Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Chapter 38-Ruse
Warren looked up from his spot on the slimy sewer ground as Evan and Callisto entered the secret hideout. Both faces were grim, indicating that whatever they had discovered had been bad.
"Well?" asked Warren getting to his feet. "What did you find?"
Evan sighed. "The mansion has been destroyed. Only two walls were left standing—it looks like a war zone. But we didn't find anyone."
"I did sense that another group escaped before they could be caught…but other than that I couldn't sense much else. There were too many things going on at once to pin down any one person," said Callisto with a shake of her head. "For now it is best that we wait and see."
"Wait and see?" repeated Warren making a face. "You want us to hide out in the sewers until…until what?"
Hank stepped forward to speak. "They're right, Warren. There is nothing we can do until we receive word from Ororo, Logan, or the Professor. We don't have any idea where our friends could be—or where some of them were taken to."
"It shouldn't matter," snapped Piotr emerging from the shadows. "Our friends need us. We cannot stand by and wait…they are in danger, and we may be the only ones who can save them."
Ray stood up from his spot on the ground. "The guy's right—we can't just stay here waiting. We could end up here for the rest of our lives doing that."
"It's too dangerous!" protested Amara jumping into the fray. "What can we do to help the others? Look at us—there aren't that many of us left! We aren't even that powerful. What chance do we have against the military?"
Roberto frowned thoughtfully. "Amara's right. Scott, Jean, Ororo, Logan—heck, even Bobby and St. John are more powerful than us when we practice in the Danger Room. Rogue's even tougher than us. We haven't learned to control our powers yet—we'd be killed the second we tried to infiltrate wherever it is the others are now."
Piotr shook his head. "But we cannot leave them to die either…what if we are all that is left of the X-Men? Do we not owe it to ourselves to try and rescue our comrades? Or shall we give up before we even start?"
"Piotr, we all understand your concern—we share the same fear for the lives of our friends as you do," started Hank placing a giant hand on the Russian's shoulder, "but what can we do? We wouldn't even know where to start looking. The best thing we can do now is sit and wait until we hear something from the topside to indicate that the time to act has arrived."
"But we are X-Men," argued Piotr firmly.
"No we aren't," muttered Amara. "We're just kids."
Bayville:
Irene stared sightlessly at the rubble of the mansion grounds. She didn't need her eyes to see what damage had been inflicted here. She could smell the smoke rising off the ground still, she could smell the char of burnt grass, and she could hear the murmurs of people as they crowded around to inspect the one time shelter for mutants.
Turning away, Irene used her cane to lead her down the sidewalk and back towards town. She didn't need her eyes to see what the destroyed mansion meant. War had come at last between humans and mutants.
The X-Men were missing, hiding, and disbanded for the time being. The Brotherhood was hiding, yet stronger than ever. Magneto had escaped from his prison. Stryker, the mutant scientist, was finally fixing the "mutant problem". The President of the United States had holed up in the Oval Office, refusing to say anything about the latest turn of events in Bayville.
Yet, Irene wasn't worried. No, she was excited for the future. The First Prophecy was beginning to unfold. Yes, the war had come, but it was only a small flame compared to what would take place in the months to come. Humans hadn't even begun to know fear yet…but they would. The whole world would tremble when He arrived.
Yes, Doomsday wasn't far off anymore. It was right around the corner.
The Blackbird:
Rogue let out a tired breath as she made her way up to the front of the jet. She took a seat and glanced beside her to where Kurt was sitting. She blinked twice before allowing a small smile to form on her lips. "You're alright," she murmured in amazement.
Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I am. I heard you were worried about me."
Rogue squirmed in her seat. "Yeah…you're not gonna hug meh are ya?"
"I was thinking about it—but I think I'll wait 'till we're on the ground again. Ororo's a scary driver in this thing. I almost puked twice since leaving the church."
"Thanks for sharing," muttered Bobby from his seat behind Rogue.
"So, uh, where are we headed?" called out St. John curiously.
Ororo grimaced. "Back to the mansion…or whatever's left of it. We haven't been able to get a hold of the Professor yet—or anyone else for that matter."
"What's left of the mansion?" asked Rogue with a frown.
Jean nodded. "Apparently Stryker and his boys thought it would be a good idea to blow the mansion up. It's been all over the news that mutants were detained and their base of operations destroyed."
"And the President just let it go at that?" demanded Logan.
"Well, it seems the President has yet to make a speech on what has happened since the…assassination attempt," replied Ororo with a small sigh. "But when he does decide to speak, you can be sure he will have a good story prepared for the actions of the government and military."
"Great." Logan clamped his mouth shut and settle back in his seat as the jet flew through the sky silently. He looked ready to say something else when a beep began to sound from the scanner. "What's that?" he questioned.
In reply a voice came over the wireless. "Unidentified aircraft, you must descend to twenty thousand feet and follow us to Westchester Airbase. I repeat, lower your altitude and land at Westchester Airbase."
"Someone sounds cranky to me," muttered Kurt crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Gee, I wonder why?" grumbled Logan shooting St. John an ominous look. The Aussie shrugged helplessly.
"They're falling back," murmured Ororo in surprise. Bobby glanced out his window in surprise.
"They can't be giving up that easily," he said almost to himself.
"Shit! They've locked onto us!" announced Jean as the beeping on the scanners began to sound out of control. Ororo's eyes widened as her hands thrust the controls of the jet forward, shooting the giant bird at a faster speed.
"I think we need to cool things off, Ororo," stated Logan as he buckled himself up. Ororo nodded absently and her eyes went white as the sky around them darkened. The teens in the back began to buckle themselves as well just as four wind funnels appeared amidst the black clouds and lightning. Rogue clutched her seat belt to her chest desperately, her gloves made it too hard for her to get the belt locked in properly. Instead she hoped against hope that she wouldn't need the belt.
The jet pitched and rolled through the air, maneuvering through a couple of loops that left Logan and St. John a little green in the faces. Then the beeping stopped.
"I think I've lost them," said Ororo with a tinge of surprise in her voice as her eyes returned to normal. Rogue frowned and glanced out the window. It couldn't have possibly been that easy to lose the two jets after them. A rapid beep echoed Rogue's thoughts almost immediately.
"Oh my god, we've got two missiles on our tails," gasped Ororo tightening her grip on the controls. The jet lurched forward, spinning wildly through the air, trying to outrun the missiles locked onto them.
Jean gulped as she sent her mind out towards the missiles. With intense concentration she centered her mind on the closer of the two weapons, becoming one with the deadly contraption. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she struggled to put out the stream of fire controlling the missile. Jean's head wrinkled slightly, and her eyes blazed red with fire as the missile faltered behind them, eventually losing power and plunging to the ground below harmlessly. Jean shook herself from her concentration with fear and surprise.
"The other one's gaining on us!" cried out Ororo. Rogue clutched her seat belt tighter to her chest as she watched Jean try to catch her breath. The southerner had a pretty good idea what Jean had just done—she had opened herself to the power hidden deep within her self, putting the red head, as well as everyone else in the jet, in danger.
"Crap!" Ororo's words echoed throughout the jet just as the missile hit the end of the Blackbird. Everyone was jerked forward with the hit, bouncing back hard into their seats as air rushed through the jet and out the open end. Rogue tried to gather the seat belt around her, but the air streaming out of the jet was too much for her, and she was sucked out as well.
"Rogue!" hollered Bobby moving to unlatch his own seatbelt.
"Don't even think about it!" shouted Logan looking backwards in fear. His eyes landed on the empty seat of Rogue just as Kurt vanished in a puff of smoke.
Rogue screamed as she flew through the air. She closed her eyes and was about to let go of her mind to another's when she felt a smaller body encompass hers. Rogue's eyes shot open just as Kurt transported them back into the jet. Logan instantly shot down a hand to Rogue's back, keeping it there in case she blew out again. Rogue struggled to catch her breath, tightening her grip around Kurt, afraid to let go.
By now the jet was headed in a direct nosedive towards the ground. Everyone glanced towards the back of the jet just as the metal seemed to close up and the jet began to slow.
"Jean?" asked Ororo.
"No way—I'm not that powerful!" protested the red head through gritted teeth. Before anyone else could offer an explanation the jet stopped in midair, the nose pointed directly at the ground. The mutants all looked straight ahead to see Magneto holding up a single hand with Mystique right beside him.
"I seem to have caught us a couple of mutants learning how to fly, my dear," chuckled the older mutant in amusement.
Mystique smirked in agreement. "One day they might even get it right," she murmured.
Alkali Base:
Professor Xavier opened his eyes tiredly. His head ached, and his mouth was parched in thirst. All that was forgotten when he looked up and caught sight of William Stryker.
"William," gasped out the Professor.
"Professor Xavier, it's so good to see you awakening finally. I thought perhaps you had gone off and died without accomplishing peace for humans," returned Stryker coolly.
Xavier made a face. "What are you planning, William? What do you want with my students?"
"I only want to make sure that my latest experiment is sure fire. You are the one I really wanted…well, your mind and that thing you call Cerebro."
"What—no. You can't be serious!" exclaimed Xavier as his mind comprehended what the man before him meant. Xavier tried to send his mind out towards Stryker's, but he grimaced in pain as a jolt struck him instead. With a groan the Professor realized there was nothing he could do now but hope that someone would come after him.
"I believe that once all mutants have been destroyed, humans will finally agree to live peacefully together. I will become a world wide hero in every aspect for getting rid of…a little pest problem that has plagued mankind for far too long. It's almost too bad that you won't be around to see it, Professor Xavier. You've tried to help mutants—but you failed, and now I will fix what you could not."
"You wanted me to cure your son—but that is not how it works, William. There is no cure to being a mutant. I tried to help your son, but he would not let me. You took him away before I could try anything else."
Stryker snorted. "Do you really believe you could have helped my son? He was a great illusionist—and he used that against my wife and I. My son hated us for sending him away to expert after expert in hopes that he could be cured. In the end, my wife took her own life to get rid of the images in her mind. My son is a murderer…and now I have no son. I have only a vision for the future. A future where humans will no longer fear mutants or losing their own minds or even dying a painful death. I am about to wipe out an entire race for the future of mankind."
"William, this is not the way to accomplish peace. It is genocide—you will not be seen as a hero…you will be seen as a murderer," murmured Xavier in a softer tone of voice.
"We shall see, shan't we, Professor? All that matters is that I will feel at peace with myself for doing what has to be done. May I introduce your partner? Mutant One-Four-Three at your service." Stryker motioned towards the doorway where Yuriko and a soldier entered pushing a man forward in a wheelchair.
The man in the wheelchair was thin and weak. His hands grasped the arms of his chair loosely; his head seemed to bounce up and down tiredly, even though his blue and green eyes looked as sharp as ever. On either side of his head was a line extending from his forehead to his ear in a circular shape with dots on both sides of those lines. This was Jason Wyngarde.
"My God, man, this is your son!" murmured Xavier shrinking back in disgust.
"You're wrong. My son is dead. This is only another specimen doing his duty." Stryker smiled proudly. "Mutants can be useful only as long as they can be controlled. That is their purpose in life—to serve humans until we can destroy them forever. I hope you enjoy, Professor Xavier, because this is one of your last moments on this planet."
Xavier watched as Stryker and Yuriko departed the room leaving the Professor alone with Jason. Taking a deep breath, Xavier steeled his mind for the inevitable. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of Jason's illusions…but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to stand up against the younger mutant without his own powers.
Meanwhile:
"What use does Stryker have for Professor Xavier?" asked Ororo. "It just doesn't make any sense."
Magneto sighed. "What you have to understand is that Charles' mind is very powerful. When Stryker was paying my infrequent visits to drill me on the mansion, he seemed very interested in Cerebro."
Jean frowned. "But why destroy the mansion if he wanted Cerebro?"
"All he wanted were bits and pieces of Cerebro to complete his version of it elsewhere. The man has a base of operations which I believe he has brought Charles. If Stryker does have a way to control mutants, then I would believe that he has his own mutant son, Jason Wyngarde, there to try and trick Charles into destroying every mutant in the world. Charles is the only one who could ever possibly know where all the mutants are."
"I don't like it," muttered Logan darkly. "He's gonna use Chuck to link up to all the mutants in the world and then what…actually kill us? How the hell does that man expect to get away with it?"
"You forget that he somehow roped one of your own precious X-Men into an attempt to kill the President of the United States. I would think that he has a very good chance at getting away with this type of genocide," replied Magneto.
"Then what are you proposing, Magneto?" questioned Ororo suspiciously.
"For the time being I think it would be best to work together—since Stryker seems to be a common enemy for both sides."
"Where do we even start?" asked Jean.
"I believe that one of you knows where Stryker may be working."
Logan shook his head. "I don't think so, bub. I might remember a bit here and there about the guy, but I don't know shit about what he's up to now."
"Whoever said we were talking about you?" retorted Mystique sharply. Logan turned to glare at her but followed her gaze over to the campfire where Rogue and Kurt were seated.
Rogue absently played with the fire by poking at it with a thin twig. Beside her sat Kurt. He hadn't left her side since he had saved her life. It was endearing, but Rogue wasn't sure what to make of it. She knew that she and Kurt had a long way to go to mend their relationship as brother and sister—and it wouldn't be easy with Mystique around.
"Thank-you," murmured Rogue after a while, "for savin' mah life today."
"That's what brothers are for," replied Kurt nonchalantly. He hesitated for half a second, "Um, Rogue, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you really working with Magneto still?"
Rogue stiffened. "Ah don't know. Ah was…Ah guess Ah still am, but…Ah don't know anymore. It's complicated now. Revenge doesn't seem like everythin' ta meh anymore. Ah've kinda lost mah taste for it. Now all Ah want is ta be normal…or as normal as Ah cahn be considerin' mah powers."
"Do you still hate Mystique?"
"Ah think Ah always will," said Rogue softly. She turned to glance at Kurt who offered her a small smile just as Mystique, Jean, Ororo, Logan, and Magneto arrived by the fire. Bobby and St. John appeared as well with more wood in their arms.
"Kurt," started Jean gently, "I need to read your mind. We think you might have a suppressed memory of Stryker's base of operations."
"I…I guess." Kurt stood up and followed Jean a few feet away with the other adults, leaving Rogue, St. John, and Bobby alone by the fire. St. John shook his head and stalked off into the dark, muttering to himself.
Bobby glanced at Rogue as he sat down beside her. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, Ah've come ta the conclusion that Ah'm never flyin' again. Ah don't think it's mah kinda thing," said Rogue with a soft laugh.
"You scared the shit outta me with that. I thought we had lost you for again."
"Yeah, don't hold your breath, Bobby. Ah don't think Ah cahn go down that easy anymore. Destiny seems ta think Ah'm special or somethin'…Ah just wish Ah wouldn't hafta be put in some dangerous situations ta prove that fate needs meh for somethin' else."
"I wish you didn't either. How are you doing with Magneto and Mystique here?" asked Bobby.
Rogue shrugged. "Ah don't know. Ah haven't really talked with them…Ah don't wanna. Ah just wanna get the others ahn then stay as far away from the Brotherhood as Ah possibly cahn."
"Does this mean you're going to join the X-Men?"
"Ah don't know. Ah don't wanna be ohn anyone's side. Ah just…Ah just don't think workin' with Mags is the right thing either. Everything's changed. Ah feel like Ah owe y'all somethin' for takin' meh in no questions asked. Ahn besides," continued Rogue hurrying on, "someone has ta watch Kurt—that kid gets in more trouble than you ahn Evan used ta do combined."
Bobby chuckled. "It's nice to know you'll be sticking with us just to keep Kurt out of trouble. I'm glad, whatever reason keeps you here, I'm glad. You're always going to be a part of the X-Men, you know that, right?"
Rogue nodded silently as Bobby squeezed her hand. She watched him walk away before turning her attention back to the fire in front of her. Rogue wrapped her arms around her body as her mind drifted away in thought.
She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. All she knew was that for now, the Brotherhood wasn't it. But she wasn't completely sure the X-Men were it either. Rogue felt lost and confused; something that was slowly becoming a normal feeling in her life. She could feel something coming, something dark and ominous; something even more dangerous than William Stryker and the end of mutant kind. A small part of Rogue knew it had to do with the prophecies that Destiny had talked about before.
But, another part of Rogue knew it had something to do with the person walking her way.
"Hey," said Jean taking a seat beside the southern girl.
"Hey. You took a gamble today with that missile," remarked Rogue still gazing into the fire.
"Yeah…I know." Jean lapsed into a momentary silence. "I've had dreams since Liberty Island. Every night I see fire and a bird…and feel so powerful…and so evil. It's almost as though my mind isn't my own—like I've lost control."
"Ah know how that feels. It's hard ta keep control when somethin' stronger wants to get out."
Jean glanced up at Rogue thoughtfully. "You're the only one who's actually ever experienced that part of my powers. Rogue, do you think I could gain control again if something happened and that…dark side of me was let loose?"
"Ah think ya could if ya had somethin' ta fight for," replied Rogue softly. "Like maybe a certain someone."
"Scott?"
"Come on, Jeanie, everyone in Bayville knew you two were crazy 'bout each other. It's not a big secret."
"I'm just worried. I feel like something's going to happen tomorrow. Something that will change who I am as a person—and it scares me. I don't want to lose control, Rogue. I'm an X-Man, I always have been…and that's what I want to be. But I don't think the hidden part of me wants to do the right thing. It's almost like it wants to destroy everything and anything in its path."
"Jean, you're powerful. Ahn Ah'm not just talkin' 'bout the scary, fire breathin' part of ya. You're heart will know right from wrong. Ya just hafta fight. Ah fight all the time with mahself. It gets easy afta a while," stated Rogue. "Ya just cahn't give up ohn yourself. What kinda role model would ya be if ya did that, huh?"
Jean sighed. "I guess you're right. I just…I don't want to fight alone. I'm not strong enough on my own—not like you, Rogue. I'm used to having someone there for me. That's why the X-Men were a perfect fit when I developed my powers. I'm a team player."
"You're never alone, Jean. Look at all the losers y'all have in the mansion. Ya have enough ta make up a real sports team. The Professor told meh that ya just have ta trust yourself…ahn the X-Men. He made it seem like no matter what happens y'all got that Musketeer crap down pat. Ya know the 'one for all, ahn all for one' thing? Ah don't think Scott ahn 'em would let ya go without a fight."
"Thank-you, Rogue. That means a lot to me."
"Yeah, but could ya not tell Kurt that Ah cahn be that mushy? The kid refuses ta leave meh alone now."
Jean smiled. "Your secret's safe with me. I owe you for keeping mine."
The Next Day:
Taking a deep breath Rogue boarded the jet and made her way towards her seat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Magneto and Mystique sharing some kind of joke.
"Is somethin' funny?" demanded Rogue turning to glare at the two mutants.
"Nothing, my dear, we were just noticing that you had done your hair differently. I hadn't noticed it before, but white is quite striking on you. It makes you unique," replied Magneto cheerfully.
Something inside Rogue snapped. This man was supposed to be on her side, not sharing jokes with Mystique—the woman he claimed to hate. Yet here he was flirting with the shape shifter as if everything was right as rain with her, and provoking Rogue. She figured it had something to do with her shirking her duties as one of Magneto's underlings.
With a muttered oath under her breath Rogue pulled off a glove and moved forward towards the two people she was coming to despise most in the world. Rogue stopped in her tracks as Bobby pulled her into his arms and pushed her towards the front of the jet, murmuring that now wasn't the time for revenge.
St. John watched with little interest as Bobby led Rogue away. He had a hunch the southern belle had finally switched sides, even if she didn't realize it yet. Instead the Aussie turned to look over at the man known as Magneto and the dangerous shape shifter at his side.
"So you're the enemy, huh, mate? You don't look so tough to me. Your helmet makes you look like a dork," said St. John without blinking.
Magneto exchanged a knowing look with Mystique. Despite Rogue's flaws as a trusted confidant, she had obviously done well in getting the Aussie to question being an X-Man. "This helmet protects from the true enemy, my boy. Who exactly are you, anyway?"
"St. John Allerdyce, at your service."
"Is that your real name? Or do you have another?" Magneto smirked and whisked St. John's Zippo out of the teen's hands using his power of magnetism.
"They call me Pyro, but I can't start fires without that lighter," replied St. John quietly. To prove his point the red head extended a hand over the open flame and came away with a small fire ball in his hands.
"Pyro is a fitting name for a god. Manipulation is only the start, Pyro, but I see greatness in your future if you follow the right path."
St. John nodded absently as Magneto handed him his lighter. The teen boy got to his feet, and thoughtfully made his way to his seat in the front of the jet. He had a lot of thinking to do.
The Illusion:
Professor Xavier soothed the young girl in his arms, waiting for her to speak to him.
"I want to find them again," she said in between sniffles. "I want to find all the mutants."
"I promise, we'll find all of them," replied the Professor. "Come, let us go to Cerebro. Only then will we find our friends again, okay?"
The young girl nodded and allowed the Professor to put her back on her feet. With a sly smile on her face the girl turned to follow the Professor down the halls of the mansion.
Alkali Base:
"So this is Alkali Lake?" asked St. John. "What's with all the snow? How the hell am I supposed ta start a fire?"
"You're not starting any fires, kid," replied Logan gruffly. "You, Bobby, and Rogue will be staying here while the rest of us deal with Stryker."
"Wait a minute, then why does Kurt get to go? We're older than him," pointed out Bobby with a frown.
Jean smiled. "Yeah, but he's a teleporter. We'll need that inside."
"They've got a point, sugah," murmured Rogue. "'Sides, someone has ta watch the jet."
"Yeah, but don't touch anything," agreed Logan looking directly at St. John. "And don't start any fires, got it?"
Ororo stared at the blueprints of Alkali base in front of her. "How on earth are we supposed to get through the spillway without them flooding us out?"
Magneto grinned. "Apparently you've never realized exactly what Mystique is capable of."
Somewhere Inside Alkali Base:
Jubilee kicked her foot against wall angrily. She jumped back at the shock she received. "This is stupid! What the hell does the military want with us?" she demanded.
Kitty shrugged from her position in the middle of the floor. Her entire body ached from trying to phase through the walls earlier. It hadn't worked, and so she had given up to comfort Jamie instead. The young boy was exhausted and only wanted Rogue to come rescue him. "They've thought everything through. There's no way outta here."
"Not alive anyway," muttered Rahne dropping down to her knees. "When will the X-Men come get us?"
"What makes ya so sure they will?" drawled out Sam with a sigh. "We don't even know if anyone got out alive—or if they're locked up somewhere else."
"Man, you totally know how to bring everyone down," remarked Jubilee darkly.
"Yeah, but it's the truth. We got hit harder than we've been hit so far. Don't y'all realize what happened? It's a war now! If we ever get outta here we're gonna be training for battle—school isn't the scariest thing out there anymore! Humans are!" Sam shook his head and turned his back on his friends to stare at the wall.
Kitty took a deep breath to keep her tears from falling. She had never felt so scared before in her entire life. She would gladly deal with Rogue's temper than with the man known as Stryker. The Brotherhood seemed like kittens compared to Stryker.
"They're coming for us," announced Jamie confidently as his eyes blinked open. "We're X-Men—we don't leave anyone behind!"
Elsewhere:
"Alright," conceded Logan reluctantly, "she's good."
"A compliment, Wolverine? I didn't think I would live to ever hear something like that ever leave your lips," murmured Mystique with a smirk.
"Fuck you."
"Oh my God, the children! We have to get them out of there!" exclaimed Ororo pointing up towards one of the monitors. "I'll take Kurt with me."
"Okay, and I'll go with Magneto and Mystique to find the Professor," added Jean.
"You'll be okay with them?" asked Ororo quietly.
Jean shrugged. "If Rogue can handle them then I think I'll manage. What about you, Logan? What are you going to do?"
Logan pointed at another monitor showing Stryker and an Asian woman escaping. "I have an overdue business call to make," he said.
"Then it's settled," murmured Magneto. "We better get moving before we gain any more unwelcome visitors."
Ororo led Kurt down a hallway, searching every which way for the missing students. She stopped shortly after hearing a couple of young voices arguing. "Children?" she called out cautiously.
"Storm!"
"Storm, over here!"
"Look down!"
Ororo and Kurt crouched down by the grate where two hands rose up to greet them. With a sharp nod Kurt teleported himself down into the cell, surprising the teens inside.
"Kurt!" Kitty was the first one on her feet as she flung herself into Kurt's arms, squeezing him tightly. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you fuzzy elf!"
"I won't, I promise," murmured Kurt hugging Kitty back tightly. "Now let's get out of here, huh?"
On the other side of the building Logan strode through a doorway, following his nose. He could smell Stryker and another mutant nearby. Before Logan could pinpoint the location of the scent his eyes were directed to what was already in the room. Sitting close to the wall was a rectangular tank filled with water. Hanging directly above it was a metal grate on chains. On one end of the tank was a small square basin filled with a bubbly metallic liquid. Logan sniffed the air curiously as he edged closer to the basin. Whatever it was it smelled hot and metallic.
Logan touched one of the injectors hooked up to the metal liquid, and a memory flashed through his brain. He recoiled at the memory of sitting up in the tank, his body covered in blood from the claws in his knuckles. Shaking away the vision, Logan glanced up at the wall where x-rays of various body parts were situated. In almost each one he could see metal mixed with bone.
"Amazing, isn't it?" asked Stryker. Logan turned around to stare at the man he had once known.
"What did you do to me?" demanded Logan angrily.
"Only what you allowed me to do. You were made into a weapon, Wolverine. You volunteered your body to this experiment with the promise that you wouldn't remember a single thing in the future. It worked—but too well. You ran off, Wolverine, you ran off and joined the X-Men after some soul searching. Do you sleep better at night knowing that all the lives you took in the past can be rectified by working to save the future? If you knew the kind of man you once were, you'd wish you dead, Wolverine."
"You're gonna wish you were dead long before I get through with you," vowed Logan as his claws shot out of his knuckles.
"You know, there was a time when I thought there wasn't a mutant out there who could come close to replacing you. After a few failed experiments, I found out I was wrong." Stryker chuckled and shook his head. The older man turned to leave as the Asian woman appeared out of the shadows. "Wolverine, meet Lady Deathstrike. You two are a match made in heaven."
Logan grunted as he studied the clear faced woman standing in front of him. Her eyes were unusually bright, and her smile twisted. She wiggled her fingers at her side as the nails extended further out into sharp claws.
"Aw shit," murmured Logan to himself. He could tell this fight wouldn't be easy.
Meanwhile, in yet another part of the underground base, Jean followed behind Magneto and Mystique at a quick pace. She could sense that time was of the essence. But there was something else bothering her. They weren't alone. Someone was up ahead. Jean extended her mind to feel what they were up against, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Move!" Jean shoved Magneto and Mystique to the ground with her powers just a strong beam of kinetic energy blasted through the spot that the two mutants had been standing. "Keep going, I'll deal with this!"
"Come, my dear, this quarrel has nothing to do with us," said Magneto as he and Mystique got to their feet. Jean watched as the pair quickly vanished down the hallway, but her eyes were already settling on Scott.
"Scott? It's me, Jean. You don't want to do this, Scott." Jean ducked out of the way as Scott shot another beam of energy her way. Just as Scott tried to shoot at her again Jean waved a hand through the air sending a few crates in his way. The crates broke on contact as Jean turned to run down the hallway. She stopped short upon seeing that her path was blocked.
Jean turned around just as Scott rounded the corner. With bated breath she watched his hand reach up to his visor and click the button keeping his powers at bay. Jean shot her hands forward, using all her powers to protect herself from his blast. The momentum of the blast slid Jean a few feet backwards, but she gritted her teeth and took a single step forward using her powers to send the bulk of Scott's blast back at him. Jean didn't think she could hold on for much longer when she felt a fire within her break free. Her eyes blazed and her body began to glow a red color as Jean effortlessly let loose a powerful tremor of fire and energy throughout the underground base.
Scott was knocked off his feet as the tremor shook the entire base. Jean screeched and dropped to the ground as a piece of cement slammed down onto her leg.
"Jean?" Scott scrambled to his feet and ran over to Jean. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Jean. I didn't want to hurt you, but I couldn't stop myself."
"It's okay, Scott. I'm just glad that you're alright," whispered Jean as a single tear slid down her cheek. Inside her she could feel raw power raging out of control.
Outside:
Rogue played with the hem of her jacket nervously, her eyes studying the white X on the side. She hated just sitting here doing nothing. She wanted to be inside inflicting pain on the humans that were trying to wipe out her kind. But Rogue also wanted the X-Men to trust her, and the only way to gain that trust would be to follow orders and stay put. Besides, she wasn't the only one stuck behind.
St. John flipped his Zippo shut in irritation. "That's it; I'm through with this shit. I ain't a kid, mates. I'm goin' in."
"They told us to stay put," said Bobby. "They could be on their way back by now."
"Good, then I'll meet 'em halfway."
"Jonny, don't push it," murmured Rogue. "We don't even know what they're up against in there."
"Save it for someone who cares, Rogue. You ain't as tough as you made everyone believe. Here you are sittin' quietly an' hopin' the big, bad, Magneto doesn't come after you. You're scared shitless, Shelia, an' you know it. You never did what you were told before, so why start now?" St. John shook his head and trudged off the jet and into the snow.
Rogue gulped as she sat back in her seat, her eyes staring at the exit. What was wrong with her?
Meanwhile:
Logan arched his back in pain as he felt Lady Deathstrike jab her claws into his back. He had thought he had beaten her when he had knocked her into the tank of water and cut the metal grate to trap her inside. Apparently he had been wrong. Grinding his teeth together, Logan reached over towards the bubbling basin and grabbed one of the injectors.
Shooting forward Logan pulled the injector towards him and turned around just Lady Deathstrike stood up in the tank. The Asian woman leaped forward as Logan brought the injector into her gut. Lady Deathstrike's eyes widened in surprise as the hot liquid ran through her body.
Logan looked away as the woman's eyes cleared back to a soft brown color and silver tears ran down her cheeks and out of her nose and mouth. Tearing away the injector Logan watched as the woman fell lifelessly back down into the tank, sinking all the way to the bottom. It was done. Jumping to the ground Logan sprinted the way that Stryker had gone. Stryker wouldn't get away that easily.
Elsewhere:
Professor Xavier opened his mind even more, allowing himself to latch onto all the mutants in the world. He had been trying to find each and every mutant for the last half hour, but he was almost there.
"I think I've found them all," he murmured triumphantly.
The tiny girl beside him, the one with a single blue, and a single green eye nodded slowly. "Then kill them. Kill every single one of them," she whispered fearfully.
"Of course." Xavier nodded along absently and began the painstaking process of entering the minds of every mutant to shut down their brains.
Ororo and Kurt hurried down the passageway leading the small group of mutants behind them. Ororo's eyes widened in fear as a sharp pain entered her skull. She dropped to her knees, barely noticing the others already on the ground, clutching their heads in pain. Kurt held Kitty close as Rahne grasped Jamie's hand. Nearby Sam was yelling for the pain to stop.
Scott and Jean limped along another passageway when the pain reached them. Jean grabbed a hold of Scott as they slid to the ground together. She gasped aloud and buried her head in Scott's chest as he cried out in pain. They were too late.
Logan pushed open the doorway leading outside, but dropped to his knees with a strangled cry. Both hands went up to his temples as he tried to get back on his feet, but there was no use. He couldn't stand any longer.
St. John collapsed in the snow as the pain shot through his head. He twisted his body, trying to take the pain out of his head, but it didn't work. All he wanted now was to die.
Rogue gasped in surprise and lurched to the ground just as Bobby did. The two teens writhed in pain. Rogue curled up into the fetal position while Bobby reached a hand out to grasp her own. She tightened her grip on his hand, afraid to let go in case it meant dying alone.
Far off in the sewers of Bayville the X-Men and Morlocks were undergoing the same thing. Roberto grabbed Amara's hand, letting her know she wasn't alone. Spike struggled through his own pain to watch his fellow Morlocks carefully. He was one of their leaders, he wouldn't show pain. He would be strong for them. Warren wrapped his wings around his body, trying to stay on his feet. Ray fell to the ground, screaming aloud as Hank wrapped his hands around the rungs of a ladder leading to the topside, too afraid to let go. Piotr slid to the ground, his body shifting between his metal form and that of his human form. All were wishing for sudden death.
Elsewhere in Westchester the Brotherhood was undergoing a similar fate. Tabitha screamed and fell backwards into Lance's arms. The two teens fell to the ground, not bothering to notice the crowds of people around them at the mall. No one knew what was going on. In the food court Fred and Toad experienced the same sharp pain in their own heads. Fred crashed down into a couple of tables as Toad leaped into the air wildly, trying to outrun the pain. Pietro shot up in pain, his scream drowning out the screams of the movie on the big screen. He stood up and then collapsed to the ground, his hands pressed over his ears. Wanda gritted her teeth and slid to the ground of the restroom she was in, ignoring the dark looks that the other women were giving her. She would not scream.
Forge fell out of his chair, startling his parents when the pain reached him. They rushed to his side, questions spurting out of their mouths, but the teen couldn't seem to hear them. All he could hear was a buzzing sound in his head that wouldn't go away.
In another part of town Amanda was barely sitting down on the couch beside her mother when a sharp pain entered her head. Both women screamed as they grabbed a hold of each other. Amanda gasped as she felt something deep within her mind break open. Whatever it was she knew that her mother had a lot of explaining to do if they both managed to live.
Sabertooth dropped to his knees instantly, letting out an animal like howl. Beside him Juggernaut and Sinister were on the ground, crying out in pain as well. Sinister dug his hands into the ground, refusing to die before he could obtain eternal glory.
Remy was playing cards when the pain reached him. His eyes widened in pain and he dropped his arms to the ground, clutching his head as he slumped in his seat. The players around him shrank back in fear as the Cajun began to let loose a terrified yell.
Mystique walked beside Magneto confidently and surveyed the dead soldiers before her. They were stupid to carry around loaded grenades on them with mutants around in the world. Then, without warning, Mystique dropped to the ground, emitting a sharp scream. Magneto glanced back in horror as Mystique began to shift back and forth between the various forms she had used over the years.
"Eric, go!" she screamed out clutching both hands to her head. Magneto nodded and turned towards the door that led into the second version of Cerebro. With a sweep of his hands the doors flew open and Magneto stepped inside. He chuckled cynically as his eyes locked with Jason's. The older mutant tapped the helmet on his head and walked forward to pat Charles on the shoulder. Jason stopped his illusion and Xavier relinquished control of all mutant minds, stopping the pain immediately.
"Aw, Charles, how does it feel to be fighting like this? Do you still believe peace is possible? They aren't playing by your rules, Charles; perhaps you should play by theirs." Magneto gave a small wave of his hand and Mystique entered the room, shifting into Stryker. She leaned down beside Jason and began to whisper in the mutant's ear conspiratorially.
The tides of battle had just shifted.
A/N: This one took an entire day to come up with, simply because there was a lot that needed to be included. But I hope it turned out alright.