Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who has been reviewing. I'm not sure what happened to Juggernaut at the end of X3, so I'm bringing him back in this story. I also want to say that a lot of new characters are going to be showing up. If it gets to be too many and the story becomes confusing, please let me know and I will fix it. Thank you. R&R!

Consequences

I was beginning to spend a lot of time in this jet. An awful lot of time. And with people that I was really beginning to really hate.

We were sitting there, wasting hours of my day, on the way to find Pyro and, undoubtedly, Magneto. But the tension was nearly unbearable and I was not the angriest person in the jet by far.

Alena was looking particularly grave in a large, cushy seat. She was facing two other women, one of whom was Seraphina. She was still blubbering over the loss of someone named Jordan. I was guessing that he was important to Alena because it looked almost like Seraphina was afraid for her life at having lost him. She was twirling her dirty blonde hair around her pudgy fingers and deliberately avoiding all eyes. I wasn't quite sure what there was to be afraid of since I had yet to see Alena use her powers…if she had any.

The other mutant had to be Isis. She was medium height and well-built with darker skin and thick, curling black hair. She looked like she could have been from the Middle East. But unlike Alena, Isis had a hard look. I knew instantly that she would have no qualms about using her powers on anyone who pissed her off. In short, she was not a bitch to mess with.

"Alright," Alena finally broke the silence, "tell me everything that happened." Her eyes were trained on Seraphina, who appeared close to throwing herself at Alena's feet for forgiveness.

"I…I was…Jordan and I were outside. We were alone, like normal. You know how he doesn't like to be around all the mutant children, him being a…a human. But we were playing and he was happy." She paused and swallowed before continuing. How come everyone here seemed so weak? Either that or they all got on my damn nerves.

"But we were too far away," she continued, her eyes averted. "I knew we were too far away, but I let him go out there anyway. He's so rarely happy now. He was making believe he was a mutant." She broke a smile at the thought. "He does that sometimes; I don't think I've ever told you that. Anyway, that was when the helicopter came. We both thought it was you. So, naturally, Jordan was ignoring it. But I couldn't remember you taking the helicopter; I thought you'd taken the jet. So I looked up and got a face full of fire!"

She shuddered and I rolled my eyes. Sob story.

Alena's gaze softened and she coaxed Seraphina into finishing the story. "So you couldn't do anything to help. Then what? Did you get Angelice to heal you?"

The overweight woman nodded miserably. "I was just lying there for a while. I couldn't see, but I could hear. I heard Jordan shouting, then the helicopter leaving. It was Angelice who found me. She was coming to call us in for lunch." Her story trailed off and the tears came back.

I gave an animated sigh. Isis fixed me with a piercing glare and Alena rounded on me. For a second I thought she was going to yell at me for not caring about a human who was taken by my ex "family". Instead she gave me an explanation.

"Jordan is an eight-year-old boy with no mutant powers," she began. I instantly felt a stab of pain. I had always a weakness for children, even if they were Homo sapiens. "I brought him here when he was seven. It was a very controversial decision that I'm still facing the consequences of. He's very important. We have to get him back."

There was a sense of urgency in her tone that made me aware of just how important he was. But I couldn't figure out why. He was just a human boy of eight. When I voiced my opinions Isis cut in. It was the first time I heard her speak and, in my weakened human state, I had to try not to cringe from her icy voice and cold indifference towards my own life.

"He has the ability to become a great mutant. You know from first hand experience the kinds of things Magneto would do with him. Look how he helped you." Her blue eyes and harsh words cut through me and I suddenly felt very insignificant.

Then she turned her malevolent gaze on Alena, whom I expected to shy away as much as I did. To my surprise, she met Isis's blazing stare with just as much control as she always had. "I'm going to kill him this time, Alena. I know you respect him but it's gone too far! He sent his lackeys to steal an innocent human from you and put him in God knows how much danger. I'm 'onna kick his fucking ass and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me!"

Her words were a challenge. Yet it was a challenge that was met by cool, crisp words that possessed just as much challenge but held more of a threat. "We will see how things play out, and react accordingly when they do. Nothing more, nothing less."

A tense silence settled over the four of us. Nhamo was, as usual, not making a sound. It was only the hum of the engines that rumbled through the otherwise quiet environment. But it was a strained silence. It was quite possibly the most uncomfortable tension I had ever had to bare. After a few minutes I decided to break the silence and hopefully learn a little more about where I was and who I was with.

"So, why did you bring an eight-year-old?" I asked tentatively. I paused afterwards and watched Alena. She did not look at me at first and I briefly wondered if I had overstepped my boundaries. It was only because I was now human that I cared or even thought that. Then, the moment that thought registered in my mind and another one came. That wasn't really what I had intended to ask nor was it how Alena was interpreting it. There was another underlying statement. Why did you bring me here?

Alena turned to me and replied with words that were meant to answer my unspoken question. "I brought Jordan here because he has enormous potential. It just has to be realized by him and unleashed. I can't bear to think what could have happened to him if I had left him alone. Who would have found him? Or taken advantage of his powers? I couldn't let that happen. Even if he hates me forever."

Her last sentence was nothing more than a whisper, yet her eyes never left mine and her voice never lost its power. In that moment I was amazed by how she was bold and subtle all at the same time. Perhaps she deserved my respect after all…

We all resigned ourselves to silence once more.

This time it was Alena who could not stand the silence. She spoke the answer to a question without it being asked. "Angelice and Seraphina share the same powers. They both heal others. Seraphina also contains the ability to soothe with her voice. They along with Tatyana are the main caretakers of the children."

"Who is Tatyana?" I asked, more because I was expected to than because I was curious.

Isis broke into a huge grin. It was the first time I had seen her smile, but it did nothing to warm her expression. Alena shared her smile as she explained. "Isis, Tatyana, and I founded the mutant home you saw earlier. Isis is in charge of defense and training while Tatyana manages the school and the children. I run the numbers and logistics and make sure that no one wants for anything. I am also in charge of the locating and bringing in new members or mutants in danger. Lastly, I am the mediator of any problems between mutants."

I nodded and finally accepted the overwhelming silence to try and process the information. There was an awful lot of it.

As I thought, somehow I wasn't surprised by Alena's definition of their roles. I had never met Tatyana, but Isis seemed like the one to take the offensive. She looked like she loved to fight and display her powers and she already had my respect for that. Perfect for keeping people safe. And Alena was always calm. So far I had only once seen her lose her composure. But even then she regained herself before she did or said something she'd regret. Perfect for mediation and diplomacy.

Lastly, I thought of Alena's reasons for finding me. She couldn't possibly have meant that I was still powerful. I had been hit by the cure! I was a powerless, defenseless, weak human and there was nothing that could change that now. It left me with two dominating thoughts:

How could someone so sure of herself be so completely wrong?

How would I fit in as a human with no chance of ever being a mutant?

"Alright, get ready," Alena's voice cut through the air. She was looking around to all of us. I could almost see her mind working, thinking quickly to make important decisions. But I was not surprised to see Isis watching her, ready to carry out any orders although she still looked very pissed off.

"Nhamo stays in the jet. We have to be ready for a quick take off. Seraphina, I need you where you can keep out of the way but still be there when I need you to be. Isis and Mystique, you come with me." Alena stared hard at me with blazing red eyes, then at Isis. "No one makes a move without my say so. I don't want a fight today."

Isis grudgingly nodded, but I did nothing. I was beginning to panic. How could I face Magneto again? Why was I? I was scared about how I would react. There was a good chance that I would be more aggressive than I could defend myself. After all, now I had nothing to back up my talk with.

I glanced up at Alena as she and Isis were exiting the landed jet. In a whisper so quiet that I was sure she didn't hear me, I asked, "Can I kill him?"

"Who?" Alena asked. She was obviously surprised by the question but I was sure she knew who I was talking about.

"Magento," I replied in a voice no louder.

Alena signaled to Isis to leave as she turned at met my gaze. "I am by no means trying to restrict your actions. You may do what you wish, always. But I have to warn of something. Magneto was hit with the cure at Alcatraz. He has no more power than you."

With that, she turned and left. I paused, my hearting beating more quickly than I ever thought it could, then followed her out. I hated her damn cryptic answers!

We were face to face with large metal doors. Excuse me, did I say large? I meant impenetrable. Maybe it had been perfectly capable for Magneto to use them, but there was no handle on the outside and no way could we break them down.

Then again, I was the only human in the group…

"Do your thing, Isis," Alena instructed.

Isis smirked. I could tell from what I had seen that she was incredible cocky. We were about to find out if she had reason to be.

She instantly brought her hands together and began rubbing them very quickly. The friction heated her hands and soon they began to glow red. When they were a bright and radiating heat, she placed on the doors next to each other. The metal around her hands glowed red, then melted away. Isis soon created a hole just large enough for an adult to fit through.

Alena was the first to step through it. I was the last.

We were met with a welcoming committee that made my stomach turn. Juggernaut was a lot more intimidating this side of evolution.