Wolverine studied the blast markings and wondered if anyone could have survived a blast at that range, beside himself and Deadpool.
Still, people usually didn't carry off dead bodies, and by all accounts a woman had taken off with the boy. Most eyewitnesses had thought she had been trying to get the boy away from the danger, so no one tried to stop her.
He had only been searching for a few minutes before he heard the arrival of the Ironman suit. He wasn't a fan of Stark but when Beast had called him and said the billionaire was on his way personally, he knew something was up.
Crowds scattered as the suit touched down. Stark seemed his normal composed self on the outside, but Wolverine could smell the stress off him.
"Anything?"
"All eyewitnesses say that a woman carried his prone body East. He was well within the kill zone. Unless you know something I don't, he would be dead."
Stark was already shaking his head.
"No. He won't be dead. Any idea on the woman?"
"I can't be sure but I do smell hints of Mystique around her. Would she have any interest in the boy? Is he a mutant that Magneto might want?"
"There is only a handful of people that know anything about that boy besides the fact he is wicked smart and has a need to save people. I doubt anyone would have reason to snag Peter Parker, unless they are trying to get to me. It has happened before."
Wolverine turned to the east.
"I'll stay on the trail. You scan ahead. I suggest you turn that tin can around if you see Magneto though bub."
"Fine, but I want my intern back in one piece! They ask for ransom or any thing like that, call me, I will pay what ever."
Peter felt the stabbing pain of his ribs and arm slowly knitting themselves back together. He slowly pulled himself up, though it hurt to do so.
He didn't know where he was but he recognized the three staring back at him from a little ways away.
"Hello." He tried, though talking hurt.
The older man walked forward with the same confident stride Peter remembered from their fight. He only hoped the man didn't remember him.
That thought was quick to be shot down when he looked down and noticed for the first time he was naked to the waist, band-aids crisscrossing his torso. His sweater, t-shirt, and web-shooters sat in a neatly folded pile on a nearby table.
"Your healing factor is working well I see." The man noted as he removed one of the band-aids. "I must say, that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen some one do. You had the ability to get out of the way scratch free, but you chose to grab the bomb."
"Stupid, brave, depends on who you ask." Peter muttered. "I like to think of it as legendary."
His chuckle made him wince. The man wrapped his arm back up, since it wasn't fully healed yet.
"They call me Magneto."
Peter stifled a laugh and looked away when the man glared.
"I don't think you have room to talk 'Spiderman'." He stated. Peter flinched. "The 'Man' is a stretch to say the least."
"Spiderteen just didn't have the same ring, you know?" He looked at the other two. "Am I allowed to leave?"
"You are free to do whatever you want … once we have concluded our business. I can't have you running off and telling Stark where we are right now."
"I suppose not. What are you guys doing?"
"None of your business!" The youth with the fire sneered as he flicked a lighter in annoyance. Peter eased down from the table and followed Magneto back to the wall of blank monitors, he turned with a raised eyebrow.
"I appreciate you helped me but that doesn't mean I can just sit here and let you kidnap another senator, or …" He paused as the metal in the room turned towards him like some creepy snake, and Magneto glanced over his shoulder at him. As if in protest his arm and ribs throbbed. Clearing his throat Peter took a step back. "Or I can sit down and shut my mouth."
"Probably the smart thing to do."
Peter stepped back and sat on the table again, carefully holding his arm as it throbbed. His silence lasted two minutes before he couldn't help himself.
"Agggggg! Can I muzzle this mutt?" The young fire mutant growled flicking the lighter open and forming a fire ball in his palm. Peter snickered.
"Do you think you can?" Peter shot back with a smirk.
Peter knew he was good at pressing buttons but he got the distinct impression messing with Fire-dude was a big step below messing with Magneto, because when the man turned and strode towards him his Spidey-sense screamed at him.
"Do you need me to bound and gag you until we are done?" He demanded. "Can you show some degree of self control and just sit there? I don't have anything against you, but if you interfere, I will not hesitate to end you."
Nodding once, Peter did the smart thing and shut his mouth for good this time.
They continued their planning, at tones too low for Peter to hear. As much as he wanted to do something, this didn't have a clear resolution.
As he looked around, looking for anything that might give him an idea what was going on, or something that could help, his eyes fell on a folder that read confidential. Like any normal teen, it was too much of a temptation not to pick up.
What was inside was not what he had been expecting. Something called weapon 'X' and their ties to the mutant registration act. It spoke of mutants with classifications over Alpha, and containment solutions. He didn't understand it at first but then the pictures fell out into his hand. Young mutants, his age, and younger, put in collars and restraints. Some strapped down to medical tables.
Peter didn't want to look at it anymore but it was if his eyes were stuck. As Magneto came up behind him, he couldn't even flinch even with his Spidey-sense warning him.
"That is what we are trying to stop." He said slowly. "Some might not like our methods, but no mutant should be subjected to experiments and torture just so our government may utilize them as living tools." He reached out and plucked one of the photos from the file and set it on top, tapping in a few times so Peter focused on it solely. "That is what awaits you if this registration act comes into effect. You are not powerful enough for them to bother training you into a killer, but your healing factor, your strength, those are mutations that they want to isolate and harness for their true soldiers."
The girl was Peters age, in a cage, similar to a lab animal, with tubes and wires attached to most of her, obvious surgical scars marred what skin he could see.
"All of Starks money and power can't keep you out of the system." Magneto added as he walked away, seemingly pleased to see Peter was shaking.
He was not a sheltered child, he had seen some bad things and had to learn to deal with more then most the kids he knew, but these images were chilling. They reconfirmed to Peter that there was more evil in the world then he could ever imagine. It was a dark thought that threatened to extinguish the light that usually shone so bright in Peter's soul.
A sharp pain of one of his large bones knitting itself back together brought Peter back to the present. Magneto was expecting a wholly different reaction than the one Peter gave him now.
"I have to help people." Peter said in a somewhat small voice, but he was no longer shaking and his back straightened as he spoke. "I have a responsibility to make sure that I use what I have been given to protect people. This is no different, I will do everything I can to see this kind of thing abolished!" Peter looked up at Magneto and the other two mutants. "But I will not do it your way. I will not hurt innocent people in the name of the end result."
"Then you are more foolish than I thought." Magneto announced, his sharp but dignified tone held a finality. "The only way things will change is if there are people willing to do the dirty work to make sure they do."
As he was speaking Peter's eyes happened upon a blueprint taped to the wall to his left. The book sized device and its inner workings clearly laid out in steps.
"You planted that bomb." Peter swung around to stare up at the taller man. "You planted it, so those morons in the Church of Humanity would take the fall and look like the bigger bad guy!"
"Of course we did. Slight of hand boy. While all eyes are over there, the true finale is playing out over here."
As if on cue radios around the bunker sprung to life.
"Team C in position."
"Team B ready."
"Team D on stand by."
"Team A ready to go."
What ever the group had planned it was large scale, and by their previous deeds, people were going to get hurt.
"Move them in. The building doesn't blow until the marks are dealt with and we have the codex."
Mystique took two steps forward as her blue skin peeled back to reveal a professional secretary, she placed a head set on and spoke clear.
"It's a go." She turned on her heel and exited the bunker without a single glance back. Whatever reason she had brought Peter back to their bunker was now finished.
Magneto seemed to understand that Peter was feeling better now and was debating his next move because suddenly the metal in the room shot forward, clearly looking to bind him.
With reflexes and spidey-sense back online, Peter avoided the first wave, but without his web shooters he couldn't fight back. His only hope was to get top side and get a warning out.
It was not to be. Again the man was able to snare him, and wrap him tight in bent rebar from the concrete floor.
As Peter struggled Magneto stepped over him and walked towards the door.
"Nothing personal boy. But soon you will realize this is going to help you whether you like our tactics or not."
The fire boy waited till Magneto had stepped out of sight before sending a sharp soccer kick into Peter's face.
"I will stop you." Peter spit back.
Silence fell over the bunker as Peter was left alone with his racing thoughts.
"Alright Pete, time to get to work. People need you. Just … gotta … break … these …. Bars!" He put everything into his arms and tried to muscle his way through. Unfortunately, the utter destruction of his bones in the blast was taking time to heal, and although he felt better, he was weak. "Come on Spiderman! Think!"
There was a sound by the door. Peter jolted, and looked up, fully expecting the worse to walk through that door and finish what Magneto had started.
To his relief, it was the short, albeit muscular mutant from the tower. His eyes scanned the room before stepping inside, long shiny blades protruded from his hands, clearly on edge.
"They left." Peter offered. "Can you get me free? We have to warn the Avengers, they are going to attack the conference! Mr. Stark is probably really worried! Steve too. Are we close to the conference? Is it …." The next question died on his lips when the man named Wolverine glared down at him, blades still exposed.
Being a man of few words apparently, Wolverine cut through the metal with one slash of his claws. Peter stumbled to his feet and gave a nervous laugh.
"Ahh, thanks?" He offered.
Wolverine grunted, turned and started away. Peter got the impression he was meant to follow. He had enough sense before he did to grab his webshooters and shirt … though the shirt was pretty much rags from the explosion.
"Do … ah … do you have a phone? I really need to call Mr. Stark, and probably Steve too. They need to know it was these guys that set that bomb, and that they have teams surround the conference …. Oh! And that they are looking for something called a codex? I don't know what that is … but …" He swallowed his words again. Damn, this man was intimidating.
"How does Stark stand a chatterbox like you?" The man demanded somewhat cruelly.
Peter flushed red and lowered his head.
Seemingly oblivious to the teens discomfort, he pulled out a cell and handed it to him anyway.
Peter got through first try.
"Pete! Oh thank the gods!" Tony breathed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine , sir," He glanced at Wolverine that was still staring at him. He cleared his throat and spat out the intel he had collected in point form.
"Alright, I'll let Steve know … kid, you sure you are ok?"
"Fine, sir. Wolverine is here."
There was a moment silence.
"Put him on."
Peter held out the phone to Wolverine who took it, with much annoyance.
"What?"
Peter was unsure what Tony was saying but he could see the vein on the side of Wolverine's neck throb.
"I'm not some damn babysitter Stark!" He growled. "You want to hold his hand and walk him home, come get him. I am not waiting around."
After promptly hanging up, the man turned on his heel and started off at a jog towards, what was hopefully the exit.
Top side Peter could see the conference center, it was right in front of him.
"Stay here and wait for Daddy. Try not to fuck that up huh?"
Again Peter flushed red. This man was insufferable and rude. But calling Mr. Stark Daddy? That was too far.
"I'm not some helpless …"
A massive, calloused hand grabbed his throat and pulled him forward so his nose was almost touching his.
"That's an order you little shit. Wait for Stark! I don't need you in my way." With that he turned and ran towards his destination.
Peter stood there in shock, unsure what he was supposed to do, and thoroughly pissed off at himself for not putting the man straight. The anger disappeared and was replaced with his sense of duty when the first explosion in the building knocked out a third story window.
Using the remnants of his shirt to make a mask Peter checked his webshooters, then started for the building. He swung up and skidded to a stop through the now open window. There were some injured, and there were some mutants with guns.
"Sorry I'm late to the party!" Spiderman announced. "Got a little tied up!"
