On the plane, Mindbender checked his watch. They had been airborne for two
hours. So far, everything was going according to plan. The one drawback had
been with Electra's new memories. Something he had implanted in her had
made her very chatty, and she had not stopped talking about all the fun she
was going to have once they got to Germany. Since he couldn't knock her out
again or alter her memories further without giving himself away, he was
stuck listening to her prattle on. Finally, he saw an opportunity to get
away for a bit, and took it.
"Excuse me, my dear, but I have to make a private call to let the people who are picking us up know where to meet us," he said. He got up from his seat and walked back to the lavatory. He entered, shut the door, and pulled a phone out of his pocket. He pressed a sequence of buttons, and shortly, the display screen on the phone lit up, indicating that a secure channel had been established. He pressed the send button and waited. A moment later, the screen was filled with Magneto's face.
"I trust there have been no problems?" he said.
"None at all," replied Mindbender. "We will be arriving in a few hours,"
"Excellent. I will have Pyro and Colossus waiting when you arrive,"
"I understand," Mindbender said, and the screen went blank. Mindbender took a moment to wash his hands, partly to buy himself a few extra seconds without having to listen to Electra's voice. When he returned to his seat, he was relieved to find that she had fallen asleep.
X
Gambit pulled his car up to a boarding house in Bayville. He cut off the engine, got out of the car, and walked up to the front door.
I hope they haven't starved to death while Pietro's been in charge of things, he thought to himself, and opened the door.
The house was in its usual sloppy condition. Empty pizza boxes and plates of half-eaten food lay on the rug, clothing was strewn about over the furniture, and the picture on the TV was blurred and fuzzy due to the poor reception. But the house itself was devoid of people, something that was most unusual.
Gambit stroked his chin, trying to figure out where the Brotherhood could be. As he pondered, he heard a door open upstairs and saw Wanda emerge from her bedroom. She yawned as she walked down the staircase and saw Gambit "Hi," she said.
"Hello, Wanda. Where's everybody else?"
"Pietro went out for breakfast, but I don't know about the others. They went out camping over the weekend and haven't come back yet,"
"And they didn't invite you along?" Gambit asked.
"Would YOU want to spend 3 nights in a tent with Toad?" she replied.
"I see your point," Gambit said thoughtfully.
Wanda looked out the door over Gambit's shoulder and saw a small cloud of dust on the horizon. "Hey, I think I see Pietro. He should be back any second now,"
Three seconds later, a blur raced past Gambit as Pietro ran back into the house. He stopped in the hall and looked nervously at Gambit.
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" he said.
"Relax, Pietro. Nobody's accusing you of anything. Yet, anyway," Gambit replied.
"Look, if you're wondering why I haven't sent you any status reports for a while, there IS a perfectly good reason!" Pietro stammered.
"Oh give it a rest, brother! No wonder the others left!" Wanda muttered, and started back upstairs.
"Hold on a minute," Gambit said. "Is there something going on here I should know about?" he asked, eyeing Pietro suspiciously. Pietro shifted his feet squeamishly.
"Now that you mention it, there is," said Wanda, walking back into the hall. "Pietro's been doing a horrible job leading us. We've been living like slaves while he sits on his butt all day. His training sessions have been pathetic. And he's a terrible motivator! The others don't even WANT to join Magneto any more! I still do, but there's some days when I wonder why I'm even wasting my time here,"
Gambit's eyes narrowed as Pietro began sweating. "I see," he said.
"Wait, I can explain!" Pietro cried desperately.
"Stow it, kid, and listen carefully," Gambit growled. "Your father's planning something. I don't know exactly what, but it's serious. I just got back from kidnapping somebody, because he needs her for some kind of experiment,"
Wanda gasped at this. "Why would my father want to kidnap anybody?" she asked.
Gambit ignored her and continued. "Your father wanted me to tell you that he may need you soon. Not now, though," he said as Pietro dashed upstairs and returned in a split second with a packed suitcase. "You can expect me to return when the time is right. And for safety's sake, I think you should keep this to yourselves for now,"
"Whatever my father needs, he can count on me!" Wanda said eagerly, her prior shock forgotten.
Gambit grinned. He had to hand it to Magneto for having Mindbender brainwash Wanda, effectively turning one of their most dangerous enemies into a useful ally. "I'm very glad to hear you say that, my dear. At least somebody around here has some enthusiasm," he said, giving Pietro a sideways glance. Pietro scowled as Gambit walked out the door.
"What do you suppose Father needs us for?" Wanda asked Pietro.
"I don't know, sis, but you heard Gambit. This could be big," he said. "I just hope we can get out of here before the rest of those idiots get back. The last thing I need to hear is Lance, Toad and Freddie whining about how they'd rather just be like normal people,"
Wanda snorted in disgust. No matter how much she disliked her companions, none of them deserved any of the crap that Pietro constantly gave them, not even Toad. She elbowed past him and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.
X
"Excuse me, my dear, but I have to make a private call to let the people who are picking us up know where to meet us," he said. He got up from his seat and walked back to the lavatory. He entered, shut the door, and pulled a phone out of his pocket. He pressed a sequence of buttons, and shortly, the display screen on the phone lit up, indicating that a secure channel had been established. He pressed the send button and waited. A moment later, the screen was filled with Magneto's face.
"I trust there have been no problems?" he said.
"None at all," replied Mindbender. "We will be arriving in a few hours,"
"Excellent. I will have Pyro and Colossus waiting when you arrive,"
"I understand," Mindbender said, and the screen went blank. Mindbender took a moment to wash his hands, partly to buy himself a few extra seconds without having to listen to Electra's voice. When he returned to his seat, he was relieved to find that she had fallen asleep.
X
Gambit pulled his car up to a boarding house in Bayville. He cut off the engine, got out of the car, and walked up to the front door.
I hope they haven't starved to death while Pietro's been in charge of things, he thought to himself, and opened the door.
The house was in its usual sloppy condition. Empty pizza boxes and plates of half-eaten food lay on the rug, clothing was strewn about over the furniture, and the picture on the TV was blurred and fuzzy due to the poor reception. But the house itself was devoid of people, something that was most unusual.
Gambit stroked his chin, trying to figure out where the Brotherhood could be. As he pondered, he heard a door open upstairs and saw Wanda emerge from her bedroom. She yawned as she walked down the staircase and saw Gambit "Hi," she said.
"Hello, Wanda. Where's everybody else?"
"Pietro went out for breakfast, but I don't know about the others. They went out camping over the weekend and haven't come back yet,"
"And they didn't invite you along?" Gambit asked.
"Would YOU want to spend 3 nights in a tent with Toad?" she replied.
"I see your point," Gambit said thoughtfully.
Wanda looked out the door over Gambit's shoulder and saw a small cloud of dust on the horizon. "Hey, I think I see Pietro. He should be back any second now,"
Three seconds later, a blur raced past Gambit as Pietro ran back into the house. He stopped in the hall and looked nervously at Gambit.
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" he said.
"Relax, Pietro. Nobody's accusing you of anything. Yet, anyway," Gambit replied.
"Look, if you're wondering why I haven't sent you any status reports for a while, there IS a perfectly good reason!" Pietro stammered.
"Oh give it a rest, brother! No wonder the others left!" Wanda muttered, and started back upstairs.
"Hold on a minute," Gambit said. "Is there something going on here I should know about?" he asked, eyeing Pietro suspiciously. Pietro shifted his feet squeamishly.
"Now that you mention it, there is," said Wanda, walking back into the hall. "Pietro's been doing a horrible job leading us. We've been living like slaves while he sits on his butt all day. His training sessions have been pathetic. And he's a terrible motivator! The others don't even WANT to join Magneto any more! I still do, but there's some days when I wonder why I'm even wasting my time here,"
Gambit's eyes narrowed as Pietro began sweating. "I see," he said.
"Wait, I can explain!" Pietro cried desperately.
"Stow it, kid, and listen carefully," Gambit growled. "Your father's planning something. I don't know exactly what, but it's serious. I just got back from kidnapping somebody, because he needs her for some kind of experiment,"
Wanda gasped at this. "Why would my father want to kidnap anybody?" she asked.
Gambit ignored her and continued. "Your father wanted me to tell you that he may need you soon. Not now, though," he said as Pietro dashed upstairs and returned in a split second with a packed suitcase. "You can expect me to return when the time is right. And for safety's sake, I think you should keep this to yourselves for now,"
"Whatever my father needs, he can count on me!" Wanda said eagerly, her prior shock forgotten.
Gambit grinned. He had to hand it to Magneto for having Mindbender brainwash Wanda, effectively turning one of their most dangerous enemies into a useful ally. "I'm very glad to hear you say that, my dear. At least somebody around here has some enthusiasm," he said, giving Pietro a sideways glance. Pietro scowled as Gambit walked out the door.
"What do you suppose Father needs us for?" Wanda asked Pietro.
"I don't know, sis, but you heard Gambit. This could be big," he said. "I just hope we can get out of here before the rest of those idiots get back. The last thing I need to hear is Lance, Toad and Freddie whining about how they'd rather just be like normal people,"
Wanda snorted in disgust. No matter how much she disliked her companions, none of them deserved any of the crap that Pietro constantly gave them, not even Toad. She elbowed past him and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.
X