Back at the Hideout
Wanda stormed into Pietro's living quarters. She, Pietro, Fred and John had been left behind to guard the hideout. "I can't believe he killed Lance!" She screamed at him.
"It's all my fault," Pietro said. "I wasn't strong enough to protect Lance."
"He's doing things to us too isn't he?" Wanda asked. "Look at me Pietro!"
Pietro reluctantly looked at her. "He's not enhancing you or Fred," He told her. "Just me and Pyro."
"And that makes it all right?" She screamed at him.
"No! But he's just trying to make us stronger," Pietro said.
"I don't believe you!" Wanda threw up her hands. "Why do you just sit back and take this? Don't you hate how he treats you?"
"Of course I do!" Pietro spat.
"Then why is it that you always turn into a doormat whenever Father wants something?" She shouted. "Always running to him for approval when you hate his guts?"
"I don't hate him!" Pietro cried. "I love him. I just hate the way he treats us."
"How can you love him?" She screamed. "How can you love that monster?"
"I just do," Pietro tried to explain. "He's my father. Deep down I really believe he cares about us. He's just obsessed, that's his problem. He wasn't always like this. Remember how kind he was to us? How he raised us on his own? Before…He doesn't know when to stop. It's like a sickness. He can't help it."
"You always do this!" She snarled. "You're always trying to make excuses for him! You are so weak!"
"Now who sounds just like father?" Pietro looked at her.
She screamed and made to slap him. Pietro caught her hands. "Don't you ever compare me to him!" She used her powers to throw him hard against the wall.
Pietro cried out in pain. For a second she glared at him. Then she looked at her hands in disbelief. "Pietro…I didn't mean it! I…"
Pietro looked at her coldly. "I think you've proven my point. Look at you. That's all you think about is how much you hate Father. You never think about how your actions may hurt me or anyone else. Do you really think you're the only one who's been hurt by him? He's abandoned me too you know. Only difference is I would never take my frustration out on you."
"Pietro I…" She stammered. His words were starting to sink in.
"You keep telling me that I'm just like Father," Pietro stood up. "The truth is you are more like him than I could ever be." He ran off.
"Pietro!" Wanda called out. She searched the hideout for him. She saw Fred. "Blob have you seen Pietro?"
"No why?" Fred asked.
"We had a fight and I…" She sighed. "I just want to apologize to him. That's all. And I…" She noticed his eyes were red. "Have you been crying?"
"My best friend is dead," Fred snapped. "Of course I've been crying! Not that you'd care!"
"That's not true!" Wanda said.
"Yes it is!" Fred said. "You're always wrapped up in your own pain to notice anybody else's!"
"You…" She stopped. "You're right."
"Huh?"
"I have been acting like Magneto haven't I?" She sighed. "That's what Pietro was trying to tell me."
"Well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Fred said. "Unless it's on a hill."
"Huh?" Wanda looked at him.
"Don't go to Freddy for advice," Pietro appeared from around the corner. "Doesn't really work."
"Pietro I'm sorry," Wanda said. "I didn't mean…"
"I know," Pietro sighed. "I know we have to get away from him. But I don't know how. It's not like we can just walk out of here or anything."
"Yeah look what happened to…" Fred began when he heard a familiar sound. "They're back!"
"Looks like they only brought back part of the team this time," Wanda remarked. "The rest of them must have went back to that other base Magneto's building."
John walked in. "Hey Boss welcome home!" He called out. "How was the operation."
"A success for the most part," Magneto pointed to the figures of Rogue, Remy and Todd being carried out of some orbs. Under one hand he was trying to hold a struggling Claudius.
"What in the…?" Wanda looked as she saw the three unconscious figures being dragged out of the orbs. "What are they doing here?"
"My guests," Magneto told her. "Of course I had planned to have even more guests if it wasn't for someone's incompetence," He glared at Sabertooth.
"You couldn't handle four little girls?" Mystique sneered.
"Hey I was doing just fine until those three little witches used their powers!" Sabertooth snapped. "Maybe if somebody told me that they were some kind of psychics…"
"Enough!" Magneto tried to hold onto the squirming and screaming baby. "Someone take him! And change his diaper."
"I'll do it," Mystique groaned as she took him. Claudius screamed and slapped her hard in the face with his flipper. "OW! Why you little…" She made a motion to hit him.
Pietro ran and grabbed Claudius. "Don't hit him! He's just a little baby! He doesn't understand!"
"Neither do I," Wanda glared. "What are they doing here?"
"Behold our new recruits," Magneto smiled. "And a few old ones."
"What are you going to do to them?" Pietro asked.
"I think we are going to teach them the error of their ways," Magneto smiled.
