulse stepped forward, his eyes still alight. "This way, sir." He indicated the stairs leading to the sidewalk.
"No, sir—they're going to detain you at the DMA," Rogue pleaded. "They'll never let you out of there again."
"Rogue," he spoke to her softly, "I said I would go with them and I will. Don't worry about me, my dear. I always knew this time would come."
"But—but..." Rogue couldn't help her tears from forming. They slowly began running down her face. "What about your students? They need you."
"Mr. Caine will have to take care of them in the meantime," he said. "And you'll have to help him. You can't do that if you get detained as well."
Rogue cried helplessly. If she only had her powers...
Magneto took her aside. Mystique and her team watched them intently.
"Tell Storm and Wolverine what happened as soon as you return to the school," Magneto told her. "And inform Mr. Caine as quickly as you can. He'll be able to find me and keep track of how I'm doing. I'll send word through him as soon as he makes contact with me."
"Mr. Lehnsherr..." Rogue threw herself at him and embraced him, not wanting to let him go. In the time that they'd spent together, she had discovered that she had so much in common with Magneto. Slowly, she was learning to understand the man hidden beneath the mutant.
And now he was being taken away, possibly for good.
"Rogue, listen to me," Magneto told her gently. Mystique and the other mutants were surprised to hear him speaking in such a manner. "If this is a chance for peace to come about between humankind and mutantkind, then I believe that being arrested is a price I am willing to pay."
Rogue still wouldn't let go. She didn't care if they shot her right then and there; they'd have to pry her corpse off Magneto to take him into custody. Pyro approached her tentatively. "Rogue..."
"Rogue, look at me," Magneto said. Rogue looked up, tears streaming down from her eyes.
"Let me go, Rogue. Do this, if not for me, then for the memory of my friend and your teacher. Let me do my part to help make his dream come true."
Rogue looked him in the eye, wondering if he was actually serious.
Magneto looked right back at her, letting her know that he was.
With a sob, Rogue let him go. Pyro separated them. Mystique nodded. Pulse gestured towards the stairs. "This way, sir," he said respectfully. His eyes, however, were still glowing. Sabertooth produced a pair of hand restraints. Magneto offered his hands freely but Rogue protested: "What do you need those for? He's going with you, Creed!" Sabertooth glared at her but a sharp "Creed!" and a slight shake of the head from Mystique made him put the restraints away.
"Come on, let's go," he growled sullenly. Magneto went with the two mutants.
"Look, Rogue," Pyro told her, "I promise—nothing's going to happen to him while he's with us."
"He's only going to be with you until you hand him over to the DMA, John," Rogue retorted angrily. "I don't believe this—first you leave the school, then you betray Magneto. Don't you have any loyalty at all?"
"Hey—I didn't betray him," Pyro shot back. "Where he's going, he'll be safer than all those other mutants that were killed when one of your own went berserk at Worthington Labs."
"Just like you did at that clinic, right, John?" Rogue said. "I was there."
Pyro was unable to respond to that. The hard truth that he nearly killed Rogue stunned him into silence. Mystique took the opportunity to step in and halt the conversation.
"Pyro—go and check on Magneto," she ordered him. "Make sure that Creed hasn't killed him." He nodded and walked away with one last regretful look at Rogue.
"I could arrest you for interfering with our operation, you know," Mystique told her.
"Go ahead," Rogue said. "I'd rather go to jail with Magneto."
"Not today," Mystique said. "But if you or your other friends ever interfere in our work again, we'll be forced to consider you as hostile and dangerous." She laughed mirthlessly. "As if that was anything new for you X-Men."
"If you try to harm him, we're going to stop you," Rogue warned her.
Mystique tried to stare her down but Rogue didn't flinch. Like mother, like daughter, she thought, smiling slightly.
"You can try," were her last words to Rogue before she turned her back to her and left.
"Wait a minute!" Rogue called after her.
"What now?" Mystique asked.
"Let me go with him," Rogue said. "Please—let me at least accompany him to the DMA."
"No," Mystique said. "And that's final."
Rogue grabbed Mystique's arm. She broke free and drew one of her guns. "I said 'no'. What part of that word don't you understand, Marie?" she said.
"What did you call me?" Rogue said. Her ears must have been playing tricks on her; what would Mystique know about her?
Mystique dropped the gun. "I called you Marie," she said, keeping her voice as even and as cool as possible. "The DMA has files on just about every known mutant in the United States. Now that we've settled that, we're leaving."
"No!" Rogue protested. "Bring me with you—I want to make sure that Magneto's going to be all right."
Mystique fixed a glare on her that would have made Sabertooth and Wolverine proud. It still didn't intimidate her.
"All right, damn you," Mystique said. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you." She took Rogue by the arm and pulled her stumbling down the stairs.
"Hey, flame boy, look—your girl's coming along," Sabertooth said. He was standing outside the armored truck where Magneto sat, awaiting his trip to the DMA.
"Shut up, Creed," Pyro said, glancing in Mystique's direction. She seemed to be dragging Rogue along, albeit unwillingly.
"What did you just say to me?" Sabertooth demanded, stepping towards Pyro.
"What did it sound like, furball?" Pyro replied.
"You lily-livered wimp, I'm oughtta—" Sabertooth said but Pulse wisely interjected himself between them.
"Now, now, gentlemen," he chided them, eyes alight, "we can't have any dissension in our ranks, can we?"
"I can kill you and him, bright eyes," Sabertooth warned him. "Don't think you can stop me."
"Gentlemen, Pulse is right," a long-haired, swarthy yet handsome-looking mutant said. "Besides, we haven't finished our job yet. Let's concentrate on that, what do you say?"
"Be glad you've got friends, flame boy," Sabertooth said.
"Otherwise I'd have roasted you," Pyro said.
"All right, break it up," Mystique told them. "Avalanche—you're driving. Creed, ride shotgun up front, Pyro take the middle with Stonewall. Pulse, you and I are sitting with our guests." She pushed Rogue into the back of the truck with Magneto. "Let's move!"
The other mutants entered the vehicle. In a matter of moments, the truck was on its way out of the neighborhood.
Dr. Robert Windsor was at his desk in the Mutant Affairs head office, reviewing several reports that had been faxed to him from various DMA facilities throughout the country. From what he read, reconstructing the databases from the clinics that were set up to administer the cure wouldn't be easy but not impossible. Recovery teams had retrieved the backup data-storage systems from the wreckage of the clinics that had been attacked during M-Day.
The phone rang. He pressed the speaker button absently, making notes in the margins of the document he was reading. "Hello?"
"Mr. Secretary," the person at the other end of the line said, "the target has been successfully acquired."
"Mystique?" Dr. Windsor asked, hardly daring to believe what he just heard. "Is that you?"
"Yes, Mr. Secretary," Mystique replied. "I repeat: target successfully acquired. We're at the airfield right now, preparing for takeoff."
"Excellent! Did you have any trouble?"
"Just a few. Oh—you might as well know: one of Professor Xavier's students is with him."
"Who?"
"Rogue."
Dr. Windsor was considering this information when Mystique asked: "You want us to get rid of her?"
"Wait..." He skimmed through the papers in front of him until he found what he was looking for. After a quick scan, he gave his answer: "No. Bring her with you. And make sure neither of them are harmed. This is very important, Mystique."
"Understood," Mystique replied. She ended the call.
Dr. Windsor allowed himself a few moments of reflection before he dialled the direct line to the White House.
"Good morning, Mr. President," he spoke once the White House switchboard had connected him to President Cockrum's office. "I have some good news that you might want to hear."
Rogue was saying goodbye to David when Mystique came up to her.
"Time's up," she said, taking the mobile phone in Rogue's hands away from her. "We've got a flight to catch."
"You don't have to be so mean, you know," Rogue said as Stonewall and Avalanche escorted them to the heliport.
"Who do you think I am—your mother?" was Mystique's retort. "I'm not supposed to be nice to you."
"I doubt if you'd ever make a good mother," Rogue remarked. Mystique pretended to ignore her word but to herself, she said: Damn you, Xavier. Damn you for taking her away from me.
"Put her in the second chopper," Mystique ordered her men. She went towards another helicopter where Magneto was already seated inside.
"Wait a minute!" Rogue protested. "Where are you taking Mr. Lehnsherr?"
"Hold on, ma'am, don't you worry," Stonewall said politely. "You're going to see him again when we land at the DMA. For now, Mystique thinks it's safer for you to travel in another aircraft."
"This way, if any trouble happens," Avalanche added, "we can deal with it and make sure that Magneto gets to his destination."
Rogue glanced at the other chopper, trying to determine if Magneto was all right. He caught her eye and smiled almost imperceptibly. Rogue nodded, acknowledging his gesture. Then she boarded the other aircraft with her escorts watching her closely. Pyro was already inside. She ignored him throughout the entire flight, preferring to speak with Avalanche and Stonewall. Stonewall tried to include Pyro in the conversation but gave up when he realized that Rogue was still mad at him.
