Underground Facility, Alcatraz Island.
In the darkness of a large circular room, a single spotlight shone on a large table that was strewn with documents; papers; photographs; tablets with videos playing on repeat. A tall figure was cowering over it, his eyes frantically searching through everything, desperate for something new to jump out at him.
"Erik…?" a woman's voice echoed against the metal walls behind him, he refused to look up in retaliation instead lifting up his hand, beckoning her towards the table.
"I've spent years infiltrating everything from Charles and that damn school of his" Erik exhaled angrily, lifting up his hand to his lips and holding them. "He's been flying completely under the radar, but I knew he wouldn't be able to help himself once this story got public"
"That British girl?" she questioned, looking down at the evidence in front of her. She noticed Polaroid photographs of Mallory unaware of the camera; the Eden files; and videos of Mallory talking to Kurt in the grounds of the X Mansion.
"He brought her there and allowed her to just socialise and merge herself into that community – his disbelief and naivety is sickening." Erik snapped bitterly. "It took me months to discover what she really is Mystique, and it's staring him right in the face"
"You said, 'what she is'" Mystique asked, picking up a photograph of Mallory's full body X-Ray.
"There's legends, books, scriptures that preach about a second coming of an entity that established the mutant race several millennia before our time." Erik stated. "He caused the most catastrophic of wars, legend says that he caused movements throughout galaxies…"
"Are you saying that she's part of this 'second coming'?" Mystique sneered, a sly smile on her face and her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "She couldn't escape the Asylum, who we conned so easily into letting her go; she didn't even notice that one of our clones was impersonating her mother – she was being beaten for weeks before she actually killed it…hell, she's so doped up on pills that we don't even know if her powers are even there anymore…"
Erik looked up at Mystique, his blood boiling at her questioning his judgements and being completely unaware of the importance of the situation, but he knew that he could never truly be mad at her…she was too important to him. He bit his tongue and allowed her to continue her rant.
"If this 'entity' needed to use someone for this return…I doubt he would waste it on such a disappointment."
"That's because she has not yet developed her powers suitable for his return…it's hereditary, and her mother only just died. She needs time…but I'm not prepared to let it get that far." Erik exhaled, gritting his teeth as he picked up her admission file – signed by Charles and Hank. "Charles may think that he can protect her in his little sanctuary, but he's dealing with something more powerful than all of us. If he's too weak to do what is necessary, then I will do it myself-"
He threw the file back down at the table, turned on his heel and walked hastily to the door, when he heard a snap remark from Mystique behind him.
"This has nothing to do with us Erik" she sighed, feeling slightly defensive of Charles. "If Charles screws this up, then he can deal with it himself"
Erik halted, and stormed back towards her, clenching his fists in anger.
"I have not spent twenty years building this empire for it to collapse under his idiocy. I agreed to keep my distance and maintain a treaty with him and his stupid school…but this nulls everything. I am more powerful now than I have ever been, and if I can destroy her, I will." He snarled into her face, spit hitting her in hatred.
"You're forgetting one thing in this amazing masterplan of yours Erik" she snapped back, picking up Mallory's paternity file. "She's got family, she's Logan's daughter…whether you think she's capable or not – he saved all of us, we owe him that"
"I OWE HIM NOTHING." Erik growled at the top of his lungs, the words bouncing off the walls. "You might think that your life is better off in this new timeline, but mine got destroyed. I had to endure them butcher my daughter, my wife – I held them as they died in my arms Raven, and Logan has a daughter, alive…he gets the chance that were stolen from me. I was powerful. I had a legacy. Instead I'm here, stuck underground and powerless. He does not get the right to have a better life!"
"This is about more than what she is isn't it?" Mystique questioned sadly, seeing his pain etched across his face. He glared back at her as he recalled the moment the arrow hit his child and wife, the way they fell to the floor. The pain and rage that seared through his veins.
"…At least talk to Charles first?" Mystique asked quietly, exhaling deeply as she understood Erik's reason behind his anger.