Chapter 8 – Truth is out

It had been a few more months after Pietro getting hurt and Mastermind had been killed. But Magneto was still suspicious. Something wasn't right. He'd locked in Centaur in the prison and he'd been joined by another mutant threatening Magneto's children. This mutant was name Nightmare because he could bring your worst nightmare to life. But he'd been forbidden to do so at the pace and on any of the members of the new Brotherhood and his new Acolytes. The Brotherhood was now about twenty and was all of his followers. The Acolytes were now Sabertooth, Pyro, Quicksilver and Scarlet witch. But Magneto was still suspecting that there was a traitor among them. How else could the X-men know about all of his plans? The only ones who know all of his plans was him, Sabertooth and Mastermind. Sabertooth hated the Wolverine too much to be helping him and Mastermind was dead. So there had to be another one. He had told Wanda and Pietro about his suspicions and he'd again named Pyro as a suspect. But the twins had both objected since Pyro was always around one of them. He and Wanda had even started to date, to Pietro's amusement and silent pleasure and Magneto's… well I can just say that he wasn't too happy about it.

Today Magneto was checking all the cameras to see if he could spot anything suspicious. He stopped once when he saw Quicksilver and Pyro talk at a tape dated a few months back. He saw Pietro stand by a window sighing and how John walked up to him.

"Trying to clean the window mate", John said and walked up to him.

"No Pyro."

"Why the heavy sighs mate? One will think you don't like it here."

"I don't and you know that John."

John laughed. "Yeah I could… wait what?"

"Huh?"

"What did you call me?"

"Pyro."

"Huh I thought you said John."

"Now why would I do that?"

"That's my name."

"So?"

"Y-you don't know me then?"

"All I know that you are one of my father's Acolytes and that you're called Pyro and that your power is controlling fire."

"But how come you can't remember the friendship we had?"

"We've never had a friendship John! Stop pestering me about it!" With that Pietro stormed off angrily.

Magneto froze and played a certain place over and over again to make sure he was hearing correctly.

"Why the heavy sighs mate? One will think you don't like it here."

"I don't and you know that John."

Magneto massaged his temples. It might just be some minor fault with Mastermind's fake memories. Even Wanda could say things from her old memories but not remember it after she said it. He scanned through more of the tapes with a suspicion forming in his mind. He also remembered one of the things Pietro had said when Magneto told him that there was a traitor among them: Doesn't he have any common sense at all?!

Did Pietro know it was a he?

Magneto sighed again and looked at the news and nearly choked on his coffee. It was a report from Bayville where the X-men had saved a hospital. But it was the figure in the back that caused the reaction. Among the X-men he saw Mastermind and there was no trace of injuries on the mutant that had been marked a traitor. Pietro had told him he had killed Mastermind. Anger welled up in Magneto and he decided to check the tapes from the surveillance camera in Pietro's room he'd installed to make sure nothing ever happened to his children. He skipped forward to the date Mastermind had been killed. He saw Pietro pace in his room and then take out a phone. Magneto played it again, this time he turned up the volume to max and got the sound through.

"Shit, shit, shit double shit", Pietro cursed as he paced back and forth. He sighed and took out his phone and dialed a number.

That was all he could hear because when Pietro dialed the number he talked too low for the camera to absorb. Magneto slammed his hand onto the table and cursed and then smirked evilly. He was going to test this to see that his son was not a traitor… it needed some fast planning.

Pietro hurried through the hallways towards his room. His father had just told him that the whole organization, even Healer was moving out to recruit a big group of mutants south of Paris. Now he hurried to his room so he would be able to contact Storm or Wolverine or even Beast. He got there in seconds and took out his phone. He dialed the number in record time… he knew that this was big. The phone dialed and Pietro impatiently paced back and forth.

"Hello", came a really tired voice on the line.

"Logan!"

"P-eter", Logan said tiredly if anyone would be near.

"Loganwehaveaproblem. Reallybigproblem. . !"

"Run that by me again…"

"We-are-close-to-Moscow-"

"Well then that would explain why you call me this early kid… or late depending how you see it."

"Logan! This is no joke. My father is going to recruit a big group of mutants and if he does you will never be able to stop us! I need you and the X-men to come here. Bring everyone you got. I don't care how just do it!"

"Why?"

"Because my father is bringing out the whole organization…"

"Brotherhood", Magneto's voice came over the intercom. "Report to your hangars immediately, Acolytes get to hangar 1. Healer you'll go to hangar 15."

"I gotta go Logan. Get the rest of 'em up and hurry!"

"Sure kid."

Quicksilver walked out and met Wanda and John. They were holding hands.

"What the big guy up with now", John asked as they strapped in.

"Yes Pietro where are we heading", Wanda asked.

"You don't know", Pietro asked aghast.

"No."

"Father told me that you knew where we're heading."

"Maybe he forgot to tell me. Daddy's been busy."

"Yeah real busy", John said but he saw the look in Pietro's eyes. "Oh…"

"What", Wanda asked and looked between them. "Is there something wrong?"

"No sis", Pietro said cheerfully. "It might just get ugly out there… excuse me I'll be right back."

The tired X-men were making clear for landing when a call came in.

"Wolverine here." Logan answered his communicator.

"Logan you must leave now", a voice said into his ear.

"Peter what are you talking about?"

"My father is testing my loyalty! You have to leave you have to…"

"Peter", Logan yelled and caught the attention of the grownups and Todd that was standing behind him. "Peter answer me!"

"Shit this will get really ugly", Pietro answered.

"What do you mean?"

"We're here…"

When Magneto saw the X-jet and Velocity anger filled his eyes.

"Sabertooth take all our men and attack the X-men. Pietro and I will take care of the rest."

"Peter whatever you do stay away from Magneto", Logan said sternly and Pietro nodded as they all moved out.

"Got ya Wolvie… Is it okay to hitch a ride with the lot of you?"

"Yeah sure… and Pyro?"

Pietro cast a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Pietro move Wanda outside.

"I don't know yet."

The fight broke out and it was ugly, but Magneto couldn't find his son anywhere. So he guessed a little bait was in line. He smiled when he saw Avalanche and raised a hand. The metal in Avalanche's suite reacted to his powers.

"Well Avalanche what a coincidence to run into the X-men here", Magneto smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I shouldn't be too surprised should I? I mean you've been given information haven't you." He threw Lance onto the ground and tore up an iron fence and made a big sphere of it. "So any last words?"

"Yeah fuck you Buckethead!"

"What a bad language", Magneto said and threw the sphere at Lance. This closed his eyes and waited for impact but it never came. He felt something hold him and when he opened his eyes he was staring into a pair of blue eyes.

"Close call huh", Pietro said and smiled softly.

"Pietro?"

Pietro smiled and turned towards his father with a stormy look on his face.

"Aw Quicksilver", Magneto said with a wicked grin. "How nice of you to drop in."

"Spare the formalities Magneto", Pietro said. "I know."

"You know? My dear boy… you don't know anything."

"I know that you're a sick bastard that has no control over me", Pietro took a step forward and was shielding Lance that way. Around them fights were going on. John was fighting Remy and the Cajun looked ready to kill. When John saw Pietro protecting Avalanche he sighed.

"This is gonna get ugly mate", he said and Remy crocked an eyebrow. "Buckethead found out." John nodded towards them.

"I have no control over you", Magneto asked and laughed. "Your armor is created solitary in metal son."

Pietro smirked. "It is not, I exchanged it for plastic as soon as I could."

"Son I know", Magneto smiled wickedly again and Pietro paled. "I exchanged it."

Pietro's eyes went wide when he felt his legs leave the ground and he slammed into the ground.

"Pietro", Lance yelled and that caught Wanda's attention.

"Dad stop", she yelled as her father slammed Pietro into the ground and was at his side the next second.

"Wanda your brother has betrayed us", Magneto said. "Mastermind has exchanged his memories. He does not know the truth anymore."

"Wanda", Pietro croaked out. "He lies… dad was never the loving father you remember… when we were eight he put you in a nut house…"

"No…" Wanda shook her head in denial. "It's a lie!"

"He never loved us…"

"You lie!"

"Ask John…"

"No!" Wanda looked at her brother who'd been getting to his feet.

"Wanda please… listen to me… Magneto had Mastermind changes your memories… he couldn't do mine… My thoughts are too fast he-"

He was interrupted as his body jerked forward and he slammed onto the ground. Then Magneto used his power to slam Pietro's body around like a rag doll. Wanda closed her eyes and walked the other way.

"Goodbye brother", she said and ran towards the ships. So did the rest of the new Brotherhood. Magneto slammed Pietro's body down one more time and walked over to him.

"Goodbye son", he said and left.

Lance had been knocked down the hill by Sabertooth. But the big wolf mutant had been torn off him by Wolverine and Lance now rose and looked towards Magneto's retreating form. He saw a familiar orange-haired young man run towards something on the ground and fall to his knees. Lance started to run too and saw Pietro's broken body in John's arm.

"Come on mate", John said and felt tears go down his face. "Don't die… don't leave me."

Lance plopped down on his knees beside him. He reached off and took off the stupid helmet and Pietro's eyes fluttered open and he smiled.

"Hi", he croaked out in a whisper.

"Don't talk", John said. "Save your strength."

"What strength?"

"Shut up. You're one of the strongest guys I know… Blob and Colossus included."

"But easier to brake", Pietro said and chuckled at his own "joke".

"Pietro", a female voice yelled and Lance looked up to see a girl with pink hair and eyes. She fell onto her knees and roughly showed him away from Pietro's side.

"L-Lina", Pietro asked.

"You stupid idiot", she said. "Why'd you have to betray us? Why?"

"Because my dad's sick…"

"No he's not…"

"Lina…"

"I love you so much but I got to go with them… Goodbye", she kissed him and Pietro's body started glowing and his eyes closed. Lina looked up at John. "Are you coming?"

"Are ya thrown of your rocker mate", John asked and rose. Carrying Pietro in his arms. "After what that fucking bastard did to my brother? No! Get the hell away Healer brake some more hearts and crush some more lives." She sighed and ran towards the last ship and was gone.

John looked down on Pietro's healed body and heaved a sigh of relief and grief. He was free from Magneto but had lost the love of his life.

"Don't move", Lance said to him as the rest of the X-men came towards them. There were some minor injuries… but nothing major. "Leave Pietro alone Pyro."

"Avalanche no", Storm said and walked over to Pyro. "Is he alright?"

Pyro looked at Pietro. "Yeah he'll be fine."

"He was right", Wolverine muttered. "This was ugly…"

"Now what", Scott asked.

"Back to base…"

"Ya coming with us Aussie or are you and Quickie gonna ditch us", Remy asked.

"Never did", John said and walked towards the X-jet.

TBC