Soo...

Not that anyone is reading this. But. Today is 03/03/16 and I'm currently revamping this story.

I will not commit to anything concrete. Because. Obviously. It's taken me four years to even get this far. But!

This is something I am touching again. If you are a new reader, and you've gotten this far, hope you enjoy this new chap. New ish.

At any rate, thanks for visiting!

MWJ

Mystique gazed down into the girl's eyes again. The sight of them stabbed another round of wariness into her heart. The light of intelligence was gone, replaced with a glossy, indifferent finish. As if the girl were sleepwalking. This was on Avalanche's face, too. On all of them. Their amassed team stood eerily silent behind her, staring straight ahead. Years of professional secrecy kept her face straight, her posture erect, but...

All of it was vastly disarming.

Mystique quelled a shiver as the familiar figure returned from his promenade. The man who controlled it all. He walked out of the rain and she turned to face him.

"Is everyone in place?" He asked. Underneath his wide brimmed leather hat, his eyes gleamed feverishly.

Mystique burned inside but she inclined her head, expressionless. "As they should be," she replied. The moment their contract with him finished, she would kill him. Make no mistake. No one took her rightful place next to Magneto.

No one.

"Good," he sighed, his breath a cloud in the air. He glanced back towards the mansion and his expression sickened her. It was hunger; raw and revolting. This man was a lunatic. Mystique felt the bile rise in her throat as she followed his gaze.

"Who are we targeting this time?"

There was a pause as lightning leaped across the clouds.

"He's no elemental, but this mutant has been controlled once before. With devastating results."

Mystique narrowed her eyes with realization.

"You want Wolverine," she said between clenched teeth.

The man raised his head to the sky, allowing the rain to stream down his contours, and grinned wolfishly.

"Ahh, that's his name... Wolverine."

XXXX

"Use it NOW!"

Gaia flinched at his tone. It brought all of her anxiety to the surface. She began to breathe faster.

"GAIA."

She wrenched her neck around, watching the cops slide back to their cruiser to run their information. In her panic, the world seemed to narrow. She could suddenly only focus on whatever sat three feet in front of her.

"Cole," Tobias protested weakly. "You don't know what she's been through. You can't just ask something like that."

"Tobias, but out."

Each of them started when a large gust of wind flew right into their vehicle. The car frame rocked on its tires, silencing Cole momentarily. But when he glanced back at her, his eyes weren't shocked but full of triumph.

"Hohoho god," he laughed, anger and fear dancing in his gaze. "Girly, that is exactly what we need. That is perfect. Whisk those basta-"

Things suddenly went awry. Tobias' cry interrupted them both. It was so startling, the pitch and depth of his shout, that Gaia was shaken free of her panic. She watched him in horror. He bent over the wheel, gripping his temples like a man possessed. This time his golden glow wasn't heavenly. It was hot, a sick flame that outlined his form in dizzying light. She sat frozen, not hearing Cole's shout or seeing the cops hurriedly pop out of their vehicle, alarm and suspicion on their faces.

Just minutes ago, after the cops stopped questioning them to return to their cruiser, Tobias had groaned. Gaia's head had flown up. Was he okay? Yet Cole, instead of reaching out to his friend in concern, began to curse under his breath.

"Now?" he hissed. "You've got to be kidding!"

"I can't control when this happens," Tobias had replied, stress beginning to erode his calm demeanor. "They are close by, somewhere."

"Well that's just peachy."

Cole muttered to himself as he roughly opened the glove compartment. Furiously, a man on the edge, he began ruffling through the contents.

"Cole-"

"No Tobias. We aren't doing this right now."

"But, Cole-"

"What?" the man snapped. He paused in his search, glowering. "The world bleeds and splinters all the f-n time. And it begs you to save it. Well, it's timing blows and you aren't going to heed its call this time. Are we clear?"

"There's..." Tobias continued, wincing. Cole shook his head in impatience and returned to his search.

"There's more than one," Tobias whispered. "I've never had this many before. All at the same time."

Gaia could have sworn she heard Cole snort. Then she jumped when his face suddenly appeared over his head rest. She was thoroughly taken aback. He stared at her, not resentfully this time, but full of intent. And he intended to make use of her. Ignoring Tobias' second groan, he fixed her in his grim stare.

"Look. Typically Tobi gets us out of messes like this. But. He's fried. As you can see. You, on the other hand, aren't. You are going to get us out of this, understand?"

Now, out of the corner of her eye, one of the cops took out his gun, speaking into his shoulder.

Little one, don't hesitate. You are strong.

If she didn't do something now, they'd all be taken in. It didn't matter that the cops didn't have probable cause. She knew how racism worked. Nine times out of ten, white people could argue their way out of a situation like this.

Not them.

"Alright everybody," one partner shouted, advancing slowly. "Show's over. Step out of the van with hands where we can see them. Now!"

Little one.

"GIRLY.."

"I said OUT of the van!"

She must do something!

Like a snake, Tobias' hand shot out to grab her wrist. The heat of his touch coursed through her like wild fire. Her very sinuses, tissues screamed. But his eyes. They blazed white. The world around her vanished.

"Now," he commanded hoarsely.

Gaia dove into herself. She snatched at her power in desperation. It twirled away from her. It skipped around her.

Damn-it, no!

I'm here. His voice barely echoed. I've got you.

Suddenly, strength flooded into her being. She fixed her eyes on her power.

Enough! Listen to me!

The cops yelled in surprise as their weapons were suddenly ripped from their hands. Then, their voices disappeared as their breath was torn from their lungs. Wind, cold and ferocious, slammed into them like a freight train. Both fell back against their cruiser. Knocked out cold. Alerted by the noise, the gas attendant raced out of his shop. There, he was met with a chilling sight. A police cruiser that wouldn't stop screeching in alarm. Two white police officers on the ground, not moving. The rest of the station empty. And the residue of a breeze that held something. Something to be wary of.

He shuddered violently and ran back into his shop to dial 911.

When Gaia came back to herself, somehow Tobias was more or less thrown across her seat. Cole sat in the driver's seat, accelerating too fast for this neighborhood road. The van roared in power, echoing the ringing in her ears. The sound refused to fade. She sobbed, more out of shock than real fear. Un-clipping her seat belt, she grit her teeth and maneuvered Tobias until his head was in her lap. He writhed, his body still afire. She didn't care that his touch burned her.

"All of them," he called out sporadically. She leaned down to hear him, his voice scratched and dim. "Their powers-forced to-mind control-I can't-"

"Shhh," she replied, without thinking.

"It won't help."

Gaia looked up.

"There's only one other time that I've seen him like this. And he was out for months."

Gaia's capacity to be shocked, to be horror stricken, was wiped. But she still felt her mouth drop.

"What? What happened?" she whispered, shaking.

"He mutters," Cole said, not really answering her. "He sees things. None of it will ever make sense."

"God almighty-" she stopped, looking away from the sickening turns Cole was making. How he could be so calm, after that confrontation, she had no idea. She couldn't process it. It was too much.

The question fell from her mouth.

"What is his power?"

When there was no answer after a full minute, Gaia tore her eyes away from Tobias. The car had visibly slowed, the roar quieting. The ringing in her ears was softer now. They were moving along an empty stretch of high way. Not the free way, but a lone country road. How had they gotten out of the city so quickly? Where were they? But these questions dissipated as soon as they materialized. Cole glanced at her from the mirror.

"I don't know," he admitted, surprising her. "I still haven't figured that out."

Tobias mutterings grew quieter but no less frequent. It broke her heart.

"What can we do?" She whispered, a tear grazing her cheek.

For the first time that night, Cole released a sigh as desolate as the night.

"Just what you are doing, girly. Keeping him close."

Author's note:

Sorry. ;) There is some swearing in here. Just an FYI, I might be a little more loose in my tolerance to it. More than I used to be. Be warned.