Chapter Eighteen
Erik
It was absolutely vital that the boy would come to his senses and meet as planned, for if he didn't, it was likely that his entire plan would fall apart. Now that Pietro was older and understood his powers a bit more, and had hopefully come to terms with the whole Wanda situation, he could be quite the vital asset in the little war Erik was planning. The only problem standing in the way of course, were Marya and Django, who most certainly did not want Erik anywhere near the boy, out of fear he would face a similar fate as his sister's. Still, they had agreed to let him speak with Pietro, and the boy had most likely unwillingly come along with them.
"Pietro," he greeted the teenager. He'd grown since the last time Erik had seen him, granted it had been quite some time. "It's good to see you." Even after all of the years that had passed, Erik still resented the boy. If it were not for him, Magda would still have been alive. But the situation was tricky. After all, he needed the boy's super speed on his side. It would be vital against the humans. Pietro did not reply, but rather glared at Erik. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked to see you," he continued upon the realization that Pietro was not going to speak with him. "I think it's time for you to come live with me."
"No way in hell," Pietro shook his head furiously. His tone was sharp. Erik had expected him to react poorly, and would have been concerned had the boy been on board with the situation without question. Which is why he'd made certain… arrangements. "They're my parents, not you," he shook his head furiously. Erik knew who 'they' were, the stupid gypsies he'd stuck the twins on. They had been useful at first, but no longer so. They were standing in his way and had to be dealt with.
"And they are currently being deported," Erik said evenly. It wasn't the best way to break the news, not by a longshot, but he knew it was necessary to be harsh and brutal with the boy. "After all, they were in this country illegally."
"You set me up," Pietro glared at him, and he wasn't wrong. Erik had arranged the meeting with Pietro as a way to both talk to the boy and to keep him away while ICE handled the illegal alien situation. It was dirty, but Erik didn't care. Most of what he did involved one dirty trick or another.
"I'm giving you a choice, Pietro," Erik said coldly. He'd made up his mind a long time ago that he wouldn't even attempt to take up a fatherly role. That wasn't how the relationship worked. He needed Pietro's powers, and Pietro would do anything Erik asked of him, after time of course. "Come with me, or be sent to the proper authorities." He wasn't above turning the boy over. The fact of the matter was that Erik needed Pietro, or rather his super speed, and Erik knew how to manipulate him.
"Even you're not that low," Pietro said, though his voice betrayed the idea that the boy believed the statement. He was silent for a long moment. Erik could only figure the boy was weighing the pros and cons of joining up with him. "If I join you, you pull some strings and let them go," he said after a moment.
Erik sighed, that was a complication he had not been anticipating. Still, he figured he could live with the gypsies wandering about, so long as they did not interfere. "Consider it done," he said with a curt nod. Either way, the boy, and his powers, were his, and he seriously doubted the boy would be stupid enough to double-cross him. No one double-crossed him and got away with it. "I'll have Raven disguise herself as an official and get them free."
"Good," Pietro sighed. Erik couldn't help but notice the look on his face though; as if he'd completely given up what little good he had left in his life. No, that was not the time to be sentimental or remorseful. All that mattered was proving mutant-kind as the superior race.