Amory was lying across a bench in a garden, reading 'A Movable Feast', the sun was warm against her skin, her hair for once was not unkempt, her red curls sprawled over the armrest of the bench. Amory came to thinking that this place wasn't so bad after all. Even with being singled out by the rest of the students, she didn't mind so much. She had her privacy, and no one bothered her much. Maybe, just maybe, she could stay in a place like this after all. She hadn't made many friends in her time in the Academy. Save for one girl who didn't seem to go out of her way to make Amory feel like the black sheep. The girl's name was Rogue. She had long brown hair, but her bands were silvery white, not a fashion statement, but what she had explained to her was that it was a run in with the other mutants lead by Magneto. Rogue wasn't he best friend, but she was more of an ally, a helpful hand if she ever needed one. She indulged Amory in filling her in with the history and politics of the Academy.
This is what she learned.
There was another group of mutants called the Brotherhood, led by Magneto. The stories Amory heard about him were nothing but dark. They quickly painted the picture that he was the villain in the story of the mutants. His power was that he could control metals to his will. Magneto, or Erik, as Professor X would call him, had a vendetta against all human beings, he was convinced that they were a weaker form, and that mutants were superior, this gave them the right to rule over the humans. This is where Xavier disagreed. Amory came to see that this telepath was the Martin Luther King Jr. for his own people. There wasn't a single bad bone in his body that Amory could single out. He believed in unity, where the Brotherhood didn't. This caused a sense of 'picking sides' for all existing mutants.
Fortunately for Amory, since she didn't feel that she was ever truly a full on member of the Academy, rather, an adopted nomadic failure, she didn't find the need to choose sides. Still, she had her own developed opinions in her time at the Academy. In fact, she even wrote a list of her thoughts.
They followed as such:
If I ever could have chosen a father, I would have elected Professor X to take the role. He continually insists that there is some 'good' potential in me. I think he must be going senile.
Wolverine is a babe. If he ever granted a glance over at me during class (I'm convinced he's one of the many that hate me) I would simply be inclined to smile at him.
Bobby 'Iceman' Drake is a moron. He's found a pastime in making my life a living hell. His icy pranks are anything but amusing. I've been eating cold meals for the past week. No matter, I've been focusing on his metabolism to slow down substantially. I think he'll be developing a second chin soon enough.
Rogue told me a handful of new stories on Magneto. He's a monster; still Professor has an unrelenting love for his foe. Something doesn't add up. Still, if Magneto ever decides to attack the Air Force, harming my brother, I will crush his with his own stupid helmet.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"It's good, trust me," Amory held out a shot glass of rum towards Loki's face, his eyebrows furrowed, grimacing at the smell.
"Is it anything like mead?" He looked up at her with almost hopeful eye.
"I wouldn't know, I never had it, just stop being a baby and try it." She continued to insist, as she held up the glass, she rolled her eyes as he hesitantly took it. Amory downed her own shot as she waited for Loki to take his. He glanced up to see she had done it with ease; his competitive streak showed as he quickly took his as well. His face showed that he was unaffected by the drink.
"I forget that your drinks are remarkably weak compared to Asgardian ale." He seemed rather disappointed, his tone was dry, and she knew he had no affection for the humans.
"I forgot you're a demigod." She chuckled as she settled onto a stool. She had decided she wouldn't have a prejudiced hatred towards him without making her own mind up. Last time she made a prejudiced judgment, she was greeted with an unpleasant surprise.
"Another?" Amory poured herself one.
"I suppose," he really didn't seem to care; there wasn't much else to do anyways.
"So why do they hate you so much?" Amory's question earned a glare from the demigod.
"Haven't they told you? I nearly destroyed your planet trying to rule over it, I'm a monster." He smirked; she could tell that he not only grew to accept his identity, but he seemed to have embraced it.
"I've seen plenty of monsters in my day."
"I'm nothing like them."
"Really? How so?" She took her second shot, squinting; Loki on the other hand was still unaffected.
"I'm simply different from the rest."
"That's… informative. Do you enjoy being vague and mysterious?" He chuckled in response to her irritability.
"Perhaps I do."
"I don't like it." She admitted with a shrug.
"It's quite alright, not many people like me anyways."
"See? We already have things in common!" she smiled before taking another shot.
"Why don't they like you?" His eyes became like snake eyes again, drawing information from her.
"They don't like me because of where I come from." She shrugged. Loki blinked ay her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was making some kind of joke. Without a word, he went back to the couch, lying across it, pulling out the book that Amory gave him and began to read. Amory stood there watching him, perplexed by his reaction. Did she strike a nerve?
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"The idea was that if we have Loki in out hands, we can keep him from doing more damage to us." Fury stood in front of his Avengers, who all sat in a round metallic table.
"That logic worked perfectly before," Bruce Banner was good at holding his temper but be was still able to let out steam when he was unhappy.
"That's not the only thing. If we can manage to tame him, we have him on our side. He can help us if another crazy alien decides to mess with our planet."
Steve nodded, unpleased by what he was hearing from Fury, "What makes you think he'll ever want to help defend our planet?"
Fury didn't seem to have an answer for that one.
"This is crazy and you know it." Tony folded his arms across his chest at he leaned back in his chair. "And why Amory? She's newest one to the team,"
"Because she's the only one that didn't try to defeat his 'cause' when he first came down here."
"So that's it, they're just goanna become great pals just because she didn't try to stop him?" Tony continued to unravel everything.
"No, she's more than that." Fury insisted, he knew something that the Avengers didn't.
"Oh, really?" Clint didn't like the idea that Fury was starting to value some stranger that even he didn't trust yet.
"There are two other groups that you have to be aware about, one is called the Brotherhood, the other is called the X- Men."
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
The banging sounds that the Brotherhood was making on all of the doors down the Academy's corridor created a pulse much like a heartbeat. Amory heard among the other frantic mutants that this was not the first time they've conducted an attack like this. Shortly before all of this, Amory was in her private session with Professor Xavier, learning how to channel her power. Within the short time she had spent in this new home of hers, she multiplied in her strength.
The session was interrupted by the sound of a screaming student, Wolverine stormed into the study room, startling Amory and alerting Professor X that it was Magneto. The professor gave a quick glance over to Amory, and then looked back up at the Wolverine, "He must have sensed it, but how?"
"It doesn't matter how, we have to move NOW." Wolverine spoke with urgency as his metallic claws broke through his skin.
"Take her, protect her with all that you have, Logan." Wolverine nodded obediently before snatching Amory by the hand, brusquely pulling her out of her seat.
"What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain, just be quiet and do as I say." He didn't even grant her a glance. She felt as if she were some baton, being passed on between important people, without being told why they even cared for her safety. He led her down the halls where several mutants were being escorted by the teachers, going through the motions as if they've practiced this in drill a thousand times before.
"No, TELL ME!"
"Shut Up!" he pushed through a secret passageway, triggered by bumping the proper spot on the wall, taking them several flights downstairs.
Amory angrily tugged away from Wolverine's grasp, then pressed her fingers to her temple, willing his muscles to tighten, causing him to fall to the ground with a monstrous shout of pain.
"Tell me!"
"You've got to be kidding me! Gah!-"
"TELL ME!"
"You're not worth it, kid!" his fists clenched in the discomfort, Amory didn't let off.
She was then startled by the feeling of a warm hand on her shoulder, causing her to jerk around, letting Wolverine loose from his pain, his body sprawled on the ground as he fought to catch his breath.
And elder man with a black helmet looked down at her, his blue eyes looked at her with curiosity. Then, a soft warm smile appeared on his face.
"What is your name, child?" His voice was sage-like, just like Professor Xavier's voice.
"Er- Amory."
He chuckled; he had an entourage of mutants behind him, all grinning at her. "Did you give yourself that name?"
"Yes, who are you?"
"I am Erik, however, many know me as Magneto." His smile returned.
"I've heard of you… What do you want with me?"
"I know I am an old man, but if my senses serve me correctly, then, you are my daughter."
Amory forgot to breathe for a moment. I'm Magneto's daughter?
The daughter of the monster everyone has trained me to hate.
All this time, I've been fighting with a relentless hope that the man I thought was my father would one day accept me and love me?
All the while, he hated me for being a mutant, probably dumped in his arms.
But why?
As if she couldn't be any more confused, before she knew it, she was knocked unconscious, the last thing she remembered was the back of Magneto's hand, covered in metallic gloves, flying towards her face.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
Amory woke up with the sound of someone banging on the front door. Wearily, she stretched her arms, dragging herself out of her new bed, her feet heavily dragging across the floor.
Another loud bang on the door.
"I'm up, I'm up!" She gritted her teeth as she unlocked the front door, revealing five SHIELD agents standing behind Fury and Hill.
"What the HELL are you still doing in bed?" Fury was living up to his last name, fuming as he raised his voice.
"Sleeping, naturally." Amory paid no attention to his tone.
"So you're saying you slept through Loki's escape?
"His wha- You've got to be joking."
"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M JOKING?" Amory stepped back a couple steps, overwhelmed by the volume his voice was capable of projecting in.
"I'm going." Amory pushed through, heading towards her car to retrieve Loki.
"FIND HIM!"
"I SAID I'M GOING!" she shouted back as se started the engine, her other hand resting on her temple as she began to strain her power.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Loki knew he had to do something to get Thor's attention to be able to bring him back from Asgard. Then, he could plot to find a way off of this pitiful planet. He disguised himself in the proper suit and coat that he had found to always be an indication of high class in Midgard.
He wanted to have fun with the means of getting Thor's attention, so he decided to start a riot in the city area. All he would have to do was use his silver tongue.
He grinned as he approached his first target, a young man, sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper.
"Good day,"
The man glanced up, revealing he was reading an article on Stark and his upcoming projects.
Perfect.
"Ah, I'm sure you've heard the news on him." Loki looked rather glum on the fabricated subject.
"Yeah, he's trying to make New York go completely green with his new energy source, pretty impressive, huh?" The man's eyes went back to the paper.
"Oh is that what he's selling…" Loki shrugged nonchalantly.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh nothing, but you know what they say about the paper…" Loki trailed off.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think he's planning to use the energy for 'going green' ? Surly you're not that naïve, my friend." Loki smirked, he learned that it was the ticket in sealing any story he was trying to make his prey believe.
"What do you know?"
Loki leaned closer to the man, "I work for Stark Industries." He admitted in almost a whisper.
"And?"
"Stark believes he's the only one worthy of wielding a nuclear power of mass destruction, only because he wears a shiny red suit."
The man did a double take, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, yet, he fell for it. Humans are so gullible.
"Mass destruction?"
"Yes, now here's what we must do-" Loki's voice was cut off as he felt his legs give in, making him fall and plop onto the bench beside the man, unable to feel his legs. He tried moving them, but to no avail.
"That was awkward," the man laughed, Loki gave an uncomfortable smile.
"I'm- I'm tired." Loki lied as he angrily looked at his legs, trying to lift them.
He then realized what had occurred, letting out an angry sigh as his fists clenched into balls.
Blasted mutant.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
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