Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I don't own Marvel Comics, I don't
own "X2: X-Men United", I don't own the comics based off of the movie - hell,
I don't even own this plot. This is just an adaptation, word for word. Actually,
the some of the only original parts of this fic are the title and the psalms
I added into the beginning of each chapter.
Summary: The prequel to the movie. This is what happened before Nightcrawler attacked the president. This doesn't only contain spoilers, it is a spoiler. Just one big spoiler. So be warned.
Get ready for angstiness people.
The Shadow of Death
Writer - Chuck Austen
Editor - Mike Marts
Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada
Adapter - Blitz
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.
-Psalm 25:16-21
Part 2
The moon was glowing high in the sky over the travelling Canadian circus and Margali was getting ready to retire to bed. But first she had to find someone. She approached her trailer. There was a light on, but perhaps she had left it on when she'd gone to see Kurt in the medical tent. She turned the handle and pulled the door open. For a second she jumped, then emotion and disgust took hold of her. "Oh, for crying out loud," she complained, glaring at her daughter who was stradling a man in one of Margali's swivel chairs. Margali thanked God that they were both still clothed, though both their shirts were hanging loosely off of them. "Have you no shame, Amanda?"
"Mother, really," Amanda said angrily, her arms still draped around Werner's neck as they had been before Margali had interrupted their passion. "Does the word 'knock' mean nothing to you?"
"Do the words 'this is my trailer' mean nothing to you?" She didn't have time for this. Maybe in the morning she would discuss with Amanda the importance of finding more private places to "express her love", but right now she needed to find Kurt. "Have you seen Kurt anywhere? I can't seem to find him around the camp."
"Not since after the performance when you bandaged him up," Amanda stated truthfully. "Have you checked the local church?"
"No, but I guess I should," Margali said.
***
The moon's light barely broke through the trees, but somehow Amanda and Kurt had managed to find their way onto a clear path. Their hands joined, the two hurried through the woods and into the night. "Are you sure there's nothing you want from the wagons, Amanda? Not even to say goodbye to your mother?" Kurt asked again.
"I'll say my goodbyes when it's too late for them to change our plans."
"Amanda, wait," Kurt said, stopping her.
"No, Kurt, no. Keep running!"
"No, just wait a second," he repeated, crouching down. "I need to know something." He took a deep breath, then continued. "You said earlier ... you said ... 'son-in-law.' Did you mean that?"
"Oh, Kurt," Amanda said softly. "I've never meant anything more in my entire life."
"I never ... I never imagined I'd ever hear those words from you," he said. "I love you, Amanda."
"And I, you." She knealt down and leaned her face closer to his. "Kiss me ... and let me show you how much ... "
***
Several armed gaurds stepped out of the woodworks, aiming rifles at an oblivious Kurt Wagner. One man stood away from the group, his glasses glinting in the night, his arms crossed before him. "Disgusting," he said in a slow drawl, then, to his men, he said, "Keep in mind you're not seeing what he's seeing, men."
"What is he seeing, Mr. Stryker?"
Kurt put one hand behind him to support himself. Someone seemed to be pushing him backward.
"Something that almost makes me wish I were being mind-controlled, apparently," Stryke muttered. "Load him into the truck before it gets to graphic. He won't feel anything. He won't even know you're there."
The gaurd who had asked the first question continued talking as the others apprehended the mutant. "Is there anything we should be careful of, Mister Stryker? Anything that would disrupt whatever Mutant Twelve is doing to him?"
"Other than distance," Stryker said, walking back toward the trucks, "nothing can interrupt Mutant Twelve's unique mind control abilities once they've begun ... as far as we've been able to ascertain."
There was a short behind the soldier and his superior officer. "Eewww," a less mature soldier exclaimed. "He's sticking his tongue out, sir. He's tonguing the air!"
The two continued with their conversation, ignoring the disgust in the other soldier's voice. "Is their a time limit, sir? When does control over the mutant's mind wear off?"
Stryker smiled, a touch of malice in his face. "When I tell it to, and not before," he stated simply, returning to the truck.
***
Kurt awoke the next morning in the small motel room he and Amanda had spent the night in. Amanda had gotten the room and Kurt had teleported inside, warning him that a mutant might upset the man at the front desk. The room was small, but cozy a bed, carpets, a bathroom, and a bedside table, but not much else.
One of Amanda's arms was over his chest and perched on his left shoulder as she rested her head on the right, gazing into his face. Clothes littered the floor along with one of the pillows. They'd restore order in the room eventually, but now they were both too happy to care about anything but each other.
"I don't think I've ever been so happy," Kurt smiled, enjoying the feeling of finally being so close to Amanda.
"Me either. I love you so much, Kurt."
A sudden headache swarmed it's way over Kurt's skull. He jolted a bit and squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing his forehead. "Nngghh!"
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"I don't know, I - "
But when Kurt turned to look at Amanda, she was nearly transparent and fading fast. "Amanda!" He reached out to grab her, as if by touching her he could will her back into existence, but his hand passed right through her. "Amanda?! Amaaaaanda?!" he screamed.
Maybe she could still hear him. Maybe she was in another room.
The motel room had faded along with his new wife. The blankets disappeared, and so did the mattress, leaving only a hard, metal cot growing out of the wall in its place. The clothing on the floor was gone and Kurt found himself wearing a pair of khakis and a collar, but nothing else. The walls melted, showing themselves to be steel. "Amaaandaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Shut up, you animal," a harsh, drawling voice spoke over what must have been an intercom, though Kurt couldn't see one.
"Who is that? What have you done with Amanda?!" he screamed.
"Amanda's gone, Wagner." There was the sound of air compressed as the metal doors slid open, revealing the man from the forest. "And she's never coming back," he added. "Unless ... of course ... you do as you're told."
"Who ... who are you?" Kurt demanded. "And what have you done with Amanda?" His yellow eyes narrowed and he clenched his fangs together. "If you've heart her in any way - "
"When you see her again, she'll be exactly as you remember her, young Mr. Wagner," Stryker smirked. "Now, then ... instead of getting into who I am, I'd like to know more about you."
Kurt crouched down, still glaring at the man. The doors hissed shut behind him and Stryker approached. "We know that you are highly agil. We know that you speak five languages, including Swedish, of all things. And we also know that you can move yourself through some kind of dimensional portal - some form of teleportation - and can cover large distances in the blink of an eye." Stryker finished his speech, the smirk growing steadily crueler. "What else do I need to know about you, Kurt?"
Kurt refused to meet his gaze, but glared up at him, his hair falling in front of his face. He was contemplating. It was a futile hope, but it was worth a shot. A sudden pain shot through his body. "Aaahh!"
"Let me guess ... " Stryker said, " ... you were trying to do that teleportation trick I just mentioned. I suppose something along the lines of 'to hell with this' went through your little monster mind. You figured you could locate Amanda - somehow - find an exit, and make your way to safety - until you discovered that we had considered that option, as well." Stryker peered down at Kurt, waiting for him to make the next move. "Hurts, doesn't it?" he taunted. He sat down on one of the metal beds, placing his hands on his knees.
Kurt slid down against the wall, rubbing the back of his neck and lowering himself to the ground.
"Now ... once again ... what other interesting mutant talents do you possess?"
Kurt stared straight ahead hatefully. If he looked at Stryker, he may do something that would end up putting his - and Amanda's - life in jeopardy. He couldn't afford that. It would be best to cooperate.
He raised his eyes to Stryker's. "Well," he grinned, his fangs poking out, "if you rub my belly ... my leg wiggles uncontrollably."
Stryker looked at him sadly. Kurt had just made things worse for himself with his defiance. He stood up to leave, turning his back on Kurt Wagner.
"What, are you leaving?" Kurt called after him. "Don't you want to give it a try?"
Stryker continued out the door.
"All right. Maybe later," Kurt offered. "I'm here all week." The doors hissed open and shut and Stryker was gone, leaving Kurt alone. "Wherever here is."
***
Margali had broken away from the rest of the workers at the circus in the hopes of gaining some solitude to clear her mind. That hadn't helped. Instead she was left with violent, paranoid thoughts surrounding the outcome of her adopted son. It had been a full two days and Kurt had no returned.
"Mom? Any sign of Kurt?" her daughter asked, approached her as Margali leaned against a low tree branch, her back to the circus.
"No, Amanda," she sighed, "and I'm really worried. He wasn't at the local church, and no one's seen him since just after the last performance. We've waited as long as we can. The circus has to leave for Calgary."
"I'm sure he'll be all right ... " Amanda said, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort her. "I know you, Mom, and I know you're imagining him dead in a ditch someplace - but don't, okay? He's probably just upset with himself over what he did, and is hiding out for a while."
"Yeah," Margali nodded. "You're probably right. He's done it before." She turned slightly to look at Amanda, worry creasing her face. "There are just so many bad people out there who hate mutants ... and Kurt is as mutant as they come."
***
Meanwhile, Kurt was knealing by his bedside, his hands clasped together and his head lowered in prayer. He was thinking of Amanda and Margali, hoping that they were safe. He never prayed for himself, only for others, only for those he loved. Questions were eating away at his mind like bullets. His only hope was to pray. Perhaps then some of his tension may be eased. "Dear Lord, hear my prayer," he murmured. "Please let Amanda be safe. And Margali, Woodhead, Chester, and all the others ... "
The metal door began to beep. Someone was punching in a code. The door cut through the air as the metal slid away, making a "shoont" sound.
Kurt didn't let the disturbance interrupt him. "And while you're at it," he added, "please bless these soldiers, for they know not what they do."
"Put this other mutant on the cot," one of the gaurds said as a young woman wrapped in a blanket was hauled in. Her head had been shaved and her fingers were bleeding. She was barely conscious, but she looked otherwise unharmed. Kurt heard her groan.
As she was handed off to the younger gaurd, the gaurd who had first spoken noticed Kurt. "What the hell are you doing, mutie?" He sounded angry, dangerous. "Are you praying?!"
Kurt didn't turn around, didn't move. He made no indication that he had heard what the man had said.
"No you don't! You don't pray!" the man yelled, pointing a finger at Kurt, threatening him to stop. "God doesn't listen to prayers from animals!!"
Kurt adjusted his elbows on the cot, but otherwise made no movement. "And please bless Tiny Tim here, most of all - "
"That's it, demon, that was a mistake!" the gaurd roared, pulling out a club. "You're a mistake! One of God's mistakes!" He took a step toward Kurt.
The second gaurd turned around as he laid the young woman down on the cot to see his partner make his way towards the mutant. "Norris, no ... "
"You DON'T PRAY!" Norris shouted, cracking the club across Kurt's face.
"Norris!"
"I better not catch you on your knees again, you hear me?!" his partner began shoving him out of the holding cell, looking back in horror at what Norris had done. "Not praying to my God!"
"Get out of here, Norris! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Not my God!"
But Kurt didn't hear him. The blow hadn't been enough to crack his jaw, but it had been enough to knock him out. He lay limp on the ground, unmoving. Blood pooled out of his mouth, forming a puddle around his head, spreading to his hair and around his neck and sticking to his face.
***
The circus had waited three days for the return of their star, but to no avail. They had waited as long as they could and now it was time to head onwards. The tents had long since been taken down and the animals were in their metal trailers hitched to trucks. Everyone was reader to go, though Margali had stalled, hoping with each passing second that the next would bring Kurt Wagner back into her life.
But now she sat in her van beside her daughter, her chin perched on her fist as she gazed out the window. When she looked away, a tear made it's way slowly down her cheek. Fearing Amanda would see and note her vulnerability at that moment, Margali looked away, telling herself she was still looking for Kurt.
Amanda watched her mother watching the window. She tore her eyes from her mothers saddened face. It broke her heart to see her in such a state with the knowledge that there was nothing she could do to comfort the woman who had provided so much love for her throughout her life. Amanda lifted her mother's hand and it took, giving it a loving squeeze, as if by the mere touch she could let her mother know that everything would be all right. But there was no gaurantee that things would get better and Margali, who instinctively returned the squeeze, in truth barely registering her daughter's presence.
Please review. Please.
Please.
Summary: The prequel to the movie. This is what happened before Nightcrawler attacked the president. This doesn't only contain spoilers, it is a spoiler. Just one big spoiler. So be warned.
Get ready for angstiness people.
The Shadow of Death
Writer - Chuck Austen
Editor - Mike Marts
Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada
Adapter - Blitz
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.
-Psalm 25:16-21
Part 2
The moon was glowing high in the sky over the travelling Canadian circus and Margali was getting ready to retire to bed. But first she had to find someone. She approached her trailer. There was a light on, but perhaps she had left it on when she'd gone to see Kurt in the medical tent. She turned the handle and pulled the door open. For a second she jumped, then emotion and disgust took hold of her. "Oh, for crying out loud," she complained, glaring at her daughter who was stradling a man in one of Margali's swivel chairs. Margali thanked God that they were both still clothed, though both their shirts were hanging loosely off of them. "Have you no shame, Amanda?"
"Mother, really," Amanda said angrily, her arms still draped around Werner's neck as they had been before Margali had interrupted their passion. "Does the word 'knock' mean nothing to you?"
"Do the words 'this is my trailer' mean nothing to you?" She didn't have time for this. Maybe in the morning she would discuss with Amanda the importance of finding more private places to "express her love", but right now she needed to find Kurt. "Have you seen Kurt anywhere? I can't seem to find him around the camp."
"Not since after the performance when you bandaged him up," Amanda stated truthfully. "Have you checked the local church?"
"No, but I guess I should," Margali said.
***
The moon's light barely broke through the trees, but somehow Amanda and Kurt had managed to find their way onto a clear path. Their hands joined, the two hurried through the woods and into the night. "Are you sure there's nothing you want from the wagons, Amanda? Not even to say goodbye to your mother?" Kurt asked again.
"I'll say my goodbyes when it's too late for them to change our plans."
"Amanda, wait," Kurt said, stopping her.
"No, Kurt, no. Keep running!"
"No, just wait a second," he repeated, crouching down. "I need to know something." He took a deep breath, then continued. "You said earlier ... you said ... 'son-in-law.' Did you mean that?"
"Oh, Kurt," Amanda said softly. "I've never meant anything more in my entire life."
"I never ... I never imagined I'd ever hear those words from you," he said. "I love you, Amanda."
"And I, you." She knealt down and leaned her face closer to his. "Kiss me ... and let me show you how much ... "
***
Several armed gaurds stepped out of the woodworks, aiming rifles at an oblivious Kurt Wagner. One man stood away from the group, his glasses glinting in the night, his arms crossed before him. "Disgusting," he said in a slow drawl, then, to his men, he said, "Keep in mind you're not seeing what he's seeing, men."
"What is he seeing, Mr. Stryker?"
Kurt put one hand behind him to support himself. Someone seemed to be pushing him backward.
"Something that almost makes me wish I were being mind-controlled, apparently," Stryke muttered. "Load him into the truck before it gets to graphic. He won't feel anything. He won't even know you're there."
The gaurd who had asked the first question continued talking as the others apprehended the mutant. "Is there anything we should be careful of, Mister Stryker? Anything that would disrupt whatever Mutant Twelve is doing to him?"
"Other than distance," Stryker said, walking back toward the trucks, "nothing can interrupt Mutant Twelve's unique mind control abilities once they've begun ... as far as we've been able to ascertain."
There was a short behind the soldier and his superior officer. "Eewww," a less mature soldier exclaimed. "He's sticking his tongue out, sir. He's tonguing the air!"
The two continued with their conversation, ignoring the disgust in the other soldier's voice. "Is their a time limit, sir? When does control over the mutant's mind wear off?"
Stryker smiled, a touch of malice in his face. "When I tell it to, and not before," he stated simply, returning to the truck.
***
Kurt awoke the next morning in the small motel room he and Amanda had spent the night in. Amanda had gotten the room and Kurt had teleported inside, warning him that a mutant might upset the man at the front desk. The room was small, but cozy a bed, carpets, a bathroom, and a bedside table, but not much else.
One of Amanda's arms was over his chest and perched on his left shoulder as she rested her head on the right, gazing into his face. Clothes littered the floor along with one of the pillows. They'd restore order in the room eventually, but now they were both too happy to care about anything but each other.
"I don't think I've ever been so happy," Kurt smiled, enjoying the feeling of finally being so close to Amanda.
"Me either. I love you so much, Kurt."
A sudden headache swarmed it's way over Kurt's skull. He jolted a bit and squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing his forehead. "Nngghh!"
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"I don't know, I - "
But when Kurt turned to look at Amanda, she was nearly transparent and fading fast. "Amanda!" He reached out to grab her, as if by touching her he could will her back into existence, but his hand passed right through her. "Amanda?! Amaaaaanda?!" he screamed.
Maybe she could still hear him. Maybe she was in another room.
The motel room had faded along with his new wife. The blankets disappeared, and so did the mattress, leaving only a hard, metal cot growing out of the wall in its place. The clothing on the floor was gone and Kurt found himself wearing a pair of khakis and a collar, but nothing else. The walls melted, showing themselves to be steel. "Amaaandaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Shut up, you animal," a harsh, drawling voice spoke over what must have been an intercom, though Kurt couldn't see one.
"Who is that? What have you done with Amanda?!" he screamed.
"Amanda's gone, Wagner." There was the sound of air compressed as the metal doors slid open, revealing the man from the forest. "And she's never coming back," he added. "Unless ... of course ... you do as you're told."
"Who ... who are you?" Kurt demanded. "And what have you done with Amanda?" His yellow eyes narrowed and he clenched his fangs together. "If you've heart her in any way - "
"When you see her again, she'll be exactly as you remember her, young Mr. Wagner," Stryker smirked. "Now, then ... instead of getting into who I am, I'd like to know more about you."
Kurt crouched down, still glaring at the man. The doors hissed shut behind him and Stryker approached. "We know that you are highly agil. We know that you speak five languages, including Swedish, of all things. And we also know that you can move yourself through some kind of dimensional portal - some form of teleportation - and can cover large distances in the blink of an eye." Stryker finished his speech, the smirk growing steadily crueler. "What else do I need to know about you, Kurt?"
Kurt refused to meet his gaze, but glared up at him, his hair falling in front of his face. He was contemplating. It was a futile hope, but it was worth a shot. A sudden pain shot through his body. "Aaahh!"
"Let me guess ... " Stryker said, " ... you were trying to do that teleportation trick I just mentioned. I suppose something along the lines of 'to hell with this' went through your little monster mind. You figured you could locate Amanda - somehow - find an exit, and make your way to safety - until you discovered that we had considered that option, as well." Stryker peered down at Kurt, waiting for him to make the next move. "Hurts, doesn't it?" he taunted. He sat down on one of the metal beds, placing his hands on his knees.
Kurt slid down against the wall, rubbing the back of his neck and lowering himself to the ground.
"Now ... once again ... what other interesting mutant talents do you possess?"
Kurt stared straight ahead hatefully. If he looked at Stryker, he may do something that would end up putting his - and Amanda's - life in jeopardy. He couldn't afford that. It would be best to cooperate.
He raised his eyes to Stryker's. "Well," he grinned, his fangs poking out, "if you rub my belly ... my leg wiggles uncontrollably."
Stryker looked at him sadly. Kurt had just made things worse for himself with his defiance. He stood up to leave, turning his back on Kurt Wagner.
"What, are you leaving?" Kurt called after him. "Don't you want to give it a try?"
Stryker continued out the door.
"All right. Maybe later," Kurt offered. "I'm here all week." The doors hissed open and shut and Stryker was gone, leaving Kurt alone. "Wherever here is."
***
Margali had broken away from the rest of the workers at the circus in the hopes of gaining some solitude to clear her mind. That hadn't helped. Instead she was left with violent, paranoid thoughts surrounding the outcome of her adopted son. It had been a full two days and Kurt had no returned.
"Mom? Any sign of Kurt?" her daughter asked, approached her as Margali leaned against a low tree branch, her back to the circus.
"No, Amanda," she sighed, "and I'm really worried. He wasn't at the local church, and no one's seen him since just after the last performance. We've waited as long as we can. The circus has to leave for Calgary."
"I'm sure he'll be all right ... " Amanda said, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort her. "I know you, Mom, and I know you're imagining him dead in a ditch someplace - but don't, okay? He's probably just upset with himself over what he did, and is hiding out for a while."
"Yeah," Margali nodded. "You're probably right. He's done it before." She turned slightly to look at Amanda, worry creasing her face. "There are just so many bad people out there who hate mutants ... and Kurt is as mutant as they come."
***
Meanwhile, Kurt was knealing by his bedside, his hands clasped together and his head lowered in prayer. He was thinking of Amanda and Margali, hoping that they were safe. He never prayed for himself, only for others, only for those he loved. Questions were eating away at his mind like bullets. His only hope was to pray. Perhaps then some of his tension may be eased. "Dear Lord, hear my prayer," he murmured. "Please let Amanda be safe. And Margali, Woodhead, Chester, and all the others ... "
The metal door began to beep. Someone was punching in a code. The door cut through the air as the metal slid away, making a "shoont" sound.
Kurt didn't let the disturbance interrupt him. "And while you're at it," he added, "please bless these soldiers, for they know not what they do."
"Put this other mutant on the cot," one of the gaurds said as a young woman wrapped in a blanket was hauled in. Her head had been shaved and her fingers were bleeding. She was barely conscious, but she looked otherwise unharmed. Kurt heard her groan.
As she was handed off to the younger gaurd, the gaurd who had first spoken noticed Kurt. "What the hell are you doing, mutie?" He sounded angry, dangerous. "Are you praying?!"
Kurt didn't turn around, didn't move. He made no indication that he had heard what the man had said.
"No you don't! You don't pray!" the man yelled, pointing a finger at Kurt, threatening him to stop. "God doesn't listen to prayers from animals!!"
Kurt adjusted his elbows on the cot, but otherwise made no movement. "And please bless Tiny Tim here, most of all - "
"That's it, demon, that was a mistake!" the gaurd roared, pulling out a club. "You're a mistake! One of God's mistakes!" He took a step toward Kurt.
The second gaurd turned around as he laid the young woman down on the cot to see his partner make his way towards the mutant. "Norris, no ... "
"You DON'T PRAY!" Norris shouted, cracking the club across Kurt's face.
"Norris!"
"I better not catch you on your knees again, you hear me?!" his partner began shoving him out of the holding cell, looking back in horror at what Norris had done. "Not praying to my God!"
"Get out of here, Norris! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Not my God!"
But Kurt didn't hear him. The blow hadn't been enough to crack his jaw, but it had been enough to knock him out. He lay limp on the ground, unmoving. Blood pooled out of his mouth, forming a puddle around his head, spreading to his hair and around his neck and sticking to his face.
***
The circus had waited three days for the return of their star, but to no avail. They had waited as long as they could and now it was time to head onwards. The tents had long since been taken down and the animals were in their metal trailers hitched to trucks. Everyone was reader to go, though Margali had stalled, hoping with each passing second that the next would bring Kurt Wagner back into her life.
But now she sat in her van beside her daughter, her chin perched on her fist as she gazed out the window. When she looked away, a tear made it's way slowly down her cheek. Fearing Amanda would see and note her vulnerability at that moment, Margali looked away, telling herself she was still looking for Kurt.
Amanda watched her mother watching the window. She tore her eyes from her mothers saddened face. It broke her heart to see her in such a state with the knowledge that there was nothing she could do to comfort the woman who had provided so much love for her throughout her life. Amanda lifted her mother's hand and it took, giving it a loving squeeze, as if by the mere touch she could let her mother know that everything would be all right. But there was no gaurantee that things would get better and Margali, who instinctively returned the squeeze, in truth barely registering her daughter's presence.
Please review. Please.
Please.
