Chapter 33

Natural Born Killers

When we all finally got on the Blackbird, we were able to explore the rest of the jet. There was an upstairs, a kitchen, and even a few furnished rooms. There was a prep and planning room with a TV and DVD player. Bobby and Rogue were staring longingly at a uniform hanging inside a sleek locker in the back of the room. Logan was zipping up a few feet away.

"Where's ours?" Bobby asked, eyeing the leather enviously.

"On order. Should arrive in a few years." Logan replied sardonically, cracking his neck.

Logan shut the locker and stalked down the steps. John was standing next to me, flicking his Zippo, as usual.

I noticed Rogue standing next to Bobby, glancing around. Her eyes settled on Magneto and Mystique, sitting on a bench in front of some cubbies nearby. They were staring at her and whispering to each other. They suddenly stopped.

Magneto grinned.

"We love what you've done with your hair." he said jovially, as if the Liberty Island incident a year ago was sherry and giggles now.

Rogue glared at him and made to yank off her glove, but Bobby stopped her quickly, grabbing her arm.

"C'mon., let's go." he coaxed, leading my pissed off friend away.

John casually walked over and plunked down on the bench a few feet away from our enemies. He motioned me over and I reluctantly followed, hesitant to sit next to the people who had attempted to kill one of my closest friends.

"So, they say you're the bad guy." John said conversationally, snapping his lighter.

"Is that what they say?" Magneto asked, seeming offended, raising his bushy grey eyebrows.

John nodded.

"That's a dorky-looking helmet. What's it for?" he asked curiously, gesturing to the red and purple helmet that sat in one of the cubbies behind the bench.

"This "dorky-looking helmet" is the only thing that's going to protect me from the real bad guys." Magneto explained cryptically.

A few awkward moments of silence passed.

"What's your name?" Magneto asked John, as he amused himself by snatching his lighter away from him.

"John." John answered, watching his lighter longingly as Magneto flicked it open and a tiny flame formed.

"What's your real name, John?"

John hesitated, glancing at me.

"Pyro." he said finally, drawing the flame away from the open lighter and creating a small fireball in his hand.

"Quite a talent you have there, Pyro." Magneto said, his eyes shining. I could see the fire glinting the reflection of his blue eyes as he took in the sight greedily.

"I can only manipulate the fire. I can't create it." John said, with a hint of dejection and anger in his voice.

"You are a god among insects. Never let anyone tell you different." Magneto said.

'This guy sounds like Gandalf or something. Maybe Yoda,' I thought, staring down at my hands, hoping Magneto wouldn't put me through a questioning too.

Yeah, right.

"And you?" Magneto questioned pleasantly.

"Anna." I said curtly.

"What's your codename, Anna?" Mystique spoke up, frustrated. She had clearly had her fill of idiotic teenagers for the day.

"I… I don't know. I haven't been able to come up with anything." I said, feeling stupid. I had never been able to come up with something that didn't sound incredibly childish.

"What can you do, my dear?"

I held out my hand and made a blue lightning ball and twirled it around my fingers a few times. I blinked and it guttered down and died.

Magneto didn't say anything to me. He just glanced at Mystique, who returned the look.

Something was up. And I didn't like it.