Two: The Castle
He was hungry all the time. Even with the aid of powdered formula,
rare in these backwoods mountains, he was hungry. Raven had changed her
face and form first thing, pretending to be a wandering madwoman,
convinced that other powers were out to kill her baby.
The ruse worked, and sympathetic peasants would do just about anything
to humour her, including blindfolding wetnurses to help feed her son.
Her special son.
The only one of her many children to be born with her colouring.
When she found Eric, he simply procured formula for her. And day by
day, her tiny boy lost interest in her. She'd lost her milk from stress.
From a month and a half of fear and trepidation. The first time he
latched on, pulled once, and cried for food made her weep for an entire
day.
Raven never was a good mother, preferring to abandon her children with
other families. Now that message was driven home. She couldn't even feed
the one she intended to keep and guard.
Erik was a help, but not as much as *her* Eric. The one she loved. Did
he think she was dead by now? Or had they assumed that she'd run off
into the night to give herself and her son 'back' to the Devil?
Erik - or Magneto as he preferred to style himself - was absolutely
*fascinated* by her baby. He'd spend hours just watching him sleep. He'd
spend even more hours theorising about his possible origins.
He even tried to explain it to the weary and sleep-deprived Raven. He
drew a chart on the blackboard while she paced back and forth with her
still-unnamed son.
Mutie-Mutie Mutie-Norm Norm-Norm
PW Mutie [3-way X] pW Mutie [2-way X] Norm
pW Mutie [2-way X] Mutie [Inherited X] Mutie
Mutie [Inherited X] Mutie [Original X]
Mutie [Original X] Norm
Norm
The most likely events were at the top of the chart, and the least
likely at the bottom. Apparently, Raven had got it backwards, having
normal children, then an original mutant, then her *special* baby. The
implication that *her* Eric was also a mutant shocked her.
"But he had no powers, he lived normally," she said.
"Then he was a latent mutant," said Erik. "Of no use or concern to the
Cause."
Raven sighed. Erik and his stupid Cause. It was all he talked about.
On her shoulder, her son reacted to the news of his 'advanced' status by
burping and instantly falling to sleep. Personally, Raven was relieved
that he didn't decide he wanted to fill up again, and put him to bed.
She didn't return to Magneto, just crumpled into the camp-bed next to
her son's cot and fell into a deep and dreamless slumber. It was an act
she'd regret for the rest of her life.
He woke the instant someone else came in the room, murmuring a little
to voice his surprise. The old man stood over him, smiling. He cooed at
him.
"Now, shhh..." said the man. "Your mother's just gone to sleep. Shh,
now. We're going for a little walk."
Two giant hands picked him up, and he wriggled in midair before the
man settled him into a carrying-hug. He tried the man's shoulder for
food value on general principles and kept trying to grab his hair. He
got the man's ear several times, so that was just as good.
The man unwrapped him and undid everything, and left him naked on a
cold table. He didn't like that, and mewled with discomfort.
"Not long now," said the man. "There's a good boy."
The table moved, and there were bright lights and shiny things all
around. He cooed again and tried to reach for them. They were a long way
away, but his tail and feet were always close, so he tried to stuff all
three in his mouth at once. The large green shining thing above
fascinated him, though. He kept waiting for it to move, like the mobile
above his changing table.
"Initiating stage one enhancement," said the man.
And then green light came from the shining thing, and his whole body
hurt.
He cried at the top of his lungs. Where was Mom? He needed Mom. Where
was *Mom*?
"Monster! What have you *done* to him?"
And Mom was there and she wrapped him up and held him close, but it
still hurt and he still cried. Mom was scared and angry. The man was
angry too.
He was scared and hurt, so he cried as Mom started to run. It was cold
outside, so he cried about that, too. Strange noises filled the air as
Mom tried to run and hide.
There was one moment when she hid in the shadow of a tree, and looked
at him. He looked back, and wondered why she was sad.
"You don't have your mother's eyes any more," she whispered.
The strange noises got closer, and Mom started running again, towards
a loud noise.
Had to get across the bridge. On the other side of the waterfall,
there was a tiny little village. If she and her son were *both* blue,
maybe they could pass for one of the many hidden species that seemed to
dwell in these lands. She could just keep going until she found a
sympathetic place to stay. Somewhere that would guard her and her son
from the maniac known as Magneto.
The wolves were everywhere. They'd bought her to bay on the bridge.
Nowhere to run, and Erik was getting closer. The animals wanted her son.
She held him high, away from them.
One errant breeze. One little upset. One fumble for balance. And her
baby fell.
"*NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*!" Involuntarily, Raven made to leap after
him, but the wolves held fast to her clothes, and held her onto the
bridge. All she could do was watch her baby fall into the water, far
below.
"Why?" she asked as the wolves came to his heel. "*Why*?"
Magneto didn't answer. "Follow him," he ordered. "If he lives, bring
him back to me. If you try to escape with him, I *will* find you; and
you *will* regret it." He turned and flew away, leaving her to weep,
alone, in the middle of that rickety bridge.
He was hungry all the time. Even with the aid of powdered formula,
rare in these backwoods mountains, he was hungry. Raven had changed her
face and form first thing, pretending to be a wandering madwoman,
convinced that other powers were out to kill her baby.
The ruse worked, and sympathetic peasants would do just about anything
to humour her, including blindfolding wetnurses to help feed her son.
Her special son.
The only one of her many children to be born with her colouring.
When she found Eric, he simply procured formula for her. And day by
day, her tiny boy lost interest in her. She'd lost her milk from stress.
From a month and a half of fear and trepidation. The first time he
latched on, pulled once, and cried for food made her weep for an entire
day.
Raven never was a good mother, preferring to abandon her children with
other families. Now that message was driven home. She couldn't even feed
the one she intended to keep and guard.
Erik was a help, but not as much as *her* Eric. The one she loved. Did
he think she was dead by now? Or had they assumed that she'd run off
into the night to give herself and her son 'back' to the Devil?
Erik - or Magneto as he preferred to style himself - was absolutely
*fascinated* by her baby. He'd spend hours just watching him sleep. He'd
spend even more hours theorising about his possible origins.
He even tried to explain it to the weary and sleep-deprived Raven. He
drew a chart on the blackboard while she paced back and forth with her
still-unnamed son.
Mutie-Mutie Mutie-Norm Norm-Norm
PW Mutie [3-way X] pW Mutie [2-way X] Norm
pW Mutie [2-way X] Mutie [Inherited X] Mutie
Mutie [Inherited X] Mutie [Original X]
Mutie [Original X] Norm
Norm
The most likely events were at the top of the chart, and the least
likely at the bottom. Apparently, Raven had got it backwards, having
normal children, then an original mutant, then her *special* baby. The
implication that *her* Eric was also a mutant shocked her.
"But he had no powers, he lived normally," she said.
"Then he was a latent mutant," said Erik. "Of no use or concern to the
Cause."
Raven sighed. Erik and his stupid Cause. It was all he talked about.
On her shoulder, her son reacted to the news of his 'advanced' status by
burping and instantly falling to sleep. Personally, Raven was relieved
that he didn't decide he wanted to fill up again, and put him to bed.
She didn't return to Magneto, just crumpled into the camp-bed next to
her son's cot and fell into a deep and dreamless slumber. It was an act
she'd regret for the rest of her life.
He woke the instant someone else came in the room, murmuring a little
to voice his surprise. The old man stood over him, smiling. He cooed at
him.
"Now, shhh..." said the man. "Your mother's just gone to sleep. Shh,
now. We're going for a little walk."
Two giant hands picked him up, and he wriggled in midair before the
man settled him into a carrying-hug. He tried the man's shoulder for
food value on general principles and kept trying to grab his hair. He
got the man's ear several times, so that was just as good.
The man unwrapped him and undid everything, and left him naked on a
cold table. He didn't like that, and mewled with discomfort.
"Not long now," said the man. "There's a good boy."
The table moved, and there were bright lights and shiny things all
around. He cooed again and tried to reach for them. They were a long way
away, but his tail and feet were always close, so he tried to stuff all
three in his mouth at once. The large green shining thing above
fascinated him, though. He kept waiting for it to move, like the mobile
above his changing table.
"Initiating stage one enhancement," said the man.
And then green light came from the shining thing, and his whole body
hurt.
He cried at the top of his lungs. Where was Mom? He needed Mom. Where
was *Mom*?
"Monster! What have you *done* to him?"
And Mom was there and she wrapped him up and held him close, but it
still hurt and he still cried. Mom was scared and angry. The man was
angry too.
He was scared and hurt, so he cried as Mom started to run. It was cold
outside, so he cried about that, too. Strange noises filled the air as
Mom tried to run and hide.
There was one moment when she hid in the shadow of a tree, and looked
at him. He looked back, and wondered why she was sad.
"You don't have your mother's eyes any more," she whispered.
The strange noises got closer, and Mom started running again, towards
a loud noise.
Had to get across the bridge. On the other side of the waterfall,
there was a tiny little village. If she and her son were *both* blue,
maybe they could pass for one of the many hidden species that seemed to
dwell in these lands. She could just keep going until she found a
sympathetic place to stay. Somewhere that would guard her and her son
from the maniac known as Magneto.
The wolves were everywhere. They'd bought her to bay on the bridge.
Nowhere to run, and Erik was getting closer. The animals wanted her son.
She held him high, away from them.
One errant breeze. One little upset. One fumble for balance. And her
baby fell.
"*NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*!" Involuntarily, Raven made to leap after
him, but the wolves held fast to her clothes, and held her onto the
bridge. All she could do was watch her baby fall into the water, far
below.
"Why?" she asked as the wolves came to his heel. "*Why*?"
Magneto didn't answer. "Follow him," he ordered. "If he lives, bring
him back to me. If you try to escape with him, I *will* find you; and
you *will* regret it." He turned and flew away, leaving her to weep,
alone, in the middle of that rickety bridge.