Hi there everybody! I would like to say thank you for all of who have taken time to read this fic and review! I have been working on this new chapter, which I am hoping will be one that you will enjoy! I loved writing it and I hope you like reading it. Things are about to be a little mysterious and all.

And now, with no further interruptions, here is chapter 9, where my own version of the X-Men: Evolution Acolytes, along with some other familiar faces I'm sure you'll recognize will turn up! Also, so far this story has been a pretty straight forward and simple. Now, it will get a little more complex!

Chapter 9

Watchers in the Darkness

What Xavier was feeling was a mixture of feelings. Feeling a mixture of emotions about any certain situation was something he was not unfamiliar with. In fact, he had mixed feelings about a lot of issues. He often saw good and potential in things, but there was always some niggling in his mind that told him to be wary of it all as well. This was one of those times. Feelings of positive and negative were totally balanced on this issue. Now he had a new student who had agreed to come to the Xavier institute. And for that, he was pleased a great deal. But there was also the part of the things that were not so positive, which almost very had.

Xavier had been unsettled somewhat by Simon's reactions to the offer at first. He could still remember feeling all the emotions coming off of Simon in that time; the anger, the frustration, the confusion, so much more. Like some of his students and instructors, Xavier saw that Simon's emotional issues ran very deeply. How deeply, he wasn't sure, but deeply was a clear feature of it. But as to why it was like that, he didn't know.

Talking to Nicholas and Hillary Valley had given Xavier a good deal of information on the changes Simon had gone through after the first signs of his powers first emerged. It sounded similar to stories his students had told him of the history of their powers before they appeared in the lives. What Xavier was really looking forward to as headmaster and as a teacher to Simon was to have that one-to-one talk that he had had with all his students on their first day at the institute. But since it was late, and with the fact that they would arrive back at the mansion near midnight, not to mention the strong possibility of having Simon meet the rest of the student body and faculty before he fell asleep for the night, that would have to wait until tomorrow.

In his hands, Xavier held a folder of information Mr. and Mrs. Valley had given him. It included a lot of things that he was required to know about a new student. The folder held Simon's medical records, his educational profile (which would help enroll him at Bayville High), and also a history of his social life, which he knew was not at a high level thanks to his time with the family and from his findings of Cerebro. Tonight, he would have to go through all this. Medical exams and documentation would come later.

Xavier looked back to the front door of the Valley mansion, where Scott, Jean, and Ororo were standing. Simon was saying good-bye to his folks, for he would not see them for a long time after this. Simon had two suit cases with him, as well as two bags that he carried slung over his shoulder. And from what Xavier saw, he was hugging his mother and father good-bye.

The Professor had seen this type of scene many times before. And he knew how hard it was for a young person to leave his or her family. But deep down he was also pleased that Simon had accepted the fact that he needed help to control his powers. Simon had power. He had potential. He had deep emotions.

Philosophy was something Xavier had never really taken deep educational studies in, however, he had been told more than once in the past few years at the institute that his students and instructors sort of considered him a philosopher whose philosophy was of peaceful co-existence between both races of humans that inhabited the planet Earth. Part of Xavier's beliefs, and thus part of his "philosophy," was that the powers of a mutant belonged to two things. The powers of a mutant belonged to that mutant as an individual and as a unique mutant from all the others. And secondly, the powers of a mutant belonged to the world at large, to be used as a tool of protecting the innocent and defending the right and the just, making good use of all its abilities to make the world a better safer place.

Mutant powers were a gift, whether mutants first believed that or not. Scott had said it best. "They only seemed like curses because we didn't know how to use them, or what to use them for." Xavier couldn't have said it better himself. Scott always seemed to be the one X-Man who was most committed to Xavier's dream. And it was hardly surprising to anyone who heard the story of Scott "Cyclops" Summers. Ever since Xavier had found Scott in the hospital after his devastating optic blasts had raged out of control, Scott had been a frightened teenager, desperate for any chance of living any kind of life. And ever since Xavier helped him with the eye beams of his powers and given him the chance of being an X-Man, Scott had considered Xavier a surrogate father and enforced the beliefs of all the things Xavier himself believed in. Maybe that was what drove Scott to convince Simon to join them at the institute.

The same was true with Jean. Jean had mentioned the part of it being his responsibility to control his powers. Responsibility was one of the most important concepts in dealing with mutant powers. Mutants had responsibility to not only themselves, but to their families, their friends, to all humankind. And that was what he tried to give mutants at his school. And hopefully, Simon Peter Valley, whose powers were truly unique in their own way, could learn to see good and potential in himself and gain the power to take on his responsibility as a mutant and fight for the cause all X-Men fought for.

But of course, doing that for this teenager would be, by no means, easy.

The computer screen was large, and filled with the blueprint of an entire building. A building that was in Bayville, but not seen by those who lived there. In fact, no one in Bayville knew this building was even there. And it was for good reason. The building this blueprint represented was not really a building at all. It was a top-secret underground testing facility.

But there was more on the screen than simply blueprints. There were also detailed files on what was going on down there. And even more importantly still, who was in charge of it all. And what their intentions were. The people were mutant haters who saw mutants as a threat. And their intentions were to get rid of them. And they were not too far off from accomplishing their goals. All it would take was time.

Why couldn't Charles see this for himself? The question raced through Eric Magnus Lensherr's mind over and over again as he stared at the massive screen with both anticipation and excitement, along with feelings of anger, disgust, and relief at having his beliefs and doubts justified. Proof that mutants and humans couldn't exist together as a peaceful civilization was right here in front of him. It couldn't be denied. And it wouldn't. Magneto would see to that.

What Magneto couldn't understand was why his long-time friend turned foe would still believe that humans and mutants could live together in the world. First hand-experience with human cruelty to those considered unclean was proof that such a co-existence was a fool's dream and nothing more. And that was what Magneto had and Xavier didn't. If Xavier had it, he would see the light as well.

What did Charles know about how man treats what he considers different and unusual, or superior. Ordinary human beings were weak, foolish, and cruel creatures in Magneto's opinion. They would fear mutants no matter what good deeds were do for them to win trust. And the answer was obvious—mutants were the planet's future. Mutants were the next stage in the evolution of the planet. Humans had let their status of being the most intelligent, most evolved species of Earth's biosphere to go to their heads. Once they saw that they were no longer the ultimate expression of evolutionary potential, they would try to get it back by any means necessary. And in order to prevent mutants from taking that status from them, the Homo sapiens would have to wipe them all out.

Wipe them all out. That was Imperial Chancellor Adolf Hitler's goal during his time. Only the Aryan race was clean and fit to survive in the world. Other races were of dirty blood and soiled spirits that acted like lethal poison to the Aryan gene pool. What did that lead to? It led to the holocaust, which Eric Magnus Lensherr was a survivor and victim of. It was that experience that had given him the proof he needed to know humans would never accept Homo superior. Time and time again, man had proven that he would always treat those different from him and what he didn't understand with cruelty and merciless anger. Over and over it had happened, and the human race had never really learned from its mistakes. It was time to make sure that this mistake in particular was not made again. It had been made before, many times. This time would be the last one in history.

Magneto stood up from the chair he was sitting in. He'd been sitting for the past two hours going over these blueprints and files of what was going on in this hidden facility. And frankly, he needed a break from it all. Any more sitting and he would probably have joints stiffer than a wooden board.

The Master of Magnetism climbed to his feet and got out of his chair. He picked up his long purple cape that was hanging over one side of a computer terminal nearby and fastened it to the shiny red armor he wore over his black body suit. Then, he took his red, telepathy-blocking helmet from where it was resting and placed it on his head. Even though there were no telepathic mutants around to read his mind, Magneto preferred to keep his helmet on. Besides, it was a good precaution. There was no way of knowing when Xavier would try to scan for other mutants in the world using his Cerebro computer system. If Magneto was ever without his helmet when Xavier did that, there was a very strong chance that he would be picked up by the powerful psychic.

It was then that Magneto sensed a presence coming. It wasn't the presence of mind, for he was no telepath. It was one of those things Magneto sensed. He was good at that a lot of the time. There were times he could sense something was coming. And something was coming now. There were few windows in the large metallic room, and only one of them was open. And it was open for a reason.

Something came in through the open window. A bird. A large black bird. A raven. Just as Magneto had expected.

He watched as the black bird flew down towards him from the window and eased itself onto the metallic floor the large room. As soon as the raven landed, it started to change. It grew in size, losing the features of a bird in the process and gaining what was human, except for coloring. Seconds later, the change was complete and Mystique stood in all her blue-skinned glory. Her somewhat revealing black outfit gave plenty of view of her lithe and supple form, as well as her expert agility and flexibility in addition to her higher than normal strength level for the average woman. One look at Mystique you knew right away that she was more than capable of putting up one hell of a fight.

"Mystique," Magneto said in greeting, "I've been waiting for you."

"I came as soon as I got your message," said Mystique, "you said you had some things I needed to see."

Magneto nodded rather than speaking his thoughts. "You are correct," said the Master of Magnetism, "and in addition to that, there are some things that I wish to know. I understand your posing as that teenager at Bayville High School and being close the X-Men has allowed you to gather certain details about their way of life and of their combative resources."

What Magneto was saying was not something she wasn't prepared for, but Mystique really wanted to know what was going on here first. "Yes, I have been able to gather many invaluable things from Cerebro's files Xavier had. But I still wasn't able to go over the field entirely yet."

"For what reason?"

"If you saw how much information he has on that machine, you would understand how long it would take for me go through it thoroughly. What I need is time, as I told you over the phone."

Silence followed. "I do hope you realize that time is slowly running out," said Magneto, "Soon the time to strike against the X-Men will come. And it will be the only right time there will be."

"What I would like to know is when that time will be and what it will involve," Mystique stated, "If you want my help on this, I will need to know what is going on."

Magneto pointed to the large screen before him that portrayed a large blueprint of what appeared to be a high-tech facility. "Do you see this blueprint?" asked Magneto.

Mystique nodded. "Yes, But I don't see how that's relevant."

"This blueprint is the constructional layout of a top-secret facility in Bayville. It's hidden away from view of the citizens, and no one even knows it's here. With the possible exception of SHIELD."

That last statement made Mystique tense up. Having the X-Men on their cases all the time was bad enough, but to have SHIELD, the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, on their case as well would be totally unacceptable. So far, there had been no involvement from SHIELD ever since the Brotherhood and X-Men had started clashing with each other. But if anything involved SHIELD, it had to be something that couldn't be ignored or even taken lightly. Mystique suddenly wondered how SHIELD could be involved in this. Was there a part of the organization that was turning to mutant hysteria that existed within the lower ranks of its employees? That really didn't make sense. As far as things went in that regard, SHIELD knew that mutants existed, so there were all sorts of possible explanations as to why SHIELD was involved. But then she remembered Magneto said SHIELD might "know" about it. Involvement had not been mentioned.

"What kind of facility is that?" Mystique asked, "What are they doing down there?"

"I used my sources to gather information on this facility," Magneto answered, "Apparently, there is top-secret project currently underway down there. And the reason why it is so important is that it involves us. But more importantly still, it will provide us with an opportunity we must, by all means, take advantage of."

Curiosity in Mystique was aroused. "Tell me more," requested the shape-shifter. She was suddenly wondering what this opportunity was. And also, why it was.

"I've been keeping a close watch on what is going on down there," said Magneto, "And I've discovered what is being prepared there. A robotic expert from SHIELD who left the organization when he renounced his affiliation with them, is creating a robotic warrior robot that he is calling 'The Sentinel.'"

Mystique decided she didn't like the sound of that name. She knew that people with big time projects always named it with a designation that was fitting to the title. It always needed a name fitting for it, depending on what the purpose was. Here the designation was the word "sentinel." Mystique knew what a sentinel was, at least the human kind, so having a robot one was not a comforting thought. But it was also disturbing to think on what this sentinel would go after. "Why is he creating this 'Sentinel'," asked Mystique, "And why did he leave this CIA super equivalent to begin with?"

"Apparently," said Magneto in a matter-of-fact tone, "This expert, named Dr. Bolivar Trask, learned of our kind while he was serving with SHIELD and came to fear and hate all Homo superiors. He sees us as a 'menace.' He secretly set up this program to create something he hopes to use to 'patrol' mutant-kind, as he so improperly labeled it.

"His goal is to create the ultimate weapon to use against mutants, to hunt us down and destroy us. His claims of protecting humankind by creating the Sentinel are merely lies. He hopes to use the Sentinel to destroy us."

Hearing about this former robotics expert from the world's most top-secret peacekeeping organization and his plans for making a weapon to eradicate mutants was not what Mystique had expected to hear. But from what she was hearing, she actually wasn't surprised. Mystique had never even considered the possibility that humans would accept mutants in the world. They would try to wipe them out at all costs. And she was hearing justifications to that belief. With mutants, all issues were black and white, no room for grey at all. Either humans believed mutants could be here on Earth, or, they didn't. It was one or the other. And the fact of the matter was, it was the seek-and-destroy approach. Why be surprised there?

"That fool Xavier," Mystique snorted, disgust and anger present in her voice, "He was a fool to believe that mankind would accept mutants in the gene pool, and now look at this; humans are preparing to wipe us out even before we've been exposed to the general population."

"Charles is not a fool, Mystique," said Magneto, trying to make her understand what was going on, "He is merely delusional. He is blinded from the truth because he chooses not to see it. His dreams of peaceful co-existence between our two races prevent him from using his genius mind and logical reasoning to see the inevitable outcome of mutants being exposed. Humans will realize that they are no longer the apex of Earth's biological evolutionary potential, and they will fight to retake that rank in the biosphere that they no longer have a claim for. We will be feared and hated, yet Charles thinks it will be different if we appear at the right time."

"I've been wondering when this right time would come," said Mystique, regaining her calmness, "But I think it stands to reason that there is no right time to expose us to those miserable humans. They'll react the same way, no matter when and no matter the circumstances."

Magneto seemed pleased. "Your interpretation and acceptance of the truth is truly pleasing to me, Mystique. It makes you a worthy ally."

Mystique was silent, but then spoke up on a different matter. "But how does this Sentinel fit into this opportunity you told me about?"

"What this opportunity is about, Mystique," said Magneto, "is the fact that it will give me the chance to prove to Charles that his visions are wrong."

"Explain."

"The Sentinel Program is still working on its prototype model," said Magneto, "But it being so advanced a project, it is slow-going in terms of progress. It will not be ready for a few more weeks still, and that gives us the chance to push the X-Men out into the open, and use the Sentinel to reveal our kind.

"We must find a way to get the X-Men out of the Mansion, and get them to the spot where the facility is located. Once we do that, we can unleash the Sentinel from Trask's clutches, and let the citizen's of Bayville see them in the flesh, as they truly are. The people will react with fear and hatred, like humanity always does to what it doesn't understand and to what it is inferior to. The X-Men will then see how flawed Charles' philosophy of peaceful co-existence is. And if it all goes according to plan, we may be able to motive some of them to join us."

Every word that left Magneto's mouth fueled Mystique's excitement. It was about time that this should happen. She was kind of surprised they hadn't done something like this earlier. But it would prove that humans would always fear mutants. And in addition, there was the part of motivating the X-Men to join their ranks.

"Yes, I think out side could benefit from having the X-Men fight along side us," said the shape-shifter, "Seeing how humanity would fear them just for being different might open their eyes to the real world and not some delusional vision from a crippled father figure."

"How are things working on your end?" asked Magneto, changing the subject, "Are the Brotherhood members faring well."

Mystique's expression turned disgusted. "Frankly, Magneto, I'm disappointed in them. Ever since I went undercover and stayed out of their lives for a time, they've become spineless, lazy shadows of themselves. They've lost every single time they've gone up against the X-Men, they've never bothered to try to improve themselves. I've become disgusted by their commitment. Or lack thereof."

"How disappointing," Magneto commented dryly, "So much potential, yet so little commitment. Even my own son, slacking in his over-arrogant attitude. They must not see the importance of this, even after all this time serving under us."

"No they don't," said Mystique, "They only won after I let Wanda join the ranks."

"I'm sure you can see why I had no choice but to lock her away," said Magneto, sounding disappointed in himself, "Her powers were so strong, but so uncontrollable, I had to make sure they were kept away from me and Pietro. I am grateful that you've managed to finally get her the means she needs to control her powers."

Mystique shifted weight from one foot to the other in tension. So far, Wanda was the perfect weapon, but it was because of a lie. She would discover the truth sooner or later. "Yes, I've managed to make her really focus on her power. Thanks to Agatha's help, she's come a long way in controlling her powers. But it's her anger that really makes her powers formidable. Should she lose that anger, she may grow less and less formidable over time."

"Is there any particular reason why that would happen?" asked Magneto, "You told me that she is still strong with her desire for revenge on me and Pietro. It's what's kept her determined all these years. Her desire for revenge was greater than her desire to be freed from the asylum I condemned her to. So why should it wan now?"

"It's only a matter of feeling," said Mystique, "Powers and emotions are connected. With fury like Wanda's fueling her powers, it makes her truly powerful. What we need is a way to keep her determined for revenge and at the same time, make her trust me totally. If her trust in me starts to fade, we may have a problem on our hands. Should she become suspicious, our secret may be revealed."

Magneto realized that Mystique was right in that assumption. Wanda's anger did indeed make her formidable in battle, but keeping her that way might be a problem without exposing their secret. But probably Mystique could find a way.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," said Magneto, "You've proven that you can convince her before. You'll just have to deal with it when you need to. You're a resourceful woman, Mystique. I have confidence in you."

"I suppose," said Mystique, "I just need to think of something. By the way, I still think there's a mutant who has even more potential that Wanda."

That statement caught Magneto by surprise. Wanda had the power to warp reality and alter probability. What was more powerful than that?

"Who?" asked the Master of Magnetism.

"My daughter, Rogue," said Mystique.

"Ah, yes," said Magneto, "the girl you couldn't keep from discovering the truth." That last part was spoke rather scathingly.

"I didn't know she would turn on me like that," Mystique tried to defend herself. And it was true. Rogue had shown faith in her before and no signs of her using her powers on Mystique had surfaced. It was totally unexpected. But with a person like Magneto, who didn't tolerate failure, nothing was good enough as an excuse.

"No matter," said Magneto, "You're right though, your daughter does had great power. If she were rejoin our side, we could use that great power against the X-Men. She could be a powerful soldier in our army of warriors to declare our superiority over lowly humans."

"Yes," agreed Mystique, "Rogue has such potential that I can't even begin to estimate how powerful she could be. But there are many things that are standing in the way of that potential, so many flaws."

"What do you mean?" asked Magneto, confused by Mystique's words, "What are they?"

"First of all, her absorption power is only temporary. She can use other mutants' powers, but only for a brief period. If that temporary absorption was to change and become permanent, then she could be the ultimate fighter. And of course, there is the part of her organizing her powers and controlling them. I've looked through her profile on Cerebro and it said that despite Xavier's attempts to help her control her power nothing has worked. And in addition, she has lost trust in us."

"Then perhaps we must obtain the files of her genetic code," said Magneto, "Understanding her DNA may provide us with the answer to the problem of her powers fading over time. If that were to be corrected, then we could put one problem behind us."

"What do you mean?" asked Mystique, startled by that turn of conversation, "are you saying you're going to experiment on her like you did like Kurt? If so, then I say "forget it!' We've been down that road before and look what it cost me!" Her voice grew angry and hot.

Magneto merely brought up a hand to calm her. "I'm only saying that if we knew more about her genome, we may be able to overcome the part that hinders her control over it. Since my genetic enhancer on Asteroid M aided Cyclops in gaining control over his powers, it may do the same for Rogue."

Mystique thought on that, and it started to make sense. Still, she was uneasy about having her daughter's DNA altered in any way. In fact, her first response was to say "no." But then again, maybe if she helped Rogue with her powers, she could gain her trust again. After all, Rogue didn't know Mystique was her mother. Yet. That part could be revealed later when the time was right. Not right now.

While Mystique was thinking on that, she wondered if she should mention the vision Destiny had about Rogue and the unnamed boy. Maybe Magneto could help her with that in making sure it never happened. But she quickly bit pushed that back down. One thing at a time.

"However, I must see Rogue's genetic information if I am to determine how to do it. Did you see any of that on Cerebro's files?" asked Magneto.

Mystique shook her head. "No, I need time to go through the files. I haven't seen anything lie that yet because I haven't looked through the files enough. It might be there, but I'm not sure."

"Very well," said Magneto, "I suggest that once you get back to your boarding house you look into it."

"Alright. But if it isn't on there, we may need to do a little improvising."

"Whatever," said Magneto, "But remember the possibility that my plan could offer you."

Mystique looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"If this plan goes according to my hopes, then the X-Men will be overthrown and convinced to side with us. If that happens, you could reclaim both your son and your daughter."

That caught Mystique's attention. Reclaiming Kurt and Rogue as her children would certainly be of benefit for her. Besides, it was what she always wanted. She could show them her true caring for them, make them accept her as their mother. It had to work. It HAD to! But she still wasn't willing to let Magneto experiment on her daughter. She vowed to never let that happen.

"Yes, I would like that very much," she said. Suddenly, she decided that may she could tell Magneto about Destiny's vision. Part of her said no that idea, but most of her was saying it was for the better. She chose that one. After all if Magneto could help her reclaim her son and daughter, then maybe she could aid her in keeping Rogue safe from dying. And take care of that unnamed boy if he was the cause of Rogue's suffering. If that mystery teenager was the source of Rogue's death, Mystique would be more than sure to make him pay for her daughter's untimely demise. But there was the big chance he wasn't the reason why Rogue was in danger. Destiny had said he would play a major role in both their futures. But what role was that? Mystique couldn't pin anything down on that until she knew more about him. All in all, not deciding seemed like the most logical choice.

"I think I must tell you something more," said Mystique, "You remember my friend, Destiny."

"Yes," Magneto answered, "You've told me of her before. Has she had another vision that concerns you?"

"Indeed she has," Mystique replied, "and it was about Rogue."

Magneto arched his eyebrow. "It was? What was this vision about?"

"I'm afraid it was rather vague," said Mystique, "However, according to Destiny, Rogue is in danger, danger of losing her life to something that wasn't verified."

Magneto brought up his hand to his chin. He seemed confused. "That is strange. Her visions didn't say anything on why she is in danger?"

Mystique shook her head. "No. It merely said that she is in danger of dying and that's it."

"Then perhaps you must keep an extra close watch on your daughter," suggested Magneto, "Perhaps if you watch her closely you will figure out what will cause this life-threatening danger. If so, then perhaps we can find a way to preserve her life. Should we know what causes her predicament, we can easily overcome it."

"I'll find a way to do that," said Mystique, "But there's one other thing her visions told about that you may want to know."

"What was it?" asked Magneto.

"She saw a teenage boy in her visions, who was in the danger of suffering death like Rogue was."

Magneto's interest was perked at the mention of this boy. His mind thought of all possibilities of what he could represent, or be. "Did she know who it was?"

"No, she only saw his face and that he was blond and green-eyed. She didn't catch his name or anything about him. So I don't know if he's an X-Man, a mutant with no affiliation that we know of, some civilian caught up in a fight, someone who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or something else."

Magneto considered those. "Perhaps we must also keep an eye out for this unnamed boy," said Magneto, "I am curious as to who he is. Perhaps he is a mutant."

"I have the feeling that he may be the one who puts Rogue's life in danger," said Mystique, sounding a little angry at this unmanned teenager, even if it was unjustified, "He may be a mutant, but I don't know. I have no idea who he is or where he is right now."

"I understand, Mystique. We both must keep a watch for this individual. Look into anyone who resembles him. I would like to learn more about him."

"So would I. I will keep a watch out for him," said Mystique. She was about to leave, when she thought of another issue. "But Magneto, how are we going to go through with this plan with the lousy shape the Brotherhood is in right now? We're going to need mutants with skill and such to pull this plan off."

Magneto only smiled in response. "I understand that, Mystique," said the Master of Magnetism, "And there is no need for you to worry. I've already assembled another team of mutants to help us, who are now working under my hand."

With that, Magneto reached out with his right hand. Mystique heard the trademark magnetic hum and buzz of his magnetic powers working and knew something was about to move with the power. She looked to see what it was and saw he was reaching towards a large metal door. The door opened.

On the other side was pitch-blackness, featureless, nothing to be seen. But then, seconds later, five figures emerged from the darkness.

Mystique knew one of them from memory. Sabertooth was among the six. The red eyes, the blond hair, the razor-sharp claws and fangs. He looked as feral as ever, in addition to looking as inhumane as ever as well. If there was ever a mutant Mystique had found that bore the smallest resemblance to humanity psychologically, it was Sabertooth. Unlike predators of the animal world that killed to survive, Sabertooth was exactly the opposite of that. He lived to kill, not kill to live. He was a rapid dog of a man. Always on the look out for something to kill for pleasure. It was something he offered no apologies or concern for at all.

"Sabertooth," Mystique greeted, disgust clear in her voice.

Victor "Sabertooth" Creed snarled viscously, even more so than his enemy Wolverine, baring his fangs in a wolf-like snarl. "I'd think you'd be careful about how you greet me," Sabertooth snarled at the shape-shifter, who didn't seem too concerned with how Sabertooth reacted to her insults.

"Please," Mystique snapped at the feral mutant, "why should an unthinking animal like you even be bothered by what I say." She turned back to Magneto. "You're letting this mindless raging animal work under you?" she asked.

Those words made Sabertooth snarl like there was no tomorrow. He raised both his hands in preparation for an attack on Mystique when Magneto raised his hand to silence him. "That's enough, Sabertooth," said the Master of Magnetism. Sabertooth reluctantly calmed.

Magneto turned back to Mystique, who was still looking at Sabertooth with unveiled disgust. "Since you know Sabertooth already, I'll introduce you to the others."

Mystique didn't answer.

"That is Pyro," said Magneto, pointing to a red-haired man in an orange and red suit with an orange glass faceplate and a large tank with hoses attached on his back. Pyro had a look to his eye and a smile that both showed him to be one with an appetite for destruction. Mystique decided he was unpredictable at best.

"That is Colossus." Magneto pointed to a large, beefy, dark-haired young man who had massive muscles and looked like his entire body was covered with a layer of shiny silver metal that gleamed in the light of the room. He said nothing. If anything, he looked like he was here against his will, which Mystique wouldn't have been surprised at. But that was irrelevant to her.

"Gambit." The man near Colossus was wearing a brown trench coat and had unruly brown hair and the strangest eyes Mystique had ever seen in any living thing. Red on black. Ruby-colored irises with black sclerae behind them. He was shuffling a deck of playing cards in his hands. He also wore a very cocky grin on his handsome face that irked Mystique just by seeing it.

"Bonjour, Cherie Mystique," said Gambit in a Cajun-accented voice, sounding like a man who let his pride in his looks go to his head.

"I'd prefer it if you kept your remarks to yourself," Mystique snapped irritably. She knew immediately that she didn't like Gambit.

Gambit's smile only widened.

"and finally, Sunfire." Sunfire was a Japanese man in a red and white costume with a red mask that looked like a five-pointed star. He also had a look in his eyes that looked tough and as hot as his solar namesake.

"Mystique, meet the Acolytes."

Outside Magneto's base where Mystique was meeting the Acolytes for the first time, the night in the city was vast. The moon was full and out, casting a bright light over the city. The stars dotted the Sky, casting a beautiful show of sparkles all about the void.

Magneto's base was deep underground underneath one of the buildings here. This part of Bayville was not very active at any time. Most of the buildings were abandoned and no on really came here out of interest because there was nothing of real interest here to see. And that was what Magneto used to his advantage in keeping his operation secret as best he could. With operations like this, you needed all the coverage and secrecy you could acquire.

But unknown to Magneto, Mystique, or anyone else, for that matter, there were those who knew of this secret base of Magneto's. Try as Magneto might, there would be those who knew of his secrets, no matter how deeply they were buried.

On a rooftop of an abandoned warehouse, over 200 feet away from the outsides of Magneto's base, stood two figures. Both of them were shrouded in long hooded cloaks that covered them except for their faces, for they wanted to blend into the night as much as possible. Both of the figures had glowing red eyes that gleamed like sinister flames in the night's darkness. Both of them had been waiting here for the past hour or so. And they had done what they had been sent here to do.

They had seen Mystique in her bird form enter Magneto's base. They had been told that she would arrive at the time she did. And the calculated time was correct. After that, they had used their telepathy to scan the minds of those inside the room, who weren't impervious to psychic energies.

"So it appears that their calculations of the timeline were correct," said the shorter of the two, a bald man wearing a long purple cloak with a lean, narrow face that was covered with jagged patterns of green tattooed lines. His eyes, glowing red with his powers, where filled with cruel hardness. "Magneto and Mystique have started their plans to expose Mutant-kind in the hopes of making mutants see the pitiful truth on their weaker brethren." He was Mesmero, an evil mind-controlling mutant telepath who used others to do his dirty work. "A most unwise move, don't you think?" Mesmero asked his companion, already knowing that he would agree with him.

"Truer words were never spoken," said the other figure, "Magneto and Mystique are both fools, just like that miserable Xavier. They're fools, all of them. They're only setting up what will lead to their own undoing and they don't even realize it." The other figure was a few inches taller than Mesmero and was wearing a black cloak that was secured around the waist with a fancy silver belt decorated with images and patterns of occult symbolism, a jewel-eyed skull on the buckle. But unlike Mesmero, the second figure had no resemblance to a human at all. Underneath his hood was a demonic face, bearing no similarity to a human's in the least. He had a hairless scalp covered with short hooked spines that pointed backward like small quills and elongated jaws that looked like the cross between the jaws of a gorilla and the jaws of a wolf containing jagged, pointed fangs. His featureless eyes were crimson red with evil hatred. He possessed no ears and his skin was covered with rough, crusty dark blue scales, giving it the appearance and texture of blue alligator hide. Once called Amahl Farouk, he was now known to all who knew of his existence as his self-appointed alias "the Shadow King," a bizarre hybrid of supernatural demon flesh and mutant psychic energy. Like Mesmero, he was a telepath, but of a higher caliber. In addition, he could send his psychic being out of his flesh and blood body as a psychic entity and possess and inhabit the bodies of others, feeing off their negative emotions using his telepathic powers to fuel his evil hatred, making it grow darker with each absorption.

"We have done all we need to do here," said Mesmero, "We must now do the second part of our assignment and see if the other events predicted for tonight are underway."

Shadow King nodded his demonic face in agreement under his hood. "Yes, Let us travel to the Xavier Mansion to see if the other events they told us to confirm are occurring as calculated."