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Chapter 19

(Angela)

Despite my protests, Logan took me back to our room before going to the Professor's office. So I got to lay there, spitting mad, while he discussed gods only know what with the rest of the team. Deep down inside, I knew it was better this way, but it didn't mean I had to like it. It did occur to me, however, that if Magneto was back in play, they had to find out about it somehow and I seriously doubted that he'd sent a note to Charles that said "Old friend, I'm back. Will be attacking something somewhere some time soon. Hope you are well. Regards, Magneto". So I picked up the remote and turned my television to an all-news network. Sure enough, he was all over it.

"…the latest report from Los Angeles." The talking head was saying. "Erik Lensherr, better know as 'Magneto', the self-styled 'Master of Magnetism' has declared all-out war against the government of the United States. Here to tell us more is Richard Barnes. Richard?"

"Thank you Amanda. In a statement that was sent to several news agencies across the globe, Magneto had this to say: 'Mutantkind will no longer tolerate the tyranny of a select few who believe they have the right to decide whether we should be allowed the basic right to live. We shall rise up and take our place in your world, by any means necessary. As of now, I declare that we are at war with homo sapiens and we will not stop until we have taken our rightful place as homo sapiens' superior.' Magneto has been the subject of a worldwide manhunt since his escape from an undisclosed facility following the Liberty Island incident. Many have speculated that he was at the center of the destruction of a previously unknown military facility at Alkali Lake in the Canadian Rockies, but since that facility is now under several hundred feet of water, it is unlikely that we will ever know the truth about that."

"So Richard, what are your thoughts on this statement?"

"Considering his past history, I believe that we should take this as an all-out declaration of war. As of this time, the President has yet to issue a rebuttal. However, his press secretary did say that the President is looking into several options to find Magneto and put a stop to any actions he may have planned."

"Have there been any other statements issued in regards to Magneto's declaration?"

"Yes Amanda. Professor Charles Xavier sent a statement to our office less than an hour ago, stating that not all mutants followed in the path of Magneto and that any decisions should be weighed carefully before any actions are taken. It is well known that he operates a school for mutant children in New York state, although many have speculated that he is simply using it as a means to train his own mutant army."

"That's bullshit!" I screamed at the television, even though it was kind of true. Well, Charles wasn't training the army, Logan and I had started that gig. But still, it was an unfair statement.

"…basic right to defend themselves?" Amanda the Talking Head asked.

"Naturally, every living thing has that right. What is at the center of the debate now is interpretation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which states 'all men are created equal'. However, since the document was written long before the discovery of mutants, the argument is that since mutants have advantages over normal humans that it no longer applies. In which case, if we are not created equal, then what can be done to bring equality back to mankind? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to that question."

"Indeed there isn't. Thank you Richard. Now, joining us from her research lab at Muir Island is Dr. Moira MacTaggart. Dr. MacTaggart, welcome."

"Hello Amanda." Dr. MacTaggart said, almost pleasantly. Hers was a name we'd heard a lot lately and not just because she was a former colleague of the Professor's. She'd been at the forefront of mutant right worldwide because of her expertise with the X gene.

"Dr. MacTaggart, would you like to explain to our viewers exactly what it is that caused mutation in the first place."

"I'm afraid there aren't any easy answers to that question, Amanda." She replied in her thick Scottish brogue. "I know there are working theories in some quarters that blame mutation on everything from power lines to x-rays, but the fact is that mutation is something that just happens. It's no different than being born with any other uncommon genetic anomaly. For example, there's a one in four chance that…"

I turned off the television and tossed the remote on the bed beside me. I didn't need to hear Dr. MacTaggart's take on mutation. Being a resident at the Xavier School, her papers on mutation were more or less required reading for every resident old enough to understand them. I sat back in my nest of pillows and chewed on one of my claws thoughtfully. So Magneto was back in the game and I wasn't going to be able to help out in any way. To say that sucked is putting it mildly. I knew what he'd done to Rogue and what he'd tried to get Charles to do while under Jason Stryker's mind control, and I wanted to get a little payback for all of that. But until my baby was born, there really wasn't much I could do. Unless…

I picked up the internal phone and called Buzz. "Buzz here, whatcha need?"

"Buzz, it's me." I said. "Can you do me a favor and bring me all the files on Magneto? And while you're at it, bring the files on Mystique too."

"Angela, aren't you supposed to be taking it easy? Not overstressing yourself?"

"Look, doing a little research isn't stressful. And I can't just sit here and do nothing while that psycho is out there planning gods only know what. I'll be less worried if I feel like I'm helping. So will you bring me the files or do I have to see if I can get someone else to bring them?"

"No, don't do that. I'll burn them to a CD and get it to you in about an hour, ok?"

"You're a saint." He broke the connection and I settled back again, suddenly drowsy. A little nap would do me good and it would please both Logan and Hank if they caught me sleeping. I curled myself around Logan's pillow and drifted off with a smile on my face.

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I woke up a couple hours later to find a stack of notes waiting for me. The first one was from Buzz with the promised CD attached to it. Another was from Rogue, promising to come and visit me after dinner. Hank had left one to remind me that Dr. Owens would be coming the next day to examine me (fun fun). There was one from little Ryan Hiller wishing me to get better soon, complete with a funny little drawing that I think was supposed to be me and Logan with our baby. The last one was from Logan, apologizing for not waking me when he came in, but he had called a special Danger Room session with Alpha team. I could guess what it was all about and decided to forgive him just this once.

I eased myself out of bed and shuffled carefully to the bathroom to wash my face and run a comb through my unruly hair. It was past my waist now and I hadn't redone the streaks since just before I'd gone after Logan, so I had roots you could land small aircraft on. I had briefly considered cutting it off to my shoulders again, but the pained look Logan had given me when I brought it up was enough to change my mind. Still, I wasn't used to it being all one color but I had serious doubts about getting permission to put the color back into it. Once I felt a little more human, I shuffled back to bed and popped the CD into my laptop.

I was still going over the files an hour later when Logan showed back up. "Hey tiger. Have a good nap?" He asked as he eased himself down next to me.

"Sure did." I replied without looking up. "I feel better than I have in weeks. I'm sure the time outside had something to do with that."

"Well, I'm sure Blue'll let you do it again since you were so good about it today."

"Mm-hmm."

He shifted on the bed so he could look at the computer screen. "Uh, what the hell you think you're doin'?"

"Looking at Magneto's files, why?"

"Cuz I could have sworn you weren't s'posed to be stressin' yourself out."

"I'm not stressed. I'm doing research. This thing reads like stereo instructions."

"Angela…"

"Really, this isn't stressful." I looked over at him and ran my fingers through my hair. "Look, if I just sit here and do nothing, I'll fret myself to pieces. At least this way I can feel like I'm helping even if I don't find anything. Everything in here is past history."

"Darlin', Dr. Owens said you weren't s'posed to be doin' anythin', not even in a support capacity."

"I know. But she doesn't know ME. You do. Tell me, if our situation was reversed and you were the one on bed rest, what would you do?" He scowled at me. "Ha! See, you're not the only one allowed to be right!"

"I'm just concerned about you, that's all."

"I know, lover. But I swear, this isn't stressing me out at all. And I might just turn up something that could help you guys head him off at the pass. And wouldn't that be better than responding to whatever move he's going to make?" His scowl deepened. "See? You know I'm right, otherwise you wouldn't be looking at me in that tone of voice."

"Fine, I won't say anythin' to anyone about this. But if you feel even the slightest bit off…"

"I promise, I'll turn the computer off and read a nice boring book, ok?"

"I'm holdin' you to that."

I smiled and reached over to stroke his hair. He growled low in his chest and leaned into my hand, his eyes closed. I dug my nails into his scalp and he made another low sound of pleasure, then rolled over and wrapped his arm around me. I carefully put the laptop aside and snuggled into him with a sigh. "I'm sorry I screwed everything up for us." I whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at me curiously. "Whattaya talkin' about?"

"If I hadn't stayed up all night and watched everything, I wouldn't be on bed rest and all that right now."

"Darlin', you don't know that for sure." He said, but I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"Yeah, I do. So, I'm sorry."

"Mmm, it's ok. You'll just hafta make it up to me later."

I smiled to myself, then started trailing my hand down his chest to the waistband of his jeans. "I could make it up to you now." I purred.

"What the…?" He started, but I placed a finger over his lips to silence him. Sure, we couldn't make love right now, but there were other ways that I could at least make him happy. And believe me, I did them all.

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Two more weeks went by and I was still not allowed to get out of bed for more than a couple hours a day. Hank had at least relented enough to let that happen, as long as Logan or Sam carried me and I didn't move from the chaise for any reason at all. Dr. Owens had no complaints about it, since I was still technically horizontal and the fresh air was doing me some good. It was also keeping me from climbing the walls – literally – due to forced idleness. We did get some bad news in that time from the safe houses. Some of the adult mutants who were hiding out in them had gotten wind of Magneto's declaration and had quietly left to join his cause. No one seemed to know how they knew where to meet up with him, but I'd wager that Mystique had something to do with it. She's almost as good as Buzz when it comes to hacking, but he's the best at what he does. He did report that there were frequent attempts to hack into our online server, but the proprietary software he'd written to protect it was still holding up. I doubted she'd get into that computer before the end of the century.

If the residents of the mansion were uneasy with the silence following Magneto's announcement, the rest of the country was in an absolute tizzy. The FBI established a hotline to gather tips on Magneto's location, but none of them ever panned out. The Professor was still unable to find him with Cerebro, which was still a source of frustration for all of us. It was unlikely that he wore that helmet of his all the time, so he had to have some other way of blocking Charles' telepathy. So naturally it didn't come as a surprise when the attacks started.

At first glance, they didn't look like attacks at all. A corporation that subcontracted to the military suffered a complete meltdown of their computer network. On the other side of the country, an unexplained fire destroyed a factory known to manufacture parts for military aircraft. In the northwest, not too far from Sam's old place, a group of Marines were arrested when they suddenly started a riot at a bar, later insisting they had no memory of even going there. In the northeast, a laboratory that developed new weaponry was the site of a mysterious explosion. Other similar incidents occurred all over, with no rhyme or reason. It was impossible to predict when or even where the next attack would be and the X-Men were feeling helpless to stop them. One thing we were certain of; it had to be Magneto.

I had personally been over his files so many times that I could recite them by heart, but nothing in them gave me any clues as to how he could be staging so many attacks in so many areas in so little time. I know that Charles has a family fortune, which is what funded the beginnings of the X-Men and the school. I wasn't sure how vast that fortune was, but it seemed as though there was no limit to it. I was fairly wealthy in my own right, since I'd been around for so long and had multiple accounts all over the country, not to mention all my profits from my bars in Detroit safely hidden offshore. But I had no idea what kind of resources Magneto had and I was convinced that was the key to these attacks. I'm not stupid, I know there are plenty of mutants out there who operate as mercenaries and are willing to do all kinds of nasty business for the right price. Buzz and Sage tried their best to find out how he was contacting them, but he managed to stay a step ahead of us.

We finally got a break about a week later, when another fire at another military-contracted factory broke out. It just happened to be near Buffalo and the Professor sent out a team to see if they could intercept the culprit before he left the scene. It didn't take a genius to know that it was probably Pyro, but Bobby wanted to go and see for himself. So he left in the jet with Storm and Inferno to check it out while the rest of us stayed behind to wait for the news. As it stood, they got there in enough time to put the fire out, but Pyro was long gone. However, he'd left a message for us burned into the asphalt of the parking lot. "X-Geeks, just try and stop us. Either join our cause or die with the rest". Subtle, he wasn't.

It was the first direct challenge that Magneto had sent to us and all of the teams were itching to get a piece of him. However, the President was about to up the ante and his timing couldn't have been worse.

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AN: Did you know that after this, there's only 3 more chapters and an epilogue? How cool is that? Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for their love, support and beta reading skills...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for love, support and that little bit of begging that keeps me going...:) Super Special thanks to my readers for keeping the hits coming...and Super Swanky Special thanks to the reviewers, who were reeltreble1031, theNightEnchantress, sela103 and, of course, ALEX10671S...:)

Now is the part where YOU review the story! For the record, the next scheduled update is Oct. 15...if i get one brand-new reviewer before then, i'll update early...just think, YOU could be the one who makes all the readers happy!