Tears of the Innocents Chapter Seven: Magneto's Legacy, a x-men: the movie fanfic

"Another terrorist attack?" said Wolverine. "I don't believe this!"

"Believe what?" said Rogue, who was passing.

"It was on the news. Terrorists tried to set off a bomb at Heathrow Airport in England."

Her eyes widened, "What happened? Were they caught? Who were they?"

"Seems they were part of a radical faction of the IRA," said Oculus. "Irish terrorists."

"Yeah, I know who they are. What happened?"

Cyclops answered, "Security forces got to them in time, but it seems mutants were involved."

"Mutants? Who?"

"I dunno. Hey, wait a minute – isn't that where Dominic is right now?"

"I think so."

"Maybe they can tell us more about it."

Oculus frowned, "Do you think there's a connection between this and yesterday's attack in New York?"

"I doubt it. The guys from yesterday were Middle Eastern. Do they normally associate with the IRA?"

"Not that I know of, but two terrorist attacks in two days? There's got to be a connection."

The others shrugged. At that moment the door opened and Iceman entered.

"Helios just called," he said. "That terror attack in England? He was there. He and that girl Cassandra. They helped stop the attack."

"They were there?" said Oculus. "That's definitely too much coincidence. Two terror attacks in two days, and on each occasion we happen to have somebody there to stop a disaster from happening?"

"It could just be coincidence," Cyclops countered. "I mean, one of the biggest shopping districts in New York, and the biggest airport in the UK. Prime targets for terrorists, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, but our people being there each time…"

Wolverine snorted, "Helios might be one of ours, but the others certainly aren't. You know what I think? Pyro's got his finger in this somewhere."

"No," said Rogue, shaking her head.

"Well, think about it. Like Oculus just said, two terror attacks, two days. And each time Pyro's people are there. He's in this up to his neck. I don't know what he's trying to accomplish, but he must be up to something."

"No way," Rogue said once more. "Logan, I know you don't trust him, but Pyro would never put Alexandra in danger. You saw how he reacted when he thought she was dead. He loves that kid more than anything."

"Yeah, right. What about all the times before when he put her in battle against us?"

"I think their relationship was different back then," she said. "Besides, Neil, you can read Pyro's mind. Does he have anything to do with this?"

Oculus raised his eyebrows slightly, "I don't think he does, no. But reading Pyro's mind isn't easy. He's obviously learned enough from Magneto to be able to mask his thoughts to some extent. It's possible he could hide something from me if he was trying hard enough."

Then he went on, "Listen, I'm convinced these two attacks are connected in some way. Maybe some terror groups are colluding together to maximise the impact of their actions. I think we should be prepared for more attacks like these."

Iceman broke in at that point, "Helios says he found something important too, a badge or something one of the terrorists was wearing. He's scanned some images and sent them to us. I haven't had a chance to take a look yet."

"Let's check them out," Cyclops said.

The small group followed Iceman to his office where he had downloaded the images on to his computer. He loaded them up on screen. The largest image showed a metallic badge, circular and about four inches in diameter, with words engraved into an otherwise dull grey background. The words read: MUTANT FREEDOM.

"Mutant freedom?" said Wolverine. "All right, what more proof do we need? This is definitely Pyro's work."

"Does that mean the terrorists themselves are mutants?" Rogue wondered.

"I doubt it. We saw the ones in New York on the TV and they weren't using any powers," Cyclops answered.

Oculus looked at Wolverine suddenly. Logan was frowning as he took a closer look at the image.

"What's wrong?"

Wolverine didn't answer right away, "Are there any close-ups of this thing?"

Iceman nodded, and selected one of the other images. This one showed the badge at a higher zoom. Individual details in the engraving of the disc could be made out.

"What's on your mind, Logan?" asked Neil.

"I could be wrong, but…" Logan hesitated. "I'm almost certain that thing's made of adamantium."

"That's impossible. You can't engrave adamantium."

"Really? Why wasn't I ever told?" came the sarcastic response, then he became serious. "No, I'm not almost certain. I'm completely certain. That's adamantium."

"But you can't engrave into that. It's indestructible. This is impossible."

Cyclops stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Well, assuming Logan's correct," he went on, ignoring the look he got from Wolverine, "There must be an explanation. There are only two people we've ever known with the ability to manipulate this metal…"

"And they're both dead," Iceman finished for him.

Oculus looked at the computer screen once more, "This image would seem to suggest otherwise."

"Well, Stryker's definitely dead," Logan said. "There's no way he could have survived the – "

As memories of Jean came back, he couldn't finish the sentence. Scott looked away as he recalled the same memories, but refused to let his grief show on his face. So many years had passed since then, but the agony of his loss was just as heartbreaking and torturous as the first few moments when he had realised she was gone. He suspected the same was true for Logan, thought Scott refused to believe that anybody else could have been as close to Jean Grey as he himself had been. Through sheer force of will, he managed to keep his face blank and indifferent. His first rule as leader was never to let the others know when he was feeling down. If they felt he had lost his confidence, they would lose theirs too.

It was Neil who finally broke the silence. He'd never really known Jean and wasn't affected by the memories that ate at the others. He said, "The only other man who could have engraved this disc is Magneto. He's also no longer with us."

"Can we be sure of that?" said Scott. "We only have Pyro's word that he's gone."

"Don't even go there," Logan said sharply. "Don't even go thinking he's still around. I mean, he'd have to be what, ninety?"

"I don't think age would affect his ability to threaten us," Neil replied. "Regardless of his physical state, his mind would be as razor sharp as it ever was. He had a power over people; not a telepathic power like the Professor, but more of a gift of insight. He could always look directly into a person's heart and know exactly which levers to pull."

"You're talking as if you admired him," Logan said in disgust.

"Well, in a way I do – did. I think he tried to teach Pyro to do the same thing, to control people in the same way. My son would always listen more readily to Pyro than to anybody else. If Magneto is still around, then he's every bit as much of a danger as he ever was."

Rogue was looking at the images on screen once more. In a thoughtful tone of voice she said, "In a way this has Magneto written all over it. It's almost as if he's created these badges as a sort of calling card. Don't you think? As if it's a message to us, taunting us, saying 'I'm still out there'."

"Yeah, sounds like his idea of a joke," Logan agreed. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Well, we can't jump to conclusions," said Scott. "The first thing to do is talk to Pyro. If he can confirm beyond doubt that Magneto is dead, then we have to look for another explanation."

"What about Mystique?" Bobby said suddenly.

"What about her? She couldn't have done this."

"What if she had a child by him? What if that's why she's disappeared? Magneto's child would inherit his powers of magnetism, wouldn't it?"

"With a certain probability," Neil replied.

"What if she disappeared for years to raise the child to take Magneto's place? What if she thinks it's now time?"

Nobody knew what to say to that. None of them wanted it to be true, but none of them could dismiss it.

"Before we start with any more theories, let's talk to Pyro," Scott decided.

He turned to head for the door, when he realised somebody else was already standing there. The others looked round at the same time to see Vertigo in the doorway, slouched against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" Logan demanded. "Eavesdropping?"

The boy shrugged indifferently, "I heard you talking about Pyro and wondered what you were saying. You're wrong about him, you know. You've always been wrong about him. He's got nothing to do with these terror attacks."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he didn't even know that me and Gem were going into the city yesterday. I'll bet he didn't know Helios was going home today either. And anyway, if he was setting up these attacks, why would he send us out to stop them from happening? You people aren't too bright, are you?"

Insulting five of the most powerful X-Men to their face wasn't a good idea, but Vertigo didn't care. He didn't even move as Wolverine tensed his muscles angrily, and he returned Cyclops' cold stare with a typical 'I'm a teenager, you can't make me care' expression.

"What can you tell us about Magneto's death?" Neil asked him.

"Nothing. It happened before I even met Pyro. Pyro isn't responsible for any of this," he said once more. "You guys really ought to be more imaginative. You can't just blame the Brotherhood every time something bad happens."

"So what's your explanation?" said Rogue. "Who else could have made these discs?"

"I don't know. All I do know is that I've seen them before."

At this, all five of the adults reacted with surprise and leaned forward slightly, suddenly intrigued.

"Where?"

"In New York when I was fighting the terrorists yesterday. I noticed one of them was a wearing a badge because the sun reflected off it and blinded me for a moment. I couldn't see exactly what it was at the time, but I recognise it from those pictures," he pointed at the computer, "That's from one of the terrorists in England, right?"

"Yes," Neil said. "So the two terror attacks are linked. And whoever made these discs must be the one who's orchestrating them."

"But why would Magneto launch these attacks in the first place?" asked Bobby. "What does it accomplish?"

"It kills people. Isn't that reason enough for him?" Logan said.

Cyclops answered, "The papers seem to be making out that these attacks are the work of mutants. The authorities must have found the badges and made that conclusion. If these attacks succeed in rekindling hatred between humans and ourselves, then that would be Magneto's aim."

"Are you sure?" said Neil. "Since we stopped the Apocalypse, relations between us and the humans have been improving. Still nowhere near what we'd like, but it takes time. Surely Magneto would be happy to see peace given a chance if he thought it would succeed? I don't think he'd try to make things worse just for the sake of it."

"Who knows what he'd do," Logan said. "You sound like you want to be his lawyer."

Neil didn't react. Cyclops said, "All right, let's go find Pyro and ask him – "

"Ask me what?" came another voice from the doorway.

They looked to see Pyro standing beside his former student. Had Vertigo gone to fetch him or had he happened to be walking past? It probably didn't matter. At least he was here.

"Just the man we wanted to see," said Logan with heavy sarcasm, and Pyro gave him a smirk that said 'kiss my ass, loser'.

"So what's up?" asked the fire mutant.

"We want to ask you a few questions," Scott told him.

"They think you're behind the terrorist attacks," Vertigo told him lazily.

Pyro gave an exaggerated nod and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, that was me, didn't I tell you? The Apocalypse, that wasn't really the Horsemen, that was me as well. Did I mention I'm also responsible for World Wars One and Two?"

"Shut up, John," said Rogue.

"Whatever. Anything else you'd like to pin on me while I'm here?"

"We're thinking more along the lines of your old boss," Bobby replied. "How did Magneto die?"

"He was old. It happens."

"So you were there? You saw him?"

Pyro shook his head, "No, I was on the mainland with Gemini. I think it was exactly a year after I rescued her from the laboratory, and we were celebrating it as a kind of anniversary. I took her to the zoo, and to the city, things I thought she'd like to see. Anyway, when we got back to the island Mystique told me what had happened. She'd already taken care of the burial, so I went to tell Gemini and stayed to help her get over it."

"You never saw him after that?"

"Funnily enough, no, given that he was dead."

"We don't think he is," said Scott.

"Oh, come on. What are you accusing me of now?"

"Get a grip, John, we're not accusing you of anything," Rogue sighed. "We think Magneto could have faked his death. We think he might be behind the terror attacks."

"OK…does your theory extend to explaining why he'd pretend to be dead and disappear for four years?"

"Not yet, it doesn't," Scott said. "We wanted to talk to you, to see if you could confirm that he was definitely gone."

Pyro shrugged, "Well, I never saw any reason to believe he wasn't dead, but I guess he could be alive. That hardly proves he's organising terrorists though, does it? Or are you just looking for an obvious target to pin the blame on? You can't make it stick on me, so you're going for the next name that pops into your head?"

"Take a look at these."

Sighing impatiently, Pyro stepped closer to the computer screen. Brushing lightly against Rogue, he noticed she didn't move a few inches away from him like the others did.

"What am I looking at?"

"These badges were worn by the terrorists both in New York yesterday and in London today. Logan's positive they're made of adamantium. They've been engraved, which should be impossible for anybody other than Magneto."

"Maybe he made them before he died. I really don't think he's alive, you guys."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't see why he'd pretend to be dead. And when you've known somebody is dead for four years, it doesn't make sense to suddenly decide they're not."

"So what you're saying is, you don't want him to be alive," Bobby guessed. "You're afraid of him coming back and you losing control of the Brotherhood."

Pyro said darkly, "What control? What control have I got left? My students don't look up to me as a leader any more. They're your students now."

"Not all of us," came Vertigo's voice.

"Don't get me wrong about Magneto," Pyro went on. "I'd like more than anything for him to be alive. He's the best thing that ever happened to any of us," ignoring the angry looks he got, he finished, "But like I said, I can't just accept it that easily. He's been gone for years, and I've had to try and keep things going in his absence. I can't suddenly think 'hey, maybe he's not dead'. What would you guys think if I told you Jean might still be alive?"

"All right, you've gone too far," Scott snapped, before Logan could react. "How about working with us for a change instead of being the little smart ass you've always been?"

"What more do you want? I've given you my honest opinion: I don't think he can be alive. If you think I'm wrong, ask Mystique."

"Who isn't dead, incidentally," said Neil.

"He's right, boss," said Vertigo. "I've met her."

Pyro looked surprised, "You have? Huh. Seems everyone wants me to think they're dead."

"Could it be they don't enjoy your company very much?" Logan said acidly.

"Don't worry, Logan, I wouldn't miss you if you pretended to be dead. In fact, why stop at pretending?"

"Shut up, both of you," said Scott. "All right, it seems our next step is to find Mystique. If anyone can shed light on Magneto, it will be her. Finding her is the obvious problem."

"Well, don't ask me where to look," Pyro said. "She's obviously been avoiding me for years, and besides, you guys are the ones with all the answers, aren't you?"

"I can try using Cerebro," Neil suggested. "I haven't sensed her before when I've used it, but then I've never specifically looked for her before."

"You don't seem to have a lot of success with that thing, do you?"

"What can I say? It's designed for Xavier, not for me. I probably shouldn't use it at all, but somebody has to."

"Maybe we can persuade Mystique to contact us," Rogue said.

"How?"

"I dunno. It's just an idea. Maybe there's something we can offer her."

"Like what? Logan's hand in marriage?"

"Shut up, John," at least three of them said.

When they got back to the school, Annie and Marina took Gary and the disk straight to the girls' dorm. Annie set up their DVD player, then stood while the younger mutants sat on Marina's bed together, and they watched the recording a second time. Marina clutched Gary when she heard her parents' voices, and he held her gently.

"…all the evidence your brother collated is encrypted on this disk," came her father's voice eventually.

This was as far as they'd got last time before the attack had begun. Annie turned up the volume a little so they could hear the rest.

"Pass it on to Miss Arkwright and she can act on it. She has powerful friends. Maybe you'll even meet them yourself."

"We have to go now, Marina honey," her mother said, smiling, but it was a sad smile, from a woman who knew she might never see her daughter again, "We love you."

"We love you," her father echoed.

The recording ended. Marina stared at the blank screen for several moments, as if waiting for her parents to reappear, as if she couldn't believe they had gone. Then she reached for the DVD player remote control, and hit rewind.

" – now, Marina honey. We love you."

"We love you."

Again she stared at the blank screen, and again she hit rewind.

"We love you."

Rewind.

" – honey. We love you."

Rewind. Annie caught Gary's eye and nodded towards the door. Quietly the two of them got up and left, leaving Marina alone with the recording of her parents. She was so hypnotised by their voices that she didn't even notice her friends leave.

"We love you."

Rewind.

"We love you."

Her mother smiled, and Marina felt giddy with delight. She felt almost as if they were there in the room with her. Her heart aching, yearning for her parents, she hit rewind again.

"We have to go now, Marina honey. We love you."

"We love you."

"I love you too," she said, smiling back at them.

They weren't real. The numbing truth hit home as the image disappeared and the screen went black once more. Marina dropped the remote control, curled into an unhappy ball on her bed, and cried herself empty.

Meanwhile Shapeshifter was outside, demanding to see his daughter.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Chris," said Annie. "She's – well, she's in there with someone. Or at least she thinks she is."

"What's on that disk?"

"A message from her parents. And something her brother found out about the people who are trying to kill her. We don't think the boating accident was an accident. We think it was done deliberately. We think that somebody was trying to silence Marina's family for fear of what they might tell."

"When can I take a look at the disk?"

"When Marina's finished with it, I suppose."

"You could make a copy and let her keep one," Gary suggested. "If you can get her to let go of it to let you make a copy."

"Good idea," said Chris. "Listen, how is Marina taking this? How is she reacting to seeing her real parents, even if it's only a recording? It's not going to send her back into her trauma, is it?"

"I think she's strong enough to maintain her current level of recovery," Annie said. "I don't think it will set her back. It's something she was going to have to see at some point, anyway."

"I suppose so. When she's ready to talk, let me know, OK?"

"Will do."

When they went back into the room, the TV was blank and Marina was curled asleep on her bed, her mind clearly exhausted. Annie quietly removed the disk from the player and went to find Chris. Gary stayed with Marina, gently lifting her head on to his lap and stroking her hair, soothing the sleeping girl.

He was surprised to have woken up at all. He hadn't expected he would ever do so again, and certainly hadn't expected to find himself lying on a comfortable bed in a pleasantly warm room. Surprised, confused, and more than a little suspicious, Chronos opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Strange. It wasn't the ceiling of the small bedroom in his foster parents' house. It was higher, and a different colour, almost metallic. Where was he? His last memory was of being attacked by the neds, and having his face forced under the water. Unable to breathe, he'd lost consciousness. The neds must have thought he was dead, and left him. Someone else must have found him. He must have been taken to hospital. Yes. That would explain the unfamiliar bed.

"Hey," came a soft and gentle voice from beside him.

Chronos angled his head to look to the right. There he saw the woman, smiling at him, her hand reaching out to gently brush a lock of his hair out of his eyes. Her touch was almost maternal, but she definitely wasn't his mother.

"How are you feeling?"

"OK…I think," he said slowly, uncertainly. "Are you the nurse?"

She smiled, "Not exactly."

Something was wrong. His suspicion flared once more. She had an American accent – which meant he wasn't in Glasgow any more – unless she was a foreign exchange nurse or something – and besides, he recognised her from somewhere. He'd seen her recently – very recently – where had it been? It had been just before the fight with the neds, hadn't it? Yes, he remembered now. This woman and two men. They'd been waiting for him…oh shit, now I remember! She's a Suit!

Reacting as fast as he could, he recoiled away from her, leaping from the bed and standing on the tiled floor, his eyes moving from side to side as he looked for a way of escape. There was only one door. The Suit was already approaching, and he calculated his chances of getting to the door before she could block him. Not good. She was too close.

"Ian, it's OK honey, just calm down."

"Get away from me, Suit!" he snapped.

The woman frowned, "I'm not Sue, I'm Felicity. I told you that. My friends call me Fliss."

A quick glance around the room told Chronos everything he needed to know. Some kind of clinic. Beds, drugs, medical equipment. Obviously this was part of some research facility run by the Suits. Of course. After the neds had almost drowned him, the Suits must have caught up with him. They must have started searching for him after he froze time and evaded them. What if the Suits had even employed the neds to beat him up? Could they be working together? Could there be some kind of anti-mutant conspiracy where the Suits got the common street youths to do their dirty work? It wasn't impossible.

"Ian, honey, listen to me," said the woman. "We're not going to hurt you. I promise. I know you're scared and you don't know what's going on, but you can trust us. You can trust me."

He had to escape from here now. The Suits had obviously been waiting for him to wake up, so they could drag him off and perform experiments on him. This Suit must have been watching him, ready to summon the others at a moment's notice. She was walking towards him across the clinic, and Chronos backed away. He could only guess what weapons the Suit might have concealed on her person. He'd heard rumours of all kinds of horrifying weapons that government agents carried with them. Backing away further, he felt the wall behind him. Nowhere to go now.

How am I going to escape? Can I freeze time and run past her? Is my power ready? Am I strong enough? Yes, I can probably do it, but…I doubt if I'd have enough strength left to get past the rest of them. I have to get out of this room, and find somewhere to hide from the Suits while my power recovers. Once I feel strong enough, I'll stop time and just walk out of this place. It'll hurt afterwards, but I can find somewhere safe to sleep it off. I just have to get past this one Suit…

Beside him was a metal trolley of some sort, holding various medical implements. He picked up a scalpel, trying to hide it behind his back where the Suit wouldn't notice.

"Ian, put the scalpel down. Just relax. Take it easy. We are not going to hurt you. We've brought you here so you can be safe. This is a place where mutants can live together in safety. We're all mutants, just like you."

He raised the scalpel defensively, stopping her from getting any closer.

"Ian, please put that down. I know this is a lot for you to take in, but it's all true. You can be safe here."

Shut up, Suit…

He flung the scalpel. The woman ducked, but it had missed anyway. His co-ordination was thrown off by tiredness. He grabbed the metal trolley and shoved it towards her. It caught the surprised Suit in the knees, and knocked her to the floor. Chronos was already moving, running towards the door. Leaving the clinic, he looked both ways. The metallic walls, the sterilised, futuristic look – it confirmed his suspicions. This had to be a research lab of some kind. This had to be one of the places he'd heard about, where Suits brought mutants like him. He glanced behind. The woman was getting to her feet, and he knew there was no time to lose. He hurried away from the Suit, looking for somewhere to hide. He had to get deeper into the building. There was nowhere to conceal himself here. The Suit would find him in seconds.

Ahead he saw an elevator. Excellent, that will take me out of here. I just hope it doesn't have any kind of secure access…

It didn't. The door slid open easily, and he hurried inside, slapping the button to take him up. Already he was starting to plan ahead. He had to get out of the facility, that was obvious. Evading the Suits was his first priority. Once that was done, he had to figure out where to go next. The first task would be to find out exactly where he was. Then he had to find a way to get out of the country. That would be easier said than done…he checked his pockets. Surprisingly, everything that had been there before was still there. Strange the Suits hadn't taken it. He had a few pounds and a stick of chewing gum. That wouldn't get him far, but it would have to be enough to get him started…it was obvious that he would have to use his time powers to achieve his goal of escaping from the Suits. He needed money to get abroad, to get away from them. Maybe he could freeze time and sneak into a bank vault, or something…

His thoughts were interrupted by the elevator stopping and the doors opening. He jumped out immediately, coming face to face with a group of very startled children. What the hell were these? Baby Suits? The youngsters had started giggling at the bewilderment on his face and his rather sudden appearance from inside the lift.

"Are you new here?" one of them said. "What's your name?"

"What's your power?" another asked curiously.

This had to be another trick, another trap. The Suits must have forced these children into this. This was obviously designed to make him stop while the female Suit caught up with him.

"Get out of the way!" he snapped, pushing the children aside.

"Hey, don't push! You're too rough!"

"Yeah, you're hurting me!"

He ignored their indignant protests, and ran as fast as he could down the corridor ahead. It seemed lighter that way. Maybe there was a door, or a window he could break to get outside. A couple of men – more Suits – were talking at the other end of the corridor, and they both looked up in surprise as he came racing down towards them. OK, more Suits. I can't go that way.

He ducked into the nearest doorway, slamming the door closed behind him. Then he looked around to check the room he'd just run into. Maybe he could find a way out. Maybe he could hide here. Yes, maybe he could hole up here whilst the Suits expended their energy searching the rest of the lab for him.

No! Too late! One of the Suits was already in this room! It was the man he'd seen with the fireball, one of the original three who'd grabbed him from home! Chronos was ready to duck back out of the room and find another place to hide, when the man glanced up at him.

Pyro regarded the boy for a second. So he'd woken up at last. No doubt the X-Men would try to enrol him into their school, and fill his head with their fantasies about humans. Not that Pyro particularly cared any more. He only evaluated the boy as a potential threat to his daughter's safety, and doubted he would prove to be one. He looked back down at the book he was idly flicking through.

Chronos frowned. Of all the reactions he might have expected from the Suit, indifference wasn't one of them. He might have expected the agent to leap out of his chair and make a grab for him, or make a call to his fellow Suits so they could catch him. He might have expected him to pull out a weapon and attack him. But the man seemed totally uncaring that Chronos was on the run. That was strange, and it didn't fit in with anything Chronos had learned so far. He knew these people were Suits and he knew there had to be some kind of conspiracy going on. Or did he? Could he be mistaken?

"What is this place?" he asked the Suit.

The Suit didn't look up, "It's their school."

"What am I doing here? What do they want with me?"

"To educate you, I suppose," Pyro said disinterestedly.

"Really? Is that what it is? I thought – isn't this a government facility? Aren't you all Suits?"

"No, we're mutants. Didn't we tell you that?"

"Yeah, but I didn't believe you. Is this really a school for mutants?"

"I have a vague recollection that's what we said."

Chronos was amazed. This was what he'd always dreamed of. To learn from other mutants, to be kept safe from neds and other humans who wanted to kill him…it seemed too good to be true. That was what had made him suspicious at first. Nothing ever existed exactly the way you wanted it to. Nothing ever worked out just as you had hoped. There would always be a catch, a flaw, something hidden under the surface that would only come to light when it was too late. Was this really what they said it was? Or was it a conspiracy, as he'd thought?

"So you're a teacher?" he asked the man who apparently wasn't a Suit. "What do you teach?"

"Bad habits."

He'd assumed this had to be a trap. He'd assumed that the Suits were preying upon his secret desires to finally meet some of his own kind. He'd assumed this had been set up to try and trick him, so they could experiment on him. But now that he thought about it, that couldn't be right. His secret desire was exactly that – secret – so how could the Suits know about it? And why would they bother continuing the deception if he was already in their grasp? Surely they would have had better security that would have stopped him getting this far. Why would they have allowed him to wake up and escape? Surely they would have kept him drugged and locked up somewhere. And why were there children here?

Should he give them the benefit of the doubt? Should he push his suspicions away and trust them? No, it was too risky! If it turned out he was right and they were Suits, then there might never be another chance to escape! This might be the only opportunity he would ever have! But if he were wrong, and this really was the school they said it was – then running away could be a disaster as well. This could be the only chance he would ever have to do what he wanted with his life, and find an older mutant to be apprenticed to.

The door behind him opened, and he turned, tensed and ready to run from any Suits who entered. He was already backing away from the door and checking the windows for escape route potential. He was already preparing to use his time displacement power to freeze everything until he could get far enough away. As a result, he was more than slightly taken aback by the figure who walked into the room. She was about his age, with very long dark hair, and was without doubt the sexiest girl he had ever seen. She wore only a tight-fitting little nightdress, and his eyes followed the movement of her bare legs as she walked across the room towards the man.

"I'm going to bed now, Dad, I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled innocently, giving him a little kiss on the cheek.

"OK, honey."

As she turned to leave the room, the girl noticed Chronos. Realising he was unfamiliar, she glanced at him again, then lost interest and walked to the door. Every thought of Suits and conspiracies and mutants and schools had been pushed out of Chronos' mind. He was convinced he had just seen the most gorgeous girl who had ever walked on the face of the Earth. There weren't words to describe the feelings that had just arisen in his heart, and in other parts of his body as well. Could she possibly imagine the effect she was having on him? Did she realise the perfectness of the body God had given her? Did she have any idea how stunning she was in that little nightdress, that covered so little yet hid so much? He watched, mesmerised, hypnotised, as she left the room completely unaware of the explosions of passion that she had just detonated. He continued to stare as she walked down the corridor outside.

"Hey," said the man angrily.

Surprised, Chronos turned, "What?"

"You ever heard the saying, 'look but don't touch'?"

"Yeah."

"Well, in this case, don't even look," Pyro snapped. "In fact, don't even think. As far as you're concerned, she doesn't exist! All right?"

Startled by the sudden show of anger from the previously indifferent man, Chronos backed away a step, "Yeah, OK…no problem."

Pyro was furious. He'd seen the way the boy had been looking at his daughter, staring shamelessly at her body, mentally undressing her and dreaming about touching her. His paternal instincts were instantly aroused. No father liked seeing his daughter being eyed in this way, and he was determined that Gemini would have nothing to do with this boy – not if that was the boy's attitude towards her.

As for Chronos, well, he suddenly had all the reason he would ever need to stay here. If that girl was going to be around, then he was more than willing to take the risk that this could be a Suit base. He didn't know anything about her. He didn't even know her name. But he knew one thing: she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he wouldn't rest until she was his.

Scott lay awake in bed and surveyed the ceiling. Some nights he just couldn't get to sleep at all. Some nights were fine, but some nights the memories of Jean came back in full detail and would not leave him in peace. Why did you do it, Jean? Why did she have to die? Why couldn't she just have used her telekinetic power from inside the jet? Why had she had to struggle out, already injured, and sacrifice herself? A twinge of guilt tugged at his heart. Would she have made it back inside the jet if she hadn't been carrying the injury, the injury that he himself had caused her? The fact that he hadn't been in control of his actions was irrelevant. He should have tried harder to break free of Stryker's control. How could he have succumbed so easily, and allowed himself to hurt the one he loved most?

I should have died, Jean. I should have died, not you. I gave in to Stryker. You never gave in to anyone. Jean, forgive me. Scott knew she was gone and no part of her was left to hear him, but he let his feelings out anyway. How differently things might have turned out if she hadn't had to die. They would have married, he was certain. Would they have had children? Stop it, Scott, don't even think about it, he told himself. Thinking about what might have been would only make it more painful.

What might have been. What might he have done if he had known what she was going to do? Could he even have stopped her? Would she have let him? She had stopped Kurt from teleporting out to rescue her. She had fought against the Professor persuading her not to give her life. Scott doubted there was much he could have done to stop her, once her mind was made up. But that was what got him the most. Why had her mind been so made up; why had she been so utterly determined to commit the ultimate sacrifice? Why had she been so ready to die? Had she considered every possible alternative and decided there was no other way? Had she decided it wasn't worth the risk of trying to keep herself alive as well? Scott almost felt as if Jean had wanted to die. Maybe that was crazy, but looking back that was the only conclusion he could draw. And he felt guilty again, because he had hurt her terribly while under Stryker's mind control drug. Had Jean decided, at that moment in the underground facility, that she wanted to end her life? Had she decided that it wasn't worth living if the man who loved her the most could hurt her so much? Scott didn't know. Maybe he was just being crazy. Guilt always came when a loved one died, but Scott wasn't sure if this was a natural symptom or if he genuinely did blame himself.

If only he could go back in time. If only he could go back as the person he was now, and do something to change what had happened. What would he do? How would he convince her to change her mind? How would he stop the towering flood wave from killing her? An idea occurred to him. Flood wave…water…Aqua. Of course. Marina could have stopped the flood wave with a simple flick of her wrist. Well, that's very good, Summers, but she wasn't around back then, was she? And it's a bit late now, isn't it? Scott sighed. If only there was some way to accomplish it. If only there was some way to take Marina back there, get her to stop the flood, and save Jean's life. Yeah. If only. If only there was some way to travel through time. Scott sighed heavily, forced himself to stop thinking about Jean, and finally dropped off to sleep.

Outside the night was dark, but Gemini was awake. She could not sleep. The silence and stillness of the school was making her more and more uncomfortable. It was at times like this that her nightmares returned, not dreams of sleep but haunting memories too horrifying to fully recall. Memories of an eight year old girl kept in a tiny room with no light, no sound, nothing but hours of darkness and emptiness until she was dragged out to have more experiments done on her. Robbed of her freedom, her dignity, her future, even her status as a living, breathing, thinking creature. She remembered pain so intense and treatment so brutal that death was too good a punishment for those who had done it to her. None of it came back to her in detail, only in vague disjointed images and recalled feelings. At some point during the torment, her brain had effectively shut down and ceased its normal function. It wasn't until Pyro had found her and rescued her, that her mind began to work again, as if she had woken up after a long sleep, after a long and horrific nightmare.

She turned over in bed and tried to put her mind at rest. Those times were past now. There was no way that anybody could ever hurt her like that again. She had to forget the past. Brooding on it would do no good. The people who had hurt her were all dead, killed at Pyro and Recyclo's hands. The mother who had hated her so much to give her over to that hell was also dead. There was nothing left to link Gemini to her two years of living death. She had started a new life the moment Pyro had opened that door, and every day she poured out her love and her undying gratitude to him. Gemini knew she was at an age when most children began to move away from their parents and strike out on their own, but she didn't feel that way at all. She never wanted to be apart from her new father. She didn't care if other girls were different.

Unable to sleep, Gemini pushed aside her covers and stood. She felt restless. Maybe if she took a walk downstairs and watched TV for half an hour or so, it might help take her mind off her past. Padding across the room almost silently on her sock-clad feet, she pulled the door open and stepped into the corridor outside. The building was dark and dormant, with no sounds of movement from anywhere. She wondered what time it was. The corridor was lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window at the end, but it was enough to see by. The girl jumped in surprise at a sound from behind her, but when she turned there was nothing. Her heart still beating overly fast, Gemini forced herself to calm down. It was just one of those noises that buildings seem to make in the middle of the night. In the early days after her rescue, she'd hardly been able to sleep at night for a moment, convinced that every unexplained sound was Van Gaarde about to charge into the room and abduct her away. Any time she had been able to sleep, she would wake again screaming within minutes, her dreams invaded by those terrible memories.

But those times were gone, and she was a lot better now. She could sleep without remembering Van Gaarde, and she could convince herself that unexplained noises were not going to harm her. Her breathing and her pulse eventually returning to normal, Gemini walked to the stairs and down to the ground floor. When she reached the door of the games room, she could hear sound from inside. Good, she would be glad of someone's company. It would help her to forget. She pushed open the door to see the TV on, the volume low, and a figure slouched in the sofa in front of it. A pair of candles flickered from their position on the table. Gemini smiled; she loved candlelight. Her smile widened when she saw it was Vertigo sitting on the sofa.

"Hey," she said softly, crossing the room towards him.

He looked over and grinned, "Hey. Can't sleep?"

Vertigo gestured towards the sofa cushion beside him, inviting her to sit down next to him. Unconcerned that she was only wearing her nightdress, and that her hair was in that just-out-of-bed condition, Gemini slid gracefully on to the sofa, smoothing her nightie down around her hips. After a few moments Vertigo tentatively slipped an arm around her shoulders and gently brought her body to rest against his own. On another day Gemini might have told him to quit it, but in her current mood she wanted company and she wanted to be close to somebody. She snuggled up next to him. On the TV screen some movie was playing, and she whispered, "What're you watching?"

"I think it's an old Jackie Chan movie."

"Trying to pick up some new moves?"

He grinned, "Something like that, yeah."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Gemini wasn't interested in the movie, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. Vertigo playfully plucked at the shoulder strap of her nightie until she lightly slapped his hand away. She felt herself drifting off to sleep. At last her mind was at rest…

The movie switched to a commercial, and Vertigo took the opportunity to turn his attention fully to the girl sitting beside him. He couldn't believe just how beautiful she was. Every part of her petite figure was in perfect proportion, from her perfectly shaped shoulders down to her long, smooth, bare legs. It seemed incredible that somebody so small for her age could have such long legs; perhaps they just seemed that way relative to the rest of her body. Her small feet were hidden inside a pair of cute little ankle socks. Her long dark hair hung down almost to the small of her back. Her hands were small and delicate. Her eyes were pale blue and deep, like two oceans of endless dreams. Every inch of her body was perfect. There was so much life in this girl, so much desire to live out the future Pyro had made for her.

"Gemini," he said softly, and her eyes opened.

Sleepy, all she could manage was a smile up at him. Vertigo took a deep breath. He didn't know how she'd react, but this seemed as good a time as he would ever have. Leaning forward slightly, he kissed her – lightly, just once, just bringing their lips together for an instant. Afraid for a moment that she would be outraged, he was reassured when her smile widened, and her small pink tongue crept out to run over her lips, as if savouring the taste of love he had left there. Then she reached up and returned the favour, kissing him softly, then drawing away, a little nervous, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

This time both of them came together, her hand slipping around to the back of his neck, his hand slipping down to rest on her thigh, just short of the hem of her nightdress. Her skin was warm; it was almost as if he could feel her energy and life force pulsing inside her. Gemini's other hand came down to rest on top of his, letting him know that was as far as he was allowed to go. They kissed each other, lightly, tentatively, then as their confidence and passion grew, so did the intensity of the kiss. Neither of them had ever felt like this before, and neither of them was in full control of what was happening. They drew apart, and Gemini smiled at him coyly, her tongue flicking out provocatively. Was that an invitation to proceed? Vertigo took it as such, pulling her towards him and kissing her again.

Her hand slowly lifted off his, and he took that as yet another invitation to proceed. His hand crept slowly, exploratively, along her thigh and under her nightdress.

"What are you doing?" she gasped in shock. "You're, like, touching me…"

She brought her legs together, squeezing his hand playfully, holding it in place. The feeling of warm, smooth, bare female skin was more than he could handle. He tickled, and her legs sprang apart as she squealed with delight. His freed hand continued its voyage of discovery. Then he discovered something he had not been expecting…

"You're not wearing any panties," came his startled voice.

She giggled at his surprise, "Well, of course I'm not. I'm supposed to be in bed."

Trying to recover his composure, he said, "You know, a less virtuous man than myself might take advantage of this situation…"

"I don't think I've ever met a less virtuous man than you…"

"Oh well, in that case…"

She blinked innocently, "What are you talking about? And could you please get your hand off my – um, you know – it's making me nervous…"

He pulled her towards him to kiss her, his other hand pulling at the straps of her nightie, easing them down over her shoulders.

"Hey…hey! What are you – stop it!"

She tried to pull them back into place. Before she knew what was happening she was on her back and he was lifting her head up to kiss her. She was nervous now in this position, uncertain she wanted to go this far. Instinctively she closed her legs, but Vertigo's hand gently prised them open again.

"Listen, I'm not too sure if I wanna – " she began breathlessly, eyes widening in shock at what he was trying to do.

"Hush…" he whispered, a finger on her lips.

"No, Vertigo – listen to me! I don't wanna do this – hey, stop it – Vertigo, get off me!"

And then she felt it. The sudden intrusion between her legs aroused feelings she had never imagined possible, and for a moment she was gasping in elation, her eyes widening in awe, anticipation mixed with terror of what was coming next. But only for a moment. Then, without a warning, long-forgotten memories suddenly rose up into her mind…memories of being held down while she struggled, held immobile and unable to defend herself, while her legs were being forced apart…

Gemini threw back her head and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Pyro had been sitting in the garden, gazing up at the stars as he brooded on his troubled past and pondered what the X-Men had been saying about Magneto. Was it possible? Was it really possible that the old man could still be around? Well, it was certainly possible. But was it likely? Pyro couldn't see why Magneto would have done it. He'd been under the impression that Magneto, knowing full well that the years were catching up on him, had been training Pyro to take over from him as leader of the Brotherhood. Why would he do that if he was just going to fake his death and carry on the fight? Could it be he didn't trust Pyro? Did he see his pupil as a failure who would never live up to what Magneto expected? Had he decided he was wasting his time with Pyro and left to start over again?

Assuming he was alive, what did that mean for Pyro now? Would Magneto reappear and expect his allegiance once more? What should he do if Magneto were to contact him? Would he go to join his old master, or stay here? He couldn't say. He knew he couldn't leave Gemini, and he knew she was happy here. Pyro was amazing even himself. For the first time in his life he was actually making his decisions based on what somebody else wanted, not just looking out for himself. If it came down to it, if Gemini wanted to stay here, then so would he, regardless of what Magneto said. His decision made, Pyro allowed himself to relax slightly. If Magneto wanted to kill humans, Pyro wasn't going to stand in his way, but equally he wasn't going to help him, not if it meant putting his daughter in danger. He didn't have to do anything, just stay here with Gemini.

And then he heard her scream.

Still on her back, Gemini was sobbing and trembling like a little girl, jerking away when Vertigo tried to put his hand on her shoulder. She fell off the sofa and on to the floor, curling reflexively into a ball.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, but she only cried louder as she sat up and brought her legs up against her, hugging her arms around them.

The door burst open and Pyro stood before them. He took in the scene in an instant: Vertigo standing over Gemini; his daughter huddled and tearful on the floor, her nightdress half-off her shoulders, her panties missing, and the expression on her face unmistakable: the look of a girl who'd been violated.

"What have you done?!" Pyro demanded furiously.

"I didn't – I didn't do anything!" Vertigo insisted, raising his hands defensively as he rose to face Pyro.

Gemini's father pushed him aside as he knelt down to face his daughter, "Honey, what's wrong? What happened? Gemini?"

Tearful and ashamed, she couldn't look into his eyes. She tried to speak, her voice shaking, unable to express herself, eventually the words tumbling out, "Oh, Dad…V – V – V – he – he raped me…"

"WHAT?!" her father roared, rising to his feet and grabbing the boy around the throat.

"I didn't! I swear I didn't!"

Pyro was beyond reason now. He flung the boy to the floor and looked around for some source of fire. On the table nearby he saw a pair of candles alight, and he raised his hand, summoning a ball of flame towards him. Vertigo scrambled desperately to get away from the girl's enraged father, still pleading his innocence. The ball of fire hovered in the air above him, and Pyro prepared to launch it at the boy who'd raped his daughter. Suddenly Gemini was on her feet, her hands on his arm, stopping him from launching the fireball, pleading to him:

"Dad, don't hurt him! He didn't do anything!"

He looked at her and spat angrily, "You just told me what he did!"

"No, no, it wasn't him! It was – it was V – V – Van Gaarde…"

Then she collapsed in his arms in tears, and he understood. He held her tightly.

"Pyro…" said Vertigo uncertainly.

"Go, Vertigo, just go," he said softly. "I'm sorry about – look, just go, OK?"

The boy nodded, and disappeared through the open door, glad to escape. Alone with his daughter, Pyro did what came instinctively. He cuddled her, rocking her back and forth, telling her he loved her and he'd never let anyone hurt her. Between sobs and gasps, she managed to tell him the story: how the researcher had come into the room, locked the door behind him, and violated her tiny, defenceless body. That was what had finally made her lose her mind and slip into what was effectively a waking coma. She had no idea how many times after that she'd been abused. Pyro guessed whatever had nearly happened just now between her and the boy had clearly resurrected memories she'd forced herself to forget. He'd always suspected the girl had terrible recollections that she'd never fully entrusted to him, but he'd never thought they were this horrifying. This certainly explained why she had always been so paranoid of people looking up her skirt, or whatever. He could barely begin to imagine the horror she must have felt when it had happened again, and again, and again…

"You're OK now, honey," he whispered. "I'll never let anybody hurt you ever again. Van Gaarde's dead and he can't hurt you. Nobody can hurt you. You're going to be OK…"

Speaking softly and reassuringly, he managed to calm her down. Her trembling stopped, her body relaxed and her crying stopped. As her tears finally gave way to exhaustion, she slept in his arms. Gently lifting her, he carried her upstairs and back to bed. He sat and watched her sleeping form until he was sure she was resting peacefully, then he left, even more troubled than he had been before.

Twelve of them sat around the table, nine men and three women. The one who had convened the meeting rose from his seat. He was tall and stood with a confident, authoritative posture. His hair had greyed long ago, but there was barely a wrinkle or other mark on his skin, and his age was impossible to determine. He could have been anything from twenty-five to ninety-five. He spoke with the slightest trace of a European accent, though none could tell from which country.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending this little rendezvous."

His tone was normal, but they knew he was being sarcastic. As if they'd had any other choice but to come.

"I feel it's time we updated each other on our progress. Two?"

The man on his right cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses and said, "Everything is proceeding according to plan so far. The public are buying the idea that mutants are responsible for the terrorist attacks. In a few days we'll fabricate a story about some mutant terrorist group. The masses will eat it up."

"Good. I assume there are no funding issues, Three?"

They referred to each other by number, not by name. Most of them thought it was pretty stupid; they all knew who each of the others was anyway. The only real reason was to retain anonymity if their conversations were being recorded, but the chances of that were remote.

The man addressed as Three was shaking his head and saying, "No."

What Three wanted to say but kept to himself was, this had bloody well better work. I'm not investing nearly a billion pounds a year for nothing.

"Four?"

Four, a fat man who was puffing at a cigar, replied, "I'm having the new vessel fitted as per your instructions. As soon as I receive the material from Twelve, I can proceed to the next stage of construction."

"Five?"
Rubbing the side of his nose, an unconscious habit he'd developed over the years, Five said, "So far everything is proceeding perfectly. Secrecy is going to be a problem, but I'm looking into it."

"Let Ten know if you have problems," One said. "Six?"

Six slouched in his chair and ran a hand through his greasy hair, "I'm still having problems with transmission corruption. I don't know how long it will take me to solve it"

One frowned, "But will they work? If the President refuses to co-operate and we're forced to activate the devices implanted inside his daughters, will they work?"

"Can't say. There's too many factors involved. If you want me to make an educated guess, I'd say probably not. But the President doesn't know that."

"True. I want that problem fixed though. Seven?"

The oldest of the three women fixed him with a cool stare, "No issues on my end. The Senate will follow whatever decision the President makes."

"Some good news at last," said One. "Eight, have you ironed out that little wrinkle yet?"

"Sent five of my best men down that way," came the response. "'m expecting them to report back any minute."

"That will be one less thorn in our side. Nine, I believe it is time to eliminate the targets we discussed earlier."

Calm and emotionless, Nine raised his eyebrows, "Go on."

"You know where to find them: their school in New York. You know how vital it is that they be silenced. That will remove another obstacle in the path that leads to our ultimate goal."

"I'm ready."

"Good. Ten?"

The youngest of the women gave him what she hoped was a winning smile, "Nothing to report, One. My talents don't come into play unless we're exposed, and I don't think that's going to happen."

Eight excused himself to answer a phone call, and One continued, "Eleven?"

"Yeah, man, everything's cool. I've been checking the waves and no-one's raised any flags."

There was a pause as the rest of them tried to decipher computer hacker speak. Eventually they came to the conclusion that he'd been monitoring Net traffic but there were no signs that anybody had detected any of what the Twelve were doing.

"Twelve?"

The third woman polished her glasses absent-mindedly on the sleeve of her coat, and said, "I'm happy to report the first samples of military grade constantium will be ready any day now. I'll be sending the first batch to Four, of course, and any left over can go to Eight."

"And the pure grade?"

"I'm afraid we simply can't manufacture it in large enough quantities for our needs. That's only a temporary problem, however. I need more time to perfect the experimental technique. In the meantime, the initial samples are on their way to Eight."

"Very well. And the mutant we delivered to you?"

"We'll begin studying it immediately. I'm amazed it's still alive, considering…"

"Indeed," said One. "All right, the next meeting of the UN security council takes place this week. The President will vote in favour of nuclear weapon retention, and we will set the last stage of our plans in motion. Any questions?"

Ten asked, "What happens if Britain doesn't vote our way? The US can't block the anti-nuclear proposal on its own."

One allowed himself a smirk, "The British Prime Minister is being taken care of. Soon he'll be in the same position as the President."

At that moment Eight re-entered the room and took his seat once again.

"I assume that was your men reporting back?" One prompted him. "Success, I take it?"

"Uh – not exactly," Eight said reluctantly.

The others around the table stiffened slightly. One smiled, but it was not a friendly smile, more like the smile of a shark about to devour its prey.

"Would you care to expand on that, Eight?"

"She's still alive…"

"I'm sorry, I don't think we all caught that."

"The Forrester girl is still alive!" Eight snapped. "God knows how. My men sounded as if they were shitting their shorts down there. They were talking all sorts of horse-shit like a girl stopping bullets in mid-air and them being attacked by invisible people."

"What does the Forrester girl know, exactly?" Seven interrupted.

"We don't know for sure," said One. "It could be nothing. Her brother – a navy officer – managed to unearth some evidence of Eight's involvement in our plans. He's dead, along with the rest of the family. Except one. This girl seems to have an uncanny knack for surviving death traps. As I said, she may not be able to harm us at all, but we can't take the risk. Nine, why don't you take this one on?"

The emotionless man said, "Before or after attacking the mutant school?"

"You yourself should concentrate on the school. Send some of your trusted men after the Forrester girl. I want that little whore dead, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."