Chapter 20

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been caught up with studying so I haven't been able to post anything. But here it is. Thanks for reading.

--

Finally, he was home after his release from prison.

"Lily?" Baron Battle called out nervously. The door to his house had creaked open - it was unlocked. And now blackness engulfed him as he stepped inside.

"Lily?" he called again, his voice echoing eerily. His eyes darted around the room…

"Lily!" he shouted and dashed towards her curled up body on the floor. But her lips were blue and her body was cool as he reached for her hand. With a shaking hand, he pressed his fingers roughly into her neck, searching desperately for a pulse.

Nothing. He could feel nothing.

"Lily, come on, wake up," he whispered. "Wake up for me…"

Like maniac, he pressed on her chest, willing her heart to beat. Then forced his breath into her lungs.

"Lily!" He shouted at her, pumping her chest hard. He was screaming now as her body continued to cool underneath his hands. Her skin continued to turn pale and her lips become even more blue.

In a fit of exasperation, he crushed her dead body against his, cradling her in his lap. His whole body was shaking with sobs and with seething anger. The room echoed with his mournful wails. And he was falling…

Into darkness…

"Baron?" A soft feminine voice.

Baron knew it was her.

"Where are you?" he cried. Baron could still feel himself falling down, down down. "Help me!"

"You have to help yourself Baron!" Lily's voice was strong. "You have to... let me go."

He started to protest. But suddenly he felt her arms around his waist. Her breath at his ear and he froze.

Lily hasn't touched him like this for so long. He suddenly wanted to wrap himself around her and feel her body against his…

"No Baron," Lily said. "Find Warren. He needs you! NOW!" Then she pushed him away.

"No!" Baron shouted. Then he was free-falling into the dark abyss again. Lily was slipping away from him. "Please–"

Baron's eyes snapped open.

His legs were numb with Lily still in his lap. He didn't know how long he was out for. He shook his head to clear it. He exhaled sharply as he gazed upon Lily's face for a final time, caressing it with a free hand.

He sighed deeply.

Then carefully, as though she was alive, he kissed her softly before lying her body down.

There was only one person whom he knew who could have done this… and if he was right, Magneto would either find him before long, or it would be the other way around. He saw a piece of crumpled paper laid beside her and a flash of intuition hit him. He snatched it up. His worse fears were confirmed.

Warren. Magneto had Warren. And he was inviting Baron to his new Lair…

"Damn you Magneto!" Battle scrunched the paper and shred it to pieces in with his hands. Then stomped all over it on the floor. His hands were balled into fists.

"Warren…" Battle whispered softly. "Hold on. I am coming."

--

"Did you encounter any problems?" came Magneto's swift analysis.

"No sir, but-" started Kara.

"But?" Magneto's eyes hardened.

Kara bowed her head. "Sir, I… we… had a bit of a fight with the mother. And… she is dead. The serum in the needle… killed her. It was too strong."

Magneto gave a disapproving look. He spoke slowly. " So… she is dead. I would have like to have killed her myself – later. But you took that chance away from me."

Kara screamed when Magneto squeezed her neck, choking her in his anger. "Did you at least leave the note?"

Kara tried to nod even though her world was quickly turning blood red.

Magneto stared at her for a moment more. Then dropped her - leaving her to rub her neck gingerly.

Meanwhile, Mystique still had an unconscious John over her shoulder but no captives.

"What happened?" he asked. He couldn't hide the anger from his voice - even from his most trusted ally.

"I was not able to attack the sidekicks as planned after developing a… complication," replied Mystique.

"I see," Magneto glared daggers at the limp body of John. He needed no further explanation.

--

John's eyes snapped open.

Magneto's Lair! How did he get back…?

Then he remembered. The needle in his body. Falling down onto the pavement.

Suddenly he realized his entire body felt cold. He shoulders were screaming in pain as he was pinned and hung several inches off the ground against a metal wall by his arms.

He looked down to see Mystique give a sadistic smile and wave.

Then came a voice that made his blood run even colder.

"You are awake," Magneto said.

John did not dare to make eye contact, remembering how he had not cooperated with Mystique in his last mission.

Suddenly, John gasped as Magneto grasped his face and forced him to look into his gray eyes.

Magneto stared at Pyro icily. "It seems that you let me down."

Pyro's glazed eyes looked back uncomfortably. He didn't know what to say but try and mumble an excuse. "Sir I – "

Slap!

Pyro felt pain radiate from the right side of his face. With his ego bruised, he glared at Magneto. But Magneto's eyes were hard and unforgiving.

"I will deal with you later." said Magneto. Then he laughed coldly. "You cannot stop me now."

Then John's eyes widened. They were placing an unconscious Warren in what seemed like a glass container with a raised metal floor. It was reminiscent of something and it tugged at his memory…

Torture. The word came up unbeckoned in his mind.

Suddenly he knew what it reminded him of – a torture chamber.

John shivered and stared helplessly, as he saw Warren's limp body being put inside, his heart twisted inside him.

--

"Here we are," Warren heard Persuasion's feminine voice in his mind.

Unable to open his eyes, he struggled to move. But he seemed to be paralysed somehow.

Damn. Why can't I move?

"Put him on the table," commanded a silky voice. Warren felt himself lifted into the air to be placed against a eerily cold table. Then he felt heavy metal shackles being clamped to his wrists and ankles. There was a hissing noise as something slid into place.

"Release him now."

Warren immediately bolted up as invisible bonds keeping him paralysed were released. He surveyed his surroundings - and realized he was some sort of glass prison, and chained to the floor with shackles.

"Don't think of burning anything," smirked a white-haired man who suddenly appeared in front of him, behind the glass. "It won't work."

Warren narrowed his eyes. His head shook slightly – not really believing it as he gingerly touched the glass-like walls.

It certainly felt like glass.

Immediately, he ignited his arms, casting a shower of fireballs to the glass. As they landed, the fire immediately died.

Warren couldn't believe it. He threw a few more to be sure. But sure enough, as he reached towards the glass, it was cool, even right after a fire ball smashed in to it.

The white hair man just gave an amused smile.

Warren's eyes were glaring, which normally would freeze a man in his tracks. But not this man.

"What do you want?" said Warren angrily.

Magneto chuckled and ignored his question. Magento continued as he began admiring the physique of the mutant. "What a shame that I cannot use you, like I can no longer use your father. And those I no longer use… I kill."

Warren lunged against the glass walls in his prison. He pounded them hard with his fists. Like he wanted to pound Magneto to a pulp.

"That's right," Magneto taunted. "Be angry. Just like your father went off his head in his anger."

Warren growled loudly.

"Because you know, don't you?" Magneto continued. "He will come for you… and fall into my hands."

Warren's arms ignited involuntarily. He tried to steady his voice but its tone was sharp with anger. "I will never let you kill my father."

"You cannot stop me…" Magneto responded coolly. "From finishing him."

Warren eye's narrowed, "You son of a…"

Warren's body was flung to the floor of his prison as a bolt of electricity coursed through him. He could not stop the loud moan from escaping his throat.

"Let me teach you one thing - Don't you ever mock me!" said a livid Magneto as he gazed down at the writhing body.

Then it stopped. Warren struggled to control his shaking weakened body. He felt like he was using all his energy just to breathe.

Magneto's voice was smooth above him now. "Warren," he said, as though he was coaxing a child. "Cooperate me and the pain will stop, I promise. Otherwise…you die."

Warren's voice rang like a whip lash. "Your promises mean nothing!"

Magneto stared back. "Maybe you will change your mind with a bit more… persuasion."

Warren's body jerked as electricity hit him. Everything else shrank as the bolt of pain caused stars to dance in front of his eyes and a howl to escape from his throat.

Then it all stopped –leaving him gasping on the floor of the glass chamber. Even so, he forced himself to raise his head to look at Magneto.

"Will you change your mind?" came Magneto's silky voice and piercing eyes inches away from his.

Even with growing beads of sweat, and stray strands of hair covering his face, his eyes were determined. Staring at Magneto, he didn't care if he sealed his death sentence.

"No," said Warren with an incongruous smile. But his voice was shaking, "You will never… make me."

Magneto's eyes hardened.

Warren flinched involuntarily as he half expected bolts of electricity to zap him.

Magneto chuckled again as if knowing what he was thinking. "Don't worry boy. There will be plenty of opportunity for that…"

"But for now, your father is coming," he said with a sneer.