Chapter 37

The black bishop was moved irately forward across the chessboard and was nosily slammed down on a black square. Magneto pulled back slowly, glaring heatedly at the chessboard in front of him. In the circular entrance to his room stood Mystique, leaning against the cold metal of the doorway. Her arms were lightly folded across her chest as she watched Magneto fume over the chessboard.

"Stuck?" she called, a teasing smile playing across her face.

Magneto heaved a sigh, shaking his head slowly, "No. I just can't concentrate. Senator Kelly escaped from his cell whilst you were at the mansion."

Mystique looked surprised, "Really? How did he manage that?"

"He mutated. Successfully."

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" asked Mystique, rising off her lean on the metal doorframe and walking towards the man.

"Yes," agreed Magneto in a resigned tone. He leant back in his seat, looking up as the blue-skinned female came towards him, "But he didn't just escape. He fell to his death due to Sabretooth's idiocy." Magneto growled the last few words out, clearly angered by the situation.

Mystique fell quiet before she wiped away the chess pieces with a clatter and sat herself upon the table assertively. "Listen, Erik," she instructed forcefully, her bold act already catching his attention. "We know the machine works. It doesn't matter that we've lost Kelly. If he managed to get through the bars, then we know it's something. We've got Rogue, Toad's finished with the torch replica. It can all go ahead for UN Summit as planned."

As Magneto watched her, he smiled slowly, nodding his head. "As usual, you're right," he murmured quietly, "Of course, we are prepared. In four hours from now we shall arrive at the Statue of Liberty."

Mystique smiled slowly as she turned to face Magneto, resting her feet either side of his lap, "Of course I'm right," she said mischievously.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, for she was leaning forward towards him. But Mystique did not answer, for her face had come up to his and her lips closed about his relaxed ones. Caught off guard and by surprise, Magneto remained still underneath her guidance. After a lengthy kiss, she pulled back slowly, seductively and offered him a sultry smile.

"Giving you confidence for tonight."

"Alright that's enough." Through the darkness of the tunnel, Mystique strolled slowly towards one of the prison cells. Sabretooth was stood outside, glaring in at the bound girl inside and growling threateningly. At Mystique's words, he looked round giving the woman a curious glance before his gaze darkened and he sniffed slowly.

"Where've you been?"

"With Erik."

The pair shared a stony glare at each other.

"Magneto's ready to go." Mystique strode forward, pushing Sabretooth aside as she unlocked the cage door with her keys. Inside, she could hear a sudden shuffling as the girl within began backing away across the floor. Mystique quickly came in, her dark form moving like a shadow through the blackness. Her hands grabbed Rogue by the back of her jacket and she roughly pulled her to her feet. She was marched out by Mystique's tight hold, seeming to have been terrified into silence by Sabretooth. Sabretooth walked behind them down the corridor, growling under his breath every few minutes.

Outside the lair, Magneto was stood at the shoreline, watching as a boat drove towards him. As Mystique and Sabretooth joined him, he smiled to himself. "Toad went to fetch a boat," he said calmly, as though there were no criminality involved. Magneto slowly glanced down at Rogue, who was pulling at Mystique's grasp. He raised a palm, and instantly Rogue was pulled towards him, the cuffed wrists above her head. "You don't want me to hurt you, do you Rogue?" He raised his hand upwards and Rogue's arms straightened above her head, pulling at her shoulders. The first noise of pain and he stopped, turning away from her with a sudden loss of interest. The boat had stopped a short way off shore, and Magneto proceeded to elevate himself across the water and towards it. Behind him, Rogue was carried along by the metal at her wrists.

Sabretooth and Mystique waded through the water behind them, climbing up into the boat soon after Magneto. Toad stuck his head out of the cabin doorway with a cocky grin in place, "Told ya I could get one," he announced to Magneto. "'E put up a bit of a fight, like, but nothin' Toady can't handle." Mystique slowly walked up to the doorway, peering in behind Toad to see the dead body of the boat driver sprawled on his back. Reddened marks about his neck were the only evidence of attack.

"Toad, Sabretooth, load the boat," commanded Magneto as he dropped Rogue into the cabin and quickly bound the chains of her cuffs to a rail on the wall. As Toad sloped off, Magneto looked up slowly at Mystique, "We need to get to Liberty Island unnoticed by patrol. There will be tight security and heavy monitoring of any traffic. This boat was one of the police's."

"Well, that's easy then," replied Mystique airily, and before Magneto's eyes her form cracked and shifted. Her blue skin peeling away to reveal an identical replication of the man on the floor.

"I'll let Toad and Sabretooth out the closer we get. Just to take care of the surrounding guards on Liberty Island. Hopefully it should run smoothly."

"What about the X-Men?" asked Mystique, but her tone now lower and masculine.

Magneto took a moment to reply, "I feel they shall be joining us eventually. But I estimate that by then, it will be too late for them, and too late for the girl."

"My name is Rogue," snarled the mutant on the floor suddenly, glaring heatedly to at Magneto.

Magneto glanced down at her, offering no reply but a small condescending smile.

Toad came up to the cabin door, leaning in, "We're loaded an' ready to go, boss," he announced with a wild grin on his face. At this, Magneto turned his head back to Mystique, nodding in silence. Mystique took to the controls of the boat, the engine starting quietly before it pulled away from the shore and set off towards the distant lights of New York.

The boat circled the water's around Liberty Island slowly. Mystique directed the boat carefully through the murky waters, her eyes sharply keeping an eye out for any trouble. Toad and Sabretooth had left to go to land where they were currently lowering the security count. The last man was stood on the shoreline, nodding to the oncoming patrol boat and waving in acknowledgment. Mystique smirked to herself, returning the wave, eyes watching Sabretooth materialise out of the darkness behind him. Within seconds he was dead on the stony beach. With security gone, Mystique transformed back into her normal state, securing the silver earpiece comfortably.

As the boat came to a halt besides the Liberty Island, she turned slowly; walking through the cabin where Rogue was sat and towards Magneto who was entering from the furthest doorway.

"Magnificent, isn't she?" said Magneto quietly as he looked up out of the window at the Liberty Statue.

Rogue gave Magneto a glare, "I've seen it," she said coolly.

"I first saw her in 1949," continued Magneto. "America was going to be the land of tolerance, of peace."

Rogue fixed him a glare before her eyes traveled to watch the dead body of the boat driver on the floor. "Are you goin' to kill me?" she asked directly, eyes moving upon Magneto.

Magneto looked almost surprised by her question. "Yes," he replied quietly, nodding his head.

Fighting back tears of anger and fear Rogue snarled, "Why?"

"Because there is no land of tolerance. There is no peace, not here or anywhere else. Whole families destroyed simply because they were born different from those in power." Magneto slowly crouched in front of the younger mutant, watching her closely, "Well, after tonight the world's powerful will be just like us. They will return home as brothers. As mutants. Our cause will be theirs." He spread a slow smile, "Your sacrifice will mean our survival." Sabretooth had returned from the island, and he abruptly burst into the cabin with a growl. Mystique raised her head slowly in acknowledgement. Magneto quietly continued, "I'll understand if that comes as a small consolation." He rose to his feet quietly, eyes meeting Sabretooth. "Put her in the machine," he instructed sharply, turning to look back up at the statue, "I'll raise it."

Outside the statue, Magneto was fixing his machine onto the torch, whilst within the three of his Brotherhood ascended the narrow staircase to the head of the statue. Mystique and Toad led the group, with Sabretooth behind carrying Rogue over a shoulder.

"You should've seen the look on their faces!" laughed Toad excitedly, "They walk by and 'WHOOM!' old Toady jumps on 'em, squashed 'em like flies. Didn't I Sabes?"

Sabretooth grunted in response, trying to cease the girl's struggles and cries of frustration. Mystique smirked at Toad's word-for-word description of one of his attacks before she glanced over her shoulder as they continued to climb the winding steps. "Can you shut her up?" she snarled in indication to the vocal Rogue. She turned out onto the ground at the top of the statue, looking out through the meshed gaps in the crown at the distant Ellis Island.

Sabretooth growled at Mystique's question and noisily slammed the girl down to the floor. She gave a defiant cry at the assault. Toad turned round, groaning, "Gawd, it's like havin' a baby around." He strode forward, leering over her before he spat slime into her face. The substance stuck over Rogue's face, instantly muffling her screams.

"Idiot!" snapped Mystique, pushing Toad back, "I said quiet her, not suffocate her! Magneto needs her alive for the machine! Sabretooth rip it off." At her words, Sabretooth stomped forward, using his clawed fingers to prise the hardening mucus off her face and throwing it to the floor in disgust.

Above them, the top of the statue's head began ripping away and the metal curled back to reveal Magneto hovering above the statue. "The machine is in place," he informed sternly, "Now you.." he extended a hand and with a cry, Rogue was raised to her feet and off the floor by her metal cuffs. She was directed through the hole and flown towards the torch. Magneto joined her, forcing her through a small doorway to fasten her binds to the machine.

Mystique turned slowly back to the mesh of the crown, staring out at the distant fireworks display. "I bet the X-Men will be here soon."

"Oh, so what," snorted Toad, "They're easy to get, I'm jus' gonna squash 'em."

Mystique looked round slowly with a slight smile, she paused in brief recollection, "You underestimate them, Toad," she said quietly.

Through the ceiling, Magneto reappeared, looking satisfied, "Quite right, Mystique." He lowered himself to the floor before he walked slowly to the meshed slots. He stared out at the distance before his eyes narrowed at a passing mist on the dark water surface. "Toad, Mystique, stay sharp, we're not alone." Mystique glanced at Toad before she nodded, and the pair began moving to the staircase to deter the X-Men's entry. As Sabretooth moved to join them, Magneto spoke, "And you stay here. Once I've given my power to the girl, I'll be temporarily weakened. You'll be my only defence."

Mystique paused at this, looking round as Toad continued downwards. Her eyes met Magneto's for a short moment.

"The X-Men can only enter through the museum," informed Magneto quietly. "Make sure they don't come up here."

Mystique nodded her head slowly, before she turned and disappeared down the spiraling staircase into the deep blackness.

Thanks for reading this, hope you liked it! A lot of movie inputs here (obviously) but I hope the additon of my own help to flavour it more!