Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel
Marvellous World
Chapter 9: Darkness
Charles could smell the camomile in Max's cup of tea. He sipped his earl grey and sighed in ecstasy. Max too drunk his, but with less enjoyment. The white haired man's fedora hung off of his chair, alongside his coat. Both men drank as the waiter brought a muffin over for Charles and a packet of biscuits for Max.
"Thank you," Max smiled at her.
"How have you been old friend?" Charles asked him.
"As well as I can be, all things considered, I'd imagine the same is true for yourself Charles, although there is something very different about you," Max paused as he looked at Charles. "You seem less conflicted as you we before."
"And you seem less angry than before Magnus," Charles said.
"Anger is a tool for zealous fools, I have cleared my head of such things and now attend to matters of a more personal nature, at least for now," Max explained.
"Why have you come back to America?"
"For an old friend, not you Charles, this was coincidental," Max smirked at Charles's surprised expression. "I spent a few years in London, where I befriended a man called Mortimer Toynbee. His funeral was a couple of months ago, I've come to New York to fulfil a debt to Mr Toynbee, find his son...you wouldn't know anything about him would you?" Max's smile faded as he put his cup down.
The atmosphere shifted and Charles's felt the vibrations through the molecules. Displays on the cafe's computer flickered, their electromagnetic fields were being pulled upon. Then, an eerie sound of metal screeching outside, bikes, cars, some people in the cafe even felt their fillings move. Charles remained calm, matching Max's stare. There was no aggression, no spoken threat, but it was clear to Charles he needed to be careful with his answer.
"Mr Toynbee fathered his son with a woman called Maria didn't he?" Charles asked.
"Yes, he did indeed."
"And the boy was named Todd."
Everything returned to normal, and Charles made sure to erase the memories of the incident. To everyone in the cafe, things had been normal for the past few seconds. Their conversations picked up where they would have if they hadn't stopped speaking. Max sipped from his cup and dipped one of the biscuits in it.
"I know that one of your students managed to find him, I unfortunately haven't been able to track them. I also know that forces besides the government have tried to kill our kind today," he removed a photo from his jacket pocket, placing it on the table.
It showed Cyclops, Todd and his mother being shot. Other photos showed the shooter themselves. It was a blurred photo of a man in purple and black gear.
"Paul Dennis, Paul Denning, Jean-Paul Denis, a few variations of the same name, he operates mainly in Western Europe and the States. Those whom seek his services know him only as Paladin, a professional, kidnapping, information retrieval, corporate sabotage. The man has a code, he's no bigot, merely a paid pawn in a scheme I have yet to fully discover. One that threatened the life of two young mutants and one's family member," Max explained.
"Who took the photos?" Charles asked.
"You aren't the only one forming a support network Charles, I intend to one day take a more direct approach," Max said and frowned as Charles shook his head. "Can you seriously not say that such a thing is necessary, they built a machine to track and kill people with X-genes, the MRD nearly turned the city into a warzone just to imprison a teenager and they have continually forgone due process."
"I know this Magnus, I know this," Charles seethed. "They're reacting out of fear, we have to alleviate that fear, show people that there's a better way than what the MRD offers."
"Your school, your plans for a system of education, you may claim differently Charles but what you have put together clearly shows that you believe in the same thing I do. Humanity can't be trusted not to harm mutants before they have learnt the lesson, those mutants must be protected."
"So do the people caught in the wake of their awakening, we've both seen how destructive unchecked power can be, both authority and X-genes. We have to teach and protect all of them," Charles explained.
"A pen in one hand and a sword in the other, an admirable venture old friend, but there are those who will not understand, who don't want to understand. You've been a soldier Charles, you know killing is necessary in a war."
"We aren't at war Magnus...or do you intend to declare it?" Charles asked.
"I don't want war Charles, I just want a world where our people have a chance," Max said.
Scott removed his jacket as he got into the safe house. It wasn't a high luxury place, there was a row of bunk beds, a sofa and TV and a fridge. When he arrived, Hank was already opening a soda and pouring the contents down his throat.
"About time you two got here, what happened?" Warren asked.
"I'll explain later, guys, this is Todd," he said.
"Nice to finally meet you Todd," Bobby said, offering the boy his hand.
"So you guys are super heroes huh? Thanks for helping me and my mom out," Todd said.
"Speaking of, where is she?" Hank asked.
"Some friends we made are looking after her, like I said we'll discuss it later. The MRD presence seems to have been reduced, but the WDRA have begun cutting off some areas, they're launching some kind of operation themselves. Last I heard there was a fire, apparently Iron man got involved, information goes dark after that," Scott explained.
"We're teaming up with Iron man," bright looks crossed both Bobby and Hank's faces.
"No, we're staying here until the Professor gets back," Scott said.
"So you're the esteemed leader huh?"
Scott turned to the bathroom doorway. Emma had finished changing into a pair of jeans and a white blouse.
"I'm Emma, good to finally meet you Scott," she said, offering him her hand.
"You too, Sage sent me some info, you have a projection mutation right?" Scott asked.
"It isn't like yours I assure you," she said.
"On that we can agree, you can turn yours off," Scott retorted.
"Great first meeting," Bobby muttered to Hank.
"Oh yeah, I ship them already," both laughed at Todd's comment.
"Now is not the time to be focused on such matters!"
"God is that..."
"Someone has already made that comment today Mr Tolansky, or as I see you now wish to be known as Mr Toynbee. I am Sage, assistant to Professor Xavier and a teacher at the institute," she explained.
"Sage, you aren't strictly speaking a traditional telepath, how are you doing this?" Scott asked.
"I'm the one establishing a link, with some help from Mr Ramsey!"
"Jean, so you know about us now?"
"Well it would have been difficult for you guys to maintain a façade like that, considering we live in the same building...I'm sorry but is there an easier way to do this? My head is starting to hurt!"
"Which means that will be all for the day Jean, get some rest again, I will converse with the team the old fashioned way."
"Computer time," Hank leapt onto the chair near the old computer and prepared the keyboard.
"This was an opportunity for Marvel Girl to practice using her powers, and also for us to practice combining our abilities," a string of text appeared across the screen, courtesy of Sage's ability to interface with computer systems.
"Fascinating," Hank muttered before he typed a response. "Cyclops suggests waiting for X, clarification?"
Not even a moment passed before Sage replied:
"Negative, remain in safe house for one more hour, then go to projected secondary target site. Toad and Diamond girl to remain in safe house waiting for extraction!"
"All right team, you saw the instructions, take in some fluids, eat some food..."
"And then get ready for a party," Bobby said.
"What does she mean projected secondary target site?" Emma asked.
"We're also tracking a mutant called Gary Stewarts, Bobby and I discovered that his girlfriend is expecting him to accompany her to a concert at the club that Todd worked at," Hank explained.
"I could help you guys then, I know people there," Todd said.
"Out of the question, you've already been through enough, you and Emma wait for extraction with Bobby," Scott explained.
"Bull shit, how come I have to stay here?" Bobby asked.
"Sage didn't mention him staying Scott," Warren said.
"Bobby's too young to be at that kind of scene, besides one of us should stay with Emma and Todd," Scott said.
"I disagree," Warren retorted.
"The Professor did put Scott in charge Warren, I disagree too, but I think we should give them a chance," Hank stated, stepping diplomatically between the two X-men.
"Fine, but the responsibility is yours," Warren huffed turning away and retrieving his trench coat.
"Thanks for having my back, even if you don't agree," Scott said to Hank.
"I would have listened to what Warren and Bobby had to say," Hank shrugged his shoulders as he went to get his jacket.
Magnus stirred his second cup, this time it was a green tea. He held it to his nose and breathed it in, relaxing his nerves and leaning back on his chair. Charles took a chunk out of his muffin and bit it.
"I agree with the MRD, to a point," Charles held his hands up defensively at Magnus's look. "When I first came here, I accidentally tore the first napkin I used. The material is very frail, it was a complete accident, all I did was take it from the dispenser but it still tore," to demonstrate his point, Charles ripped one of the paper towels from the silver dispenser beside them.
It hadn't even been a hard pull and the flimsy material tore. The slip of paper was thinner than cheap tissue. Charles placed it on the floor, watching Magnus's face for a reaction or any kind of understanding.
"New mutants are like me and this piece of paper, they can't help the damage they cause, but they cause damage all the same. Sometimes with consequences, there have been a good number of people who have died because of mutant manifestation," Charles explained.
"103 this year, most governments do what they can to keep people from knowing, I understand that Charles. I understand we're dangerous when we don't have control. But should we be deprived of basic human rights because of that?" Magnus asked.
"You know that isn't what I was saying Magnus, the MRD is the solution that the government has now...they just need to be shown a better way," Charles said.
"And you're going to show them that better way Charles? You're going to stand up and say to these people 'I am Charles Xavier, I have the solution,' and what do you think their response will be? Acceptance? Consideration?"
"I have no idea what their response will be, but we need to choose better ways otherwise how are we any different from them?" Charles asked.
"The fact that we're the ones in the right," Magnus said.
"Curious thing being right," Charles muttered, sipping his tea and looking away from Magnus for a moment. "I once had a history teacher who told me, 'being right is dependent on who has written history', which means that a great many atrocities were performed in the name of victory and righteousness, so that people could make the world they envisioned, even if it meant killing to do it. But they weren't right, not really, if mutants are the future then shouldn't we show a better way to make the future?"
Magnus finished his tea and ordered another one. They remained silent as the girl serving them planted Magnus's cup on the table. He mouthed a thank you and leant forward in his chair, there was understanding and calm in Charles's eyes, then it turned into anger.
"Why should we repeat past mistakes? Shouldn't the next generation learn from the last, should we not put aside grievances, should we not do everything we can do avoid war, because we understand that war is devastating, because we understand how many lives are ruined because of it? So in the beginning, can we not do what is done at the end of every war and sit down and talk, compromise, find a better way to live with each other?" the professor explained.
"Because people never lived with one another after war, people couldn't forgive each other, my parents never forgave. I could never forgive," Magnus said.
"Even for the sake of peace, for the sake of future generations not having to suffer as we did. One whom remembers the devastation of war, of being the victim, and the other who remembers committing the atrocities, in the name of duty and order. We both experience pain when we close our eyes and sleep, if only to spare ourselves the pain of hatred and regret, is forgiveness not preferable?" Charles asked.
"I've never tried to seek an answer!"
Charles lifted his cup to his nose, smelling the relaxing fumes. Opposite him Magnus simply drank, mere fumes from a cup of tea could do nothing for him.
Tony looked at the two super humans. His mind knew and could imagine every piece of technology capable of being invented. Whatever was behind this 'Molten man' was related to technology, Tony knew that from first glance. But the other one, even though he was wearing armour, there was nothing technological about it. Tony shielded his eyes as Molten man generated another burst of heat. It gave the 'Saviour' a moment of pause, the heat had generated a shockwave that knocked his dark wings back.
"You will not escape," Saviour said.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Molten man yelled.
He threw his hand forward, creating a wave of fire that knocked the Saviour back. Gary shook his head in denial, the very thought of a villain getting an advantage over him was preposterous. The young man grabbed Molten man by his neck, flying up with his wings.
"You will harm no one else," he declared.
Suddenly, a projectile slammed into his back, blowing up on contact. Gary looked over his shoulder and saw the masked archer. Hawkeye knocked back another arrow, launching it towards Saviour. Gary batted the arrow aside, but was quickly hit in the shoulder by another arrow. He looked towards Hawkeye, the man was limited his loading time by holding arrows in his hands. This allowed him to continually fire a barrage of projectiles at Gary. Explosive tips slammed against his armour, then bladed tips sharpened to pierce metal. Combined with Barton's strength and training, Gary felt those projectiles strike his skin. He yanked two of the projectiles out of his arms, dark energy leaking out of his armour.
"I should have known, you villainous bastard, DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" Saviour yelled.
He swooped towards Hawkeye, only for Iron man to tackle him in midair. Tony engaged his rocket boots and directed Saviour to the ground. Gary grabbed at his neck, but Tony let him go, leant back and then slammed his foot into Saviour's face. At the same time, Hawkeye fired another explosive projectile, hitting Saviour in the back. The dark wings on his back stretched, turning into a centipede like creature. Barton dived off of the roof, avoiding the creature. An arrow with a cable attached hit the adjacent rooftop and Barton swung to the streets. He pulled two arrows out of his quiver and then tilted his head.
"Time to get out of here," his boss told him.
Barton tapped his comm. and repositioned himself, using lamp posts as cover. Above him, Tony continued to grab at Saviour and drag him towards the ground. Garret jumped up, grabbing Saviour by his legs and throwing him. But instead of hitting the ground, the dark wings cushioned his fall, and then dug underground. Spikes suddenly burst through Garret's feet, sparks were released from the circuits of his prosthetics and he grit his teeth together in frustration.
"How much of you is machine?" Tony asked.
"None of your damn business," Garret said.
He wasn't going to let go of Gary, the Saviour knew that. His dark wings changed again, his left one bent and swept through Garret's arm like a blade.
"You know how much these costs punk?" the agent snarled, clutching his stump.
Saviour then turned his right wing into a hammer, smashing it into Tony's side and throwing him into a building.
"You've lost your way, but it's all right, I will show you all what it takes to be a true hero, once I've dealt with this villain," Gary looked over his shoulder, seeing Molten man trying to lift a manhole cover.
But the young man's hands melted the metal. He looked up at Saviour in fear, the man's dark wings curled and slithered like snakes.
"Keep back, just stay back," Molten man said.
Throwing his hands up defensively, his skin glowed brighter and he released an explosion of fire.
Sven curiously followed the note on the Hardy foundation. Names had been jotted down beside it, Anastasia Hardy, and Walter Hardy/John Hardevsky. There was a sequence of numbers that Sven focused on, 20-12-40, perhaps a date. Then specifically written underneath Walter/John's name was the title 'The cat'. There was then a note: 'P42-doesn't make sense considering Cat career.' Then there was a line linking this statement to 20-12-40.
'So dad was looking into this Hardy guy, he went by 'The cat' so maybe he was a thief, and he did something in 1940, but that would make the man extremely old now. Why would dad be interested in a crime that happened 78 years ago?' Sven wondered.
He closed the book and put it back in his pocket. His hope was that he would find more answers by looking into the Hardy foundation. According to the directory they had a building where Sven was going.
'Hopefully I'll find out more than I did the last few places I went to,' Sven thought.
Then he felt it, a sudden shake of the ground, before seeing a cloud of fire rise in the distance. Sven broke off into a run towards the flames, round people captivated by the sight, discussing it or calling the authorities. In his mind, he began thinking something had happened at the Hardy foundation, wondering if it was related to what his father was investigating. The air turned orange as Sven got closer and closer to where the explosion occurred. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face, the temperature rose and then he felt the sting of the flames. Buildings around him had been set ablaze.
'The people inside those buildings, wait, the fire and rescue service is already here,' Sven looked at his surroundings in shock.
Everything went black, the floor, the sky, all of the buildings became dark silhouettes. Sven stood in a void, and the only light he saw came from a figure in gold armour. He floated, arms raised like some kind of holy figure. Black markings suddenly glowed across Sven's skin and he hugged his arms, suddenly feeling a surge of pain. He wanted to vomit, his head felt like it was on fire, his heart felt as if he had run more than a marathon. It pounded and pounded and Sven's eyes spun. Something was wrong, and he wanted it to stop. The golden armoured figure wasn't a source of light at all, not the kind of light that mattered.
"You are all safe," Saviour said.
The darkness faded and Sven fell to his knee. He let out deep and heavy breaths, panting from the experience. Looking up, Sven saw that there were a few others on the streets. They were looking up at the same gold figure that Sven had seen. Flames had still been set on the streets, but the majority of the burning buildings had been extinguished.
"Now to dispose of the evil that has tried to harm you," he said.
He threw to the floor a man whose skin glowed like molten gold. Sven saw the man, frightened for dear life. He looked up at Saviour, holding his arms up as if ready to beg for his life. Sven let out a scream, matching the Molten Man's, the Saviour threw his hand forward, and the darkness behind him enveloped the Molten man. Mark screamed, his voice muffled by the darkness. Black markings spread across Sven's skin, and he clawed at his arms. The images flashed before his eyes, the day of the Cataclysm. So many dead, so many more broken by it.
'No, never again,' he thought.
The Saviour squeezed his hand into a fist, the darkness spreading across Mark's body. His hand stuck out of the mass that had formed, shaking as if he was having a seizure.
'No more,' tears flooded out of Sven's eyes.
His father was smiling at him. Then he saw, saw the body, saw the casket go down into the hole, saw the dirt covering the casket, saw his mother and little sister crying.
"No one else," he whispered.
The Saviour lifted Mark off of the ground, the boy had stopped moving. Darkness began to move his arm into the black mass, to completely consumed him.
"No one else dies," Sven said.
His eyes narrowed into slits. He saw a young man struggling with gambling debts, saw a man offering him a way out. Then he saw the young man arguing with a girl, though he could sense the great love and concern between them.
"Stop gambling your life away," he heard her say.
It was the love between siblings, a sister and a brother. He saw his own sister crying her eyes out.
"No one else will feel this pain," Sven said, gritting his teeth together, clutching his heart.
A light began to glow on it and his hair began to flow and spike.
"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Sven screamed.
There was a bang, and a shockwave that made Saviour flinch. He raised his hand, shielding himself from a dust cloud. Coils of dark and light energy rushed out of the dust, singeing his armour. Gary narrowed his eyes as a foot stepped out of the dust. Suddenly, something slammed into Gary's face, throwing him back. He looked and saw someone with their foot raised, having followed through with a ferocious kick. They were obscured by total darkness, only their glowing red eyes and spiked hair was visible. Gary's wings were drawn away from the Molten Man, who gasped for air. The new arrival landed in a hunched posture, huffing like some animal.
"A creature of darkness, so you seek to save your ally," Gary snarled.
He raised his hand, summoning torrents of yellow lightning. Then he threw his hand forward, releasing the volts. But Sven suddenly flickered out of existence, appearing above one bolt, then suddenly appearing around another in a flipped position. Gary increased the charge, releasing more bolts of energy. Sven appeared at Gary's side, swinging his leg around and delivering a kick to Gary's face again. The force of the blow released a miniature shockwave and threw Saviour down to the ground. Gary used his wings to cushion his fall, dragging them against the ground before he came to a stop. He gathered energy in his hand, turning it into a whip.
"I am pure light, I will never let darkness such as yours infect this world," he said.
The whip latched around Sven's neck, pulling him to the ground. Sven landed, pulling against the whip and enduring the searing pain. It felt as if a chain with thorns had been wrapped around his neck. He nearly fell down, consumed by that pain, but he knew he would die if he did. Gary summoned a lance in his hand, aiming it at Sven.
"Evil such as yours is irredeemable, it must be erased permanently," the Saviour stated before he threw the lance.
Sven looked over his shoulder, seeing the people behind him. If he moved, they would die, so instead he dug his heels into the ground and crossed his arms together. The spear impacted with him, creating an explosion of light that dragged him back across the ground. Smoke rose from Sven's arms and he screamed, feeling an old wound in his arm sting. Saviour threw another projectile and Sven braced himself. The sparks of light spread to another building, setting it on fire.
'No, please no,' Sven tried to jumped for it, but chains wrapped around his body and slammed him into the ground.
"You helped your friend escape, I won't let anyone else get hurt because of you," Gary slammed his foot into Sven's neck, generating more sparks that lit up buildings around him.
'No, no, stop please,' Sven wanted to scream at the man to stop, but couldn't.
People were screaming, in danger, hurt and about to die. Sven yelled, struggling against his restraints. He caught Gary's foot and shoved him back. But Gary summoned a sword and slashed Sven across his chest. The boy yelled out, voice echoing from the effects of his power. The Saviour raised his sword over his head and aimed it at Sven's heart. Sven looked at the buildings around him and yelled in defiance. As Saviour thrust his sword towards him, Sven dug his heels in and grit his teeth together. A blade burst through his back, and blood sprayed across the floor.
Charles and Magnus/Max were still sitting, fumes rising from their trees.
"I heard you had gotten divorced, Moira couldn't take you flirting with other women?" Magnus asked.
"I wasn't that bad, it wasn't about love, just trust...I abused her trust. She ended up marrying a man who abused her," Charles said.
"You didn't think of lifting her off her feet?"
"She didn't need that, she has a lab on Muir island now."
"I know, I've read into some of her work on mutation, do you know she actually provides containment cells for the MRD?"
"Moira would never do anything inhumane," Charles narrowed his eyes at Magnus.
"And what if the methods required to contain a dangerous mutant had to be inhumane, will you use kind words, firm but fair methods need to be used," Magnus said.
"But we need to be better than that Magnus," Charles said.
"Ah yes, we'll have a world where everyone seeks to be better, free of profit and...that sounds familiar doesn't it, Picard," Magnus grinned as Charles shook his head.
"You know how much I hate Star Trek," Charles groaned.
"Why because you're so much like one of its most self righteous characters?"
"The whole ideology of star fleet, I never really understood the concept 'betterment of humanity', it's too vague and they never really clarified it. By what standards do they seek improvement, it's not monetary as that is something apparently no longer present in that society (though this contradicts itself at times). So is it philosophically, intellectually, technologically, morally? And if so, by whose standards is that? Who can be held up as the paragon of morale virtue and absolution?" Charles asked.
"You don't believe in right and wrong," Magnus said.
"You know I believe in right and wrong, but I do not believe that there exists someone who is altogether righteous. I think there are absolute good people in this world, people who fight against their dark natures, people who strive to do the right thing. And there are those whom are so convinced that they are right, and that what they do is right, that consequences, casualties have no true value to them," Charles explained.
"You don't believe that the end sometimes justifies the means?" Magnus asked.
"Not to those who are the means," Charles retorted.
Another moment of silence passed between them as they drank. Charles put a finger to his head, tapping it, then he reached across the table, as if moving a chess piece. Magnus shook his head and chuckled, doing the same movement.
"It's been some time since we've played, who have you tested yourself against?"
"You remember Sage?"
"Dark haired woman? Mind like a computer? Very attractive woman, but very out of your league," Magnus smirked as Charles frowned at him.
"Please, I've never considered seducing Sage," Charles said and chuckled as Magnus shot him a doubtful look.
"Like you're one to talk though, even when you were married you had chemistry with that Darkholme woman, have you kept in touch with her?" Charles asked.
"I have, she's married to Irene now."
"So you two won't be getting together, a shame, I always thought after Magda, you two would have made a good couple," Charles lowered his head as he spoke.
"Magda was, the only one Charles, I tried to move on but I couldn't," Magnus shook his head and finished his tea.
"Just tell me, did you ever find them?"
"The children? Or the bastards who killed her?" Magnus asked.
"Both!" Charles said.
"Your opinion of me would change if I answered that question, there is darkness in me Charles, you wouldn't think of me the same if you knew exactly how much," Magnus explained.
"There's darkness and light in all of us Magnus, as I have said it is how we balance the two that determines the kind of people we are. The world is filled with ignorant people, with people who disagree with one another, people who hate things. But even those people are capable of good, capable of helping others. I don't believe the world is filled with people who want to hurt, but to help if they can," Charles explained.
"But that morality binds people into groups, it gives us politics, war and genocide, and altruism, heroism and sainthood, our people need a hero to stand for them, these ordinary people here," Magnus motioned to everyone else in the room. "They need someone to stand as their superior, I would do that, if only so that the wrong type of person doesn't!"
"Jonathon Haidt," Charles muttered. "I always preferred Arthur Ashe, 'True Heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost!'"
Blood dripped across the floor and Gary looked his opponent in the eyes. Dull grey eyes, but narrowed in defiance. Sandy blonde hair, messy as if he had just gotten out of bed. A face that held so much resolve, but wasn't at all what a hero was supposed to look like. His clothes dull, his skin dull, Gary scoffed at the young man holding the blade of his sword. Blood came out of Sven's mouth and he grit his teeth together. He wasn't finished yet, and wouldn't stop yet. The red markings appeared over his body, clothes and all, but they didn't shine brightly, didn't draw any attention. Gary widened his eyes, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. The red markings had spread to his armour.
"No more will die," Sven said.
"What?" Gary gasped.
Sven pulled the sword out of his chest, his wound glowing as he took a step towards Gary. The Saviour backed away in fear.
"That's what I'm trying to achieve too, no, you are the evil, I am the good!" he said.
"I swore," Sven seethed, ignoring Gary and continuing forward.
"I AM THE GOOD!"
"No more will die in front of me!"
"I AM THE HERO! THE SAVIOUR!" Gary yelled manically.
"NOT WHILST I'M AROUND!" Sven yelled.
He ducked under Gary's wild swing and delivered a cross that shattered the lower part of Gary's helmet. Then, he jumped, rebounding off of a lamp post and diving into a building. Gary looked up at the building and clutched his bruised cheek. This evil doer had fled, into the very flames he had caused. Suddenly, there was an explosion and Sven was thrown onto the roof of a car. He huffed and puffed, exhausted and spent. Then he looked at the mass on his chest. A little girl was curled up, looking at him in shock before she broke down in tears.
"Um, there, there, it's going to be all right," Sven said, and then looked up.
Iron man was spraying his extinguishing foam over the buildings, joining with the fire fighters and paramedics. Luke Cage and Danny Rand both rushed out of buildings, even Spider-man was there. Sven looked over to where Gary stood, and saw that 'The Saviour' was gone. He let out a sigh of relief, resting his head back and closing his eyes.
After paying for their tea, Charles and Magnus went their separate ways. Charles watched his old friend leave, the white haired man raised his hat to his head and looked over his shoulder at Charles.
"I have that itch Charles, have you been looking around in here?" Magnus asked.
"If I was old friend, it would only be because I'm looking for hope," Charles said.
"Let me know when you find it, until next we meet Charles," Magnus smirked, putting his hands in his pockets.
A bitter smile crossed Charles's face, before Magnus disappeared in the New York crowds.
Peter collapsed onto his bed and sighed in relief. He buried his head in his pillow, and lost himself to sleep. A moment passed and Harry and MJ burst into the room.
"Hey buddy, put some clothes on, we've got a party to get to," Harry said, causing Peter to groan.
"Please go away," he said.
"Come on Tiger, up, up, up!" MJ said, flicking Peter's ears, then smacking his bottom.
"Oh come on," Peter lifted his head up, revealing the bags under his eyes.
Harry and MJ saw the exhaustion written across Peter's face. Both exchanged looks, the kind of communication that could only have developed between good friends. Harry faked a yawn and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, now that I think about it, we've had a pretty active day touring the campus, I'm a little tired myself," he said.
"You said it, besides it's not as if anyone famous is playing," MJ said.
Peter rested his head on his pillow and smiled. He had some good friends.
"What the hell did you do to this kid?"
The old man at the tailors held up Sven's jacket, looking at the hole in it. Sven laughed sheepishly, putting on a new shirt and placing the money for it on the counter.
"You can fix it right, it's really important to me," Sven said the last part silently.
Holding the jacket up and looking at the tinge of sadness in Sven's eyes, the old man nodded his head.
"Tell you what, come back tomorrow and I'll have the damage fixed," he said.
"Thank you, thank you very much," Sven bowed his head in gratitude.
Their attention was suddenly drawn to the TV, which highlighted the fire that had taken place. The agency's involvement, Iron man's battle with a mysterious armoured figure and people coming together to help others. Sven gasped when he saw the little girl in the arms of her mother.
"I thought I had lost her, my little Cassie," the woman said during her interview, kissing the top of her daughter's head.
"I understand you were pulled out of the fire miss," said the reporter.
"Someone saved me," the girl said.
"One of many brave individuals today, due their efforts, rescue services confirmed that there have been no casualties, a true example of what can happen when people come together. This is Eddie Brock with the Daily Bugle, signing off!"
The old man was smiling when he turned away from the TV.
"Good to know we didn't have another cataclysm," he said.
"Yeah," Sven whispered.
He walked out of the store and looked at his father's notebook.
'Helping others, this is what you and Arthur felt isn't it dad? I never thought that I would get to feel it,' he put the book in his pocket and began walking to his hotel. 'I think, I think that I want to keep on feeling it!'
Aaron looked down at Sven Reilly from the rooftop. He didn't need Uatu's commentary to understand what he was seeing. This was the moment Sven decided for sure, that he wanted to be a hero.
Immediately after, Aaron was in an alleyway, watching Gary Stewarts walk past him. He was rubbing his cheek, shaking his head in denial.
"No, no," he said. "NO! It's not right, I'm right, I'm supposed to be the hero!"
Aaron suddenly felt a terrible chill through his spine. He looked at the end of the alleyway and saw a hooded figure.
"You are right Gary, you are the hero, and you will prevail over this evil, you are the hero of this story and you will triumph, what do you plan to do?" the hooded man asked him.
Gary's eyes glowed a deep purple before he smiled.
"I know what I must do, to save the world, to destroy the ultimate evil, I will need a team, I must spread my light," the young man said and laughed as if his day had gotten brighter.
Aaron watched the boy, again suspecting it wouldn't end well for him. He glared at the hooded figure manipulating Gary, but he didn't keep glaring. The Machine man even stepped back in fear, for the hooded man was looking straight at him. His hood was raised enough to reveal his grinning face.
"Keep your eyes on him, the fun hasn't even begun yet," he said.
Next Chapter 10: Infect and Dazzle
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, Charles Xavier and Magneto has always been one of the most interesting relationships in Marvel comics to me, I hope I did it justice whilst making it a little different too. I wanted to first have them seen as simply friends, not because of any ideals they may have shared, but simply because they liked each other and had the same sort of interests.
Though one major difference between the two:
Magneto: Trekkie
Xavier: Star Wars Fan (prior Disney and the sequel trilogy)
Jokes aside, they very much want the same thing, but they believe in different methods.