Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Marvel; all rights belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 19
Prison Break Part 2
Xavier Institute, Twenty Years Ago
"I can't believe you Charles!" Moira screamed. Beside her stood her current lover and fiancé, Sean Cassidy. The Irish man glared daggers at the current source of their rage. One Charles Xavier.
Charles looked up at the two from across his desk and scowled at them. "What can't you believe Moira? That I dared to do it? Or why I did it?"
"We know why you self-righteous fuck!" Sean shouted with anger burning in his eyes. To his credit, Xavier remained calm and simply glared back at the two with cold fury.
"How could you?!" Moira screamed, pleading for an answer.
"How could I?" Charles asked with barely retrained rage. "HOW COULD I?!" The telepath leapt from his seat, knocking back his chair as he pointed an accusing finger at the two people he once called friends.
"You two went behind my back! You could've at least looked me in the eye when you decided to sleep together behind my back!"
"How dare you!" Moira screamed back. "How dare you stand there and lecture us about something like this! You of all people emphasize restraint when you read our minds! And worse, you tried to rewrite our memories! If it hadn't been for the telepathic scramblers I made, then you and I would've woken up in bed today!"
Charles stood in front of the two with an enraged look on his face. His hands balled up into fists and Sean took a step forward. "I'd back off right now if I were you, mate." The Irish mutant growled.
Charles glare intensified. "You're really trying to force me on this, aren't you?"
"Please, Chuck." Sean muttered as he glared at his one-time friend. "Don't pretend that it's hard to push people away. You did it to Erik and Raven just fine."
Charles stared at the man in shock. Moira looked away from the scene and thumbed the small hearing aid attached to her ear. She ran her finger across the scramblers side and felt the small vibration it was making. Reassured that it was active, she turned back to the two men who hadn't stopped there glaring.
"I did what I could for them Sean." Xavier said.
Sean laughed a bitter laugh. "Please. We were all there in the Savage land, mate. And you did more for Raven behind close doors then you did for Erik. And then you decided to ditch her. Then you told Erik off."
"And I remember the both of you siding with me." Charles growled. "We all knew what he was doing was wrong."
"Did you think that when you made those drugs?" Moira asked. "We made a power boosting drug that destroyed Rick!"
"I believe it was only after Mr. Gibson's death that you decided to stop the research of the drug." Charles warned darkly. "I told both you and Eric of the side-effects. I was able to resist only through sheer force of will and I warned you that others wouldn't be able to do it!"
"Ya always gotta be right, don't you?" Sean asked with a frown. "Because I think that it was your idea to experiment with that compound in the first place ya bloody bastard!"
"I did it to try and save our species!"
"You sound just like Eric!" Moira screamed.
Charles snapped. The air around him rippled before a blast of telekinetic force sent Moira flying back.
"Gah!" She cried out as she hit the wall and tumbled to the ground.
"MOIRA!" Sean screamed. He whirled around to glare at Charles with a ferocious look of sheer rage. "You fuckin' BASTARD!" he screamed. A blast of pure sonic force erupted from his throat, blasting Xavier back and shattering the glass in the office.
The desk behind Xavier blew apart under the force of the blast. Xavier smashed into the wall behind him, denting it before he collapsed to the ground.
Sean ran over to Moira and helped her stand. The two glared at the bald mutant before walking to the door. They opened it and prepared to exit. "Sean…Moira…" The two turned to see Xavier slumped against the wall, glaring at them with a look of betrayal.
"If you walk out that door…" he breathed, "don't ever come back…"
"Funny Charles," Moira said. "We have the same thought." With that said, the two left the study, leaving Xavier alone in his home.
The two walked out of the house and onto their lawn, heading towards their car. Sean opened the door for Moira to enter. He took one last look at the mansion owned by the man who was once a trusted friend.
"Sean?" Moira asked as she saw her fiancé's vacant look. The Irish mutant sighed before looking down at the woman he loved.
"Remember when we juggled around the idea of starting a school here?" he asked. Moira nodded her head but looked away from the building.
"Yeah…it was a nice dream…too bad Charles made us wake up."
"Who says we still can't dream, love? Why does Charles have to ruin our lives? We can still start a school. We'll just start it on our own."
"I don't know, Sean…it just seems…" her sentence was stopped when the man cupped her chin and pulled her into a kiss. Moira was surprised but quickly kissed him back. The two reluctantly parted as Sean continued to speak.
"Come on, love. When Have I ever been wrong?"
Moira smiled before answering. "Numerical or alphabetical?"
"Just promise me you'll think about it."
"I will if you get in the car and drive." Moira responded with a grin. Sean Grinned back before hopping into the drivers seat and taking off down the road, leaving a trail of exhaust in their wake.
A single figure watched the two drive away as he floated in the sky. Erik Lehnsherr landed on the front lawn, his brown trench coat billowing behind him. He watched the car speed off into the distance, finally vanishing behind the tree line.
Erik strode past the doors, using his powers to push them open. He walked inside to see the entire building was almost completely deserted. He looked around for any sign of Tessa or Fred Duncan, but he saw no sign of them.
He walked down the halls, looking for anyone, and he finally stopped in front of the study of one Charles Xavier. He used his powers to open the lock and push the door inward.
Xavier was currently cleaning up the mess Sean had made with the use of his own telekinetic abilities. Erik saw wood float off to a corner as the various pens, papers and books were reorganized on a nearby coffee table.
"I take it your…discussion with Sean and Moira didn't go so well." Erik muttered as he stood near the door. To his credit, Xavier wasn't startled at all when he heard his former friend. He sighed and allowed the last book to float into his hands before he looked up at the master of magnetism.
"No…it didn't." He sighed. He tossed the book aside, allowing it to bounce on the couch. Magneto glanced at the book to see it was Frankenstein. Erik entered the room and picked up the novel.
"I always liked this book." He said. Xavier said nothing as he rubbed his brow. Erik continued. "I always thought that the monster was the true protagonist. Not Frankenstein."
"Is it because you fancy yourself the monster, Erik?" Charles asked. "Or because of you're wanting to be god? Or maybe it's the fact that you enjoyed the suffering you caused so many!"
Erik tossed the book aside as he stared at his old friend. "Much like the monster I'm a product of my creator. And that would be the cancer known as mankind."
"What do you want Erik?" Xavier finally asked. He was done beating around the bush. He just wanted to get the day over with. He cared not for any grand speeches or justifications. He just wanted it to end.
"What do I want? I wanted a friendly conversation. I wanted my friends to stand by my side as I created a world for mutant-kind. A world where my children could walk down the street and not be persecuted!"
"So genocide is your answer?!"
"It wasn't a plan for genocide!"
"Who are you trying to fool?!" Charles screamed. "Me?! Or yourself?! You were amassing an army!"
"I was taking precautions! I didn't want a war!"
"You wanted an extinction!" Charles ranted. "You wanted to build a military force in the Savage Land! You wanted an army to roll down the streets of the world waving the flag of Magneto! That is what you've taken to calling your self, isn't it?!"
"I'm taking a stand instead of hiding behind a façade, Charles! What have you accomplished?! You haven't even admitted to the world that you're a mutant! I decided to take a stand while you hide here, cowering in your home while mutant brothers and sisters are persecuted in the streets!"
"You're walking in the footsteps of some of the most tyrannical men in history! We're suppose to be the better men and you follow the paths set by people like Bin Laden, Stalin and Hitler!"
Erik snapped. The mention of that name sent him into a blind rage as he unleashed his powers in a massive burst of raw magnetic power.
The entire room exploded as the shockwave ripped through the wooden structure, shattering the nearby walls and shelves, leveling the entire west wing of the Xavier's Mansion.
"I'm just saying Sean…where are we going to get the facilities? The faculty? Hell, the funding?!"
"Let's take it one step at a time, love." The ginger said suavely. "I've still got some friends in Interpole that might be able to get us some funding and maybe a facility. Off the record of course."
"Is it anything shady?" Moira asked as she looked out her window at the trees rustling in the wind as the car whipped past them.
"Moira darling, when have I ever done anything sha—" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the deadpanned look his fiancé was giving him. "Fair point." He muttered.
Moira sighed and looked out her window to see her reflection in the side mirror. She also saw something that made her eyes widen.
"Sean! Stop the car!"
Sean hit the brakes, making the car skid across the road, stopping just short of sliding off the road and into the tree line. "Moira what the Hell?!" he shouted.
The woman said nothing as a panicked look crossed her face, she kicked open her door and sprinted out of the car. "Moira!" Sean shouted before opening his own door to give chase.
He stopped suddenly when he saw what Moira was staring at. His eyes were filled with fear as he saw smoke billowing from the direction of the mansion.
"Moira…" he muttered as his hands balled into fists. "Get in the car."
Erik coughed as his lungs expelled the smoke from his mouth. He crawled on the ground as he fought his way through the lingering fires that dotted the side of the house. He stumbled out of the hole he had made before collapsing on his knees.
He looked around at the devastation he had caused. The entire west wing of the house was missing and the center structure was barley supporting its own weight. He looked around to see debris everywhere.
"My god…I didn't mean to…" Erik slowly stood up as he saw the extent of what his rage unleashed. He looked around for any sign of Charles but saw nothing in view.
"Charles…" Erik muttered as he stumbled through the debris. "Charles!" he shouted. "CHARLES!"
He stumbled again, collapsing onto the ground in pain. "E-Erik…" Erik looked up from the ground. "Charles?" Erik looked around but saw no sign of the mutant telepath.
"Charles! Where are you?!" he screamed. He staggered to his feet and continued to walk through the devastation he had wrought. "Charles!"
"Erik…h-here…" Erik turned his head to see Charles, half buried beneath a pile of rubble. "Oh god…" Erik whispered in horror. He jogged towards his downed friend and knelt down next to him.
"Oh Charles…god I'm so sorry…I-I didn't mean to…" Charles groaned in pain, stopping Erik's words as he saw blood pooling from beneath the debris. "Just hold still, Charles."
Erik held out his hand and used the metal piped in the wall to lift the structure off his friend. He tossed the debris aside so he could tend to the injured mutant.
He lifted Charles off his back and dragged him back. He saw blood leaking from his back and gingerly laid him down.
The screeching of car tires alerted Erik to the arrival of Moira and Sean. He turned around to see his former friends sprinting from the vehicle.
"ERIK!" Moira screamed before she stopped short of the two. She took in the carnage that lay around them before her face contorted in rage. "What did you do?!" she shrieked.
"I didn't mean to…"
"Charles!" Sean shouted as he saw the bloodied form of his friend. "ya bastard…" he snarled.
Moira ran to Charles as Erik slowly stood up. "Sean…I can explain. I didn't me—"
"Charles!" Moira shouted as the psychic continued to bleed out onto the scorched grass. "You destroyed the house, Erik!"
"No! Its wasn't meant to be like this!" he pleaded.
"I've had it with you!" Sean screamed. "Everything that's happened here is your fuckin' fault! The calamity in the Savage Land! Rick's death! Raven's downward spiral! All of it! And I've had it!"
"Sean! NO!" Erik cried out. But it was too late. Banshee unleashed a massive scream of sonic energy that slammed into Magneto with the force of a bomb. The mutant terrorist was sent flying back where he smashed into a pile of rubble.
Magneto coughed in pain, spitting blood from his mouth. He looked up to see Banshee preparing another attack. Thinking quickly, Magneto sent several metal debris flying towards the mutant to deter him.
Sean fired off another blast of sonic energy, destroying the projectiles before they could hit him. Magneto wasn't done though he waved his hand, ushering a small set of metal pipes to coil around the mutant's leg.
Sean was pulled off hi feat by the metal snakes and dragged back as the pipes pierced his calf. "GAH!"
"ERIK! STOP!" Moira screamed.
Magneto didn't listen as he sent two more pipes to coil around the man's neck and arms, lifting him off the ground while strangling him.
"GRRK!" Sean grunted as he tried and failed to access his powers. Magneto tightened the hold the metal had over the Irish-man's throat.
'ERIK!' Charles screamed from his mind. Magneto turned to see his friend lying in the arms of his ex. His eyes were half closed as blood trickled down from a cut on his head.
'Please…don't do this…don't prove me right…' the man begged. Erik looked between his former friends, and the man he was strangling in the air. Magneto slowly released the hold he had on Sean's throat, and dropped him to the ground.
Sean coughed, grasping his leg and throat as he recovered from being both stabbed and strangled. Moira looked between her fiancé and Erik who slowly backed away from he group.
'I didn't want this to happen, Charles. Please…please understand me.' Magneto pleaded to his telepathic friend. Xavier nodded his head.
'I understand Erik…I do…I know you didn't want this war…but it's here…but please…please don't go through with it…don't become the monster you're trying to kill.'
"Goodbye…old friend." Erik whispered before he slowly rose in the air, and flew away.
Sean snarled as he put pressure on his leg wound and slowly limped towards his fiancé. "Moira…is he…" he asked, scared of what the response was.
"He's breathing…but losing blood…Sean, call an ambulance." Sean sprinted to the car to get his phone. Moira looked back down at the injured Xavier. "It's okay Charles, we're getting help…you're going to be fine…"
'M-Moira…I can't feel them…" Moira looked down at the telepath as he spoke to her with his powers.
"Charles?"
'I can't feel my legs…'
New York City, The Triskelion, Present
The entire battlefield fell silent at the arrival of the mutant master of magnetism. Magneto floated over the island as the hundreds of searchlights focused on him. His metallic armor glinted in the yellow light.
His eyes fell on the group of heroes and mutants below. "Xavier…" he muttered before his eyes trailed towards his children. "You both just had to be here." He whispered in irritation.
Xavier rolled past the stunned heroes. "Professor!" Hank shouted stopping his chair.
"Let me go, Hank!" He shouted. "I need to end this before this situation becomes worse! Now let me go!" Charles shouted, jerking his chair free of his friend's grasp.
"ERIK!" he screamed. Magneto looked down at the wheelchair-bound mutant. Magneto lifted the mutant off the ground, startling the man and forcing every member of both the Avengers and the X-Men to ready themselves for the inevitable fight.
'Don't make a move!' Charles ordered from his mind. His wheelchair floated closer to the mutant terrorist.
Pietro moved towards Captain America before speaking in a hushed whisper. "Cap, if he's here than that means we've got a fight on our hands."
"I've read his file. You think the Brotherhood's here?" Pietro turned to Wanda who shook her head. Cap saw the motion and nodded to the speedster. "Good. Handling him alone is gonna be hard enough. Think you can take him if we ground him?"
"I can." Wanda said as she looked up at her father and the hovering Xavier. "We just need to get him close."
"How do you know this will be a fight?"
The entire group turned to Wallflower who instantly regretted speaking. She took a step back before Elixir put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I think what she means is—"
"Kid." Logan muttered. "If Magneto's here, there's no room for negotiations. This is gonna be an all out smack down."
"I've got a shot." Cyclops said as he thumbed his visor. Jean placed a hand on his arm.
"Scott. Let the professor handle this. But don't lose that shot." She reaffirmed.
While the Avengers and X-Men spoke, Havok slowly stood with the help of Sunspot and Cannonball. "Bobby, Sam, if this goes south hit the skies and find Lorna."
"But what about-!"
"Dammit Bobby! Just find her and will hold them off!"
Unknown to all, a single figure kneeled on the edge of the Triskelion's main building. The towering structure loomed over the island like a watchtower. It provided the perfect vantage point for the sniper to set up shop.
He pulled off the backpack he wore and set it on the ground. The man pulled outs its contents and began assembling his rifle. His eyes darted between his work and the tense situation not even a mile away.
"Magnus…"Charles said as he faced his old friend. "Please…there's no need for this to escalate…we can settle this peacefully. We have it under control."
"Why do you think I'm here, Xavier?" he asked. The Professor looked puzzled for a moment. Then it hit him.
"You're here for the girl…you're here for Polaris." Magneto said nothing, confirming the man's suspicions. "Why? How does she factor into this?"
Magneto pulled Charles closer with his powers until he was right in front of him. He leaned over and whispered into Charles ear. Xavier's eyes widened in shock as the man pulled back.
"That is why, old friend. And now you know why I can't let you stop me." Without warning, Magneto dropped the professor. Xavier felt himself plummet as the X-Men watched in horror.
"NO!" Jean screamed, reaching out with her powers, catching her mentor in her telekinetic grip. Cyclops opened fire with his optic beams, ushering a crimson beam of energy towards Magneto who simply blocked it with his personal force field.
The crimson energy screeched over his protective bubble without so much as a scratch. Magneto glared at the X-Men before he raised his left hand. All around them, cars, jeeps, tanks and even the wrecked corpses of Sentinels rose form the ground under the magnetic influence of Magneto.
"Holy crap!" Wolfsbane shouted as she saw the metal debris crumple until they were the size of boulders. The objects flew higher into the air until they were right above the Triskelion.
"And now the skies will rain death upon you." Erik muttered. He released his hand and let the debris fall.
"Incoming!" Pietro screamed as the metal boulders plummeted down from the sky. The entire group scattered with Iron Man, Thor, and Captain Marvel taking to the skies.
"Storm! Take him out!" Cyclops shouted. The African mutant's eyes clouded over as storm clouds formed over the island. Lightning flashed as Storm flew into the air.
The sniper watched as the storm grew in size and power while debris still rained from the sky. He leveled his rifle on the building's edge as he propped open the balancing legs on the ledge. He focused his sights on his target before cocking the rifle.
The man slowed his breathing as he matched the sight of his weapon onto his target. He fingered the trigger as he awaited the order.
"Sir, I have a target."
"You have your orders, soldier. Kill 'em. It's time for SHIELD to see how dangerous mutants really are."
"Sir, yes sir." The sniper said as he pulled the trigger.
BANG!
"Guys we need to move!" Armor shouted as she shielded herself from the hail of shrapnel that exploded as the boulders hit the ground. Cannonball dragged a disoriented Wing off the ground and onto his feet.
"We should do something, right?!" Wolfsbane shouted before a powerful punch hit her in the back. "GAH!" she screamed. She stumbled forward as the members of the academy turned to her with looks of horror.
"Ow…she muttered while stumbling into Sunspot's arms. "T-that hurt…" she looked up at her boyfriend who looked down in terror.
"B-Bobby…kuf!" Wolfsbane coughed and tasted blood. She looked down at her chest to see a trickle of blood emerging from her sternum. "Oh…" she muttered.
Sunspot looked up in horror before screaming. "ELIXIR!" Josh sprinted towards them before he was tackled to the ground by a speeding grey blur, right before a bullet slammed into the ground behind them.
"Sniper!" Quicksilver screamed.
Armor moved in font of the team, shielding them from another shot that bounced off her psionic armor. Emma shifted into her diamond form as more bullets flew.
"Girls, get behind me!" Frost shouted at the Stepford Cuckoos. Multiple-Man dispatched a dozen dupes before one's head exploded from a gunshot.
"Holy Fuc-!" another dupe was silenced as a bullet tore his neck apart.
"Will someone take out that fucking sniper!" Quicksilver shouted.
Loki looked up to see a single glint of light from the roof of the Triskelion. "Gotcha." He said with a grin. A bullet tore through his chest as his body disappeared in a flash of green light.
The sniper saw his latest hit vanish in a flash of emerald light. "Teleporter?" he muttered.
"Something like that." The sniper rolled over on his back, brandishing his sidearm before opening fire on the trickster. Loki smirked as the bullets phased through his body and hit the wall behind him.
"Stay back!" he shouted.
BAMF!
Loki smirked before pointing his finger behind the man. "Tell him that." The sniper looked up to see Nightcrawler perching over him.
"Guten tag." The German said before stomping on the man.
"This ends now, Magneto!" Storm screamed as lightning erupted from the sky. Magneto shielded himself from the lighting as he glared at the weather manipulator.
"This doesn't concern you X-Man. Begone!" a fleet of shrapnel swarmed around the magnetic mutant before it shot towards the flying X-Man.
A tornado of wind knocked the blades of out the sky as a muscular figure flew next to Storm, hammer spinning like a windmill. Thor glared at Magneto who simply scowled in response.
"The sky-maiden speak truth, villain. This ends now!"
"A god's wrath has nothing on mine." Magneto snarled.
"And what about this!" iron Man screamed as a barrage of repulsor blasts slammed into Magneto' shield. The mutant master of magnetism simply frowned at Stark's attack.
"A man in a metal suit dares to attack the master of magnetism?" he said while waving his hand at the hero. His effort was wasted though as nothing happened.
"Clearly we've never met in person before. I'm Tony Stark. And you're the next guy the Avengers take down!" another volley of repulsors bombarded the mutant. "Jarvis, how are the magnetic shields holding up?"
"Shields are holding at more than nominal levels. Congratulation sir, you've made an anti-Magneto armor."
"Thank you." The genius said with a grin.
"Havok!" Cannonball shouted, pointing to a new problem. The team leader looked at where the teen was pointing to see another group of sentinels emerging from the Triskelion.
Triskelion, Command HUB
Marvin Flumm glared at his command screen in silent rage. The entire building was under attack by a pack of mutants and the Avengers had shown up to make everything worse for him.
"Sir," a tech said, gaining the man's attention. "the remaining sentinels have been deployed."
"Trigger the Pym-particles! I want them at 60-feet five minutes ago!" Flumm screamed.
"Yes sir." The tech responded before entering the commands.
The five sentinels marched forward until their cores began to glow yellow. The robots quickly doubled, then tripled in size until they were just a few stories short of the Triskelion itself.
"Mein Gott!" Kurt muttered as he saw the machines march forward with their weapons raised. "Maybe we need your brother here." Nightcrawler suggested.
Loki snorted before he concentrated. "He's not the only god here." The trickster opened his eyes to reveal glowing emerald orbs. Wisps of green energy emanated from his body until it centered near his chest.
"Hope they like snakes." he whispered with a twisted grin.
Havok got up fro the ground and stumbled forward. "N-need to get to Lorna…" he muttered.
"Alex!" Scott shouted as he saw his brother limping off towards the Triskelion. He turned to fire off another volley of optic blasts towards the massive sentinels.
"Iceman! Slow them down!" he screamed. Bobby nodded his head before he leapt forward, creating a massive sled of ice that pushed him into the air while he fired off several bolts of cryogenic energy the freeze the massive robots.
"They shot Rahne!" Roberto screamed in rage as his body began to burn. Josh ran towards him ushering Rahne onto the ground where he began to heal her.
"I'm gonna kill them!" Sunspot roared before shooting into the air.
"Right behind you!" Hellion screamed, followed shortly by Wind Dancer and Cannonball. "Guys! NO!" Elixir screamed.
"Those bloody fools!" Emma shouted as she ran over to her students while still in her diamond form. Northstar sped in front of her, kneeling down to look at Rahne's wounds.
''God…" he whispered as he saw the extent of the damage. "Emma." He said looking up at the woman.
"Get McCoy." She said. Northstar took off in a blur of movement. Frost turned to the Stepford Cuckoos. "Girls, you know I can't use my powers in diamond form, when Jean-Paul brings McCoy here, we'll need to link Josh's mind with his."
"What?!" Elixir shouted.
"It's the best way for you to heal injuries this severe! Now once he gets here, link all your minds to them."
"Yes Miss Frost." The girls said in unison.
Havok dashed across the battlefield, firing off blasts of plasma that bombarded the sentinels. He stopped for a moment to fire off another blast of energy before a yellow beam tore the machine in half.
Captain Marvel fired off another blast of energy that slammed a sentinel in the skull, causing into to stumble backwards.
Wanda smirked and her eyes glowed red. Strands of red energy arced off her body and into the ground right beneath the stumbling sentinel. The ground gave way beneath its foot, causing the machine to topple backwards.
The island shook as the machine crashed into the ground.
Cyclops looked at the downed machine and turned to Logan. "Wolverine! Take the downed one! Tear its head off and make sure it doesn't get back up!" Logan grunted before sprinting off to deal with the damaged robot.
Cyclops turned to see Havok running towards the Triskelion. "Dammit, Alex…Colossus!" The metal Titan turned to his leader who was pointing to the enraged plasma-wielder.
"Da." He said before he moved towards the younger of the brothers. Cyclops fired off another optic beam into the chest of another sentinel before Jean slammed it with a bolt of telekinetic force.
"Jean!" the redhead turned to see Cyclops pointing towards the AoT members battling a sentinel near the base of the Triskelion. "Stop them before they do more damage!" Jean nodded before she took off into the skies, streaking towards the enraged group of teens.
"Bobby!" Kitty shouted at Iceman who was dealing with another sentinel. The machine smashed through the walls of ice that the teen had erected to slow it down.
Iceman zipped over its shoulder, firing a stream of frost into its face, freezing the left side of its face. He glanced down to see Kitty waving at him. He slid down and grabbed her by the waist, bringing her up with him.
"Drop me on it!" she shouted.
"You sure?" Iceman shouted back. Kitty shook her head.
"No! But it's the best option we got!"
Bobby looked between her and the monstrous mecha they were sailing over. He then turned back to his girlfriend. "Give 'em Hell, Kitty cat."
Kitty smashed her lips against her boyfriends before breaking away and leaping off his sled. She went intangible as the sentinel tried to swat her. She phased through its body and into its core. Every time she phased through a mechanical part, it sparked and smoked as the device was shorted out.
The girl finally freed herself from the machine and phased out of its leg. She rolled on the ground and looked up to see the massive machine was sparking and smoking all over.
"Who's awesome?!" she shouted out.
Havok moved towards the entrance to the Triskelion before a shattered tank smashed into the entrance. Alex stumbled to a stop. He turned around to see Colossus marching towards him.
"You've done enough damage today little boy." He shouted as he stormed towards the man. Alex stood firm however and raised his hands, barraging the steel giant with a volley of plasma fire.
Colossus stomped forward before slamming his hands together. The sonic boom sent Havok flying back where he collided with a wall.
"GAH!" Colossus didn't waver as he walked towards the downed mutant until a glowing hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to see Armor glaring at him.
Without warning she slammed her fist into his face, knocking him back before she used both hands to slam him into the ground. Colossus snarled in rage before Armor lifted him up and hurled him across the ground. Colossu rose to his feet just as Armor charged him.
He intercepted her mid-tackle and lifted her into the air. "You have a fighter's spirit!" he shouted before slamming her into the ground, head first. "And a child's rage."
Hisako growled before her armor shifted form, going from a humanoid shape to that of a dragon. The monster lunged forward, tackling Colossus to the ground as she tried to bite him.
"Alex, I got this!" she shouted at the stunned mutant. "Go save her! Go save Lorna!"
Alex nodded his head before he rushed towards the entrance only to be hit with a blast of red energy. The optic blast hit his body but it did no damage. Alex stopped an turned around to see his brother glaring at him, his hand on his visor.
"DIE YOU FUCKS!" Hellion screamed as he unleashed a massive burst of telekinetic power onto the Sentinel, knocking it back. The machine recovered enough to raise its hand, preparing its palm-blaster for a shot before Cannonball shot through it like a missile, cutting the arm off the mechanical goliath.
Miniature hurricanes and massive fireballs hammered the damaged robot, courtesy of Wind Dancer and Sunspot respectively. Hellion gripped the machine with all his power and tore the robot's head clean off its body. He lifted the head into the air, aiming it at the Triskelion.
"Take this!" he hurled the projectile only for it to stop short and crumple up like paper.
"I think it's time you stopped." Jean Grey said as she hovered over the Triskelion protectively. "So knock it off, before I make you."
"You're gonna have to make us then!" Roberto roared before he shot off towards her. He fired off a volley of plasma fire that Jean deflected with her powers. She prepared herself for a mental onslaught before a gust of wind knocked her back.
Wind Dancer hovered over her, twin cyclones whipped around her while Hellion hovered flew beside her. His eyes glowing green with raw power.
"Okay then..." Jean growled. "I'LL MAKE YOU!"
Storm dodged another hail of shrapnel before sending a bolt of lightning towards Magneto. Erik defended himself with his force field. He immediately veered to the right to avoid a swipe from Thor's hammer before deflecting a rocket from Iron Man.
The three super heroes were pushing him back despite his efforts. He looked at the group and then at the island where Wolverine tore through a sentinel, killing it. Magneto smirked before he focused on the metal machine.
Logan felt the sentinel's corpse move and he leapt off to avoid the ensuing action. The machine was torn apart before it was pulled towards Magneto.
"Aw...crap..." Logan muttered.
"Thor! Look out!" Tony screamed. The thunder god was too late as the storm of metal enveloped him in a thick cocoon of twisted steel. Magneto flung the prison into the New York Bay, removing the god from the fight altogether.
"You son of a bitch!" Iron Man screamed as he rocketed forward with a barrage of laser fire. Magneto deflected the bolts before he concentrated, harnessing his power for one particular purpose.
"Sir! Massive fluctuations in the magnetic field!" Jarvis screamed as Iron Man came closer to his target.
Storm saw what Magneto was doing and her eyes widened in horror. "Stark! Look out!"
It was too late. Magneto unleashed a massive burst of electrical energy that swept over the area. Electricity coursed over the two heroes blasting Storm out f the sky while Iron Man's armor struggled to stay active.
"Gah!" Tony struggled to stay afloat and he saw Storm plummet into the water. "NO!" he shot forward but was immediately stopped. "What?!"
Magneto flew over to him with a small smirk on his face. "Electro-magnetic-pulse. Quite destructive when utilized properly. Did you know a concentrated EMP burst could tear apart cars? It can have the same force on human flesh as well.
"J-Jarvis! Magnetic shields!" and error message displayed itself on the hero's HUD before Jarvis spoke.
"Magnetic shields inoperable! Systems rebooting!"
"Grah!" he grunted as he felt his suit being stretched to its limits. A puzzled look came over magneto's face as he flew closer.
"Strange…" he murmured. He placed a hand over Iron Man's glowing core. "There's more metal than just the suit…ah…I see. Shrapnel."
Tony's eyes widened in horror. "Sustained in a magnetic field no doubt…yes. I wonder. What would happen if that field was reversed?"
"No…" Tony whispered.
Magneto focused on the field, he could feel its energy, holding the shrapnel in place while the heart beat on. Magneto grasped the field with his powers and twisted it, warping it around.
"I want you to know, Mr. Stark, the situation here is no to my liking. But this isn't personal. You're just in my way." With a flick of his wrist, he shoved the shrapnel into the hero's heart.
"GAAAAHHHH!"
KRAAAKOOMM!
Magneto looked up at the sky to see the clouds darkening and lightning streaking across the sky like a brightly lit scar. "So soon…" he muttered as he turned his attention towards the water.
Thor burst from its surface, intent on crushing the master of magnetism beneath his hammer. "MAGNETO!"
"Ah…so you are not so easily killed."
"I wish I could say the same for you!" the thunder god roared.
"I think not." Magneto muttered. he sent Iron Man flying into the water, pushing him deep beneath the murky water. "You can save him, and Mrs. Munroe, or stay here and fight me. I wonder though, how long can they hold their breaths?"
"Monster!" Thor screamed before shooting past him and diving into the waters.
"Don't try to stop me, Scott." Alex said while his hands glowed blue. "I'm doing what I have to do to save Lorna. You'd do the same."
Scott said nothing as he slowly walked up the steps to meet his brother. "Turn the plasma off Alex. You know it doesn't affect me."
"And neither do your optic blasts. So hands off the visor." Scott lowered his hand. "I need to do this Scott."
"No you don't. Lorna's not here. We can help you find her, just like we did before."
"You really think they're just gonna let her go? She's not here and every second I spend talking to you just makes it harder to find her! Tell me! Wouldn't you do the same for Jean?"
Scott lowered his head. "I need to do this."
Scott raised his head and he looked up at the ceiling that covered them.
"I know. But I can't let you." He squeezed the thumb trigger in his glove, allowing a beam of red energy to destroy the ceiling above them. Havok fired off a blast of blue plasma, incinerating the debris before it could bury him.
He looked back down to see Cyclops charging at him. He blocked the incoming punch but failed to see the knee that knocked the wind from his lungs.
"OOF!" A right hook found its way into Alex's face, knocking him back. Alex struck back with another strike, but Cyclops caught the blow and threw his brother to the ground.
"Damn you!" Alex roared before he charged forward. Cyclops intercepted him, spinning him around and throwing him down again.
"I can't let you throw your life away." Scott said as he walked towards his brother.
"I'm not! I'm saving the woman I love!" He lunged at his brother who quickly blocked each blow his brother threw at him. He grabbed the last blow and twisted his arm behind his back.
"ARGH!" Alex screamed as Scott bent it at an unnatural angle. "Damn you to Hell! Gah!" Scott bent his arm back further as he scowled at his brother.
"I realize you love her Alex. And I can see she loves you too. Hell, I saw it when we were still dating. But I know Lorna wouldn't want you to throw your life away on a suicide attempt. Just look around!"
Alex looked up to see absolute carnage. Magneto was tearing through the ranks of the remaining X-Men and as the last two sentinels lashed out at all mutants on the island.
"GAH!" Alex looked up to see Hisako crash into the ground. Colossus loomed over her, panting in exhaustion. Hisako's armor flickered out of existence as she fell unconscious.
"It's over Alex." Scott said letting his brother go. Alex fell to his knees as he continued to watch the fight continue.
"GRAH!" Logan screamed as Magneto hurled him across the battlefield. He floated over the area as he made his way over the Triskelion.
"I know where you are, Polaris. I'm coming for you."
Nick Fury jogged towards the edge of the island where his own private boat awaited him. He took out a remote transceiver and activated the boats engine.
"Where are we going?!" Lorna shouted as she trailed after the ex-director of SHIELD.
Fury looked back to see the battle raging behind the main building. Explosions rocked the area. "I'm trying to get you to a safe house. Then I can send you back to STRIKE where they can hand you over to your friends."
"But my friends are here!"
"Yeah and there getting their asses kicked. If the X-Men are here, odds are they'll get away just fine."
Fury walked towards the boat before the machine cut out. Nick sighed before turning to Polaris. "Kid, I get that your pissed, but ya don't need to cut out our ride just to prove a point."
"I didn't do that." Polaris said.
Nick looked at her, and then back at the boat. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He saw various bits of metal debris from the fight rise off the ground around them.
"Of course he'd come here…" Nick hissed. Polaris looked around in shock. She could feel the shift in the magnetic fields around her. She looked up in shock to see a single figure floating above them.
"Here you are." Magneto said as he looked down at the girl. Fury looked up at Magneto with a scowl.
"Guess it was inevitable that you'd be here." Nick said, looking up at the mutant-terrorist. Magneto spared him a glance before waving his hand.
Fury felt his prosthetic arm jerk him to the side, he was flung backwards and off his feet, dragging him back toward the water.
"No!" Polaris shouted, reaching out with her own powers. She halted the directors movements right as his head crossed the edge of the island, leaving him with a clear view of the water.
Magneto floated down until he touched the ground. He stepped towards Polaris who stepped back in fear. Magneto stopped as he saw her retreat.
"You look so similar…" he muttered.
"What?" Lorna asked as Magneto simply stared at her.
"You look like your mother. The resemblance is nearly uncanny. You're so much like your sister."
"I don't have a sister! What are you talking about?"
"Of course this wouldn't be so—GAH!" Magneto was sent flying as a blow to the jaw staggered him. He slid on the ground before looking up. "Simple…" he growled as he saw who had struck him.
Pietro loomed over his parent with an enrage scowl on his face. "Hello, father."
Magneto wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at it on his gloved hand. "Family reunion at Mach 2…my boy you do have a flare for the dramatics." He said before standing.
"I believe I got that from you. Leave."
"Pietro, this isn't wh-!" Magneto tried to shield himself but was to late as a blast of crimson energy knocked him off his feet. He rolled onto his back to see Wanda hovering over him. She slowly descended next to her brother.
"Whatever game your playing at, it ends now." Wanda warned as her eyes glowed a dark crimson. Magneto rose to his feet.
"I was hoping I could avoid a fight with you two." He warned.
"Forgive us, but we don't share that sentiment." Quicksilver responded.
"Pietro…"
"It's Quicksilver to you, Magneto." He snarled. Magneto growled in rage as metal began to levitate around them. "Wanda." Pietro said.
Wanda unleashed a burst of crimson energy from her body. The crimson aura wrapped itself around Magneto, pulling him to the ground. The metal around them fell to the ground harmlessly.
"Dammit Wanda!" Magneto growled as he felt himself get cut off from his powers. His children simply glared at him with disdain.
"You came all this way just to boost your own power, didn't you?" Quicksilver muttered.
Magneto chuckled before looking back up at his kin. "You think I'd engage the Triskelion for that? I would've at least brought the brotherhood. Tonight, I'm not here for mutant rights. Tonight I'm here for personal matters."
"Personal?" Wanda asked. She followed her father's gaze to Polaris. "What does she have to do with this?"
"Everything, my dear daughter."
"Explain!" Quicksilver shouted. Magneto simply smirked. "I said EXPLAIN!"
"I'm here because she's my daughter. And your sister."
Fury looked up at the two mutants who now wore looks of shock on their faces. "Well…" he grunted a she rose to a knee. "I sure as shit saw this coming."
"What…what do you mean?!" Wanda shouted. Magneto felt her resolve waver, and he felt her powers weakening.
Using the brief moment to its fullest, Magneto unleashed everything he had. The blast of magnetic energy sent the group flying.
Fury crashed into the water while his boat was sent flying. Pietro and Wanda were sent hurtling back while Polaris was thrown aside like a ragdoll. Magneto wasted no time in enveloping both his children in tight cocoons of scrap metal.
"YOU BASTARD!" Quicksilver roared as he struggled with his prison. Wanda's eyes glowed an eerie red before two metal spikes nearly plunged through her throat.
"Make a move, dear daughter, and I promise you this won't end well." Magneto warned as he had the spikes press against the girl's throat. Wanda reluctantly stopped her escape attempt.
"Ugh…" Polaris groaned as she struggled to catch her bearings. She looked up to see Magneto standing over her with hand held out for her to take.
"Y-you can't be my dad…m-my parents are in the Andes! I-I know there my family!"
"They're not." Magneto said solemnly. "Your mother was Magda Lensherr. She was…she was a powerful witch of Mount Wundagore."
"Our mother left you!" Wanda shouted. Magneto lowered his head. "She left you after we were born! How could she have had another child of yours?!"
"It was the year she died." He said solemnly. He looked up at Lorna who's eyes held nothing but fear.
"Magda and I reconciled for a short time. And in that time we had a child. But I—"
SKRREEEEEE!
The entire island shook as the massive roar erupted through the air. All present, Magneto included felt their ears pound to the breaking point as the roar threatened to tear their eardrums apart.
The group looked up to see a massive serpent burst forth from the sky before crashing into the island.
Tony Stark sank to the bottom of the bay, the weight of his mechanized suit weighing him down.
"Sir! SIR!" Jarvis shouted over his coms. The suit's controls were too damaged for the butler to take manual control of the armor, and the water pressure was slowly increasing with every inch Iron Man sank.
Jarvis triggered the suit's emergency life support and a countdown started as two pads locked onto Tony's chest.
Clear in 3…2…1. Administering shock."
BZZAP!
Stark's eyes flew open as his heart slammed to life. Immediately his heart began to pound painfully as he struggled to collect himself. All his displays read critical as his power reserves were dropping rapidly.
"J-J-JARVIS!" he screamed as he felt the cold splash of sea water leak in. "Status report!"
"Armor integrity compromised. Thrusters down and power is dropping below 20%."
"I-kuff! I need options!" The screen began to flicker as more water spilled into the suit. Tony could tastes the salt water on his lips as it reached past his chin. "E-emergency air supply!"
"O2 tanks compromised!"
"GAK!" more water broke into Tony's helmet, forcing the bitter water down his throat.
"In coming object!" Jarvis shouted. Tony was just conscious enough to see a large figure barrel through the water, heading right for him.
Thor grabbed his armored teammate and pulled him onto his back. He swung his hammer forward and was propelled through the water towards another downed hero. Within seconds the thunder god scooped Storm up in his arms before rocketing out of the water and onto dry land.
Thor gently laid Storm down on the ground before dumping Iron Man's body next to her. He quickly grabbed the helmet's face-mask and popped it off, releasing a puddle of sea water as Tony vomited up the horrid bay water.
"KAFF KAAF!" Thor patted the man on the back as he hacked up more water. "Gah! T-thanks…Thor…"
Thor nodded at his friend before checking storm for a pulse. She was breathing and her heartbeat was steady despite her disheveled appearance.
"Gah!" Tony screamed as the pain in his chest continued.
"Tony! Are you ill?" Thor asked as he brought his friend into a sitting position. Iron Man had his hand over his chest. Clawing at the armor despite knowing it did him no good.
"T-that bastard…he fucked with my heart…he pushed the shrapnel closer!"
"What can we do?" Thor asked.
"N-nothing…I have to wait for the magnet in my chest to pull it bac—KAAFF!" Tony hacked up blood this time, spitting it on the ground.
Thor's eyes glowed blue with rage as electricity sparked across his hammer. "Fear not my friend. Magneto shall soon know the fury of the Odinson!"
SKREEEEE!
The two Avengers looked up to see a massive creature erupt from the top of the Triskelion, coiling through the sky before plunging into the chest of a sentinel, tearing through its armor like tinfoil.
The AoT squad scattered as the serpent tore apart the robot they'd been fighting.
"What the fuck is that?!" Hellion screamed.
"Mierda!" Sunspot shouted as Cannonball and Wind Dancer stared on in shock.
The massive beast opened its enormous maw to reveal a set of curved fangs that plunged into the sentinel's skull, tearing it head apart and sending a torrent of metal debris into the bay.
Thor watched in horror as he saw the beast that he'd slayed centuries ago. "Jormungand…how?!"
"Jornmungand…isn't that the Midgard Serpent from Norse mythology?" Tony asked as he sat up. Thor nodded his head before tightening his grip on Mjolnir.
"Stay here Tony. This is my fight!"
Before Tony could protest, Thor rocketed up into the sky, hammer first.
The god of thunder aimed straight for the monster's head, slamming it with the full force of his mythical weapon. The beast screamed in pain as the weapon knocked it back, forcing it to uncoil from the sentinel and collapse onto the battlefield, shaking the island to its core.
Captain America helped Carol off the ground and to her feet after she'd been slammed into the ground by a sentinel. "What the Hell is that?!" she shouted as she saw Thor fire a lighting bolt at the monster.
"I don't know…but you need to get up there and help Thor!"
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm going after Magneto. Now take that thing down!"
"Yes sir!" Captain Marvel's body glowed with an intense yellow light before she took to the sky like a golden rocket. She propelled herself towards the serpent and slammed into it with full force.
The shockwave produced shook the island and shattered the ballistic-proof glass of SHIELD's headquarters.
Captain America watched the battle for a second longer before he took off in the direction Magneto had headed.
"Thor, What is this thing?!" Carol shouted as she fired off a burst of photonic energy into the creature. The monster took it in stride as it lashed out with its tail, nearly swatting the two Avengers out of the sky.
"It's the Midgard Serpent!"
"The what?!"
"A beast that was released during Ragnarok! I slayed it once but its destined to plague the world time and again!"
"Well it can die right? Then let's do what you did last time!"
"Aye…" Thor said solemnly, his tone was not lost on Carol as she looked at her teammate.
"Thor? Thor, how did you kill it last time?" she asked cautiously. Her gut told her she wasn't going to like the answer.
"I gave my life to kill it…and if I must die so Midgard can live…then so be it!" he roared, alunching himself forward with his hammer.
He swung his hammer axe-side down, slicing the monster's scales and spilling green blood onto his arm. The skin immediately began to burn.
"GRAH!" Thor screamed in pain before a volley of photonic beams tore apart the monster's skin.
"Thor, pull back!" she shouted before rocketing forward, plowing into the monster, knocking it to the ground while unleashing a massive surge of energy to keep the beast staggered.
"Carol!" Thor shouted. He was about to aid his fellow warrior in battle before a flash of green light caught his eye. He turned to see a glowing pulse emanating from the top of the Triskelion.
He focused his gaze and saw Loki kneeling on the ground. Without a second thought he shot towards the building and landed on its roof.
"Loki! What have you done!" he shouted brushing past a startled and stunned Nightcrawler.
"I-I didn't mean to summon…that…"Loki muttered in a dazed state as his eyes nearly closed from exhaustion. Thor stopped his angry march when he saw a trail of green energy flickering out of the youth's stomach. He followed that faint energy and saw it was connected to the serpent who's eyes glowed an eerie green.
"Loki what did you do?"
Loki just stared out at the battle in a dazed state. The serpent roared in rage before slamming into another sentinel. Jean flew down to avoid the tail swipe that knocked the sentinel back. The AoT squad dropped from the sky to avoid the monstrous beast.
"Loki!" Thor snapped. He grabbed his brother's shoulder and saw a young woman in a green dress standing next to his downed brother. "Odin's blood!" He shouted before stepping back.
The girl vanished from his vision. "No…" Thor whispered in horror as he realized what he'd witnessed.
"Is he controlling that thing or not?!" Kurt shouted as he held onto the building for dear life when the island shook.
"Dark elf!" Thor shouted. Kurt gave him a weird look but Thor ignored in favor of speaking. "Aid your comrade, the weather goddess, I will handle my brother!"
Kurt turned his head to where Storm and Iron Man were and teleported away with his signature noise and purple smoke.
Thor turned back to his brother and grabbed the boy by the shoulder. The girl returned to his vision and looked up at the thunder god. Thor growled in rage before pointing his hammer at her.
"Unleash your hold on my brother, witch!" he shouted.
"Unfortunately I'm bound to him by powers beyond you, Odinson."
Thor's hammer crackled with electricity, aimed straight at the girl. "I won't ask you again."
"You wish to break a Hel-Maiden from her charge? Lady Hela will not be pleased with this. Especially when it could kill your brother."
Thor snarled in rage. "Who are you?!"
"I am Leah. Chamber maid to mistress Hela, Queen of the Dead."
"And why are you bound to my brother?! What does Hela have planned?!" Thor screamed in rage. His eyes sparked blue as the storm above continued to rage.
"Hela has bound me to your brother as part of the deal before he started Ragnarok."
"What deal?" Thor asked.
Leah simply smirked as she snaked her arms around Loki's neck. "Your darling brother here erased his name from the book of the dead…erasing any form of his older self from existence. Now he cannot die…permanently any way."
"That's why his memories…"
"Are incomplete. And why Odin didn't restore him. Because he couldn't…" Leah purred as she kept herself close to her ward. "He's not the same twisted Loki you know…you wouldn't believe how happy he was when he found out the day he aided you against Amora (see Ultimate Avengers Volume 2)."
"What have you done to him?" Thor growled as he charged Mjolnir with more power.
"I've done nothing to him." Leah said as she released Loki. "His magic is still impaired from his memory loss. As a result he summoned a partial version of the Midgard Serpent, not the true one. I believe he meant to summon several serpents from Nifleheim."
Thor Looked at the monster that Captain Marvel battled. Flashes of yellow light erupted from her fists, bombarding the serpent with a barrage of intense energy.
"Then it can be killed." Thor said, standing up. He gripped his hammer and twirled it in his grip. He turned to Leah. "Keep him safe." He ordered before hurling Mjolnir forward, the hammer pulled its owner into the sky as lightning flashed.
"Like I have a choice." Leah muttered. She looked down at the still stunned Loki and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him against her. "Still…this might be entertaining, aye trickster?" she said with a grin.
"What the Hell was that?!" Pietro shouted.
"That thing was massive!" Lorna screamed. "It took out a sentinel like it was nothing!"
Magneto stared up at the serpent battling the sentinels, Captain Marvel and Thor. He heard the boom of thunder and the flash of lightning before the storm clouds burst, releasing a torrent of rain down upon the battlefield.
Magneto levitated several chunks of metal around him to shield himself and Polaris from the downpour. Polaris turned to him.
"You are my daughter. Many mutant powers are similar to those of their parents. And neither of your supposed 'real' parents posses any such power, do they?" Magneto asked.
"But…some mutants have their own powers, completely separate from their parents!"
"Do you know how rare that is?" Magneto asked. He then looked at his two children. "Because I do. Neither of my children posses my powers…but that is because there mother wasn't a normal human. So I ask you again, do you know how rare its is for a mutant's parents to have powers so vastly different or non-existence from their own?"
"150,000 to 1."
The group turned to see Nick Fury trudging out of the water and back onto dry land. His right arm's skin was completely torn, revealing the sleek metal prosthetic arm beneath the surface.
"I asked myself that same question when I heard about her from STRIKE." Nick said as he trudged along towards the two downed Avengers.
"Let 'em go, Lensherr." Fury said. "They ain't gonna hit ya if you give them a solid answer."
Magneto said nothing before waving his hand towards his children. The metal cocoons they wore unfolded, allowing them to scramble to their feet. Both looked like they wanted to start another fight, but Fury raised his hand to stop any sudden moves.
"So you know." Magneto muttered. Fury smirked before turning to Lorna.
"Magneto's telling the truth. You're his kid, whether you like it or not." Fury said.
"B-but how…?" Lorna muttered.
"Your mother was Magda, the witch of Wundagore. Not long after I had Pietro and Wanda…she left me." Magneto said as he remembered the day his family had left him without a word. "The year before Magda's death…we reconciled. It was after she sent you two away." He said looking at his other two children.
"In that time we conceived a child. You, Lorna. But the day of your birth was the same day as the Siege of Wundagore."
"The what?" Lorna asked.
"The day our birthplace was destroyed by a mad man known as the High Evolutionary. The same man who killed our mother." Pietro growled as he remembered the being's face.
"Magda did not survive. I gave you to a gypsy couple that was tacked to bring you to safety by any means. But when I returned to find you…they were dead. I'd assumed you were dead as well." Magneto said.
"But I…" Lorna said before looking to Nick.
"I've looked up the history on your family kid. Ever since you popped up, me and STRIKE have kept our eyes on you. DNA tests already confirmed you weren't your parents kid. They married in Eastern Europe, didn't they?"
"They did…They said I was born in Paris after their honeymoon…" the girl muttered as the world she knew shattered.
"Father…" Wanda said stepping forward. "Is it true?" she asked.
"It is." He responded.
"Prove it." Pietro said. "Take off the helmet. Let her into your mind. Show us all the truth." He demanded.
Magneto sighed. "Pietro I—NO!" he screamed throwing out his hand to deflect the incoming projectile.
Pietro ad Wanda spun around to see Captain America glaring at their father. His shield rebounded off the ground and found itself back in the hands of its rightful owner.
"It's over Magneto!" he roared.
"Captain…" Magneto said as he saw the WWII veteran glaring daggers at him.
"This is your fault!" he shouted.
"Steve wait!" Wanda shouted. Cap ignored her and hurled his shield at Magneto again who deflected it with his powers. But the brief distraction was done. Cap had closed the distance between them in seconds, delivering a powerful blow to the mutant's jaw.
"AH!" he cried as the blow nearly broke his jaw. Magneto used his powers to push the Captain back across the ground, putting some distance between them.
"Ptt!" Magneto spat, spitting up blood from his busted lip. He scowled at the former soldier. "I have no quarrel with you, Rogers!"
"Well I have one with you!" Cap shouted back. "You restarted an entire fight! You just gave that jackass Flumm all the clearance he needed to wipe out every mutant on this Island!"
"I was trying to save my daughter!" he roared.
"What?" Steve turned to his teammates who held looks of resignation on their face.
"Captain…" Magneto continued. "I would rather not fight the man responsible for my liberation. But if you force me, I will not let you stand in my way."
Captain America's fists balled up in preparation for a fight with the mutant terrorist. Before either could make a move, Quicksilver zipped in front of Captain America, blocking his path.
"Pietro?!" Steve shouted.
"Cap! Wait! Please…let us settle this." The younger mutant pleaded. Cap watched as Wanda walked towards her father, who ever so slowly lowered his guard.
"If you want us to believe," Wanda started. "Take off your helmet."
Magneto looked between all his children and then to Fury and Captain America. He sighed before reluctantly removing his helmet from his head. Wanda raised her hands and placed them on her father's forehead.
Her eyes glowed red as tendrils of crimson energy wrapped around bother her brother and her supposed sister. Bother their eyes glowed a dark crimson as memories flashed through their minds at incredible speeds.
"Nick!" Cap shouted.
"It's okay, Cap. She's linking their minds together, showing them all the truth."
KRAKOOM!
Lightning erupted form the sky slamming into the serpent and knocking it to the ground. Thor and Captain Marvel flew in hard and fast, bombarding the creature with their respective energy attacks.
Lightning and photonic beams pounded the monster as it roared in agony, thrashing about like a fish out f water.
"Holy shit…" Cannonball muttered as he and Wind Dancer hovered over the remains of a demolished sentinel.
"Dios mios…" Sophie whispered in shock.
FWWOOOSSSSHH!
The two teens looked up to see Sunspot bombarding Jean Grey with a continuous stream of fire. The telekinetic was doing her best to keep the flames at bay, but her situation was worsened as she felt a ballast of telekinetic force send her hurtling back.
She used her own powers to cease her movements, only to be slammed by another tidal wave of fire.
"Grah!" Logan roared as he he tore through the last cable connecting the downed sentinel's head to its body. He growled in satisfaction before observing the battlefield.
He saw Colossus and Cyclops restraining Havok while Kurt, the professor, Bobby, and Kitty all gathered around an injured Storm and Iron Man. Across from them was the mutant known as Elixir with the other AoT members. Beast sat next to him as the Stepford cuckoos connected the blue-furred genius's mind to the healers as they worked on the mutant know as Wolfsbane.
"AAGH!" Logan looked up to see Jean struggling against the onslaught from both Hellion and Sunspot. Logan snarled under his cowl and dashed across the battlefield towards the direction of the fight.
Jean felt herself being pushed back. Her situation worsened when Wind Dancer added her own powers to the onslaught, feeding the flames with an influx of oxygen.
She could feel herself approaching her limits. She felt the heat through her telekinetic field, and she felt an unknown feeling bubble up from inside her. It wasn't fear, it wasn't rage. It was something new. Something fierce.
She slowly opened her eyes as they take on an orange hue, completely blocking out her irisis. Her hands began to burn, but it wasn't from the flames of her enemy. She'd never felt this power before. And she liked it.
An immense blast of flames erupted from her core, blasting all three mutants out of the sky in a flash of solar flames.
Cannonball watched as all three of his friends fell to the ground in heaps of smoke and embers. He turned back to Jean who was now hovering right in front of him.
"How-?" His words fell short as his body erupted into flames, blasting him out of the sky.
"GAH!" he cried as his blast field did little to protect him from the attack.
Logan watched as the teen plummeted from the sky, smoke trailing off his body before he impacted the ground, creating another crater in the process.
Logan could've swore that Jean's body was fully encompassed by flames. And he felt something he hadn't felt in a while. Fear.
Jean floated in the air like a burning beacon before the flames extinguished themselves in a plume of smoke. The redhead hovered in the air for a split second before plummeting to the ground.
Logan dashed forward, sliding on his knees as he caught the girl in his arms. He looked down at the redhead and frowned.
"What was that Jeanny?" he asked
"DIE MONSTER!" Thor screamed as another lightning bolt plummeted from the sky.
KRAKKOOMM!
Again the serpent screamed in pain before a photon powered punch buried its skull into the ground. The monster's green eyes glowed bright before his lashed out, lunging at Captain Marvel before a hammer struck it in the jaw.
The serpent was sent careening towards the water but recovered before going over into the water. It unleashed another ear piercing roar, bearing its massive fangs before lunging at the two heroes again.
Loki watched as more green energy pumped itself out of his body and into the serpents. He could feel his consciousness slipping from his grip.
Leah supported him, keeping him from collapsing completely. "What…have…"
"You done?" Leah finished. "I believe you've doomed us all. Again." She purred sadistically in his ear, hugging him closer to her body.
"No…" Loki moaned in distress. Leah watched as a tormented look crossed the trickster's face. The Hel-maiden sighed before cupping his chin and turning it towards her.
"I guess I'll help you this time." she said. "Lady Hela…I beseech you…" she whispered. Her eyes glowed a dark red before she crashed her lips against his.
Loki's eyes glowed oranges before smoke billowed from his mouth and his eyes lit ablaze.
"GRAAAH!" he screamed as he felt the power course through his veins like molten magma. Leah lifted him to his feet and guided his arms so they were pointed at the Serpent.
"DIE!" Loki screamed. He closed his fist.
"SKREEEEEEE!" The serpent thrashed about as it's body began to burst into flame.
Thor and Carol flew back in shock as they saw the monster's green eyes lit ablaze with hellfire. Its flesh peeled away as it burned from the inside out. Smoke billowed out of its lungs, filling the air with stench of burning flesh and death.
Loki collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. The serpent's corpse continued to burn but the green tether of energy connecting the two was now severed. Leah smirked at the surprised looks on both hero's faces as they floated over the monster's body.
She gently lowered the now unconscious Loki onto the ground with his head resting on his lap. "Well done Trickster…" she occurred while brushing aside a lock of her own hair. She ran her hand over the sleeping teen's face with a small smile.
Wanda's eyes slowly dimmed until they returned to their natural color. She took a step back as tears welled up in her eyes. The crimson aura around Polaris and Quicksilver dissipated as well.
Pierto fell to his knees with Capp grabbing his arms for support. "Easy there!" he shouted as he helped the mutant to stand. "You weren't lying…" he whispered in shock.
"Oh god… Lorna whispered as tears fell from her eyes. "You're really him…" she whispered. "you're my father."
"Lorna…" magneto spoke slowly stepping towards the girl, who made no effort to stop him. "I'm so sorry. I should've looked for you…but I was so consumed by guilt and rage that I…I'm so sorry." He finished.
Cap looked down at Pietro who still held a look of shock on his face. "She's my sister…she's our sister…"
"What?" Cap muttered.
"She's our sister Cap…mine and Wanda's…"
"Come with me." Magneto said holding out his hand. "I can keep you safe from SHIELD and STRIKE."
"But all those people I killed…" she sobbed.
Magneto slowly approached her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulders. "You can't atone for what you did by rotting in a prison. Come with me. Come with me to Genosha I can teach you to control your powers so that no one will be able to hurt you again. STRIKE won't find you and even SHIELD can't touch you."
"No." Captain America said as he stood up. Magneto saw the movement and levitated the Captain's shield.
"I'm not going to fight you Rogers. But I can't let you stop me from freeing my daughter."
"I can't just let her go." Steve said retrieving his shield from midair. Quicksilver grabbed his shoulder.
"Steve…" Wanda said as she looked at him pleadingly. Cap turned to Nick who simply shrugged his shoulder.
"Don't look to me. I ain't the director no more. I'm just another guy in the crowd watching this shit show go down."
Captain America sighed and lowered his shield. "I better not regret this. Do you hear me, Magneto." The man said with a cold stare.
Magneto nodded his head. "Vanisher." He said.
Cyclops and Havok dashed down the side of the Island, running towards where Magneto landed. "Keep up, Scott!" the younger brother shouted.
Cyclops grunted in response. After their fight, Scott had agreed to help him get Lorna if it meant getting everyone off the Island and away from the catastrophe this was.
"You know the deal, Alex! We grab Lorna, get her away from Magneto, and teleport her the Hell away from here and you take your team back with you!"
"I know, dammit!" Alex shouted back.
The two men turned a blind corner and saw Magneto standing with Polaris and a bald man with several tattoos on his body.
"Vanisher, take us now." The man complied and put his hands on both Magneto's and Polaris's shoulder. Magneto turned to the twins and smiled at them. "I hope our next encounter will be under much better circumstances." He replied sadly.
The twins merely nodded before they disappeared in an instant. Cap sighed before attaching his shield to his back.
"NOOOO!" Alex screamed, drawing the attention to the mutant brothers racing down the hill. "You bastards!" he screamed. "You let him take her!" he roared, hands aglow with blue plasma.
"I'd watch that tone son." Cap warned. Havok ignored him and stormed up to the group.
"How could you just stand there and let him take her?!"
"It was the better of the three options we had." Pietro responded solemnly.
"What were those options, huh?!" Alex screamed as he was barley restrained by his brother.
"Quicksilver, talk. I can't exactly say that my brother's a patient man." Cyclops warned.
Fury stepped forward, deciding to explain before things were made worse. "Either I took Lorna and handed her over to STRIKE, SHIELD catches her and kills all of you, or Magneto takes her to an unfriendly nation where she can receive diplomatic immunity and a new way out of this."
"No!" Alex shouted as depression sank into his heart. He fell to his knees in defeat. He'd come all this way, had endangered all his friends for the sole sake of saving Polaris and she had slipped through his fingers again.
"Alex. You'll see her again." Scott said. "Genosha is open to mutants. And these two" he said looking at Wanda and Pietro, "happen to be diplomats for Genosha."
"In the long run you'll see this was the better option." Nick said before walking away.
"Nick. You need to stay." Cap ordered. "We need you to help defuse this situation."
Nick turned to the avenger and chuckled. "Cap, my word means shit to SHIELD now that Flumm's the douche running it. You're better off with getting every mutant off this island ASAP and then hightailing it out yourself."
"Wait, you're bailing on us here?" Pietro snapped.
"Aren't you quick, kid." Fury chuckled back before removing the sphere-like device from his pocket.
"Wanda!" Cap shouted.
"Stop!" the Scarlet Witch exclaimed as crimson energy sparked in her hand.
Fury clicked the device, releasing stream of crimson energy that enveloped him. The light blinded all the heroes who stumbled back.
When the group could see again, they saw no sign of Fury.
"Dammit!" Cap swore. He turned to Wanda with a scowl on his face. "Get the mutants out of here. Now."
Wanda's eyes glowed a crimson hue before she lifted off into the sky.
The entire Island looked up to see the mutant avenger glowing like a flare. A massive wave of red energy erupted from her body and washed itself over the entire Island.
Thor and Carol braced themselves as the wave washed over them harmlessly. When they opened their eyes they saw the area was empty of any mutants, X-Men, or AoT members of any kind.
Wanda landed next to her brother and team leader in exhaustion. "It's…done…" she panted. "It's over…"
Cap looked out over the entire battlefield to see the carnage wrought by the battle. "Somehow…I think you're wrong." He sighed.
End of Chapter
PHEW! This was an amazing chapter to write if I do say so myself. If there's any confusion with the Avengers, check out my Ultimate Avengers Volume 2 story for more details or just hit me up with a PM if you want me to explain it to you.
Next Time: Chapter 20: Fallen, the Coming Flame