And again I kept you folks waiting for an update. Sorry. I just feel time´s running by too fast and my deadline comes nearer each day. Argh. But here you go, I finally found some time to continue this little story with a new chapter. Hope you enjoy.

XChocolateChipX: Thankees. :-) Hope you keep enjoying my scribblings.

2 wingo: Uhm... nope, no heart attack or anything of that sort. Feeling week was not meant to be taken as physical weakness. Nice to see I can still surprise you. And oh, please don´t think I ignore your suggestions or something. They will be worked in later.

EternalE: Ah well, the two of them seem to have a hard time coping with each other. Whoever knows what might come of that. Wait and see ;-) Hehe, never giving up on the questions, do you? Well, concerning Erik´s dislike of the colour grey. I tried to connect grey to rain to his experiences in the camps. When you have another look at the chapters that deal with his nightmares this might become clear. Don´t know if it comes across as much as I had intended it. About his uniform. I had a discussion about that with AngelofSnow and she told me I could label it either dark grey or black. Angel did a great survey about Erik´s clothes with a lot of cool pictures which you can find on her website. Yay. So. He dislikes grey as a concept, because it is connected to his bad memories, grey stands for no clear distinction between good and bad it´s rather the concept than the colour he dislikes... does that make any sense?

AngelofSnow: Thanks for prefering my story to chicken soup ;-) Nice to hear you were feeling better when you were reading this. :-) Nearly almost, yes (loool)

Meow: Hey, nice to have you back and still enjoy :-)

Chapter 24

Castor and Pollux

Afterwards, he never knew how long he had remained in the control room staring at the screen closest to him, barely realising and at the same time ignoring the wild flicker it gave in protest of the lack of control he had over the magnetic waves he slightly emanated. It couldn´t have been for long, a matter of a few seconds maybe, for when he had turned on the heels to leave the room he had believed to see the last shimmer of Mystique´s slender blue form disappear around the corner at the far end of the corridor. But maybe he had been mistaken.

When he had made his way back to his study, the steps of his military boots echoing coldly from the metal walls, he would have wanted all the thoughts that were penetrating his mind to disappear to make room for things that truly mattered. He had things to do, a brotherhood to reform. He could not allow emotions to distract him and yet he had known he was betraying himself for being so cold. He had realised that ever since Mystique had returned to the lair, the animosity between them, at least on his side had hurt even more because he had so well known what it had replaced. His heart had jolted when he had leant to kiss her and he had had the feeling of something hard slamming it back to its place when she had withdrawn from him. Mystique had never been easy to cope with, but at least he had always known when it was best to approach her or to leave her in piece. She had never been unstable, neither in her feelings nor in her loyalty towards him. He believed he had regained the latter, but was that enough?

He had decided to do what he had always done when any kind of emotional uproar had threatened to take over his rational thinking. He had busied himself with things that if one only believed hard enough, seemed more important.

James Madrox, Multiple Man, returned to the lair in the late afternoon of the following day. Erik had had another phone call with him earlier wherein he had reported that he was taking along two other mutants. Two. Erik didn´t truly know what he had expected, but two? It seemed that reforming what once had been nearly a partisan army would take longer than he had ever believed. It seemed the Brotherhood was back at its roots again, back at the times where its members had been only a handful of fighters devoted for a cause. As small stone in the cogwheel of the machinery of an intolerant society. But again, it would be a beginning.

Without hesitation and without any other sign that indicated feelings in any direction Mystique had taken up the task to fly the helicopter to the shore the fetch the small group. They had not argued. They had not exchanged many words. To him it had seemed the tension that had been between the two of them had not lessened, but he had realised that the girl, Shade, had scowled and looked at them in a way as if she did not understand what was going on between them. Maybe women had finer antennas for these kinds of things, Erik had thought.

When Erik was sitting in the living room, half intent on reading a book he had rather randomly taken out of one of the wooden shelves that lined the walls, more to pass some time than out of real interest in reading with all these things occupying his mind, he heard them enter. When the front door was closed, he got to his feet, put the book aside and entered the corridor on the direct way, a second door, not via the kitchen. Mystique gave him a short look which did not betray any emotion when she said "We´re back" in her unique voice letting it sound rather random. She did a few paces towards him and then walked past him. Erik had the impression she was taking some effort not to let any part of her body touch him while he did so and sighed inwardly. No. No more of that. He gave Multiple Man a short nod that indicated a matter of factly greeting and turned as a sign for them to follow him into his study. No one said a word while he did so. No one dared and Erik smirked to himself when he realised that although Alcatraz Island had been the temporary fall of Magneto, the news of his regained power must have circulated enough to be respected by his fellow mutants again. They had always seen him as an authority. Most of them had eyed him with a mix of admiration, fear and respect, seldomly with friendship and as he walked the few paces to his study, waving the door open with a flick of his wrist, to his satisfaction he learned at least this had not changed. These two new ones were no exception.

However, he let the door remain open when he surrounded his desk, giving the new ones time to enter the room and take in the space and atmosphere of it. He had often experienced that mutants were taken aback by his study. It breathed metal, it breathed Magneto which he guessed had to be somewhat daunting.

He turned to face the three men who had entered his study. James had remained somewhat near the door eyeing him with much less suspicion than the two new ones, both of them men in their late twenties and as he realised with the quirk of an eyebrow, twins. Alike in each aspect of their outer appearance apart from the colour of their hair. One of them had auburn hair, the hair of the second brother was black. He looked at them and noticed they were obviously hiding their nervousness. A faint smile crossed his lips.

"Please, take a seat" he offered, indicating two metal chairs to etch closer to his desk by a small movement with both his hands. "It is good to have you here. Mutantkind needs brave minds to achieve its aims in a world that makes us outcasts." He eyed them warily saying what he always said when he took new members on the team... realising just in this moment that he had not done so when he had let Shade join him. "Being a member of the Brotherhood means being aware of what it means to be a mutant. It means to be willing to give your efforts for the Cause. To fight for the freedom of mutantkind. I have no need for traitors or those that might find it an adventure to come here and decide otherwise when things become serious, so if you are willing to join be warned this means to fight. I give you this choice now. Take it or leave."

The man with the auburn hair seemed irritated and tossed a glance towards his twin brother who did not return it but kept Erik´s gaze instead. "James told us what this was about." he said non-chalantly. "We wouldn´t have come here if we thought about treachery or leaving tomorrow." The black haired twin went on.

Erik smirked. "Well, that´s good to hear." He nodded his head towards Multiple Man. "James will show you to your rooms. They have been vacant for a while but I think you will be able to make yourselves comfortable." He looked at them. "How do they call you?" he asked leaning back in his chair while giving the Newton´s swing on his desk a faint flick with his mind to set it in motion. The auburn-haired brother gave it a transfixed look, while the other one answered his question. "I am Jamie Webster and this is my brother Ryan. We call ourselves Castor and Pollux."

Castor and Pollux then, Erik mused. The two twins from Greek mythology. Sons of the great Zeus it had been believed and together said to be immortal. He briefly wondered if the choice of their names reflected only in them being twins or in their powers as well.

"Are your powers the same?" he asked.

"No." This was the first time Ryan, the auburn-haired spoke. "They are ... actually very different. We are only alike in both being able to control stone. Me in making it come alife, him in destroying it."

"Hm... I see." A creator and a destroyer. Two twins whose powers formed a whole. "You will make an interesting and valuable addition to the Brotherhood." Erik said.

So it begins anew he thought to himself while he indicated to James to show the two of them to their rooms. He had never encountered a twin pair of mutants and he wondered how he would get along with them. Apart from being so alike in appearance, Erik sensed these two were very different in nature. Although their conversation had not taken long he believed to have taken a first glance into those two men´s characters. The dark-haired one, Jamie, who had called himself Castor, had appeared as the more dominant one of the pair. Headstrong and probably someone who would either turn into a devoted fighter for the cause or a difficult factor he would first have to teach his place in the hierarchy. The other brother, Pollux or Ryan, seemed to be quieter and a little more withholding and shy. Interesting, Erik mused, how their characters were reflected in their mutations. Castor, the more aggressive one had a power that was obviously aggressive while his brother appeared to be one of those mutants who had a power to be used for both but who preferred to fight defensively. Well, they would find their way into the team, he thought. New members meant new strength and as Mystique did not seem reluctant to do what he had asked her to do...setting her behaviour against himself aside... they would soon have information to start on. Soon they would strike.