CHAPTER 12: Interlude- Days of Future Now

Addison Santiago- Dawid Auguscik (17)

Clarice "Blink" Ferguson- Gemma Ward (20)

Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr- (older) Clive Owen (78)

I crouched down low behind some wooden crates, the harsh smell of old fish and dirty seawater pervading my senses, making me want to gat. Midnight was ten minutes away and my leather jacket did nothing to stave off the cold wind that had settled in. I was nervous. For all I know, this could all be some elaborate trap by the government to lure unsuspecting, needy mutants into some Mutant X experiment or something. I was taking a huge risk.

3 days ago, I thought leaving the only place I'd called home since being institutionalized because a guy had broken my heart. It all sounded so trivial and over the top but I was still reeling from the death of one friend and the dismissal of another. The time apart only made matters worse; I hated Piotr more than ever did before and whenever I thought about Sarah, I wanted to punch something in frustration.

I heard a sound to my left, causing me to cower closer to the shadows. The air coming from the water brought a healthy dose of reality, bringing me back to the task at hand. I was huddled on New York Harbor, my knees wet from kneeling on the damp wood as I waited for some indication this was where I was meant to be. A heavy fog had drifted over the pier, making the whole situation seem so much more ominous and cloak-and-dagger.

I could feel the ground vibrate as a nearby Sentinel stalked the street, searching for any mutant it could find. I'd been hiding from them for the last half hour after leaving the grungy motel I'd been staying at the last 3 days. They scared me honestly. In the suburbs of Westchester, the Sentinels weren't an issue but now that I was out here alone with no means of protection, I was worried.

Ok, Frank said, startling me and making me nearly jump out of my skin. I cased the joint and we seem to be the only ones here.

"Shit Frank!" I said in an angry whisper. "You scared me half to death!"

Sorry dude! He responded apologetically. I'll do another sweep.

The minutes ticked by slowly, time slowing down to a crawl as each minute seemed like a countdown to my execution. I glanced at my phone, the illuminated screen telling me it was 11:59. I leaned back against the crate, my head hitting the wood with a muted thump.

Is this really what I should be doing? I asked myself. Was I running from my past or towards my future?

I didn't have time to think about this when there was a shift in the air and I felt my ears pop. A bright pink light to my left illuminated the dock in a cerise glow. I crawled to the edge of the crate, peeking out of the side. As the light dispersed, a girl stood on the edge of the dock. She was very pretty girl in a pair of jeans and a green knit sweater. I could instantly tell the girl was a mutant. She had pink skin and short magenta hair, cut shorter on the sides and messy up top. Her bright green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the dock, only heightening her otherworldliness. She crossed her arms, scanning the pier impatiently.

I watched for about five minutes as she stood there, too afraid to move. I was always the one up for adventure, always the one willing to be a little reckless but for some reason, I couldn't move. The girl turned towards the water, a needle of pink light glowing in her hand. As she threw the light into the air, a circle of swirling pink light hovered in the empty space. She began walking towards the light but before she could reach it, I was standing in front of her and my lips were moving. I wasn't even aware I had moved but suddenly I was staring at her confused face.

Up close, she appeared a little older than I had first thought and I guessed she had to be a few years older than me. I could also now see the purple markings on her face-a diamond at the center of her brow, two triangles above her left eyebrow, and a long slash over her right eye. The combination made her seem that much more beautiful and exotic.

"Wait!" I said in a rush. "You can't leave. This guy named John gave me this flyer at a carnival and told me that I should come here and I have this paper."

I bent over, rummaging around in my duffel bag searching for the flyer but in my haste, I couldn't find it.

"Hey!" She said finally, a bemused expression on her face. "It's cool. I'm Clarice and you are…?"

"Addison." I said, zipping my bag and looking at her awkwardly. "So…"

"So walk through the portal." She said, stepping aside.

I took a deep breath as I stepped towards the swirling portal and with one last fleeting glance at Sarah, I stepped into the portal.

I expected some gut wrenching feeling or some sense of vertigo or something but it wasn't like that. One minute I was on the dock, the next I was standing on a beach, the sound of the wave filling my ears. Just like that. Instantly, I felt Frank's presence next to me. The beach seemed dark and mysterious in the midnight light.

I stared in front of me at the line of tall trees along the shoreline. I didn't know what I was waiting for, maybe some divine sign that let me know I was supposed to be here. My instincts were all up in the air and I couldn't pinpoint really what I felt at the moment. I stepped towards the tree line but before I could get more than five feet, a figure suddenly appeared before me. I knew who it was. I had seen his posters littering the city, saw his random televised announcements and his name was casually thrown about the walls of the Institute like volleyball.

It was Magneto.

But his image flickered slightly as he stood before us, making me aware that he wasn't actually here. He was wearing an expensive looking suit that was perfectly tailored to him, his white hair style immaculately. For a man who was reportedly almost in his 80s, he actually looked quite handsome and strong. Magneto adjusted his red tie against his throat before placing his left hand in his pocket.

"Hello brother." The hologram said with a smile. "The life you once had is officially over. No longer will you have to hide who you are. No longer will you have to worry about the Sentinels. No longer will the government be able to dictate your future."

The hologram turned to face the tree line before turning back to me.

"Welcome brother." He said with a flourish of his arm.

"Welcome to Genosha."