Chapter 34: Uncanny Avengers

Back at the mansion, the mind warped Avengers were strewn on various couches and chairs, still completely out of it. Jane wrapped a thick blanket around Thor, running her hand through his hair. When he felt her touch, he pulled her into a desperate hug, as if trying to use her as a tether to reality. Hank was in a similar state, gripping Jan's hand tightly, shaking the entire time. Tony just seemed numb, staring into nothingness. He too had a blanket, draped over him by Cap, but he had not even reacted. Finally, Alexis laid down on the couch, her head in Kurt's lap as he gently pet her head. Stealthy snuggled up under her arm like a teddy bear, chirping sadly and gently patting her cheek.

"Man." Spidey let out, observing all of them. "What do you think that 'Scarlet Witch' did to them?"

"Zhe Scarlet Witch has many abilities at her disposal." Kurt informed him. "Including neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, and mental manipulation."

He looked down at Alexis, sighing.

"She pulled this on Storm, a member of our team once before." Kurt recalled. "Forced her to live through her greatest fear, a building collapse that killed her family and left her trapped for weeks."

"And what did she show her?" Cap asked, gesturing to Alexis.

"Ve vill not know until zhey come out of it." Kurt answered. "For now, zhey just need rest. By morning, zhey should be fine, but ve should not leave zhem alone. Being around zhose zhey care about helps."

"Then you just be there for her." Cap told him. "We'll take care of our team."

Kurt nodded, looking down at Alexis once more. He pulled the blanket over her a bit more as the Avengers made themselves comfortable in the living room, settling in for a long night.

Meanwhile, Magneto and the twins returned to Genosha, Magneto depositing the Arc Reactor in a large hanger bay set up for it. As he touched down, his right hand woman, Mystique, and a Pterodactyl named Sauron approached.

"Welcome back, Magneto." Sauron greeted. "I see you managed to acquire the device."

"Indeed." Magneto replied. "I trust with this in your possession, our plans will proceed on schedule."

"Of course." Sauron promised, giving a nod. "Unfortunately, we still haven't been able to work out the bug in the system."

"Extended use of the machine is hazardous to whomever is in the cockpit." Mystique clarified. "And for our plans to succeed, the machine will no doubt kill whomever is inside."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Magneto reassured. "I already have a willing candidate lined up for the job."

About that time, Pietro came speeding in, Wanda finally coming to in his arms. She looked around, realizing she was back on Genosha. She also noticed a distinct lack of her green-haired sister.

"Where's Lorna?" she asked.

"I could not carry you both." Pietro lamented. "I got you out as quick as I could, but I fear Lorna is with the Avengers."

"You have to get her back!" Wanda insisted.

"And I will." Pietro promised.

"No." Magneto shot down. "I need you two when our plan comes to fruition."

"But father-" Wanda tried to argue.

"I do not wish ill on Lorna anymore than you do." Magneto insisted. "But I have faith in her durability and loyalty. She will not give up any details of our plan, and the Avengers will not harm her."

The twins were clearly uneasy with this arrangement, but knew better than to argue.

"As you wish father." Pietro lamented.

"Good." Magneto nodded. "Now go rest. I need you at full strength for the main event."

"Yes father." Wanda replied as she and Pietro walked off.

...

The Avengers had all fallen asleep in the living room, crowded around their disoriented teammates. Thankfully, a good night's rest had returned some life to them, even if the afflicted members were still somewhat listless. Rick had volunteered to make breakfast, churning out enough scrambled eggs and bacon to feed an army. Eventually, everyone gathered in the dining hall, eating their food and slowly returning to some semblance of normal.

"So..." Rick began, having dealt with high levels of depression before. "Who wants to talk first? One thing I've learned, talking about what's wrong really does help."

It was silent at first, then Thor set down his fork.

"I… I saw Asgard in ruins." He shared.

Hulk glanced over at Thor, patting his shoulder.

"Sorry." he said softly.

"Everything I ever knew, everyone I cared about..." his hand tightened around Jane's. "They were gone, consumed by an ever burning fire."

"Whoa." Clint let out. "That's… messed up."

"Mine was New York..." Hank spoke up. "Like Thor, everything was on fire… and there was this… this overwhelming sense that I was responsible for it. That it was my fault the city was in ruins."

"Well it's not." Jan reassured. "Everyone's fine."

She took his arm, giving it a squeeze. He pulled her closer, sighing slightly. Peter looked over at Ton, giving him a look.

"What about you, Mr. Stark?" he asked. "What did you see?"

"I saw…. About the same as Hank." Tony told them. "Mass destruction, people hurt, my fault."

He then turned to Alexis, determined to get the subject off of himself.

"How about you, kid?" He asked.

Alexis looked up, her hand drifting to a dented sheriff's badge hanging on the front of her shirt.

"Haven City..." she said softly.

"Haven City?" Cap asked.

"It was a refuge for mutants." Logan explained. "One of the only places they could go that the government wouldn't prosecute them. The kid lived their her entire life."

"Her father vas zhe sheriff." Kurt added, wrapping an arm around her. "A vonderful man, and a kind soul."

"What happened?" T'Challa inquired.

"Sentinels..." Alexis answered, tightening her grip on the badge. "They destroyed everything..."

"Worst part was that the Sentinels were being controlled." Logan snarled. "By Magneto himself."

"Damn." Spidey let out. "Sorry about that. I know how it feels to lose someone."

Alexis gave a silent nod, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Stealthy popped up, licking it away before nuzzling her.

"What I don't get is if Magneto fight for mutant rights, why would he destroy a mutant haven?" Jan questioned.

"He tried to pin the whole thing on the MRDies." Logan explained. "Hoped to use the outrage of what happened to start a war. More than that, he hoped to turn Alexis into a weapon."

"He wanted my messed-up X-Gene." Alexis muttered.

"You mean the reason your powers couldn't be detected by my scanners?" Tony guessed.

She nodded.

"Funky X-Gene, result of being a fourth generation mutant." Alexis explained. "It can't be detected by available tech, so I'm still registered as a human."

"Can see why a psychopath like him would want that little talent." Tony remarked.

"And now he has our friend, your Arc Reactor, and a plan that we know nothing about." Alexis lamented.

"Which is why we called in your friends." Cap responded. "We need all the help we can get."

"How long until zhey get here?" Kurt questioned.

"Sir, we have an aerial craft approaching the mansion." JARVIS suddenly spoke up. "Initial scans identify it as the X-Men Blackbird."

"I'd say about ten seconds." Tony answered. "But that's just a guess."

Outside the mansion, the blackbird landed in the still decimated garden. Glassworkers, who were working overtime to replace all the windows, all stared in awe as the gangplank lowered, allowing its occupants to exit. The first to descend was a woman with red hair in a blue and yellow costume. The second was a man with a red visor over his eyes. The third was a man in a brown trench coat with eyes that were complete black, save for a pink iris in the center. Finally, a woman with chocolate colored skin and hair as white as snow came out. The Avengers started coming outside as the jets powered down. Kurt ported out, giving his teammates a grateful smile.

"Scott, Jean, Gambit, Storm, glad you came." He told them.

"Thanks." Cyclops replied. "How's Alexis?"

"Wanda made her relive Haven City." Kurt explained.

"I'll go check on her." Storm offered. "I know how real her visions can be."

Kurt nodded as Storm walked inside. She made it a few steps in when T'Challa came out of the dining room just about to don his helmet. When he laid eyes on her, he stopped, Storm doing the same.

"Ororo?" T'Challa let out, lowering his helmet.

"T'Challa?" Storm said quietly, approaching him.

T'Challa set his helmet down as well and approached her. Once they were close enough, they both started laughing, pulling each other into a hug.

"It is so good to see you again!" Storm declared, pulling out of the hug but keeping her grip on T'Challa's arms. "Look at you! The Black Panther!"

"Yes, a lot has happened since we were children." T'Challa replied. "And look at you. Last I heard, you were being hailed as some kind of goddess."

"A wise man brought be back down to Earth." Storm told him. "Helped me understand my power, and how to use it for the benefit of human and mutant kind."

"Well, being a hero suits you well." T'Challa told her.

There was a small cough, one that drew their attention. They turned to see Tony standing there, the Avengers and X-Men alike just staring at the two.

"I'm sorry, how do you two know each other?" Tony asked.

"I lived in Wakanda before my family moved to another part of Africa." Ororo explained. "T'Challa and I were childhood friends."

"I am happy for you, Storm." Cyclops told her. "But for right now, we should stay focused on the matter at hand."

Logan let out a snort, walking into the room.

"Taking charge already, Summers?" he questioned coldly. "Last I check, this is the Avengers Mansion. Cap's in charge, not you."

"Nice to see you, Logan." Cyclops told him with a level voice, as if trying to remain civil.

Steve looked between the two, instantly catching on.

"You must be Cyclops." He guessed, holding out a hand. "Logan's told me about you."

"Nice to meet you, Captain." Cyclops replied, shaking his hand.

"Logan." Jean suddenly spoke up, smiling widely.

"Jean." he greeted, giving her a hug.

She returned the hug, her smile never wavering.

"When we saw you on the news with the Avengers, I couldn't believe you'd actually found Captain America." she admitted.

"Yeah." Alexis agreed, coming into the group. "Your lone wolf persona's really taking a hit since you've been part of two super groups now."

"Don't think that means I'm going soft or something." Logan remarked.

"Perish the thought." Kurt replied.

"You better not have gotten soft." Gambit declared. "Because Rogue needs the Wolverine now more than ever."

"Relax Cajun, we'll get her back." Logan promised. "In fact, we have someone in one of the guest rooms that's gonna tell us everything we need to know.

The group moved upstairs as Logan opened the door to one of the guest rooms where Lorna was webbed up to the wall in what looked like several different layers of webbing. The entire room was covered in the stuff, making it look like one massive web room.

"We didn't want her using her magnetic powers, and we didn't have time to build a rubber room, so we improvised." Spidey explained, adding an extra layer just to be safe. "Hope it works too, cause I went through six cartridges of web fluid for this."

"You did good, kid." Cyclops assured him.

Lorna just glared, turning as best she could in her cocoon.

"Remy." she muttered, looking right at Gambit. "What's the matter? Still mad we took your rebound girl?"

Gambit growled at that, about to hit her in the face before Cyclops grabbed his arm.

"That's not gonna get Rogue back." He rationalized.

Gambit still looked upset, but lowered his hand.

"Where is Rogue?" He demanded.

"Why should I tell you?" Lorna retorted. "With us, she's finally going to do some good for our kind. Besides, I'm saving her the heartbreak for when you're done using her."

"I would never use her!" Gambit snapped, grabbing the front of the webs holding Lorna. "Never!"

Alexis quickly pulled his hands away, her own power absorbing the kinetic energy spilling from his trembling fingers.

"She's egging you on." she told him. "Trying to get you to blow up the webs so she can escape. You need to calm down."

"Jean, you're a telepath." Spidey recalled. "Can't you just read her mind?"

"Telepathy is a secondary power." Jean informed him. "That, and I don't have the kind of control needed to do that."

"Jean, we're low on options." Cyclops insisted. "We have to try."

Jean took a breath and began focusing, placing either hand on either side of Lorna's head. The girl looked somewhat uneasy, struggling in her cocoon as Jean focused. Her brow furrowed and sweat began to pour down her face, Lorna's scrunching in pain as her eyes screwed shut. Everyone took a step back, as if worried one or both of them would burst into flames. Jeans eyes closed as well, feeling around for any information.

Several images flashed through Lorna's mind. Some were of a machine, others of Ellis Island, a few of a formal invitation, and one or two of Magneto. Several voices spoke over one another, all garbled into one big-ole mess. By the time the menagerie of images were done, Jean stumbled backwards, panting and gasping. Scott and Logan went over and helped steady her so she wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Jean, are you alright?" Scott asked.

Jean gave a nod, trying to catch her breath.

"I know what Magneto's planning..." she let out.

...

In the Assembly hall, Jean briefed X-Men and Avengers alike on all that she'd seen.

"Magneto's built a device, some sort of machine that's supposed to manipulate the genetic structure of any creature exposed to its effects." she explained. "The Arc Reactor was the final piece he needed to complete it."

"So it turns people into mutants?" Wasp asked for clarification.

"At least, that's what it's supposed to do." Jean explained. "Magneto tested it on a human, some kid whose boat got too close to Genosha. Lorna checked on him after the test, and found the kid literally dissolving. His genetic structure had broken down to the point that there wasn't even a body left."

"Ya think Magneto knows about that little design flaw?" Clint asked.

"So far, Lorna's kept it to herself." Jean answered. "She's definitely inherited her father's hatred from humans."

"That still doesn't explain why he needs Rogue." Logan pointed out.

"His machine requires him to use his own powers to fuel the genetic wave." Jean went on. "Unfortunately, the process is painful and incredibly draining. More than that, the achieve the desired effect Magneto wants… it could be fatal."

"So he's going to use her instead?!" Gambit exclaimed.

"Umm, what exactly can this 'Rogue' do?" Tony asked.

"She has the ability to absorb the memories and skills of anyone she touches." Cyclops informed him. "That includes mutations."

"So they plan to use her as a conduit for the machine." Cap pieced together. "Were you able to find out where they were planning to use it?"

"That much, I'm afraid not." Jean lamented. "All I saw was some sort of formal invitation, and an image of Ellis island. That's it."

"Wait a minute," Hank spoke up. "I remember hearing about an event happening on Ellis Island tonight. Senator Kelly is holding a summit tonight, where he's going to address the world leaders about his Mutant Registration Act."

"Sounds like the place for a mutant terrorist to activate a doomsday weapon to me." Spidey quipped.

"If it's happening tonight, we don't have time to waste." Cap declared.

"Agreed." Cyclops nodded. "Let's suit up!"

After everyone was geared up and ready to go, they piled into both the Quinjet and the Blackbird and took off towards Ellis Island. Logan ended up riding in the Blackbird, rendering the entire ride incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. After a few minutes, Cyclops let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry." he said.

Logan actually perked up when he heard that.

"You're sorry?" He repeated.

"For everything that happened." Scott added. "I was being an idiot, a selfish, pigheaded idiot. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and I shouldn't have attacked you. I'm truly sorry, Logan."

Logan honestly didn't expect that kind of response from Scott, and was genuinely stunned. After a moment, he spoke up himself.

"I could have handled the whole thing better myself." He admitted, letting out a single chuckle. "Guess we're both idiots."

"I guess so." Scott admitted, smiling slightly. "It's good to have you back."

"Don't go rolling out the welcome wagon just yet." Logan told him. "I'm an Avenger now."

"Right." Scott replied, focusing on his flying. "Still, people at the mansion miss you."

Logan glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the X-Men, who were preparing themselves for the battle to come. Despite himself, a sense of familiarity and nostalgia washed over him.

"We'll see." he decided.

After some more flying, they reached Ellis island around sundown. The two teams landed their jets, emerging in front of the doors to Lady Liberty. Once they were out, they all looked up at the Statue.

"The Torch." Jean announced, pointing up at it. "That's where Magneto's keeping the device."

"So, why couldn't we just fly up there?" Spidey asked.

"Too much risk of Magneto spotting us." Alexis pointed out. "And Kurt can't teleport that far without leaving himself vulnerable."

"Guess we're taking the long way." Tony declared.

The heroes began making their way inside, with Cap slowly opening the doors to make sure no one was around. Not too surprising, all of the guards were completely unconscious, metal panels strapping them to walls and the ceiling.

"He's definitely here." Cap reported.

They all continued heading inside, passing through the metal detectors one by one. A handful of people made it through, then Wolverine stepped through. The alarm started blaring loudly, red lights going off across it until Wolverine sliced through the machine with his claws. It all died down as everyone froze.

"Well there goes the element of surprise." Jan lamented.

"Aye." Thor agreed. "Magneto will be expecting us now."

Just as Thor said that, something long and slimy came out of the darkness and wrapped itself on his arm, yanking him up to the ceiling.

"Thor!" Wasp let out, shrinking down and flying after him.

As she got up, the strange long thing came out again, smacking her aside. She tumbled through the air and quickly steadied herself enough to blast at whatever was attacking her. There was a yelp, then a strange green man came falling to the ground with a wet splat.

"Ok, ew." Wasp let out in disgust. "What is that?"

"Toad." Gambit snarled, pulling from cards from his coat and charging them. "Where's the rest of your team, grenouille?"

"They're around." Toad told him. "And they're anxious to have some fun with ya."

At that moment, one of the statues in the room began shifting, revealing to be Mystique in disguise. Before anyone could truly register the change, she launched forward with the grace of a gymnast, delivering a kick to the back of Gambit's head. She went for a second kick, but her leg was blocked by Panther.

"I suggest you think very hard about your next move." Panther threatened.

Mystique responded by raising her other leg and nailing Panther in the face.

"I'm not scared of human dressed like a cat." she informed him.

Panther dropped to all fours before springing towards her, tackling her to the ground. As the two wrestled on the floor, Cap and Cyclops tried to move in and help, only to get knocked back by two incredibly large, fat riddled arms. They went falling back, Cyclops rubbing his jaw.

"Blob." he cursed. "Great."

"Long time no see, shades." Blob remarked, cracking his knuckles.

He tried bringing his fists down on them, but Cap quickly brought up his shield to block it as Cyclops unleashed a laser blast from his eyes, knocking him back a bit. Wolverine unsheathed his claws and ran towards them. Before he could, a familiar figure got in the way, snarling with pointed teeth.

"Going somewhere, Logan?" the figure growled, nails extending into animalistic claws.

"Sabertooth." Wolverine snarled.

"Didn't I run you over with a truck?" Alexis questioned. "How the heck are you completely fine?"

"Runt here ain't the only one who heals quick." Sabertooth remarked.

"And it seems like you both have similar charming dispositions." Spidey quipped.

Sabretooth took a swipe at him, but Alexis caught his hand, squeezing his wrist hard.

"Watch the claws, Sabretooth." she quipped. "You'll put someone's eye out."

"That's the general idea!" Sabertooth exclaimed, trying to take a swipe at her.

Wolverine's claws stopped him, shoving Sabretooth back as the two X-Men got into fighting stances.

"This'll be fun." Wolverine declared.

"Couldn't agree more." X-Gene told him.

The two charged at Sabertooth, going for a double punch. The impact managed to knock him back into a wall, but this barely slowed him down as he quickly picked himself up and charged at them again.

Meanwhile, Iron Man was suddenly hit by a massive stream of fire that knocked him into a nearby pillar. A loud cackle filled the room as he source of the flames, Pyro, stepped forward.

"What's the matter, Iron Man?" He laughed. "Getting a little hot under the collar?!"

"You kiddin?" Iron Man remarked. "I've had dates hotter than you."

Iron Man then blasted at him, but Pyro quickly brought up a wall of fire that seemed to absorb the blast. Iron Man lowered his hand in anger.

"Okay, what is with you kids and absorbing my attacks?" He questioned.

Pyro tried shooting at him again, but this time Iron Man flew upwards to avoid the blast. As he did, Storm flew in next to him, her eyes completely white.

"Enough of this, Allerdyce!" she warned.

"What are you gonna do?" Pyro taunted. "We're indoors, so no whirlwind this time, and no storms for you to conjure up!"

"Do not assume I am without power!" Storm declared.

She then raised her hands, creating a heavy fog that engulfed the room and clouded Pyro's vision.

"What the hell?!" He let out, shooting around randomly only for the two to avoid each shot.

As he continued firing aimlessly, Ant-Man had shrunken down and made his way across the floor towards him. Once he made it towards him, he leapt up and punched at the flamethrowers on his back, damaging it severely. Gas began leaking out of the back, making the flames die out and lose their stuff. A wave of Storm's hand made the fog condense into a small shower, putting out the flames. Before Pyro could properly take in what had happened, Iron Man blasted him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Kurt continued making their way towards the top. Suddenly, Spider-Man's spider sense started going off. Before he could react, something swooped down from the upper levels, grabbing him and lifting him up into the air.

"Please tell me this isn't the Vulture again." Spidey let out looking up.

He was greeted by the sight of a pterodactyl looming over him.

"I have several PhDs and I'm reduced to tossing teenagers in unitards around." the dinosaur muttered.

"Ok wow." Spidey let out in surprise. "Just… wow. Dino men. This is what my life's become."

"My name is Sauron!" the dinosaur snapped, swinging his legs and smashing Spidey into a wall.

Spider-Man then shoved himself off, sending Sauron tumbling through the air as Spidey shot out a web line and swung from it.

"Sauron? As in the lord of darkness from Middle Earth?" Spidey remarked. "Man, the fellowship must have really dusted you if you're slumming it with Magneto."

"Silence, insect!' Sauron screeched, going in for a dive.

Before he could land a hit, Nightcrawler ported in, delivering a right hook that sent the dinosaur of course. Before he could restabilize, Spider-Man swung right into him, knocking him right into a wall where Spider-Man webbed him down, pinning him. Kurt ported next to him, and the pair shared a high five.

Back down below, Hawkeye and Jean tried to make their way upward, avoiding the fights as best they could. The second they tried to go up the stairs though, a blur of motion knocked them back. Hawkeye grunted, grabbing his bow.

"The wonder twins are back." he declared.

"Wanda, Pietro, let us pass!" Jean commanded.

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Wanda told them as Pietro came to a stop and set her on the ground.

"Listen kids, whatever your dad's planning, innocent people are gonna die." Hawkeye insisted, notching an arrow as he spoke. "You really wanna go down that path?"

The two looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Father plans to expand the ranks of our kind."Quicksilver insisted. "Make it so the people of this world will never pass that Act."

"If you stop us, you doom our entire race!" Wanda declared.

"Except that machine won't add to your ranks, it'll kill innocent people!" Hawkeye shouted.

Suddenly, he received what felt like five punches at the same time, breaking his nose and sending him flying into the wall.

"Liar!" Quicksilver snapped. "Father would never do that!"

"He doesn't know his machine's defective." Jean tried to explain. "Your sister did."

"How DARE you try to use Lorna against us!" Wanda shouted.

She gathered a ball of red energy in her hand, throwing it at Jean. Jean tried to block it, but she was knocked back into Hawkeye. The two looked up as the two twins closed in, murder in their eyes.

Back with Cap and Cyclops, they were getting thrashed by Blob as he threw them around like nothing. As Cap tried leaping up and hitting him from behind, Blob spun around and backhanded him into a support column. Cyclops ran to his aid as Blob cracked his knuckles, moving in on the pair.

"Gonna have to be stronger than that." he taunted.

Before he could do anything, a large shadow loomed over him. He then felt a large finger tap him on the top of his head. He looked up to see the leering face of Hulk.

"Hi." the green giant said before clapping his hands over Blob's head.

When he pulled his hands apart, Blob was waving left and right, his ears ringing loudly. Hulk then gave him a flick, sending him off to the side. Alexis saw the flying Blob and quickly moved into his path, bracing herself. The fat mutant seemed to mold around her as he hit, energy gathering in her hands and eyes.

"Thanks Hulk!" She called as she pulled herself free of Blob's fatty folds. "I needed that."

Hulk shot her a thumbs up as Alexis turned towards Sabertooth. She charged forward, then gave him a powerful uppercut that sent him flying up into the ceiling, leaving him partially stuck on the floor above. The energy cleared and she shook her hand, flexing her fingers.

"Talk about hard-headed." she quipped.

Sabertooth then fell from the ceiling onto the ground. As he tried to pull himself up though, Wolverine came up and sucker punched him across the face, knocking him out.

Back with Black Panther, his was able to keep up with Mystique's strikes blow for blow, with little sign of slowing down. Realizing defeat was a distinct possibility, and seeing the other Brotherhood Members falling, Mystique turned to Pietro and Wanda.

"Warn Magneto!" she ordered. "Go!"

Seeing her distracted, Panther struck her upside the head, knocking her down. She struggled to shake off the blow, looking desperately at the twins.

"Run, now!" she demanded.

Thinking fast, Pietro grabbed Wanda and they sped off up the stairs and out of sight. Meanwhile, Wasp was trying to zap Toad, but he was bouncing all over the place. Gambit's cards were having equally little luck, just leaving scorch marks where Toad used to be.

"You chumps couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Toad shouted.

He shot out his tongue at Wasp, managing to grab her and tried pulling her into his mouth. She flew as hard as she could to avoid being pulled in. As she came close to his face though, she pulled an arm free and shot Toad in the eye, causing him to cry out in pain and allowing Wasp to free herself from his tongue.

"That is by far one of the grossest things that has ever happened to me." she shuddered.

As Toad shook his head in pain, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and shot him head on, electrocuting him and causing him to fall unconscious.

"So that is what happens to a toad when it is hit by lightning." Thor observed, lowering a smoking Mjolnir.

"The same thing that happens to anything else." Gambit quipped, stowing his cards in his pocket.

With all the Brotherhood members down, the heroes reconvened with one another.

"Everyone alright?" Cap asked.

"We're fine." Hawkeye replied.

"X-Men?" Cyclops questioned.

"Peachy." Alexis answered.

"Then let's keep moving." Cap suggested.

Up in the torch with Magneto, he was putting the final touches on the device when Pietro came speeding in with Wanda still in his arms. He set her down as they both turned to their father.

"The X-Men and the Avengers are here." Pietro told him. "They've beaten the Brotherhood, and they're on their way up here as we speak."

"They used Lorna to find us." Wanda added. "You should have let us rescue her!"

"I did what I thought was best for the mission." Magneto insisted. "Besides, by this time tomorrow, it will no longer matter."

He turned back to his work, intent to finish what he was doing. However, doubts had been seeded in the minds of the twins, the works of Hawkeye and Jean running through their heads.

"Are you sure this machine will do what it's supposed to?" Wanda asked.

"Of course." Magneto insisted. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just… what if something goes wrong?" She went on. "What if… the machine kills them instead of turns them?"

"Wanda, that won't happen." Quicksilver insisted, but even he didn't seem convinced.

"Of course it won't." Magneto promised. "Lorna said so herself, the subject of our test run got exactly what he needed."

The two were still skeptical, but knew better than to argue. Finally, Magneto finished putting the last touches on his machine.

"There." he declared. "Now, I will go greet our guests." he declared. "You two remain here. Once the process is complete I will be thoroughly weakened. I will need you two to protect me."

"Of… course, Father." Wanda replied.

With that, Magneto went off to await the arrival of the oncoming heroes.

...

Not so far down below, the heroes continued making their way towards the torch and Magneto. As they made it to Lady Liberty's head, Spider-Man's spider sense went off again, even worse than before.

"Uh oh." he let out. "We've got-"

Suddenly, his hands shot up and his wrists suddenly connected with the ceiling. He tried to budge, but found that he couldn't.

"I'm stuck!" he cried out.

"Crap, Magneto's here!" Alexis let out.

That's when everything began happening in a blur of motion. Metal came out of every part of the room, rushing the group. Cyclops was scooped up, pinned to the wall and forced to face to the right. Jean ended up right in front of them, metal bars forcing them to stare at one another. Iron Man's suit suddenly seized up, as if forming one solid piece of metal. Panther was suddenly yanked off his feet, his suit fusing to the wall. Two pieces of metal came and caught Gambit by the wrists, forcing him to grab Wasp and Ant Man. He them found himself forced to pin them to the wall, metal restraints maintaining their grip.

Alexis was grabbed and forced up against the wall, metal restraining her at every joint so she couldn't move. Kurt tried to get to her, but a band of metal wrapped around his eyes, blinding him before spinning him around. When he landed on the ground, it came up to greet him, pinning him in place. Logan suddenly shot forward, catching Cap off guard. They were pinned up against one another, Logan's fists forced onto either side of Cap's skull. Metal bands ensured neither of them could move.

Thor and Storm were next, pinned to the wall with ease while Mjolnir was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Hawkeye got his bow suddenly wrenched from his hand before he was suspended like the rest. Finally, The floor literally melted around Hulk, sealing him in. the floor also rippled like water, pulling Rick off his back and moving him right in front of the giant. The floor then sealed around him as well, leaving every single one of them restrained and immobile.

As everyone tried to free themselves from their confinements, a hole in the ceiling opened up, allowing Magneto to descend into the room. He looked around the room, chuckling slightly.

"Too easy." he remarked before turning to Cyclops. "Better close your eyes."

He pulled Cyclops' visor off, forcing him to screw his eye shut to prevent his powers from hurting Jean.

"Foolish for an army armed with metal toys to attack the master of magnetism." Magneto commented.

"Where is Rogue?" Gambit demanded, looking over his shoulder as best he could. "What have you done with her?!"

"She is alright, for the time being." Magneto told him. "In fact, she will be the last martyr in the war between humans and mutants."

"Your machine isn't a miracle maker, Magneto!" Cyclops told him. "It's gonna kill everyone!"

"So you were the ones who deluded my children with such nonsense." he muttered. "I should have known."

"It's not nonsense." Jean insisted. "Lorna saw it with her own eyes! Your test subject lost his molecular structure and was reduced to nothing but water!"

He seemed surprised for a moment, actually pausing.

"So that's what Lorna meant when…" Magneto realized before resuming his previous demeanor. "It doesn't matter, it's too late to turn back now. Besides, this way the act will never come to pass."

"So you're just willing to kill God knows how many innocent lives?!" Alexis asked, struggling fiercely. "Wasn't Haven City enough?! Just how far are you willing to go for this maniac crusade?!"

"As far as it takes to ensure mutant kind takes its rightful place in this world." Magneto insisted. "I thought after all we've been through Alexis, you would have come to accept that."

"Mutant kind isn't better than human kind." Alexis insisted. "We make mistakes, we point fingers, and we lose ourselves to our pain. We're no better than them, but we can be. Just not like this."

"Charles has rubbed off on you." Magneto noted. "Unfortunately, his idealism wasn't able to stop this act from nearing reality. Now, it is time for me to usher in our new age.

With that, Magneto flew off through the ceiling, leaving the heroes stuck tight.

"Real piece of work, that guy." Hawkeye remarked. "How do we get out of this?"

"If I could move, I'd gather some energy and bust my way out." Alexis grunted. "Anyone else got an idea?"

"Tony, can you do anything?"

"My suit is a giant tin can right now." Tony shared. "I'm stuck."

"I could charge my hands and free myself, but I risk shorting out your tiny friends here." Gambit announced.

"And we can't grow stuck like this." Ant Man lamented. "Not without breaking Gambit's hands, and our bodies trying to squeeze out."

"Storm, Thor, can either of you zap us out?" Hawkeye asked.

"Nay." Thor replied. "We are trapped in a large copper conductor. We would all be fried in an instant."

"What about the big guy?" Wolverine asked.

"Can't." Hulk answered. "I smash, me and Rick fall. I'll be fine, he won't be."

"Hulk, forget about me." Rick insisted. "People will die if we don't get up there. Every human in this head will die!"

"No!" Hulk bellowed.

"Kurt, can you port?" Alexis questioned. "Get us out?"

"Nein." he answered. "I do not know vhich vay is up, nor vhere anyvone is. Zhe risk is too great."

Wolverine let out a loud growl.

"Goddamnit!" he cursed.

Up in the torch, Rogue was struggling to free herself from a pair of restraints keeping her attached to a set of handles. She'd nearly broken her wrists trying to pull free, but nothing had worked. She kept struggling, even as Magneto approached.

"Comfortable, my dear?" He asked.

"Let me go, Magneto!" she demanded. "Now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Magneto told her. "Everything is finally coming to fruition. Soon, the world will be changed for the benefit of mutant kind. The role you play will make the lives of countless mutants much safer. You should be honored."

"Well I ain't!" Rogue spat. "I ain't gonna be a part in yer scheme! Not gonna happen!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." He informed, taking off one of his gloves. "Forgive me for this."

Realizing what he was trying to do, she attempted to move away. Her cuffs prevented her and he managed to touch her face. Almost instantly, a wracking pain shot through Magneto's body, as if his very life essence was being drained away. Rogue cried out in pain as well, her forcefully acquired magnetic powers forcing her to grab onto the handles. Magneto kept his hand on her long enough for the powers to remain, then pulled away just before the touch would have been fatal. He stumbled backwards, utterly helpless as the machine powered up.

Meanwhile down below, the heroes were able to hear the machine beginning to power up. They all looked up, seeing the flames of the torch to explode outward to reveal the large, glowing machinery.

"Oh shit, it's starting!" Cyclops let out.

"Meaning we gotta make a move, and fast." Hawkeye insisted. "We have to get out of here!" Spidey insisted, trying hard to pull his wrists free of the ceiling.

"I'm afraid that will be easier said than done." Panther announced. "We have company."

The group looked up and saw Pietro and Wanda coming towards them.

"Well, what do you want?" Hawkeye asked. "Come to finish what dear old dad started?"

Quicksilver said nothing. Instead, he bent down and picked up Cyclop's visor. Sharing a nod with his sister, he then slid it into place on Cyclop's face. Once that was done, he zipped over to Rick, grabbing onto his shirt and bracing himself. Wanda then used her powers to warp the floor around Rick and Hulk. Hulk dropped, but caught himself on the ledge. Rick would have fallen, but Quicksilver's grip kept him from doing so. Hulk pulled himself up as Quicksilver got Rick back to safety.

"Uh, thanks..." Rick let out.

With the two free, Quicksilver and Wanda silently walked out of the head, leaving them alone. Hawkeye blinked in surprise, sharing a surprised glance with everyone else.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

"They heard everything." Jean explained as Hulk began tearing everyone free of their restraints. "They didn't know about the machine, or Haven City. They believed in Magneto's dream, but not in his method of achieving it."

"Works out for us." Spidey remarked as Hulk pulled him down.

Kurt ended up having to free Black Panther from the wall, and Hulk had to completely rip Tony's suit apart to free him. Luckily, everyone was okay.

"Well, looks like I'm sitting this one out." Tony replied.

"At least you're wearing pants this time." Wasp ribbed.

"We don't have time for jokes." Gambit snapped. "That machine is on, and every second it is, people lives are at risk, including Rogue's!"

"Right, we gotta get up there." Cap ordered.

"There's no time to climb." Jean insisted. "By the time we did, it would be too late."

"Then those of us who can fly must." Thor declared.

"You'd never get past that energy dome." Tony insisted, pointing. "It's protecting the machine. You'd need to disable it somehow before you can even think about destroying that machine."

"It's too far away for my optics." Cyclops cursed. "I can't get a good shot. Now without risking hitting Rogue."

"Leave that to me." Hawkeye told him. "No one's a better shot than me."

"What part of energy dome aren't you guys understanding?" Tony questioned. "Doesn't matter how good of a shot you are if you can't hit."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hawkeye asked.

"Can the energy field be disrupted?" Alexis questioned.

"Yeah, but it would take a massive energy source to cause a disruption big enough." Tony calculated. "I don't think even you could handle making an explosion that big."

"Well we don't really have a lot of options now, do we?" Alexis argued.

"No!" Kurt cried out, grabbing her arm. "The last two times you did that, it nearly killed you."

"And if I don't do it, hundred if not thousands of people will die." Alexis informed him. "Besides, we're running out of time."

"She's right." Tony agreed. "It's our only shot. Hulk, think you can throw her that far?"

"I'll be a hot potato, so you'll have to throw fast." She said.

"No problem." Hulk told her, readying his arm for a punch.

She planted her feet and braced herself, taking the punch without even moving. Because she was prepared, she absorbed every last bit of energy, the glow coming faster than it had in the past.

"One fastball special, extra hot!" Rick shouted.

Hulk then picked her up and threw her as hard as he could at the torch. Alexis got herself ready to punch, connecting with the field just as everything went white. The entire torch shook and the others were blown back several feet. Hawkeye immediately readied his bow, seeing the field go down.

"Tick, tick, boom." he declared, releasing the arrow.

It soared across the sky, connecting with the machine and blowing up. The glow from the machine stopped, a massive shockwave came out from the torch, knocking Rogue, Magneto, and Alexis off of the torch and down towards the ground.

"No!" Kurt and Wolverine both shouted.

Kurt immediately teleported towards Alexis and grabbed her. However, before he teleported away, he found their descent slowly. He looked down and saw a blue vortex below them, seemingly slowing their descent. It set the two of them, Rogue, and Magneto down as gently as possible, coming to a stop to reveal Quicksilver. Wanda then walked over, pausing a moment to look down at Magneto.

"Wanda..." he muttered weakly. "Why?

She bent down next to him, pulling off his helmet.

"Because we do not want a part of your world." she declared.

She then used the helmet to bash him upside the head, knocking him out. She then discarded the helmet, walking over to Kurt and Alexis. Wanda crouched down, sliding out of the long red coat she was wearing and draping it over the unconscious girl. Her hands then glowed red as she placed them on Alexis' chest, pouring her energy into her. Alexis coughed, her eyes fluttering open.

"I'm awake..." she muttered.

Kurt sighed in relief as he held her close. At that time, Hulk leapt down with the non flyers clinging to him and the flyers descending next to him. Hawkeye got off Hulk and walked forward as Quicksilver looked up at him.

"You didn't see that coming." He remarked before grabbing Wanda and speeding off.

Everyone watched them go, then Wolverine carefully picked up Rogue. He pulled off one of her gloves, taking hold of her wrist.

"This better work." he declared, sticking her hand on his own face.

"Logan!" Jean cried out as Rogue's powers began draining Logan of his healing factor.

He pulled back just in time as Rogue inhaled sharply before snapping her eyes open.

"L-Logan…?" Rogue let out weakly.

"How ya doin, Rogue?" Logan greeted in a pained voice, pulling back his cowl. "Heard ya missed me.'

Rogue threw her arms around him, careful to keep her head away from his. He returned the hug in kind, everyone just enjoying the moment.

Sometime later, everyone convened in the Avengers Mansion, with Hank attending to Rogue as best he could without touching her. Alexis was once again in borrowed clothing, Kurt and Stealthy keeping close as they watched the news.

"In the wake of the attempted terrorist attacked by the Mutant Rights Activist known as Magneto, he and several of his group have been arrested by the MRD." a reporter announced. "As the attack was halted by the more peaceful Mutant Rights group known as the X-Men, as well as the Avengers themselves, the White House has elected to delay talks on the Mutant Registration act, pending further investigation into the issue."

"Vell, at least some good came out of zhis." Kurt commented.

"Magneto's behind bars, the Brotherhood's all but rounded up, all in all a good day." Rogue declared.

"What about Pietro and Wanda?" Jan asked. "They did help us in the end."

"Not sure." Cap replied. "But I get the feeling we're gonna see them again."

"Maybe when we do, it won't be as enemies." Panther suggested.

Hank eventually finished his work.

"Alright Miss Rogue, you're free to go."

"Thanks, doc." Rogue replied. "You know, we got a Hank of our own back at the X-Mansion. I think you two would get along just fine."

"Maybe one day I can meet him." Hank suggested.

"Maybe." Gambit declared, wrapping an arm around Rogue. "But for now, I'll settle for going home and resting for a week. How about you, Chere?"

"Sounds like heaven, Remy." she replied.

"Then I guess you'll be going then." Tony spoke up.

"It's about time for us to get back to our mansion." Alexis remarked.

"Before you go, I got something for you." Tony told her, pulling out a briefcase and handing it to her.

She took the case and opened it up, seeing a yellow and dark green suit. She pulled it out, looking at it.

"When did you have time to make this?" she asked.

"I don't sleep well after nightmares." He admitted. "Made it the night before, never got a chance to give it to you. JARVIS measured the strength of the blast you did that ruined the garden, and I designed a fabric strong enough to withstand it. I can forward the formula to your wardrobe department later."

Alexis laughed, then ran up and hugged Tony around the stomach.

"Thank you." she told him.

Logan chuckled.

"She's a hugger." He declared. "Why do you think I stopped fighting 'em?"

"She's insistent I'll give you that." Tony remarked.

"So, Logan." Kurt spoke up. "You know zhere's room on zhe Blackbird for one more."

Logan paused for a moment, honestly torn on what to do. As he stood there, Steve approached, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sounds like your team needs you, Jimmy."

"What about you guys?" Logan asked.

"We'll manage." Steve insisted. "But them, the X-Men, they're your family, and it seems they want you home."

Logan looked over at the X-Men, and and every one of them giving him an open and warm smile. Even Cyclops was in on it.

"What d'ya say, Logan?" Scott asked. "Try this whole X-Men thing over?"

Logan stood silent before smiling in response.

"Why the hell not." He replied.

"Yes!" Alexis cheered, punching the air. "Welcome back, Wolverine!"

"Thanks kid." Logan replied before turning to Cap. "But Steve, this isn't goodbye. I'll be back."

"Once an Avenger, always an Avenger." Steve responded.

The two gripped arms, then Logan followed the X-Men onto the Blackbird. The entire team of Avengers waved it off as it flew off into the sky, disappearing from sight.

"He sure seemed happy." Clint announced.

"He sure did." Steve agreed, looking up at the departing jet and smiling.

...

In a large governmental prison situated somewhere in upstate New York, Magneto sat in a prison made entirely out of plastic. He had his back to the door, a book in his hand. As he sat there, the door opened, allowing a single person to enter. He sighed, closing his book.

"I didn't expect you so soon, Charles." he remarked.

"That's because it's not him." Alexis' voice spoke up.

Magneto perked up and turned towards the door as Alexis walked in. She had a visitors badge hanging around her neck, and her hands in her pockets as she approached him.

"Alexis." Magneto let out in surprise. "I must say I was not expecting to see you here."

"I'll be honest, I'm not even sure why I came." she admitted. "But, here I am. Maybe it's Great-Grandma Janey trying to influence me, who knows."

"Well then I suppose I owe her for your company." Magneto surmised.

Magneto sighed slightly, looking out one of the transparent walls of his cell to the massive complex around him. Alexis stood there for a moment, then spoke up again.

"You wanna hear a story?" she asked. "Once upon a time, there was a boy. This boy was wronged by a people, and it made the boy angry. It made him hateful. Eventually, and angry, hateful boy grew into a hateful, angry man, one with enough power to make the people who had wronged him pay. He didn't care who got hurt, all he wanted was to make a paradise for the people he deemed to be the perfect race. Do you know who that man was?"

"I have a good guess," Magneto remarked. "But share with me anyway."

"You first." Alexis insisted. "Who do you think that little boy grew up to be?"

"Myself?" He humored her.

Alexis shook her head.

"Adolf Hitler."

Magneto was honestly taken aback by the answer.

"I am nothing like that monster." He insisted. "Hitler was a murderer and a psychopath, who-"

"Murdered innocent people because they didn't fit his vision, or because they stood in his way." Alexis interjected. "Sounds alot like what you've done."

"What I have done is for the good of mutant kind!" He declared defensively.

"And yet because of your actions, people are more afraid of mutants than ever before." Alexis argued. "You think the only way to win is by force, and damn the consequences. You think the world needs to be cleansed of a 'disease'."

She grabbed his wrist, pulling back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a faded tattoo with several numbers in a line.

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" she asked.

Magneto couldn't respond, he just sat there dumbfounded. Alexis let go of his wrist, then prepared to walk off. She stopped at the door, giving him a final look.

"There is one difference between you and him." Alexis told him. "You still have a chance to make the right choice."

With that, she walked out, leaving Magneto alone with everything he had heard.