Chapter 11: The Cure

For days, I sat atop that rafter, watching mutants appearing and disappearing, each reporting the same thing. Many of the mutants who had taken the cure in its early stages were finding that it was wearing off, their mutations coming back full force and violently within a few weeks, to a couple of months depending on their class, Mystique was obviously one of them, as I watched her over the few days slowly regaining control over her ability with guidance from Pyro.

Although the kid was ruthless with other mutants, frying those that disappointed him without a second thought, he showed a side that I would never have thought could come from him after I watched him with Juggernaut, a certain compassion for the ill-stricken shapeshifter, pushing her only as far as he thought she could go. I could recognize some of the teachings of the professor in his sessions with her, repeating basic rules of control in my head as he went over them with her again.

Just as I started to feel week from lack of food and water, and was dozing into a much needed nap, a crash wrenched me back to consciousness, nearly causing me to slide off the rafter. Juggernaut walked in, a bloody mess dripping from beneath his helmet, and an unconscious figure thrown over his shoulder. He threw the unconscious form onto one of the pews, roughly, and its head lolled toward me, eyes closed and a nasty gash across his forehead. It was Magneto.

Pyro stood, watching Juggernaut as he moved away from the body and toward the desk, removing his helmet, revealing a piece of cloth wrapped crudely around his bloody head. Pyro seemed speechless as he looked from Juggernaut to Magneto and back again.

"What happened?" Pyro asked, moving over to Magneto's side, checking his pulse and his breathing, and, once he was convinced he was alive, standing and looking at Juggernaut.

"The old bastard tried to kill me! Threw a one ton steel beam at me before I even had my helmet on! So...I threw it back." He chuckled, "He couldn't control his powers well enough to stop it, I guess." The giant said, removing the rag from his head and mopping some blood up from over his eye and throwing it across the room and into the shadows. Pyro smirked and walked up to Juggernaut, who backed away a couple of steps, directly into a corner.

"Juggernaut, my friend. I thought I told you not to hurt him?" He said, a fireball scorching into existance in his hand.

"Aww, c'mon, I didn't hurt 'im." He pleaded nervously, his eyes locked on the fireball. Pyro was smart though, staying back just far enough to have time to react if Juggernaut tried to rush him.

"Did it hurt you when he threw that beam at you?" Pyro asked, a sweet smile on his face. The towering man nodded slowly.

"Like hell," He said, pointing to the huge gash across his forehead.

"Then don't you think it hurt him when you THREW IT BACK?" He screamed, the sweet smile leaving his face, a look of anger replacing it. The fireball in his hand grew larger and he advanced a step on Juggernaut, who was now pressing himself so hard against the wall, I could see a dent forming in the metal. Suddenly the fireball snuffed out, a trail of smoke snaking to the ceiling, and Pyro moved back over to Magneto, his eyes in the shadows. "He found him, Mystique." The woman moved from the shadows, much easier than she had a few days ago, remaining in her blue appearance the whole time, she stood over the old man, who slowly began to stir. Even as he did, I could feel a magnetic vibration rush through the room, sending shivers down my spine.

"Eric," She said, bringing herself down to his level as he sat up slowly. He reeled back in surprise.

"Mystique, my dear," He said, his powerful, commanding tone giving way to a nervous twitter. She smiled and reached out to caress his face, just as her hand touched him, she jerked it in a sharp smack across his cheek.

"How dare you leave me to die," She snapped angrily, standing and turning her back on him. She spoke to the desk. "But I suppose you've paid your dues." She sighed. Magneto didn't respond, only rubbed his jaw, grimacing, I supposed he probably had a major headache.

"Welcome back to the Brotherhood, Magneto." Pyro said with a smile, Magneto stood slowly, making his way back to his desk, but Pyro beat him there. "There's just been, a few minor little changes," He said, his eyes flashing with fire. "I'm in charge now."


My legs were stiff from being in liquid form for so long, as I sprinted back to the mansion, aborting my mission. There was no way I was going to try it alone, especially with Pyro and the Juggernaut protecting him. I did know one thing, I had to warn the rest of the X-Men, regardless of what had happened, I had to let them know that the brotherhood was rising again, with Pyro in charge.

Kailynn was sitting on the front porch of the mansion as I approached, my chest heaving from running for so long, I had been gone at least a week, but never once thought if anyone here was worrying about me. I skidded to a halt in front of her, a guilty look crossing my face.

"Hermes!" She said, jumping to her feet and hugging me tightly, pulling away to look at me, a wide grin crossing her face, and then pulling me back into the embrace. I welcomed it, hugging back, when all of a sudden she pushed me back and slapped me hard across the face. "Don't you ever make me worry like that again!" She yelled, then grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the mansion as though nothing had ever happened. "C'mon, some people want to see you."

She only managed to pull me a few steps before I pulled away and stopped her, looking solemnly to her.

"Have to see Storm, she's the only one I want to see, then I'm leaving again." I said, and she smiled.

"Trust me, you won't want to leave after this." She said taking my hand again, and pulling me into the mansion. We darted through halls, past students and up a set of stairs, crashing loudly without knocking through a set of double doors. Storm sat behind a desk, Wolverine in a chair in front of it, both looking as though they had just finished a heated conversation, but a twinkle in their eyes nonetheless.

"Hermes, by the Goddess!" Storm said, rushing over to me and dropping to her knees to hug me. I hugged back, a little confused, I could have sworn that they all hated me. None of them stopped him when Wolverine tried-

"Listen, kid, this ain't easy for me to say, but, I'm sorry," He spat, wrenching me from my thoughts, and standing over Storm and I, a solemn look on his face. Kailynn wore a broad grin, one so large she could barely keep her lips closed.

"I'm sorry too, but wait a second here, guys, I don't have good news." I said, pushing Storm away slightly.


"And so, Magneto's back and Pyro won't relinquish control." I finished recounting the last week of information to them.

"Well, we already knew 'bout the cure," Wolverine said, "The news is full of reports of mutants just exploding destructively and uncontrollably." He said, "And Rogue..." he finished, trailing off.

"What about her" I asked, remembering her smile, wishing I had been able to say 'goodbye' before I left.

"She got the cure, right before Alcatraz," the weather witch cut in, "And her power started to come back while she was playing some kind of clapping game with Jubilee the other day. She's in the infirmary, hasn't been conscious for at least two days."

"Oh my, Jubilee." I breathed, I hadn't even said goodbye to her. My eyes fell to the floor, and I shook my head.

"Jubilee will be fine," A familiar voice sounded behind me, like one out of a dream. I noticed the twinkle in Storm's eyes and the smile growing on her face. She mouthed the word 'surprise' as I whirled around. In the doorway stood, or sat rather, the Professor, looking much younger and completely healthy. My mouth fell agape, and I froze.

"P-professor?" I said, feeling a sense of Deja Vu.