Angela looked around anxiously, eyes begging for compassion.
They all shied away from her beseeching eyes and pleading countenance.
She finally managed a dry whisper from her throat, "Hey, guys, it's me. You know, Angela! I wouldn't hurt any of you guys on purpose. You know that!"
Troy stared her down coldly, "Yeah right. Like we're supposed to believe you after that!"
His words tore into her like a thousand knives.
She had never meant to hurt him. Angela stared around the room, eyes finally settling on Toad.
He looked away, "You hurt him real bad Angela. You might have even killed him."
She cringed inwardly, "I didn't mean to. I mean he-It's just that-It wasn't my fault!"
He looked up at her, a foreign mixture of sadness and anger.
She backed away slowly, pressing her back against the cool, concrete wall.
Wanda hung up her phone slowly, "Magneto's on his way. He'll be here any minute."
Angela cocked her head to one side, "You called Magneto? Why?"
Wanda glanced up into her eyes, then flinched as though burned, "C'mon, Angela. I mean, look at what you did to Mindbender."
Angela glanced over her shoulder impuslively and found him in the same condition as before, beaten and unconscious. She looked back at the Brotherhood just as the door opened silently.
Magneto rushed in, followed by Mystique.
His eyes locked onto hers, narrowing sharply, "Angela! Come with me, now."
Her insides roiled with emotions untold as she followed them outside.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, he spun on his heel furiously, "Never, in all the years I have been alive has anything like this happened before. I mean, there have been a few clashes, such as Toad and Lance, but this! This is an offense of the highest nature!"
Angela shrank under his blazing tirade, "I'm sorry! He was provoking me and--"
"I don't care who started it!" he yelled, "All I care is that it happened! What were you thinking?!?!"
"I-I wasn't thinking."
"Of course you weren't! You never do when it comes to these things! How could you have allowed yourself to get so out of control?"
She looked him squarely in the face for that one, "That's what you taught me to do." She sneered, "All you cared about was having the ultimate weapon! Well, guess what, Mags? Your weapon fires both ways!"
Mystique intervened calmly, "Angela, we never told you to 'kill' people. We were simply showing you how to best use your powers to the full potential."
Angela looked at her disbelievingly, "Bull! You turned me against the X- men with everything you had! You knew good and well what would happen next time we collided! You counted on it too. Didn't you?"
Mystique's countenance froze, "That's uncalled for. Have you forgotten who took you under his wing? And you repay him by assaulting one of his prime members? You make me sick!"
Angela backed off a little, "So? He could drop his whole team and have me be their replacement and not feel the difference."
Magneto flew off the hook again, "Why you pompous, arrogant, spoiled, rich girl! Just because you have acquired a few cheap imitations of the best mutants in the world, that doesn't even bring you close to being even 1/10 the mutants they are!"
Angela felt her temper rising again, "Wanna bet? Let's have a go at it, shall we? See who's the better mutant?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the Brotherhood coming to stand beside them.
Wanda spoke up first, "We've put the situation to a vote."
Pietro finished her statement, "And we've decided that the only fair thing to do, is to either withdraw the Brotherhood and Acolyte's protection over her, or, place her in isolation from the rest of us until she learns to control herself."
Magneto nodded curtly, "She may choose. It would be a shame to lose her power in this group."
Toad stepped forward with a half-smile on his face, "So how 'bout it, Angela? You can either be expelled from the group, or put in isolation. Which one is it?" his eyes told her clearly what he wanted her to choose.
She sighed heavily, "Okay." She replied quietly in subdued tones, "I'll go into isolation."
They all shied away from her beseeching eyes and pleading countenance.
She finally managed a dry whisper from her throat, "Hey, guys, it's me. You know, Angela! I wouldn't hurt any of you guys on purpose. You know that!"
Troy stared her down coldly, "Yeah right. Like we're supposed to believe you after that!"
His words tore into her like a thousand knives.
She had never meant to hurt him. Angela stared around the room, eyes finally settling on Toad.
He looked away, "You hurt him real bad Angela. You might have even killed him."
She cringed inwardly, "I didn't mean to. I mean he-It's just that-It wasn't my fault!"
He looked up at her, a foreign mixture of sadness and anger.
She backed away slowly, pressing her back against the cool, concrete wall.
Wanda hung up her phone slowly, "Magneto's on his way. He'll be here any minute."
Angela cocked her head to one side, "You called Magneto? Why?"
Wanda glanced up into her eyes, then flinched as though burned, "C'mon, Angela. I mean, look at what you did to Mindbender."
Angela glanced over her shoulder impuslively and found him in the same condition as before, beaten and unconscious. She looked back at the Brotherhood just as the door opened silently.
Magneto rushed in, followed by Mystique.
His eyes locked onto hers, narrowing sharply, "Angela! Come with me, now."
Her insides roiled with emotions untold as she followed them outside.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, he spun on his heel furiously, "Never, in all the years I have been alive has anything like this happened before. I mean, there have been a few clashes, such as Toad and Lance, but this! This is an offense of the highest nature!"
Angela shrank under his blazing tirade, "I'm sorry! He was provoking me and--"
"I don't care who started it!" he yelled, "All I care is that it happened! What were you thinking?!?!"
"I-I wasn't thinking."
"Of course you weren't! You never do when it comes to these things! How could you have allowed yourself to get so out of control?"
She looked him squarely in the face for that one, "That's what you taught me to do." She sneered, "All you cared about was having the ultimate weapon! Well, guess what, Mags? Your weapon fires both ways!"
Mystique intervened calmly, "Angela, we never told you to 'kill' people. We were simply showing you how to best use your powers to the full potential."
Angela looked at her disbelievingly, "Bull! You turned me against the X- men with everything you had! You knew good and well what would happen next time we collided! You counted on it too. Didn't you?"
Mystique's countenance froze, "That's uncalled for. Have you forgotten who took you under his wing? And you repay him by assaulting one of his prime members? You make me sick!"
Angela backed off a little, "So? He could drop his whole team and have me be their replacement and not feel the difference."
Magneto flew off the hook again, "Why you pompous, arrogant, spoiled, rich girl! Just because you have acquired a few cheap imitations of the best mutants in the world, that doesn't even bring you close to being even 1/10 the mutants they are!"
Angela felt her temper rising again, "Wanna bet? Let's have a go at it, shall we? See who's the better mutant?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the Brotherhood coming to stand beside them.
Wanda spoke up first, "We've put the situation to a vote."
Pietro finished her statement, "And we've decided that the only fair thing to do, is to either withdraw the Brotherhood and Acolyte's protection over her, or, place her in isolation from the rest of us until she learns to control herself."
Magneto nodded curtly, "She may choose. It would be a shame to lose her power in this group."
Toad stepped forward with a half-smile on his face, "So how 'bout it, Angela? You can either be expelled from the group, or put in isolation. Which one is it?" his eyes told her clearly what he wanted her to choose.
She sighed heavily, "Okay." She replied quietly in subdued tones, "I'll go into isolation."