Chapter 14: Expressway To Your Skull

"Kitty!"

Avalanche's agonized cry echoed through the Institute's hallways, drowning out the sound of his own tremors. He stormed out of her bedroom sending shockwave after shockwave through the place he once considered his home. The walls cracked, the ceiling crumbled, and there was a loud rumble as the floor was ruptured, the boards of wood and leaden pipes ravaged as if struck by mines.

He felt a powerful shift in the air current, and was unsurprised to see Storm fly towards him in all her regal glory. The elder mutant took a glance at the invader, and soon realized whom she was staring at.

"Lance?! I demand to know what this is about!"

"Yeah, well I demand that you shut your yap!" Toad burst out of one room, attacking Storm with a huge wad of his sticky green spit. The weather witch threw out her hand, shielding herself with a gust of wind that blew back the slime. Momentarily distracted, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps too late, and was smacked across the head by Blob, who had turned around that corner just in time to help his teammates. Storm slammed against the floor, and before she could blink Toad was standing over her, tossing a small capsule on the floor. He hurriedly hopped away as the capsule erupted in a cloud of sleeping gas, plunging the down mutant into a deep slumber.

"All right! We got one!" Toad high-fived his corpulent friend. Avalanche snorted, looking down at Storm's fallen form. It didn't matter to him if the weather witch was out of action. She was still out there, somewhere.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Blob was grinning at him. "That was fun, huh? You know, uh," he stammered, "It's cool that you're one of us now. I kinda missed you…buddy."

For some reason, the rock-tumbler couldn't find it in him to push the hand away. However, he wouldn't allow himself to smile. "Whatever."

He walked away itching for a fight that would satisfy him.

* * *

The secret passageway led Mystique and Quicksilver down into the labyrinthine depths below the Xavier Institute, where the Mindcoil awaited them. The boy tried not to squirm; he didn't want Mystique to see that tight, narrow spaces made him uncomfortable and perceive it as weakness. No one in their right mind would ever let the metamorph know what made them vulnerable—it was like wearing a target on their back.

He could feel the distant echo of Avalanche's earthquakes as they shook the mansion to its very core. "At least he's having fun…"

Mystique ignored his mutterings, her mind focused on the mission's goal. After what felt like many more minutes the pair reached the end of the corridor, and were faced by a large, heavily armored door. She caught sight of the scanner above the lock, and with a snarl pounded her fist against the metal door.

"What's the problem?!" demanded her impatient companion. "Can't you just morph into a X-Geek and open it up?!"

Mystique turned on him. Grabbing the nape of his neck she slammed him against the wall, enraged. "No! I told you imbeciles earlier; Xavier's technology is far too advanced for my shape changing! Now I suggest you find Lance Alvers!"

* * *

Two mutants appeared inside the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House in a sulfuric flash. Nightcrawler looked around his crumbling surroundings and asked incredulously, "You live here?"

Boom-Boom grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the living room. "Sorry, it's our maid's day off. Come on!"

They ran up the stairs and down a hall, Nightcrawler following Boom-Boom's lead. Finally she stopped in front of a door and blew it open. Rushing inside, the elf gasped. The million-dollar suite was a stark contrast to the rest of the somewhat decrepit boarding house, and he correctly guessed it was where Mystique resided. His eyes darted around the room, but there was no sign of Kitty.

"Tabitha, are you sure zis is ze right place?"

He had no immediate reply. Boom-Boom approached a picture hanging on a wall, a huge oil painting that illustrated a family of elegant royals. She stood on her tiptoes and ran her hands along the frame from top to bottom, in search of something. Please let me be right, she thought, closing her eyes and praying. Then she found it. She pressed the small button on the edge of the frame, triggering a secret mechanism. The blonde gave a jump as the painting swung off the wall, revealing a secret corridor.

"Vhat in ze vorld?" wondered Nightcrawler. He let out a small sound when he saw what was inside it.

It was a metal cylinder, gigantic in size, filled with an iridescent green liquid. Floating inside it was none other than an unconscious Kitty Pryde.

"Kitty!"

"Is she dead?" murmured Boom-Boom.

Nightcrawler stared. "I don't zhink so…" He studied the control panel at the bottom of the cylinder, trying to figure out what to do. Some of the words on the screen got his attention. "Life signs stable…cellular paralysis bio fluid…ah, it's some kind of suspended animation!"

"Cellular whatzit?"

"She's alive—ve just have to get her out of zat zhing." He pounded his fingers along the panel's keyboard, delivering a command.

The machine asked, DRAIN FLUID? Y/N

YES.

With that, the bio fluid was slowly drained from the cylinder, yet Kitty did not regain consciousness. Nightcrawler then typed OPEN. The hatch obeyed the order, and the elf caught Kitty's limp body as it fell. Taking her into his arms, he gently lay her on the floor. Boom-Boom had been right, he realized. Looking at her, he saw that her body was free of the savage bruises her imposter had used against Lance. He checked her pulse. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

"Kitty…Kitty, come on." He turned his head to Boom-Boom, who was looming over his shoulder. His voice was pained. "Gott, vhat vas Mystique going to do vith her?"

"I think she called her a bargaining chip. My guess is she planned on exchanging the chick for the Mindcoil in case something went wrong with the plan."

"You're really going to have to tell me vhat zat is, you know."

Not long after that exchange the body he held quivered. The paralyzing liquid was wearing off, and Kitty Pryde was waking up.

* * *

It was perhaps pure luck that Cyclops was the last X-Man standing. Like all the others he had awoken to the sound of Avalanche's rage, but somehow he had missed encountering the Brotherhood as he prowled throughout dark mansion. He had snuck into Kurt's room to see if he was all right, only to find an empty bed and a door that had to have been blown open by the aptly named Boom-Boom. Hoping for the best he went off in search of Jean, only to find her prone body lying on the floor, Spyke's not far away.

He knew who was responsible. Rogue. Reluctantly he left Jean's side to find the attackers, hoping against hope that if he found Rogue, he would not be forced to fight her; he truly didn't know what he'd do if he was, and the uncertainty scared him.

The first member of the Brotherhood of Mutants he came across was not the southern beauty; rather, a tall, shadowy figure he did not immediately recognize. He stood in the gleam of the front hallway window, the moonlight illuminating his features. It was his voice that raised his defenses.

"Just the mutant I was looking for."

Lance! A dozen thoughts suddenly took over his brain, one voice screaming above all the others. He betrayed us!

His hand flew to his visor, just as Avalanche raised his and sent a mighty shockwave through the floorboards, robbing Cyclops of his balance. He took his eyes off his opponent for a second and Avalanche rushed him, punching him squarely in the jaw and knocking him against the wall.

"Oh come on, Shades, fight your battles with your fists! I've been waiting for this!"

Jean was right, thought the boy in amazement. Jean was right! "I didn't want to believe it," he muttered, wiping the blood from his chin, "But you betrayed us!"

"Fuck you!" screamed the rock-tumbler, throwing a fist Cyclops narrowly dodged. "If anyone was betrayed, it was me!"

"Tell that to Kitty, you scumbag!"

Avalanche hit the wall hard as an optic blast struck his bad shoulder. He knocked over a table as he crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath. Cyclops' breathing was heavy as well, and he stood over the down Brotherhood boy. He clenched his fists and opened his mouth to speak, but his words were cut off as he let out a sharp, strained exclamation of pain.

Avalanche jerked his knee back from the sensitive area below the X-Man's waist and delivered a strong punch to his gut. Back on his feet, the rock-tumbler twisted

Cyclops' arms behind his back and pushed him forward, leaning him over the balcony. Pressing his face against the wooden railing Avalanche hissed, "Did you pressure her into it, or was it her idea to begin with?!"

"What—are you talking about?" strained Cyclops.

"Kitty! Did you force her, or was it all a big joke of yours?!"

Furious, Cyclops shook his arms free and knocked him back. "The only one who forced her to do anything was you!" He fired a high-powered blast at Avalanche's chest, sending him to the floor once again. That time, he didn't get up so easily. "You're the one who raped her, remember?!"

Avalanche's fingers dug into the carpet as he struggled to steady himself. His body told him to stay down, but he refused. He had to keep going. He had to keep fighting. His anger was his strength, and the X-Man's words only fueled that strength—that was the terrible extent of Mastermind's brainwashing. He would not stop. The hallway was shaking; in fact, it felt as if the whole place was falling apart. "You…fucking…liar!"

Cyclops prepared himself to release a blast that would silence him when there was a sharp blow to his head. He fell to his knees, and glancing up, looked into Rogue's cold eyes.

"You!" snarled Avalanche as he stood. "Back off! He's mine!"

"Cool your jets, Rocky. Mystique needs you. Ah'll take care o' this here Boy Scout."

Glaring, Avalanche stalked past Rogue and sneered at Cyclops. "Leave some of him for me," he warned.

Rogue grinned. "Ah will. You just get what we came for."

As Avalanche disappeared in the direction of Xavier's study, the girl sharply kicked Cyclops in the stomach. He rolled onto his side, baring his teeth. "You're not Rogue," he grimaced.

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh really?"

"At the very least, Rogue would have just sapped me of my powers…credit me with that much intelligence, Mystique."

The smile on the girl's face vanished as she assumed her true shape. "You could not even smell the obvious trap you little X-Children fell into and you expect me to marvel at your brain power?"

Cyclops cut off her gloating by firing another crimson blast. She used her lightening-quick reflexes to duck, and then gave a spinning kick to his chest. "I've waited far too long to attain the power of the Mindcoil," Mystique rasped, the utmost hatred in her white eyes, "But when it comes to finishing you, I find I can wait just that much longer!"

* * *

"No offense, babycakes, but you ain't gettin' away."

She sneered at Todd's words and phased out of his slimy tongue's grasp. Rising to her feet, she was about to make a getaway when one of her attackers tossed an exploding capsule at her feet, releasing a powerful cloud of knockout gas. Kitty was immediately overwhelmed and coughed profusely. Before she could think to phase through the ground and escape, she saw something that made her blood run cold. Trey Anderson had a wicked grin on his face—wait, his face changed—into—into Mystique! And then Mystique morphed into her!

She stared frightfully into her doppelganger's eyes.

"Sweet dreams, darling."

Kitty stumbled, falling onto the cold, rocky ground. Her strength disappearing, she held onto consciousness long enough to see Pietro zip over to his leader's side.

"You got her?" he asked.

"What does it look like? Now run her back to the base and lock her up…"

She felt the speed demon hoist her over her shoulder, and as the wind rushed over her she slipped into the black oblivion of sleep…

Lance!

"L…Lance!"

Kitty's eyes opened, and she shivered. Her whole body tingled as if all her limbs had fallen asleep. Her vision was fuzzy, but she could see a furry, concerned face in front of hers.

"It's me, Kitty!"

"K-K-Kurt?"

He nodded. "It's okay. Ze cellular fluid hasn't completely vorn off yet--"

"What cellular fl-fluid…?" She looked around herself, utterly surprised. She was longer in the caves, but in a tremendously swank bedroom. And over her friend's shoulder there stood Boom-Boom, wearing a tight black getup that would have made Britney Spears blush.

"What's she d-doing here?"

Nightcrawler grinned. "It's all right! Tabitha's a friend…er, I zhink."

"Hmmph." Boom-Boom pouted.

Kitty could feel control of her muscles gradually return. She leaned against her fuzzy friend and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled a bit. "Kurt, what's happening? I…I was at the field trip, and the Brotherhood ambushed me…Mystique, like, morphed into me…"

"Yes, she did. She fooled us all." He then did his best to provide a brief summary of what had happened since the switch, and Boom-Boom filled in the gaps. To say that

Kitty was shocked and horrified would be an understatement.

"Oh god…" She uttered Lance's name in fright. "I-I have to do something—make him stop…!"

"I don't think it would be wise to show your face around that guy," interjected the erstwhile Brotherhood member. "He wants you dead."

"I don't care! I know I can reach him, somehow!" Kitty insisted. "You'll help me, won't you, Kurt?"

He nodded. "Ja. Now let's get back zhere before he levels ze mansion!"

* * *

"I'm amazed you haven't given up yet, boy!" cried Mystique as she leapt into the air, dodging an optic beam aimed for her chest. She landed on all fours like a scaly blue feline and thrust out her foot, cutting him down. "Don't you know when you've lost?!"

Cyclops repressed the urge to make a witty retort as he jumped back on his feet and struck her across the face with his fists. Unfortunately the blow wasn't as hard as he wanted it to be; he was still physically spent from his bout with Avalanche, and it took a great deal of strength to keep going. Mystique could taste his growing desperation.

She glanced around, taking in the twisted floorboards and cracked walls. The mansion was crumbling under duress. "I must say I love what Avalanche has done with the place."

Cyclops took advantage of the momentary reprieve to catch his breath. "He was working with you all along, wasn't he!?"

"Oh no, dear boy," she purred, "Avalanche had no intention of betraying his friends…it was a little kitty cat who drove him into my arms." With a dark laugh she morphed into Kitty, bruised and bloody. "He raped me, after all," she said in the young girl's voice, mocking him.

Cyclops was horrorstruck as the truth hit him. That blow would prove to be slightly less powerful than the one his opponent gave him immediately thereafter. He collapsed onto his stomach and the morphing menace took him by the throat. She pushed him towards the balcony, the weak wood cracking underneath his feet. He knew Mystique's intentions; stealing a glance below he reasoned that falling down a full flight onto the hard floor beneath the stairs would not kill him, though perhaps it would break his neck, if not his head. Neither prospect was appealing. He tried to lift his arms and fight off Mystique, but his limbs failed him.

Mystique was relishing her moment of glory. "Do you know what your tragedy is, Cyclops? That for all your hard work, for all your good intentions, you never knew what Professor X was hiding from you—and you never will. You are nothing but a puppet, and I am a sharp blade cutting your strings--" The floor beneath the boy's feet gave way, the brittle splinters falling to the earth below, and he knew he would soon follow them. The only thing preventing his plummet were two hands wrapped around his neck. "—Just so I can—watch—you—fall!"

He glanced over her shoulder, his bloodied lips curling into a smirk. "R-Really? I think your blade's a little rusty, myself…"

She laughed, tossing her ruby red hair about her face. "Spare me your jibes. I'm not some poorly drawn villain from one of your comic books. Do you really think I'd tell you all this if there was the slightest chance you could stop—aaauuughh!"

Rogue bit back a cry as her hand latched onto the back of Mystique's neck. The shape-shifter howled in pain and released her hold on Scott Summers; Rogue's free hand shot out and grabbed his arm, jerking him forward and back on solid ground. She momentarily let go of Mystique, and the weakened mutant turned her head and looked at Rogue with what might have been anger, hurt, or both. Her feet then fell out from under her, and she slipped over the edge of the balcony.

"No!" With a gasp Rogue dove forward to grab her hand, but the floor beneath her suddenly gave way.

"Rogue!" shouted Cyclops, who returned the earlier gesture and grabbed onto her, pulling her small body to safety. There was nothing to save Mystique as she fell, landing with a harsh thud. Rogue cringed and buried her face in her hands. Peering over the edge, Cyclops saw the blue, leather-clad form lying in a twisted mess. She was out, all right. He then turned his attention to the one who needed him. There were no words, except, "Rogue…are you all right?"

She wasn't all right, of course. She trembled as she uncontrollably morphed into Mystique, Kitty, and Principal Darkholme before returning to her rightful form. Her brush with Mystique filled her with terrible memories—running through snow with wolves at her heels, a precious bundle in her arms—watching Lance and Kitty talk with Professor X from atop a nearby hill in Northbrook--morphing into Storm and Wolverine in order to secure Rogue for herself—taking advantage of Lance's needs and weaknesses in Kitty Pryde's form—and finally, laughing as she threatened Scott's life—Rogue screamed as she fought them all back. She then felt Cyclops wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly.

"Oh mah god…Scott…Ah'm so sorry…"

"Shh, it's all right. You saved me just in time, Rogue. Thank you."

His arms felt so safe and warm; the girl thought she could lose herself completely in him. But, as much as she wanted to, there was still a war going on around them, and there wasn't much time.

"We've got to stop Avalanche," she said after a beat.

"I'll say. I can't believe Mystique used him—used all of us—so easily…"

"She sent him after this thing called the Mindcoil. If he unleashes it all of hu—hcccc-!!" Rogue's was caught mid-sentence by sharp sting in the back of her neck. Her eyes rolled back and she fell against Cyclops' chest, out cold.

"Rogue?! What's wrong?!" He had his answer in a second, as a small needle pierced his neck, the fluid inside it spreading through him and putting him to sleep. He fell to the floor, never knowing what hit him.

* * *

"I told ya this place would have great food!"

"Yeah, but should we really be eatin' at a time like this? Mystique'll throw a—yo, is that pastrami?"

Toad and Blob emerged from the kitchen taking bites from what had to be the largest subway in Westchester County. Having proudly vanquished Storm, the two young warriors had snuck off for a midnight meal. They had earned it, they thought. Beating X-Geeks was tough work.

"You know, these snobs sure know how to eat," Blob laughed, half-chewed bits of meat and bread flying from his lips. Suddenly he stopped short, and the sandwich fell from his fingers. Toad, who wasn't paying the least bit of attention, slammed into his backside.

"What's the problem, man?" he squawked.

"Don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The next sound Toad made was a high-pitched shriek of fright as an enormous metal sphere crashed through the front of the mansion, only a precious few feet from the teens. It hovered for a bit before landing.

"Wh-what the heck is that, yo?! Some kinda trippy spaceship?!"

Toad had his answer in a moment as there was a low hsssss signaling the sphere's opening. Someone emerged, his eyes gleaming in the harsh darkness. Blob and Toad couldn't distinguish any of the newcomer's features, save that he was tall, had a strong, impressive build, and was levitating off the ground. His head slowly turned to face them.

"What are you gawking at?"

Toad blanched at the icy, familiar presence. He felt the urge to empty his stomach of its recent meal. Blob stammered as he stared at the tall, shrouded figure before him.

"N-Nothing, sir," he managed to say.

"Good. Come along."

Blob and Toad felt their bodies being pulled towards the dark stranger, and he led them up the ravaged staircase. The teens both felt a cold shiver when they saw Mystique's broken body lying only a few feet away, and their unease only increased when they reached the unconscious Rogue and Cyclops at the top of the steps. The stranger seemed to pull the pipes from the damaged floor with a mere thought, and the metal twisted around the young pair as easily as rope. Elsewhere in the mansion, the defeated X-Men were also collected in such a manner, and soon Cyclops, Rogue, Jean, Spyke, and Storm were following the stranger as if being pulled by an invisible string.

"Time to reclaim what is mine."

* * *

As soon as Avalanche entered Xavier's study a twister generated by the power of an impatient young mutant enveloped him. Shouting a string of curses, his feet were lifted off the ground and Quicksilver whisked him down into the bowels of the Institute. Now standing in front of the armored door that had impeded Mystique, Avalanche fought against his motion sickness. Having suppressed the bile that threatened to rise up, he fixed his silver-haired compatriot with a furious glare. "Don't—ever…"

Quicksilver waved him off. "You were taking too long, slowpoke. Now say the magic word, or whatever you have to do. Open, says me." He pointed at the door, looking exasperated.

With a grumble Avalanche turned. Did Maximoff expect him to jump at his call? If he did, he definitely had another thing coming. He had gone through too much to suddenly play the part of the errand boy, and he was in no mood for Quicksilver's petulant buzzing.

//Lance, you have nothing to prove to the likes of Pietro Maximoff. Remember that.//

The memory stung. Dammit! Why do I have to think of her at a time like this? It was no use resisting; it all came back in full force. He remembered a cold cave, and seeing his reflection in her wide blue eyes. The way she looked at him…it was like she could see right through him and peer into his very soul. If she were to look at him now, what would she see?

Quicksilver's indignant grumbles reminded him of where he was. Avalanche squeezed his eyes shut, and willed Kitty's face back into the darkness. When he opened them, he was full of resolve. Standing tall he placed his hand against the black box. The scanner traced his palm, and a computerized voice shook him by saying, "Invalid."

He had been refused.

The rock-tumbler spun around and angrily spat, "Well now what?! The damn door won't open for anybody but Xavier!"

"So make another one!"

"That will be unnecessary."

Before the strange new voice could register, the door was pummeled by an unseen power that ripped it from its hinges and left it a twisted, misshapen ball on the armored floor. The boys' stunned eyes went from it to the bizarre procession that was approaching.

Magneto levitated in the air, his dark purple cape billowing behind him, giving the seasoned mutant a regal yet powerful edge. His helmet hid most of his face, but his eyes gleamed like beacons in the dimly lit space. Following him like a pair of sheep were Toad and Blob, and floating behind them were the X-Men plus the traitorous Rogue, all unconscious and wrapped in metallic coils.

"Our pathway is now clear," said Magneto as he stared into the open chamber. "Good work."

Quicksilver was radiant. "Thank you, Father."

"I was not addressing you, Quicksilver," was the cold response. His head turned to the stunned Avalanche. "It was you who enabled us to come this far, after all."

Avalanche murmured something under his breath that might have been thanks. He felt no gratitude, got no enjoyment from the high words. Instead he felt as if he had swallowed something that disagreed with him. His vision was suddenly foggy, like staring through clouded glass. What was he doing? Who were these people? What was going on? His head…it…

"Are you all right?" Magneto asked, looking the rock-tumbler over as if he was an amoeba under a microscope.

"I—I'm fine." He straightened, putting his hand to his temple. The strange sensation was gone as quickly as it came; his thoughts were clear once more.

"Then let us go," beckoned the Master of Magnetism, extending his arms and ushering his followers forward toward the Mindcoil. "A new dawn is approaching."

* * *

There was a distinctive bamf of imploding air as Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Kitty appeared atop the mansion's sweeping staircase.

"Oh my god…" Kitty covered her mouth as she looked all around her. Her home had become a battlefield, ravaged by the brutal fighting it had seen only minutes earlier. The ceiling seemed to be on the verge of caving in on the teens, and jagged boards of wood and lead pipes jutted out of the gutted floor, ready to impale any careless passerby. However, it wasn't decimated dwelling that filled her with a terrible sorrow; it was the knowledge that Lance was the one responsible for it.

Boom-Boom put her hands on her hips. "Looks like we missed one helluva a party."

"Zhis isn't funny, Tabitha," chastised Nightcrawler.

"Who said it was funny?" she retorted, thinking of Rogue. "Where is everybody?"

Kitty wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. "It looks like the fighting's over. But who won?"

"Both very good questions," mused Nightcrawler. His sharp, yellow orbs then caught sight of something below them. At the bottom of the balcony there lay…

"Mystique!" cried Boom-Boom. She then laughed, "I'll be damned."

She was promptly ignored. Kitty took a few timid steps down the nearest hall, running her fingers along the side of the wall, her fingers white from the cracked plaster. "Do you guys hear that?" she blurted out.

"Vas?"

"I think I hear voices coming—coming from the Professor's study. Let's go!" Kitty took her friend by the arm and started to run.

"Wait!" Nightcrawler protested, holding her back. "Vhat are ve going to do? Ve have no idea vhat's happened—ve can just burst in zhere vithout a plan!"

"Do you have a plan?"

"Vell, no--"

Kitty phased out of his grip. "Neither do I, but we have to do something!"

Nightcrawler groaned as she raced down the hall. He slapped his forehead. "Aren't I supposed to be ze impetuous one?" he asked the heavens.

Meanwhile, Boom-Boom was still enthralled by the unconscious shape-shifter. She glanced from her right to her left before cracking a devilish smirk.

"Tabitha!"

She rolled her eyes. "Tch. Coming!" She formed a small energy bomb and tossed it over the railing. She raised her fingers to her temple in a salute as the bomb burst over Mystique. "Good night, sweet bitch, and may a flight of angels sing thee--"

"Tabitha!"

Grumbling, she halted her farewell and stormed off. "All right, all right! Jeez!"

* * *

Jean Grey was the first to awake. Her senses were off and she still felt weak from Rogue's power drain, but she was thankful not to be in a coma. Her relief vanished when she realized something was terribly wrong. She quickly gave mental wake up calls to her teammates; Cyclops, Spyke, Storm, and even Rogue suddenly returned to the waking world and joined in Jean's shock.

They were being held against the wall by an invisible force, their feet hanging off the ground and tight metal coils wrapped around their struggling bodies. They were in one of the many secret chambers below the Institute, surrounded by their grinning enemies. At the far end of the chamber stood a tall, imposing figure the young eyes had never seen before. His back was turned, and he seemed to be preoccupied with something floating in a tank amid all the machines and gizmos.

"Who is that?" whispered Cyclops.

Storm gave up struggling against her bindings and replied, "Erik Lensherr…also known as Magneto. He's a powerful Anti-Human terrorist, and it looks like the Professor was right in his suspicions that he was the force behind the Brotherhood."

"Thank you for the introduction, Storm, but in these turbulent times, 'terrorist' carries such a negative connotation. What I am is a freedom fighter out to eliminate human tyrany." Magneto's voice was like ice, chilling the captive X-Men. He still kept his back to them, busying himself with whatever was in the tank. "And don't think of using your powers to break free of your bindings, Ms. Grey--"—His voice was a knife now, sharp and deadly—"I don't think you could free yourself before I squeeze this boy to death."

Cyclops cried out as the coils tightened around his flesh; the pain was like fire, and he could barely breath…

"Scott!" screamed Jean.

"No!" Rogue wailed. "Don't kill him, Magneto, please!"

"The turncoat asks me for favors?" he asked wryly. He flicked his wrist and the coils loosened around Cyclops. He gasped, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Fear not, that was only a demonstration."

"You're a monster, Magneto!" Storm rasped. "If you harm any of these children again, I swear--" Toad spit a wad of green spit in her face to quiet her down, resulting in Spyke throwing several violent curses his way.

Jean swallowed a lump in her throat. She glanced around the room and caught sight of Avalanche. He was leaning against the wall away from the gloating Brotherhood, rubbing his forehead as if in pain. Her eyes narrowed.

**So he is the one responsible for this,** she said telepathically to Cyclops. **He betrayed us…led the Brotherhood into our home while we slept…!**

You're wrong, Jean. This was all Mystique's doing. Somehow she—she switched places with Kitty and accused Lance of raping her…when you attacked him he fell right into her hands. I don't know why, but I think she did something else to him. He's not the Lance we know anymore.

Jean gasped as she read his mind. **But if that's true…where's Kitty? Where's Kurt?**

I don't know…but I hope wherever they are they're okay…because it looks like they're the last hope we have.

* * *

Kitty entered Xavier's study with Nightcrawler behind her, a shiver running down her spine. Behind the old fireplace they saw a gaping tunnel, much like a secret passage, that would lead them down below the mansion's foundations. Approaching it, they could hear faint, distant echoes of what had to be voices.

"Whatever we're looking for, I think we'll find it down there," the girl murmured.

"I still have a very bad feeling about zhis."

"So do I."

Boom-Boom burst in the room, slamming the door behind her. "Everything all right?" she asked, still feeling pleased with herself. As far as she was concerned, the sight of Mystique's broken, lifeless body had made her whole crummy life worthwhile.

"Ve're fine," said Nightcrawler sharply, bringing a long finger to his lips, "But be quiet, please. Ve can't give ourselves avay."

She screwed up her face in indignation, but thankfully said nothing.

The elf sighed and touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry—ve're all on edge."

The three then stared into the depths of the dark passage.

"After you, Kurt," said Kitty with a weak smile.

"Oh no, I zhink you should go ahead—Avalanche is your boyfriend, after all."

The bantering pair didn't hear the study door open, or the figure quietly enter. Boom-Boom heard the creak in the floorboards and looked behind her. Her face white as a sheet, she nudged Nightcrawler's back, only to be brushed off.

"Kurt, be a gentleman."

"I am—ladies first."

"Um, Blue…you guys…" Boom-Boom swallowed. "Kurt!"

"Vas?!" He and Kitty turned and gasped.

"We have company."

* * *

"Magneto, what is this all about?! What do you want?!" demanded Cyclops. He had enough of his cryptic villain garbage. Quicksilver crossed his arms over his chest and snickered, waiting for his father's reply.

Magneto turned sharply, fixing the young field leader under his spotlight. "What is it ever about? Power, of course. In particular, a power that rightfully belongs to me. The Mindcoil."

Jean balked. "What?"

"It is a living weapon that was originally designed by your dear Professor and I. He raided one of my strongholds, stole my findings and tried to make the Mindcoil his own."

"I don't believe it!" scoffed Cyclops. "Professor X would never develop a weapon. It would be against everything he stands for!"

The thinnest of smiles formed on Magneto's lips. "You are partly correct. Xavier, in his arrogance, thought he could change the Mindcoil and wean it from its inherently destructive ways. But I made it for one singular purpose—which will now be realized. The entire destruction of humanity."

An ungodly silence filled the room as his final sentence hung in the air. The X-Men could not believe it—the destruction of mankind? It was too impossible to fathom. Even the remaining members of the Brotherhood were stunned. They had imagined the Mindcoil to be a cool new toy, not an instrument of genocide. In a far corner Avalanche began to tremble. He remembered Magneto's words. He was the one who had led the Brotherhood into the Institute—he was the one who had enabled them to come so far. "No…" he whispered to himself.

Only Quicksilver's feathers were unruffled. "It's time, Father," he said proudly.

"Yes." He turned his eyes to the X-Men for the last time.

"You sick son of a--" Spyke's words were halted by a metal sheet clamping onto his mouth. The other prisoners found themselves silenced as well as Magneto flexed his mutant muscles.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but as you will hopefully come to realize, it is for the greater good. A species that has already been replaced will be disposed of in a humane manner, which is more than I can say if we were to engage them in one of their petty wars. No blood will be shed, and none of our mutant brothers will fall by a human's hand. It will be over soon, I assure you, and they will experience no…prolonged pain."

Leaving the prisoners to think about that, he faced Quicksilver. The boy held up the specially designed helmet directly connected to the Mindcoil. With it on, Magneto could easily control the living weapon and make it do his bidding.

Magneto touched his arm. "Pietro, you have served me well these long months."

"Thank you, Father." He was beaming. This was all he had ever wanted, to be given recognition from his sire and share in his glory.

"I believe you should be the one then, to put on this helmet and direct the Mindcoil."

"Yes…! Yes, sir!" This was more than he could have imagined. Regarding the tank filled with amniotic fluid, he swallowed the last of his fears. The Mindcoil certainly wasn't impressive; he had expected more than an ugly, fleshy blob with wires and tubes sticking out of it. Magneto said it was alive? He took a step forward and the wrinkled thing seemed to twitch, as if it was aware of its surroundings. Couldn't be; it didn't have any eyes or ears. Strange.

"It…looks like a brain."

"Of course. What greater weapon is there than the mind itself?" The Master of Magnetism finished his tampering with the machines connected to the blob, and flipped the last switch. Swelling with pride, his son raised the helmet and put it on his silver head. His smile immediately vanished.

"Ah--ahh--auuuuuuuggghh!" The scream was gut wrenching. Quicksilver's body began to spasm violently, and his eyes bulged as if trying to pop out of their sockets. The captive X-Men watched him thrash about in shocked horror, and Toad and Blob backed away from their teammate, mouths agape. Avalanche's dark eyes were glued to him, and at that moment he felt something that might have been fear.

"No," he whispered again. "What…have I…?"

Magneto's expression barely changed. "I was afraid this would occur. All the better that I was not the one to make direct contact…"

What happened next was enough to startle the mutants even more. Quicksilver's body stopped its convulsing, and he opened his mouth to speak. There was another voice over his; however, a voice that was incredibly familiar. It sounded cold and mechanical, like a computer, though it was most definitely the voice of a man. And it seemed to be speaking directly into their minds.

**Freedom!** it said happily. The blob twitched.

"And I am the one who gave it to you," Magneto said, standing tall. The voice could not reach his mind, thanks to his specially crafted helmet, but he could hear its words through his son's voice. "I, Magneto, am the one who released your bindings. Furthermore, it was I who helped create you. I who gave you a purpose."

**A purpose? Yes…yes, I remember.**

Magneto smirked. "Then I command you to do what you were created to do. Exterminate the human filth who plagues homo superior!"

The order was given. The X-Men strained against their coils. Bound and gagged, they were like helpless children unable to stop what was happening right in front of them. Avalanche grew pale. In that terrible moment, however, the Mindcoil seemed to release its hold on Quicksilver. The boy gasped as his mind returned to him. Magneto bent down and placed his hand on his cheek. Their eyes locked, then…

**No.**

There was an unspeakable sound as the wires from the Mindcoil's tank disconnected themselves and pierced Magneto; their snakelike forms plunging deeper and deeper into his back. There was a sharp, blue crackle of energy, and an electric pulse was sent through him. Magneto gave a short, pained cry and then slumped forward, quite dead.

The X-Men fell to the ground as the magnetic force that suspended them was suddenly cut. Immediately Jean tried to free them of their metal restraints, but her powers failed her. She felt a foreign presence in her mind, and knew it was keeping her from escaping. Toad and Blob looked at Magneto's corpse, utterly petrified. They tried to run, but found their feet stuck to the ground. Avalanche was stunned into silence. But for some reason he did not feel something creeping around his mind; the only words he heard the Mindcoil say had been spoken aloud by Quicksilver.

"Fa-Father! N…no…!" Quicksilver's body then gave another jolt, and when he spoke again the Mindcoil spoke through him.

**I've spent my entire existence in this dark room, surrounded by these sterile walls. I want to see the world before I destroy it. Taste it.** The blob shuddered. **But this body of mine is no good. So, I think I will use yours.**

Stop! Wh-What are you going to do to me?! thought the terrified boy as he stared at the corpse at his feet.

**Take your flesh for my own, of course. I need eyes and ears to see the outside, and legs to take me there. But you are no use to me as you are. I think I'll simply erase your consciousness, and copy my own unto your brain. You will be a marvelous extension of myself. Thank you for your body, Pietro Maximoff.**

"N-Naaaaaaaoooooohhh!" There was a scream, one last spasm, and then Quicksilver collapsed, the helmet still atop his head. He did not move again.

**There,** the Mindcoil said, sounding satisfied as it began the process using its psychic might. Its attention then went to the mutants in the room. **Oh yes. What to do with you all. At the moment, I see no reason to keep you alive.**

They all felt it at once. It was like being impaled, a sharp, unrelenting psychic stab to the mind. Toad, Blob, and Spyke let out howls, while the others squeezed their eyes shut and clutched their throbbing heads. Alone in the corner, unobserved, Avalanche felt a cold shiver. Everyone else around him suffered the Mindcoil's blow, but he was unaffected.

It…can't feel my mind, he realized. The Mindcoil had no way to see or hear him; it was aware of its surroundings via telepathy. He touched his helmet.

//A present from Magneto. It will shield you from the prying thoughts of telepaths, no matter how powerful.//

Avalanche didn't know what to do. Part of him enjoyed watching the X-Men writhe. They had hurt him in an unimaginable way, and it was only right they suffer in turn. However, the strange sensations in his head made him uncertain of his feelings, and Rogue, Blob and Toad hadn't taken part in his torture. Was this…right? His thoughts were torn in two. Lance and Avalanche. What could he do?

Cyclops bit off a scream. The pain in his head was white-hot, and the part of him that was still rational cursed the Mindcoil for not simply ending it.

**Please do not misinterpret this as an act of spite or malice, Scott Summers. There is much to do, and I simply cannot be bothered with you. The only one here I had any real contempt for was that ostentatious brute Magneto. He thought he could order me, make me do his own dirty work. He talked to me like I were a thing. And I am not a thing, Scott Summers…** The Mindcoil lowered its voice, and despite its words it sounded very, very hateful. **I am a sentient being, with my own thoughts and desires. I will fulfill my purpose when I see fit, and I will be the one to decide who lives and who is destroyed. And I will be under an obligation to no one.**

And then--suddenly--the pain stopped, though not of the Mindcoil's volition. It was like a switch had been flipped, cutting off the psychic monstrosity's power. The members of the X-Men and Brotherhood who had been helpless under the mental assault felt an overwhelming relief. Their attention then went to the newcomers standing in the entrance.

Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Kitty Pryde stood tall and resolute, and with them was Charles Xavier. He narrowed his eyes at the blob within the tank and wore a disapproving frown.

"And that is precisely why we need to have a little talk."

* * * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Notes: The title of this belated chapter is from a Sonic Youth song, and it's finally up after a bout of writer's block and computer troubles. But with this chapter RYW is now over two hundred pages long. I know I'm surprised. Thanks for reading, everyone! ~Sandoz

Next Chapter: Xavier battles the Mindcoil in a psychic duel, but will even his strength be enough to stop the beast? Having heard the startling truth about the Mindcoil's creation and its connection to their professor, the X-Men join forces with the remaining Brotherhood members to fight for survival. Amidst the chaos Avalanche has a long-awaited confrontation with Kitty—but when their own minds have become battlefields, can either of them be saved?