Disclaimer: … I'm too depressed to do anything but sit here and draw circles in the sand until I come up with a plan…
"…"- conversation
'…'- thoughts
(…)- extra facts/actions (some)
((…))- author's/my own thoughts
'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally
Chapter 35: Meeting with Wanda and John, Part 2: Flashback, Part 1
Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy- May 16, 10:00 AM
FLASHBACK
"Wanda, I want you and St. John to first go to the infirmary and patch yourselves up and then go prepare the cells in hallway #5 for the prisoners. The rest of you, meanwhile, will take our prisoners to their individual cells, as the other 28 hallways are ready, then go heal yourselves," commanded Erik as he, the Brotherhood, and Acolytes got out of the metal pods they had traveled in.
Erik had prepared 29 separate hallways scattered throughout the complex of Asteroid Evolution, each with 2 cells in them, except for some with either three cells or only one. The reason was that this way the captured mutants would have no way of escaping their cells and mounting a huge attack aimed at both escape from Asteroid Evolution and revenge. Even if they managed to escape their mutation inhibitor devices they wouldn't be able to escape the hallway, as each one was built especially with the mutants it would hold in mind.
"Whatever," muttered Wanda as she turned on her heel and marched out of the landing area and towards the infirmary, located near hallway #16. She didn't bother to see if her 'partner' St. John was following her. St. John, meanwhile, mock-saluted Erik and walked after Wanda, whistling and clicking his lighter as he went.
"You-sure-that's-a-good-idea?" asked Pietro in his 'Quicksilver' voice, in which he strings all of his words together so they sound all jumbled and messed up. The only people who can understand him is all of the Brotherhood—excluding Raven—, all the Acolytes—excluding Jason—, and Lexie.
"If you mean placing Wanda and St. John together, then yes, it is, and Pietro, do you know why?" Erik asked as he took off his helmet, letting his white hair show. He then tucked his helmet under his arm and looked at his son. "The reason is because St. John is too stupid to try anything with Wanda, and even if he does try something, Wanda will deal with it like she deals with Toad."
Pietro shrugged and watched as his father used his powers to lift the four cages with the unconscious mutants in them into the complex and into a large room where they would be sorted into their respective hallways.
Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy- May 16, 10:30 AM
Meanwhile, Wanda had finished bandaging herself in the infirmary and entered hallway #5. She was checking to make sure both Jean and Ororo's cells were equipped with each X-Man's weakness. At the moment she was checking Jean's cell to make sure it was filled with twenty speakers. These speakers would project many voices at once, ensuring that Jean would be in pain from all of the voices mixing together in her mind, and no matter how hard she would try she wouldn't be able sort them out.
As Wanda worked she felt a hand touch her shoulder and, thinking it was Todd, used her powers and flung him into the cell across the hall, which just happened to be Ororo's cell. Since Ororo was extremely claustrophobic, the cell was smaller than the other one in the hallway and was covered in stone, the walls completely black. If Ororo managed to break free of her mutation inhibitor device, she would be unable to do anything because it would appear that the walls were closing in on her and she would buckle under her fear of enclosed spaces.
"Toad, what did I tell you about coming within a foot of me, you filthy little creature?" screamed Wanda as she turned away from Jean's cell. She turned to look behind her, expecting to see Todd grinning at her stupidly, as if to say her hexing was a token of her affection for her. However, she was surprised to see a slightly dazed and cut up John.
"Oh my god; John, are you all right?" asked Wanda worriedly. 'Damn, why do I sound so worried about him all of a sudden? I mean, it's not like I'm in love with him, or anything, right? I've barely talked to him more than two times a week, or whenever he and the rest of my father's lackeys have to crash at the Boarding House because their base is wrecked, and yet I feel nervous around him. Why do I feel this way! And why am I keeping count of all the times he and I have talked!'
"Yeah, sheila, Oy'm fine," said John as he slowly got up and began to examine himself. He cursed on discovering that in order to see the extent of his cuts he had to take off his shirt, and proceeded to do just that, after taking off his jetpack and flamethrowers, which, luckily for him, weren't dented or broken in any way; not to mention they were waterproof, as well as ice-proof when the situation arose. He tossed his shirt on the ground and began to examine himself, finding some minor scratches and some blood; overall, nothing major, if one didn't count the headache he was getting. John was too preoccupied with examining himself that he was unaware of Wanda's reaction to her seeing him without a shirt.
Wanda nervously gulped on seeing John without his shirt, and noticed for the first time how muscular he was—for one of her father's lackeys, that is.
"Uh, John?" asked Wanda nervously, cursing herself as she did so.
"Yeah, luv?" asked John as he turned to face her, and on noticing her eyeing his chest appreciatively, blushed a bit and hastily put his shirt back on, followed by his jetpack and flamethrowers.
"Um, John, why do you work for my father?" asked Wanda, her voice now filled with curiosity, her blue eyes searching John's.
"Well, um, Oy joined for the glory and fame that Oy was promised, but soon after Oy got here, Oy found that none of that existed here. Now the only reason Oy'm stayin' is 'cause Oy think moy family's in trouble an' the only way Oy know of savin' them is to continue to work for your dad, sheila," explained John seriously, having switched his voice tone from containing a hint of embarrassment when he rubbed his head where he had hit his head.
After a few minutes, John brought his hands to his side and activated one of his flamethrowers, creating a small flame. He then manipulated it to show a small family portrait, which included a father, mother, an older brother, and a sister, who looked his age and the same as him, possibly his twin. He was in the middle, and for once, he wasn't smiling; he was frowning while the rest of his family was smiling. After a few minutes, he extinguished the flame and turned around to grab his goggles, which were still in the cell meant for Ororo, put them on his hair, and then turned around to face Wanda once more.
"Oh John, I'm so sorry," whispered Wanda as she moved closer to John, lifted her hand, and after hesitating for a moment, placed it gently on his face. John flinched at the contact, but after a moment, he slowly removed her hand with his, brought it to his lips, and laid a small kiss on it, all the while staring into her blue eyes.
"Wanda, we can' do this," said John softly as he continued to hold her hand while looking deep into her sapphire eyes, searching for some sort of understanding.
"Why not?" asked Wanda softly as she gazed into John's ocean-blue eyes, her heart pounding in her chest.
"It's not because Oy don' want to have a relationship with you, but it's because of your dad, sheila. If he ever found out that we… well, that we liked each other… well, crikey, he'd have moy head," said John as he lowered his gaze from her eyes and focused it on the entrance to the hall, as if saying that he feared for his life.
"Fuck Magneto," Wanda replied fiercely, yet softly. This brought John's eyes back to hers now filled with surprise in them. "I mean, come on. Why should he care? He obviously didn't care about me when he put me in that insane asylum when I was six, so why would he care about me now? Besides, John, you are the only person who I feel that I can really trust, apart from Rogue, Kitty, Lance, Lexie, and sometimes my idiotic brother Pietro. Over the past few years every time I saw you, spoke to you, or even heard you, I would tense up and my heart would start beating faster and faster. I didn't know what was happening to me at first, but now I think I know: John, I think I love you," whispered Wanda as she slowly moved closer and closer until she and John were a few inches apart.
John felt his heart speed up as Wanda moved closer and closer to him, and when they were inches apart he whispered, "Wanda, Oy think Oy love you too."
With these words, Wanda and John kissed, and as they did so, static rose in the air around them, with no visible source in sight. As the kiss deepened, the static turned from yellow to the blue of Wanda's powers and small flames began to swirl around with the static and blended. When they finally parted, both of them breathing heavily, the static around them ceased.
"Wot just happened, luv?" asked John huskily as he touched his forehead to Wanda's and looked at her eyes, which, like his, held confusion in them.
"I'm… I'm not sure," whispered Wanda as she looked into John's eyes. "I mean, we kissed and our powers somehow came out on their own and swirled around us, like they had a mind of their own or something. But John, listen to me: I don't care what my father says or does: I love you; I know I do, and I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?"
"Of course Oy do, luv. But we have to be careful in case your dad gets suspicious…" began John but was stopped when Wanda gently put her fingers to his mouth, and removed them a minute later.
"Well, we'll just pretend to be enemies and not know each other, but when we are able to be alone, we'll be together, and when the time's right, we'll reveal our relationship to those whom we trust. You agree with me?" asked Wanda as she looked at the doorway to the hall and then back at John, hoping he'd agree with the plan.
John smiled and said, "O' course I do, luv. We'll act like we did before this morning, and when we feel it's right, we'll reveal ourselves to the world." John and Wanda were about to kiss again when they heard footsteps coming towards the door. They quickly drew apart and rushed to check the two cells for that hallway, which would contain Jean and Ororo. They heard the footsteps coming from hallway #6, which would contain Callisto and Evan.