Hello chocobunnygirl!
Thank you for reviewing! As you're my first and only reviewer, this chapter
is dedicated to YOU.
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You are very appreciated! You got me to smile and put exclamation points on
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Yes. Thank you for reviewing for me and for the wonderful words of
encouragement. They will not be forgotten.
Now, just for you chocobunnygirl, this next chapter:
*smiles again* Sorry. I can't help it!
Chapter 1
A decade can be considered in many different ways.
To some, it takes forever to pass, the days dragging by like years, every second seeming to take three times as long to pass. There are always too many empty, dull days and uncountable free time, with the same thing occurring over and over until it becomes as natural as breathing.
Then, to others, a decade is like a millisecond. Days rush past like the wind, leaving in their wake grown children, dying friends, and no extra time whatsoever. It is like walking through a whirlwind of color, sound, and motion; there are no still shapes or forms, and life races past without a backwards glance.
For Ororo Monroe, a decade was just not long enough. It seemed only yesterday she had cradled her 'adopted daughter', as the students called her, in her arms when she fell from her skates to the concrete path.
And wasn't it only a short time ago when she had gotten the chicken pox and was stuck in bed miserably moping about as cartoons flashed on the TV screen and Storm fed her chicken soup?
And how could it have been almost five years ago when the entire school had thrown a surprise party for her eleventh birthday?
But no, Twilight 'Monroe' was no longer a child. She was, after spending nearly ten years in Xavier's school, no longer small, skinny, and quiet.
Now she was beautiful and stunning, her already well-shaped body still blooming into an even more gorgeous form, her pearly white smile a shock against her well-tanned skin and tinted scarlet lips. Her hair was smooth and shimmering, a soft curtain of caramel that fell in folds around her oval-shaped face and whisked softly across her ears when the breeze blew. Really, the only thing that hadn't changed about her appearance was her eyes. Still dark, deep, and blue as a glittering sapphire, they resembled calm, smooth water that reflected back all of her thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Nearly sixteen years old now, she was a junior at 'mutant high' who got remarkable grades, was a treasured student of every teacher there, and also a favored teenager among the X-Men. This was why she knew that Xavier's School was more than a learning ground for young mutants.
In reality, the large, seemingly endless mansion was stretched on top of an even larger underground base, where some of the most amazing things imaginable resided.
One of them was a large, metallic room that stretched from one side of the house to the other, floored with hard tile like one would find in most gymnasiums and filled with exercise equipment, mats, and interesting- looking mechanical machines.
In the very center of the room, with tears still fresh on her cheeks, Twilight dashed about, running and jumping over the obstacle course created for her by Logan while Ororo stood in the next room, watching through the door. Logan stayed nearby, never saying a word as she raced past, gasping for breath and sobbing with fury and hurt with each footstep.
Eventually, she tired herself out to the point of exhaustion, and she collapsed on a mat, breathing heavily, staring at the ceiling, wincing in pain. Logan ambled slowly over and kneeled down next to her, raising his eyebrows sympathetically, "Better?"
She nodded, swallowing gulps of air, "Yes.thank you, Logan."
"You're welcome. I'll get 'Ro for ya."
With that Logan stood and walked over to Storm, nodding slightly.
This space of the mansion was known simply as the Danger Room. It was used as training for the X-Men and as a venting place for the students. Twilight went there almost everyday, either racing several times around the room or else going over obstacle courses set up by Logan, who was usually the one who 'kept an eye' on the students when they used the Danger Room.
Twilight sat up, dizzy with fatigue, and rested her elbows on her knees, letting her chin drop into her hands.
Why couldn't someone just accept her? Why did they all need to be consumed by the need to reject and hate her? She was no different from them, really.
She shook her head sadly; yes, she was. She was the complete opposite of them. Of anyone.
She was more of a freak than anyone else.
She knew she was simply wallowing in self-pity, but at the moment she didn't care; her day had, for lack of a better word, sucked.
Twilight turned as familiar footsteps neared her, and she saw Storm striding forward, a melancholy smile on her lips. She stopped next to her and sat down, running a hand through her hair, "Logan said you wanted to talk now."
Twilight nodded slightly, staring ahead; for a long time, this had been the routine: She would get teased or bullied by the other kids, she would race down and exhaust herself until all of her anger leaked out, then she would talk about her feelings with Storm, oftentimes sobbing in her arms.
She always felt better afterward.
Both of them were silent for a second, and then Twilight exploded, "Why do I have to be such a freak?"
Storm glanced at her sadly; she'd known that was coming, "Sweetheart, I know you don't believe me.but you're not a freak."
"I know," Twilight spat bitterly, "I'm just 'special' and 'different'. 'And that's not a bad thing'. Try tellin' them that."
Tears started welling up in her eyes and she blinked them back furiously, "All I want is to be normal, Ororo. But it's like every time I get close, they pull the rug out from under my feet and I fall on my face while everyone laughs."
Storm placed an arm around Twilight's shoulder soothingly, "I know, Honey. What can I say? Some students here-"
"Most-"
"Alright, most students here have a hard time accepting others. I guess it's just the way they've been raised; hated and rejected themselves, they use you as a way of venting."
"Why me though?" Twilight protested, not so angry now as sad, "Why not use another kid? Or how 'bout the Danger Room, like me?"
"Honey, most kids here aren't like you.and I mean that in a good way. They aren't as mature, aren't as brilliant, aren't as.gifted." Storm turned slightly and cupped Twilight's face in her hands, "They just don't how to react to how great you are, Twilight."
"How 'bout the way I react to them? I'm just a mutant, like all of 'em. I have powers, I have weaknesses. I don't even look weird, Storm, like some of 'em, but I accept all of them and get pushed away for all my efforts."
Storm shook her head, "Sweetie, I'm just as confused as you are about it. It could be jealousy. It could be confusion. It could be pure spite. All I know is that you are a magnificent girl who holds the affection of every single teacher and X-Man in this house." Storm smiled and wiped a stray tear from Twilight's cheek, "And that's quite an accomplishment, especially with Wolverine."
Twilight let out a small smile, then sighed slightly, "I guess I'll just have to live as the 'Teacher's Pet' and the only teen here without any friends her age."
"Hey, why not clash against the other kids more? You'll just shine brighter in my eyes," Storm replied, kissing Twilight's forehead.
Twilight grinned slightly, the devouring sadness in her heart slowly evaporating.
Storm squeezed her shoulder and stood, offering her hand, "Come on. Let's go eat some pie before Rogue, Kitty and Kurt devour it all."
Twilight took the hand offered to her and stood, looking behind her at Logan and mouthing, "Thank you" as she and Ororo left the room.
Logan winked at her in reply, smiling at the closeness between Storm and the kid.
Storm had always been one to be a loner, someone to work without help and someone who loved all but never really had someone to follow her around. Now she did, most certainly. Everyone knew that Twilight was Storm's little jewel, as if a special mark had been placed on her through the years. Twilight looked up to Storm and cherished her as only the most awing of heroes, and Storm spoiled that little girl rotten.or would have if Twilight could be rotten.
A sweeter girl ya couldn't meet, Logan decided, shoving a few mats back into place where Twilight and trampled over them, but I sure am I glad I ain't on her bad side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miles and miles away from the mainland of New York, past Lady Liberty and farther out than most boats would dare to go, there is an island blanketed in fog and always hidden by dense underbrush.
Hardly anyone has every seen it, and no one would exactly be obliged to be able to; it is a cold place, constantly sprayed by icy seawater and blown about by the harsh wind. Occasionally, a beam of sunlight will break through the clouds overhead, but it is always quickly sucked back, as if the sun itself can't stand how cold it is.
The island is a land of dense vegetation and toughened ground, both of which forbid any animal to ever walk its borders. On the banks of the isle, the sand is packed down as hard as concrete and so cold it hurts to touch. There are always foaming waves crawling lazily up the shore, never reaching the vegetation, but always making a good effort. Today, the place is empty of any living thing besides plants, nothing but a wild, unending maze of trees and vines.
However, not too long ago, it was quite a different place.
While still cold and crisscrossed with infinite plants, it also hid a very large, very gothic-looking house.
Of course, it wasn't a house like one would normally see.
Made completely of metal, it appeared to have been simply thrown together piece by piece and melted into an almost recognizable building. After the walls had been smoothed down to near glass-like, and after something had cut a door into it, it could have easily been a house. Inside, there was hardwood floor, a little old and dull-looking, but still good. The windows in the place let in little light, perhaps to hide the bareness of the place. It was all one floor, with many doors set into the metallic walls, and beyond those, rooms like one would find in any house.
There was a little kitchen with an old stove, some counters, and a fridge. The livingroom resided next to that, and it included some worn, lumpy couches and even a TV (who knows if it ever worked, though). Of course there was a bathroom, and too many bedrooms to count.
Really, it was very inhabitable, if not a little.primitive.
But then, the occupants of the house were not looking for comfort.
No, 'home sweet home' was not something they thought of.
All they needed was somewhere to live, survive.and hide.
They didn't care if the stove let off sparks whenever it was turned on.
They hardly noticed when their beds creaked and strained their backs.
They ignored the fact that it was almost as cold in there as it was outside.
They only needed a hiding spot. A secret place. Basically, a hidden base.
Just who were these people? Who lived in such a seemingly awful place? Who lived their lives hidden away from the city and humanity?
The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Magneto, Mystique, Toad, Sabertooth, and Pyro; all of them lived as a 'happy family' in this frozen hellhole.
They, the most regal of the mutants, so proud and royal, had lowered themselves to living like dogs.
However, they knew it was for good reason.
Not once did they complain or utter a word of ungratefulness.
For very, very soon, they would have she who they needed, and mutants would no longer be a hated scum on mankind's shoe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles Xavier was a very intelligent man, almost to the point of sheer genius. Since the time he was a child, he had been intellectually ahead of the other students, and he had passed with flying colors on graduation day.
Perhaps that was why he found building Cerebro with his former best friend Eric Lensherr such a simple task.
Cerebro was a magnificent piece of machinery, so stunning an invention that even the most intelligent of scientists would never be able to copy her.
She was a great help to Xavier when it came to using his telepathic abilities, and many times Xavier owed his X-Men's lives to the piece of machinery.
Cerebro was in a gigantic room of circular build, so that it was like standing in the middle of a large sphere once you walked into the room. In the very center of the orb was a platform that could be reached by way of a small metallic walkway and held the main part of Cerebro, which consisted of an intricate weaving of electrical appliances and a single helmet-like device that was connected to the machinery by a thick iron cord.
Charles sat for a second, pausing before he lifted the helmet to his head, thinking. He and Eric had been best friends for a very long time; since the first time they met, in fact. Then, for some bizarre reason, Eric changed his views on mutant/human ideas, and they had been split from that second to the current.
Charles shook his head sadly; it still pained him to know that Eric was out there, thinking of another scheme to destroy humans and therefore start mutant superiority world-wide.
Then his thoughts swam to Jean Grey, his best and most favored student, and how she had sacrificed herself in order to save the X-Men's lives.
He missed her.
He knew everyone did, and he wished very deeply that there had been another way to escape form Alkali Lake.
Charles sighed slightly as he slid the helmet on over his head, leaning back in his wheelchair, hands resting on the arm rests.
He closed his eyes, thinking slightly about what he needed to, relaxing in his wheelchair as the room began to spin around in a whirl of blue and red lights. After only seconds the room was filled with tiny pinpricks of blue and red and the air was drenched with sound.
Laughter, crying, talking, yelling, screaming, whispering, and talking all swarmed in at the same time, and Charles was taken aback for only a moment. Then he focused, listening hard to those voices, eyes searching the different colors for the right group.
And then he found them.
All of them were together now, speaking angrily and quietly, and he could feel their hatred bubbling over like thick poison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small metal 'house' was filled with livid loathing.
It slithered across the dirt floor, crawling sinuously up the walls, seeping out the windows, melting over the doors, filling the entire place with its presence, and continually feeding off the emotions of the mutants gathered in the main room.
All of the Brotherhood was there, sitting tautly in the worn chairs, arms crossed and eyes glaring up at their renowned leader, the infamous Magneto.
Mystique sat near him, one leg crossed regally over the other, hands resting on her knees as Toad fidgeted between her and Pyro, who was slumped deep into the cushions of the sofa, eyes following his lighter as he opened it and closed it: Thwack, click, thwack, click.
The menacing Sabertooth stood against a shadowy wall, teeth bared and eyes mere slits in his wild, beastly face.
These were the only mutants in the current Brotherhood, but they worried not; soon, they knew, there would be many more on their side, and humans would trouble them no more.
Magneto's clear, deep voice filled the room as he spoke, ice-cold eyes flicking from one member of his team to the next.
"There are far too many risks for us to currently overtake the others and to bring the girl into our hands. However, the day of our attack grows steadily nearer, and I can feel it in my blood that we will not be defeated. We will take the child and at last, mutants shall be the ever more powerful species on the planet."
"That sounds great," Toad chirped, grinning with rotted yellow teeth, "But how do we get the kid without them finding out?"
"We tear them to shreds," Sabertooth growled loudly, black eyes glistening.
Pyro rolled his eyes, "That's all you ever think about: tearing stuff apart."
Sabertooth bared his teeth and snarled, "You'd be wise to shut your trap, Kid."
"Shut yours," Pyro responded coolly, his eyes never leaving the lighter in his hands.
Toad leaped nimbly aside as Sabertooth's giant claws snaked out and tore the lighter from the boy's hand. "This is getting on my nerves!" he spat, hurling the object towards the nearest wall.
Pyro watched with hate-filled eyes as his precious lighter sailed towards impending doom, waiting to be smashed upon the hard walls; then he blinked, confused, as his treasure stopped in mid-air, turned, and floated safely back into his hand.
"That will be quite enough," Magneto ordered, his voice calm but cold, "we must never fight amongst ourselves. Otherwise we will most assuredly fail. And if anyone in this room dares to breach this scheme," he added, looking everyone in the face, "I will be certain to kill you."
The place was deadly quiet.
Magneto let a small smile turn up the corners of his mouth, "Good to see you understand."
Toad grinned nervously and leaped form the wall he was stooped on back to the couch, "Nice catch, Boss."
Magneto credited him with a nod, and then turned his focus to Mystique, "You all know your parts of this plan. And I trust you will be able to carry them out.?"
Mystique glanced up and smiled, her white teeth appearing behind her dark lips as they spread into a demonic grin, "Of course, Eric."
Magneto nodded, and his smile was more than slightly assured, "Excellent."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xavier immediately shut Cerebro off, staring into the darkness as he reached to lift his helmet off; it looked as though he may be able to see his 'old friend' sooner than he thought.
Chapter 1
A decade can be considered in many different ways.
To some, it takes forever to pass, the days dragging by like years, every second seeming to take three times as long to pass. There are always too many empty, dull days and uncountable free time, with the same thing occurring over and over until it becomes as natural as breathing.
Then, to others, a decade is like a millisecond. Days rush past like the wind, leaving in their wake grown children, dying friends, and no extra time whatsoever. It is like walking through a whirlwind of color, sound, and motion; there are no still shapes or forms, and life races past without a backwards glance.
For Ororo Monroe, a decade was just not long enough. It seemed only yesterday she had cradled her 'adopted daughter', as the students called her, in her arms when she fell from her skates to the concrete path.
And wasn't it only a short time ago when she had gotten the chicken pox and was stuck in bed miserably moping about as cartoons flashed on the TV screen and Storm fed her chicken soup?
And how could it have been almost five years ago when the entire school had thrown a surprise party for her eleventh birthday?
But no, Twilight 'Monroe' was no longer a child. She was, after spending nearly ten years in Xavier's school, no longer small, skinny, and quiet.
Now she was beautiful and stunning, her already well-shaped body still blooming into an even more gorgeous form, her pearly white smile a shock against her well-tanned skin and tinted scarlet lips. Her hair was smooth and shimmering, a soft curtain of caramel that fell in folds around her oval-shaped face and whisked softly across her ears when the breeze blew. Really, the only thing that hadn't changed about her appearance was her eyes. Still dark, deep, and blue as a glittering sapphire, they resembled calm, smooth water that reflected back all of her thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Nearly sixteen years old now, she was a junior at 'mutant high' who got remarkable grades, was a treasured student of every teacher there, and also a favored teenager among the X-Men. This was why she knew that Xavier's School was more than a learning ground for young mutants.
In reality, the large, seemingly endless mansion was stretched on top of an even larger underground base, where some of the most amazing things imaginable resided.
One of them was a large, metallic room that stretched from one side of the house to the other, floored with hard tile like one would find in most gymnasiums and filled with exercise equipment, mats, and interesting- looking mechanical machines.
In the very center of the room, with tears still fresh on her cheeks, Twilight dashed about, running and jumping over the obstacle course created for her by Logan while Ororo stood in the next room, watching through the door. Logan stayed nearby, never saying a word as she raced past, gasping for breath and sobbing with fury and hurt with each footstep.
Eventually, she tired herself out to the point of exhaustion, and she collapsed on a mat, breathing heavily, staring at the ceiling, wincing in pain. Logan ambled slowly over and kneeled down next to her, raising his eyebrows sympathetically, "Better?"
She nodded, swallowing gulps of air, "Yes.thank you, Logan."
"You're welcome. I'll get 'Ro for ya."
With that Logan stood and walked over to Storm, nodding slightly.
This space of the mansion was known simply as the Danger Room. It was used as training for the X-Men and as a venting place for the students. Twilight went there almost everyday, either racing several times around the room or else going over obstacle courses set up by Logan, who was usually the one who 'kept an eye' on the students when they used the Danger Room.
Twilight sat up, dizzy with fatigue, and rested her elbows on her knees, letting her chin drop into her hands.
Why couldn't someone just accept her? Why did they all need to be consumed by the need to reject and hate her? She was no different from them, really.
She shook her head sadly; yes, she was. She was the complete opposite of them. Of anyone.
She was more of a freak than anyone else.
She knew she was simply wallowing in self-pity, but at the moment she didn't care; her day had, for lack of a better word, sucked.
Twilight turned as familiar footsteps neared her, and she saw Storm striding forward, a melancholy smile on her lips. She stopped next to her and sat down, running a hand through her hair, "Logan said you wanted to talk now."
Twilight nodded slightly, staring ahead; for a long time, this had been the routine: She would get teased or bullied by the other kids, she would race down and exhaust herself until all of her anger leaked out, then she would talk about her feelings with Storm, oftentimes sobbing in her arms.
She always felt better afterward.
Both of them were silent for a second, and then Twilight exploded, "Why do I have to be such a freak?"
Storm glanced at her sadly; she'd known that was coming, "Sweetheart, I know you don't believe me.but you're not a freak."
"I know," Twilight spat bitterly, "I'm just 'special' and 'different'. 'And that's not a bad thing'. Try tellin' them that."
Tears started welling up in her eyes and she blinked them back furiously, "All I want is to be normal, Ororo. But it's like every time I get close, they pull the rug out from under my feet and I fall on my face while everyone laughs."
Storm placed an arm around Twilight's shoulder soothingly, "I know, Honey. What can I say? Some students here-"
"Most-"
"Alright, most students here have a hard time accepting others. I guess it's just the way they've been raised; hated and rejected themselves, they use you as a way of venting."
"Why me though?" Twilight protested, not so angry now as sad, "Why not use another kid? Or how 'bout the Danger Room, like me?"
"Honey, most kids here aren't like you.and I mean that in a good way. They aren't as mature, aren't as brilliant, aren't as.gifted." Storm turned slightly and cupped Twilight's face in her hands, "They just don't how to react to how great you are, Twilight."
"How 'bout the way I react to them? I'm just a mutant, like all of 'em. I have powers, I have weaknesses. I don't even look weird, Storm, like some of 'em, but I accept all of them and get pushed away for all my efforts."
Storm shook her head, "Sweetie, I'm just as confused as you are about it. It could be jealousy. It could be confusion. It could be pure spite. All I know is that you are a magnificent girl who holds the affection of every single teacher and X-Man in this house." Storm smiled and wiped a stray tear from Twilight's cheek, "And that's quite an accomplishment, especially with Wolverine."
Twilight let out a small smile, then sighed slightly, "I guess I'll just have to live as the 'Teacher's Pet' and the only teen here without any friends her age."
"Hey, why not clash against the other kids more? You'll just shine brighter in my eyes," Storm replied, kissing Twilight's forehead.
Twilight grinned slightly, the devouring sadness in her heart slowly evaporating.
Storm squeezed her shoulder and stood, offering her hand, "Come on. Let's go eat some pie before Rogue, Kitty and Kurt devour it all."
Twilight took the hand offered to her and stood, looking behind her at Logan and mouthing, "Thank you" as she and Ororo left the room.
Logan winked at her in reply, smiling at the closeness between Storm and the kid.
Storm had always been one to be a loner, someone to work without help and someone who loved all but never really had someone to follow her around. Now she did, most certainly. Everyone knew that Twilight was Storm's little jewel, as if a special mark had been placed on her through the years. Twilight looked up to Storm and cherished her as only the most awing of heroes, and Storm spoiled that little girl rotten.or would have if Twilight could be rotten.
A sweeter girl ya couldn't meet, Logan decided, shoving a few mats back into place where Twilight and trampled over them, but I sure am I glad I ain't on her bad side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miles and miles away from the mainland of New York, past Lady Liberty and farther out than most boats would dare to go, there is an island blanketed in fog and always hidden by dense underbrush.
Hardly anyone has every seen it, and no one would exactly be obliged to be able to; it is a cold place, constantly sprayed by icy seawater and blown about by the harsh wind. Occasionally, a beam of sunlight will break through the clouds overhead, but it is always quickly sucked back, as if the sun itself can't stand how cold it is.
The island is a land of dense vegetation and toughened ground, both of which forbid any animal to ever walk its borders. On the banks of the isle, the sand is packed down as hard as concrete and so cold it hurts to touch. There are always foaming waves crawling lazily up the shore, never reaching the vegetation, but always making a good effort. Today, the place is empty of any living thing besides plants, nothing but a wild, unending maze of trees and vines.
However, not too long ago, it was quite a different place.
While still cold and crisscrossed with infinite plants, it also hid a very large, very gothic-looking house.
Of course, it wasn't a house like one would normally see.
Made completely of metal, it appeared to have been simply thrown together piece by piece and melted into an almost recognizable building. After the walls had been smoothed down to near glass-like, and after something had cut a door into it, it could have easily been a house. Inside, there was hardwood floor, a little old and dull-looking, but still good. The windows in the place let in little light, perhaps to hide the bareness of the place. It was all one floor, with many doors set into the metallic walls, and beyond those, rooms like one would find in any house.
There was a little kitchen with an old stove, some counters, and a fridge. The livingroom resided next to that, and it included some worn, lumpy couches and even a TV (who knows if it ever worked, though). Of course there was a bathroom, and too many bedrooms to count.
Really, it was very inhabitable, if not a little.primitive.
But then, the occupants of the house were not looking for comfort.
No, 'home sweet home' was not something they thought of.
All they needed was somewhere to live, survive.and hide.
They didn't care if the stove let off sparks whenever it was turned on.
They hardly noticed when their beds creaked and strained their backs.
They ignored the fact that it was almost as cold in there as it was outside.
They only needed a hiding spot. A secret place. Basically, a hidden base.
Just who were these people? Who lived in such a seemingly awful place? Who lived their lives hidden away from the city and humanity?
The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Magneto, Mystique, Toad, Sabertooth, and Pyro; all of them lived as a 'happy family' in this frozen hellhole.
They, the most regal of the mutants, so proud and royal, had lowered themselves to living like dogs.
However, they knew it was for good reason.
Not once did they complain or utter a word of ungratefulness.
For very, very soon, they would have she who they needed, and mutants would no longer be a hated scum on mankind's shoe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles Xavier was a very intelligent man, almost to the point of sheer genius. Since the time he was a child, he had been intellectually ahead of the other students, and he had passed with flying colors on graduation day.
Perhaps that was why he found building Cerebro with his former best friend Eric Lensherr such a simple task.
Cerebro was a magnificent piece of machinery, so stunning an invention that even the most intelligent of scientists would never be able to copy her.
She was a great help to Xavier when it came to using his telepathic abilities, and many times Xavier owed his X-Men's lives to the piece of machinery.
Cerebro was in a gigantic room of circular build, so that it was like standing in the middle of a large sphere once you walked into the room. In the very center of the orb was a platform that could be reached by way of a small metallic walkway and held the main part of Cerebro, which consisted of an intricate weaving of electrical appliances and a single helmet-like device that was connected to the machinery by a thick iron cord.
Charles sat for a second, pausing before he lifted the helmet to his head, thinking. He and Eric had been best friends for a very long time; since the first time they met, in fact. Then, for some bizarre reason, Eric changed his views on mutant/human ideas, and they had been split from that second to the current.
Charles shook his head sadly; it still pained him to know that Eric was out there, thinking of another scheme to destroy humans and therefore start mutant superiority world-wide.
Then his thoughts swam to Jean Grey, his best and most favored student, and how she had sacrificed herself in order to save the X-Men's lives.
He missed her.
He knew everyone did, and he wished very deeply that there had been another way to escape form Alkali Lake.
Charles sighed slightly as he slid the helmet on over his head, leaning back in his wheelchair, hands resting on the arm rests.
He closed his eyes, thinking slightly about what he needed to, relaxing in his wheelchair as the room began to spin around in a whirl of blue and red lights. After only seconds the room was filled with tiny pinpricks of blue and red and the air was drenched with sound.
Laughter, crying, talking, yelling, screaming, whispering, and talking all swarmed in at the same time, and Charles was taken aback for only a moment. Then he focused, listening hard to those voices, eyes searching the different colors for the right group.
And then he found them.
All of them were together now, speaking angrily and quietly, and he could feel their hatred bubbling over like thick poison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small metal 'house' was filled with livid loathing.
It slithered across the dirt floor, crawling sinuously up the walls, seeping out the windows, melting over the doors, filling the entire place with its presence, and continually feeding off the emotions of the mutants gathered in the main room.
All of the Brotherhood was there, sitting tautly in the worn chairs, arms crossed and eyes glaring up at their renowned leader, the infamous Magneto.
Mystique sat near him, one leg crossed regally over the other, hands resting on her knees as Toad fidgeted between her and Pyro, who was slumped deep into the cushions of the sofa, eyes following his lighter as he opened it and closed it: Thwack, click, thwack, click.
The menacing Sabertooth stood against a shadowy wall, teeth bared and eyes mere slits in his wild, beastly face.
These were the only mutants in the current Brotherhood, but they worried not; soon, they knew, there would be many more on their side, and humans would trouble them no more.
Magneto's clear, deep voice filled the room as he spoke, ice-cold eyes flicking from one member of his team to the next.
"There are far too many risks for us to currently overtake the others and to bring the girl into our hands. However, the day of our attack grows steadily nearer, and I can feel it in my blood that we will not be defeated. We will take the child and at last, mutants shall be the ever more powerful species on the planet."
"That sounds great," Toad chirped, grinning with rotted yellow teeth, "But how do we get the kid without them finding out?"
"We tear them to shreds," Sabertooth growled loudly, black eyes glistening.
Pyro rolled his eyes, "That's all you ever think about: tearing stuff apart."
Sabertooth bared his teeth and snarled, "You'd be wise to shut your trap, Kid."
"Shut yours," Pyro responded coolly, his eyes never leaving the lighter in his hands.
Toad leaped nimbly aside as Sabertooth's giant claws snaked out and tore the lighter from the boy's hand. "This is getting on my nerves!" he spat, hurling the object towards the nearest wall.
Pyro watched with hate-filled eyes as his precious lighter sailed towards impending doom, waiting to be smashed upon the hard walls; then he blinked, confused, as his treasure stopped in mid-air, turned, and floated safely back into his hand.
"That will be quite enough," Magneto ordered, his voice calm but cold, "we must never fight amongst ourselves. Otherwise we will most assuredly fail. And if anyone in this room dares to breach this scheme," he added, looking everyone in the face, "I will be certain to kill you."
The place was deadly quiet.
Magneto let a small smile turn up the corners of his mouth, "Good to see you understand."
Toad grinned nervously and leaped form the wall he was stooped on back to the couch, "Nice catch, Boss."
Magneto credited him with a nod, and then turned his focus to Mystique, "You all know your parts of this plan. And I trust you will be able to carry them out.?"
Mystique glanced up and smiled, her white teeth appearing behind her dark lips as they spread into a demonic grin, "Of course, Eric."
Magneto nodded, and his smile was more than slightly assured, "Excellent."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xavier immediately shut Cerebro off, staring into the darkness as he reached to lift his helmet off; it looked as though he may be able to see his 'old friend' sooner than he thought.