The Savage Land:
The man called Toad is crouched beside Dr. Agee's cell, staring in at the scientist with genuine curiosity. His tongue rolls out of his mouth as he grins at the man. Dr. Agee looks disgusted and turns away. He can feel Toad's piercing gaze, however, and turns again. "What can I do for you, you repulsive little frog?!"
Toad crinkles his nose. "Nothin' from you, jerk-off. Was just curious what the man who'd kill off the superior race would do under pressure."
"Then you'll not know in this life time. I'm not trying to kill mutants," Agee says. "I'm trying to restore your humanity. What is wrong with that? I haven't done anything against anyone's will. I have various methods of doing my job. Some mutants, yes, have died as a result but they were fully aware of the consequences and signed a waiver allowing me to perform the operation. I am within my rights as a doctor and a scientist!"
"Says you," Toad smirks. "How do we know ya didn't trick those mutants into signin' your waivers? How do we know you didn't fake 'em? You're just a creepy mutie killer to us and we don't tolerate that kinda thing…"
"Enough, Toad!" Magneto's son, Quicksilver, snaps suddenly. "You are not here to goad the good doctor. Keep him occupied. Play a game of cards with him, make him comfortable. He'll be here for a very long time."
Toad grumbles and backs away from the cell as Quicksilver and his sister, the Scarlet Witch, walk further into the detention center. They stand in front of Agee, glaring at the smaller man imperiously. "Your day of reckoning is at hand, Doctor. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"That I have done nothing wrong!" Agee shouts. "I am a doctor, a geneticist. I am not to be treated as a criminal because of my method of healing people!"
"Mutations are not diseases!" Scarlet Witch cries. She shakes her head, annoyed and sad. "It is not a malady that can simply be cured with a pill or a scalpel. It is a part of life. It is a part of humanity, whether you like it or not. Mutants are being born everyday, do you intend to cure them as well?"
"I am not doing this for the sake humanity. My work is based on the needs of the hundreds of mutants who have no control over their powers! For the mutants that can't walk the streets in daylight for fear of being attacked because their mutation is physical. I'm not trying to destroy mutants. I'm trying to accommodate those who have no other option in this harsh, violent world," Agee says righteously.
"Excuse me…" Cataclysm says suddenly from the main doorway. She is holding a plate of mushy food. "Um, I was sent to give this to… the doctor…"
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver start to walk away. "Guard the prisoner while he's eating, Malone. Toad, we need to have words…" Quicksilver says. The three leave, leaving Agee and Cataclysm alone.
Aubrey Agee takes the plate eagerly from Cataclysm. He sits down on the cot in his cell and looks at the mutant girl curiously. Cataclysm narrows her yellow eyes at him and turns away. "Kristi Malone, correct?"
"What's it to you?" Kristi says coldly. She folds her furry arms across her chest.
"Just would like to know the person I'm trying to help," Agee says. "You are still interested in my cure?"
Kristi frowns. "Of course not. Why would I want to be less than I already am? I mean.. um.."
Agee chuckles. "I understand… you feel a bit… out of place because you are being told you are superior but you don't feel it. Tell me, have you always looked this way?"
"Yeah," Kristi says hesitantly, not seeing what this had to do with anything. "Well, the fur came later… but the tail, the ears, eyes… the whole newborn kitten thing…"
"Must have been monstrous…" Agee says sympathetically, ignoring Kristi's growl. "What happened? Your parents accept you with open arms?"
Kristi sneers at him. "You think I'd be here if they had? Left at an orphanage. Went from orphanage to orphanage all over the country because no one wanted a mutie freak like me mussing up the place. When I was ten, I got sold into a slavery circuit. Spent the next six years serving some wealthy flat scan and his pompous family their meals and playing with the kids as a personal pet."
Agee raises his eyebrows. "Sounds terrible. How did you escape?"
Kristi sighs. "Some… people I met… saved me…"
"I see," Agee says. "The Brotherhood?"
Kristi shakes her head. "It's none of your business who! What's the big idea, playing twenty questions with me? Not going to help you any."
"I agree. I was just curious what would drive a beautiful young specimen of a mutant to terrorist activity," Agee says.
In the hallway, the trio of older Brotherhood members is discussing their current situation. "These so-called 'Acolytes' are starting to be more trouble than they're worth. Their worship of Magneto has gotten to his head. He believes that he is a savior, bringing mutants to their salvation!"
"What of it, Pietro?" Scarlet Witch asks. "There's nothing we can do and his new found religion is getting him to bump up his methods for taking back this world. Why shouldn't we let them stroke his ego?"
"Because where will that leave the rest of us?" Toad adds. "We've been here the whole time but he treats them like they're more loyal because they pray to him every night. When he's dividing up the world in our image, where are we going to stand in his eyes?"
Scarlet Witch sighs heavily. Pietro touches her shoulder. "Wanda, you know we're right. We've got to convince Father that they're not worth the adulation."
Wanda shakes her head. "What do you suggest?"
"Those kids… the new recruits…" Pietro says. "They're already bordering on Acolyte material. If we can take them under our wing, we can mold them to be true Brotherhood members. None of that hero worship nonsense. Just mutants dedicated to the cause, not the man."
Toad walks back into the detention center, where Cataclysm is as far away from Agee's cell as she can get. She looks very upset and doesn't even look at him as she storms from the room. He shrugs and goes back to creeping out Dr. Agee.
Cataclysm nearly walks into Quicksilver as she leaves the detention center. She looks up, ready to make a nasty comment when she sees who it is. She swallows uneasily. "I'm wicked sorry… I didn't see you there…"
"It's all right… Cataclysm, right?" Pietro says.
Cataclysm smiles. "Yeah! That's right!"
"Good work on your first field mission," Scarlet Witch replies, glancing over at her brother. "You and your teammates work well together."
Cataclysm's smile grows. "We were taught by the best, ma'am…"
Scarlet Witch smiles, remembering the grueling training sessions she and Quicksilver had overseen involving the group. She nods slightly. "Perhaps we should talk. You and your teammates. Tonight, rather than dinner at the dining hall, I'd like it if you would join my brother and myself in our personal dining quarters."
"Really?" Cataclysm gasps. "We'd… we'll be there! If you'll excuse, I'd like to let them know as early as possible."
Quicksilver nods. "You're free to go," the twins watch her rush away before he looks again at Quicksilver. "See what I mean, Wanda? Acolytes…"
"That's what we're going to prevent, Pietro," Wanda replies. "If those young recruits worship us like that, there's no telling how they revere Father. We'll deal with it as it develops."
Cataclysm bursts into the room she shares with Rogue and Sally Blevins, a mutant girl with the ability to create a nearly impenetrable force field who calls herself Skids during training. She sees that Sally is reading at her desk and Rogue is listening to something in a set of headphones while sprawled out on her bed. Cataclysm yanks the headphones off of Rogue and her music blares into the room. Sally looks up in annoyance. "If you're going to be obnoxious, could you please do so elsewhere?"
"What's up, Cat?" Rogue asks. She turns off her CD Walkman and sits up.
"Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch want us to have dinner with them tonight! All of us!" Cataclysm squeals excitedly.
"Pull the other one," Rogue says. "Why would they wanna do that?"
Cataclysm shrugs. "No idea but I just talked to them when I went to feed Dr. Massacre his dinner. They said we did a good job and wanted to talk to us tonight."
Sally looks up from her book, this time more interested. "You're going to meet with Magneto's twins?"
Rogue smiles. "Apparently. Do the others know?"
"Not yet. Thought I'd tell you first, as field leader," Cataclysm replies.
Rogue blushes. "Ah ain't officially team leader, ya know. Ah just got experience on the field…"
"You're going to get it, though," Cataclysm says confidently. She shrugs. "Besides, who else would be able to do it? Allerdyne's out of his mind, Everett's got no leadership skills, and Bobby is way too inexperienced."
"And you?" Rogue asks quietly.
Cataclysm is surprised. "Me? That'd be stupid. I don't play well with others, remember?"
Rogue gets up and indicates that Cataclysm should follow. They leave the dorm room and walk away from the living quarters. "What about the experience y' had before here? Wouldn't that put ya in league with what Ah've got? With those… killers…"
Cataclysm looks down at her furry, bare feet. She shakes her head. "I got my tail handed to me in that one. Doesn't look good on a resume, you know? Besides, you've got it clinched. You led a successful mission."
"Why don't you talk about before here?" Rogue asks. "You obviously had a life. Had to have, you're… twenty?"
"Not much of one to talk about, really. Got beat up a bunch of times, have no family, nothing…" Cataclysm says quietly. "Can we not talk about this?"
Rogue sighs. "Ah thought we were friends, Cat. C'mon, if we're gonna trust each other, y' gotta let someone in, right?"
"I trust you without even knowing your real name, Rogue," Cataclysm says calmly. "You can trust me without knowing the details of my life before the Brotherhood."
Rogue nods. "All right, you win, sugah. You go look for the others down in the Recreation area an' Ah'll check out the training scenarios…"
