It's a mutantfull life
By Todd Fan
Disclaimer: "I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed"
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Want to know something odd and disturbing? I learned today that my eleven year old brother has a collection of tissues with dried blood on them in his room....the scary thing is, some of them aren't even HIS blood.......I am starting to worry about my genetic line 0o
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Chapter 4 - Dark Purposes
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"Mystique's leadin' the X-Men?!!!!"
Percy arched a brow.
"You know, however many times you say it, nothing will change the fact that it's true".
Todd blinked, turning to look at Percy.
"But.....but HOW?!!!", he asked.
"In your world, when Mystique released the Juggernaut onto his brother, the X-Men and Brotherhood combined their gifts to save him", he said, "without you there to lift the helmet from his head when you did....I am afraid to say that Xavier did not make it"
"Juggernaut killed him?", squeaked Todd.
"Yes", said Percy grimly, "Mystique was lucky to survive herself, she decided to take over the X-Men, especially considering Storm and Logan were already....indisposed"
"What do you mean?", frowned Todd.
"I will show you", said Percy, walking through another porthole.
"Wait, what about Rogue?", started Todd, but it was too late, they were already somewhere else.
He looked around his new surroundings.He was in a large building, mostly made up of metal. The sound of a waterfall could be heard from outside.
"Where are we?", he asked.
"Falls Edge", replied Percy with a shrug. (1)
Todd blinked.
"Pardon?"
"This is a government sanctioned building", explained Percy, "for a government sanctioned team of mutants"
Todd sneered.
"The government have mutants workin' for them?", he said, "that's hardly likely, unless they're using the mutants for target practise".
"Actually, they use the mutants to hunt down other mutants", said Percy, "to control ones out of control, mostly"
"Usin' mutants against their own?", said Todd, wide-eyed, "that's disgustin'! What sorta mutants would be race traitors?!".
"They aren't really 'race traitors'", sighed Percy.
"An' you're tellin' me that Logan an' Storm are a part of this?"
"Among others", said Percy with a grim nod, gesturing for Todd to follow him.
They walked through the metalic, almost clinical corridors, before finally making it into a large metal room. Inside were a few couches, rugs a pool table, and a TV set, but they didn't make the place look any more homely. In fact, it looked like the rec room of a prison. Logan was playing a game of pool with, of all people, Alex Summers. Rahne Sinclair was seated on the couch, watching TV with Roberto Da Costa.
"You see", sighed Percy, "when mutants are captured by this team, they are given a choice: Imprisonment, or joining the team".
Todd crossed his arms.
"Some choice", he muttered.
Percy sighed.
"It is compared to the prison".
Todd blinked, finding himself in another area of the building. The only reason he knew he was in the same building was because he could still hear the sound of that waterfall, otherwise, he wouldn't of had a clue. The area they were in now was dark, wet and smelly. It was still made of metal, but unlike the rest of the building, it had no windows, no heating, nothing but bare, metal walls. The only light came from a few blinking lightbulbs overhead. Percy silently led Todd through the corridor. They soon passed the tiny areas which he supposed were 'cells'. Todd thought a more appropriate word for them would have been 'glass boxes'. In one was Juggernaut, trapped in a vat of green liquid, his helmetless head hung low and lifeless.
"The X-Men caught him after Xavier's death", explained Percy, "he was thrown into there and never bothered with again....to be honst, I think his life support died off months ago, no one is bothering to get rid of him".
Percy gave the slightest of shudders.
"They like to use him as...an example".
Todd frowned as they passed the cell. He didn't really like Cain Marko that much, considering the guy was obessed with destruction and nothing else. He silently followed Percy onto the next cell, only vaguely recognising its occupant. The young man inside was around seventeen years of age, he had tidy blonde hair and sharp blue eyes....He didn't LOOK like a criminal, on the contary, he looked like a terrified teenager who'd been thrown into a cell by accident.
"I know him", said Todd quietly, then frowned, "I just...can't remember where"
"You've never met him, personally", said Percy, "but his features should be familiar to you. This is the son of Charles Xavier, one David Haller"
"Xavier has a kid?", blinked Todd, "there's a suprise"
He paused.
"Why is he in there?".
Percy sighed, shaking his head.
"Xavier was not aware of his son", he said, "his ex-wife, for her own reasons, chose not to tell him. David grew a little...bitter. When his powers manifested, he couldn't take the emotional strain, so he developed a multiple personality...."
As Percy spoke, David frowned, cleching his fists, his features changed slightly. His hair became wild an unruly, his eyes gre cold and hard, his clothes took on a much more gothic air.
"Let me OUT!", he snarled in a heavy Scottish accent, waving his hands at the glass cell wall. There was a telekentic humm and the glass shook, then stopped.
"THAT is the reason he is locked in here", said Percy, "Lucas is a much more...violent personality".
Lucas gave a frustrated cry, morphing once more, this time into a young boy of only around twelve. The youngster closed his eyes, a raging fire forming around him, before hurling itself as the cell wall. When the inferno cleared, the glass was bearly singed.
"And that's Ian, the other personality", said Percy, "very naieve, he follows Lucas completely. There people stuggling to live in one body...no wonder Lucas attacked Muir Island". (2)
Ian shook his head sadly, morphing back into David.
"I just want to go home", he whispered quietly, his own accent American.
Suddenly, a shaft of lightening slid across the ceiling, crashing down onto him, making him cry in pain, sinking to his knees. Ororo Munroe...or whom Todd ASSUMED was Ororo stepped out of the shadows. She looked nothing litke the woman he knew as Storm. She was dressed in leather, her white hair in a mohawk. (3)
"I'm SICK of telling you, Legion", she hissed, "your powers won't work against that glass. They can only pass through it when discharged from the outside"
Her lips curled into a sneer.
"Handy for controling scum like you".
"What happened ta HER?", said Todd, blinking in shock at a woman his once thought as serenity incarnate.
"After the Professor died and Mystique took over, Storm grew very....angry", said Percy softly, "her nephew joined the Morlocks, she lost her mentor....she didn't want to be part of the Xavier Institute anymore. So, she joined this horrid place. Being stuck in the company of less than...nice individuals soon rubbed off on her".
"Storm, what have I told you about zapping the prisoners?"
Todd's jaw dropped as he saw the speaker stride out of the shadows. The shock of silver-white hair, the angled face, the fast speech...
"Pietro?", Todd frowned, "why is Pietro workin' here?"
"No Brotherhood, remember?", said Percy, "he is the field leader, actually".
"Magneto wouldn't like that", whistled Todd.
"Magneto is one of the mutants he's trying to hunt down", said Percy.
"Get serious", said Todd with a snort, "Pie's been nothin' but Magsie's little lap dog".
"After an incident with his sister, Pietro decided to abandon his father...and bring him to justice", said Percy.
Todd paled.
"Wanda?", he whispered, "what happened ta Wanda?".
"Listen to THIS first", implored Percy.
Todd snarled, grabbing Percy by his shirt front.
"What. Happened. Ta. Wanda?"
Percy just blinked at him, before gesturing at Pietro.
"There is something you need to hear first".
Todd frowned, dropping Percy, looking at Pietro and Storm.
"Oh, stop whining, Quicksilver", said Storm, rolling her eyes, "it's not like he's going anywhere. Besides, he doesn't deserve good treatment, he killed alot of people. Destiny, Cannonball, Jubilee, Blob".
Todd's scowl quickly faded.
"Freddy's dead?", he whispered numbly.
Percy nodded solemly.
"In this world, yes", he said, "now, we can see Wanda".
Todd could only nod silently as the scene around them fuzzed as it transformed.
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(1) - Falls Edge was one of the many bases which X-Factor used, mostly by Forge's team.
(2) - Muir Island is another area used in the X-Books, quite often, in fact. Home of Moria McTaggert and the mutant research centre.
(3) - Storm did indeed have this look once. She sported it for quite some time before and after she lost her powers, when she was...errr..a little depressed/angry.
Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Ahem, sorry. Boy, such darkness, eh? I've just realised how short this fic actually is, I have around two chapters left, not counting this one. Anyway, next up, Wanda! Do review. Until next time....