9
"Do you remember where you are and why you are here?" Magneto asked Cassandra.
The teen sat up slowly, rubbing her temples before pushing her long brown hair out of her face and looked up at Magneto. She was a beautiful girl, with large gray eyes. She studied him carefully, before she seemed to give up at something. "I'm in the Vault. I came here trying to break out my father."
"Your father?" Magneto asked, raising an eyebrow under his helmet.
"Yeah, Cain Mariko, the Juggernaut. They had some sort of brain scrambler gun they used on me, knocked me out. Next thing I knew I was in this cell with those things on my head, and I couldn't use my powers."
Magneto did not speak for some time, taking in the story he just heard. Finally he spoke again. "Very well child, if my followers are lucky, your father will be free. Your freedom depends on one thing. All I ask in return for releasing you is for your services on Avalon, a sanctuary I have created for mutant kind. You abilities will greatly aid our search for others like us who will need protection."
She again had the look of studious concentration on her face before she said, "Okay, that sounds fair. Can we find my dad?"
"In a moment, you need to rest and regain your strength."
She leaned back down on Sage's lap and closed her eyes. Magneto looked at Sage and his eyes said it all.
"Watch her."
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Laura was walking point down the corridor. Around her were the bodies of soldiers, their arms tied together with their own guns. Behind her, Magma, Berserker and Sunspot looked on in awe and fear of what they saw, while Beast merely looked tense and determined. Laura herself was feeling very tense. She kept getting whiffs of scents that were throwing her off. They were faint when she did pick them up, not as if the scents were old and fading away but more as if somehow the normal smells of the prison were covering them up.
"What is it?" Beast asked as she paused near a door partially ripped off its hinges.
"Someone is here, but I can't tell-" she cut herself off as a shadowy form struck Beast from behind, knocking him forward into the back of Ray's knees. The shadow scrambled up Beast's back, stepped on Ray's chest, and launched itself at Laura, just as she would have been finishing her sentence. She saw a flash of metal amidst the shadow and she extended her claws in a block. The shadow came down and clanged against the top of the two adamantium blades, and Laura could see a faint edge of metal protruding from the swirling smoke of the shadow. She pushed upward with her arm as she swiped underneath with her left hand, claws extended. The pressure on her arm relaxed as the shadow moved backwards.
Laura could see the shadows leave like a curtain parting open, revealing a black clad young woman with purple hair in the finish of a back flip, her katana sweeping in front of her to keep Laura at a distance. She landed with grace and flipped her head up to look at Laura. Her pale violet eyes, the left framed by a red tattoo, were focused solely on Laura.
"Nap time, ninja girl!" Roberto called out, powering up and lunging forward with a punch. The ninja spun as ducked below the haymaker and punched the top of Sunspot's thigh with her left hand. She lifted her elbow into his lowering chin as she swept his bruised leg out from underneath him with her own as she stepped around, coming again to face Laura, who was rushing at her.
The young clone stopped herself as the blade swept low along her stomach, the small slice healing quickly after a spurt of blood. She snarled and punched downward at the blade as it passed, catching the side of it against her fist and between her two claws. With a twist of the wrist she locked the blade and pulled backwards as she unleashed a sidekick with her left leg, pulling the blade free and catching the ninja in the midsection. The purple haired woman stepped backwards, hunching over slightly. She stepped forward again with her left hand up guarding her head, blocking the hook kick Laura tried to follow up with. The clone pulled her leg back, only to throw a third kick with the still raised leg, this time a round house kick to the other side of the ninja's head, her foot claw extending. The ninja stepped forward again, blocking Laura's shin with her shoulder as she stuck with an upward palm strike to her solar plexus
As the two women dueled, Magma was helping Sunspot up, who had reverted to human form. When he stood completely up he wiped his mouth, which was bloody. "She hits hard."
"Serves you right Roberto, rushing in like that. You're strong, not invulnerable!"
"Yeah yeah. Can you blast her?"
"Not without hitting Laura."
"She'd heal."
"Roberto!"
There was a groaning behind them, cutting off further conversation. Ray was helping up a very groggy Beast. "What hit me?"
"Ninja." Roberto said, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder.
"I think I've just about seen everything now. We need to keep going while Laura occupies the ninja. If the metal of this corridor is any indication, we're dealing with Magneto."
"Wow, she's a wild thing, isn't she?" Amara said, watching the fight as Laura let out a scream. The ninja had drawn a pair of daggers and sliced two glancing blows along Laura's cheeks. The wounds were healing, but the smaller girl's rage was growing as she screamed and leaped at the ninja, claws forward.
"And we're supposed to take him on alone?" Ray asked, his voice rising to be heard over the renewed scream from Laura.
"We have no choice," Beast replied as the turned away from the fight again. The ninja had rolled backwards and flipped Laura with a rising leg. The two were now slowly circling towards each other.
"I'll give you a choice, stay here and out of the way," came a deep voice. They turned and saw a dark man with a futuristic pistol drawn at them. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes glared out at them. "Let Magneto finish what he came here to do, and then we can all be home before bedtime."
With lightening fast reflexes, Berserker's hand rose and a bolt of electricity shot out at the newcomer. Something in the pistol overloaded, causing a small explosion that sent the man falling backwards, electricity still flowing through his body. Magma and Sunspot stepped forward to cover the still groggy Beast, Sunspot favoring the leg the ninja had punched.
"Big mistake," the man said as he stood. His eyes glowed yellow for a second and a beam of golden energy shot from his hand back at Ray, who was sent flying back into the corridor wall. "Who's next?"
Magma sent a pair of fireballs at him, which he caught. They watched as the flames went out as they seemed to be pulled into his hands. "I absorb energy, any other bright ideas?"
"I've got one!" Roberto said, for the second time that night leaping at someone. This time proved better as the man was not as fast as the ninja, and Sunspot landed a punch to his jaw. He landed a second as Beast, fighting through the throbbing in the back of his head, joined the New Mutant in the assault.
They had the man reeling until a long, metal tentacle grabbed Beast and threw him into the wall. His head hit the wall, and combined with the earlier blow he was out cold. A second tentacle wrapper around Roberto's waist and lifted him in the air. He felt his strength quickly siphoning away. "The energy you have makes your life force delicious," came the voice from the shadows of the doorway. A man Roberto had seen in a report about Wolverine's capture by Hydra stepped forward.
"Omega," the black man said, wiping a spot of blood off his lip. "No permanent damage."
"I recall Magneto's orders Bishop. It is merely a taste." His tentacles retracted from Roberto, but continued to twitch in the air. Roberto fell to the floor in a heap. He was then knocked backwards by a fireball from Magma, but Bishop intercepted the next one, absorbing its energy. He fired another golden beam, taking Magma out of the fight.
Bishop turned back to Omega Red, but found the Russian's attention focused on the fight between Revanche and Laura. He let out a cry of anger. "I will not follow his orders when it comes to her, she who is responsible for my imprisonment!" He knocked Bishop to the ground with one tentacle, the other grabbing the wrist of Revanche as she came into his range. It yanked hard as it retracted, throwing her aside. He shot both back out and wrapped them tightly around Laura's body. "Your life is forfeit X-23!"
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Elsewhere in the prison a second battle raged. Colossus had been in the lead as he, Shadowcat, Jean and Iceman had pursued the Juggernaut through the walls Colossus had sent him flying through. After passing through the fourth wall, he was greeted by a rust colored gauntlet slamming into his chrome colored chin, knocking him back into the wall and widening the gap.
"What's the matter Tin Man, glass jaw? I should have known-" he was cut off as Colossus lifted both fists in an upward hammer blow to the leaning Juggernaut's helmet. The bigger man staggered back and then tripped outright as Jean pulled his feet out from under him with her mind.
"Bobby, freeze him!" she cried out. Iceman ran forward through the hole, ice beams flowing from his wrist and encasing the Juggernaut's body in ice. When the man was fully encased he ran forward and placed his hands on the ice block, focusing all his energy on dropping the temperature of the ice even further.
While Iceman was focused on containing the Juggernaut, Shadowcat phased through the ice, pulling a latch on the helmet into a phased state and unhooking it. She had just finished with the second one when the ice shuddered. She was moving to phase Bobby, whose icy brow was furled in concentration, when the ice cracked as Juggernaut threw his arms out sideways. His left fist collided with Bobby and sent the mutant spinning as he screamed out in pain.
Colossus immediately jumped on the cracking ice, pinning the rising mutant to the ground and he send his fist slamming down through the ice and into the big man's helmet. It lifted slightly with the two latches undone, but remained on his head. Colossus sent a second blow through the ice. "Shadowcat!" he called out to Kitty, who was rushing towards Bobby. "You must finish with the helmet!" Kitty looked franticly at Bobby, who crying in pain and clutching his shoulder.
"Go!" he managed to get out.
She turned to get the rest of the latches. Colossus was sending a third punch when Juggernaut's hand lifted and he palmed Colossus's head. Pushing on the ground with his other hand, he broke free of the remaining ice and lifted Colossus, who attempted to kick at the rising giant. Juggernaut, now standing, grabbed one of the metal Russian's legs and with a swing threw him upwards threw the ceiling and through several more above that. With a grimace he closed the two open latches and felt something hit his back. Turning, he saw that Jean was lifting shards of the ice and sending them flying at the Juggernaut. He batted the ice out of his way with his hand as he walked towards her.
One of the latches on the back came undone and he spun to see Kitty ducking out of the way in back in front of him. He reached to grab her, his hand passing right through her, and a sharp pain shot through his eye. Jean had taken the distraction to focus on a single shard and send it into his eye when she had an opening. It didn't damage the invulnerable eye, but it had caused a great deal of pain, something he wasn't used to. He slapped his hand to his face, only to find it blocked by helmet. "You little bitch, going to tear you apart for that."
The ice resumed its pelting, followed by pieces of concrete. In his non-stinging eye he could see Shadowcat circling him again. She reached up and grabbed another latch, and he brought his hand down on hers. For a moment he had contact, but she soon rephased her hand and slipped away..
He turned back to go after Jean again when he saw a blur and she collapsed to the ground next to a grinning Quicksilver, who was blowing on his clenched fist like the barrel of a gun. "Come on Big Man, word from Magneto. He's got your daughter free and he's ready to move."
"Cassie?"
"That's right. Now let's go."
"Oh no you don't!" Kitty said, blocking the opening in the wall. "I'm not letting you get away. I've played nice but now I start phasing off bits of you Juggernaut."
Quicksilver was suddenly next to her. "Oh, I bet you let us go Kitty, you've got bigger things to worry about."
He appeared next to Bobby and kicked him hard in the shoulder he was cradling. He let out a long scream that died away as he started to lose consciousness. "Ew, that felt way too squishy. I'd help him if I were you. Let's go Big Man, Blob needs your help carrying everyone."
Kitty ran to Bobby's side as the two others left. She could see right away his shoulder was dislocated. She gripped it hand braced herself. "This is going to hurt Bobby, be glad you're out cold." She yanked and the shoulder popped back into place. He screamed out again, but shorter as his head rolled back into unconsciousness. Satisfied she had done all she could do for the time being, she chased after the other two.
She made her way back to the room with Juggernaut's holding tank to find the room empty of the Brotherhood members. The rest of the X-Men lay unconscious. She continued out of the room, back through the long series of gaps the Brotherhood had made. She had made it through two when she saw Logan leaning against a wall, covered in blood.
"Logan!" she called out, stopping mid stride and going to him.
"Don't worry Half-Pint, more his than mine. Coward took off eventually. Where's everyone else?"
"Out cold, the Brotherhood's escaping with Juggernaut; they're all meeting Magneto somewhere, sounds like he was breaking out Juggernaut's daughter."
"Let's go! Secondary isn't going to hold against all of them."
As they ran down the corridor Wolverine mused out loud. "Didn't know Juggs had a kid."
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"Just like Wolverine, I can't tell if it's the way your healing factor attempts to recharge your life, or if it is simply the taste of revenge that makes it so sweet."
Laura struggled again in the tentacles. "I'm not giving up, monster!"
Omega Red simply chuckled and pulling his tentacles back a bit brought her closer to stare directly in her face. "You don't have to give up, I prefer if you fight."
"Fine!" she yelled and swung both her feet forward, stabbing him in the stomach with her foot claws. He howled in pain and the tentacles loosened. She slipped down out of them and slashed at them with her claws. She could see she made scratches in the weaker metal, but it was still strong enough to withstand adamantium blades. She rolled backwards away from him.
He laughed through the pain. "Even out of my grasps my Death Field works on you and your comrades, healing me and killing you. You will pay for all that you have done to me."
Ignoring his banter, she dodged the tentacles flying at her with a foot claw assisted sprint up the wall she was near. Launching herself, she flew at him with four claws, slashing along his right side as he attempted to move out of the way. She landed in a roll and turned to counter the inevitable retaliation, but found something odd. His tentacles wrapped around his own throat. She rushed forward to attack him, but her hand was pulled suddenly back. She flew into the wall, her hands pinned against her chest and her feet forced together. She could feel something pulling on her claws. Scrap metal from the jail walls flew at her and wrapped around her chest and legs, meeting up with rebar that dug its way out of the cement and locking her firmly to the wall.
Magneto floated into the section of corridor a foot off the ground, his hand outstretched. As the last of the metal wrapped around Laura he put his hand down and folded his arms across his chest. She could see nothing of his face beneath the helmet he wore, but she could feel the anger pouring from it. Walking behind him was a raven haired woman, a brunette girl about Jean's age, and a blond hair kid who looked about Bobby's. At Magneto's side was the purple haired ninja, Revanche. She pointed at Omega Red and made some hand gestures as the raven haired woman went to check on Bishop.
"You have failed me," he said simply in a booming voice as Omega Red rose into the air and was rotated to face Magneto. "I told you not to do permanent harm and yet you attempt to kill X-23, stealing the life of the others in this room to accomplish it. Unacceptable."
"I would not be denied my revenge!" the Russian choked out.
"You have no place in our Brotherhood. You are not evolved, you are merely an animal."
"What would you do with me? You would leave a mutant in the hands of humans?"
Magneto's hand rose again, and more metal wrapped itself around Omega Red. "No, I leave a maniac who deserves to be imprisoned." With a slight gesture, the metal encased Omega Red was sent soaring back down the corridor to the cell he was released from.
Magneto turned to Laura. "I'm sorry for the state I have placed you in X-23."
"My name is Laura!" she cut him off.
He came forward a bit and she could see his face. He did not have anger in his eyes towards her, and his mouth was even turned up in a slight smile. "Very well Laura Logan, as you no doubt will pick as a surname. But you are there to assure that my associates are unharmed as we depart. When we are safely away you will be released to ensure the wrong people do not find you. I ask you again to reconsider joining us on Avalon. Revanche vouches that you are superb fighter who would greatly aid us in protecting the weaker mutants humanity will attempt to prey on."
Laura looked over at Revanche, whose cold eyes showed no emotion one way or another towards the younger girl. She merely nodded slightly to Laura.
"The X-Men are going to stop whatever you're planning and I'll be there to help them," she said, returning her gaze to Magneto.
He raised his head slightly. "I'm sure you do not understand all that is occurring. You will always be welcome whenever you come to see the truth." He turned from her and his entourage followed, the woman helping Bishop along in the rear.
She was not looking forward to explaining all this to Logan.
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Outside, Juggernaut was being struck by lightening.
"Ohh, that tickles. Give me some more, hot stuff."
"Foul beast!" Storm cried at him, picking up the wind and sending another bolt down at the laughing giant.
"You're real cute when you're angry!" He picked up some of the concrete he had been throwing at her and threw another piece at her.
"Wouldyoustopplayingaroundandgetinheresowecangetoutofhere!" Pietro yelled at him from the opening of the metal sphere.
"Calm down Speedy, she ain't going to do anything to me." The ground underneath him exploded with from the biggest bolt yet, lying him flat out on his back. He sat up, shook his head and laughed a bit. "You wanna play rough, okay!" He picked up a steel panel that had fallen loose from the inside of the wall and sent it flying up at her.
The slab spun through the air like a Frisbee until it slowed down and hovered in the air. It slid into place right below Storm, whose eyes had returned to normal color before rolling back in her head. She collapsed onto the metal and it floated gently to the ground. Juggernaut looked over and recognized two people some distance away with their hands outstretched. One was Magneto in his red and black armor, the other was a teenage girl with long brown hair.
"Cassie!" he called out and ran to her. The girl looked at him and let out a small yell and ran to meet him. They embraced in a hug and he lifted her with ease high above his head.
"Dad, stop calling me that! I like Cassandra."
"I can't believe you tried to break me out of prison."
"Yeah, well what else was I supposed to do?"
"While I am glad to see you reunited, but we need to leave before the X-Men regroup," Magneto said. "I say to you the same thing that I offer to Omega Red, who rejected the deal by his actions. We are forming to protect mutant kind. Will you stand with us and forgo your own selfish desires?"
"If it keeps me from being locked back up in that damn tank, then yeah, I'm with you."
"Then let us depart for Avalon."
The mutants filed into the two spheres, which sealed themselves and flew into the night just as Kitty and Wolverine immerged from the prison.
"Damnit, they got away! Where the hell is everyone?"
"Look, Storm!" Kitty said, pointing at Storm's collapsed body. They ran to her and found her slowly coming to.
Another figure appeared in the yard. Laura ran out and waved her hand. "Logan! We have wounded!"
"Us too kid!" He turned back to help Storm up off the ground. "Charles isn't going to be too happy about this."