Prologue 5:
Through the dark tunnels of the compound, Magneto and Mystique made their way quickly to the Dark Cerebro. Any soldiers Striker had left to guard the passages had been dealt with swiftly, and mercilessly.
Mystique smiled proudly as she walked by Magneto's side. She no longer bothered to disguise herself and took pleasure in watching Magneto use his power with the complete freedom he had been denied for months.
As they approached the Dark Cerebro, they could hear the movements of the remaining guards, and Magneto looked over at her and put a finger to his lips. Mystique had to repress a laugh as he raised one hand, almost playfully, towards the soldiers.
She heard their panicked cries as the pins from nearly a dozen grenades were pulled out of place. Mystique wrapped one hand around Magneto's arm for the moment before the small bombs began to explode. He looked at her with a satisfied smile, and let the collection of pins fall noisily to their feet.
They moved quickly around the corner, where they found a very familiar door.
Magneto approached cautiously, while Mystique waited patiently behind him.
Suddenly, she collapsed in pain and cried out. Magneto spun quickly around and moved back toward her.
Mystique was on her knees, holding her head in her hands. Her body was morphing uncontrollably, the images of hundreds of people forcing her body into unnatural shapes. She forced herself to look upward, her face changing so quickly from one person to another that she could barely see Magneto as she spoke.
"Erik!" she managed to cry, "Hurry!"
Magneto took a hesitant step back, almost unwilling to leave her in this state, but he knew the only way he could help her was to get to Charles.
Their eyes locked for a moment, saying more in a single glance than could be said in a thousand comforting words, before Magneto turned away from her towards the Dark Cerebro's metal doors.
The Dark Cerebro's doors screeched in protest as Magneto forced them open. The cry of the aging metal was more difficult for him to hear than the cries of Striker's soldiers.
***
At the same moment, the cries of millions of mutants around the world stopped.
***
Magneto entered the room and looked at the familiar machine sadly.
No illusion clouded his perception of the room as he entered. He saw only what was truly there. Charles sat at the edge of the lighted platform, wearing the machine's controlling helmet, completely oblivious to how close he had come to killing everyone he loved.
About halfway between the entrance and Charles, there was another mutant in a wheelchair, though he looked much less dignified than the Professor. He look worn, a wasted version of the powerful little boy that had first come to Charles's school.
Magneto walked up to the mutant named Jason (whose father now 'affectionately' called him Mutant 143), regarding the boy's state sadly. Jason's blank eyes glanced sideways as Magneto, who tapped the specialized helmet he wore with amusement.
Your father will soon pay for his crimes, child, he thought and then turned his attention to Charles.
"What does it look like from there, Charles?" Magneto asked quietly, knowing well Xavier could not hear him, "Still fighting the good fight?"
Magneto looked around with disgust, "It doesn't look like they're playing by your rules. Maybe it's time to play by their's..."
***
Mystique collapsed forward as the agonizing pain quickly faded away.
Her body had stopped morphing, and she found herself in a very unnatural condition. After a few controlled breaths, she was able to refocus and mold her body back into its true shape.
Her palms were flat against the floor, and she watched with quiet relief as the skin of her arms turned blue again, her strangely shaped hands becoming slender and more feminine.
Mystique stood slowly and walked forward on slightly unsteady legs toward the entrance of the Dark Cerebro. Magneto was standing at the edge of the long platform, speaking quietly to Professor Xavier.
"Goodbye, Charles," he said before turning back towards Mutant 143.
Magneto gestured to Mystique, and she smiled coldly. She walked slowly, but purposefully up to the wasted mutant that had been Jason Striker. Her body quickly formed itself into the shape of his father and she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, her voice a perfect imitation of the General.
"There's been a change of plans..."
