WARNING:
Some readers may find this chapter upsetting due to some graphic bits in it and some references to certain, historical events.
I want to make it clear that it was never my intention to offend anyone and if you find this upsetting I'm deeply sorry. This is purely a work of fiction and my intention was to challenge and maybe educate.
-
"You should save your energy if you hope to survive tonight." Magneto suggested, as if it was helpful.
The pain of the inhibitor quickly subsided, so she was able to catch his advice. However, she didn't notice the huge figure looming above her. Magneto walked towards the front of the boat, leaving her alone with Sabretooth. She recognised him quickly, remembering how she flung the huge, imposing man across the bar. His dark eyes bore into her as he walked over and knelt beside her. "You've made me chase you around for long enough." With a toothy grin he leaned forward and sniffed her hair and...moaned. "If you survive tonight, you'll be mine."
Ignoring the pounding in her chest, she sneered at him. "I kicked yer ass when I was blind drunk, what d'ya reckon will happen if I'm sober?" she said more confidently than she felt.
Sabretooth smirked. "Even if you did, I'd jump back up again." He stood up to his full length, his large form filling up the boat. "Anything for you, angel."
The boat jolted abruptly, hitting the pier but Sabretooth stood like a statue, still leering at her. Magneto walked through again followed by a very strange looking woman. She was blue...and butt naked. Her skin was covered in feather like scales and her bright orange hair was cut short. Magneto did certainly keep some strange company.
"Put her in the machine." He told Sabretooth. "I'll lift it up."
Sabretooth grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her up. He dragged her on to the deck of the boat. The wind was picking up unexpectedly, tugging loose a tarpolin that covered a huge object. Dragging her along he tore it off, revealing a strange looking machine. Seeing him occupied Evie gave him a quick, nasty kick in the nuts. He grunted. His grip loosened on her. She took her chance and twisted her arm before making a dash for it.
Her legs took her off boat and onto Liberty Island. She didn't get too far before the collar pulled on her neck. It refused to move from its spot and she was trapped within it. From behind her she heard Magneto mutter as Sabretooth angrily strode up to her.
He had recovered quickly and simply 'walked off' the kick Evie gave him. When he reached her he back handed her across the cheek. She stumbled but didn't cry out. Sabertooth reached out and grabbed her arm. When he had a firm grip on her, Magneto released his grip on the metal collar and Sabretooth dragged her back to the boat. His grip on her was much tighter and Evie felt her cheek burn.
She was dragged back to the machine. The cover was now off it completely, so when Evie got a good look at it, her blood went cold.
It was very strange, but she instantly recognised some of it. It was formed of a huge glass cylinder, big enough to fit several people inside. Around it were three, large metal arms. On top was a huge, dish, similar to a satellite dish.
Evie eyes widened as she recognised the dish on top, but she didn't understand it's purpose here. Magneto noticed her expression and smiled. "So you've seen this before." He said.
She nodded slowly. "They used it to find and activate my mutant gene." She said quietly, trying to push out the memories.
"Well we wont be using it to find any mutant gene. It will create the mutant gene." Magneto explained, making Evie look at him with a disgusted look on her face. He was playing god. "With your help of course."
Suddenly she was thrown into the machine and locked inside. All at once the machine lifted up with her inside. She stumbled and fell, watching as she drifted through the air. Down below her Mystic, Sabertooth and Magneto got smaller and smaller, with the latter holding out his arm as he easily raised the machine to the top of the Statue of Liberty. She moved past the folds of her robe, over the tablet in her arm and across the statues detailed face. Just as Evie thought she'd float up forever she was lowered to the top of the torch and with a bump the machine stopped and rested.
Evie paced inside her glass prism like a wild animal. She could see the whole of New York in all it's darkness and bright, unnatural lights. The skyscrapers were lit up in an array of colours, shining a rainbow across the sea. Slowly it began to fade as a fog swiftly covered the harbour.
A weight of dread and panic seized Evie. She had been in this situation before; on the edge of a horrific disaster and forced to watch it. She had no power to stop it before, but this time she might. God only knows what Magneto's plan was and what he wanted from her, but she sure as hell wasn't going to give it to him willingly.
-
Logan tugged at the suit around his crotch. He had been forced to wear one of the dumbass 'X-Men suits' and if truth be told, it was a little tight.
To be perfectly honest, this whole thing was pretty damn ridiculous. Following Xavier's instructions himself, Rouge, Storm, Jean and Cyclops got into the 'Blackbird' and took off to Liberty Island. He would never admit it but he was not a fan of flying let alone Cyclops landing skills.
Once they were at lady Liberty's feet Cyclops quickly spotted the machine on top of the torch, but it was too far to see it in detail. All they had to do was reach it.
Evidently that was easier said than done. As soon as they entered the statue the Brotherhood showed themselves. Magneto had some strange friends. A green tinted fella with a long tongue and blue scaly woman with a strange identity disorder. They were prepared for the X-Men and one by one kept them indisposed. Logan knew they were simply stalling so they had to be despatched quickly.
It wasn't like any cage fight so he had to rely on his wit to pass the obstacle. The shape-shifter gave him a run for his money, but she hadn't accounted for his sense of smell. When she approached him in the guise of Storm he promptly stabbed her.
He left the strange blue woman on the floor with three nasty wounds. Using his heightened senses he located the rest of the team.
When he pulled a door open Cyclops made a move to blast him.
"Hey! Hey it's me!" Logan called out.
"Prove it." Cyclops demanded, finger still on his visor.
"You're a dick."
A loud crash sounded behind them. Rogue lifted up a heavy figure of Liberty with ease, showing her superhuman strength. She helped Storm get onto her feet. "Put ah cork in it the two of you. We got us a job t'do! " Rogue barked out, earning an appreciative nod from Jean.
With no time to waste the X-Men raced up the statue. As they reached the top of Liberty's head they felt the wind blow through a hole torn in the metal. Through that hole they saw the machine. It was like an oversized test tube. Evie was inside it.
Rogue stared at the unusual view, watching the girl pace in her glass cage. "Summit tells me tha' gal's got a taste for trouble."
Suddenly Logan felt his body stop and root itself to the spot. "Everybody get out of here."
"What's wrong?" Jean asked, concerned.
"I can't move."
Against his will, his body rotated like a dervish and was thrown against a wall.
All at once brass supports tore themselves from Liberty's head. Cyclops blasted a couple of them, but soon the X-Men were restrained against the brass walls. Cyclops and Jean are pinned facing each other, Rouge and Logan next to each other and Storm between them all.
Silently Magneto levitated into Liberty's cranium, enjoying the grand entrance. "My brothers. Welcome." His eyes narrowed as they landed on Logan. "And you. Let's point those claws of yours in a safer direction, shall we?"
He could only watch as him arms folded themselves against his chest. Brass band wrapped them in place.
A heavy thud filled the room as Sabertooth landed behind Magneto. "You'd better close your eyes." The old man warned as the feral mutant charged forward and removed Cyclops visor.
"Storm. Fry him." He ordered with his eyes squeezed shut.
"Oh yes. A lightning bolt into a big copper conductor. I thought you were teachers." Magneto mocked. "Now if you'll excuse me-"
"Don't do this." Jean pleaded, trying to reason with the supervillian.
"Why can none of you understand what I'm trying to do?" He asked, turning to them. "Those people down there control our fates and some of them are not worthy enough." He explained as if it was the plainest thing in the world. "Well after tonight our fight will be theirs."
Without another word he levitated himself up and out of the statue's head.
Wildly Logan's eyes shifted around. He looked behind him and suddenly unsheathed his claws, roaring in pain. The metal sliced into his chest, through his lungs and cut the brass bindings. He fell to the floor, feeling his lungs burn and fill with blood.
"Logan!" Rogue cried out.
-
"Logan!"
Evie's head snapped to the cry. She saw a large hole in the head of Liberty and through that were figures. They were here! The X-Men! Relief and joy washed over her like a soft, ocean wave. They were here to save her.
She watched as Logan appeared. He landed onto the top of Liberty's head, but was followed by Sabertooth himself. They fought like wild animals. The Wolverine used his claws to slash and stabbed the mutant as Sabertooth threw him around. He flew and spun around a point of the crown. Roaring the Wovlerine charged at his opponent, but was thrown off the statue. Despair filled Evie as he disappeared from her sight.
Then Magneto floated into view. Lightly he stepped onto the torch. When he looked at her Evie noted that his eyes were full of pity. It was then she realised he wholly believed in his cause, no matter what it costed either of them. "I'm sorry, my dear."
Evie shook her head, struggling to speak over the lump in her neck. "This isn't the answer."
With a flick of his hand the collar around her neck unlatched and dropped to the floor. Her powers flooded back and she instantly felt her body throb with energy. Her heart raced as she looked around her. The three metal bars around the glass case were in fact magnets and they tugged at her powers.
Slowly Magneto raised his arm and the magnets began to move. Gradually they span around her.
The blood in her pulsated and surged throughout her body, charging her with energy. Evie tensed, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. She felt the power flow through her, invigorating her and awakening senses she didn't know she had.
Realising she was fighting him Magneto sped up the magnets, bent on drawing out her strength. The girl fell to her knees and hugged herself. Her flesh was crawling with raw power, searching for some way to leak out.
"Why are you protecting them?" Magneto called out over the whir of his machine. "After everything they have done, why are you protecting them?"
She could sense the anger in his voice, but was unable to answer for fear of loosing it. All her strength and will was put into keeping control. But as the machine picked up speed, it became harder and harder to hold on.
"They took your freedom. They stripped you of your dignity, your identity." The man yelled at her, pulling on the raw emotions she kept locked away. "You were starved and forced into slavery."
Evie sobbed, feeling her strength waver. Her power leaked and scattered across her body. Desperate for something to hold onto she gripped her hair.
"When I came to liberate you they had thousands of you in chains, digging mass graves for your fallen brothers and sisters."
Stop it. Stop please stop! Evie pleaded silently. She shook her head over and over, trying to ignore his voice. Tears poured down her face and pain filled her chest. She struggled to breathe.
"Instead of letting you go they destroyed everything. The torture rooms, the gas chambers. Even the children's barracks."
"STOP!"
She screamed. Her strength failed at last. Barrage of emotion and power was unleashed. Rage, grief and pain consumed her, fuelling all her electrifying power. The memories she sealed away flashed before her eyes;
Her violent capture and agonising journey to Swindon Camp. How they stripped her and marked with a number before they tore away her identify. The barracks full of terrified people, wearing collars to make them powerless. Each of them had been dehumanised, forced to wear matching grey clothes. Everyone was forced into hard labour on a barely existent diet. If anyone had fallen sick or proved too weak to work they were taken away for some kind of testing. Hers had been the gas chamber... She remembered how it burned her nose and throat and rendered her blind from tears. Her eyes stung and her felt like they were being torn apart. Fifty of them went in and only she survived. She stood alone in a chamber full of lifeless bodies. Blood had poured out of their eyes and nose. As punishment, they made her and a few others dig mass graves. That was when Magneto arrived in a blaze of glory. Their captures response was to destroy everything. When the chains had fallen off of her she ran to the children's barracks to save the one person she swore to protect. But before she even reached the fence the building blew up, throwing her at a huge distance. She was shocked. Her ears rang and her wits left her. Someone grabbed her and dragged her onto an aircraft carrier along with a few survivors. She vaguely remembered Magneto mournfully walking amongst them, giving orders to his accomplices. Several hours later the plane landed in America and they were all released with civilian clothes and some money. From there on Evie made her long, arduous trek to Canada. -
"Hey, bub." Logan dropped down behind Sabertooth whilst he was distracted. "You dropped something." He held out the visor in his hand. In the blink of an eye it flew towards Cyclops. He opened his eyes and his laser beam refracted and shot directly into Sabretooth. He was thrown through the cheek of Liberty and fell.
Not waiting to hear him land, Logan cut loose the others. They all looked up at the machine and saw it working. Evie was on her knees, screaming as the machine absorbed her powers. Electricity danced around her. The radioactive energy of the machine began to spread around them, reaching out across the harbour.
"It's killing her," Jean told them with a tremor in her voice.
Cyclops cursed. "We gotta get her out of there."
Logan glanced at Cyclops "Can you shoot it?"
"The rings are too fast. I'll kill her."
Rogue stepped forward. "Ah' can get up there but ah' can't stop the machine."
"Then take me. If I can't stop the machine you can still blast the damn thing." Logan said.
Cyclops looked at Logan and made his decision. "All right. Storm, you get up there too."
Rogue put her hands under Logan's arms and lifted him up. "Come on sugar." Gracefully she glided up to the torch, carrying the man with ease. Storm followed behind them, ready to support them.
Once high enough, she dropped the man. He landed beside the machine and unsheathed his claws. As soon as he moved to cut it, Magneto used his powers to hold onto him and root him in place.
Instantly, Cyclops fired a laser beam at the villain. He fell to the floor.
In a blink Logan's claws slashed through the spinning machine and it fell apart around him. The light vanished.
Silence fell over the statue as Logan leaned over Evie's still form. She lied on the floor, completely still. He pulled her into his arms and held her head close to him, waiting to hear her breathe. "Come on darling," he whispered, shaking her gently. He could see the colour draining from her.
Rogue and Storm landed beside him.
"She's not breathing," Logan choked out, feeling a painful lump in his throat. He looked up at them for help, but saw the sorrow in them instead.
His eyes widened at he looked at Storm. "Shock her," he said, lying Evie on the floor.
"What?" Storm asked, confused.
"Shock her, it's her only chance." He all but yelled, grabbing her hand and forcing it onto Evie's chest.
She understood and placed her hand in the centre of her chest. She pushed out a small bolt of lightening that penetrated Evie. She jolted for a moment, but made no other move.
"Again." Logan ordered.
Storm did so, but nothing happened.
"Again!"
Reluctantly she gave a more powerful strike that was absorbed throughout Evie's body. Suddenly the girl flinched and gasped, sucking in a small amount of air. Her eyes widened in shock as her lungs struggled to contract.
"That's it. Breathe, darling, breathe." Logan whispered pulling her into his arms.
-
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I put a lot of work into it. Please oh please let me know what you think of it and share this with your friends!
I haven't had a comment in a while so I'm wondering if ya'll still enjoying this?