Notes: This chapter ran long, so I had to split it. Some of the events I described in the last chapter won't take place until the next one. Sorry!

Chapter 18: Enter the Sinister

Magneto dialed the number and waited. The phone rang only once before being answered.

"Magnus," said a rich, cultured voice. "So good to hear from you again. I trust little Anya is once again among the living?"

"In a manner of speaking, Essex. There have been some…complications."

"Oh? Such as?" he asked, amusement in his tone.

"Pietro interrupted the revival process. I don't believe it was completed."

"Has Anya grown into her little disappearing act yet?"

Magneto froze. "You KNEW about that?!"

"Oh, of course I did, Magnus. It seems to me that Anya has been restored exactly as I planned."

"What have you done to my daughter, Essex?!" Magneto roared into the phone.

"Nothing your heart didn't already desire. Seeing as how the rest of your children have been blessed with certain gifts, I assumed you would want the same for your beloved Anya. Her restoration, however, has exceeded my wildest expectations. At first, I assumed my monitors were wrong. Now, I see that your daughter has improved upon even my advanced design. So long as she has a mutant's genetic material to consume, she will never die. You will never have to lose her again, Magnus. Is that not what you wanted?"

"I asked you to restore my daughter's body," Magneto said heatedly. "I said NOTHING about improving on it!"

"You might say I took a bit of creative license there. My advice is to keep her well fed. She should only need one mutant per month. It may sound excessive, but trust me, there are plenty of mutants this world would be better off without. In fact, if you ever need help finding them, for a small fee, I might even be convinced to deliver them in person."

"This isn't over between us, Essex," Magneto growled. "You can be assured of that."

"Do take good care of Anya, Magnus," Essex replied, ignoring the threat. "After all, she's my daughter, too…now." He laughed cruelly into the phone before hanging up.

Jean was honestly doing her best not to listen to the conversation. She figured that was the reason the girls were talking so quietly, and in the backseat of the van, no less. But then, the eavesdropping wasn't entirely her fault. Ever since Rachel had gazed into Franklin's mirror, there had been this odd connection between them. It had started the very moment Rachel reacted to whatever the mirror shown her. The girl had reached out, instinctively, for comfort and protection.

So Jean had been more than a little surprised when she'd felt Rachel's arms squeezing her leg, but she hadn't said anything, for fear of driving the girl away again. She wasn't entirely sure that Rachel herself was aware of having done that, but if anyone else in the room had noticed, it would've been Nate. The bond between he and Rachel was just too strong for him not to. Yet, he hadn't said anything, either. Jean couldn't decide if that was jealousy or acceptance, but she hoped it was the latter. If she had to compete with Nate for Rachel's affections, she had a feeling she was fighting a losing battle.

All the same, she wished Storm and the boys would hurry up. Jean threw another desperate glance towards the convenience store, wondering if Nate was carrying out his threat to buy bourbon for Remy. All the while, her slight but definitely existent connection to Rachel was picking up all of the hushed conversation. As she had no idea who created it, Jean had no control over the link, and so she couldn't disconnect it.

"You have a psychic link with Nate? When did that happen?" Illyana asked.

"A while ago," Rachel said, frowning at the odd Rubix Cube that Franklin had given her. It actually did seem impossible, for some reason, but she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"How come I didn't know about it?"

"I guess I never thought to mention it."

"No, I mean, why didn't I KNOW about it?" Illyana said, tapping her forehead. "I've got one, too."

"Oh." Rachel blinked and stared at her friend for a few seconds. "I see. You've only got a Level 2."

"Huh?"

"It means you don't know everything that Nate does. Your link is limited."

"And yours isn't?" Illyana pressed, sounding a little jealous.

"Yes and no." She glared at the Rubix Cube and surrendered it to Illyana. "Level 1 is commands. That's where you use a one-way link to make somebody do something. Most of them are temporary, operated by a certain condition being met, or a trigger. For example, if I really wanted to, I could make Bobby drop his pants every time he heard the word 'rutabaga'. Or if I made Jubilee promise to keep a secret, and she didn't, every time she blabbed, I could make her sing 'I'm A Little Teapot'."

"So what's Level 2?"

"That's what you have now. It's a two-way, so thoughts can pass back and forth. There, the telepath doesn't have to be the dominant half of the link, like with Level 1."

"So why didn't Nate make ours a Level 3?" Illyana muttered, pouting a bit.

"You don't get it, Yana. Level 3 is a continuous, constant psychic rapport. No secrets; you share everything. If you think or feel it, the other person knows it. You wouldn't have been able to hide your transformation if you'd had that. Now do you see why Nate limited your link? He wanted you to have some privacy."

"So you two share EVERYTHING?" Illyana asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah. I don't have anything to hide, and I guess he doesn't either. Not from each other, anyway. Usually people with Level 3 links are either married or blood relatives. It's usually not a good idea for your basic friendships. But it is a good way to find out just how close two people are."

At that moment, the side door slid open, and Nate climbed into the van with a suspicious looking brown bag under one arm. He caught Jean looking at him, flashed her a big grin, and moved to the end of the seat so Piotr could climb in after him.

Storm slid into the passenger's seat, looking a little flushed, as if she'd been shouting recently.

"He didn't buy the bourbon, did he?" Jean asked with her mind, knowing full well that Nate could hear every word.

Storm frowned and glared straight ahead. "As he so eloquently put it, Jean, 'Chief Snorting Bull's Black Bayou Firewater is not technically bourbon in the traditional sense,' and I was forced to agree."

"And you let him buy it?" Jean pressed in surprise.

The woman's face tightened noticeably. "I was persuaded," Storm replied curtly.

Jean's face turned bright red as the full content of Nate's persuasion technique was revealed to her by Storm's embarrassed thoughts. "Oh, Ororo," she gasped mentally, stifling laughter. "A foot rub?"

"Jubilee assured me it was worth the initial embarrassment. Apparently, he's quite skilled. Something about using his powers to find exactly what each client needs."

Jean smirked. "And what, pray tell, is it that you need?"

Storm's eyes flashed white. "A friend who can keep her mouth shut."

Charles Xavier, for some reason that he could not immediately discern, was not alarmed when the security system detected an intruder in the mansion. Instead, he made his way directly to the front door, placing his wheelchair so that it was impossible to exit without moving him first.

Mere seconds later, a speedy blur came to a screeching halt in front of Xavier, resolving itself into an out of breath and disheveled young man.

"Pietro," the Professor said calmly. "How long has it been?"

"I got no time for chatting, old man!" Pietro snapped, his eyes shifting rapidly around the front hall for other means of escape.

"I assume your decidedly non-aggressive presence here indicates you are no longer allied with your father."

"Yeah, so?"

"Then you are also aware that he has deactivated the device in the base of your neck that would normally shield you almost entirely from my powers?"

Pietro's eyes shifted back to the Professor now, a wary look in them. "Yeah," he said slowly.

"Then, being the rapid thinker I know you to be, you must have naturally concluded that trying to run from me would be fruitless, as the message that would normally travel instantly from your brain would never reach those talented feet of yours."

Fixing the man with a glare, Pietro grunted. "What do you want?"

"I believe I should be asking you that," Xavier returned smoothly.

"Look, I just did you a favor! I didn't have to enter the coordinates of my father's base into your computer, but I did!"

"So that's what you were up to. I'm guessing we might also find Wanda there?"

Pietro nodded. "Her and a new Brotherhood. And you'll wanna be real careful. Something tells me my father is no longer playing with a full deck. I'm starting to wonder if he ever was."

"Your father is not insane, Pietro. Merely disillusioned."

"Tell it to Anya when you see her," he replied, bolting the instant Xavier released his body from telepathic control.

For a long moment, the Professor stared after the boy, pondering. Then, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he shook his head. "Erik, my old friend. What in God's name have you done this time?"

The irony of the situation was not lost on Kitty Pryde, despite her troubles. She was, quite literally a Kat stuck up a tree. Well, she wasn't stuck exactly, but she had no immediate desire to climb down, either. By her watch, she'd been there almost six hours, waiting for something and nothing all at once. She'd wanted to go back to Xavier's, of course, but she was afraid of what might happen if she left Wanda behind. Magneto might move his entire operation while she was gone, and it might be impossible to pick up his trail again. A man with so many mutant trackers had to know how to cover his own tracks.

Kitty was just beginning to doze off when she heard what sounded like a soft panting. Tensing up, she looked down to see a good-sized bloodhound staring up at her with watery eyes. Probably he'd gotten separated from a hunter, but Kitty was far too distracted at the moment to think it over further. She didn't want to get regular humans involved in this mess, they were too unpredictable for her tastes.

"Shoo!" Kitty whispered, waving the dog away. "I don't need to be found! Go chase a fox or something!" She glanced around nervously, hoping no one had heard her. She was even considering phasing in hopes that it would fool the dog and keep her from being spotted by anyone else, but what happened next rendered that unnecessary.

She'd only taken her eyes off of the dog for a few seconds, but when she looked back down, there was a Wendigo staring up at her.

"Musty?!" she squealed, surprising herself as she scrambled down the tree and leaped into the shape-shifter's furry arms. Kitty had never been a big fan of Musty (or his stench), and really only put up with him for the sake of being polite. But at the moment, she was so glad to see anyone that she recognized. And chances were, the Professor wouldn't just let Musty wander this far from the school all alone, which meant…

Sure enough, Mr. Logan appeared in the next few seconds, followed by a small group of students. Kitty latched onto him, too, without thinking, and suspected the only reason she wasn't pushed away was because he was honestly glad to see her safe.

"You hurt, kid?" he asked, ignoring the way she bristled at being called that.

"No, but-"

"Wanda not wit you?" Remy interrupted, glancing around the clearing.

Kitty shook her head. "Magneto still has her."

"Show us where," Logan said at once.

"What? NO!" Kitty cried, startling them all. "You can't go there! She'll EAT you!!!"

"…who?" Logan asked.

"That girl, Anya! She eats mutants whole! You can't go down there, Mr. Logan, you just CAN'T!"

"Whoa, slow down, kid. You saw a girl eat a mutant?"

"Remember the guy that grabbed us? Omega Red? She ate him!"

"Sounds like she did ya a favor, then."

"But she's Magneto's daughter! And she was DEAD yesterday! Magneto made Wanda bring her back to life! He used this machine to drain her powers, and then it-"

"When de last time she ate?" Remy asked sharply.

"I don't know, I just saw her do it the one time. It's not something I WANTED to see again. Why would that matter?"

Remy checked something on his arm that looked like a watch. "Tracker still working. Dat mean Wanda's blood still pumping, and she still alive. But Remy not about to let her be dinner."

"Oh, Anya wouldn't eat Wanda," Kitty replied, getting several looks. "I don't know, she likes her. Maybe she can sense they're sisters. Or she's grateful for Wanda bringing her back to life. Maybe both."

"And she can eat mutants," Logan said slowly.

"Yes. But you're not going down there, right?" Kitty asked hopefully. "I mean, Wanda's not really in danger, she said Magneto wouldn't hurt her…" Actually, Wanda had said that Magneto wouldn't hurt Kitty, but they didn't need to know that. Whatever kept them from charging straight into Anya's mouth seemed like a good idea at the time.

Wanda was starting to worry a great deal about her sanity.

Just last night, she'd raised her half-sister from the dead. But afterwards, she hadn't even considered Anya human, much less related. And that was the real problem: the more time she spent with the girl, the more Wanda started to think of her as an actual person and relative.

Of course, what Anya had done to Omega Red was never far from her (or anyone else's) mind, but it was easy to forget momentarily, just by looking at the little girl. Anya was very well-behaved, doing everything her father asked of her. At this point, all he'd really asked was that she keep her appetite under control.

But all the exposure to Anya also helped Wanda to see more faults in her work. Anya was totally incapable of speech. Anytime she tried, there was a horrid hissing noise, as if there was a dying snake caught in her throat.

There was also a certain awareness in Anya that unnerved Wanda to no end. It was not telepathy, since Wanda had plenty of experience with that. All the same, she censored her thoughts around and about Anya as best she could. And, as if returning the favor, Anya stopped trying to speak after three failed attempts. Unfortunately, this also meant that she expressed herself more and more by taking Wanda's hands in her own, or laying her head in Wanda's lap, and even insisting on sleeping with Wanda.

At first, it had been hard not to pity Anya's sad excuse for an afterlife. Now, it was even more difficult not to love her for her unshakable loyalty. Magneto had tried only once to pry Anya from her half-sister. All things considered, Wanda thought he got off easy with a glare that lasted only three seconds. But afterwards, Anya was just as sweet to him as she had always been, and even Magneto wasn't too proud to realize he'd just been spared. There was one comfort, though: Wanda suspected that Anya was more loyal to her than she was to their father, and that might be the one thing that saved them both in the end.

For Wanda had forgotten all about escaping by herself. She couldn't possibly leave Anya with Magneto. Whether he realized or not, he was using her. She didn't deserve that kind of life, especially not the second time around. If Uncle Chuck had a problem with Anya, well…there were other safe havens for mutants, of that Wanda was certain. And the irony that she was trying to escape from one was not lost on her.

As powerful as both sisters were, though, escaping Magento's grasp never had been and never would be an easy feat. His love for Anya was of the desperate and needy kind, and there was little doubt in Wanda's mind that he would kill to keep her. It was fortunate that Anya didn't quite feel the same way, but that alone was not enough. They would not escape without help, but Wanda didn't dare try to summon her friends with a telepathic message. Caliban would sense them coming at the very least, and Deadpool would just pick them off one by one. And then there was that woman in violet, with eyes that could look straight through you. Wanda had no idea what her mutant power might be, but she had a strong feeling she wouldn't want to find out in a fight.

"Jean, take the next left."

The voice spoke in Jean's head so suddenly, she almost didn't recognize it as Nate's. "What? Why?"

"Someone just told me where Wanda is."

She shot him a glance from the driver's seat. "Even if they did, what makes you think we can rescue her? Magneto will be expecting something like this. He might have even had the message sent."

"He won't be expecting me or Rachel," Nate replied confidently. "He doesn't even know we exist."

"And I'd like very much to keep it that way, Nate. You don't know what kind of man Magneto is."

"I know he's the kind of man that Wanda doesn't like being held prisoner by, and that's enough for me. Either you take the next left, or Rachel and I take it by ourselves."

Jean stopped the van, all pretenses of keeping the conversation a mental one forgotten. "Nate, walking blindly into danger yourself is one thing, but I will NOT allow you to drag Rachel into it, too!"

"It was my idea," Rachel pointed out helpfully.

Jean ignored her. "No one is going anywhere! You have no idea what you're dealing with here!"

"I was about to tell you the same thing, Dr. Grey," Rachel replied, right before she vanished into thin air.

Nate glanced at her empty seat, and then shrugged helplessly. "Well, I can't let her wander off by herself. It'd be irresponsible."

"NATE!" Jean shouted as he vanished, too.

"They'll be home by dinner," Illyana said after a long moment. "But Rachel says you should cook slow."

"There are mutants coming," Caliban said, closing his eyes. "Caliban thinks they will try to take Sister-Wanda."

"Oh, good," Deadpool said eagerly, checking the sights on his rifle. "Finally, some action!"

"So Charles has sent his pawns in again," Magneto sighed. "It's unfortunate that Anya had to get rid of Omega Red."

"Speaking of which, I get his pay by default, right?" Deadpool added.

Magneto ignored the mercenary as he donned his helmet. "You two, come with me. This shouldn't take long."

"Hey, how come you're leaving your lady friend behind?"

"She has something much more important to attend to."

Nate let loose the deep breath he'd been holding as he appeared in the underground cavern. "Thanks for showing me how you 'port, Rach. My way was wasting way too much energy."

"Frankie taught me," Rachel replied. "But how'd you know where to go?"

"Like I told Jean, someone just popped into my head and told me where Wanda was."

"Is it someone we can trust?"

"Probably not. But it's someone who told us the truth; Wanda is here."

"So is something else," Rachel said with a frown. "Something…dark. I don't like it."

"I like it even less. It's with Wanda."

"We better hurry, then." Rachel made a slight motion with her hand, and her body took on a fiery glow.

"How did you…?"

"Tell you later," she said with a little smile, taking his hand and leading him further into the tunnel. "C'mon, this way."

It wasn't long before they came to a tall, steel door.

"They're both in here," Rachel muttered. "I'll get it open."

Before she could, though, the door opened by itself.

"Hey, guys," Wanda said from where she was sitting. "You get kidnapped, too?"

"Nah, we're on rescue detail," Rachel answered. "You okay?"

"A little shaken up, but yeah. How'd you find me?"

"That was my doing," said a voice behind them.

Nate turned, his eyes narrowing as a hooded figure slipped out of the shadows. "You're the one who contacted me."

"Yes. And you came, without having the slightest clue who I was. That was very brave, but foolish."

"When you're as powerful as us, it's not hard to be brave."

"Power is one thing," the woman whispered. "Skill is quite another. I, for example, am quite skilled. Anya, however, is pure power personified."

Rachel suddenly felt a hand on her arm, so she glanced over her shoulder and screamed. "NATE!"

Anya smiled as dark spots began to pepper the air around Rachel.

Nate glared at the little girl. "What do you want?"

The woman smiled slightly. "Assistance, and nothing more."

"Fine, I'll help. Just leave Rachel alone."

"Your first mistake," the woman sighed, "was assuming it was your help I needed." With that, her fist flared violet, and she slammed it into the back of his head.

Nate's eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed to the floor, the base of his neck smoking.

"What did you do to him?!" Rachel cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Nothing a few days of rest won't cure," the woman replied. "Now be a good girl and come here."

Rachel hesitantly walked over to her. "He said we'd help! Just tell me what you want!"

"I have, and you are. Take another look at your friend."

Rachel did so, and was shocked to see that Nate was getting to his feet. "Nate…?"

"No," he said, his left eye blazing with telekinetic fire, "not even close."

"You're the other one," she said slowly. "The one deep inside…"

"You're one to talk," he said with an amused smirk. He raised his eyes to the woman. "Do you want to, or should I?" he asked, sensing her intentions in a heartbeat.

"Surrender to the sweet embrace of nothingness, Rachel." The woman pressed her glowing fist against Rachel's neck as well.

Instead of falling as Nate did, though, Rachel's eyes merely widened into a permanently surprised stare.

"She must have been closer to the surface than I was," the other Nate remarked. "Welcome to the world, Phoenix."

"Scatter!" Logan shouted needlessly as automatic gunfire sprayed the room. Gambit had already grabbed Marrow and ducked out of sight, while Musty took the shape of black puma and easily melted into the darkness. Ernie (now as the hulking monster Hemingway) was far too big to even consider hiding, so it was fortunate that his thick, bony hide made the bullets feel like mosquito bites. He strode forward, seeking to disable their attacker before anyone got hurt.

What he found was a man in a red and black costume, carrying what seemed to be a portable armory on his back.

"Well, you're a big fella," the man remarked, looking him up and down. "But I bet even you can't ignore this." With that, he dropped his gun, pulled what looked like a shotgun out of his pack, and squeezed the trigger.

There was an odd humming noise, and then Hemingway roared in pain as he staggered back, his body writhing in intense pain as it began to shrink in on itself. In a matter of seconds, he was Ernie again, curling up tightly in the fetal position as the man advanced on him with the gun.

"Huh. This anti-mutant weaponry of yours really works," the man commented, lowering the gun.

"So it would seem, Wilson," Magneto replied as he stepped into the cavern. "Ironic that such technology operates on the same principles as Cerebro, but necessary all the same. Now, to deal with his friends." The Master of Magnetism made a slight motion with his hands, and all of Ernie's hidden friends immediately walked out into the open.

"I can't control myself!" Marrow cried, gritting her teeth.

"For future reference," Magneto said calmly, "very few humans have no iron in their bodies. Mutants are rarely the exception. In short, you are all at my mercy…what there is of it."

"Where's Wanda?" Logan growled.

"Safe," Magneto replied simply, raising an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe you have come here solely to retrieve her?"

"Why not? Ain't that why you attacked Xavier's?" Logan snarled at him.

He smiled. "Clever, Logan. I suppose it is possible, then. Not likely, but possible. Unfortunately, Wanda is indefinitely occupied. I will permit you to leave with your lives, if you do so now."

"Not without the girl, Mags," Logan replied firmly.

"She is my daughter," Magneto said coldly.

Logan shook his head. "Only biologically. Truth is, she never would've come on her own, so you had to kidnap her, right? She practically told as much on day one."

"Our situation has changed. You have my word that no harm will come to Wanda while she is in my care. Now leave, before I am tempted to do something that my daughter will resent me for."

"What we do now?" Gambit whispered.

Logan frowned. "No choice, kid. He's got us in a stalemate. Can't move no further than he'll let us." He glared at Magneto and raised his voice. "We leave on one condition. You call Xavier's in two hours. Let 'em see and speak to Wanda alone. Otherwise, we'll be back."

Magneto smirked, obviously not considering that a real threat. "Very well. I suppose she has at least earned phone privileges. Oh, and if you see my son, tell him that all is forgiven." With that, Magneto sent them away (with Deadpool and Caliban as an escort) and went to check on his girls.

What he found was an empty bedroom and a note.

"Dear Erik,

I am truly sorry.

You are obviously no longer the same man I once knew.

I, unfortunately, am the same as I have always been: a traitor.

The girls are safe. Don't bother looking for us.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth"

"This day is yours, my Lady Mandarin," Magneto whispered, his eyes blazing with fury, "but vengeance is mine…"

Endnotes:

I decided to provide more examples of Rachel's Link Levels (I made up the levels, not the examples).

Level 1 – Nate installing a telepathic command into a Marauder that would make his head explode under certain conditions. (I dunno which issue of X-Man it was, been a while)

Level 2 – The link Psylocke had with Wolverine, generally mentioned in passing.

Level 3 – The rapport Jean established with Scott early in their relationship.

Next Chapter: The Psychics Three

Who are Phoenix, Psylocke, and Wraith, and what are their plans for the daughters of Magnus?