Chapter 4: New Faces
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel Characters of logos.
"Step away from the girl!" The multi-armed villain shouted to them.
Wolverine glared at the newcomer as he observed the stocky man's strange appearance. His eyes immediately gravitated towards the strange metal limbs coming out of his back, as well as his decidedly unusual style of dress. His female counterpart seemed to be thinking the same thing as she watched the man's movements, but she was particularly wary of the mechanical accessories attached to him, which seemed to be moving as fluidly and effortlessly as any real arms could.
The older mutant stepped in front of his clone as if to shield her from view and took a step towards the stranger. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"
To their surprise, the stranger smiled. "I am Doctor Otto Octavius, but that is of little importance right now, especially to the likes of you. My employer has tasked me with the capture of X-23! I suggest you come along quietly, or face the consequences."
"So I guess you work for HYDRA!" Wolverine growled apprehensively, his claws lengthening slightly on impulse alone. "I suggest you forget you ran into us and leave, or things could get real messy for you."
"I'm not going back!" X-23 shouted as she shot out from behind the older mutant, her own claws drawn for the kill.
The scientist's eyes widened behind his dark glasses, as she bolted in his direction, and he reacted accordingly to the threat. She slashed at the multi-armed menace with all of her might, but his mechanical limbs seemed to react automatically to her attack, lifting the doctor off of the ground and carrying him to safety as if they were acting on his mental cues. Two of the claws braced against the ground and propelled him high into the air, the other pair wrapping around a nearby tree branch to stop his descent towards the ground. He hung there for a few seconds, his facial features forming into an amused expression.
"I see you are just as unstable as they say, child." Doctor Octopus commented, his sunglasses flashing dangerously as he spoke. "It is amusing to see that you possess so much anger and such an obvious lack of restraint."
He seemed to find her unwarranted assault more interesting than anything else, but the humor died from his face as the girl sliced though the small trunk of the tree he was in, causing it to collapse like a hollow stalk. His tentacles maneuvered quickly, extending to greater lengths and seizing hold of another tree as the one he hanging from moments before snapped against the hard forest floor. The volatile mutant followed his movements, as two of the mechanical limbs rushed towards her, but Wolverine intervened by slicing through them with his own claws before that had even reached their target.
"Looks like you ain't so tough, doc!" Logan sneered with a look of annoyance.
"On the contrary, my impulsive little friend. I do not know who you are, or why you seem so intent on protecting X-23, however I shall make you both regret this indignity." He glanced at the broken ends of his cybernetic arms before continuing. "You'll find that I am not an unreasonable man, but since you were foolish enough to defy me, this leaves me with no other options."
Octavius reached behind his back, pulling out a small remote control into view, and pressed one of the buttons. An evil smirk formed on his lips as several large shapes darted through the skies above their heads before coming to a landing somewhere in the nearby grove. The two mutants present tensed up as the trees surrounding them parted to reveal the forms of several robots, each of them about seven-feet tall with glowing red eyes and what appeared to be advanced types of firearms reminiscent of something you would see in a science fiction movie. They appeared to be androids, each was roughly shaped like a human male, and were composed entirely of some kind of metal alloy.
Wolverine's eyes darted around quickly as he observed their surroundings, and it took him seconds to realize that they were completely outflanked. He nudged the girl standing next to him as if to warn her, but having the same enhanced senses she did not require the help. They could feel the presence of more of these mechanical monstrosities emerging from the woods, making the situation only seem worse. The ill-tempered man took a step towards Doctor Octopus, but froze in his tracks as the surrounding robots moved into position, protecting the mad scientist while simultaneously moving their weapons into a firing position.
"What the hell are those things?" Wolverine replied his eyes widening slightly as the number of enemies seemed to multiply.
"That is of little concern to you…" The multi-limbed villain smirked again as the robots each took another step towards their mutant prey. "It would be a pity if either of you were to resist. My employer requested me to capture the child alive. To this end I will give you one last chance to surrender!"
"And I'm giving you no chance!" Logan snarled. Kicking off of the ground, he leapt into the air towards the stocky man, his dagger-like weapons poised for the strike.
The villain reacted quickly, his metallic arms wrapping around a nearby tree and pulling him to safety as he narrowly avoided the incoming slash. One of the robots stepped in front of the scientist and raised its weapon, but was cleaved in half before it could fire. A shower of sparks flew as Wolverine withdrew his claws from the robots midsection, and took another swing at the living enemy, but the doctor's robotic claws seized him by the wrists, spinning the enraged mutant in a wide arc before throwing him face first into the dirt.
"After losing my other limbs to that child do you think I would fall for the same approach twice." Octavius replied confidently, looking almost insulted at the same time. Lifting his left hand he switched on the remote control and punched in a series of numbers to activate the verbal command mode before screaming in the speaker. "Capture them!"
The robotic units started advancing on them in unison, as if all of them shared a single solitary mind. Several of them took to the air and surrounded the injured Wolverine who had just managed to regain his footing. Unable to launch a proper counterattack at such short notice, he braced himself as the enemies raised their weapons, but found it unnecessary as a pair of claws sliced through two of them, creating a series of sparks as the damaged units broke into pieces, their discarded part bursting into flames as they hit the ground.
Two more fired their laser weapons at X-23 in an attempt to stun her, but she avoided them with a well-placed leap, causing the blasts to hit each other. The energy disturbance created by the attacks caused both androids to malfunction, allowing Wolverine to finish the job with a quick slash of his own claws. The mad scientist had used his first two robots as a distraction to move into a safer position, but the lack of effectiveness of his robotic underlings was not entirely unexpected.
"Bah, I should have expected as much from Landon's pathetic creations!" he stated grumpily. "It is fortunate that I did some adjustments to the others." Doctor Octopus typed in another sequence on the remote. "Change setting… Attack strategy beta!" he shouted into the speaker.
Three of the cybernetic drones began circling around their targets like robotic hunters before firing off several missiles from the hidden compartments in their chests, which quickly home in on their targets like vultures to a carcass. Wolverine dove out of the way as one of the projectiles homed in on his position, but the explosive changed position to follow him, making maneuvers difficult as he was forced to dodge a flurry of blasts from the remaining robots. He let out an angry growl as the object drew closer, but managed to change direct at the last minute, causing the missile to destroy a nearby boulder instead.
The remaining missile two projectiles gravitated towards the second mutant, but she reacted quickly by dropping to the grown and rolling out of the way to hamper the pursuit. Turning around she managed to avoid stray laser fire as several more drones peppered the air with stun blasts, and bolted in the direction of the attacking automatons, sliding in between the legs of one of the robots just in time for the offending creature to receive the blast of the aforementioned homing projectiles.
Logan was slightly impressed by his female counterpart's quick thinking, but the ensuing battle did not allow him the luxury of dwelling on it, which was something he probably would not have done anyway. With the immediate threat neutralized, he sliced the head off of another attacking robot, leaving him wide open for a second strike. Another raised its blaster to attack from behind, but Wolverine's enhanced senses picked up on the enemy and he spun around, slicing the weapon in half, causing the explosive blast to rebound on its owner.
One of the robots started to fire a missile, but Wolverine caught sight of the enemy's chest plate opening to release the projectile, and jammed the tip of his claws into the opening mechanism to distort the shape of the metal. He turned and bolted in the opposite direction to avoid the explosion as the missile exploded while trapped inside the offending android, scattering shards of metal in different directions as the destroyed remains of the metal monster's body fell harmlessly to ground.
Doctor Octopus watched in annoyance as they trashed his squadron of robots, but from what he had head about the girl this outcome was not entirely unexpected. He was unsure of who the older mutant was, but the fact that their powers seemed so similar was something he found particularly intriguing, and for a moment he wondered if it was worth investigating. Of course he doubted that the Kingpin would give him any compensation, but perhaps the people who wanted the girl would be interested and quickly muttered another set of more specific verbal commands in the remote's speaker.
The female mutant glanced backwards to see how her ally was doing before turned her attention to the robots closest to her. She wanted to make quick work of them so that she could proceed to defeat the main enemy and move on to find another place to hide out. With a frustrated scream, X-23 tore through one of the few remaining enemies and ran in the direction of the mad scientist. Octavius looked slightly affronted by the savage attack and attempted to retaliate in a similar method to his previous bout with Wolverine, but he had not taken into account her agility. She flipped into the air and sliced off another one of his robotic limbs with relative ease.
"Enough of that!" Doctor Octavius shouted in frustration. He retaliated by wrapping the fourth metal coil around her wrists to restrain her from using her claws, suspending her in the air like a dangerous prisoner.
It seemed as though he had won for the moment, but she reacted accordingly to the situation. The girl shot him a death glare before kicking her foot upwards, releasing the claw hidden in her feet and slicing clean through her adversary's last mechanical arm. He attempted to flee the battle but she slashed him with a bone-shattering kick, sending the defenseless doctor flying several meters. The spike at the tip of her foot had only grazed him, but the bleeding slash running down the side of his shoulder had knocked the fight out of him.
X-23 crossed the battlefield and watched her enemy's disheveled form with pitiless expression. "It's over…" She prepared to finish the fight in the only way she knew how, but her prey had prepared for such an occasion.
"On the contrary, my naïve young friend… This battle has only begun!" Taking out his remote control, the insane inventor summoned two more automatons to protect him.
His attacker slashed through one of them, but while she destroyed it, the second seized Octavius and took flight high over the treetops to avoid capture. Wolverine turned his head for a moment as he heard the sound of rockets lifting off of the ground, his eyes catching sight of the flying enemy moments later. The same noise filled his ears again as the two he had been fighting took flight as well. Jets of flame burst from beneath the feet of the mechanized monstrosities as they moved into position several meters above the clearing.
"What the?" Logan watched the spectacle with a confused expression as the robotic drones hovered out of his reach.
The units lowered their arms into a downward position, shooting streams of fire at the surrounding trees. The flamethrowers set the grove ablaze, creating a ring of fire using the trees around the clearing that the battle had taken place in. X-23 coughed as the area filled with smoke, knowing that fire was bound to cause harm even to mutants with abilities like theirs. Wolverine despised the burning smell that filled his enhanced senses and guessed that she was feeling the same way as he made his way through the clouds of smoke and ash that had begun to form around them.
"Let's get out of here!" he called out, earning a small nod from his female clone.
The two began looking for the safest route possible, but Doctor Octopus knew the flames wouldn't be enough to delay them for much longer and acted quickly. Having used the sudden brushfire as a distraction, the mad scientist had the robots release a series of egg-sized capsules, which burst as they hit the ground, releasing clouds of powerful knockout gas purposely made strong enough to affect even the most powerful mutants. Wolverine sputtered as he received a whiff of the gas and immediately recognized the familiar scent.
He could feel his body shutting down, but by sheer will he fought against the urge to collapse and reached out to his companion. "Kid… Don't breathe the…" Logan began.
The man coughed again before passing out on the ground with painful groan, his vision blacking out moment later. X-23 covered her face with her hand in order to stifle the affects of the gas and quickly made her way to the safest path out of the burning clearing, but the sight of the fire brought her attention back to her uninvited companion. She struggled with herself for a moment before turning back to take him to safety, but the delay caused by her impulse had caused her dearly and allowed minuscule traces of gas to collect in her sinuses.
"Damn it…" The female mutant cursed the rare moment of sentimentality and began to wonder why it had happened to begin with, but the affects of the fumes soon took her out as well and she knew no more.
Otto Octavius watched carefully from above, the dancing of the flames creating a strange glow off of his sunglasses. He cared only that his two targets were incapacitated and was not particularly concerned whether or not the fire burned the entire forest to the ground. Once he saw the two figures below collapse, the scientist issued a verbal order for the other two robots to retrieve the bodies.
The flying automatons returned a minute later carrying the two unconscious mutants in their arms and the three flew off immediately into the sky. The mad doctor knew that the forest fire would attract the attention of the authorities, and the last thing he needed was to be sighted at the scene of a disaster, especially with his criminal record. Not that it would make much of a difference if the cops came after him, but a certain masked vigilante was bound to be involved too and he certainly wasn't in the mood or condition to deal with the web-head.
For the first time in a while, things were looking up for the multi-limbed villain. It would be wise for them to fly to a more secluded location so that they would not be seen by anyone, but his employer had an underground base somewhere nearby, which would be the best place to take them right now. In truth he had little interest in whatever his superior had planned for the mutants, but this violent encounter with them had given him a new source of inspiration. At the moment he looked forward to receiving the pay for this particular job.
At the Institute
Charles Xavier raised his head from his desk and observed the mutants gathered in his personal study. Sitting on the central sofa were three of his most trusted students, including a boy covered in a thin layer of fuzzy blue fur and a limp tail ending in a point. He had a darker hair color and wore a customized institute uniform with a dark red color theme. The girl sitting next to him had a decidedly more innocent appearance, her brown hair pulled into a ponytail behind her head. To her right was a taller boy wearing a plain shirt and jeans, his hair short and ordinary. When on missions the trio were known as Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Iceman.
Beast and Storm sat in the two chairs at the end of the coffee table, while Jean Grey and Cyclops seemed content on the loveseat positioned across from the sofa. A pale-skinned girl with a white streak running through her hair and dark makeup leaned off the side as if she wasn't keen on joining the others, her face looking towards the ground as if she were uninterested with the day's mundane proceedings. Her general outlook seemed only natural considering that Rogue was unable to touch other people without draining their memories and abilities, a power that could cause permanent damage to the victim.
The students and teachers all seemed to be engaged in conversations with one another, with the two older teachers speaking to one another while the mansion's resident couple seemed to be trapped in their own conversation. Nightcrawler and Kitty watched with slightly disgusted expressions as the Scott Summers shared a decidedly romantic kiss with his girlfriend while Iceman being the youngest person in the room seemed content to turn his head and plead ignorance. The couple turned their heads and realized that they were being watched by their friends, causing them to look away with a sense of discomfort.
"Can you believe those two, it's been months since they finally caved and decided to date…" Kurt whispered in his thick German accent.
Shadowcat frowned in agreement and leaned forward slightly, her hand bracing against the couch cushion on which she sat. "Yeah, and they're still at it even after all this time. Maybe they should get a room."
"After what they've been through, you still figure it would have happened sooner." Nightcrawler answered in a hushed tone. "Still, perhaps I should just be glad that you and Lance would have enough courtesy to get your own room."
The girl sitting beside him nudged him in the ribs at this assertion, eliciting a small squeak from the fuzzy mutant as he moved away. Jean let out a small chuckle as she watched the display, a smile also appearing on Scott's face as they turned to see what was going on. The four X-Men glanced at each other for several seconds, the silence between them only made less awkward by Beast and Storm's conversation in the background.
"You guys knew we could hear everything you were saying." Cyclops scratched the back of his head with a bemused expression.
Kitty Pryde shrugged her shoulders with a false puzzled expression. "Like, how do you guys know what we were talking about? The world doesn't revolve around just you two."
Jean responded by reading their thoughts for a second, her lips turning twisting into a knowing smile. "It's all right if you want to deny it, but it was pretty easy for me to find out the truth."
"There she goes reading minds again…" Nightcrawler mused out loud. "I wonder if she uses that ability when she teaches a class."
"Oh trust me, she does…" Iceman finally joined the conversation, groaning as the thought crossed his mind. "She nailed me when I was daydreaming yesterday. Talk about unfair, at least the teachers at school can't scan everyone's minds to make sure they're paying attention."
The female telepath smiled in amusement. "Well maybe if you even pretended to be paying attention to my lecture, I wouldn't have to check up on you so often."
"She's got you there, Bobby!" Cyclops added in casually. "You are getting better though! Instead of making ice clones and skipping class, yesterday you showed up and slept with your eyes wide open."
The icy mutant leaned forward in surprise. "You guys knew I wasn't awake?"
"While it was pretty convincing at first, the trick sort of lost its credibility after the first thirty minutes." Jean replied. "People generally don't snore when they're awake. To the two of us it was pretty much a dead giveaway."
Rogue raised her head and frowned. "Well that must have been lame." She commented in her southern accent.
As the conversation continued, one person remained left out. Leaning against the other wall was Colossus, who was wearing his usual attire, his face impassive as if he did not feel comfortable standing alongside with so many people who had previously been his enemies. The metallic mutant seemed reluctant to join in and stayed silent, his own eyes focused towards the ground as he thought about his time with the Acolytes. There wasn't really much conversation between them considering that they were Magneto's followers rather than friends, but he never took much pleasure out of being a member of that group.
The master of magnetism had picked his followers based on loyalty to his cause, and in the case of Colossus he couldn't even say that much. Magneto had threatened to murder his family if he did not join, leaving him with no other choice but to follow the man's orders. It had been a tough life, living abroad with little other company save for the other Acolytes. Gambit had been tolerable, but it was nearly impossible to get much conversation out of the others, seeing how they consisted of a vicious murderer, a drifter, and a slightly unstable pyromaniac. They certainly weren't the kind of people that most would want to talk to, but considering the circumstances it was probably better off that way.
Charles Xavier finished up his work and shuffled through the papers on his deck quickly, straightening them into a neat stack before depositing them into a nearby draw. A few minutes later, the Professor called the meeting to order with a shared telepathic message, immediately stifling the flow of independent conversation for the moment. Once they were all looking in his direction, he greeted them with a welcoming expression and a small gesture as if they had just walked into his study moments ago.
"Now that I have gotten your attention, I must apologize for calling everything together like this on such short notice." The psychic mutant began. "I have some small issues that would be rather difficult to properly address otherwise, so I would greatly appreciate it if you will all lend me your attention for the moment."
"What exactly do you want to tell us that's so important?" Scott questioned.
The Professor glanced at him for a moment before answering. "There are actually a few things that I would like to mention right now, but I feel that it is best if all of staff members as well as my most skilled students are present for this announcement."
Rogue cast him a disbelieving expression. "Why? I hope this ain't gonna be some kinda problem for us."
"It won't… or at least I hope not." The bald telepath replied tactfully. "The matter concerns a certain mutant that you all know who wants to join us here at the Xavier Institute. He has already received my approval, but due to some less than savory aspects of his past, I have decided to address this issue with you all."
The room's inhabitants glanced at one another with puzzled expressions, their eyes settling on the large muscular man stand away from the main group. The metallic mutant looked away under the scrutiny of so many gazes, but at the very least he was relieved that none of them looked outwardly hostile toward his presence. Storm had already heard the truth of the matter from their leader and knew what the Professor was talking about, but decided to remain silent about it for now and watch to see how the meeting played out.
After a brief pause, Cyclops spoke for his peers. "While we appreciate this, I don't think any of us really have anything against Colossus, nor did we argue when you appointed him as an instructor and welcomed him into our ranks. You already addressed this subject to staff earlier, and we don't have any objections."
"He saved my life more than once when we were trapped in that tomb in Egypt." Kitty explained with a soft expression. "He was even worried about me when we got separated at one point. He earned my trust a long time ago as far as I'm concerned."
"I was there that time too, and never got a bad vibe off of him. He also helped out during that battle with Apocalypse if I am not mistaken." Nightcrawler added with a confident nod.
The Professor seemed to smile if only very briefly before speaking again. "It is good to see that you all trust my judgment and have given our new friend a warm welcome, however the person I speak of is not him."
Iceman sat back up to pay better attention, having been loafing around in boredom just moments earlier. "Well if he isn't Colossus you're talking about, then who is it?"
"I was just about to say…" Xavier replied with a small nod. He fell silent for a moment before speaking again, gently folding his hands on the surface of his desk. "Although very few of you are aware, I received an uninvited guest earlier this morning who was former comrade of our newest member. You may know him as Gambit…"
Murmurs went up among the younger members of the assembled group as they broke out into whispered conversations once more, but Rogue looked as though she were expecting this from the very beginning, or maybe for some strange unspecified reason she had been hoping for this for some time. She felt a strange heat enter her cheeks, but quickly shook the feeling off as she at last stepped forward to express her own views.
"What makes ya'll think this'll end well." Rogue asked with a look of doubt. "I mean, he wasn't bad to me during that mess in New Orleans awhile back, but I can't say he seemed completely trustworthy either. On top of that he used to be one of Magneto's guys too."
Shadowcat nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's right… Besides, the guy always seemed really shifty to me from the few times we ran into him."
"Definitely…" Kurt added in with a frown.
Xavier eyed them carefully from behind his desk and for a moment he seemed reluctant to answer the question. After a few seconds, the bald telepath relaxed his shoulders, his expression becoming one of calm understanding. "I understand your concerns, having felt the same sentiments myself to a certain extent. Nevertheless I did speak to him this morning after Logan left, during which I asked him some questions."
"What exactly did you conclude from his answers?" Beast questioned the telepath.
The Professor sat up a little straighter than before, his eyebrow furrowed in thought for a second of two. "I sensed no hostility coming from him, and nothing about his tone indicated that he was planning anything unsavory."
Cyclops frowned slightly. "Did he have any good reason for wanting to join?"
"In truth he did not specify a reason for wanting to become one of us, but I believed that his reasons are his own and did not pry any further. I have no answer to give, because at the time I felt it would be an invasion of privacy to enter his mind." Charles Xavier replied.
"I am still not certain if this is a good idea, Charles." The white-haired weather witch sitting in one of the armchairs rested her hands in her lap, her shoulders tensing slightly. "I support your good decision if nothing else, but for the sake of the institute, I also hope that you have not misjudged this one."
The Professor inclined his head slightly. "Thank you for the support, but I was not finished speaking quite yet. As the situation stands now, I agreed to grant Gambit what he desires, that being a job as an instructor at the institute. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the condition is that all of you, or at least most of you give him your support for this appointment."
"So what you're saying is that the decision is really up to us?" Shadowcat asked with a look of uncertainty.
"Basically yes…" he replied with a comforting expression. Once he was finished with her, the mutant telepath turned to address the group as a whole once again. "Before we begin I would hope that none of you do not let my decision affect what yours. Now then, does anyone else approve the decision?"
Storm raised her hand solemnly, her expression unreadable for the most part. Her gesture was closely followed by Beast, Jean, and Rogue, and after a pause they were joined by Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Iceman. Cyclops was the last person to raise his hand, his face displaying a sense of uncertainty, but he seemed satisfied so long as the others were willing to give their new guest a chance. As they lowered their arms he thought that the vote was unanimous, but one person in the room had still yet to express their opinion.
The Professor rolled his wheelchair out from behind his desk and past the place where his X-Men were sitting, and pulled up behind the muscular mutant standing away from the others. He seemed as though he were trapped in his own thoughts and did not see the telepath approaching, but Xavier and tapped him on the arm, effectively catching him off guard and calling him back to his senses.
"I did not mean to startle you, but perhaps you would be kind enough to cast your vote." The bald man said kindly.
All eyes were on them, but Colossus seemed a little less withdrawn then he had before. "You have my apologies… I have not been among your ranks for very long, therefore it is not my place to say."
"Although you were only granted the post this morning, you are officially a member of this team, and for that reason alone your input does matter to us." Xavier explained. "I daresay, since you served the Acolytes alongside Gambit, it is possible that your opinion may prove more influential than even my own."
The muscular mutant seemed to hesitate for a moment as he made eye contact with his new superior. "I never sensed anything evil about this man, save for his upbringing as a thief. I do not know why he wishes to join the X-Men, but my own situation is no different then his. When I spoke to him this morning it appeared he was genuine, and anyone willing to change deserves a chance."
"Thank you very much…" the Professor replied as he swiveled his chair around to face the rest of the group. "I am proud that all of you are open-minded enough to give our newest recruits this important opportunity."
"I don't see why not, but I believe that we should keep an eye on Gambit if he chooses to live here with the rest of us." Cyclops waited a moment after saying this, quietly eying the room's occupants through his ruby quartz glasses.
Storm ran a finger through her ivory hair, gently pushing a stray lock out of the way before looking back at her old friend. "While I trust your judgment Charles, I must second this notion as well. I do not believe it is wise for us to trust anyone when we have so many enemies."
Their leader nodded to signify his compliance. "Very well then… As mentioned before, I have a few of these doubts myself concerning this particular subject. If it makes you feel any better, our newest recruit hardly seems like the type to spend much time in one place, but on the same hand it might not be such a bad idea to keep an eye on him while he is here."
A murmur of agreement swept through the room as the other X-Men silently discussed the situation, but Rogue and Colossus did not seem keen to contribute at the moment. Bobby was also a little bit bothered by the content of the meeting, but being the youngest person in the room, he was less likely to place any objections. The icy mutant had yet to be officially inducted into the main team, but the Professor had agreed to discuss this matter with him soon. Beast seemed rather calm, probably having anticipated this reaction from the others.
"Professor, perhaps we should give them the other announcement before adjourning this meeting." Hank McCoy suggested.
"Thank you for reminding me." Xavier replied, his expression becoming unreadable again.
Jean Grey rested her hand against the side of her face, looking up at her mentor with a pensive expression. "Is there something wrong that we should know about?"
The Professor shook his head, and seemed a little bit less apprehensive than he had a moment before. "As far as I know there is no problem, but Cerebro recently detected the presence of several unidentified mutants in the area where we recently dispatched Logan. I fear the possibility that he may run into trouble if this has not already happened, especially since one of the recognized mutant signatures was that of Sabertooth." While I would trust him with my life, those of us who know him best are well aware that Wolverine can be impulsive at times and an encounter with his old enemy might cause trouble."
Cyclops rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not worried too much about Logan. He's the guy that taught most of us how to fight and survive against even the toughest odds. Even if he does run into that oversized cat, I'm pretty sure he can handle it."
"That is true, but earlier this morning I experienced a feeling of dread…" he replied.
Shadowcat leaned forward with a confident smile. "C'mon Professor, it would take a lot to beat down someone like Wolverine. I mean… It's not like you sent Bobby on this dangerous mission all by himself." Kurt let out a small snicker as he saw the expression on the teenager's face, which became a small laugh as Jean Grey and Kitty displayed similar reactions.
"Ha ha, very funny… I'm actually getting a lot better!" Iceman retorted with an insulted look.
Xavier folded his hands with a look of amusement. "I've been considering adding you to the active roster on a trial basis seeing how many times you've come through for us during important missions. Perhaps we can discuss this in detail later."
"Oh yeah!" The icy mutant raised his fist in the air.
"All that aside, do you really think anything bad will happen to Wolverine on this mission." Cyclops quickly interrupted the boy's celebration.
The Professor inclined his head solemnly in thought. "I fear that the larger numbers of mutants surfacing has gained Magneto's attention. If we do not hear from Logan for an extended period, I do intend to search for him. As much time as he likes to spend by himself, Logan is usually very good when it comes time to checking in after an assignment. If he does not return within a certain time period, I fear we may have no choice but to assume the worst."
"Talk about a real downer…" Kurt replied with a glum expression.
Beast responded with a small sigh. "For now I suggest that we worry about what our old friend is up to. If Sabertooth is in the area then it's a possibility that Magneto isn't far behind."
"Which is why the rest of us must be ready for the worst." Charles Xavier paused for a moment before addressing the group as a whole. "That will do for now. I believe there was a training session scheduled for this evening in the danger room. Ready yourselves so we can meet downstairs in an hour, and remind the other students if you see them before then. You are all dismissed…"
With Magneto
As the most prominent members of the X-Men held their gathering, Magneto had called together a meeting of his own. Hidden deep in the mountains out of sight of prying eyes was a large metal dome that likes of which few people had ever seen. Of course he was reasonably safe hiding out here, especially since the winter sports season had not yet begun, and few people came this far into the mountain forest at any rate. It was the perfect place to hide, especially considering that few people but him could open the dome to enter or leave without his help.
It was in these hidden bases he had built all over the world that he felt the most at home. The entire dome was composed of solid metal, as well as a great deal of the inside, meaning that anyone within the base was instantly at his mercy so long as they stood within the confines of his domain. The place was very large and provided ample living space for the people who had chosen to become his followers. As he floated through the air, Magneto ascended a flight of a stairs and appeared in the main room where some of his followers had already gathered.
The hall was a large room with a giant table in the center, several chairs surrounded the sides and many were already occupied by his loyal Acolytes. A man wearing a red outfit and a semi-transparent visor sat in the chair closest to the door, his hair was a bright orange and a sense of madness radiated from him. He was Pyro, one of the original members of his team, and perhaps one of the less stable members. It seemed that he found enjoyment through watching other people struggle, which often affected his style of fighting.
Magneto took a brief glance around the room before looking down at the group's resident pyromaniac. "Where is Sabertooth?" he hissed impatiently.
"Don't know exactly where the pussycat ran off too." Pyro replied in his noticeable Australian accent. "The bloke was in a right foul mood when he left yesterday… Never really told the rest of us where he had run off to."
"I see…" The magnetic mutant turned and glided away, his eyes landing on each of his followers as he moved.
Next to Pyro sat a strange woman with a pinkish complexion and complimentary hair, a tight green outfit covering her most outlandish features while showing quite a bit of her legs. Her eyes were green and a pair of belts adorned her waist, and a matching neckband covered the lower half of her throat. She wore a quiver like attachment behind her head, but instead of arrows she had a series of crystals hidden within the material. Green bands covered most of her lower arms, stopping at her wrists to reveal her unusually colored hands. She was known to other mutants by the name, Blink…
A man with a muscular build sat across the table, most of his face concealed by the presence of a red mask that hid everything but his eyes. He wore a form-fitting blue and red outfit, complete with matching boots and gloves, the garb revealing his strong physique. The mysterious mutant wore a metallic belt and matching shoulder pads over his regular clothing, giving him a rather strange appearance at the same time. They called him Senyaka…
Strangest of all was the mutant sitting a considerable distance away from the others. He was bestial in appearance and noticeably large. His head was noticeably spiky and his body large and muscular, his size and appearance alone was enough to frighten most people. The mutant's gaze was particularly striking, seeing as he had two completely different colored eyes. His left eye was red, and his right eye was an unusual silver color.
Their heads turned as their leader glided to the front of the room, his gaze cold and powerful as he turned to face the assembled mutants. "It appears that everyone who is going to attend has arrived." He stated with an air of annoyance. "Regardless of that, the time has come for those of you who are loyal to prepare for the future!"
The monstrous member of the group inclined his head politely, something that seemed rather odd judging by his beastly appearance. "With all do respect, I wonder where you have drawn this conclusion. Certainly the humans despise us, but how can we be certain that war will be the outcome of this hatred."
"The answer is simple, Mellancamp… As our race evolves ever stronger, the humans feel threatened by our presence." Magneto replied with a grimace.
"Heh, humans are a waste." Senyaka stated bluntly.
Pyro let out a hysterical laugh, his eyes burning with amusement. "Just let em try and hunt us down, I'll roast the humans alive."
His superior glared at him, his hand tightening into a fist moment later. The man's laughter extinguished almost immediately as the metal chair he sat on sprung to life and began choking the life out of him. Blink moved away from the fiery mutant as he gagged, a small look of concern crossing her features. After waiting a few moments, Magneto released his grip, bending the chair back to its original shape. A look of anger flashed across the armored man's face for a moment, but he decided against lashing out again.
The victimized mutant struggled to his feet with wary expression, massaging his throat carefully as he sat back down. "Have you gone completely wacko, mate?"
"These dangers are very real, Pyro… If you take my words lightly you may later wish you had died by my hand." Magneto replied cryptically. He turned back towards the others. "I saw many things while trapped under the influence of Apocalypse, including the knowledge of something that we can use to save our race from destruction when the time comes."
Mellancamp shifted uncomfortably. "Would I be correct to assume that this thing you speak of is some kind of weapon?"
Life seemed to fill Magneto's eyes for a moment. "Yes! The weapon that Apocalypse used to rule over the land was not the only ancient technology that he left behind. You may remember how he intended to transform mankind into mutants, but was only part of the story… Within an underground temple somewhere in China, he discovered a different piece of technology with unparalleled destructive potential, the ability to create and unleash natural disasters on command, the power to twist this planet and all of its spoils to the wielder's bidding… He planned to use it in the likely case that he would need to force the transformed populace to submit to his new world order."
"Such technology does not exist in modern society." Blink replied with thorny expression. "Even if such a thing did exist, would be willing to obliterate mankind?"
Magneto shook his head once. "Such a drastic measure will not be taken, but this weapon will allow us to fend off those who oppose us, and teach mankind their place beneath is. Whether they wish to admit it or not, we are the future… not them…"
"Hold on just a second. It all sounds pretty good, but what makes you think it'll be that easy to figure out." Pyro added.
Their leader seemed to consider the subject in silence before speaking. "That is precisely the problem I wish to speak off. The ancient ones feared what would happen if this wondrous technology fell into the wrong hand. After the sealing of Apocalypse, his followers stole the power source of this machine and hid it away."
"Do you know where to find this object we seek?" the bestial mutant questioned.
"Unfortunately it is not that simple." Magneto answered calmly. "There were three crystals that powered the machine, and furthermore it is protected by a door much like the ones used to prevent the release of Apocalypse. We must find the key, as well as the power source before this dream can become a reality. This is why I called you together…"
"You want us to go hunting after a key again? That's not something I haven't done before." Pyro replied with a chuckle.
Mellancamp looked over at his master. "Would I be correct to assume you already know where to find these artifacts?"
"I know where the first crystal can be found, but more research is required for us to locate the other objects." Their leader replied with a satisfied expression. "I took Sabertooth to New York with me so he could grab the artifact from the museum while I searched for more information on the subject and attempted to recruit more mutants for the cause. Seeing how he has not yet returned, it appears that a simple robbery was beyond his abilities…"
"Either that or the pussycat got sidetracked chasing down a mouse." Senyaka hissed with a note of amusement.
The fiery mutant sitting across from him frowned. "Or maybe the bloke ran into one of them X-Men on the way."
At this assertion Magneto's anger seemed to surface, causing the whole room to shake violently as he released his power on the surrounding dome. His Acolytes glanced around with looks of surprise, although the masked Senyaka seemed to find their leader's reaction more interesting than frightening. After a minute the room seemed to stand still once more, but their leader looked positively furious.
The master of magnetism revealed an angry look. "Although I doubt they know yet, we cannot allow the X-Men to know of this plan. If Charles Xavier finds out about what we plan to do…" Magneto spun around again and headed for the exit, signaling for the others to stand as well.
The four mutants stood up and began to follow. "Blink, I want you to head to Europe and find Mastermind… Begin an investigation and do not return without answers!" he shouted. She turned around and vanished into thin air, leaving behind no sign that she had been there to begin with.
"What do you require from the rest of us?" the beast-like mutant asked.
"Head out and find Sabertooth as soon as possible. Once you do, bring him back here to explain why he failed to complete the task I set for him." Magneto ordered, eliciting a small salute from Mellancamp. The Acolytes followed their leader to the exit as he opened the dome. "The rest of you are to come with me… We're going back to New York…"
Note the Readers: Well here's the newest chapter, hope you enjoyed it. Still lacking on the number of readers, but I'm glad that some people were willing to give me some reviews last time around. Reviews motivate me to update fast, especially detailed critiques of the plot and characters. I also like guesses and ideas for future chapters, seeing how it helps give me ideas for the story.
I hope you liked the people I chose for Magneto's New Acolytes. I added Mellancamp because the guy was noted for that role in comics and other cartoons, and Senyaka because the murderous nut has some interesting powers… Blink just seemed useful, and she used briefly in that newer cartoon, Wolverine and the X-Men. I hope the spelling and grammar wasn't too bad. I guess that happens when you write stories late at night.