Chapter 4
That night at Belle Reve what would seem a fairly unremarkable man, save for the unusually pale pallor of his skin, is working late into the night studying the mutating effects of the meteor rocks on human DNA at a sub-molecular level. It was work he had carried out before for Lionel Luthor in what were named in code as 'Level 3' experiments. As far as Lionel Luthor knew that is what he was continuing to do in an attempt to create living weapons for the military or whatever other secret purposes Lionel intended for them. On the side the research is also to investigate the possibility of a cure for Lionel's liver disease. A condition that would kill Lionel within a couple of years. It was a fact Lionel had kept secret even from his own son. In reality the experiments were for a far greater purpose than anyone could possibly imagine.
"Dr Essex I presume," a deep, dark voice announces its presence.
Dr Nathaniel Essex lifts his head up from observing his latests experiment through the microscope to observe a man in a black body suit with red armour, a purple cape and a helmet that hid his face in shadow. Dr Essex remains calm and composed at a sight that would have the hearts of most men beating faster in fear. "Ah Magneto. So nice to see you again."
Magneto takes a moment to glance around the lab he is currently standing in.
"So what brings you all the way out to the glorious Mid-West?" Essex asks with some joviality in his voice. "Are you here to apologise for destroying the enhancer I built for you?"
"That was due to interference beyond my control."
"Of course. Let me guess. Xavier and his x-men."
Essex takes Magneto's silence as confirmation. What a waste. He had spent weeks building that after Magneto brought him the Crimson Gems of Cyttorax but now it had been destroyed along with Asteroid M. Essex himself has no interest in either Magneto's or Xavier's agendas. He is merely a scientist and all he is interested in is seeing the results of his experiments. Now if he happens to aid Magneto in the process that is neither here nor there.
"Do you not tire of this façade?" Magneto asks at Essex's appearance. "Of pretending to be one of them?"
"It serves my purpose for the moment. Now what brings you here?"
"I know of the work you are doing here," Magneto states.
"And you thought that maybe Smallville's meteor rocks could be used in a replacement enhancer yes?"
"As you say," Magneto confirms for him.
"Well I could possibly do that and more. As you know the rocks can trigger mutation in normal humans." Essex's suggestion being that if Magneto wants mutants for the Cause then he could simply create them.
Magneto is extremely sceptical at that idea. "They produce unstable mutations," he points out. From what Magneto knew those mutated by the rocks were extremely unstable, both power and mental wise, and not of any use to him. He was preparing for a war and unreliable soldiers would be a hindrance to that aim.
"True," Essex concedes. From what he had seen in his studies and from what he himself had created in his experiments the abilities produced did tend to be random, unstable and sometimes temporary not to mention the tendency for mental psychosis that those altered tend to exhibit. "However if you were to...I don't know...provide me with some new genetic samples it might encourage me to seek a solution to that issue," Essex suggests to Magneto. In truth he was far closer to a solution than he was letting on. Within a very few months he is certain he will have mastered the mutational properties of the meteor rocks enough to create mutants whose powers at least were stable.
Magneto remains calm. He understands this game.
Essex continues. "I would suggest you decide quickly," he advises Magneto.
Magneto's eyes narrow behind his helmet. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that my primary task here is to create a device to stabilise the mutants so as to they can be relied on to perform certain...tasks. Lionel Luthor already has plans for them. Unless I receive a better offer I see no reason not to simply give him my creation."
Essex's words could be extrapolated to be blackmail but Magneto knows that what Essex says is what he will do unless Magneto acts and act he must. He can guess at what Lionel Luthor's plans would involve. It is what humans always do to mutants. Exploit them for their own greedy and selfish aims. If the end result is that he turns these meteor mutants into weapons to be used against his kind then that is something he requires to know about and plan to counter. "Very well," he says agreeing to Essex's terms. "As we speak I am having Mystique obtain the information of where to find new mutants I am planning to recruit. I will provide you samples in exchange for a new enhancer...and all information you have on what Luthor is planning."
"Agreed," Essex informs Magneto. "However I thought Mystique hated you," he remarks. He is not without sources of his own and knew of what had transpired between Magneto and Mystique.
"We have reached an...arrangement," Magneto describes it as.
"I see. Well in that case I shall work on your new enhancer with delivery in exchange for the genetic samples I seek."
"Agreed," Magneto confirms with Essex. As much as he hated to rely on others he required Essex's genius. Business concluded he levitates himself off the ground in preparation to leave.
"Leaving so soon," Essex says in such a tone to warrant Magneto hesitating.
"Our business is concluded. You already sent me what else I asked for." And what he asked for was information about certain individuals that were here in Smallville, Kansas. Individuals that Essex had learned about by working for Lionel Luthor and no doubt other ways but Magneto had no care for what methods Essex used. It was a slim hope but Magneto thought that perhaps one of these individuals was a genuine x-gene mutant hidden amongst all these meteor mutants. An even slimmer hope was that even if all he found were meteor mutants he might find one of sufficient power and stability to be of use to him.
"True," Essex agrees, "but I thought you might be interested in some of my patients here at Belle Reve."
Magneto folds his arms across his chest. He is uncertain at what Essex is trying to drive at. "Until you succeed in stabilising them why would I be interested in any of the so-called mutants that are currently resident here?" he asks with a certain distain.
"You wouldn't. What I mean is that over the last couple of years very many have been added as patients of this fine institution and they all have one thing in common."
"And what is that?" Magneto asks, his patience fast running out.
"That they were all stopped by the same person," Essex tells Magneto. "Someone from what I was able to learn who possesses extraordinary power even for a mutant. Someone who could be of great use to you in the war to come." And someone who Essex would love to get a genetic sample from and if Magneto recruits him then by their agreement Magneto will have to provide a genetic sample. Always much easier to get others to do the leg work especially since he himself wishes to retain a low profile for the moment which is why he had not acted on the information himself.
Magneto will admit Essex has caught his interest. "And who is this person?"
"Well my patients were very reluctant to reveal that...at first. However, luckily for you, I was able to persuade them to be more forthcoming."
"No doubt you persuaded them by living up to your name," Magneto concludes from Essex's tone.
Essex grins and his eyes glow red, hinting at the true form that lies beneath his current appearance. He isn't called Sinister for nothing.
"Who is this person and where can I find him?" Magneto asks wishing for Essex to get to the point.
Essex provides Magneto with what he wants. "You will find him on a farm a short way outside of town and his name is Clark Kent."
Back on the farm Clark is lying on the couch unable to sleep as he replays the day's events over in his mind. Even for him it had been a pretty remarkable day. Strange visitors show up, one of whom knows his secret, he learns about mutants, gets offered a place at a school for them and on top of that his parents had told him that Professor Xavier had even offered them jobs. He wouldn't even have to be separated from his family.
It is strange he thinks to himself how much he thinks that going to this school might be a good idea. Sure he would be sad to leave Smallville and his friends. On the other he is leaving Smallville; away from Jor-El, away from all the drama and angst and pain that comes from his failed relationship with Lana. As much as it pains him to move away from her he is also kinda relieved. He would no longer be able to hurt her.
Of course it leaves the one issue. The one issue that always separates him from everyone else. That one issue being that he isn't human nor mutant but an alien. One who has no idea what it means to be Kryptonian as Jor-El had referred to his species as. Would Clark end up as outcast even amongst mutants?
Clark places his arm over his eyes and tries to get to sleep. An attempt that is short lived as he hears Logan down below tossing and turning. Must be having a bad dream or something. Clark throws the covers back, swings his feet round and gets up. He walks down the stairs to where Logan sleeps on the ground in a sleeping bag. Logan had said that that was fine for him.
Clark can see Logan is having a very bad dream from the tense expression on his face. He gently nudges him. "Logan?"
The next thing Clark knows is that Logan's eyes shoot open, the claws in his right hand extend out and they are suddenly swinging at Clark who barely moves in time or he thought he did until the searing pain across his chest hits him. He raises his hands to his chest and is totally shocked to see blood on them. What the hell are those claws made of?
Logan is breathing heavily as his senses come round. He was having another one of his nightmares. He suffers lots of them. Bits of fragmented memories and some clearer ones of what he can remember but they all involve violence and pain. As his eyes focus what he sees is the Kent boy standing there with 3 slash marks in the shirt he is wearing and 3 cuts across his chest. Oh hell! Logan is instantly to his feet. "I'm sorry kid. It'll be alright. I'll go get he..." Logan trails off as even in the dark he can see that the blood from the cuts has stopped and what's more the gashes are closing up in front of his eyes leaving nothing but smooth unbroken skin. In a few more seconds the kid looks as good as new. Jesus. He has a healing factor as well. Was there anything this kid couldn't do?
The pain has stopped and Clark can tell that the wounds have healed but the shock has not passed yet.
"Kid. Kid. Kid!" It is at third time of asking Clark looks at Logan. "You alright?"
Clark nods slowly. "Yeah I'm fine but what happened?"
Logan shakes his head to clear it. "A bad dream."
"I was actually meaning how did you hurt me?"
"What do ya mean?" Logan asks in some confusion.
"It is just normally very few things can hurt me," Clark explains. If he was to elaborate Clark would say how bullets sting, explosions, like when his ship blew up, hurt like hell but are not fatal. The only thing Clark knows of capable of truly hurting him are the meteor rocks.
Great Logan can add near invulnerability to the list. That's good to know. Seriously he and Chuck are going to have a serious talk about this because as much as Logan has nothing against this kid there is definitely something unusual about him. However for right now he will answer the kid's query. "My claws are made of adamantium."
Adamantium. Clark has heard of that. "Isn't that suppose to be that indestructible metal alloy?"
"Yeah," Logan says less than enthusiastically because it was the Weapon X project that grafted this to his bones that ruined his life and stole his memories. "Sorry about your shirt," he adds as an afterthought.
Clark looks down at it. It wasn't his favourite or anything. In fact it was one of his older ones. "It's alright."
A breeze blows through the barn and Clark can see Logan sniff the air. Something which Clark does as well. Huh now what is that smell. Smells like someone who hasn't bathed in well ever.
Logan growls. He knows that scent. Creed. "Kid stay here," he instructs Clark before he sprints off at remarkable speed for someone of his stature.
"This is the place. The Kent farm," Sabretooth informs Magneto from the boundary fence at the edge of the field. Sabretooth had been here long enough to know a few of the place names so it was not hard to bring Magneto here when he asked.
Magneto looks at it in the dark. The moon is out so there is some light. Quaint is a word that comes to mind at the farm's appearance. After his meeting with Sinister Magneto had decided to investigate this Clark Kent. If he could be useful to the cause then Magneto would recruit him. If he refused to join...well that was what Sabretooth was for. It is then he feels the slight tingle of a very unique metal.
Sabretooth notices the slight change in Magneto's posture. "What is it?"
"I sense adamantium."
Sabretooth growls instantly. "Logan."
"Indeed. Charles must be here." Of course Charles was here. Charles is always there when Magneto really doesn't want his old friend there. Well this changes everything. Magneto was willing to be patience and observe the boy to see what powers he had but with Charles here a more direct approach is going to be necessary. He turns to Sabretooth. "Wait here. Wolverine is coming. Let him find you," Magneto instructs.
"As you wish." Sabretooth couldn't wait in reality to finish with Logan once and for all. Magneto vanishes as he always does and Sabretooth waits.
From behind; Snikt!
"Hello Logan," Sabretooth says as she turns round to find Logan, claws out poised to attack.
"Creed. What are you doing here?" Logan demands to know.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Sabretooth says gruffly so as to annoy Logan.
Logan growls and prepares to attack when he finds he can't move but that would mean...and as he thinks it the figure floats down from above. "Magneto."
"Wolverine. You should know by now that I can practically smell the adamantium on your bones," Magneto says as he holds Wolverine in place. Then with a gesture with his hand he lifts Logan up and floats him nearer. "Now tell me about the boy."
"What boy?" Logan says with false naivety denying he knows anything.
Magneto splays out Logan and applies a little pressure to the joints, just enough to make Logan feel it. "Come now. Don't treat me as a fool. Tell me about Clark Kent."
There is a whoosh and a gust of wind. "Ask him yourself!"
Both Magneto and Sabretooth are taken by surprise and almost jump at the sound of the voice.
"Kid I told you to stay in the barn!" Logan shouts at him.
"I thought you might need some help," Clark explains. Logan had been gone awhile and from the sight of it he was right.
"Impressive," Magneto remarks. If the boy was in the barn and he managed to suddenly appear then he must be able to move at impressive speed. Perhaps even rival to his own son Pietro.
"Put him down," Clark commands. He reasons that it is the guy in the helmet that is holding Logan suspended in the air.
For a boy Magneto must say that he carried presence...an aura of power. "Your threats might work better when you are not dressed in a torn shirt and shorts."
Clark looks down at himself. He had not taken the time to change into anything else.
"However," Magneto continues, "I will release Wolverine if you will listen to the offer I have to make."
"The kid has no interest in anything you have to say," Logan angrily tells Magneto.
"What do you say?" Magneto asks Clark ignoring Logan but manipulating his jawbone to keep him quiet.
Clark never believed in violence and if this could be resolved peacefully then he would take that option. "What offer?"
"I am Magneto," Magneto says introducing himself.
Clark knew of what his parents said that Professor Xavier said about this guy. Frankly the Darth Vader-esque look was not helping Clark take him seriously. He means who wears stuff like that. Not him. Not ever.
"And I come here as your friend Clark not as your enemy. You see, you and I Clark, we are not like other humans. We are better than them. We are the future. I know that you have used your power to stop the rampages of the those infected by the meteors. Join me and I will teach you on how to use your power to the fullest and together we can not only ensure the survival of our kind but bring much needed order to the world by helping us assume our rightful place as its rulers. That is our destiny. It is a lesson I have taken from history. Those with the power impose their will upon the world."
"What about the rest of humanity?" Clark asks.
"What about them," Magneto says callously. "Humans are weak Clark and from that weakness comes fear. When they learn of us do you honestly think they will accept us with open arms?"
"They might," Clark says with less than total certainty. It is something Magneto picks up on.
"Tell me Clark is that what you honestly think?" Magneto presses him again.
Clark pauses.
"Tell me Clark what thoughts have crossed your mind about what would happen if your true nature was discovered?"
Clark's expression turns into a frown. He has had nightmares about what would happen. He finds the words spill from his lips unbidden. "That they will lock me up. Experiment on me to find out how I work."
"That and much worse Clark. Your fears are not foolish as some may have said but genuine possibilities. After all we have a living example of a mutant who was experimented on right here." Magneto gestures at Logan. "He was not born with metal on his bones Clark. Humans did that to him. They wanted to turn him into a weapon. A weapon to be used against other mutants and they did so for a simple reason and that is that humans will never accept us. They will fear us for in us they see their own extinction and humans always destroy what they fear. That leaves us with only one option to ensure the survival of our race; we must strike first."
Logan really wants to say something right now but Magneto is not allowing him. Wait a minute. He doesn't need to say anything. He just hopes that Charles can hear him in his sleep so Logan thinks as loudly as he can.
'Logan?' comes the half-asleep sounding reply.
'Charles. Magneto is here.'
Logan can almost sense the Professor become alert. 'Where are you?' Charles asks with urgency.
'On the boundary of the farm. Magneto is hitting the kid with the soft sell.' And of course when that doesn't work the hard sell will come along and when that doesn't work Magneto will set Sabretooth on the kid.
'Stay where you are. I'll get the others,' Charles tells him.
It isn't like Logan has a choice but to stay where he is.
"Professor Xavier said he thought mutants and humans could live in peace," Clark says in reply to Magneto.
"Charles is an idealist Clark. He sees the best in people and while I admire him greatly I am a realist. I have seen the true depths of darkness in the hearts of humans. There can be no peace."
Logan watches on and worries slightly that the kid might be buying into this crap.
"So what do you say Clark? Will you join us?"
There is a good minute of silence as Clark thinks. Some of what Magneto says is true. Lionel, for example, isn't exactly a shining example of humanity, He knows what kind of thing Lionel has done to people. On the other hand there are good people...like his parents. They took him in even though they knew what he was and they have done nothing but love him and care for him since despite everything and you know despite everything he has seen he believes that there is good in people. He has seen that there is good in people and like his father once said and Clark agreed with that if you try hard enough you can help people better themselves. Clark does not believe in enforcing his will upon anyone like Magneto wants to. In fact Magneto's words kind of sound like what Jor-El wanted him to do, to rule but if Clark didn't believe in what Jor-El wanted him to do then he certainly doesn't believe in what Magneto wants either. That being the case there is only one answer he can give. "No."
If Logan could managed a smug smile right now he would.
Magneto is silent for a moment. "Pity," is his response. "I had wished to do this the easy way Clark but you have left me no alternative."
Suddenly the steel wire fencing rips away from the posts it is pinned to and winds itself around Clark tightly. Before Magneto can even try and carry Clark away however Clark, with barely a flex of his arms, rips the thin metal strips apart.
That having failed Magneto looks at his feral companion. "Sabretooth," he says as way of command.
Clark finally looks at the other one having been focussed on Logan and Magneto. The one with long blond hair and wearing a trench-coat. Guess he found Bigfoot. Chloe would be so proud of him.
Sabretooth snarls and jumps at Clark with remarkable speed. It catches Clark with surprise when Sabretooth's fist connects with his face. Unfortunately for Sabretooth he catches Clark by surprise because normally Clark would allow his head to give way so the person hitting him doesn't hurt their hand on his near invulnerable skin. Still Clark feels the blow a lot more than he would normally. It is just Sabretooth feels it more as he howls in pain. To Sabretooth it just felt like he hit a slab of concrete. Not wasting a moment Clark grabs the mutant by his coat and throws him into Magneto. The pair tumble to the ground in a tangled heap. Logan drops to the ground as Magneto's hold on him is released.
In an instant Clark is next to Logan helping him up. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Just great," he says in a gruff annoyed voice. Although he can't say that he didn't enjoy the sight of Sabretooth in pain.
Both Clark and Logan catch the groans of their foes getting back up.
"We better get back to the farm," Logan says and no sooner have the words left his lips then he finds himself picked up, the world goes slightly blurry and a few seconds later he is getting put back down outside the house to find Jean, Scott in his visor, the Professor and Clark's parents just exiting the house. All have hastily dressed upon the Professor informing them what was going on.
His parents go wide eyed at the sight of Clark's torn shirt and the natural worry of any parents at the sight kicks in. "Clark you ok?" his father asks.
"Sure," he says like it was nothing.
"Where's Magneto?" Scott asks, his voice having a certain edge to it.
As in answer to the question the Professor's chair slides across the porch and there is a rumbling from the barn. In the next instant all the metal tools that the Kents could not take with them as they moved smash through the walls and roof including the tractor. What made this situation even worse is that being farm tools many of them were sharp tools of varying types. Magneto floats down into view surrounding himself with the floating objects which circle around him in varying arcs.
"Magnus! Don't do this!" Charles appeals to his old friend.
"I do what must be done Charles." They boy was obviously powerful and far too dangerous to be allowed to join Charles.
A couple of knives suddenly zip at Clark aimed at his heart. On impact they shatter into hundreds of razor sharp shards. Jean raises a shield around her, Scott, the Professor and Clark's parents. Unfortunately for Logan he is much closer and he can feel them cut into his skin and then feels the cuts start to heal over instantly. Scott sends out an optic blast but Magneto blocks it by placing a corrugated metal sheet in the way. Scott tries a few more times each with the same result.
Next Logan finds himself under Magneto's control again. He hates this damn metal they stuck in him he thinks as he flies through the air until he is in front of Clark's parents with his claws drawn and only centimetres from their throats. He fights with all his strength to resist what Magneto intends to do.
Clark's heart drops to his stomach at the sight of his parents being threatened but at the same time anger wells up inside him. Determination as hard as steel forms as Clark decides he has to put an end to this. "Stop! Leave them alone!" he yells before he leaps upward. If he can grab Magneto he can easily overpower him.
Magneto turns his head to see the boy leaping at him with astounding speed and strength. He only has a few seconds and must react quickly. With the merest gesture of his hand he takes the tractor that is circling around him and hurls it at Clark. The tractor impacts Clark dead-on, the force enough to reverse even his momentum, and both plummet to the ground. On impact dust flies up into the air. Once it clears the tractor sits there on its front end which has been crumpled but there is no sign of Clark anywhere.
"Clark!" Martha yells out in horror and it is only Jonathan holding her back that stops her running out. Though he is horrified and angry as well running out there will only put their lives at risk.
Charles glares up at Magneto. "That wasn't necessary," he says his anger at what Magneto has done all too clear.
"Yes it was," Magneto replies coldly. He then flings many of the remaining objects around him at the group forcing Jean to raise another shield to protect them all as Magneto uses this to make good his escape.
Author's Note: Ok since Clark is only 16 here I decided that Logan's claws are capable of hurting him. Now if they will continue to do so is something I will deal with as I go along. The explanation of it is that as a Kryptonian Clark will get more powerful as he gets older including what is referred to as his bio-matirx, the EM field Clark's body generates, that makes him invulnerable. It was also a good way to demonstrate Clark's regenerative abilities. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.