What is to Come
Chapter Twenty Five
Jean and Kitty were both close to their sixth month of pregnancy, and it was a largely unspoken agreement among the staff of Xavier's that the pair of them be 'sheltered' from what was going on in the world. No one wanted them to stress, no one wanted to risk another loss. With this in mind, the news had been banned under the guise of protecting the children from it. However, Charles, Ororo, Henry, Logan and Warren were all kept up to date on the news.
They were, therefore, not surprised when Kurt came home fuming three days before his wedding. They had learned just that morning (as Kurt had) that a new bit of legislation had passed via silent vote in private session that banned the marriage of any Human to Mutant. Kurt's wedding was canceled, he'd been informed by the church that was going to send the Preacher for the ceremony. Normally, the church, which was very pro-mutant, would have ignored this law and preformed the ceremony. It wouldn't have been legally binding, but they felt it would be spiritually binding which they find far more important (according to the church leaders) However, the law that had been passed mandated that anyone caught preforming an illegal wedding ceremony would be sent to prison.
After Kurt informed the staff of this new twist of fate, and everyone had expressed their outrage and sympathy, Charles called a meeting to further explain the new laws as he understood them from the briefing he received via an old friend who worked in the government. This, it seemed, was just another step into the forced segregation that had started almost a year and a half ago, now.
"They can't do this!" Rogue said, angrily. "How can they ban a relationship like this? What's next, are they going to say no one can be friends with a mutant? Are they gonna keep going so that parents have no choice and kids are legally disowned? How can anyone be okay with any of this?!"
"They fear mutants, and because they fear us they hate us. Hate is a bi-product of fear."Hank said in a calm voice. "We must simply carry on the best we can and hope that the Court will over turn this law since it is clearly a violation of our rights"
"Everything they've done is! Locking us into this school, forcing us to register, arresting people for not registering, all of it!" Jean said." I don't know what to do, some days I think maybe we should just give up and move to Genosha."
Several of the others muttered in agreement,including Kitty as she rubbed her bulging stomach. Remy simply sat in the corner saying nothing and Rogue continued to pace and mutter, but it was Kurt who spoke next. "I do not wish to run away. I wish to marry the woman I love. I wish both her family and her countrymen to accept that we are happy together. I want to have a normal life."
"Well that's just not going to happen Kurt!" Jean said.
Rogue growled at Jean but Charles silenced them all with a look and a raised hand. "I understand how upsetting this is to everyone, but now is not the time for rash decisions. Nor is it time to act, but to trust that the courts will realize that this is unjust and correct the behavior of a handful of men. I believe Humans and Mutants can and will live together in harmony, but that shall not happen if we continue to run or hide from the situation."
Everyone nodded, though not all agreed with him, and the meeting was adjourned. Scott lead his wife upstairs for a nap, Piotr and Kitty went to the kitchen to start dinner for everyone, and Rogue and Remy stayed with Kurt to comfort him. The rest returned to their normal activities and classes. Charles sighed as he returned to his office. He had been able to calm them for now, but who knew how long that would last? Sooner or later someone was going to decide to move to Genosha...and he feared once of of his students decided to go, the others may follow. He wasn't completely certain that it was the best place for Jean or Kitty to stay at the school with tensions rising. In short, though he would never admit it to his 'children' Charles had no idea what to do.
~O~0~O~
Many years ago, William Stryker had worked for an unofficial project that was designed to turn a small selection of mutants into weapons. This was before the world knew about mutants. Stryker himself knew nothing of mutants before he was briefed on the project. He had been fascinated during his briefing, though a little confused as to why Melborne had requested that he personally be assigned to the project.
It had taken a few years, but the truth behind his recruitment occurred to Styker when he realized his son was a had at the time made him double his efforts to get the project up and running. Then, his son killed his wife. He heard from everyone that it must have been an accident. That the child lost control, that he would never hurt his mother intentionally.
Perhaps they were all correct, and the child had simply lost control, but to Stryker that made it even more important that they be kept under lock and key and away from 'normal' people. If they couldn't help the damage they caused then they shouldn't be free to walk among normal people.
Around the time the project completely collapsed, and in part thanks to his son, William Stryker had all but given up his post. One night, quite by accident, he discovered that his partner, the man who was supposed to help him get the mutants under control ,was in fact a mutant himself.
Worse still, the man wasn't depowering them as Styker had been told, but making them stronger. In a rage, Stryker set fire to the lab with the other man in it, released all the projects, and ran away. It was many many years before Stryker resurfaced.
When the world watched the battle with the Ancient mutant known as Apocalypse, there had been mixed reactions but most were positive. Kelly (of course) reacted with anger, as did Creed, but Stryker responded with fear. Where the other two began a political campaign to make mutants illegal, Stryker had created a group of his own, one that was part cult part vigilante group.
From the pulpit, Stryker encouraged his congregation to hunt down wayward mutants and kill them. He had convinced them, and himself, that the mutants as a whole were evil. As his congregation grew slowly for two years no one seemed to notice their activities. Recently, however, he had been noticed by the Mutant Registration Department, or rather they had noticed that several of the mutants they were hunting had turned up in the morgue.
Kelly was informed of this and was Creed and both sent someone to find out who was responsible. Kelly to recruit them, Creed to praise them. They discovered Stryker's church fairly quickly, both arriving to speak with him within hours of each other.
Kelly had been turned away immediately. Stryker had worked for the government before, after all. He didn't trust that they weren't trying to restart the project he helped lead all those years ago. No amount of assurance from Kelly could convince him to speak to the Senator. Kelly even called in Trask in an attempt to convince Stryker. Unfortunately (as Trask had tried to warn him) Stryker recognized the scientist from the Project which sealed the argument for him.
Creed arrived after Kelly had finally given up, barely missing each other. Stryker recognized Creed as well, but unlike Kelly Creed was invited in. After the office was cleared and the door shut, Creed began. "I am the leader of a like minded group that you may have heard of . We call ourselves The Friends of Humanity and our goals mirror your own. We wish to see the end of these abominations before they can take root in our world-" Creed began but was cut off by Stryker after a moment.
"DO you think me a fool?" Stryker asked with menace in his voice. "Do you think I would not recognize your father in your face? I know who you are Creed, and I want to know who sent you? Did you think that you could scare us into surrendering? We are on a holy mission! No matter how many of us fall we will carry on until the last of this plague is washed from the Earth!"
"I am not a mutant!" Creed said, venom in his voice at the suggestion. "I have never shown the slightest sympathy to them in any way! I dedicated my entire life to freeing the world from their terrible stain."
"Victor Creed's only son comes to me to tell me he's on my side and I am to believe this isn't a trick?" Stryker said. "No, this is a test of my resolve! I will prove to the world and to Satan I can not be swayed! I will not be silenced! I will not lose!"
~O~0~O~
Mystique had been all over Europe the last six months. She refused to admit to herself she was hiding from him. She refused to think about Victor at all, in fact. Everytime he got lose to her however, she moved on. She knew she couldn't hide forever, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.
It wasn't his rage she feared. If he intended to kill her, she would have allowed him to catch her months ago. She wasn't one to hide from a fight after all, no it was the past that he threatened to unbury with his questions and demands. A past that she had no intention of looking at again, so instead she ran.
Then the news arrived. She was sitting in a hotel room in Paris, not far from where they met ironically, when she saw the report on the international channel. Prominent political leader Gradon Creed had been murdered during a visit to Los Angelos was all it said. She (of course) immediately jumped onto her computer to confirm this information with a sinking heart.
It was true. Her first born son, a child she'd rejected so thoroughly that at times she managed to almost forget him, was dead. Her baby was gone. In that moment she finally realized what Irene had told her for years. She had made a grievous mistake in cutting the child from her life, because now that there was no chance of ever seeing him again, now that he was well and truly out of her life forever, she wasn't sure if she could go on or even if she wanted to.
It was here, in the pit of despair, in a dark hotel room that Victor finally caught up to her, and in that moment she no longer cared. She had thought the pain of losing the love of her life was bad, but it was nothing. Nothing to the realization that her son was dead. Nothing compared to the feeling that she had lost the boy years before and perhaps she didn't have the right to mourn what had been long gone. Nothing compared to the realization that her remaining son and daughter would happily go to their graves never speaking to her again. She'd ruined everything. Though she'd known this for years, and even regretted it, it hadn't felt as real as it did now.
"I know you know what I'm searching for, why else would you send me on this wild goose chase?" Victor growled behind her. "Just give me the information and I'll let you live."
"Kill me then, Victor. I no longer care." she said as she sipped her wine. "I'll tell you exactly who you are. You are Victor Creed, husband to Raven Darkholme, bastard half brother to James Howlett, and father to Graydon Creed. The man who hired you to kill me was your son. He was murdered yesterday."
"Wait. What are you talking about? Husband? Father? And were those names supposed to mean anything to me?" Victor said. "I want answers not more questions."
"Then sit down and shut up, because I'm in the mood to indulge you." she said angrily. "To begin with, Graydon hired you to kill me so that no one would ever learn who his parents are, or if they did he could point out that he hated me enough to ave me killed so he clearly had no loyalty to mutants. He was the leader of The Friends of Humanity. Even in your half-crazed state I'm sure you've heard of them."
"Yeah, sure have. My latest employer helped set the whole thing up as part of his 'bigger plan' whatever that means. You're still stalling Mystique."
"No, I'm explaining, you're just not hearing me." she said as she poured herself another glass of wine." I told you months ago about the loss of my husband and his brother, how in my grief I turned away from my child only to realize later that it had been a mistake."
"Yeah,I remember."
"Now I'm telling you why that all seemed so familiar to you, if you'd bother to listen!" she yelled. " You were my husband! Graydon was that child! It was your life I was telling you."
"...I don't believe you."
"Yes you do, because buried deep inside you already knew it to be true. That's why you've been hunting me. Not to get answers but to confirm the answers I already gave you. You were the man I was talking about, that perfume smelled familiar to you because you gave it to me for our anniversary."
"So you're telling me that we were married and had a child and I forgot all about it? You're trying to tell me someone -you- was foolhearty enough not only to marry me but to have my kid? How messed up is the brat?"
"Pretty darn messed up considering he hired his father to kill his mother...and now he's dead."
"Who killed him?" Victor asked. All of this was still sinking in, it felt surreal. When she said those names it was like the blocks in his mind started to crumble, just a little bit. Just enough to remember flashes. A beautiful blond haired bride walking toward him. A squirimng smiling infant held gently in his arms. Flashes of normal happy family events like dinners and bath-time and birthdays. It was all trying to rush back in. Images appeared in his mind faster and faster.
Now here he was fighting side by side with Wolverine, in war after war. Here he was drinking with the man. Here Wolverine was standing next to him as his bride walked toward him, whispering softly "Don't worry brother, there's no way she's running out on you now."
Here they were now as boys playing together in a garden. He was sitting by Wolverine- Jimmy's bedside as the younger boy appeared close to death. They were running for their lives after their fathers died. Quicker and quicker the memories came
His son's birth, holding the tiny baby for the first time, so scared he would drop or crush the tiny infant. His first smile, taking a shaky step. Him reaching for Victor from a crib, tear streaked face. Raven by his side as they picked out presents for his first Christmas. When painted the nursery. When the doctor told them they were expecting.
There was no reason or order to the memories as they flooded in, but one lead to another to another as he was overwhelmed with them, good and bad. He cried out in anguish at the sheer number of them hitting him as he stood, and fell over the ottoman onto the floor.
"Raven...Our son. My boy." was the last thing he said as he faded into darkness.
~O~0~O~
Wanda had been kidding when she asked her father if he was building a palace next. After all she felt this whole 'King' thing was a little silly. She hadn't meant to give him any ideas. Magneto, however, felt it was a wonderful plan. After all the reason for a palace to begin with had been to protect the royal family (and their countrymen) from hostile forces. So he built a palace.
With it completed, and his family moved into it, Magneto felt a bit safer. Wanda had to admit, it was beautiful, though she doubted beauty was really what her father was going for when he used his powers to construct it in less than twelve hours.
John, Pietro, Crystal, Wanda,Magneto, the Dorians, the Gurthies, and Lorna- Wanda's young half sister- moved into the palace. She still wasn't comfortable with this whole 'Princess' thing, but decided the best way to accept her and John's engagement without a fight was to go along with his schemes at least for now.
John and she had discussed it and decided that John would be formally asking her father for permission to become engaged to her tonight. After all, he was taking this whole 'King of Genosha' thing very seriously and old fashioned or not, it was probably proper etiquette among Royal Families to ask permission before proposing.
John was actually very nervous about this conversation. After he tried once at breakfast, and again at lunch, but being interrupted both times by messengers in need on Magneto's attention John decided the best way to go about this was to make an appointment to talk about this.
Just before dinner he entered Magento's private office. Magneto was reading a report when John came in. He didn't even look up as John entered and John hovered uncertainly in the doorway for a few minutes before Magento said. "Well are you coming in or not?"
"Oh, ah, yes sir." John said as he finally came into the room and sat down. The silence stretched once again as John tried to gather his nerves.
The truth was, if Magneto said no then he didn't know what to do. He never thought he'd be the type to want the father's permission. Then again, he was trying to marry a princess. If he'd known she would someday be a princess when he started dating her, he probably would have run the other way. John wasn't keen on the idea of being involved in leading this new nation. It was to late now though, because now he loved her to much to even consider walking away. If Magneto said no... well if he said no, then John would just have to talk her into running away with him. Of course that wasn't very practical either with the way the world treated mutants plus she would have to give up her entire family. Which he couldn't actually imagine asking her to do.
"Was there something you needed John?" Magneto asked, it had been several minutes since the younger man had sat down, and though he hadn't spoken he looked more and more panicked as the seconds ticked by.
"Sir, I don't know how you'll take this, or how to word this right, which is kind of ironic since words are my career and-" John rambled nervously. Magneto smirked at him which wasn't helping his nerves at all. "Anyway. Sir, I'd like permission to marry your daughter."
"I hardly think Wanda needs my permission to do anything,John. She does what she feels is right, and be damned with my opinion. That said, I wondered how long it was going to take you to get around to asking her. Now get going, you have my blessing, now ask your bride, before she figures out you asked me first and tears you apart."
"...It's the proper way to do things, now that you're a King, We thought-I thought.."
"I appreciate the propriety. I do believe Wanda was having a bit of fun with you however; My children do not need my permission to be happy. No go, I have a lot to do before dinner."
John nodded and left the room shaking his head. Wanda was waiting at the end of the hall, and he went straight to her to tell her what her father said, they would be officially announcing their engagement tonight at dinner.