Author's note: Mystique's POV after she recovered from being stabbed, and realized she was alone. (After X-men the movie 2000, during X2).
Eric is dead. I don't know how he died, but I'm sure the X-men killed him. I looked into it, there was no body recovered from the Statue of Liberty. I'll bet he died by Scott's hands. Or eyes, if you want to be literal. Maybe he was incinerated by his optic blasts. On the other hand, maybe Ororo got him with lightening. It doesn't matter though, because he is dead.
Sabretooth is dead too. I didn't see him die, but if he were still alive, he would've come looking for me and the rest of his money. He just wanted his cut; he cared nothing for Eric's vision of a world where mutants could be free from the tyranny of mankind. He's probably never done anything meaningful with his life, and now he never will.
Toad is either dead or he's run off. I don't know where he would've gone, but I hope he's happy, wherever he is. Maybe he's dead, I'm not sure. I think I was too busy being stabbed in the belly to help him with his fight. I liked him more than Sabretooth, but that isn't saying much.
They may not both be dead, but they are gone. I don't care about either one of them, I never did. They were helpful, but their lives hold no meaning for me. Eric was the only one I cared about, and he is gone too.
******
I woke up in a hospital, still in my security guard disguise. I checked my charts and learned that the Wolverine's claws had not reached my heart or lungs, they missed by an inch. In essence, it was like a bad flesh wound. I would recover, but carry the scars with me.
I left the hospital a few days later, in a haze of confusion. Where was everyone? Had they survived? Did our plan work? I immediately left for the island to find out. Maybe Eric was back there waiting for my recovery, and was planning to visit soon, but he hadn't expected me to heal so quickly and leave the hospital.
I stole a speedboat and reached the island in three hours, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine on my skin. No need for false pretenses out there in the middle of the ocean, I took on my natural form. When I got there, I found it to be completely empty; no one had been there in days. I checked the news reports; our plan had failed miserably.
So, Eric did die. At least he went out fighting. For hours, I sat on the platform, where his machine had been, staring at my reflection in the lake. In my anger, I hit the water, blurring the image. "What do I do, Eric?" I asked out loud. I never got an answer.
*************
I am alone, and I feel so...abandoned.
What will I do without Eric? This question haunted me for a long time. I don't have the knowledge or craftsmanship that Eric had.
"But you'll always have your gift..."
Eric had often told me that. My ability to become other people. I could use that to my own advantage easily enough, but how?
Then it came to me: no one knew that Senator Kelly was dead! The only ones who knew what we did to him were Toad, Sabretooth, Eric and I. As far as the public knew, he was still alive and well. He was still the champion fighter against mutants. He loved to hate us, and the people loved him for loving to hate us.
I hate those people. It's because of them that Eric died, Xavier was so intent on protecting their limited, boring lives that he created the X-men to stop him.
If it wasn't for them, Eric would still be here.
Well, if those mutant hating fools wanted a war so bad, I'd give them one!
The first step to take when it came to demoralizing a group -Eric has told me this often- is to make their leader fall. To do this, I would have to wear the Senator's face for weeks, but it was worth it.
Many journalists were shocked beyond belief that the loudest voice calling for mutant registration had so suddenly reversed its opinion. I used the Senator's fame and power at every opportunity to cry out for mutant rights.
I hope that Eric would be proud if he saw me now.
Sometimes when I slept, Eric would be in my dreams, encouraging me. It was so difficult, my- the Senator's- campaign lost a lot of financial support, but I fought on. All for Eric, who died fighting this war.
*****
I received a telephone call alerting me that my presence was needed at the White House- immediately. A mutant had attempted to kill President McKenna. It was a pity that the mutant- whoever it was- wasn't faster with the knife, I might have done it myself if I had more time.
However, the President being alive may still have some purpose.
By some odd coincidence, William Stryker was also called in. Odd, yes, but I am eternally grateful now that he was there. A tiny little remark he made, about someone they had captured on Liberty Island, was the only thing I thought about for days after meeting him.
It couldn't be...it was probably just Toad...but what if...
"Eric? Eric Lehnsherr?" I had asked, perhaps a little too eagerly to be ignored.
"Magneto, yes." He had replied.
Eric was alive, he was alive and being held captive somewhere. I had to find him, free him, so that we could be together again.
The Colonel had refused my request for a visit-rather rudely, I might add- so I had no choice but to find him myself. Perhaps if he had been kinder to me, he would not have met his end the way he had.
Breaking into Stryker's offices was no difficult task, but I was on a clock; Stryker's real assistant would be coming here soon. I had to work fast.
I checked the folder labeled 'incarcerated', and then 'Lehnsherr, Eric'. Just seeing his picture gave me a swell of hope that I hadn't felt since the last time I saw him in person.
I found a great deal of other information as well, about Xavier's school. Stryker was making plans to go after the Professor and his students. That was bad, but I had more important things to worry about. I'd bring it up to Eric when I freed him.
How am I going to do that? I clicked on a folder labeled, 'correction guards'.
*****
Mitch Laurio was a slob. He was a pig, and he had no chance with the woman I had morphed into. The irony was that I had changed into my own human form for this mission. I felt that if I were going to help Eric, I would be the one to do it. Not one of my illusions of a Playboy playmate, or some supermodel, but me. I would be the one to save Eric, as he had saved me so many times.
The transformation was quick. My indigo skin bleached itself to a fair cream shade, my own crimson hair fading into strawberry blonde, my eyes shifting color families until they were a light blue- like Eric's.
I stood before the mirror for a long time, watching my image in the glass.
It was a beautiful woman that stared back, but it wasn't me. She was what I would look like if I had never mutated, which made her a disguise, just like every other face I adopted.
I flirted shamelessly, practically throwing myself at him. 'Eric had better appreciate this!' I had thought to myself while the slug pulled at the skirt of my dress, trying to get what I would never give him. Thank goodness, those pills took effect before I had to do anything more I would regret!
He fainted, and I stuck him with a syringe filled with liquid iron. Not enough to kill him, or make him even aware of its presence, but it would be enough for Eric. I hoped.
Eric is dead. I don't know how he died, but I'm sure the X-men killed him. I looked into it, there was no body recovered from the Statue of Liberty. I'll bet he died by Scott's hands. Or eyes, if you want to be literal. Maybe he was incinerated by his optic blasts. On the other hand, maybe Ororo got him with lightening. It doesn't matter though, because he is dead.
Sabretooth is dead too. I didn't see him die, but if he were still alive, he would've come looking for me and the rest of his money. He just wanted his cut; he cared nothing for Eric's vision of a world where mutants could be free from the tyranny of mankind. He's probably never done anything meaningful with his life, and now he never will.
Toad is either dead or he's run off. I don't know where he would've gone, but I hope he's happy, wherever he is. Maybe he's dead, I'm not sure. I think I was too busy being stabbed in the belly to help him with his fight. I liked him more than Sabretooth, but that isn't saying much.
They may not both be dead, but they are gone. I don't care about either one of them, I never did. They were helpful, but their lives hold no meaning for me. Eric was the only one I cared about, and he is gone too.
******
I woke up in a hospital, still in my security guard disguise. I checked my charts and learned that the Wolverine's claws had not reached my heart or lungs, they missed by an inch. In essence, it was like a bad flesh wound. I would recover, but carry the scars with me.
I left the hospital a few days later, in a haze of confusion. Where was everyone? Had they survived? Did our plan work? I immediately left for the island to find out. Maybe Eric was back there waiting for my recovery, and was planning to visit soon, but he hadn't expected me to heal so quickly and leave the hospital.
I stole a speedboat and reached the island in three hours, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine on my skin. No need for false pretenses out there in the middle of the ocean, I took on my natural form. When I got there, I found it to be completely empty; no one had been there in days. I checked the news reports; our plan had failed miserably.
So, Eric did die. At least he went out fighting. For hours, I sat on the platform, where his machine had been, staring at my reflection in the lake. In my anger, I hit the water, blurring the image. "What do I do, Eric?" I asked out loud. I never got an answer.
*************
I am alone, and I feel so...abandoned.
What will I do without Eric? This question haunted me for a long time. I don't have the knowledge or craftsmanship that Eric had.
"But you'll always have your gift..."
Eric had often told me that. My ability to become other people. I could use that to my own advantage easily enough, but how?
Then it came to me: no one knew that Senator Kelly was dead! The only ones who knew what we did to him were Toad, Sabretooth, Eric and I. As far as the public knew, he was still alive and well. He was still the champion fighter against mutants. He loved to hate us, and the people loved him for loving to hate us.
I hate those people. It's because of them that Eric died, Xavier was so intent on protecting their limited, boring lives that he created the X-men to stop him.
If it wasn't for them, Eric would still be here.
Well, if those mutant hating fools wanted a war so bad, I'd give them one!
The first step to take when it came to demoralizing a group -Eric has told me this often- is to make their leader fall. To do this, I would have to wear the Senator's face for weeks, but it was worth it.
Many journalists were shocked beyond belief that the loudest voice calling for mutant registration had so suddenly reversed its opinion. I used the Senator's fame and power at every opportunity to cry out for mutant rights.
I hope that Eric would be proud if he saw me now.
Sometimes when I slept, Eric would be in my dreams, encouraging me. It was so difficult, my- the Senator's- campaign lost a lot of financial support, but I fought on. All for Eric, who died fighting this war.
*****
I received a telephone call alerting me that my presence was needed at the White House- immediately. A mutant had attempted to kill President McKenna. It was a pity that the mutant- whoever it was- wasn't faster with the knife, I might have done it myself if I had more time.
However, the President being alive may still have some purpose.
By some odd coincidence, William Stryker was also called in. Odd, yes, but I am eternally grateful now that he was there. A tiny little remark he made, about someone they had captured on Liberty Island, was the only thing I thought about for days after meeting him.
It couldn't be...it was probably just Toad...but what if...
"Eric? Eric Lehnsherr?" I had asked, perhaps a little too eagerly to be ignored.
"Magneto, yes." He had replied.
Eric was alive, he was alive and being held captive somewhere. I had to find him, free him, so that we could be together again.
The Colonel had refused my request for a visit-rather rudely, I might add- so I had no choice but to find him myself. Perhaps if he had been kinder to me, he would not have met his end the way he had.
Breaking into Stryker's offices was no difficult task, but I was on a clock; Stryker's real assistant would be coming here soon. I had to work fast.
I checked the folder labeled 'incarcerated', and then 'Lehnsherr, Eric'. Just seeing his picture gave me a swell of hope that I hadn't felt since the last time I saw him in person.
I found a great deal of other information as well, about Xavier's school. Stryker was making plans to go after the Professor and his students. That was bad, but I had more important things to worry about. I'd bring it up to Eric when I freed him.
How am I going to do that? I clicked on a folder labeled, 'correction guards'.
*****
Mitch Laurio was a slob. He was a pig, and he had no chance with the woman I had morphed into. The irony was that I had changed into my own human form for this mission. I felt that if I were going to help Eric, I would be the one to do it. Not one of my illusions of a Playboy playmate, or some supermodel, but me. I would be the one to save Eric, as he had saved me so many times.
The transformation was quick. My indigo skin bleached itself to a fair cream shade, my own crimson hair fading into strawberry blonde, my eyes shifting color families until they were a light blue- like Eric's.
I stood before the mirror for a long time, watching my image in the glass.
It was a beautiful woman that stared back, but it wasn't me. She was what I would look like if I had never mutated, which made her a disguise, just like every other face I adopted.
I flirted shamelessly, practically throwing myself at him. 'Eric had better appreciate this!' I had thought to myself while the slug pulled at the skirt of my dress, trying to get what I would never give him. Thank goodness, those pills took effect before I had to do anything more I would regret!
He fainted, and I stuck him with a syringe filled with liquid iron. Not enough to kill him, or make him even aware of its presence, but it would be enough for Eric. I hoped.