Chapter Ten: Magneto's Prisoners/The X-Men Strike Back

And here's Chapter Ten! To make up for the short chapter last time, here's a long one!

I skipped all the way to when the X-Men actually confront Magneto, because I didn't find any reason to write or change the fights with Toad and Mystique. I'm sure you were expecting to see me write the "Yellow spandex?" quip, Wolverine's fight with Mystique, or even Wolverine calling Cyclops a dick to prove he's the real Wolverine, but honestly, there was nothing for me to change. But just because I'm not writing it doesn't mean it didn't happen, if that makes any sense.

So, no new reviews this time around. That's okay. I'm sure there'll be some before this story finishes (we're only three chapters away!).

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

After arriving at the Statue of Liberty and a fight with the Brotherhood, which included a confusing scuffle with the shape-shifter, Mystique, the X-Men were now inside the statue's head. Through the hole in the ceiling, they had a clear view of the torch. They tried to look for Rogue or Magneto when Wolverine suddenly said, "Everybody get out of here."

"What is it?" Storm asked at once.

He grimaced. "I can't move."

After he said this, he was flung against a wall, and was held there by an invisible force. Other metal pieces were flying around, and Cyclops quickly blasted one. However, Storm was then being held against another wall by long strips of metal. Soon, Cyclops and Jean were held prisoner as well, facing each other closely.

Storm watched Magneto land gracefully through the hole. He apparently found no need to wear his helmet this time. "Ah, my brothers. Welcome." He turned to Wolverine. "And you. Just point those claws of yours in a safer direction." He held up his hand, and the metal strips from the wall bent around Wolverine, whose arms were crossed over his chest. His fists were also pressed against his chest.

Magneto then turned to Cyclops and Jean as Sabertooth landed beside him. "You'd better close your eyes."

Sabertooth walked over to them and plucked Cyclops' visor off of him. Thankfully, he had heeded Magneto's words and kept his eyes tightly shut.

"Storm, fry him," he ordered.

Magneto rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes. A bolt of lightning into a huge copper conductor." He moved to stand next to Jean. "I thought you lived at a school." Then he placed his fingers on his earpiece. "Mystique? Mystique?" No one answered.

Keeping her eyes on Cyclops, for she could not turn her head to look at Magneto, Jean said, "I've seen Senator Kelly."

Magneto looked at her again. "So the good senator survived his fall, and the swim to shore. He's become even more powerful than I could have imagined."

"He's dead!" Jean snapped.

"It's true," Storm spoke up. As Magneto walked over to her, she continued, "I saw him die. Like those people down there will die."

He leaned in. "Are you sure you saw what you saw?"

The mutants then heard fireworks go off. Magneto stepped away from Storm, looking angry. "Why do none of you understand what I'm trying to do? Those people down there, they control our fate and the fate of every other mutant. Well, soon our fate will be theirs."

"HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!"

The X-Men and Wolverine all tensed hearing Rogue's cry for help, but none more so than Cyclops. Jean could see the look of anguish on his face while he kept his eyes shut.

"You're so full of shit," Wolverine growled, gaining Magneto's attention. "If you were really so righteous, it'd be you in that thing."

"HELP!" They heard Rogue scream again. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Without a word, Magneto floated away, onto the statue's torch where he placed the conversion machine, and where Rogue was being held captive.

"PLEASE! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

Wolverine couldn't take it anymore. He had to break free and help Rogue. Sabertooth growled, watching him closely.

"Somebody!" Rogue cried out, and the X-Men could hear her begin to break down, like she was giving up. "Help..."

With a yell, Wolverine unsheathed his claws, breaking through his restraints, but also stabbing himself in the process.

"Logan!" Jean cried as Wolverine fell to the floor.

Magneto opened the door and walked towards his sobbing prisoner. She was sitting right in the machine with her wrists cuffed to the two pedestals. He lifted the cuffs, forcing her to stand.

Sabertooth stood over Wolverine's body and picked him up. As soon as he did, Wolverine stabbed him in the gut. Roaring in pain, Sabertooth threw him through the hole. Wolverine ignored the sudden vertigo as he was yanked back. The two feral mutants were soon engaged in a fight right on top of the statue's head.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Magneto whispered, his bare hands held in front of Rogue's tear-stained face.

"Don't do this," she begged.

On the way to the statue, she tried to act brave, but she had soon given up. No one was going to save her, and she saw no way out of this. Not only were her powers dangerous to everyone around her, she was too weak to save herself from this evil mutant. Why was God so cruel to her?

Magneto placed his hands on either side of Rogue's face, and felt his energy seep through her. Blinded by his thoughts of revenge, she unconsciously grabbed onto the small handles of the pedestals as he weakened.

During the fight, Wolverine caught a glimpse of his dog tag around Sabertooth's neck. He hadn't even realized that he had lost it. He snatched them away with his claws. "This is mine!"

In response, Sabertooth held him up and began to choke him. After more tussling (and in Wolverine's case, stabbing), they heard Magneto cry out and Rogue scream. As Wolverine was distracted, Sabertooth tossed him over once again. This time, Wolverine found himself slipping down the side of the statue's head. He stuck his claws in the ear to stop himself from falling, nearly impaling Jean in the face.

Thinking his opponent had fallen, Sabertooth turned away and jumped back into the hole where the X-Men were still held captive. He leaned in close to Storm.

"You owe me a scream," he growled, stroking her face with one finger.

Wolverine landed behind him, drawing his attention away from her. "Hey, bub. I'm not finished with you yet."

Suddenly, the flame of the torch exploded, revealing a screaming Rogue and an activated conversion machine.

"Rogue!" Cyclops yelled, struggling to break free while keeping his eyes closed.

Jean locked eyes with Wolverine, who was holding Cyclops' visor.

"Scott," she said, "when I tell you, open your eyes."

He stopped struggling. "No!" he protested.

"Trust me!" she said urgently.

"You drop something?" Wolverine taunted Sabertooth, holding up the visor. He let go of it, and it began floating.

Before Sabertooth could do anything, Jean telekinetically pulled the visor towards her and Cyclops, angling it so that it faced Sabertooth. "Now!"

Cyclops opened his eyes, and the optic blasts shot out through the angled visor, blasting Sabertooth off of the Statue of Liberty and onto the boat the Brotherhood had stolen to get to the Statue.

Magneto, who had been resting from the effect of Rogue's powers, saw this and gritted his teeth.

Jean placed Cyclops' visor back on his face as Wolverine freed the X-Men.

"Thanks," Cyclops said to Wolverine, who nodded.

"Don't mention it."

And there's Chapter Ten! The battle is almost over!

I hope the way I wrote Rogue's moment of weakness was okay. I did promise that she would toughen up in the sequel, but there was a small moment in the first movie I liked, where she tried to be brave on the way to the Statue of Liberty, but then later she's crying and screaming for help again. Like I said in the first chapter (lol, I feel like I can't stress this enough), the way she acted in the first movie made sense, seeing as she's a young girl with dangerous powers that prevent her from getting close to anyone, and now she believes she has no way out, no chance of escaping. Wouldn't you feel the same way if you were in her place?