Flickering Souls

Sapter Cheventeen: One More In The Name Of Love

Kurt crept along the hallway cautiously. Just a moment after entering the building he knew he had found the right place. It was crawling with thugs. Not just Magneto's men, but the Brotherhood as well.

They were spread out through the bell tower.

Kurt stepped out behind Pietro and he turned to find Kurt, his sword drawn, just two inches away.

Pietro eyed the sword hesitantly.

"Mess with me … and you mess with my father." Pietro smiled and snapped his fingers off to one side.

The flat black sword blade whistled past him once.

And when he moved – his hand fell off his body and on to the floor.

He looked in disbelief at the cleanly severed stump.

"Given your metabolism." Kurt began. "I'd say you've got about eight seconds – before you bleed to death."

Pietro blinked twice in shock.

"Now." Kurt continued. "Back to messing with your father … Just vhere is daddy hiding himself?"

"I hide from no one!" Magneto roared as he slowly lowered himself down the shaft of the building.

Kurt looked up and smiled.

Both the Brotherhood and Magneto's gang began to show themselves. They were scattered around the bell tower, on all it's levels, and covering all it's exits.

''Bout time." Kurt smirked.

Kurt felt Magneto trying to take hold of him with his power. He felt the iron in his blood responding to Magneto's rage.

"Funny thing about me." He told Magneto. "I only have one-eighth the iron of a normal man in my blood."

He teleported away and the sound echoed throughout the bell tower. He continued to speak but from where was uncertain.

"My blood is mostly copper based." He said slyly.

The sounds of his teleporting echoed again and everyone found themselves searching the darkness for their intruder.

"And my sword." He laughed loudly and a little madly. "It's a high grade, experimental – plastic." He hissed the last word.

Mystique lunged forward. "There!" She screamed, pointing to the second level from the third.

"In the …"

Bamf.

"Shadows." She looked around again. He was no where to be seen.

"Hi mom." He said from a new point of concealment. "Glad you could make it."

"Come out!" Magneto roared and the building shook as he reached out in all directions, trying to find Kurt. "I have come too far to be stopped now!"

"We're in partial agreement." Kurt told him. "You've gone too far."

"How Xavier-esque of you." Magneto sneered. "I suppose next you'll tell me …"

Kurt jumped, spun, and teleported again. This time – in to the empty space – right before the hovering Magneto.

"Shut up." Kurt hissed and he let the sword trace a path across Magneto's neck.

The sword sank in through the surprised mans throat, nearly severing his head, and knocking his helmet off.

Magneto barely had enough time to register his surprise on his face before he lost control of his powers and began to fall.

Kurt reached out and grabbed him by the hair. Another swift stroke brought the head completely off.

And Kurt teleported away to safety, the head tucked under his arm.

The body slipped silently past the room full of onlookers, seemingly, in slow motion.

A series of five teleports echoed, distantly, around the bell tower – obviously to confuse any pursuers.

Magneto's head rolled up to Mystique's feet out of the darkness.

A heavy silence hung in the air as floor after floor of Magneto's acolytes looked on in slack-jawed horror.

Two heartbeats passed before his body landed with a heavy, wet and metallic crash on the stone floor below.

And another two heartbeats passed in abject silence as the dust settled over the corpse who would be king.

"Well mom." Kurt said slyly from within the shadows. "How do you like your Christmas gift?"

"Too right!" Pyro announced, back-peddling like he might run.

"Hold your positions everyone!" Mystique called out. We are all in danger. She realized.

"Nothing like a military coup … to bring a family together." Kurt laughed again.

"Kurt! … Kurt ... Son." She said softly. "What is it that you want?"

Kurt laughed. "It's about time someone asked me that." He replied just as softly.

"We're going to be a family." He told her. "You and I and this group of losers here." He explained. "And we're going to succeed where Magneto failed." He told her.

"How are we going to do that?" She asked quietly, her eyes searching the shadows for her son.

"Our mission has changed." He told her. "We're not fighting the X-Men anymore."

"We're not?" The Blob asked out loud – and Mystique shot him a look that said 'Be quiet'.

"No." Kurt assured him. "We're going to let them win – we're going to let Xavier lay down and dictate Mutant policies to the world."

"And what, exactly, are we going to do – while he's off saving the world?" Mystique asked.

"We're going to … clear the path for him." He said, his voice full of humor.

"Political assassination…" She realized and whispered out loud.

"Ja." Kurt hissed. "And I'm starting with anyone in this room – who isn't on board."

"I like it." Toad said too quickly.

"Same here." Lance crossed his arms as he spoke.

"Why not?" Gambit asked, looking over the rail at Magneto's headless boy "He aint writin' no checks – no more!"

"Little one!" Colossus called. "This is not for me." He assured him. "Magneto – he keeps my sister alive – on a machine. I need to tend to her."

Kurt sat silent for a moment. "Join the X-Men." He whispered. "They can help you – and then I wont have to kill you. But keep your mouth shut – or no machine will be able to save her from …:"

Suddenly Sabertooth leaped from a shadow and pounced on Kurt. In a moment, he had tore Kurt across his face and was sinking his claws in to Kurt's throat.

And again, the sound echoed throughout the tower. Bamf!

Bamf. Bamf, bamf …

And Sabertooth's head rolled up to join Magneto's.

Mystique shifted to stand on her toes. Magneto's head was leaking blood from it's clean and perfect cut. Sabertooth's was just a rough and bloody mess. He must have teleported it off! She realized.

Kurt's breath was labored and strained as he spoke. "One more head and, I swear, I'm going to take them all home to decorate our tree." He chuckled, sickly.

"Kurt?" Mystique asked of the darkness. "Are you …"

"I'll live." He said, stepping out of the shadows. His face was torn open under his one eye and blood covered his chest and neck. But he strode confidently up to her, tuning out the pain.

Pyro whistled a low steady tone of surprise.

Kurt looked down and realized that Colossus and Pietro were gone.

He turned back to Mystique. "Bring Magneto's head." Kurt told her. "I think I'll send it to Wanda – as an invitation to join us." He smiled.

"Now." Kurt commanded the rest of them. "Let's go home."