Prologue 7:
General William Striker sat on the ground in a cloud of pain, understanding with some finality that his years of careful planning and his brilliant, unstoppable attack had failed.
Not only failed, but had somehow been reversed, and he was now feeling the powerful force of Xavier's mind tearing his own apart. And he knew he was not the only one who would feel the effects. He had planned to destroy every living mutant, at the hand of one of their own, and end the problem once and for all. He would save the human race from the worst danger it had ever faced.
Now, the human race itself was being destroyed, by his own machinations.
No, he thought, This can't be happening...it's impossible...it's...
"Ah, General Striker," a voice said. Through his pain, Striker thought he must have been having a nightmare. Erik Lensherr, the mutant known at Magneto, whom Striker had kept so securely under his control for so long, was now marching toward him across the snow. And he was not alone.
Behind him, stood the blue shapeshifter known as Mystique...and a very aware and angry Lady Deathstrike.
"Funny, how we keep running into each other," Magneto said, and Striker struggled to stay conscious as the pleasant smile faded from the mutant's face.
"Mark my words...it will never happen again."
Striker felt the metal chains holding him to the leg of his helicopter wrap tightly around his neck. Magneto allowed the suffering man to choke for a few minutes before allowing the chain to fall slack.
Magneto stood up and turned back to his companions, the polite and satisfied smile returning to his face.
"Bring the General along, would you my dear?" he said to Deathstrike, "I think he deserves to watch the end of his world, don't you?"
Mystique smiled as the younger woman grabbed the General roughly by the binding chains and drug him across the snow. Striker was writhing in the pain, and Mystique felt a little justice for Erik's months of captivity, a price paid by all human beings.
Magneto led them to a clearing, and used the chains to secure Striker violently to a ruined cement wall. The links crawled along the man's body like snakes until they were stretched tightly across his legs and his chest and his face.
"Welcome to the new world, William," Magneto said viciously, "I hope, in your last minutes, you appreciate your part in creating it."
***
Suddenly, the General's body went slack, and the rolling waves of pain stopped. He was breathing, still breathing, and he concentrated on simply bringing air in and out of his lungs. The chains were ice cold, and burned against his skin. As his vision cleared, he met Magneto's gaze again.
They both knew that by some means the attacks had stopped, and the enemies both stood in victory and in loss.
Without another word, the three mutants left the General to die, knowing Alkalai Lake was about to be unleashed.
***
However, another being stood in the wilderness, and had other plans for the ruined man.
