John stood inside the stolen helicopter with two other mutants. It's weird,
he thought, we're really the same. The only mutants he had ever met were at
Xavier's school, none of them thought the way Magneto thought or looked the
way the way Mystique did.
It made John feel cheated somehow, like there was another world out there that he had been left out of. Mutants that were angry like him, mutants that knew the whole world would be better off without humans.
But he was out now, wasn't he?
He was forced out of Xavier's safe world by Stryker's soldiers and met with this frightening reality. He had nearly died several times in the last two days.
'I almost-'
His thoughts were interrupted by what he saw out the window. The dam had burst, the valley was being flooded. Looking far away, he saw the X-men's Blackbird jet take to the air. Well, at least he knew his friends were safe.
The water enveloped the snow covered trees, the rocks, everything.
John stood there on the jet, two fellow mutants piloting the aircraft he had seen them steal. He was still shivering from his hike through the snow, his head and body still aching from the Cerebro pulse.
"John?"
He turned to see Magneto looking at him funny. John's vision blurred a little, and then everything went black.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The awakening was slow, John was dizzy and his eyes hurt. The room was unfamiliar, he couldn't remember much, except that he had gotten onto the helicopter and seen the valley flood.
He got out of the bed, naked from the waist up. What had happened to his shirt?
John's feet dragged on the floor as he made his way to a window. He could here the sirens of fire engines a few blocks away.
"Don't!"
He turned around; Mystique was standing in the doorway. She looked like her usual self: blue, scaly, naked.
John wasn't afraid of her as he knew Rogue was.
"Why?"
Mystique jutted her chin towards the window, "Riots. You'll be safe here."
John went to the window again, peeked out the curtain.
"Whoa," he muttered quietly, "What the hell is going on out there?"
Smoke plumed into the air from several blocks away. He could hear shouting voices, breaking glass, gunshots, sirens and squealing tires-the commotion mere blocks away.
"Riots erupted shortly after what happened at the lake. Not just here, it's worldwide. Stay away from the window, you might get hurt." Mystique said quietly from behind him.
"Where are we?"
"My house in Brooklyn, the riots are closer than they look, but we'll be safest here." She moved into the hall as if to leave, but then, as an afterthought, "John, Eric wants to see you downstairs."
John was still peeking out the window, and turned to ask, "Who's Er-"
Mystique had left.
John was rolled his eyes and went into the hall, trying to adjust to his new surroundings. He found the stairs, and went down to the first floor. There was a large den, other rooms and a kitchen.
"Eric?" he asked.
"In here, John." He heard a familiar voice say.
'Magneto's real name is Eric, I ought to remember that.' He thought.
It was a little strange thinking of Magneto as a real person, a man with a past and a common name like Eric.
John found Magneto/Eric in a side room, sitting cross legged on the floor, his eyes closed. John frowned, "What are you doing?"
"Resting a little, listening mostly."
"Listening to what?"
"The movements of the rioters outside. I don't want them anywhere near this house. If any of them are to get too close, they'll live just long enough to regret it."
"Oh, you mean you're protecting us."
"More than anything, young Pyro. Are you alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"You fainted on the helicopter; out cold for several hours. Are you alright?" Eric asked him again.
"Yeah, I think I'll be ok now."
"Good. It wouldn't do for you to die not one day after we saved you from a plane crash, the Cerebro wave and a flood."
"Yeah, um, do you want me to leave?"
Finally, Eric opened his eyes and looked at John. "Excuse me?"
"Well, it looks like you've got plenty to do around here, so I'll just take off-"
"No you will most certainly not. You're miles from Charles's school, and that's no safer than what it's like at the heart of the riots-John, listen to me: you're in the only safe place for miles. You especially would be a prime target."
"Me especially? What do you mean?"
"Your little show in Boston was all the media could talk about before the Cerebro attack. Your face is quite well known. If I were to let you leave, you would've been better off in the flood."
"Ok, I see your point. What do we do now?"
Eric stood up and walked out of the room. John followed him.
"First item is, put this on," Eric reached into a hall closet and tossed John the dark gray sweatshirt he found there. "Then we wait for word from the others."
"What others?"
"As I said, this is the only safe place for miles around; we've kept it as a safe house for mutants. Others may come to escape the riots."
"Oh."
John didn't know what to say to that, but felt a sense of excitement at the prospect of meeting even more mutants. He wanted to meet others like Magneto and Mystique, mutants who were proud and wanted to use their powers to help others like them...he just wished the circumstances were a little different.
It made John feel cheated somehow, like there was another world out there that he had been left out of. Mutants that were angry like him, mutants that knew the whole world would be better off without humans.
But he was out now, wasn't he?
He was forced out of Xavier's safe world by Stryker's soldiers and met with this frightening reality. He had nearly died several times in the last two days.
'I almost-'
His thoughts were interrupted by what he saw out the window. The dam had burst, the valley was being flooded. Looking far away, he saw the X-men's Blackbird jet take to the air. Well, at least he knew his friends were safe.
The water enveloped the snow covered trees, the rocks, everything.
John stood there on the jet, two fellow mutants piloting the aircraft he had seen them steal. He was still shivering from his hike through the snow, his head and body still aching from the Cerebro pulse.
"John?"
He turned to see Magneto looking at him funny. John's vision blurred a little, and then everything went black.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The awakening was slow, John was dizzy and his eyes hurt. The room was unfamiliar, he couldn't remember much, except that he had gotten onto the helicopter and seen the valley flood.
He got out of the bed, naked from the waist up. What had happened to his shirt?
John's feet dragged on the floor as he made his way to a window. He could here the sirens of fire engines a few blocks away.
"Don't!"
He turned around; Mystique was standing in the doorway. She looked like her usual self: blue, scaly, naked.
John wasn't afraid of her as he knew Rogue was.
"Why?"
Mystique jutted her chin towards the window, "Riots. You'll be safe here."
John went to the window again, peeked out the curtain.
"Whoa," he muttered quietly, "What the hell is going on out there?"
Smoke plumed into the air from several blocks away. He could hear shouting voices, breaking glass, gunshots, sirens and squealing tires-the commotion mere blocks away.
"Riots erupted shortly after what happened at the lake. Not just here, it's worldwide. Stay away from the window, you might get hurt." Mystique said quietly from behind him.
"Where are we?"
"My house in Brooklyn, the riots are closer than they look, but we'll be safest here." She moved into the hall as if to leave, but then, as an afterthought, "John, Eric wants to see you downstairs."
John was still peeking out the window, and turned to ask, "Who's Er-"
Mystique had left.
John was rolled his eyes and went into the hall, trying to adjust to his new surroundings. He found the stairs, and went down to the first floor. There was a large den, other rooms and a kitchen.
"Eric?" he asked.
"In here, John." He heard a familiar voice say.
'Magneto's real name is Eric, I ought to remember that.' He thought.
It was a little strange thinking of Magneto as a real person, a man with a past and a common name like Eric.
John found Magneto/Eric in a side room, sitting cross legged on the floor, his eyes closed. John frowned, "What are you doing?"
"Resting a little, listening mostly."
"Listening to what?"
"The movements of the rioters outside. I don't want them anywhere near this house. If any of them are to get too close, they'll live just long enough to regret it."
"Oh, you mean you're protecting us."
"More than anything, young Pyro. Are you alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"You fainted on the helicopter; out cold for several hours. Are you alright?" Eric asked him again.
"Yeah, I think I'll be ok now."
"Good. It wouldn't do for you to die not one day after we saved you from a plane crash, the Cerebro wave and a flood."
"Yeah, um, do you want me to leave?"
Finally, Eric opened his eyes and looked at John. "Excuse me?"
"Well, it looks like you've got plenty to do around here, so I'll just take off-"
"No you will most certainly not. You're miles from Charles's school, and that's no safer than what it's like at the heart of the riots-John, listen to me: you're in the only safe place for miles. You especially would be a prime target."
"Me especially? What do you mean?"
"Your little show in Boston was all the media could talk about before the Cerebro attack. Your face is quite well known. If I were to let you leave, you would've been better off in the flood."
"Ok, I see your point. What do we do now?"
Eric stood up and walked out of the room. John followed him.
"First item is, put this on," Eric reached into a hall closet and tossed John the dark gray sweatshirt he found there. "Then we wait for word from the others."
"What others?"
"As I said, this is the only safe place for miles around; we've kept it as a safe house for mutants. Others may come to escape the riots."
"Oh."
John didn't know what to say to that, but felt a sense of excitement at the prospect of meeting even more mutants. He wanted to meet others like Magneto and Mystique, mutants who were proud and wanted to use their powers to help others like them...he just wished the circumstances were a little different.