Author's note: Holy crap I was bombarded with reviews today. :-) Thanks so much! Responses at the end!
Chapter 15:
In a separate section of the compound, a solitary guard strolled casually down one long hallway. She was dressed in the same dark uniform as the rest of the soldiers, her dark hair pulled back in a proper manner away from her face. The name tag over her heart read, "Wilson," but, as she turned the corner, it changed to "Boulter," and she, morphed quickly into a 'he.'
This new form was taller, blond, and obviously male, but still walked with that confident swagger which belonged only to a woman called Mystique. The 'soldier' glanced over 'his' shoulder and nodded once before continuing on.
As Mystique passed in between the security cameras, she would change forms so that the next shot would show someone entirely new. As much as it may be dangerous to her situation, she truly hoped one of the soldiers, maybe a young, wet-behind-the-ears private, was monitoring her progress and scratching his head in absolute confusion.
From the shadows behind her, Magneto followed behind at a distance. They had not, as the others had not for a short while, encountered another living person in his place. So, Magneto took the quiet moments to enjoy Mystique at her best.
They finally came upon a long hall, lined with sealed doors, each secured by a series of heavy locks. Mystique returned to her natural form and regarded the first door curiously.
Removing one glove, Magneto walked up next to her and extended his hand to touch the door's surface. He frowned and she gave him a questioning glance. They spoke without words, subtle nuances of movement translated into their silent conversation.
The door was like all else in this place, made of a substance other than metal. However, Magneto only pondered a short while before acting. From within one deep pocket beneath his cape, he withdrew a small gilded bag. He opened it, and smiled with satisfaction as thousands of small metallic shards flowed upward like smoke.
At his command, the shards impacted the door, forcing their way into every opening, every seam, until they coated the bolts of the heavy locks. Magneto focused on them, forming them into a solid sheet of the most precious metal, adamantium. Unbreakable, unyielding...unlike the stone and glass forming the locks. The sheet of metal caused the bolts to whine in protest, but finally stretched solid, and the door opened.
Magneto gathered the shards back to himself with utmost care, and they obediently flowed back into the small bag. Mystique matched his pleased grin and they entered the room.
It was a records room of sort, lined (naturally) with computers and files. Mystique immediately set to work activating one terminal. It had been still active, as if the operator had left quickly, and had not expected anyone to be able to enter the room.
Magneto leaned over next to her to read the monitor. He tapped one finger against the screen, over a small folder icon labeled, "Lot Program." Mystique nodded and held out a hand to him expectantly.
Magneto gave her a coy grin and handed her a silver disk from another pocket of his uniform. She put the CD into the drive and began uploading the information from the "Lot Program" folder.
Neither immediately noticed the growing chill around them.
After a minute, the computer chimed when the upload was complete. Magneto handed Mystique another disk and tapped on a second icon, this one labeled, "SysOps." With quick skill, Mystique began gather information again.
It was after the computer chimed for a second time, that she noticed the cold against her exposed blue skin. She could see her breath and glanced up at Magneto.
He frowned deeply, and glanced around the room. There was a boy at Xavier's school who could make ice, he remembered. And of course, there was the lady Storm. But something about this cold seemed much more...dangerous.
Suddenly, Mystique cried out in surprise as a layer of frost formed over the keyboard. She jumped from the seat and stepped back next to Erik. The icy crystals were spreading, and Magneto stared furiously at the fading light of the computer screen.
There had been one more file he had wanted information from, the one labeled, "Sentinel" project. But, the unexpected ice and cold shorted out the system before they could get what they wanted.
"Erik..." Mystique said firmly, watching the frost inched toward them across the floor. Magneto stared at the lost computer for another moment, before directing her out with a wave of his hand.
The pair moved back quickly in the direction they had come from, as the frost began to spread slowly into the hall.
***
William Stryker stomped down the corridor in a fury. Several of the guards were quick on his heels, and the general was barking orders to them over his shoulder.
"I want those mutants found now!" Stryker shouted, filling his voice with anger to hide the panic growing in his chest, "I will not have them interfering again!"
An echoing response of "Yes, sir," came from the soldiers behind him.
"Deadly force is authorized, understand?" he continued, "Just keep them away from..."
William...a soft, cold voice whispered in his mind.
Stryker jerked to a stop, and the men behind him froze in their pace so not to run into the general. After a moment, Stryker began to walk forward again.
"Away!" he said, glancing around manically, "Keep them away from the front hanger until..."
William...the voice spoke again, still soft, but almost as a threat.
Stryker stopped, and began to breathe heavily. The guards behind him exchanged confused frowns, awaiting orders from their oddly-acting commander.
William...we need to talk...
Stryker raised one shaking hand to his brow, and tried to regain his composure. He turned slowly to face the troops.
"Get...Weinberg...in place...now..." he said slowly, "Nothing...is going to stop this mission from being completed..."
The soldiers marched past him, a look of uncertainty on their faces as Stryker glanced uneasily at the ceiling.
"Nothing..." he repeated and stepped into an empty side room, alone.
***
Deathstrike watched the general separate from his troops, and she grinned. Her eyes were sparkling, and would have been quite beautiful, if the glow of the kill was not within them.
Silently, she moved toward the open door to follow Stryker, and listened as the man began to talk loudly...to no one.
***
"It wasn't my fault," Stryker hissed angrily, feeling fresh sweat break on his brow.
The room was dark, it was better that way. It is easier to hide in the dark...
They got out, William, the voice of the stranger rang in his head.
Stryker growled, and began to stalk back and forth. His normally tall and proud stature bent in anger...and fear...a servant trying to look powerful before his own master. William Stryker may have come away from Alkalai Lake with his life, but his soul was another matter.
"It wasn't my fault!" he said again, "Those cells were flawless! None of those dirty bastards could have escaped..."
Your excuses don't concern me, William, the voice said, Just get them back to the cells. Get them under your control.
Stryker shook his head wildly, "No time...no time...Magneto...he's here...the plan...everything is in place..."
Not everything... the voice corrected, There is still my price...give me what I want and...
"There still here, goddamn it!" Stryker shouted, "You so all fucking powerful, why don't you just take them!?"
The temperature in the room dropped, so suddenly, that the unseen Lady Deathstrike inhaled sharply in surprise. Her lips grew quickly chapped, though the cracks healed immediately. The very tears seemed to freeze in her eyes.
Stryker's head jerked backward, and he began to choke.
From the dark beyond, the figure of a man appeared and walked toward the general. His face was unnaturally calm, but his eyes shone white with fury.
Deathstrike stared at the creature with fear of her own...the man was not real...he had no scent...
"Because...William," the stranger explained, "I cannot...just...take them. I have explained this to you...in much detail...at our previous meetings. I cannot take...they must be given...freely, by the one who controls them."
The stranger strolled casually around the struggling man. His cane tapped against the ground harshly, and Deathstrike winced. Her enhanced auditory senses rang painfully at the sound.
"There are rules, William," the stranger continued, "Rules that must be followed. For I am not, as you say, 'all-fucking-powerful.' And I cannot change the rules of the universe anymore than a pathetic waste like you could. We had an agreement, William. I give you what you want...Magneto, at your disposal...and you give me what I want. That being mutants, any sort, any number. You give them willingly, we've both agreed they serve no purpose to humanity, and you deliver on time."
The stranger approached Stryker and glared at him.
"If not," he explained, "Consider our agreement...over."
Stryker felt a sick, painfully cold covering his limbs. Icy water bubbled up in his throat, and he felt as if he were drowning. This is what he would have felt under the water of Alkalai Lake, and this is what he would feel, if he failed the stranger.
The general suddenly fell to the ground and choked as the sensation faded. In took great gasping breathes of air, and nodded weakly.
"Alright..." he said, "Alright...whatever you want...just...just stop..."
The stranger grinned and began to fade away into the shadows again.
Very good, William, his voice rang in the man's head, You have one hour...otherwise, you will be joining your son...the one you left to die...
The voice, and the cold, disappeared. All that was left was the ruined form of a man, and a torn woman watching from the shadows.
Stryker covered his face in his hands and began to weep. His sobs shook his entire body, and Deathstrike watched him in quiet horror. In the growing dark, she heard menacing laughter roll through the room.
Slowly, the general struggled to compose himself. He was on his knees, and took off his glasses so he could wipe his eyes. For a passing moment, the sorrow in his face spoke of the man he used to be. A good man, a soldier, a scientist, who was slowly twisted by his own hate into a crumpled form in this cold underground fortress.
Stryker eventually stood, and straightened his uniform. He coughed once and inhaled deeply. His fear had not entire left his face, but a new angry determination overtook his sorrow.
If the stranger wanted mutants, he would give him mutants. Once his troops had the mutant Cody Weinberg in place in the front hanger, Stryker would be able to give the stranger all the mutants now wandering this compound.
They did not know what Weinberg could do, but they would find out.
Stryker stormed out of the room, and headed up the hall. He passed within inches of the Lady Deathstrike, who did not make any attempt to move.
She watched him go and then sat in the dark alone. She shivered once from the lingering chill, and felt her clenched fists loosen. She looked down at those hands, as she had in the front hanger, and suddenly wondered why she had not acted. He had been so close, walked right past her…and she had let him go.
Yuriko looked up, the light of the predator gone from her eyes. What had she felt a moment ago? Pity? Pity for William Stryker? As he had cowered under the creature of the storm, Yuriko had seen her great enemy for what he was, a ruined man, pathetically lost in his own need for revenge. And what had Stryker made her? To be the same…
"No…" Yuriko said almost inaudibly. She was not just the Lady Deathstrike anymore. She had been freed of that, free to be Yuriko Oyama again.
Freed by Magneto.
Stryker's after him, she thought and her face changed again, He plans to kill Erik…and send the others to that…that creature.
"No…" the Lady Deathstrike said aloud and stood up. Despite her moment of pity, she would not allow anyone to destroy her leader…her Brothers.
Deathstrike began, once again, to make her way through the long halls, but this time, she went in search of Magneto.
***
Review responses:
To ManniElf18 – Wow, thanks for all the feedback! :-) Since I don't speak a bit of German (I took French, Latin and English…none of which really stuck :-), thanks for pointing out my misspelling with Kurt. Gambit's also one of my favorite characters so expect to see a lot of him. And yeah the fic will be going overboard with crossovers! This book's mostly Stephen King crossovers but the main focus will always be characters from the X-Men. Fic will NOT get vampire or Buffy centric I PROMISE. But I will be throwing in any interesting characters from all sorts of places for cameos!
To The Fire Dancer – Thanks again for your review! Those X-Men Vs. BH chapters were actually going to be just one, but there was so much going on I had to break it down. Plus I needed a Nightcrawler vs. Toad fight. I heard they cut that from X2. Dammit.
To DemonRogue13 – Glad you like the books so far! Number three should be getting back on track now that the holidays are over. Thanks for the reviews!