Marvel owns the X-Men and related characters not me. Feel free to post. Takes place in an alternate third season that diverges sometime after "The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe." And, Spyke's powers are not going out of control.
Giving birth to an elf was difficult enough a task, especially when its elfhood was only revealed when you actually had given birth (Wanda had resisted getting a sonogram). Now losing the baby - specifically, having it kidnapped - by a red-eyed demon man, was enough to send Wanda into hysterics. Fortunately, her powers were temporarily out of commission, due to the strain of childbirth, so she couldn't inadvertently hurt anyone.
By midnight, Magneto had calmed down considerably, and had now decided that the most important thing was getting his granddaughter back. He had even apologized to Kurt for attempting to genetically alter him, and to Scott for temporarily genetically altering him and his brother.
Right now he was talking to Scott.
"Perhaps playing God was not the way to protect mutantkind - I have just helped, I fear, Sinister to create a new species that puts all at risk."
"And," said Scott, "from what I know of you, you do desire eventual freedom in society. Freedom for mutants only, but freedom for someone. This Essex fellow seems rather totalitarian in ends as well as means, from what I know of him."
"From what..."
"I remember seeing him in my dreams in the orphanage. I don't know much about him. I just remember being... examined, I guess. Samples taken. I also remember hearing him drone on about the paradise he would create. Very - fascistic."
Magneto stiffened. "No matter. We need to get my granddaughter back. I owe Wanda that much. And apparently you can help me."
Scott nodded. "What do you know about Mr. Essex?"
"I know, well, some time after Charles and I went our separate ways, and then after I had put Wanda in the asylum, I began studying means of enhancing mutations. I believed that mutants would be discovered before there were enough of them to put up resistance, and the only way to save them would be to make them powerful enough so that the few who were alive could dominate the planet.
"I found out about a professor at a university named Essex who was interested in genetic engineering. He had studied anthropology and had heard rumors of some very powerful gems, which he sent out an expedition to find. The expedition included a man named Marko. Cain Marko. Cain apparently was angry at his half-brother for being "special" and for being loved more than he was. Cain brought back the gems to Professor Essex and the Professor helped Cain to activate his X-gene with them. He also developed anti-telepathic shielding and made a helmet for Cain made out of the material. Cain was to be a test subject, but hothead that he was, he attacked his brother's mansion - this mansion, I'm sure you know his brother was Charles Xavier - and with the help of Messrs. Richards, Storm, Storm, and Grimm, who were staying with him, he managed to get the helmet off and to stop him. Being a scientist, Mr. Richards helped Charles to build the stasis tank and to keep Cain suspended in there. Charles nearly died trying to keep Cain - Juggernaut - subdued until it could be built. This had happened prior to my association with the man."
Scott looked at Magneto. "Storm was in on this?"
"Not Ororo. A Sue Storm and a Johnny Storm. Along with Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. Altered wild-type humans who worked for the government. Very hush-hush. Have you heard of the Fantastic Four?"
"In tabloids like The Daily Bugle."
"Well, yes. They are real and they work for the government."
"Wow."
"This Essex fellow helped me, but he spent a lot of time doing volunteer work at an orphanage. Said he had a project going on there. Trying to find those like us and to help them make use of their powers. Although he wasn't a mutant, he had superpowers, so I considered him an ally. He helped me to build several of the devices I have used to enhance my and other's powers. He worked with me on altering Kurt - by the way, my experiments had nothing to do with Kurt's appearance. I was never able to complete them, thanks to Mystique. Eventually we grew apart when he said that his project at the orphanage would have to take his full time. According to my calculations, that would have been when you came there.
"We haven't seen each other in a long time, we occasionally spoke over the phone or, more recently, computer, but I had gone my own way with the research by then. There's a lot more to it, but that's the gist.
"He looked fairly normal most of the time, but when we were alone, he preferred his true form, the one you have seen."
"What powers does he possess?"
"His body functions are spread out evenly across his body. He doesn't have vital organs per se, and so is nearly invincible. He has a healing factor, telepathy and anti-telepathy [A/N defensive shields against telepathy], some telekinesis, shapeshifting, and he generates those little yellow bolts he throws at you."
"Anything else?"
"Probably. But I don't know what."
"How did he-?"
"He visited many places as a youngster. He was a famous doctor for the British Empire. Apparently, he stumbled across the tomb of a famous mutant I have heard about - En Sabah Nur."
"You mean the one who that spider we fought was guarding? Apocalypse?"
Magneto nodded. "I don't know where the tomb is. He wouldn't say. But I know that he got in there. The doors for keeping Apocalypse in could not keep Essex out. He apparently managed to wake the ancient mutant. Somehow, he was changed. He became Apocalypse's emissary into the world. I think - I think he is connected somehow to Mesmero. Maybe he enhanced Mesmero's powers. I don't know. But I knew even back before the little fiasco at the teen nightclub that Sinister's vision was more - extreme than mine. He is to me what I am to Xavier. And I fear that Apocalypse is even more so. Which is why I fought so hard against Apocalypse's release, even if futilely."
"Wait a second - British Empire?"
"Essex wouldn't tell me his age, but admitted that it had been more than a hundred years since his - transformation."
As Scott nodded, Kurt, Pietro, Jean, Rogue, Boom-Boom, Amara, Bobby, Spyke, and Logan walked out. They had been picked to recover Kurt and Wanda's daughter along with Scott. Kurt and Pietro because they were family, and because their powers could be used to rescue team members in trouble. Jean because her telekinetic powers could be useful in attacks. Bobby, Spyke, Amara, and Boom-Boom because they could fire projectiles or energy rays at people, or in Bobby's case, ice rays. Rogue was chosen because she was the only other member of any of the teams who would be able to fire optic blasts. She was to hold back and to touch Scott if he was put out of commission. Logan was there because he could help take out any henchmen Sinister might have.
Suddenly there was a rapping at the door. When Jean opened it, in walked Freddy, Colossus, Pyro, and Gambit. Colossus went over to Rogue.
"I am to transfer my power to you so you can be more durable than Scott under Sinister's attacks." With that he grabbed Rogue's face and held it until he dropped to floor unconscious.
"Me too," said Freddy. "Boss lady told me if I didn't she'd make life miserable for me. It's her granddaughter, too, you know." He touched Rogue and held until he fainted, which took a lot longer than with Colossus.
Rogue gained several pounds of weight suddenly, and Freddy seemed a little thinner. "No more - power-ups. Ah think Ah'll be too - out of my mind to be of much help if Ah get any more voices in mah head. 'Specially if Ah need ta drain Scott."
Gambit and Pyro stood with the group. Their powers both involved long-range attacks, so their reason for being there was obvious.
"Everyone ready?" asked Magneto. "I know where his nearest base is. So let's go."
"Erik." It was Charles.
"What?"
"Don't make me regret putting you in charge of this little group for tonight."
"I won't misuse them against the wild-types. Even I know that there are worse things than wild-type humans, Charles. Our differences can wait - for now. I promise to bring your people back."
