A/N ~ Reviews! Oh, how I adore thee. How shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Thou art more sweet and more adept at making my toes snuggle with delight...
Krazy Xanadu; I can update so fast because the whole thing's pretty much already written. I'm just waiting for some emails to complete the package. From now on, I hope to update on a weekly to bi-weekly basis, but don't quote me on that since I just went back to uni. For the record, everything they tell you about Yr2 being tougher than Yr1... is true. And you're welcome for the Jamie thing.
Kookidoe; Glad to see we reached a more personal level with the last chapter. Hopefully this one won't disappoint in its wake.
Jack B. Nimble; I'm not sure I understand what you mean by layout editing, but thanks anyway for the review. Powerful... now there's a word I never thought I'd hear describing this fic. Nice, though.^_^
Risa; phew, what a review. First off, I have to thank you just for taking the time to write such a lot. Todd's death, like so much in communal fiction, is something nobody was really expecting. It just sort of... happened. Still, the fact that you persevered despite that and didn't run screaming for the hills upon seeing the OCs has got to be a good sign. The 'family' bits and pieces pop up so much because there were often days to weeks between people posting during production, which means our sense of time was distorted somewhat. We thought it had been a few days since we mentioned it, but in reality, it had only been about half a page. -_-;; Daisy's accent is pretty much at your own discretion. It seems your id likes to torture you that way. And as for Grandpa Wolverine... well, it *could* happen...
hootild; that'll be twenty dollars a ticket, please.
Yma; I know. Interesting humans are just *so* last Tuesdays. Tchah, who'd want to right about *them*? Now get back to 'Watch and Learn', pronto!
UnknownSource; WOOT! Another characterisation fiend! I knew I'd find one eventually. Yeah, Kitty stood out in that chapter. In my humble opinion, slightly more than Alvin, even. She and Lance had been ignored quite a bit up until that point, so it was only fair to let them have some of the spotlight.
Please keep the reviews coming. I'll reply to each and every one of them, so pretty please with syrup and sprinkles on top. Please return your seat to an upright position and fasten your safety belts.
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Twenty-second Fragment ~ 'Forgiveness'
*******************
Those assembled on the bus looked up as Logan slipped silently aboard. He said nothing, but made his way purposefully to Kurt, who was cradling a sleeping Robyn.
"Elf, we need to talk."
Kurt arched an eyebrow, and looked around at the others for support. "Can't we talk here?"
"I'd prefer it if we jawed in private."
Sighing, Kurt collected Robyn's blanket and passed her carefully over to Pietro. "You drop her and you're dead."
"Like I would," the speedster replied, leaning back so she'd fit onto his lap properly. He brushed a lock of damp hair from the little cat-girl's face, making her twitch. "Shhh, shhhh, Robyn. I'm here. Fuzzy, he's waiting for you."
Logan tapped his foot, and Kurt got wearily to his feet to follow him out of the door and around to the other side of the bus.
"Look, Elf," Logan started, as soon as they were out of earshot of the others, "I know y'think God Boy done ya wrong, but y'gotta put the past behind ya. For all our sakes."
Kurt snorted and folded his arms, a defiant light in his eyes. "He tried to *kill* Robyn - "
"No, he didn't. He *suggested* lettin' her go, 'cause she was in pain and there was nuthin' he could do for her. He's also just spent the last hour or so freezin' his ass off out there, questionin' all he ever believed in 'cause of it. Elf, I've seen a lotta people in my time. He was this close," Logan pinched his thumb and forefinger together in the air to demonstrate, "to not coming back to us tonight. And when I say that, I don't mean he was gonna just sit on those rocks for the rest of his days, neither."
"So what?"
"Kurt." Logan's voice was low, and Kurt sensed the seriousness in his tone. Logan *never* used real names unless something was well and truly wrong. "He was gonna kill himself. A few more inches and he would've been right over the edge. Said it himself - he got the know-how. If it weren't for Half-Pint and Rocky... I don't like to think what might've happened."
"How do you know? Did he *say* he wanted to top himself?"
"I just know. I seen too much in my life, kid. I recognise the look a man gets when he's considering takin' his own life. It was the same look Alvin had not twenty minutes ago. The only reason he's comin' back now is 'cause Kitty made him believe there was somethin' to keep living *for*."
"And what would that something be?"
"Same thing Chuck always lived for. A dream."
Kurt flinched. "That's low, bringing Herr Xavier into this."
"I'm on the level, Kurt. Alvin's been through a lot in his life. Did y'ever ask him where he came from before the X-Virus? Did y'ever ask him 'bout his family, or what happened to 'em? No? He's only human. Humans make mistakes, just like you or I do."
Again Kurt blanched, and turned his eyes towards the floor.
Logan nodded. "I know it's not somethin' I should throw in your face, but it's true. Y'forgave your Ma for what she did, didn't ya? And weren't you the one lecturin' Speedy 'bout forgiveness not so long ago?"
Kurt mumbled something inaudible.
"What was that?"
"I said; do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. I haven't thought about the Bible in a long time. It used to be a comfort."
"Maybe it can be again."
"Maybe." There was a short silence. "Logan, I... I know I talk big, but... but I - "
"I know, Kurt." Logan punched him gently on the shoulder in an almost fatherly way. "Just let Alvin know too, awright?"
Kurt gave a thin, watery smile. Yet it seemed forced, and when he left Logan still wasn't convinced.
*******************
Jane opened her eyes and smiled at her latest spiritual donor.
"Feeling better?" asked Erik. He ran his hand tenderly along her hair.
Jane nodded.
"What happened? Can you tell me?"
"She needed me," she said simply.
Erik sighed. A complete answer, yet completely useless. Patience and persistence were required to get information out of Jane. "Who did?"
"The girl. She was sad. She called for me."
"Do you know the girl?"
Jane shook her head.
"How do you know she needed you?"
"It's what she does. She's new. Almost as little as me."
A new mutant. "Can you tell me more, darling?"
"When she needs things, she can bring them."
Erik felt a chill invade his entire body. The power to teleport things that were needed... the applications of such a power sparked a multitude of thoughts as well as anxieties. Yet a young mutant would be weak, and perhaps sporadic in the activation of her power. "How old was the girl?"
Jane shrugged. "Maybe ten?"
Too young. Activation of the X-gene at that small age required artificial boosts - or desperate need. And using it at such magnitude would nearly kill her. Asteroid M to Earth was no easy feat, but to do it twice to send Jane back...
_*Why* do things have to be so *difficult*?_
"Did I do wrong?"
Dammit... it *hurt* every time she repeated her first complete sentence. "No, Jane. You didn't do wrong. I was just thinking sad things." He smiled and straightened up. "Do you want a piggyback to the kitchens?"
Jane grinned and held out her arms. Erik picked her up easily, transferring her small weight to his shoulders. Of such tiny pleasures, a little slice of heaven could be made. If only he could have managed the same thing with his own daughter...
*******************
She staggered out of the manmade desert and into yet another godforsaken ruin of a town, listening to the ramblings of the local populace. Listening for news and clues.
She got it.
There were a group of them, muttering to themselves and loitering by the side of the road. Human men, not much older than herself, but worn by the world to appear many years her senior.
They smiled when they saw her in her tattered, revealing clothes, drawing pocketed hands tighter over groins and sauntering forward. No doubt they mistook her for just another survivor, making a living the only way she could. God knows, there were enough of those sorts around.
She soon cured them of that notion, however, and sent them scurrying for their burrows and hovels with their proverbial tails between their legs. She might have killed them outright, if not for that fact that picking their brains was quite high on her agenda.
She caught one easily as he tried to flee, pinning him down with some unnatural force and standing over him as he trembled and swore. He knew nothing, so she let the inhuman bonds tighten until the tension in her shoulders abated and he lay crushed and broken in the dust, oozing pulpy red ichor.
Another shell for the crows to peck at, she mused, and moved on without a backwards glance.
The next man of that group she came across was better. He was rather rotund, and it was a simple matter of ensnaring his feet with a loop of her power. The adjustments and augmentations made to her abilities in the lab had served some purpose, at least.
She drew him close, demanding information, and was pleased when he talked of a boy, a mutant, who ran so fast that he was barely seen. He'd passed through another town some distance away, over the bridge, raiding it for supplies and streaking away before anybody got a good look at his face. Bad news travelled fast in these parts, if it travelled at all.
The human was so frightened that he gabbled at her, embellishing his story to new heights under her steely gaze. He spoke of a rumour he'd heard, of a whole bus full of people; colourful folk who could only be mutants. And when he said colourful, he meant it in the literal sense. There had been one who could change her shape, and had torn the innocent residents of another village to shreds as a monster because they stopped the bus and asked for supplies. Perhaps her kind? Not that she seemed like a monster, of course, Oh no, no, no, no, no...
There was another mutant, hereabouts, too. One who could control water, and bring out life-giving moisture where there was none. That little one was famous as the only non-hostile mutant to humans, and he'd recently taken to entertaining other children with watery creations that danced like flesh and blood. He'd lead her to him, of course, if she'd only let him go. He had a family, you see. A wife and young child, who looked surprisingly like....
In the end she had to shake him to slow down his speech, but went too far and broke his neck with the force. His body hit the ground with a faint 'floomph', and she sighed.
"Gone again. Is there nobody around here besides these petty humans?" A faint breeze caressed her cheek, and she turned into it. "Pietro. He could only have been talking about you. So, you *are* alive."
Yet more plans were already beginning to hatch in her fractured mind. She smiled to herself as scenario after scenario slid by, each more gruesome and glorious than the last.
However, something the human had said caused her to terminate that train of thought toute-de-suite and address a glitch she hadn't foreseen.
Pietro was with other mutants.
She was strong, stronger than before, but not strong enough to take on too many. Not without perishing before she could carry out her wishes, at least. She needed a way of separating Pietro from them; of getting him on his own and doing what she would without interference from his travelling companions. His... friends?
She gave a loud, barking laugh at that. Pietro? Friends? That little worm was no friend to anyone. Too busy looking after his own skin. No, he was probably just using whomever he was with to his own ends. No doubt as soon as they'd served their purpose he'd turn on them, just like he did her. He was like their father in that respect.
But still, how to do it? How to get him alone? Subtlety wasn't her style, but she was willing to explore every avenue if needs be.
After an hour of thinking, and giggling, and thinking some more, her plan was complete. It was ingenious, even without her madness.
Then she wandered around the settlement until she found him - the other mutant people had been talking about. The water baby. He was with a crowd of children, and a shimmering lizardine shape slunk around them on liquid wings, following the line his finger traced in the air.
He looked up at her approach, and smiled, pale sunlight glittering off the soft golden scales etching his cheeks. His hair was damp, and fell about his shoulder in smooth coils. He could only have been about twelve or so, but it was immediately clear that when he matured fully, this little one would be a handsome devil despite his visible mutation.
There was an aura of peace around him, and she was reminded momentarily of a concept she'd come across as a child, before being locked up. Zen. Letting life flow over you like a river.
_How deliciously ironic._
The children whined when the scaled boy rose, letting the water slosh back into a barrel by his side and ending their fun, but he waved a hand at them and called out to her merrily.
She realised with a jolt that he was selling his powers. The whore. Consorting with humans on a social level - and enjoying himself too, by the looks of it! He was young, innocent - stupid; and she walked up with a smile, letting him think she was just another human in want of a drink until it was too late.
The hex bolt hit him in the stomach; not powerful enough to rupture anything, but with enough potency to wind his little lungs. He fell over, the human children scattering like rats as the remnants of her power curled and fizzled in the air.
She stepped forward and grabbed, pulling him up by his tattered shirt. "Hello, little Water Baby," she cooed, stroking his copper hair almost lovingly. "My, my, aren't you the pretty one? What's your name?" He didn't answer, and she shook him a little, her voice sharpening. "Your name. What is it?"
"A... Ariel," he gasped after a moment.
"Hello there, Ariel. You're going to help me."
"W... why?" he asked, shocked and confused. "What do you want? If it's water you're after, I have plenty. I'll trade. There's no need for violence - "
"I don't want your water!" she snapped, and then dropped her voice. "I have a much bigger plan in mind for you. I need to be somewhere. And you're going to go with me willingly, aren't you?"
He squared his jaw. "Why should I?"
"Because if you do, then you can go home and swim with the birds and fishes, and if you don't, then you'll be moisture on the ground. Isn't that funny?" She laughed, loud and long and chilling.
Ariel's scales almost seemed to pale.
"And... and what if I don't want to help you?" he asked, a hint of rebellion in his tone.
Her eyes narrowed, and with her free hand she sent a burst of her power towards the barrel of water. It punched a hole in the side, and the contents emptied everywhere. Ariel's eyes grew round, and he emitted a small whimper.
"That."
Dragging him behind her, she searched for some transport. She found it in an abandoned car with the roof torn off. It was just about road worthy, but suffered from the inhibiting factor of no gas. There was none about, either, and the street around them had become quiet as death in the wake of her little performance.
In the end she gave up looking and tried giving the engine a few bursts of her Hex power. It started, much to her surprise and delight, and she let out a small whoop of joy.
"*Now* we're getting somewhere! Except for one little thing," she turned to Ariel, who was quivering where she held tightly onto the scruff of his neck. "I can't drive so good. Won't this be an adventure? My first time behind the wheel. Well, almost, but last time doesn't really count. I crashed it in the desert because I was reading. Big rock, then go boom! Such pretty flames, all yellow and bright. Burned up my lovely new book, though, which was bad."
Ariel swallowed, and said quickly, "I can."
"Excuse me?"
"I can drive. Trader Dan taught all of us, just in case our new owners had cars."
She screwed up her face. "Trader Dan? You were a slave or something, weren't you?"
He nodded.
"Well that'd explain this," she jabbed at the barcode tattoo on his cheek, then drew his face close to hers. "You aren't yanking my chain, are you? 'Cause if you are..." She left the threat hanging.
Ariel nodded, and then shook his head. Finally, he said hurriedly, "I'm not lying. I really can drive. Just... just tell me where to go, and I'll get us there."
She gave him a calculating look for a moment. "Okay, but no funny stuff. You try to fight me or get away, and I'll make you sorry you were born, bucko. Moving targets are no problem." She smiled, knowing it was not a nice smile.
Throwing him behind the wheel, she slid into the passenger seat. "Don't forget your seatbelt now!" she scolded, as she slipped on her own.
Confused by this small piece of pseudo concern, Ariel did as he was told. Then, at her command and direction, he put his foot on the pedal and drove off as fast as the car would take them.
She turned her face to the pummelling wind again and breathed deeply of the cool air that caught in her throat. _Pietro, darling. I'm on my way. I'm coming for you, brother dearest. And I'm going to make you bleed..._
*******************
When Kitty, Alvin and Lance returned to the bus, Kitty had regained custody of Hope and was cradling her with the baby's face in the hollow of her own neck. Lance stood beside her with a hand lightly on one arm, guiding her over what ground was unfamiliar.
He murmured when they reached the door of the bus, and she obediently stepped up, hesitantly searching the air with her foot. Lance bit down on his lip, but didn't try to speak, remembering what she'd said about wanting to do things for herself.
Alvin was a few dozen paces behind, and looked bedraggled and more miserable the closer they got to the vehicle. His bright expression had dimmed when he realised he would have to face Kurt, not knowing if his wrath was still in residence. The zealot's hair was plastered lankly to his forehead with nervous sweat. After all, Kurt could still kick him off this journey and find directions to the Goddess' Lands in one of his books.
He didn't talk to anyone as he returned to his beloved plants and started grooming them; trimming dead leaves and twigs with his fingernails - and his teeth where necessary - plucking out the seedlings of weeds that were parasitising their soil and so on. Rogue and Mystique, sitting a couple of seats back from the plants, tried to engage him into their conversation, but his answers were curt and didn't invite further questions.
Kurt came silently down the stairs from where he'd been tying up Clive and stood a little way behind Alvin. Rogue caught sight of him and suddenly silenced. Mystique continued talking for a few moments, then saw where Rogue was looking and hastily stopped as well.
Alvin didn't look up from where he was working, but surmised from the sharp cut in conversation who had come in. "I'm... sorry for what I said, Kurt. Is Robyn all right?"
Kurt stepped forward until he was standing just behind Alvin and to his side, just out of his field of vision. "Robyn is fine, now." He didn't want to torment Alvin by letting him know that Robyn had died, if only temporarily. "Alvin... I, uh," he cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for hitting you. Are you hurt?"
Alvin waved a hand dismissively. This normally airy gesture was infused with anomie. He tilted his neck slightly so Kurt could see his jaw where he had been hit. A large, ugly bruise - mostly purpled - had formed there. "Soft tissue damage only," he diagnosed.
Kurt nodded solemnly. He tried to start speaking, to tell Alvin he was forgiven. He managed to start the first syllable of all the different ways he'd planned to forgive him, running through them in his head. _'Alvin, I forgive you.' 'I know that you didn't mean any harm to Robyn, so I forgive you.' 'Robyn died, Alvin, but she's all right now, so everything's okay.' 'I don't care that you tried to fucking kill my sister, Alvin. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that you're a heartless bastard who deserves to - '_
Kurt cut off what he had been about to say with an angry expulsion of breath and stalked back upstairs, fur bristling slightly at both himself and the world at large.
In his wake, Rogue and Mystique's conversation edged tentatively back into the room.
Logan was waiting on the top floor, arms and brows both folded. "Didn't hear no forgivin' goin' on down there, Elf."
"I know," said Kurt, and sat down beside Pietro, taking Robyn from him and stroking her hair as she lay across his lap.
********************
Alvin bit his lip as he tended to the plants, he'd wanted more, of course. In his heart of heart's he'd wanted forgiveness. But it was still too early, and Kurt was still too angry.
He felt a presence by his shoulder, and turned to see a new person; a boy with a scabbard, of all things, tied to his waist. His jaw was set strongly, and on his breast Alvin noticed the distinctive symbol of Mutie Town. As an antithesis of his own encircled X pendant, it was a red helmet.
"Hello?" he said warily.
The boy only tilted his chin, something defiant in eyes Alvin got the feeling would have been soft and warm in another world. "I've heard about what you did," he spat. "I heard you tried to kill that mutant girl with your stupid plants. Those here want you to stay, and I'll respect that decision. It's their bus, after all. But watch it, flatscan. Watch your back, and watch what you say. I wouldn't want anything... nasty to happen."
With this, he stalked off, a fighter's bearing evident in the way he carried himself. This was someone trained in combat and obviously able to take care of himself.
Alvin sighed, and he felt the engine judder into life as Logan sat down and twisted the exposed wires. The bus was starting off again.
"Well. What was *that* about?" asked Rogue after a moment.
"That young man," Alvin explained wearily, "is a Jamie. Part of the Mutie-Town scouting and protection force. He's a mutant who had some... difficulties with a human mob, resulting in his current condition."
"Condition?" Mystique echoed, frowning.
"We know who he is," said Rogue. "Pietro brought him back here a while ago. Uh, is somethin' up with these Mutie Town guys? He wasn't exactly actin' very friendly to you."
Alvin gave another sigh. "They're not... bad folk," he began. "My people and his... we respect each other. Or tolerate each other, at least. We both love and respect mutants, we both have mutants as leaders. It is in regarding normal humans - flatscans - that we come into conflict. The Goddess believes in a non-violent approach, and thinks that in this world it is possible for humans and mutants to live together, in peace. The people of Mutie Town, on the other hand, believe the opposite. It's not that they're violent by nature, but all of them have lost much to humans, so they're not exactly averse to it, either. They believe in pooling their forces in advance for a counter attack, so they're defensive and cagey. They think that one day their messiah, the 'Lord of the Earth', will one day come down from the sky and help them wipe out the remainder of the human race, leaving mutants the only survivors."
"Lord of the Earth?" Kitty repeated, unintentionally eavesdropping but unable to hold her tongue at this. "That sounds like something your prophecies might call Lance. He has power of the earth, after all."
Lance blinked. "Me, a messiah?" His chest puffed out a little. "Well, who would've thunk it?"
"Uh, actually, he goes by many names," said Alvin.
Lance deflated. "Oh."
Alvin went on, listing off the purported Lord's names and titles on his fingers. "Master of Metal, Lord of Earth, Master of Magnetism - the most basic is simply 'Magneto'. They say he has a normal name as well, like you or I, but I'm not sure what it is - "
"Magneto, y'say?" called the gruff voice of Logan from up front.
As one, they all turned.
"Yes, do you know of him?"
Logan shrugged, not taking his eyes off what passed for road. "Sort of. Back before all this went down, Chuck - Professor Xavier, to you - warned me 'bout him. Even back then he had some big crusade 'gainst Humanity. Part of the reason why we trained those kids at the Institute so hard was that we could be prepared for him when he came." He sighed and shook his head. "Looks like he was the least of our troubles, huh?"
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To Be Continued...
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Krazy Xanadu; I can update so fast because the whole thing's pretty much already written. I'm just waiting for some emails to complete the package. From now on, I hope to update on a weekly to bi-weekly basis, but don't quote me on that since I just went back to uni. For the record, everything they tell you about Yr2 being tougher than Yr1... is true. And you're welcome for the Jamie thing.
Kookidoe; Glad to see we reached a more personal level with the last chapter. Hopefully this one won't disappoint in its wake.
Jack B. Nimble; I'm not sure I understand what you mean by layout editing, but thanks anyway for the review. Powerful... now there's a word I never thought I'd hear describing this fic. Nice, though.^_^
Risa; phew, what a review. First off, I have to thank you just for taking the time to write such a lot. Todd's death, like so much in communal fiction, is something nobody was really expecting. It just sort of... happened. Still, the fact that you persevered despite that and didn't run screaming for the hills upon seeing the OCs has got to be a good sign. The 'family' bits and pieces pop up so much because there were often days to weeks between people posting during production, which means our sense of time was distorted somewhat. We thought it had been a few days since we mentioned it, but in reality, it had only been about half a page. -_-;; Daisy's accent is pretty much at your own discretion. It seems your id likes to torture you that way. And as for Grandpa Wolverine... well, it *could* happen...
hootild; that'll be twenty dollars a ticket, please.
Yma; I know. Interesting humans are just *so* last Tuesdays. Tchah, who'd want to right about *them*? Now get back to 'Watch and Learn', pronto!
UnknownSource; WOOT! Another characterisation fiend! I knew I'd find one eventually. Yeah, Kitty stood out in that chapter. In my humble opinion, slightly more than Alvin, even. She and Lance had been ignored quite a bit up until that point, so it was only fair to let them have some of the spotlight.
Please keep the reviews coming. I'll reply to each and every one of them, so pretty please with syrup and sprinkles on top. Please return your seat to an upright position and fasten your safety belts.
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Twenty-second Fragment ~ 'Forgiveness'
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Those assembled on the bus looked up as Logan slipped silently aboard. He said nothing, but made his way purposefully to Kurt, who was cradling a sleeping Robyn.
"Elf, we need to talk."
Kurt arched an eyebrow, and looked around at the others for support. "Can't we talk here?"
"I'd prefer it if we jawed in private."
Sighing, Kurt collected Robyn's blanket and passed her carefully over to Pietro. "You drop her and you're dead."
"Like I would," the speedster replied, leaning back so she'd fit onto his lap properly. He brushed a lock of damp hair from the little cat-girl's face, making her twitch. "Shhh, shhhh, Robyn. I'm here. Fuzzy, he's waiting for you."
Logan tapped his foot, and Kurt got wearily to his feet to follow him out of the door and around to the other side of the bus.
"Look, Elf," Logan started, as soon as they were out of earshot of the others, "I know y'think God Boy done ya wrong, but y'gotta put the past behind ya. For all our sakes."
Kurt snorted and folded his arms, a defiant light in his eyes. "He tried to *kill* Robyn - "
"No, he didn't. He *suggested* lettin' her go, 'cause she was in pain and there was nuthin' he could do for her. He's also just spent the last hour or so freezin' his ass off out there, questionin' all he ever believed in 'cause of it. Elf, I've seen a lotta people in my time. He was this close," Logan pinched his thumb and forefinger together in the air to demonstrate, "to not coming back to us tonight. And when I say that, I don't mean he was gonna just sit on those rocks for the rest of his days, neither."
"So what?"
"Kurt." Logan's voice was low, and Kurt sensed the seriousness in his tone. Logan *never* used real names unless something was well and truly wrong. "He was gonna kill himself. A few more inches and he would've been right over the edge. Said it himself - he got the know-how. If it weren't for Half-Pint and Rocky... I don't like to think what might've happened."
"How do you know? Did he *say* he wanted to top himself?"
"I just know. I seen too much in my life, kid. I recognise the look a man gets when he's considering takin' his own life. It was the same look Alvin had not twenty minutes ago. The only reason he's comin' back now is 'cause Kitty made him believe there was somethin' to keep living *for*."
"And what would that something be?"
"Same thing Chuck always lived for. A dream."
Kurt flinched. "That's low, bringing Herr Xavier into this."
"I'm on the level, Kurt. Alvin's been through a lot in his life. Did y'ever ask him where he came from before the X-Virus? Did y'ever ask him 'bout his family, or what happened to 'em? No? He's only human. Humans make mistakes, just like you or I do."
Again Kurt blanched, and turned his eyes towards the floor.
Logan nodded. "I know it's not somethin' I should throw in your face, but it's true. Y'forgave your Ma for what she did, didn't ya? And weren't you the one lecturin' Speedy 'bout forgiveness not so long ago?"
Kurt mumbled something inaudible.
"What was that?"
"I said; do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. I haven't thought about the Bible in a long time. It used to be a comfort."
"Maybe it can be again."
"Maybe." There was a short silence. "Logan, I... I know I talk big, but... but I - "
"I know, Kurt." Logan punched him gently on the shoulder in an almost fatherly way. "Just let Alvin know too, awright?"
Kurt gave a thin, watery smile. Yet it seemed forced, and when he left Logan still wasn't convinced.
*******************
Jane opened her eyes and smiled at her latest spiritual donor.
"Feeling better?" asked Erik. He ran his hand tenderly along her hair.
Jane nodded.
"What happened? Can you tell me?"
"She needed me," she said simply.
Erik sighed. A complete answer, yet completely useless. Patience and persistence were required to get information out of Jane. "Who did?"
"The girl. She was sad. She called for me."
"Do you know the girl?"
Jane shook her head.
"How do you know she needed you?"
"It's what she does. She's new. Almost as little as me."
A new mutant. "Can you tell me more, darling?"
"When she needs things, she can bring them."
Erik felt a chill invade his entire body. The power to teleport things that were needed... the applications of such a power sparked a multitude of thoughts as well as anxieties. Yet a young mutant would be weak, and perhaps sporadic in the activation of her power. "How old was the girl?"
Jane shrugged. "Maybe ten?"
Too young. Activation of the X-gene at that small age required artificial boosts - or desperate need. And using it at such magnitude would nearly kill her. Asteroid M to Earth was no easy feat, but to do it twice to send Jane back...
_*Why* do things have to be so *difficult*?_
"Did I do wrong?"
Dammit... it *hurt* every time she repeated her first complete sentence. "No, Jane. You didn't do wrong. I was just thinking sad things." He smiled and straightened up. "Do you want a piggyback to the kitchens?"
Jane grinned and held out her arms. Erik picked her up easily, transferring her small weight to his shoulders. Of such tiny pleasures, a little slice of heaven could be made. If only he could have managed the same thing with his own daughter...
*******************
She staggered out of the manmade desert and into yet another godforsaken ruin of a town, listening to the ramblings of the local populace. Listening for news and clues.
She got it.
There were a group of them, muttering to themselves and loitering by the side of the road. Human men, not much older than herself, but worn by the world to appear many years her senior.
They smiled when they saw her in her tattered, revealing clothes, drawing pocketed hands tighter over groins and sauntering forward. No doubt they mistook her for just another survivor, making a living the only way she could. God knows, there were enough of those sorts around.
She soon cured them of that notion, however, and sent them scurrying for their burrows and hovels with their proverbial tails between their legs. She might have killed them outright, if not for that fact that picking their brains was quite high on her agenda.
She caught one easily as he tried to flee, pinning him down with some unnatural force and standing over him as he trembled and swore. He knew nothing, so she let the inhuman bonds tighten until the tension in her shoulders abated and he lay crushed and broken in the dust, oozing pulpy red ichor.
Another shell for the crows to peck at, she mused, and moved on without a backwards glance.
The next man of that group she came across was better. He was rather rotund, and it was a simple matter of ensnaring his feet with a loop of her power. The adjustments and augmentations made to her abilities in the lab had served some purpose, at least.
She drew him close, demanding information, and was pleased when he talked of a boy, a mutant, who ran so fast that he was barely seen. He'd passed through another town some distance away, over the bridge, raiding it for supplies and streaking away before anybody got a good look at his face. Bad news travelled fast in these parts, if it travelled at all.
The human was so frightened that he gabbled at her, embellishing his story to new heights under her steely gaze. He spoke of a rumour he'd heard, of a whole bus full of people; colourful folk who could only be mutants. And when he said colourful, he meant it in the literal sense. There had been one who could change her shape, and had torn the innocent residents of another village to shreds as a monster because they stopped the bus and asked for supplies. Perhaps her kind? Not that she seemed like a monster, of course, Oh no, no, no, no, no...
There was another mutant, hereabouts, too. One who could control water, and bring out life-giving moisture where there was none. That little one was famous as the only non-hostile mutant to humans, and he'd recently taken to entertaining other children with watery creations that danced like flesh and blood. He'd lead her to him, of course, if she'd only let him go. He had a family, you see. A wife and young child, who looked surprisingly like....
In the end she had to shake him to slow down his speech, but went too far and broke his neck with the force. His body hit the ground with a faint 'floomph', and she sighed.
"Gone again. Is there nobody around here besides these petty humans?" A faint breeze caressed her cheek, and she turned into it. "Pietro. He could only have been talking about you. So, you *are* alive."
Yet more plans were already beginning to hatch in her fractured mind. She smiled to herself as scenario after scenario slid by, each more gruesome and glorious than the last.
However, something the human had said caused her to terminate that train of thought toute-de-suite and address a glitch she hadn't foreseen.
Pietro was with other mutants.
She was strong, stronger than before, but not strong enough to take on too many. Not without perishing before she could carry out her wishes, at least. She needed a way of separating Pietro from them; of getting him on his own and doing what she would without interference from his travelling companions. His... friends?
She gave a loud, barking laugh at that. Pietro? Friends? That little worm was no friend to anyone. Too busy looking after his own skin. No, he was probably just using whomever he was with to his own ends. No doubt as soon as they'd served their purpose he'd turn on them, just like he did her. He was like their father in that respect.
But still, how to do it? How to get him alone? Subtlety wasn't her style, but she was willing to explore every avenue if needs be.
After an hour of thinking, and giggling, and thinking some more, her plan was complete. It was ingenious, even without her madness.
Then she wandered around the settlement until she found him - the other mutant people had been talking about. The water baby. He was with a crowd of children, and a shimmering lizardine shape slunk around them on liquid wings, following the line his finger traced in the air.
He looked up at her approach, and smiled, pale sunlight glittering off the soft golden scales etching his cheeks. His hair was damp, and fell about his shoulder in smooth coils. He could only have been about twelve or so, but it was immediately clear that when he matured fully, this little one would be a handsome devil despite his visible mutation.
There was an aura of peace around him, and she was reminded momentarily of a concept she'd come across as a child, before being locked up. Zen. Letting life flow over you like a river.
_How deliciously ironic._
The children whined when the scaled boy rose, letting the water slosh back into a barrel by his side and ending their fun, but he waved a hand at them and called out to her merrily.
She realised with a jolt that he was selling his powers. The whore. Consorting with humans on a social level - and enjoying himself too, by the looks of it! He was young, innocent - stupid; and she walked up with a smile, letting him think she was just another human in want of a drink until it was too late.
The hex bolt hit him in the stomach; not powerful enough to rupture anything, but with enough potency to wind his little lungs. He fell over, the human children scattering like rats as the remnants of her power curled and fizzled in the air.
She stepped forward and grabbed, pulling him up by his tattered shirt. "Hello, little Water Baby," she cooed, stroking his copper hair almost lovingly. "My, my, aren't you the pretty one? What's your name?" He didn't answer, and she shook him a little, her voice sharpening. "Your name. What is it?"
"A... Ariel," he gasped after a moment.
"Hello there, Ariel. You're going to help me."
"W... why?" he asked, shocked and confused. "What do you want? If it's water you're after, I have plenty. I'll trade. There's no need for violence - "
"I don't want your water!" she snapped, and then dropped her voice. "I have a much bigger plan in mind for you. I need to be somewhere. And you're going to go with me willingly, aren't you?"
He squared his jaw. "Why should I?"
"Because if you do, then you can go home and swim with the birds and fishes, and if you don't, then you'll be moisture on the ground. Isn't that funny?" She laughed, loud and long and chilling.
Ariel's scales almost seemed to pale.
"And... and what if I don't want to help you?" he asked, a hint of rebellion in his tone.
Her eyes narrowed, and with her free hand she sent a burst of her power towards the barrel of water. It punched a hole in the side, and the contents emptied everywhere. Ariel's eyes grew round, and he emitted a small whimper.
"That."
Dragging him behind her, she searched for some transport. She found it in an abandoned car with the roof torn off. It was just about road worthy, but suffered from the inhibiting factor of no gas. There was none about, either, and the street around them had become quiet as death in the wake of her little performance.
In the end she gave up looking and tried giving the engine a few bursts of her Hex power. It started, much to her surprise and delight, and she let out a small whoop of joy.
"*Now* we're getting somewhere! Except for one little thing," she turned to Ariel, who was quivering where she held tightly onto the scruff of his neck. "I can't drive so good. Won't this be an adventure? My first time behind the wheel. Well, almost, but last time doesn't really count. I crashed it in the desert because I was reading. Big rock, then go boom! Such pretty flames, all yellow and bright. Burned up my lovely new book, though, which was bad."
Ariel swallowed, and said quickly, "I can."
"Excuse me?"
"I can drive. Trader Dan taught all of us, just in case our new owners had cars."
She screwed up her face. "Trader Dan? You were a slave or something, weren't you?"
He nodded.
"Well that'd explain this," she jabbed at the barcode tattoo on his cheek, then drew his face close to hers. "You aren't yanking my chain, are you? 'Cause if you are..." She left the threat hanging.
Ariel nodded, and then shook his head. Finally, he said hurriedly, "I'm not lying. I really can drive. Just... just tell me where to go, and I'll get us there."
She gave him a calculating look for a moment. "Okay, but no funny stuff. You try to fight me or get away, and I'll make you sorry you were born, bucko. Moving targets are no problem." She smiled, knowing it was not a nice smile.
Throwing him behind the wheel, she slid into the passenger seat. "Don't forget your seatbelt now!" she scolded, as she slipped on her own.
Confused by this small piece of pseudo concern, Ariel did as he was told. Then, at her command and direction, he put his foot on the pedal and drove off as fast as the car would take them.
She turned her face to the pummelling wind again and breathed deeply of the cool air that caught in her throat. _Pietro, darling. I'm on my way. I'm coming for you, brother dearest. And I'm going to make you bleed..._
*******************
When Kitty, Alvin and Lance returned to the bus, Kitty had regained custody of Hope and was cradling her with the baby's face in the hollow of her own neck. Lance stood beside her with a hand lightly on one arm, guiding her over what ground was unfamiliar.
He murmured when they reached the door of the bus, and she obediently stepped up, hesitantly searching the air with her foot. Lance bit down on his lip, but didn't try to speak, remembering what she'd said about wanting to do things for herself.
Alvin was a few dozen paces behind, and looked bedraggled and more miserable the closer they got to the vehicle. His bright expression had dimmed when he realised he would have to face Kurt, not knowing if his wrath was still in residence. The zealot's hair was plastered lankly to his forehead with nervous sweat. After all, Kurt could still kick him off this journey and find directions to the Goddess' Lands in one of his books.
He didn't talk to anyone as he returned to his beloved plants and started grooming them; trimming dead leaves and twigs with his fingernails - and his teeth where necessary - plucking out the seedlings of weeds that were parasitising their soil and so on. Rogue and Mystique, sitting a couple of seats back from the plants, tried to engage him into their conversation, but his answers were curt and didn't invite further questions.
Kurt came silently down the stairs from where he'd been tying up Clive and stood a little way behind Alvin. Rogue caught sight of him and suddenly silenced. Mystique continued talking for a few moments, then saw where Rogue was looking and hastily stopped as well.
Alvin didn't look up from where he was working, but surmised from the sharp cut in conversation who had come in. "I'm... sorry for what I said, Kurt. Is Robyn all right?"
Kurt stepped forward until he was standing just behind Alvin and to his side, just out of his field of vision. "Robyn is fine, now." He didn't want to torment Alvin by letting him know that Robyn had died, if only temporarily. "Alvin... I, uh," he cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for hitting you. Are you hurt?"
Alvin waved a hand dismissively. This normally airy gesture was infused with anomie. He tilted his neck slightly so Kurt could see his jaw where he had been hit. A large, ugly bruise - mostly purpled - had formed there. "Soft tissue damage only," he diagnosed.
Kurt nodded solemnly. He tried to start speaking, to tell Alvin he was forgiven. He managed to start the first syllable of all the different ways he'd planned to forgive him, running through them in his head. _'Alvin, I forgive you.' 'I know that you didn't mean any harm to Robyn, so I forgive you.' 'Robyn died, Alvin, but she's all right now, so everything's okay.' 'I don't care that you tried to fucking kill my sister, Alvin. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that you're a heartless bastard who deserves to - '_
Kurt cut off what he had been about to say with an angry expulsion of breath and stalked back upstairs, fur bristling slightly at both himself and the world at large.
In his wake, Rogue and Mystique's conversation edged tentatively back into the room.
Logan was waiting on the top floor, arms and brows both folded. "Didn't hear no forgivin' goin' on down there, Elf."
"I know," said Kurt, and sat down beside Pietro, taking Robyn from him and stroking her hair as she lay across his lap.
********************
Alvin bit his lip as he tended to the plants, he'd wanted more, of course. In his heart of heart's he'd wanted forgiveness. But it was still too early, and Kurt was still too angry.
He felt a presence by his shoulder, and turned to see a new person; a boy with a scabbard, of all things, tied to his waist. His jaw was set strongly, and on his breast Alvin noticed the distinctive symbol of Mutie Town. As an antithesis of his own encircled X pendant, it was a red helmet.
"Hello?" he said warily.
The boy only tilted his chin, something defiant in eyes Alvin got the feeling would have been soft and warm in another world. "I've heard about what you did," he spat. "I heard you tried to kill that mutant girl with your stupid plants. Those here want you to stay, and I'll respect that decision. It's their bus, after all. But watch it, flatscan. Watch your back, and watch what you say. I wouldn't want anything... nasty to happen."
With this, he stalked off, a fighter's bearing evident in the way he carried himself. This was someone trained in combat and obviously able to take care of himself.
Alvin sighed, and he felt the engine judder into life as Logan sat down and twisted the exposed wires. The bus was starting off again.
"Well. What was *that* about?" asked Rogue after a moment.
"That young man," Alvin explained wearily, "is a Jamie. Part of the Mutie-Town scouting and protection force. He's a mutant who had some... difficulties with a human mob, resulting in his current condition."
"Condition?" Mystique echoed, frowning.
"We know who he is," said Rogue. "Pietro brought him back here a while ago. Uh, is somethin' up with these Mutie Town guys? He wasn't exactly actin' very friendly to you."
Alvin gave another sigh. "They're not... bad folk," he began. "My people and his... we respect each other. Or tolerate each other, at least. We both love and respect mutants, we both have mutants as leaders. It is in regarding normal humans - flatscans - that we come into conflict. The Goddess believes in a non-violent approach, and thinks that in this world it is possible for humans and mutants to live together, in peace. The people of Mutie Town, on the other hand, believe the opposite. It's not that they're violent by nature, but all of them have lost much to humans, so they're not exactly averse to it, either. They believe in pooling their forces in advance for a counter attack, so they're defensive and cagey. They think that one day their messiah, the 'Lord of the Earth', will one day come down from the sky and help them wipe out the remainder of the human race, leaving mutants the only survivors."
"Lord of the Earth?" Kitty repeated, unintentionally eavesdropping but unable to hold her tongue at this. "That sounds like something your prophecies might call Lance. He has power of the earth, after all."
Lance blinked. "Me, a messiah?" His chest puffed out a little. "Well, who would've thunk it?"
"Uh, actually, he goes by many names," said Alvin.
Lance deflated. "Oh."
Alvin went on, listing off the purported Lord's names and titles on his fingers. "Master of Metal, Lord of Earth, Master of Magnetism - the most basic is simply 'Magneto'. They say he has a normal name as well, like you or I, but I'm not sure what it is - "
"Magneto, y'say?" called the gruff voice of Logan from up front.
As one, they all turned.
"Yes, do you know of him?"
Logan shrugged, not taking his eyes off what passed for road. "Sort of. Back before all this went down, Chuck - Professor Xavier, to you - warned me 'bout him. Even back then he had some big crusade 'gainst Humanity. Part of the reason why we trained those kids at the Institute so hard was that we could be prepared for him when he came." He sighed and shook his head. "Looks like he was the least of our troubles, huh?"
*******************
To Be Continued...
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