"And in local news, this terrible new plague grips the heart of..."
Click.
"... a virus that seems to focus only on the mutant population..."
Click.
"... refuse to comment that the entire Xavier Institute, a haven for mutants, is..."
Click.
"... put into motion a full scale quarantine of the entire city of Bayville..."
"Goddamnit!" cursed Pyro, flicking the remote and shutting off the TV and marching off down some way deeper into the Institute. "All I want is me favorite show. I don't ask for much, really I don't. But noooo... gotta 'ave all sorts of news on the tele! News! 'oo gives a damn about what happening in Los Angeles?! I'm in bloody New York! An' I want me Crocodile Hunter!"
Suddenly John froze. So did he. His arch-rival of the X-Men. The man against which he'd sworn terrible revenge (something he swore on a fairly regular basis).
Iceman.
They stood at opposite ends of the hallway, regarding one another quietly. Neither made a sound, neither made a move. Their hands rested at their sides. It was like a stand off in some old Western movie.
"Well well well, wot do we 'ave here?" he asked, flicking his lighter idly with his hand, open... close... open... close.
"Dunno... what brings you here?" replied Bobby, icing up one of his hands, letting it glow with an eerie blue energy.
"Heh... I think I owe you something... Iceman," he said with a grin, flicking the lighter and lighting a flame the danced at his command.
"Oh yeah...?" Bobby replied, his body tense for a fight. He'd been the psychotic little redhead before, after all. He was confident he could take him again. He didn't even have his flame-throwers this time.
Then John completely surprised Bobby by making his way over towards him and thrusting out his free right hand. Bobby blinked, looking at it in surprise.
"Wot's a mattah? You Americans don't shake 'ands anymore?" he asked, grabbing Bobby's free hand and giving it a nice, warm handshake. Bobby still watched in confusion, though he dropped his icy glow. "Wanted to say thanks. Ya really pulled St. John out of a jam back in London, mate. Didn't get a chance to properly say so in Egypt, too busy fightin' big statue's an all. You understand."
"Thank me? For what?" asked Bobby.
"Trying to stop that bloody huge spider, 'course! Damn thing nearly ran me off tha road, but you and your mates were tryin' to stop us. Good work," he added, slapping Bobby on the shoulder in a friendly sort of way. Thought he was a bit too enthusiastic, and Bobby winced a little.
Then John grabbed his shirt and hauled him in close, holding up the lit lighter in front of the Iceman's face. As he watches, the flames shifted, turning into a rather demonic face, which mirrored Pyro's movements with its mouth as he spoke next.
"But just a warnin'... don't ever been tryin' ta freeze me again, mate. If there's one thing ol' Saint John hates... it's bein' cold. Hehehehehe. If ya do, I'll just have ta... ta burrrrrrrrn ya," he cackled, his eyes glinting with a crazy inner light.
Bobby didn't even flinch, just grinned back, pointing his free hand and icing Pyro's fiery face, letting it drop to the ground next to them both and shatter. "Anytime, anywhere, hot-head," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And I say again. We have no evidence yet that this virus is any sort of threat to the normal human population. The quarantine of Bayville is, at the moment, only a temporary thing until things are properly put under control..."
"Somebody shut him up," grumbled Lance.
Scott obliged, standing up and flickin' the mute button on the television. Now soundless, the mute Mayor Kelly continued his speech to the press about the quarantine of Bayville.
"News must've leaked," said Scott, glancing over at Professor X.
"Great... now everyone'll blame us. Just like they do everything else," said Kitty, sitting on the windowsill next to Lance.
It was supposed to be a quiet gathering. Just a quick break for everyone to grab some much needed lunch, relax, and then get back to work. And it had been going well, until Hank suggested they watch the news. It was on every channel. Everyone was talking about the Mutant Plague. Bayville had been quarantined by the military, and even some sentinels had been sent in around the border of the city. No mutants were allowed out. Alive at any rate. Some of the citizens had started forming mobs, and even headed down into the sewers to burn out the mutant filth. As it was, all the mutants in Bayville were safe in the Xavier Institute.
The security system had since been switched to a non-lethal setting, designed to scare and push back intruders rather than hurt them.
Outside of Bayville, things were not pleasant either. Already reports of the virus were surfacing in other places. Cairo, Tokyo, Los Angeles, even New York City. Mutants were being rounded up and dragged off to medical centers. If they were lucky. Those that weren't were taken off by unruly mobs. It was getting ugly out in the world.
"Still think mutants and humans can live in peace, Charles?" asked Eric idly, sipping some tea in his hands. It was quite an odd sight, to be sure. The Master of Magnetism, sipping tea like an Englishman, still dressed in his bright red armor.
Moira bristled at the comment but choose not to respond with a childish retort in defense of Charles, who made no reply. She was used to them. She knew well enough how Magneto felt about humans. Heck, she's know him and Charles since before they'd split apart, what now felt like ages ago. Instead she only finished off her salad, grabbed her plates and placed them on the counter with the others.
"I should head back and see if Patronete has found anything. He'll be lost without a geneticist like me to help him."
"I'll be down shortly to assist you," said Charles, though he picked at his plate. The newscast had killed his appetite.
The meal continued in silence.
That is, until Pyro and Iceman wandered in, bored. And as any Acolyte who'd served under Magneto could've told them, a bored Pyro made Juggernaut on a rampage look like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. And Bobby, well... his pranks were still legendary at the Institute, even if he had matured. A little.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coughs continued to fill the house of one Irene Adler, the mutant sometimes known as Destiny. Her quiet little home in the equally quiet little town of Caldecott, Mississippi. She and Mystique lay together on her big queen bed. Mystique had long since collapsed, unconscious, from the disease. Going to a hospital was out of the question, Mystique wouldn't make it out alive.
The door to the bedroom opened, and in stepped the elderly form of Agatha Harkness. Mystique had arrived with her before promptly collapsing on the front mat. Irene and Agatha had helped her to bed, but they could do nothing to combat the contagion.
"Shouldn't you not be in here?" asked Irene, muffling another cough behind her hand. She did not need eyes to see it was Agatha, she could tell easily enough by her footsteps. Agatha never moved very fast.
"I have warded against disease," replied the elder witch, holding up a pouch hanging from her neck, filled with herbs. Irene could smell them from across the room. "Though my research has proved fruitless. This disease is like nothing I or my fellows have ever seen before."
"Wonderful," replied Irene, coughing again into her hand, until she feared she was going to die of suffocation. Besides her, Mystique squirmed painfully, her blue scales already covered in green marks. And it was growing worse by the hour. For both of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Venice was generally a quiet, peaceful city to be in when night fell. Like most of Europe, crime was not as prominent as it was in America. And though there was occasions when people chose to violate the law, these were far and few between. Though policemen with machine guns at their hips didn't hurt.
Tonight, however, was not peaceful.
"It's a mutant! Get 'im!" shouted the mob in Italian, followed by a string of cursed that would made a sailor blush red.
Jason Wyngarde, or Mastermind was he was more commonly known, ran as fast as he lethargic legs could carry him, ducking into an alleyway. A coughing fit seized him and he all but choked himself to keep from making too much noise. Noise that would draw the fatal attention of the mob and end his miserable life. His illusions had failed him, his mind was too chaotic to properly focus his powers. Thus, he was helpless.
Thus it was that he quickly found himself in a one way alley, and his only exit blocked by the mob. He was mildly grateful, when the police pushed their way forward, weapons up and aimed right at his freakishly deformed body. He could no longer conceal himself from them.
"Surrender at once, mutant!"
Mastermind slowly, hesitantly raised his hands, though this was as much to cover his face as it was to show he was unarmed and surrendering.
That was when it all happened.
The guns of the policemen suddenly shuddered, then snapped in half, both ends being flinged to either side of the alleyway. And the uniformed cops themselves were thrust backwards, flying to land roughly amongst the mob. A wall of fire suddenly rose in front of Mastermind, and the mob ran screaming in horror. No one was more shocked than Mastermind.
It hadn't been him, so... who...?
The answer came from the direction he feared most. From above. He saw there hovering a figure, humanoid, its silhouette visible against the half-full moon as it descended down to meet him. Mastermind cringed fearfully, half-expecting the power of Apocalypse. Or worse, his former employer Magneto and Pyro. That would certainly explain the fire.
To his surprise, it was neither of them.
It was a boy, no more than seventeen or eighteen years of age. With dark blonde hair cut short and a small goatee gracing his thick, strong chin. He had the look of an aristocrat, though his clothes were more those of a punk or goth. He floated down to land gracefully in front of Mastermind, hands on his hips as he regarded the illusionist mutant.
Mastermind weakly drew on his illusions, trying to fool the boy and allow him a chance to escape. His eyes glowed blue, buy the boy only laughed.
"Don't bother. Even if you were at full strength... and I can clearly see you aren't... you're no match for me, old man," he stated in a commanding voice, with just a hint of a... Scottish accent? Irish? Mastermind couldn't place it.
"What... what do you want with me?" asked Mastermind, sinking down to rest on his side, coughing quietly as the strange made his way over to him and crouched down low, so they were eye-to-eye. Those eyes were what scared Mastermind most. They were the eyes of someone with power.
"I have a job for you," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Careful! That helmet isn't exactly fragile, and if he gets it off all bets are cancelled," grunted Fury, as his two guards hauled past their prisoner, tossing him in roughly with the others in quarantine.
"Is that all of them, Captain Stone?" he asked, addressing the man in charge of this particular facility. Maximum Security Penitentiary for Superhumans. Home of the freaky mutants too powerful to control or be put into normal prisons. Previously home to the Juggernaut, though he had long since escaped and was being notoriously difficult at recapturing.
Fury idly flicked the toothpick in between his fingers, glancing into the new holding cell that'd just been set up, for the sick mutants. They'd come down with the symptoms only a short while ago, and he ordered Stone to round 'em up and get 'em away from the other prisoners before the infection spread. He hadn't known at the time it was virus that only targeted mutants. Now they did.
Didn't make their job any easier though.
Gauntlet and Mesmero were the only two in the cell at the moment. Juggernaut was of course still on the loose, but Omega Red was keeping his specially made prison warm for when they finally caught him. Once that time came they'd have to deal with the Russian answer to Weapon X, but they'd deal with that when the time came.
So it was that Fury found himself back in the facilities medical bay, talking with Deborah. She was, of course, their foremost expert on mutants. Even if Fury didn't completely trust her.
"Talk to me," he said, folding his arms.
"I do not recognize this virus... it's a strain unlike anything I've ever seen before," she said. "But it is as the news has confirmed. It infects only those with the X-gene. But there's something else," she added softly. "Something worse." Deborah Risman led Fury over to a computer screen and showed him what she'd found.
Fury's toothpick snapped in between his fingers, as his one good eye opened in a mixture of shock and fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Piotr sighed deeply, listening as his younger sister Illyana continued to cough in the other room. How he sometimes wished his parents had the foresight to install a phone line in their simple country farm house. Now, as it was, he dare not leave her side to go into town and call the Xavier Institute. Or anyone for that matter. All he could do now was continue to treat her as best he was able, and hope for the rest.
Even though he held no such hope for himself, he thought, as he again lifted his hand up before his eyes. It was dark with bruises. And soon they'd develop into lesions just like Illyana's. But he would carry on for his little sister's sake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex sat on the couch, arms wrapped around his legs as he watched the news. He'd been doing it for nearly an hour now, as they continued on and on about the mutant virus. Xavier had warned him about it before, of course, as well as the Masters since Scott was practically family to them. He wasn't sick, of course, Alex was grateful for that. But the things that kept coming up in the news wasn't reassuring.
No cure... no cure... no cure...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snow was falling Manhattan, though it was light and nobody paid any attention to it. They were inside, huddling not because of the cold, but in fear. The virus had everyone on edge.
Including Warren Worthington III.
Warren carefully shut the drapes to his room before sliding off his shirt and stretching out his very tired wings. How it had ached, to keep them covered so much today. Thus, he'd called his day short and headed home with a pretense of a headache which (thankfully) he did not have. The slightest slip up, a single feather found on his coat, and he'd be discovered and burned for being a mutant.
If he wasn't crucified for being a fallen angel, he thought with something close to a grin on his handsome features.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The human Juggernaut was invulnerable, unstoppable, and nothing deterred him from whatever he wanted. Be it money or revenge. But even Cain Marko was not so stupid as to be ignorant of the world around him. Carelessness had landed him in a prison cell that actually managed to hold him for many long, cold years. Many long years floating in a green cellular paralysis fluid, where all he could do was wait... and dream.
Dream thoughts of vengeance.
So it was that he'd stolen a TV and hooked it up as best he could with what knowledge he had. He'd been a college student before his transformation, after all. He did know how to improvise and live on his own, without support. Which was exactly what he was doing now, hiding out in a warehouse until he could properly think of what to do.
But what he saw on the news upset all of his plans.
Mutants sick, dying. Some terrible plague. And Cain, for once in his life, doubted his powers would protect him from this virus. Though his skin could've withstood a nuclear blast without so much as a scratch, his insides were no where near as invulnerable. He could still feel hunger, he could still be poisoned, and was all to often proved, his mind was still vulnerable to the power of a psychic.
Like his brother... like his no-good brother... Charles...
Juggernaut's grip tightened and he crushed an iron box next to him without even realizing it, then idly tossed it aside, again turning back to his small portable television and tilting the antennae, trying to get better reception. Perhaps now was his time to strike against the Institute. With all the mutants sick...
A grin spread across his features.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danielle Moonstar shivered, drawing the covers closer around her tender frame as she shivered, coughing violently. No matter how many layers of clothing and blankets both, she was still so cold. It permeated her to the bone. The last time she'd felt so cold she'd been near death in the caves near Dark Hollow.
Her teeth chattered as her grandfather came in, coaxing her to sip some of his herbal remedies. But nothing he did seemed to help her. Her skin felt like ice. But beneath that ice a fire raged, burning her blood. Some horrible disease. She kept telling her grandfather to get away from her, lest he contract it himself, but he'd refused to lose his granddaughter twice. So he stayed at her side and did all he could to ease her pain.
Not that he could do much to help her, now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door shut and Kelly breathed a relieved sigh, loosening his tie. Of all the difficulties of his new job, two ranked very high on his personal list. One was dealing with the press. The other was his frustration that his 'Mutant Registration Act' was having. Why could no one see the danger that mutants represented? Why were they so blind? He was tempted to grab each and every person he saw and shake some sense into them but, he wisely restrained himself.
"Dorothy, am I doing the right thing?" he asked, turning to glance at his secretary. She was sometimes the only person he trusted. After all, she'd quit her job at Bayville High after he'd left. And when he'd seen her resume to work as his note-taker and secretary, he'd snapped her up in a minute. She was good at what she did, and knew how to keep secrets.
"Sir?" she asked, looking up from her filing.
"With the mutants," he grumbled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Rubbing his temples, he made his way over to his desk and sat down, leaning back and peering at the pile of work that, for some reason, never seemed to leave his desk. Ah well, better than having it hit by a shot put. He was positive that was a mutant's fault too, though he couldn't prove it.
"Of course you are, Mr. Kelly. Someone has to control them, they're so dangerous. Our time at Bayville High proved that. I mean, I go to sleep every night afraid those mutants will do something horrible."
"I know, so do I," he said. "If I had my choice I'd lock 'em all up," he added, making Dorothy smile encouragingly. "It's a war. It's the reason people like me exist."
"You should use that in your next address," she stated, continuing her filing.
"Maybe I could at that," pondered Kelly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Hmmmmm... a war. A war on mutants. That could certainly get people's attention. The War on Terrorism certainly got patriot blood flowing.
A War on Mutants.
A smirk spread across Mayor Edward Kelly's face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hank sighed, tipping off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. There had to have been something he was missing... some clue gnawing at the back of his mind, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was. So it was he continued to stare at the mutant-killing virus through his microscope.
Only harms mutants...
Suddenly his head shot up. Of course, why hadn't he thought of that sooner?! Why hadn't any of them? Hank shot up from his seat, making his way out of the lab without a word to Patronete or Moira, bounding down the hallways on his knuckles and feet like the great ape he resembled, until he reached the storage facility.
Lifting up the great boxes and crates, he proceeded to search it. Where was it, he wondered. Where was... aha!
Lifting up a crate that must've weighed a ton and would've crushed all but Roberto or himself, he reached down and pried open the box he'd been searching for. The label on the side confirmed his hunches, this was the right crate. Pow-R8. And inside... the great energy drink that'd nearly killed Evan and half the Morlock population. With its toxic eliminators, harmless to humans, harmful to mutants. Hank grabbed one such bottle, and made his way back to the lab.
A small sample was sufficient, and he placed it under the microscope, as he'd done so long ago after the skateboarding incident, just before Evan had left them. And... deeper... closer.
"I knew it," he said, mostly to himself.
"Knew what? You found something, Hank?" asked Patronete, making his way over to join the blue-furred mutant.
"Take a look at this sample," replied Hank, scooting his chair aside as Patronete bent over, placing his eye to the microscope and peered inside.
"This is the virus, isn't it?" he asked.
"No... these are the toxic eliminators of a popular drink for 'extreme' skaters," said Hank, holding up the Pow-R8 bottle and shaking it for emphasis. "But the chemicals are almost identical to that of the virus. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?"
"You and I know better than to believe in coincidence. Things don't just happen," replied Patronete, double-checking the samples under the microscope.
"I'll get Moira and Charles," said Hank, placing the bottle down on the table next to Patronete.
"Good grief," murmured Patronete. "I never even considered the possibility that a virus like this could be... deliberately made. Engineered. I mean, who in their right mind could be so cruel?"
Author's Notes:
And the virus hits the front pages and the top stories. Oh those poor mutants, fearful humans on one side and a killer virus on the other. And of course mention of most of the other characters worldwide who, unfortunately, will not be in the rest of the story. Well, most of them at least. Hence the doubly long chapter. Just touched briefly on the Pyro-Iceman rivalry, there'll be more of that much later, believe you me. Maybe even a fight or two. Anyone wanna place bets? Anyone recognize the fellow who rescued Mastermind? I can never tell if that accent if Scottish or Irish. I know his comic counterpart was Irish though. Ah well. Actually that scene is a bit of foreshadowing for my future stories. A teaser, if you will. And we get a glimpse of how SHIELD is dealing with its mutant prisoners. Anyone who hasn't read 'Weapon X24' wouldn't realize what Fury's snapping his toothpick means. Those who have do, so more power to you. And of course brief mentions of Mystique, Havok, Angel and Mirage. Even a little time to under appreciated and all-but-forgotten Juggernaut. The idea of Angel being nailed to a cross was inspired by the story 'Judgment Day.' It's under Scribbler's profile, but it's a compilation of work of the most brilliant XME fan fiction writers. And of course longtime X-Men fans recognize Edward Kelly's line as the same that Roberto Kelly used in X-Men: The Movie. Right before Mystique clobbered him. And yes, finally, we find out the virus was created, and did not occur naturally. Things are about to heat up again, so strap yourselves in!
Todd fan: Dust bunnies? *shudder* You're evil. Don't worry he ain't dead... yet. I have bigger plans in store for the gadget boy. I will use him to create an robotic evil double of me! Ten stories high! With la-Z-er eyes!
Bleedingmoon89: I can do more than rock those baby, I can rock your world. Hehehe. But your welcome for Toad, and I will consider this Hot Zone of which you speaketh. 'Til then I'll stick to what I know from sci-fi movies about killer viruses.
Rogue14: I always do, but its good to know someone's always reading it.
Basilisk: I will finish at my own frickin' pace! Besides I like this slow teasing method, it brings in more of an audience, which means more reviews for me! Muwahahahaha!
Snitter in Rivendell: Yeah but I don't want a long series of one-shots. But glad you enjoyed it anyway. I'm glad you liked the couples and Magneto's family bonding a little. Plenty more to come soon.
Nessie6: As I told Comet-hime, I don't see those two as a couple exactly. I'm leaving them good friends (plus Toad's crush) for now. The hug, Nessie, that Magneto was going to going to need a hug to cheer him up. Glad you like Pyro's accent though. And yeah I loved Wanda's line too. Emotional people rarely think rationally, but it shows she cares.
Gambi316: Why am I somehow not surprised you liked the Romy? Bleh. Ah well, my audience is happy I guess. And perhaps you're thinking of Colonel Wraith? Creepy military guy from 'Grim Reminder'? Don't worry you'll get plenty more Romy later.
Son of Logan and Ororo: Mmm, I doubt it. Maybe in another story. Wiggles, you say? I reply... what the (censored) is WIGGLES?!
JustAnObsessedFan: Oh you never know, Wanda may admit it. That is, if Toad survives. He might not, after all. Less than twenty-four hours left, after all. I think by this chapter we're roughly at twenty. Glad you're enjoying the characterization, I do try and keep them as Evo has made them... with perhaps just a few comic influences.
Comet-hime: Plenty more where that came from. Plenty more. I've got lots of cute TabbyAmaraness planned for the end of my story. As well as everything else you saw here, 'cause you know I'm in to big happy endings.
Elrohirthewriter: Sounds like a most unpleasant muse. Ah well, I can take it. My muse shops at NukesRUs. And has a frequent customer discount, no less. Pyro just hasn't been exposed to the virus. He's been one of the lucky few... so far. Glad you're loving the characterization, as always.
Lyranfan: Plenty more of that to come with the sentinel's. After all, I did leave hanging the fate of the Weapon Xee's against a small army of them. Glad you liked the transformer reference.
DoubleL27: Glad you liked the portrayal of Tabby and especially of Scott. He's one of my fav characters, because I identify with him so much. So he's easy to write. Well I hope I didn't disappoint with all the wonderful characters shown at least briefly in the last and this particular chapters.
The Rogue Witch: Like I said I couldn't think of anything better! I wanted to have him watching a children's show but nothing seemed to fit that either. Besides they showed a parody of the Crocodile Hunter on Evo. Remember way back during 'the Toad, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'? Pietro was watching it. Guy got bit by his own snake. Glad you liked the couples though.
Cookies_n_cream08: Well I'm glad I can keep you on the edge of your seat. But believe me, there are others who can really keep you on the edge of your seat with each passing chapter. But I'm glad you're enjoying my work. I like to think I also improve a little with each story I write, due to feedback I get.
