Disclaimer: all the characters belonging to Sky High and Xmen are not mine. I am only borrowing them.

Chapter 17

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Back in Magneto's Lair, Magneto's eyes were penetrating into John, who was trying to avoid his eyes.

"So," Magneto began. "What progress have you made so far on your mission?"

John wanted to lie but couldn't. "It's been… difficult sir."

Magneto's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying… that you could not obtain the any of the target's cooperation?"

Swallowing nervously, John nodded.

Magneto's eyes widened in disbelief. "Not even one?"

John quickly shook his head.

"You do remember your mission don't you?" Magneto said accusingly. His eyes were hard and skeptical. "You were not… distracted?"

John shifted uncomfortably. "No… of course I wasn't… distracted."

Magneto stared at him. Then he suddenly stood up. "Looks like we will have to resort to physical force after all," was all he could say.

John tried to keep a blank face but inside his heart sank. Suddenly, he wanted to scream. His body was shaking with effort as he suppressed his scream inside.

Magneto's eyebrow twitched in surprise. Then he gave a sinister smile.

"Once you bring them here… I will make them feel very…" said Magneto softly then turned his gaze to the glass chamber placed in the corner of the room. "Welcomed."

Pyro felt like he was about to hyperventilate.

"Mystique!" Magneto called. "Get the stun guns. Teach Pyro how to use one."

As Mystique placed one in Pyro's hands, Magneto explained that he had obtained them some time ago, in case he wanted to take a mutant down quickly with little damage. The needle contained a standard dose of what he called 'death serum' a chemical that stuns its victims temporarily and paralyzes them.

But it all depends on the person… if the dose was too high, they could die.

"Death is rare," Magneto continued. "But not impossible, especially with multiple shots. So be careful, I want the targets alive."

Pyro nodded. Then Magneto immediately commanded them to practice and Pyro could not help but obey.

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Deep into the night, Royal Pain finally did it. She had it all figured out – all parts of what she must do at the Homecoming Dance to bring the destruction of Sky High tomorrow.

Her ultimate plan for destruction.

This time, she would configure the anti-gravity device to speed the school's downfall, literally.

Stitches would help her block all the routes to the room again. And this time, she would be there to make sure her plan would work.

With Magneto's help, she would definitely make her plans come to fruition… and she will also be known as a villain, with the status and fame that accompanied it. She laughed inwardly at the thought. Tomorrow, she decided, she would tell Stitches and the others of her plan.

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It was Friday. Finally Homecoming was here.

Sky High was abuzz with chatter and preparations. At lunch, as the Sky High gang gathered around a bench in the cafeteria, the normally low rumble of chatter had escalated into a roar and Warren had to almost yell to be heard.

But that did not stop him from complaining about how he still had to work a shift before he could commence his preparations, even though he tried to convince Mrs Lee to let him off.

Finally, he sighed and squeezed Jubilee's hand. "I promise I'll be on time though," he said loudly.

Jubilee gave a brief smile and squeezed back. "I'll be waiting," she said.

Riiinnnnnnngggg!

Students groaned as the bell that announced the end of lunch rang. Begrudgingly, students stood up to leave the cafeteria to return to the classrooms.

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It was nearly evening and the time of the start of Homecoming was quickly approaching.

Up ahead, Pyro saw his two 'targets' walking side by side on the sidewalk heading towards a Sky High bus stop. Under a row of trees, the couple was excited and giggly as they chattered and held hands.

There was still light – but it was rapidly fading. Soon the 'targets' would simply be dark moving blobs illuminated intermittently by moonlight.

Pyro shivered. Magneto's plans were about to swing into motion… and he was about to be used as a pawn in the twisted game.

Could he even live with – committing such an act of betrayal? He wondered.

"You know what we have to do," came Mystique's double-toned voice suddenly. Even with that strange voice, the vengeful tone was obvious.

Yeah. I know. Capture Layla and Will. What a joy, he thought sarcastically.

He stared at his hands. Mystique had already handed him the 'stun gun' and held one herself as she parked the car. He was holding one too.

Whack! Pyro was smacked on the side of his head.

"Pyro concentrate!" Mystique whispered angrily. "You do not want to fail this mission. We have to take them down!"

Pyro was silent as he nodded slowly.

Will and Layla were just walking in front of him…Innocent and ignorant of their fate.

As Mystique began pursuing their prey, Pyro mechanically fell into step beside the blue mutant. They were rapidly approaching the couple before them.

Pyro's heart was suddenly smashed with a guilty pang. A vein at his temple throbbed painfully as he tried to suppress an inner voice which would no longer be caged.

How could you… destroy something so… so beautiful?

Laughter in his ears. Smiles in his eyes…all that will be gone forever. Replaced by an empty lifeless shell. Their spirits gone…. And all because of him.

He would have helped it all happen…

Dimly, he saw Mystique raise the stun gun from their hiding position. He was aiming too. He wanted to scream but the sound never came out.

Then she pulled the trigger.

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