Author's Note: I love the third season of "X-Men: Evolution" and the existance of mutants becoming common knowledge, because "A world that hates and fears them" is just so much a part of the X-Men, so while this story is AU I'm trying to fit the end of second season in... Just because the Brotherhood has been adapting to different circumstances doesn't mean Mystique or Magneto's plans have changed.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed: Rex, Sandoz, MiracleChick, Kitty, J., raniatlw. You guys really keep me motivated to write on this story (Even when I'm feeling a tad guilty about "Random Walk" languishing on the back burner :) ).
It was a solemn gathering of the Institute's staff.
"Charles, I hesitate to suggest it, I'm not the psychiatrist here, but have you considered putting the boy on an anti-depressant?" Ororo asked.
"It would serve little purpose," Xavier sighed. "The source of Lance's emotions are not a chemical imbalance, rather they come from his outlook on life. Within his frame of reference his feelings are rational and justified. We can tell him a thousand times that he will be all right if he simply trusts us and it will never reach him. The image he holds in his mind of his older sister burning to death because of a flaw in her mutation cannot be overcome with mere words and trust is a very scarce commodity with our Mr. Alvers."
The speakerphone crackled to life as Logan added his insights. "You're the one who's big on choices, Chuck. Don't expect him to trust you when you don't trust him to make the right one. Give him all the facts then back off. The kid's rebellious, not stupid. And don't try to sugar coat things he won't buy it.
"That may be, but your approach doesn't take into account his perception that his worth is wholly dependant on his mutant powers," Xavier replied.
"Damn, you're not telling me he's still hung-up on that crap," Logan swore. "I thought his friends going after him should've gotten him over that."
"His primary tie with his friends and Kitty is that they are all mutants. To make matters worse, since he was placed in the foster care system, Mystique has been the only adult to make him feel valued and she truly does see his power as his only source of worth," Xavier said. "Having the four of them here is proving how wrong I was to allow her extended access to them."
"Lance is distinctly more intelligent than his grades would indicate," Hank said. "Given his current need to be home schooled, I'm certain that fact can be demonstrated to him, perhaps giving him something about himself to value beyond his mutant abilities. I would also suggest encouraging him to study martial arts as Rogue does, like her he needs an alternative to seeing his powers as his first and only line of defense."
"We can worry about his self-esteem later," Moira said. "Right now the truly urgent issue is ensuring that he allows himself time to heal, without that, all yer other concerns about the lad are moot. Right now the only important thing is that he not attempt to use his powers for the next few months, all else has to be secondary to simply keeping him alive."
****** ******* ******
Gambit hooked a small device to the serve at Trask Industries and left it to do it's work of searching the company's network for certain key words and copying the attendant files. Once he'd verified that it was up and running Gambit turned his attention to the paper files. He was taking a chance; Magneto had been certain this project was Bolivar Trask's baby, so instead of doing his research he was betting on the man having the files in his own office.
"Voila!" Gambit murmured to himself as he popped the lock on Trask's file cabinet and found a neatly labeled rack of files on the Sentinel project. "Gotta love analytical types, dey're a'ways so organized, anybody could find stuff wit' dis system."
As Gambit thumbed through the files his pleased smirk faded. He read through the Sentinel project mandate twice before he really believed what he was seeing; suddenly Magneto's dire warnings seemed much less far-fetched.
A security guard in riot gear and carrying a machine gun burst into the office. Stuffing the files in his coat Gambit somersaulted over the guard's first round of fire. He landed beside the man and instantly launched a disarming kick.
Gambit caught the machine gun as gravity took over from his kick then darted out the door and threw the now glowing weapon at the man's backups assembling in the hall.
A whooping alarm filled the building, letting the guards know that they wouldn't be catching their prey unaware.
With a combination of explosions and martial arts the young thief cut a path back to the corporation's server and retrieved his equipment along with any files it had stolen.
Having accomplished that, Gambit beat feet. Once he reached an outer wall he drove back his pursuers with several quick explosions then used the breathing room to plant his hands firmly against the wall. Using his biokinetic charge he created a new exit for his convenience.
"Mutant: designate unknown located. Terminate," a booming, artificial voice announced.
Gambit canted his head back looking up and further up at the giant robot towering over him. "Mon Dieu… Mon bon Dieu…" he breathed in disbelief.
As the thing reached for him Gambit felt his body being snatched away by an intangible force. A moment later he found himself floating beside Magneto as Trask Industries and the Sentinel disappeared in the distance.
Gambit frowned at his rescuer. "Yo' knew dey'd catch me!" he accused.
"Yes, I knew they had the ability to detect mutant DNA, it was only common sense that they'd employ the technology in their security systems, after all, any mutant is a risk to their operation. What I needed from you was a mutant with the skills to break in and retrieve critical data before they could respond and to escape alive. I am pleased to see I made an accurate assessment of your talents."
Gambit fought back a grin at the implied compliment. "Seems yo' knew more dan a bit dat yo' didn' share wit' me," he said.
"Of course."
"Why?"
"You made it exceptionally clear your only interest was in acting as a thief for hire and so I hired you to steal information I already possessed. By being discovered in the act you forced their hand. They must act now, before they are ready. They will fear we shall gather an army to move against them, but in truth it will be their pre-emptive strike which will provide the rallying cry for our kind."
After a time of silence Gambit said. "Dey really mean to kill us, neh? Always t'ought de ones worth botherin' 'bout saw more dan m' eyes an' de res' be too scared to worry 'bout. Plus dere be more dan one femme wantin' to be tempted by a handsome devil non?"
Magneto rolled his eyes at the self-pleased tone in the younger man's voice, but waited patiently for him to make his point.
"T'ink I rather be a demon, me. Yo' can fight a demon, shor. Mais dey a'ways been, a'ways will be. Deir 'xistance jus' accepted oui? Mutants, dis be somet'ing new, somet'ing dat mebbe can be gotten rid of. Dey're planning a genocide."
"Yes, they are, but they will not find us to be easy victims," Magneto lowered them back to the ground, many miles from the site of the break-in.
Gambit started hiking toward the lights of a city then he paused and turned back. "Got some t'ings to take care of. Give me a few days den yo' got yourself a t'ief."
****** ****** ******
Lance woke to find Dr. MacTaggart waiting for him, looking angry. "I didna uproot myself just to watch ye kill yerself with some hair-brained temper-tantrum," the doctor informed him.
"Look I'm sorry about that, but face facts," Lance said. "When mutations go wrong there's no fixing it, not with Missy, not with Rogue, not with Summers and not with me."
"Both Scott and Rogue are coping quite successfully with their mutations and I expect I'll be able to complete correct your situation," Moira informed him tartly. "Unlike them, your problem is not control, except of your temper, there are physical symptoms, much like those of a condition that we already have methods of dealing with, all we have to do is determine how your mutation may interact with a potential treatment."
"I doubt it'll work," Lance said.
"Let me make the situation clear for you," Moira said. "Yer fate is in yer hands. Quit using yer powers and I damn well guarantee ye will not die of this ailment. But I can very well see that option doesna sit well with ye. Ye still have choices! Ye can still let me try to help ye and I believe I stand a fair chance of doing some good. Ye do'na share my optimism, ye've been let down or screwed over by life so many times yer scared to set yerself up for more disappointment, I can understand the sentiment. So lets talk worst-case scenario: What I've already done is all that can be done for ye. After ye heal ye go back to using yer powers and in another three years or so depending on how much you use them the headaches become intolerable again and I operate on you again, this cycle repeats until you eventually die. It won't happen tomorrow! I don't have much data to base an estimate on, but if ye want my best guess, there will be a gradual accumulation of minor brain damage, chances are it'll have a notable affect by the time yer thirty, but that's still better than a decade of opportunities for a better solution to be found or for ye to change yer mind about life without yer powers."
Moira paused to make sure she had Lance's full attention. "Or ye can go on pulling stunts like ye almost did today before ye've healed. It's your choice, but I want ye to be 100% clear on what yer choosing. I'd rather watch ye playing Russian roulette, yer odds would be better. So just think about putting a gun to yer temple every single time you want to use yer powers for the next four months." Without waiting for Lance to reply Dr. MacTaggart got up and walked away, leaving him to make his choices.
****** ****** ******
Moira returned to the med-lab to insist the Lance joint the rest of the Institute for dinner. The instant he walked through the door Lance was convinced he should have fought harder to be allowed to take his meal down stairs.
A dead silence fell over the room at his appearance.
"Lance!" Kitty called smiling brightly as if her eyes weren't red. Through out dinner She and Pietro kept up a steady stream of too cheerful, meaningless chatter in voices as brittle as spun sugar.
Not one person used their power through the whole of dinner.
The pressure of them all determinedly not staring at him was a palpable one, making the air chokingly thick. The exceptions, the ones who would actually look at him were almost a relief.
Cyclops was taking advantage of the shades that hid his eyes but Lance could feel the other teen's evaluating gaze. Lance was aware that Scott had a need to fix things, people. He just couldn't seem to leave it alone. It was like sticking a compulsive neat freak in a disordered room, or like issuing Pietro a dare. It was annoying Lance decided. It wasn't like Cyclops really gave a damn about him or the rest of the Brotherhood, just compulsive do-gooding according to Summers' perception of good. He didn't want Scott trying to help, it was bad enough watching him quietly integrating the Brotherhood into the X-Men.
Or maybe that so annoying because it was working and the guys seemed happier for it. Sure Pietro and Daniels still got along as well as a pair of alley cats with their tails tied together, but the latest prank to have half the mansion in an uproar had been a collaborative effort between Bobby Drake and Pietro. And next to Ray and Roberto's oil and water impersonation Kurt and Todd looked liked close friends. As for Freddy, living in mutant central it was no surprise that he was in his easy-going mode. People here were as likely to single him out for his size as they were to harass Kurt about his tail. In fact Freddy seemed to have struck up a fast friendship with the gawky, awkward Cannonball based on them both having grown up in rural areas. The only one who didn't fit in was Lance, but that still didn't mean he wanted Scott sticking his nose in, especially not when the other boy's efforts were only likely to emphasize how little he belonged.
Todd watched as well, head ducked, staring from behind a blind of ragged bangs.
The younger boy followed him after dinner broke, keeping a discrete and cautious distance, walking not hopping.
"Why are you doing that?" Lance demanded after a several minutes
"Hey you were the one acting freaky," Todd said defensively.
"Baldy's monitoring the inside of my head, you don't have to follow me around," Lance said pointedly. "And why are you walking like that?"
"He don't know the first thing about how stupid you can be," Todd said. "You act like your powers are fucking everything. I don't give a damn about your stupid powers! And no one wants to make you uncomfortable so we ain't using ours, okay?"
"It makes your knees ache to force yourself to walk instead of hop. You know it, I know it. Why the hell do you think it would make me feel better to watch you hurt yourself?" Lance snapped.
"Try reversing you and me and it don't feel any better," Todd shot back sinking into his normal crouch. "You think today was fun for any of us?"
Lance watched as the younger boy sprung back toward the house his movements jerky with anger. "Why won't they just back off?" he said to himself, sounding more confused than anything else.
****** ****** *****
Mystique assumed the guise of a teenager and joined the stream of students entering Bayville High for the first time since leaving a month earlier to track down Magneto's insane daughter. From her time as Principal Darkholme and Risty Wilde she was quite familiar with where the school's various clichés hung out, it didn't take her long to find Quicksilver, Blob and Toad. She frowned at Avalanche's absence but wrote it off as inconsequential.
"He's probably trailing after Shadowkat like a love-sick fool, just like he was doing when I left," Mystique decided. "The other boys can easily pass on my orders when they see him."
Mystique stalked up to the three loitering teens allowing her eyes to revert to their natural gold coloration. "Hello boys," she purred, her voice bringing to mind images of a cat gloating over a helpless mouse.
"Mystique!" Fred exclaimed.
"Got it in one. Maybe you are smarter than you look," Mystique retorted. "Now run along and collect Avalanche, then get back to the boarding house…"
" 'Cause-you've-got-some-plan-you-need-us-for?" Pietro broke in, his tone haughty.
"Is there any other reason I'd stoop to dealing with you morons?" Mystique snapped.
"No," Todd said turning and walking away. "Come on guys, I wouldn't want to be late for class."
"You're defying me!" Mystique exclaimed in disbelief as she grabbed the slight fifteen-year-old, jerking him to a halt.
Todd shook her off disgustedly. "Looks that way," he said as Fred and Pietro joined him.
"How dare you!" Mystique exclaimed.
"Look lady, you might need us, but we don't need you," Fred said frowning down at her and Mystique suddenly felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.
"Yeah-the-last-term-proved-that," Pietro added. "What-have-you-ever-done-for-us-anyway?"
Mystique watched them walk off slack-jawed with shock at what had just happened.
****** ****** ******
"Well looks like we know who our mystery thief works for," Rogue said recognizing Magneto when he met the demon-eyed mutant they'd been observing.
"The kid's targets have been strictly for profit, not politics, that ain't Mags calling the shots," Logan said. "He's probably here recruiting."
"So what do we do?" Rogue asked. "Go down and say hey?"
Logan shrugged, "It'd be a shame if the kid made a choice without hearin' what kind of scumbag he was hooking up with."
Rogue nodded, even as a completely unexpected flutter of anxiety and anticipation unsettled her stomach.
Casually the pair strolled across the street. With a feral smile at Magneto, Logan spun a chair around and took a seat, as comfortable as if he were joining an old friend for a cup of coffee rather than getting ready to throw a wrench into the plans of a deadly enemy.
" 'llow me chere," the fire-eyed man said, gallantly pulling out a chair for Rogue and seating her with a flourish. "S' yo're some of de demons- I mean mutants, 'M teamin' wit', dis deal's lookin' bettah all de time." He grinned flirtatiously at Rogue.
"Ah got a boyfriend," Rogue told him annoyed by the slightly older mutant's obvious confidence in his own sex appeal. "And we're the alternative, mutants coming together to help each other, 'stead of trying to take over the world… Has he mentioned dumping his last team?"
"They believe we can live in harmony with humans," Magneto said. "You have seen the proof of the futility of their course."
"Something big coming?" Logan asked Magneto.
"Give up Xavier's foolish ideals, it's too late for such things, if indeed they ever had a chance of becoming reality."
"You better start talking bub!" Wolverine snarled.
"Oh no," Rogue murmured pushing back her chair.
"You presume to threaten me!" Magneto thundered glaring at Wolverine, the metal lawn furniture started vibrating; responding to the first summons of his powers and Rogue saw her chance.
While Magneto was still focused on Wolverine she stripped off a glove and reached for the silver-haired man, only to hesitate, mentally shying from the very idea of opposing him.
The pause lasted only a moment as Rogue reminded herself that she felt no loyalty to this madman but it was a moment too long. As she reached for him again a hand locked around her arm. "I don' know what yo're touch will do chere. Mais I doubt yo' mean well," the Cajun said.
Wolverine popped his claws and was promptly restrained by his chair.
"Let me go!" Rogue snapped struggling against Gambit's hold.
"Normally I like nothin' bettah dan given a belle femme her way wit' me," Gambit said grinning down at Rogue as she tried to break his grip. "Still I gave de man m' word." He shoved her into a chair and Magneto's powers bound her like he'd done to Logan
"You will learn the folly of your delusions soon enough!" Magneto said turning to leave. Gambit gave Rogue a wave and a grin then strolled after him.
"Well that went stunningly," Rogue muttered watching them walk off.
****** ****** ******
Scott poked his head into the room the Brotherhood was occupying, "We're all going to the mall. Do you guys want to come along? Everyone's planning on hitting the movies after the girls get done shopping."
"Sure, we're in," Todd replied answering for the group. "They have a new video game I haven't beaten yet."
"Evan said the same thing," Scott replied. "We better get moving, Amanda's expecting us to pick her up in fifteen minutes."
****** ****** ******
Pietro beat the video game on his first quarter then quickly grew bored of taunting Evan and Todd with their lack of success. He left them quarreling over whose turn it was while Freddy watched and went to find other victims.
He found Lance, Scott and Kurt sitting outside a clothing store, the later two looked completely bored and a little disgruntled. Lance looked dazed but happy.
"You guys are such losers," Pietro informed them.
"Vait till Rogue gets back," Kurt said.
"Unlike you, I can keep a girl happy and still entertain myself," Pietro informed him.
"Kitty wants my opinion on swimsuits," Lance commented.
"Okay, you win," Pietro said. "But Summers, you don't even have a girlfriend. Jean's with Dunce Matthews."
Scott looked annoyed. "Jean isn't really that happy with him."
"So that's how she's stringing you along," Pietro said grinning.
Kitty emerged from the shop the guys had been waiting in front of. "I'm all done there," she declared collecting Lance.
As they walked off, Lance slipped an arm around her shoulders, Kitty grinned up at him. Pietro smirked at their backs, "I told you guys Kitty could get Lance back to normal," he said once the pair was out of earshot.
Kurt frowned. "I found Kitty crying last night," he said. "She's vorried too, but she's scared of letting Lance find out. It's hard on her, always trying to act optimistic."
"One month down, three to go before Lance is safe from himself," Scott said. "I don't blame her for worrying, I doubt Lance has ever stayed out of trouble for four whole months in his life."
"Bad-things-happen, we-deal, that's-just-how-it-works," Pietro declared. "It sucks that Lance can't use his powers, but we don't act like spoiled brats because life isn't fair, he'll make do."
Scott shook his head. "I trust the Professor and Dr. MacTaggart to figure something out for Lance, I don't trust him to behave himself long enough to give them a chance."
"Because-you're-an-idiot," Pietro said. "I'm-bored-bye."
"Not in the mall!" Scott yelled futilely watching Pietro disappear in a blur of speed.
****** ****** ******
"How about trying this one?" Lance suggested pointing toward a swimsuit Kitty had passed up at a glance.
She blushed. "Lance, that one hardly covers anything!"
"Yeah," Lance said dreamily.
"Well, if you really think I should wear it at that party Taryn's throwing with everyone around…"
Kitty giggled as the fantasizing expression disappeared from Lance's face to be instantly replaced by one of jealousy and over-protectiveness. "Maybe this one," Lance decided gesturing to a decidedly more demure suit and for the moment it felt like he was back to his old self.
"How about I try on the ones I picked?" Kitty replied slipping back into the changing rooms thing that if she worked at it she could still bring the pre-illness Lance to the surface. She could still find traces of the person who would pull off some insane attempt to impress her that generally ended in a huge disaster, who would moments later put himself between her and real danger without ever realizing how impressive that truly was. She missed his cool, care-for-not façade and the way it would crack leaving him awkward and sweet when they were alone together. She was even starting to miss his temper, because since he'd woken up from the coma there'd been too many days when she actually believed he didn't care about anything and the only explosion of temper they'd seen from Lance hadn't been normal, just scary.
After Dr. MacTaggart had talked to him, Lance had started making an effort to act… well not like himself, but like he thought they wanted him to act. And yet Kitty was sure he was still doing his best to distance himself from everything, he was just being less obvious about it: eating meals with the group but hardly talking to anyone, accepting their efforts to include him in activities then fading into the woodwork the first chance he got. He hadn't said anything else about dying, but Fred couldn't get him to take the jeep back either. And yet there were moments, moments where Lance seemed to forget and let himself get swept up by life. Only it was hard, constantly looking for opportunities to create those moments when Lance seemed determined to fight against them.
****** ****** ******
Outside the dressing rooms Lance watched as a strange woman stalked across the store toward him. A moment before the flash of gold in her eyes confirmed her identity he recognized Mystique from her angry, arrogant and disdainful expression.
He glanced toward the dressing rooms making sure Kitty was occupied then, before Mystique could begin what ever spiel she had planned, he announced, "My powers are gone."
Lance watched the wind go out of her sails with a bitter, knowing sort of satisfaction. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Mystique asked.
"What do you think I mean?" Lance hissed. "Check the seismic logs, Avalanche is dead, unless you've got something to say to plain old Lance Alvers, you're wasting you're time."
Without another word Mystique turned and walked off. "Yeah, that's what I figured," Lance said to her back.
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