The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead.
Albert Einstein
***
For something that once was such a lively place, the mansion was grim and dark. It was two days after Kitty was found crying into her pillow, and it was discovered that John had died in the middle of the night.
Everyone had their own form of mourning. For Kitty, it was to cry. For Logan it was to spend as much time in the danger room as inhumanely possible. For Rogue, and Remy, it was to avoid contact with anybody. But everyone turned up to the mock funeral they had.
Since his parents were arriving later that day to escort his body back to Australia, Jean and Kitty organised a small service to be performed in the grounds of the garden. So that's where they were. In a small nook of the Garden, with the Coffin, which Jean had floated outside, sitting on a small stone bench that was surrounded by Ivy. A small photo of John was sitting on top, next to his trusty lighter.
Everybody turned up, even, to everybody's shock, Magneto, Psylocke and Malice/Storm, who had been milling around the mansion for a few days, while everybody else sulked in their misery.
Once everybody was there, Jean (who was now off her crutches) began the service.
"We're all here, because of the death of a loved one. St. John 'Pyro' Allerdyce was a character if there ever was one. A nice 'bloke' as he so preferred to call himself, and a good friend. He died for what he believed in, and won't be forgotten for what he did." She looked to the small crowd, "Does any body have anything they wish to say?"
Gambit stepped forward. "I would," He said softly. "Pyro and I were brought toget'er as total strangers, so we'd work as a team," He said with an irreverent glance at Magneto, who was looming over everyone at the back of the group, with his two newest team members standing on either side of him. "But we turned out t' be much more dan dat. Sure I t'ought he was a bit strange when I first met him, an' it took a while for me t' figure out what he was sayin', but once I got t' know him, I knew I'd made a true friend. An' he has been. He was always loyal, always looking out t' make a new friend. I won't ever forget him. An' I dun t'ink anyone else here will f'get him eit'er,"
"Thanks Remy," Jean took over again. "Now, if you'll join me in a moments silence in remembrance of Pyro." Everyone bowed their heads in silence and courtesy.
Kitty looked up at the other members of the crowd. She wasn't the only one crying. Jean had a few tears dripping down her cheeks, and Lance's eyes looked glazed. Rogue wasn't crying, but she looked like she was holding in tears. She was standing next to Remy, and as usual, he had that unreadable look on his face. She didn't notice it straight away, but Remy was holding Rogue's gloved hand in his. It caused her to smile, even if it was only for a minute.
She turned to the strangers in their group. Magneto and his two companions. The one with the familiar face but the very alien voice, and the British-Asian, psychic ninja, with the interesting hairdo. They were still around as Magneto hadn't had a chance to explain what he had been doing all these years, as everyone had been preoccupied with their grief. Which Magneto had surprisingly respected. Kitty had seen them around the grounds over the past few days, but she had neatly avoided them.
Jean raised her head. "I'd like to thank you all for coming. This afternoon, his parents will be dropping around to collect the body to take him back to Australia to be cremated. If anyone wishes to pay their respects to them, I'm sure they won't mind."
After that, everyone dispersed slowly, until eventually the only people still standing in front of the coffin was Kitty and Magneto, who had a thoughtful look on his face, as he stared at the coffin.
Suddenly he looked up at Kitty. He hadn't seemed to notice that she was still standing there. "So Miss Pryde, still alive after what you went through. I'm impressed. You did better than others, from what I hear."
"What do you mean?" Kitty said warily.
"The containment facility that you were held in these past 4 years—Congratulations on making your way out of there." Magneto rephrased it.
"You knew we were in there?" Kitty asked dubiously.
"Not until just recently. My partners and I were planning the facilities liberation, but you beat us to it." He said haughtily. Kitty glared at him.
"We didn't beat anyone to anything. We got out and that's all that matters."
Magneto looked at her with the same thoughtful look he had had on his face just before. "My dear Kitty, you don't know what that facility was established for do you?"
"To contain mutants." Kitty said instantly then added, "Also, to make our lives living hell."
Magneto shook his head, "No, no, no, my dear. You think you know everything, but in reality you know nothing at all… Just like a typical teenager. The only reason you were kept like that was because they were hoping you'd become useful."
"What do you mean useful?" She spat back.
"Useful. Whether you can perform a job that they wish to be done, and whether you can do it well. That is useful. It just turns out you were one of the lucky ones that weren't so useful."
"Lucky? You think I was lucky?" Kitty laughed, "You have no idea—"
Magneto cut her off. "My dear, if anybody has any idea of what you went through in that place, it is me. Or have you forgotten about when Charles told you about my little trip to a little place called Birkenau.*"
Kitty fell silent. She had forgotten that he was a victim of the Holocaust.
"Yes, now you understand don't you," Magneto nodded and took a few steps closer to her, so he was standing directly opposite her. "You are lucky because you did not have to go through the same treatment as your friend Scott Summers did, and Miss Munroe."
"But Scott was never with us in that place."
"No, I'm sorry Miss Pryde, but yet again you are wrong," Magneto shook his head. "He was captured with you on that day. In fact, if my research is correct, he was with you a full week before he was taken away. But then you were unconscious the whole time."
"I remember waking up in the back of a truck, with Jean, Evan and Mr McCoy. That's it. Scott was never with us."
Magneto rolled his eyes. It was slightly weird, and intimidating, to see such a imposing figure, do such a childish act. "Will you stop and think for one minute that maybe there are other people who know more than you do." Magneto tilted his head, as though remembering something, "That's one thing I never understood about Charles, his patience with children. They are always so full of cheek and disrespect. I never had the patience for them."
Kitty glared at him, she suddenly felt a huge rush of sympathy for Wanda and Pietro, having to put up with a father like that. It also explained why he decided to lock his daughter up in a mental asylum. "Well if he was with us, how come I never saw him?"
"Because my dear, the place that you remember being taken to, was not the first place you went. You went to a sorting facility, not far from your school, where they decided which mutants were useful and who were not. The people who were running that place decided that he was useful. Haven't you understood that point yet?"
"No, explain it." Kitty said impatiently glaring once again, at the silvery-haired mutant.
"You found Scott Summers under the employ of the Senator correct?"
"Yes, but—"She didn't get to finish the sentence, as Magnet cut her off.
"And do you know what Rogue and her team found out about a certain 'Project Assassin', when they went out on that mission?"
"Yes, but—"
Magneto cut her off yet again, "Well, you are a smart girl. Put two and two together." He said finally, looking at her, with the same thoughtful look on his face. He asked a final question. "Would the Scott Summers you know ever work for Senator McPherson?"
Kitty's head was reeling with all the information that Magneto had spoon-fed her. She finally managed to form a sentence. "So you're saying that Scott was captured along with us, and put into their 'Project Assassin' program, then sent to work for Senator McPherson?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Magneto nodded. "Seems as though you are almost as smart as you look."
"How do you know so much about this?" Kitty asked, "And how does Storm come into the picture?"
"Well, have you noticed Storm's personality change?" She nodded, so he continued. "After that particular fight, where Ororo was captured, she was placed in the Project Assassin program, along with another Mutant by the name of Malice. I found out about this particular centre, so I investigated and eventually freed Storm and Malice. However, Storm's mind was far too broken to work with, and Malice's host body wasn't going to live much longer. So they combined together."
"How is that even possible?" Kitty wondered out loud.
"Malice has the unique ability to totally control a person's body, by inhabiting their mind. When she was 11, she was in a car accident, and her body died. That triggered her mutation, and her mind began to hover above the operating room. She eventually possessed one of the hospital staff's mind's and lived like that for a while. She's been mind hopping ever since, so to speak. Ororo is the perfect host for her at the present time."
"Oh,"
"Yes, now it was lovely talking to you, but I have a prior engagement."
Kitty nodded and began to watch him walk off. He paused and looked back at her his very soft blue eyes glinting back at her, revealing his human side. "By the way Kitty, I want to congratulate you on fighting off 20 or so guards without a weapon the other day. I think they underestimated your abilities when they were deciding who was 'useful' and who was not."
He continued to walk away, leaving a very confused Kitty behind.
***
The Senator looked at the smoky-ruins of his private offices. Or what was left of them. His two personal assistants standing slightly behind him were both dully gazing at the ruins, and no wonder. The building was half burnt down, and the rest of it had extreme smoke damage. It would need to be fully demolished. The fire department had already classed it as unsafe, so there was no hope in fixing it. They had also determined that the fire had started because of an electrical fault in the kitchen's microwave, and it had spread quickly to the generator, which had blown up, causing most of the demolition he saw here. However according to security, and 50 dead bodies, it looked as though it was arson. They believed that a Mutant with pyrokinetic abilities and a mutant who could create earthquakes, assisted by a girl who could dodge bullets, and a mutant who could blow things up, were the culprits. They were also positive that they had stolen something, but because of the fire damage, they had no way of determining what had been taken.
"Scott, Emily, I want you to find out who did this, and take them down," The Senator yelled, turning around to face the two assistants. They didn't flinch or back away at all. They stood perfectly still, not even blinking.
"Yes sir," They both said simultaneously, then still in perfect time, they turned around, and walked off towards the black car, where Scott hopped in the driver's seat and Emily took her seat on the passenger's side. The Senator watched them drive off, and then turned back to the ruins. This would be publicised, he would see to it. Then those mutant scum would be shown for what they really were. Monsters.
***
* Birkenau was a Death camp for Jews in Nazi Germany. In the X-men movie, that's the place that Child-Magneto and his parents were taken to. And where his parents were (I presume) gassed. If you don't believe me, go do some research. It's worth it.
Disclaimer: I dun own them. That's all you need to know.
A/N: Yeah well… dun have many comments, only that I shouldn't be doing this. I should be doing my Science/Drama/Maths assignments… I only have one week to do all three in… *grumbles*
Rogue151 – Glad you didn't think it was corny… I'll try and update sooner, but I have to write them first see…
Caliente – Glad I made you like Pyro, and I'm sorry I killed him off. But it's all for the greater good…
Danfred – Nope, no good reason… just a sick morbid fascination with death… ;)
ishandahalf – I promise no one else will die… for as few chapters at least…
Yumiko – An Update!! See!!
Random Reader - Well… I hope the explanation in this chapter helped you understand it all a bit better… and I'm happy that you like Betsy. I like her too!!
Pyro-luv – Sorry… and thanks… and again… sorry…
Bloody_lady – Kitty/Pyro… well we can't have that anymore now can we. Considering one of the main people in that particular pairing is visiting St Peter as we speak. Yeah, but when I was writing it, I considered turning it into a Kyro, but never got around to it. Plus I can't write romance to save my butt…
ZenZen – People have to suffer because you don't post… that's why. It's all your fault. And his death is going to weigh on your shoulders until you post again… POST!! And I'm semi over my writers block. I've started chapter 14. Started… haven't finished…:P
DoWriter12 – Ahh… yes… Pietro… hmm… I'd almost forgotten about him. Thanks for reminding me…
Yep, so… If we make it to 100 reviews, I think I'll post earlier!! I've been sticking to the once a week thing, but I'd be willing to alter my pattern for the sake of 100… so… GO!!