September 3, 1974
Sinister looked at Moira Xavier. She wasn't anything special. He knew that. She was just a human, someone whose genes had resigned her to mediocrity. Her status as a former CIA agent was hardly interesting. Her hair was the only mutation she had: auburn. Moira wasn't someone that he would usually pay attention to.
However, she had birthed a mutant child. More than that, she had birthed a healthy mutant child whose father had a very slim chance of being able to father a child. Sinister had often wondered why certain women had been able to give birth to mutants with no adverse side-effects beyond a difficult birth while others died in the process.
He had his own theories about that. After all, at one point or another females from other species in history had bred to the point where homo sapiens were the dominant species. Sinister cocked his head as he slipped the last restraint into place. They would hold. She was only human. He was more concerned about the new mutants he had acquired in the room next door.
He took a moment to look at his hostage. There were several questions about her. Sinister wondered if she had any mental scarring from the way her husband had been in and out of her mind. He'd always wondered about that: her brain shouldn't be equipped to handle such things without some sort of defense. If things worked out, he might be able to find out.
Sinister turned away from her and walked into the next room. He shouldn't be greedy though. He'd already gotten quite a few treats. Scott, the Cheyarafim, and the Brotherhood girl were beginning to wake up. He waited impatiently as Scott's eyes began to open. To pass the time he walked over to the Cheyarafim, examining the feathers on his wings. He'd had the wings spread out so he could get a better look at them.
"Get the hell away from him," Scott growled.
"Do be quiet," Sinister said, "I'm just taking a quick look."
He glanced back at Scott.
"But now that you're awake, I want to tell you a few things," he said, "Just so you understand the power of your DNA."
"I'm not interested!" Scott snapped.
"You should be," Sinister said.
He flipped a switch on his control panel. He hummed as the different monitors came on, showing mutants all over the center in various stages of the virus. He smiled.
"Your DNA did contain what I think of as the 'Prime Strain' of mutant DNA," he said, "I got it when you bled all over me in that factory. It's the one thing that every mutant on this planet has in common. When you mutate this strand, such as basically causing it to cannibalize itself, you get a very, very potent virus. Instead of attacking the body's systems, it attacks the body at its basest level."
He tapped the screen closest to him. Mutants coughed up black and sweat poured from their foreheads. Scott's eyes widened.
"Welcome to your legacy," he said.
Scott glared at him, his breath harsh.
"I thought you wanted the mutant species to continue. That's what Havok told me your goal was, for it to dominate," he said.
"Yes, of course it is," Sinister said, surprised.
"Then why are you killing them?" Scott screamed.
Sinister laughed and shook his head.
"Well, that's for me to know and you to try to find out," he said, "Now, I'd like to conduct a few preliminary procedures. Just to pass the time."
"They're not there anymore," Sean said.
The man who'd introduced himself as Avalanche, or Lance, growled at him and kicked the metal door.
"How would you know?" he snapped.
"The Professor told me," he said.
Sean tapped the side of his head. He watched warily as Toad and Senyaka walked over, their eyes trained on him. He could feel the rest of his team staring as well. He knew that the X-men were looking to him for instruction now that Alex and Scott were gone. He remembered when they had been hunting Black Tom, and for a moment he remembered the feeling of the weight of leadership on his shoulders.
However, this time things were different. A madman wasn't asking for Scott's life in exchange for Terry's. Besides, the soft presence in his mind told him that, this time, he wasn't alone. He let his fists uncurl and looked at the three Brotherhood members with what he hoped was a frank expression.
"Havok went down with Magnetrix, and Cyclops and Archangel were captured along with…what was her name?" he asked.
"Boom-Boom," Toad said.
Sean wanted to laugh, but he knew that it would be inappropriate.
"Right," he said, "Sinister's holding people on both sides of the board. We need to figure this out."
"We don't need to do anything," Lance snapped, "We were doing fine before you showed up."
"You weren't," Jean said.
Lance snarled at her, but Jean gave him a level gaze. Sean was glad to see that she had gotten better at keeping calm.
"Magnetrix was the one who suggested that we pair up in the first place," she said, "She wanted to live. Obviously she thought she had a better chance if we all worked together."
Toad put an arm on Lance's shoulder.
"Red-head's right man," he said, "Magnetrix's smart. She wouldn't a' done this if she didn't think it was the right idea."
Lance shook off Toad's hand.
"Fine," he said.
"Glad we're agreed," Sean said, "First things first, we need to figure out what's going on with the students-"
I already know.
Sean put up a hand and tapped his head. Jean understood immediately and put a finger to her lips, trying to signal the Brotherhood to be quiet. They stared, but Sean tuned them out.
What's going on? Sean thought.
Sinister's infected them with some sort of virus. It spreads very quickly, and it appears that he can release it in a gaseous state.
Charles paused.
Moira showed me.
Sean shifted his feet uncomfortably. There was undeniable pain in Charles's thoughts, one that Sean was all too familiar with.
We'll get her back.
I know, Charles thought.
The thought was sharp, almost angry. Sean decided to let it drop.
"Apparently it's some sort of virus," he said, "Mrs. Xavier managed to show the Professor it before she dropped out. It looks like Sinister can release it into the air, so we're going to have to try to get some sort of protection before we proceed."
"I'm on it," Clarice said.
She pulled one of her crystals out from her pouch and disappeared. A moment later she returned with several masks. They were like gas masks in their design, only they were more lightweight. Hank had insisted that they carry them on the Blackbird for emergencies if a biological weapon were used. At the time Sean had thought that he was being a worrywart. Now he blessed him.
Clarice disappeared. She came back with a bag of medical supplies, and then disappeared once more. Sean frowned, unsure of what she was doing. He could understand the medical supplies, and he'd asked for the masks. However, when she returned a moment later he understood, and his heart sank. She'd brought Charles.
He'd already snapped his mask in place, his expression determined. Sean shot a look at Clarice who frowned and tapped her head. Charles had asked her to. Sean wasn't surprised, and he shouldn't have been surprised that Clarice had acquiesced. In the grand hierarchy of the X-men, Charles outranked him.
He always would. Sean had just never seen him use his position to place himself in battle before. Charles knew his limitations better than anyone.
"Are you serious?"
Sean looked and saw that Lance was looking at Charles with disbelief. Immediately Toad clapped his hand on Lance's shoulder again.
"Not a good idea man," he said.
"But-" Lance began.
"Not a good idea!" Toad hissed.
Toad's tone made Sean frown. He took a closer look at Toad's face. He was afraid. Sean wondered where that fear came from. Charles hadn't been in active combat since Cuba. Then again, he supposed that he had a reputation. He was the leader of the X-men, and he realized that Magneto must have told his recruits just how powerful a telepath he was. He was the guiding force behind all of the X-men's missions, the ones who had molded them into soldiers, the man who guided an elite militia with advanced technology.
No wonder Toad was afraid.
"I…I think I should stay."
Sean turned and saw Jean fidget as she put on her mask.
"Come again?" he asked.
"Someone…someone needs to tend to them," Jean said, her voice soft as she gestured to the students, "I'm the only one with any medical experience."
Sean looked at the young mutants who were in the room. He saw that black was still trickling from their lips. A few were hugging their knees to their chests, rocking back and forth slowly. Some didn't even seem to have the energy to do that, their blank eyes staring upwards, their breathing the only sign that they were still alive.
"I know how this is going to sound," Sean said, "but please don't take offence: I think that this is a little beyond you."
"I know it is," Jean said, "But…we need to do something."
"Marvel Girl is right," Charles said.
He looked at Jean.
"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" he asked, "I doubt we could leave anyone with you."
"I'm sure," she said.
Sean strained his ears. Her voice was faint. She was determined, but he heard the determination fade as she whispered:
"Just make sure that Cyclops is okay."
Charles nodded.
"If anything happens," he said, tapping the side of his head, "Contact me."
Jean nodded before grabbing the medical bag and a mask. She put the mask on and headed over to the nearest group of mutants. Sean grabbed one of the masks and tossed it to Lance. He followed it up with masks for Senyaka and Toad. He secured his own mask, feeling the walls press in on his face. It made him shudder to feel it closing in on his face, but he'd worn masks before while going into precarious situations in Interpol.
He looked at the rest of the group. With Jean staying behind he still had Ororo and Clarice. Charles was with him too, and he knew that counted for something. He felt that they weren't outnumbering the Brotherhood the way he would prefer. Sean knew that uneasy truces could be worked out with ease if Magneto were there, and from what Alex had said he had high hopes of Magnetrix. He figured that she and Alex had already figured something out, wherever they were.
Sean had no idea about the three that stood in front of him. Toad seemed amenable enough, Lance was hostile, and Senyaka was silent as usual. However, Senyaka had been the one who had once tried to murder Scott while he was too injured to fight back. Sean didn't have high hopes of him being reasonable.
However, he had to work with what he had. He watched as Charles put his hand to his temples, his eyes closing momentarily.
"I can feel Cyclops's thoughts from three floors down that way," he said, pointing to the right.
"Is he thinking anything useful?" Sean asked.
"Sinister is being too cryptic, but it doesn't look good for him and Archangel and Boom-Boom. He says that Sinister's rigged this place, has some sort of plan," Charles said, "He knows that we're coming for him, I made sure of that, but he also wishes that we'd hurry up."
"I have no problem with that," Sean said, "How about Havok?"
"Not in any danger," Charles said, "They were dropped below the center. He and Magnetrix are searching for an exit."
"And she's alright?" Toad asked.
Charles nodded. Sean watched Toad exhale. Lance relaxed a little. Even Senyaka looked a bit more at ease. It appeared that they cared for their leader. It was a good sign. It meant that they would be more willing to work with them to get her back.
"Let's get moving," Sean said.