May 4, 1975
Alex slammed up against the wall. It hurt, but he knew better than to let the pain get to him. He ducked and, a second later, a metal table crashed into where he'd been.
He rolled and got to his feet. There was a lot of metal in the house. Even while he tried to dodge and fight he could see it wrapped in the lights, the doorframes, the stair railing. He wondered just how much metal furniture Magneto had brought in in case there was a fight. It made the alarm system look paltry in comparison.
In the background he could hear Charles still calling out to Magneto. Alex wanted to tell him not to waste his breath. He could see the look in Magneto's eyes: Alex knew he was going to try to kill him, and he wasn't going to let Charles stop him.
Beneath him a few members of the Brotherhood had gotten back up. Clarice was trying to make more crystals, probably to come to his aid. Once again, he wanted to tell her not to bother. He was the only target Magneto had eyes for, and he would just steamroll through anyone who tried to get in his way.
Alex shot off several more blasts, which Magneto dodged. He remembered the days when they had all been training at the Institute. He'd always thought that Magneto moved very fast, something that Alex knew he couldn't match, then or now.
He tried to look at the situation strategically. Magneto only had the advantage when Alex was far away, although he knew that he still packed one hell of a punch. Alex moved forwards and managed to kick him in the stomach. He punched upwards and saw Magneto's helmet rattle from the impact. An idea sprang into his head and he moved forwards again. For the first time in the fight he had a clear goal in mind.
A fist slammed into his jaw and he slid backwards. His jaw hurt, but he hadn't been pushed back too far. Alex kicked at Magneto again, hoping to get him to the ground. If he got him to the ground then he could take his helmet off and Charles could do the rest. Then he would be free to find Lorna.
From behind him he heard a scraping sound. Alex turned too late to see the metal table that had slammed into the wall fly forwards again. He tried to get to the floor, but a second later he felt the table hit him, hurling him to the ground. There was another scraping sound and he felt strips of metal wrap around his arms, forcing them behind his back. The metal began to twist tighter, making his bones creak.
"Havok!"
Despite the pain Alex looked up. His brother was trying to come up. Alex couldn't let him. Not with Magneto in the mood to murder anyone in his path.
"Cyclops stay back!" he yelled.
His brother paused, years of taking orders holding him back. Alex didn't know how long that would work though. Alex felt his metal bonds flip him over, pushing him to the ground. The force on his back and arms almost forced a cry from his lips. He wasn't going to give Magneto the satisfaction of hearing him scream though. He struggled against the magnetic pull, trying to get to his feet.
Magneto walked up, his face cold.
"I would stay down if I were you," he snarled.
The tone made Alex's blood boil. Magneto wasn't the injured party, and he had no right to act like he was. Lorna was the only one who could take that tone. Alex gathered up as much light in his hands as possible, burning the metal. He could feel the heat through his coat, burning his wrists.
He shoved himself to his feet, ignoring the pain in his hands.
"I'd rather die than fail her again," he said.
For a moment they stared at each other. Alex couldn't see any emotion in his eyes except anger and determination. He knew his own expression was likely to be the same. Neither of them were going to budge. The stakes were too high.
The metal objects in the room started to shake. Alex looked around them, judging their flight pattern. He'd be able to get out of the way of most of him. He'd just increase the heat of his mutation for the rest and burn them into nothing.
"If that's your wish-" Magneto started.
The metal ripped out of the wall. Alex wrapped himself in his powers, but none of the objects came for him. Alex frowned through the red light of his mutation. He could see that Magneto was looking around the room with a puzzled look in his eyes.
The red light drained away from him. He stared past Magneto even as his opponent turned. He didn't matter anymore. Lorna was at the other end of the hall, her eyes glowing green and her hands clenched into fists.
"Stop. This. Now!" she hissed.
Lorna saw Alex stare at her with wide, helpless eyes. He looked as though he'd been through the wringer, but she could see the honest worry for her on his face. She wanted to go to him, caress his face and tell him that she was alright.
Instead she had other things to do. Lorna looked at her father. His eyes were full of cold fury. She wondered vaguely if he was going to tell her to go to her room. Lorna almost wanted to laugh, but she knew that it would only come out as a hysterical scream.
She could feel her own anger rising up, the urge to scream and let the metal she was precariously holding back fly. Instead she let some of her anger go. For the first time in hours she didn't need it.
"Father, it's over," she said.
"No it's not," he said.
She breathed in and out, trying to remind herself that she had to do so. The whole room had gone strangely quiet. She wondered if everyone, X-men and Brotherhood alike, were watching them.
They were all involved now.
"Father, I've made my choice," she said, "You're not going to convince me otherwise."
"Listen to me Lorna," her father said.
He pointed at Alex.
"You would betray us all for him? For a love tricked from you for vengeance?" he asked.
Alex opened his mouth but Lorna shook her head. This was between her and her father.
"Father, that's not what happened," she said, "And I think that, if you really think, you'll find you know that."
"You can't think-"
"Will you please just listen!" Lorna screamed.
The room became silent again, her father still staring at her. He looked shocked and uncertain. Lorna breathed in and walked forwards. Her foot was screaming and she could feel the bruises on her arms, but she had to move fast.
She let the metal drop as she stood in front of her father. The green film that had fallen over her eyes seemed to lessen. Lorna hoped he wouldn't try to use the lull to attack Alex. She'd had faith in him before, and it had been betrayed. It seemed silly to continue to hold onto that faith.
It was all she had though, the only thing that made her childhood seem less of a lie.
"I am leaving the Brotherhood because I want to," Lorna said, "Not because of Alex, not because they forced me, and most of all, not to hurt you or the rest of my family."
She reached out and took his hand. To her surprise and relief he let her do it, although his hand seemed limp in hers.
"I'm doing it because I honestly believe that the X-men are actually making a difference for our kind," she said, "All we're doing is making them fear and hate us."
"How can you say that?" her father said, "After everything you've seen, after fighting in this war, how can you say that?"
"Father, we're not in a war against humans," Lorna said, "Not yet. It does seem inevitable, but it's not here yet. And as long as it's not here...there's a chance we can stop it."
Her father's eyes hardened and Lorna tensed.
"How can you say that after they murdered your mother?" he said, "Burned everything down in an attempt to murder a child just because she dared to try to save herself and her mother? How?"
His words hurt and Lorna struggled for an answer.
"I'm not really sure," Lorna said, "except that I know that they're not all like that. It's taken me a long time to figure that out, but it's true. Most people...they just need someone to help point them in the right direction, guide them-"
Her father laughed.
"Maybe you really have been talking to Charles," he said.
"I haven't," Lorna said.
"Then Alex has become a much better parrot over the years," her father said
Lorna sighed and fought to remain calm. She needed to be calm, needed to make him see. Somehow it felt like this was her last chance.
"I figured that out by myself," she said, "Father, I didn't know what the Brotherhood really was. And I understand why you kept all of that from me-"
"Stop pretending that you understand," he snapped.
She looked up at him.
"Stop pretending that you don't," Lorna said.
He glared at her, his breath coming out in harsh pants.
"Lorna, you know better than this!" he shouted.
"Father-"
"You act as though the world is an innocent place that can be won over with syrupy dreams and innocence," her father snapped, "If you were a child I could understand, but you're not. You're a full grown woman who knows how cruel the world really is, what it will do to our people if it has the chance!"
She saw a metal table in the corner of the room begin to twist.
"And you're just rolling over, giving up and giving them a chance to destroy us all!" he shouted, "There are people out there who will torture and dissect and manipulate us just because they can!"
"And that's why I'm going to protect us!" Lorna said.
She could hear the metal screeching around her. Lorna fought to keep herself under control, someone had to, but she knew that she was losing.
"I'm never going to stop fighting for our kind!" Lorna said, "Never!"
"Then why are you leaving?" he said.
"Because I can't be like you!" Lorna screamed.
The metal railing screamed and twisted. She saw the metal chandelier and light fixtures rattle.
"I can't follow you anymore, not now that I know what I know!" Lorna said, "I'm never going to lead the Brotherhood because I don't believe in it, because I don't want to be part of it!"
She took a deep breath.
"For the last time," she screamed, "I'm not Magnetrix anymore!"
Her father stared at her, his face changing. The rattling stopped. Lorna knew she was finally making headway as his rage slipped off to reveal hurt, overcome by deep betrayal.
"You're still my father-" she whispered.
His hands shot out and grabbed her shoulders. Lorna was lifted off her feet as her father glared at her. She felt the air get sucked out of her lungs. Alex moved forward and she saw a metal chandelier knock him back. Her eyes widened and she reached out for the metal, stopping him from going over the edge.
She saw the metal begin to push back. Although her father's eyes weren't even looking at Alex, she knew he was causing it. The green film dropped over her eyes again. She felt like she was pushing up against a brick wall. Lorna had never done this against her father before.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Alex get up. She sighed inwardly: she didn't know if she would be able to do that again for very long. Lorna released her hold on the chandelier and the green film disappeared. It gave her a clearer view of her father.
She had never seen the kind of rage on his face that she saw then, the pure fury. He looked as though he would rip her apart. Lorna understood then, in a way that she had never understood before, why Alex thought her father was a monster. For the first time in her life she was seeing Magneto.
Yet, she could see something else there. Lorna could see the pain, the deep-seeded hurt that she herself had felt when she'd made her decision. Lorna saw her father staring out at her through Magneto's eyes, the man who had carried her out of the woods, sung to her when she'd had nightmares, taught her to control her mutations. He was her father, and she loved him.
The noise dropped out. She forgot about the fight, forgot about everything. Her father was angry and in pain, and she couldn't fear that. She gently raised her hands and put them on his arms.
"Father, please," she said.
Her father stared at her, and all the rage disappeared.
"Let me go," she whispered.
For a minute more they stared at each other. They were the only biological family that they had. They had found each other late, but that didn't mean anything. Lorna wondered what he was seeing when he saw her. Was he seeing her mother? Was he seeing her as a child? Was he seeing everything that they had been through with each other?
Suddenly he dropped her. Lorna fell to the floor, using her hands to block the brunt of her fall. She looked back up at her father. His face was frigid and immobile.
"Stop," he said.
For the first time some of the noise began filtering in. Alex was getting to his feet and the rest of the X-men were still fighting. Yet, she was still looking at her father.
"Stop!" her father shouted.
The noise of the fight dropped out.
"We're leaving," Magneto said, "We're all leaving right now."
He turned his head towards Alex.
"Take your people away," he said, "And take that-"
He pointed to Lorna.
"-with you," he said.
Lorna took a deep breath, trying to block the hurt that she felt. It was only fair. She had made the decision.
"Father-"
"I don't have a daughter," he snapped.
Lorna watched as he turned away from her and began walking down the hall. It felt like her heart was cracking into pieces, but it wasn't over. She wouldn't let it end like that.
She got laboriously up. Her broken foot felt like it was on fire. Lorna tilted her head up, keeping in the tears and heartache. Like everything she had done since she had made her decision: she had to be on her own two feet.
"It doesn't work like that," she said.
Her father stopped and looked slightly over his shoulder.
"For better or for worse, I will always be your daughter," Lorna said.
Her father turned away and walked down the hall. She remained standing as the members of the Brotherhood filtered past. Emma just looked over at her before she walked away. Senyaka didn't look and Mystique gave her a filthy, but also triumphant, glare. Lance sneered at her and Tabby and Toad gave her looks of bewilderment. She supposed Janos was further inside. He probably would have glared as well.
No one stopped or tried to talk to her. Lorna could feel the hurt intensifying inside of her, solidifying. She had trained some of the people who walked past her like she was nothing, and she had grown up with the rest of them. Lorna wanted to cry, but it had been her choice.
When the last of them were gone Lorna was left standing. Their footsteps echoed away. The next time she saw them they would be fighting, and the thought would have broken something inside her if there was anything left to break. Everything was painful, and it felt like she had been sent out to sea in the middle of a storm.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. Lorna turned around and saw Alex looking at her, his face worried.
"Lorna," he said.
Lorna sucked in a sob and threw her arms around Alex's shoulders. He pulled her to him just as her knees gave way from the weak support of her feet. He lowered her to the floor, still holding her close as she grabbed fistfuls of his coat. She tucked her head beneath his chin and cried, letting out all the tears she had held inside since everything had begun.
"It's alright," Alex whispered, "I'm here. I'm always going to be here."
"I know," Lorna managed, "I know."