Mystique pushed back the tent flaps as she reached Magneto's tent across the other side of the campsite. He was already asleep, something which Mystique found odd, for she had never seen him sleeping before. More often than not he was in his own room and out of sight. She closed the tent opening behind her, settling herself down onto the canvas floor where she leant back against the wall of the tent. She exhaled a sigh as she glanced over at Magneto again, who still hadn't stirred from his slumber. Admittedly, she was displeased at her failure with Logan, but at the same time it amused her, for his reaction had been somewhat entertaining to witness. Though not expected. Even if she had been sussed out, she expected him to go along with it, or at least her able to convince him.
But nevertheless, she had been told to leave, and there was only so long she could hang around an agitated Wolverine until he decided to put his claws to good use. Her motives were questionable. She wasn't entirely sure why she tried to seduce him, for it wasn't long ago when she was against him, hating him. But that hate had somehow turned into a lust. There was something daring and reckless about yearning after Wolverine. It was dangerous.
And she liked it.
Her thoughts were disturbed as Magneto stirred from his sleep, and slowly pushed himself upright as he noticed her. "I'm glad you're back," he said in a low whisper. "We need to talk about tomorrow."
Mystique nodded her head slowly, eyes becoming attentive.
"Naturally we need to stop Charles from destroying mutant kind, but not without a little modifications. Stryker's plan is masterful, but needs to be tweaked."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that when we arrive at Alkali Lake, we will find Cerebro and with my experience, alter it to target others."
Mystique gave a small smile, "Humans."
"Exactly. All of them will vanish in minutes, and leave the world entirely to mutants, where we can continue our existent as the dominant species." There was a fanatic glint in his eyes that Magneto always got when he spoke of this passionate subject. "But I will need your help."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
Sunrise has barely touched the skies when mutants began ascending the ramp of the fixed X-Jet. Magneto and Mystique took up the rear of the group, Magneto striding to the back of the jet to take a seat on one of the benches. He instantly separated themselves from the X-Men. Mystique glanced around the leather clad X-Men as she arrived on the jet. Her eyes met Logan's, who was glaring at her fiercely. She merely gave him a sultry smile before she turned away from him and followed Magneto to the benches.
Storm and Jean took to the controls of the jet, and the aircraft soon began its rise into the orange hued sky where it burst into speed towards the north.
Magneto, who had spoken very little since he woke up, slowly glanced over to Mystique who was watching the back of Logan's head. "Is there something wrong?" he asked her softly.
"No, nothing," replied Mystique, her eyes pulling from Logan and onto Magneto himself.
"Where were you last night?"
Mystique idly shrugged her shoulders. "Just paid a visit to Wolverine."
A small smile came across Magneto's face, "Indeed, and what did this entail?"
Speaking quietly, Mystique continued, "I went into his tent – as Jean. He fell for it at first.."
"Oh?" Magneto tilted his head, but amusement glittered in his dark eyes. "I assume he sniffed you out, as it were."
"He did. At first I thought he was going to go along with it.." there was a tell-tale smirk on Mystique's face which let Magneto know exactly what she was on about. "I even gave him a choice. Jean, Storm.."
Across the jet, Logan's voice sounded as he conversed with Rogue and Bobby. "They're on order – should arrive in a few years," he murmured, closing the doors to the uniform cabinets after he had belatedly changed into his.
"And Rogue.."
Magneto slowly looked round at the young mutant, chuckling as he watched her back. At this, Rogue turned, the smile on her face at Logan's joke fading quickly. Magneto leaned forth a little, a vindictive air about him, "We love what you've done with your hair," he informed her with a sarcastic smile upon his lips.
In response, Rogue's face hardened, eyes quickly blazing with undeniable anger. She grabbed at the white opera gloves she wore, beginning to rip them off her hands. However, Bobby noticed and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back with reassuring words. Magneto didn't look very intimidated by her threat, he merely looked quite bored by it. Besides him Mystique laughed rather cruelly.
"So.." came a voice from Magneto's left-hand side, "They say you're the bad guy." He turned his head slowly to watch Magneto, a lighter being clasped in one of his hands.
"Is that what they say?" replied Magneto, without looking at him. Mystique smirked to herself, it was the kid who annoyed her last now.
The younger mutant nodded his head slowly, eyes then shifting upon Magneto's metal helmet, which sat on the bench besides him. "It's a dorky looking helmet.. what's it for?"
Both of the Brotherhood turned their heads to survey the younger mutant "This dorky looking helmet is the only thing that'll protect me from the real bad guys." He then paused as his eyes landed upon the lit lighter, and he opened his palm to summon the metal accessory towards him. "What's your name?" he asked as he studied the lighter and it's flame.
"John," he answered, straightening in his head.
Magneto smiled ever so slightly, "What's your real name, John?"
In answer, John tilted his hand and beckoned the flame from the tip of his lighter. In flew across towards his palm where it hovered, glowing and flickering. "Pyro," he said softly.
"Quite a talent you have there, Pyro." Mystique was now watching the fire that sat in his palm with small interest.
"I can only manipulate the fire, I can't create it." John closed his hand about the fire to let it extinguish.
"You are a god amongst insects," Magneto told him sternly. "Never let anyone tell you different." With that, he passed the lighter back over to John, who accepted in with a new respect upon his features. Mystique shared a knowing glance with Magneto, for his grooming methods had worked with her so long ago. He knew how to make a mutant feel proud of who they were and from what she saw of John last night, his stubborn but assertive nature would get him far.
"All right, this is a topographic map of the dam," Storm informed the mutants as they all stood gathered around a hologram, which projected from one of the circular portions of the jet. The X-Men stood in the cockpit, Magneto and Mystique once more remaining at the back of the jet. "This is the spillway," continued Storm as she gestured with a hand. "See these density changes in the terrain?" she asked as the image transformed, "they're tyre tracks."
"That's the entrance," added Logan.
"Mmhm," Storm sounded before commenting on their new hologram. "And this shows the depth of the ice covering the ground. This is recent water activity."
"If we go in there, Stryker could flood the spillway," came Jean's voice from the co-pilot's seat.
Storm glanced towards Nightcrawler, "Can you teleport inside?"
"No," he answered regrettably, "I have to be able to see where I am going, otherwise I could wind up inside a wall."
"I'll go," Logan suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. "I have a hunch he'll want me alive."
For the first time since they had landed, Magneto spoke up. "Wolverine. Whoever goes into the dam needs to be able to operate the spillway mechanism." He uncaringly walked through the hologram and towards the adamantium mutant. "What do you intend to do? Scratch it with your claws?" he asked deridingly.
"I'll take my chances," Logan said sternly, stepping forward.
Magneto merely dismissed him, "But I won't," he said simply, turning to then glance over to Mystique, who gave a knowing smile, as she understood his meaningful look. Without a word, her form shifted into that of Logan, clad in his casual attire from the night before. Everything was in place, from his rough stubble to his gleaming dogtag.
"And you think that'll work?" asked Storm as she frowned a little at Magneto.
"Most definitely, my dear."
X3 is so close! excited! Review for me!