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After the sun went down and the stars came out to cover the night sky most of the school had turned in as it was now starting to get late. But outside the mansion grounds, Rogue was sitting on a bench looking at the massive fountain before her, a lot on her mind at the moment. Bobby then opened the patio door and walked outside, slowly approaching her from behind.
"Hey."
Rogue turned her head to look back at him. She smiled.
"Hey yourself."
Bobby took a seat next to her, a little concerned she was sitting out here alone at this time. But before he could say anything, Rogue spoke again.
"I wonder why it's not snowing yet," Rogue then thought back to her days of growing up in the deep south. "That's the one thing I didn't like about Mississippi. Hardly ever snowed."
"We can fix that you know," Bobby said as an idea came to his head.
"Oh yeah? How's that?"
"Just watch." Bobby then got up and placed his hand on the fountain, covering it in ice. Rogue watched him as Bobby turned back to her. "Give me your feet."
"What?" Rogue laughed.
"Come on, give me your feet."
Rogue sat on the edge of the fountain, and Bobby makes ice skates for her. He does the same for himself, and they began skating. After skating around in a complete circle hand in hand, Bobby spoke.
"Thinking about the cure?"
"I think we all are."
"But you're not actually thinking about taking it are you?"
Rogue took a deep breath.
"Do you know what it's like to kiss a boy-"
"I don't actually," Bobby interrupted. They both laughed, but the moment didn't last long.
"I'm serious Bobby. I want to be able to touch people without worrying about killing them. A hug...a handshake...a kiss."
Bobby looked over at her.
"This isn't about me, is it?"
"No," Rogue shook her head. "It wouldn't be for you...it'd be for me."
The two skated in another circle quietly before Bobby spoke up again.
"I'm sorry we haven't been spending that much time together."
"It's okay, you went through a lot. With John leaving, and what happened with your family-"
"Speaking of that, my mom actually called my cell-phone a little while ago. I missed it through cause I was messing around with Pitor and Flea."
"It sounds like they've finally come around," Rogue said. She remembered how hurt he had been the days and weeks following getting back from Alkali Lake. Ever sense then, Bobby had been trying to make contact with them but his calls were always unanswered. She tried to comfort him, telling Bobby that all his family needed was time to get over what had occurred at their home several months ago. She hoped she was right.
"Yeah, I hope so. She didn't leave a message though," Bobby said, a little disappointed.
"I'm sure she'll call back."
They both looked at each other silence for a moment before Rogue nearly trips but Bobby caught her and they both laugh. They then skate over to the fountain's edge and sat down. Rogue leaned forward and kisses him lightly on the cheek, as lightly as possible so not to hurt him.
"This was nice. Thank you."
Bobby shrugged a shoulder.
"I thought it could take our minds off things."
"Good night, Bobby."
"Good night."
Taking off her shoes, Rogue got up and headed back inside the mansion with Bobby watching her the whole way. Once she was inside, he looked up towards the night sky and smiled.
Back inside of the mansion, Logan was in the second floor inside the gym. In addition to the Danger Room, the gym had weights and other exercise equipment, along with mats so they could practice hand to hand sparring. Logan stood at a punching bag, hitting it as hard as he could. As he continued on, images of William Stryker began flashing in his mind as heard his voice.
'People don't change, Wolverine. You were an animal then, you're an animal now. I just gave you claws.'
SNIKT!
Logan quickly unearthed his claws from his knuckles and stabbed the bag. He glared down at the floor as the insides of the bag spilled out when a voice got his attention.
"Excuse me."
Logan looked over and saw Hank standing by the entrance of the gym.
"Am I bothering you?" Logan snapped.
Hank shook his head.
"Not at all. I just finished talking to the Professor, trying to catch up on things I missed in the time I've been away. He told me a lot about you."
"Oh yeah?"
"He said you helped stop Magneto at Liberty Island. And you helped stop Stryker at Alkali Lake."
"Yeah, I did."
Logan walked over to the weight set and picked up a fifty pound dumbbell.
"Very brave of you," Hank complimented. "I wish I could have been there, but I don't know if these old bones could handle that kind of thing anymore."
Logan turned his head to look at him.
"How old are you?" It was hard to tell with the blue fur that covered his face.
"Just turned fifty five. How about yourself?"
"Couldn't tell you," Logan answered as he continued his workout. "I don't remember."
Hank nodded.
"The Professor also said that you're taking over for Scott."
"Not really. I'm just helping getting the new recruits get ready…and then…"
"What?"
"I don't know."
"Why don't you just stay here?" Hank questioned.
Logan didn't respond, but that was what was bothering him. He'd been chasing after his past for so long, now that Stryker had taken what he'd known about Logan to his grave he really didn't know what to do with himself.
"I don't know if I really belong here."
Logan then looked as if he shouldn't have said that out loud. But Hank only smiled, he knew what it was like not to feel like you belong at a place all too well.
"If you've really done all the things the Professor said you did, than I can assure you, you do."
Logan didn't get a chance to respond as Hank turned away and began heading back to his room. Placing the dumbbell down, Logan went after him and called down the hall.
"Hey Hank! Want to have a beer?"
Hank turned around, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Beer? We have beer here?"
Logan smirked as he walked out of the gym and motioned for Hank to follow him downstairs, leading him to the kicthen. Once they reached their destination, Logan opened up the refrigerator for Hank to see a six pack of beer on one of the shelves. It had a note pinned on it that read 'This is Logan's beer. I know your smell'.
"Now we do," Logan said as he took out two bottles, handing one to Hank.
He then used his claws to take off the bottle top. He then does the same for Hank's bottle. The blue mutant glanced at the note again before looking back at claws coming out of Logan's knuckles.
"Must work like a charm."
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Inside the facility on Alcatraz, several guards walked into the room where Mystique was being held in her own private cell, leading a lizard-esque mutant to a table. Once he was on it they clasped his wrists and ankles so he couldn't move. Mystique then morphed into the appearance of President McKenna and began yelling;
"Let me out of here! I demand that you release me!"
One of the guards rolled his eyes as he turned and walked towards the holding cell. The President was right up against it, gripping the bars.
"Do you know who I am? I am the god damn President of the United States!"
The guard smacked his nightstick against the bars.
"Mr. President, shut the hell up!"
The guard turned back around but then hears the cries of a little girl.
"Let me go. Please."
Turning back around, he saw that Mystique had taken on the appearance of a six year old girl. The guard then put away his nightstick and took out his pepper-spray.
"Get away from the bars or I'll spray you in the face, bitch."
The girl smiled evilly.
"When I get out of here, I'm going to kill you myself."
"Yeah, we'll see."
General Lang then walked in with a doctor by his side. The doctor had a syringe in hand that contained the cure. The general looked over at the holding cell and addressed Mystique.
"We've already tested this on several different mutants already. I just wanted you to see it for yourself what this does."
Lang then nodded towards the doctor, who came forward and injected the mutant on the table with the cure. Mystique watched as the mutant spasmed as slowly his greenish-grey scales went away before they all found themselves staring at a now normal looking man. The general looked over at Mystique and smirked as he saw that her façade cracked, and saw fear in her eyes, if only for a moment.
"Raven Darkholme," he then began, "You've put thousands, if not millions of lives in danger. You're going to answer all the questions I need from you."
"I'd rather die a fighter than a traitor."
"Tell me where Magneto is!" Lang demanded.
"Go to hell," Mystique spat.
He glared at her.
"Have it your way." General Lang then looked at the doctor. "Go get another sample. And then I'll inject her personally."
Meanwhile, a rush of late night traffic crosses The Golden Gate Bridge. Suddenly, several of the cars screech to a halt. Two other cars crash into each other. Many drivers look around, panicked. Down at the end of the bridge, Magneto and Pyro begin walking down it, Magneto's hands outstretched. He magnetically parts the sea of cars, sending them crashing to either side of the bridge. Citizens have now begun to leave their cars and run away. Magneto smirks as he comes to a stop and then looks down to the end of the bridge.
Extending his arms grandly, he focused all his power, and began to tear the bridge from the supporting cables and columns. Soon, the entire section of the bridge was free, and began floating forwards Alcatraz. Back on the island, troops rush up observation towers to get a better view, and react in astonishment as they see the bridge moving towards them. It moves over them, and some of the soldiers manage to run away before Magneto released his hold, and the bridge landed on the steep rocky shore of Alcatraz Island.
General Lang followed a Sergeant into the surveillance room. He was concerned and in a hurry to see what had happened.
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?!"
The cameras then showed what was left of the Golden Gate Bridge landing on the island and Lang's eyes widened, knowing there was only one mutant he knew of that was strong enough to do that.
"Get soldiers to the front of this facility!"
After hearing the order, the soldiers grabbed their guns and began rushing to the front of the complex. Magneto smirked when he saw them and looked back at Pyro.
"Follow my lead."
Magneto summoned a car from behind him and sends it into the air. Pyro sent a fireball up, turning the car into a grenade and it landed on a group of soldiers.
"Get back!" A soldier yelled.
Magneto sent two more cars up into the air which Pyro lit on fire. One hit an observation tower, the other crashed onto the ground, flipping twice before settling. Another car was sent up, then another which took out some more soldiers.
Lifting up three more cars, Magneto launched them forward as Pyro sent up three different jets of flame, lighting each one on fire. One of the cars actually stuck the facility itself. The power inside went off as one of the laboratories caught fire. Sending up one more car, Magneto sent it flying towards the facility, right at where the surveillance room was. General Lang looked as the flaming car came right at him, but before he could even try to run from the room or even scream it crashed right through, killing him instantly as an explosion went off.
Feeling the damage was done, Magneto stepped off the bridge and onto the island. By this time the soldiers had recovered and began firing at him but he easily stopped them all and pushed back all the bullets, causing them to go back and pierce through the dozens of soldiers.
Back inside the holding room, the guards had lost their bearings due to the attack. The one guard who had threatened Mystique earlier had lost his footing and fell back against the cell. Mystique slithered her legs out and captured the guard's neck with her feet, breaking it with a sickening crack.
"Told you so," Mystique smirked.
Mystique then used her toes to take the keys off the dead guards belt and unlocked her cell. As she walked out of it, Magneto was walking down a corridor filled with cells. He continued on and with a simple nod, the cell doors began falling down one by one. Curious mutants slowly walked to the entrance of their cell, sticking their heads out to see who had freed them. Back outside, Pyro walked forward and before a soldier could have a chance to shoot, he manipulated his deadly fire and scorched his body. He then noticed a tank of oxygen nearby the facility and sent a fireball at it, causing a huge explosion to go off before he made his way inside.
As Pyro went in, a bunch of people in prisoner uniforms began running towards him.
"Get out of here! Go up the bridge!" He ordered. Pyro watched as the prisoners did as he said and began running up to the bridge. Pyro then headed inside in search of Magneto.
The leader of the Brotherhood continued on throughout the facility until the door down the end of the hall opened and Mystique walked through. They both smiled as they walked towards each other.
"About time," Mystique complained.
"I've been busy."
They both stopped once they were standing together.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Magneto asked.
Mystique nodded.
"The source of the cure is a mutant. A child, being kept at Worthington Industries in New York. Without him, they have nothing."
Magneto looked over as Pyro was now by his side.
"Well then, that's where we are going. We will destroy this cure at its very source."
Mystique and Pyro looked to him nodded.
"Let's go. Our mission here is complete."
"Just a moment," Mystique said. "I have a surprise for you."
Looking somewhat intrigued, he followed Mystique down another hallway until they reached the door of a highly reinforced cell that held only one prisoner inside.
"I think you might recognize this inmate," she said to Magneto.
Magneto's eyebrows raised with curiosity as he used his power to rip the door off it's hinges. Sitting inside with chains holding him in place and a metal facemask on was Sabretooth. Magneto smiled when he saw the former member of his Brotherhood, not knowing what had happened to him after Liberty Island.
"Hello, Victor."
Magneto then magnetically torn the chains and facemask off, freeing the near seven-foot mutant with a mane of blonde hair. Sabretooth walked out of the cell and eyed the three mutants that stood in front of him. Pyro cautiously took a step back as he looked over the savage mutant's appearance.
"Erik," Sabretooth nodded.
"I could use you be my side again."
"Like that worked out so well for me last time?" Sabretooth snarled. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Sabretooth then brushed by them as he walked into the next hallway. Several soldiers were now coming down the hall and began firing once they saw Sabretooth. The savage mutant roared in fury and lunged forward, slicing one of the soldier's machine gun in half with his claws. He then swung his left hand, slashing the soldier's throat. Blood sprayed against the wall as Sabretooth broke the second soldier's neck before picking up the third, slamming him to the ground and lifting his boot. He then crushed the third soldier's throat with his foot.
Sabretooth breathed heavily, like a wild animal as he licked the blood that was dripping from his claw-like fingernails.
"It's been a long time since I've killed anyone. I almost forgot how good it feels."
As he cracked his neck, Magneto appeared from behind him.
"I take it you don't wish to see your old friend, Logan, again?"
Slowly turning around, a look of pure hatred was written on the face of Sabretooth at the mention of that name. Magneto smirked and motioned with his hand for Sabretooth to follow him, which he did. If Magneto could get him Wolverine, then he would join him again after all. They all headed outside where the prisoners were waiting. Magneto used his powers to move the bridge with them all on it back over to the mainland.
Alcatraz Island, the prison that once stood strong had been completely destroyed. Fire was everywhere, totaled burning cars littered the island as dozens of soldiers lay dead on the ground. Several helicopters began flying towards the island but it was too late. By this time Magneto, Mystique, Sabretooth and Pyro, along with the mutant prisoners being kept there were long gone.