Chapter 2
With some gentle coaxing the 2 cousins manage to get Clark into the back seat of Lois' car.
"So what are we going to do with him?" Lois asks as she opens the driver's side door.
"Mrs Kent is in town checking up on Mr Kent," Chloe points out. The mansion had been wrecked so Mr Kent had ended up in intensive care at Smallville's medical centre on total life support. Mrs Kent would always visit at least once a week.
"Convenient," Lois comments at the fact they can easily drop off the obviously amnesic teen in her back seat with his mother. She gets in the car as does Chloe in the passenger's side.
Chloe buckles up and then looks back at Clark. "You ok?" she asks him since it seems the thing to ask since he has no idea about anything and she is wanting to if he is ok with everything.
"I am fine Chloe, Chloe Sullivan," he says in reply echoing how she introduced herself exactly without understanding what she was truly meaning.
Lois sniggers and Chloe hits her cousin on the arm for finding humour in this. "It's just Chloe," she tells him.
"We should depart. I have to go," he says in a faraway tone.
"Go where?" Chloe asks him.
Clark opens his mouth and then closes it again. He had this burning drive that he had to go somewhere but he could not remember where. "I cannot remember," is what he says in reply to Chloe.
"We're going to take you to see your mother ok?" Chloe asks him.
Clark looks at her blankly and says nothing.
"We'll just go with that's ok," Lois decides as she starts the car up, manages to get it out of what is only a shallow ditch and drives in the direction of Smallville Medical Centre.
A short time after they leave several metallic spheres descend from the sky and land upon the burnt patch of earth where Clark returned. Two open and Magneto steps out of one with Sabretooth stepping out of the other.
Magneto closes his eyes and senses the electromagnetic fields around him which have been massively distorted in a fashion he has never felt before.
Sabretooth is sniffing around the area looking for a scent, tracks, anything.
"Well?" Magneto asks of his hairy partner.
"Nothing," Sabretooth says as if that makes no sense. "There is no trace of anything as if it has been wiped clean of all scents and traces."
"Scout beyond this burnt patch," Magneto orders as he looks around at the small fires almost burnt out. Beyond this small patch the crops are not even scorched. It is impossible...yet his eyes see it. This is a mystery.
Sabretooth reconnoitres the surrounding area and returns. "It's the same," he reports.
"It is as if someone...some force does not wish to reveal what has transpired here," Magneto surmises not just from Sabretooth's observations. The way the EM fields have been bent and twisted is similar to something he would do to hide an area from detection. It just took him a moment to realise it as he has never felt anything like whatever was used to do this.
"So what now?" Sabretooth asks.
Magneto looks down at the journal still in his hand. "We have what we came for. Whatever this was will have to remain a mystery."
Whatever it was won't matter if the stones deliver as promised as Magneto will have the power to do anything and nothing will be able to stop him.
In the centre of Smallville Lois pulls up in front of the medical centre.
"You keep Clark company. I'll get Mrs Kent," Chloe decides and informs her cousin.
Lois watches Chloe get out and walk rapidly into the building leaving her all alone with the amnesic farm boy. "So...you in to sports?" she asks him.
"What are sports?" he asks clueless.
"Right. Amnesia. This is going to be a barrel of laughs," Lois complains because she hates silences and yet she has no-one she can really strike up a conversation with right at the moment so she decides to use Clark as a sounding board for her most often complained about issue. Her sister. "You know sometimes I think my sister Lucy has selective amnesia due to how she always seems to forget her family exists until she either gets into trouble or needs money. Last time...boy last time. That was a doozy. It went like this..."
While Lois drones on about her younger sister's many failings Chloe rapidly walks through the corridors to the intensive care unit. As she comes upon Mr Kent's room she slows down and her heart saddens at the sight of Mrs Kent hunched over Mr Kent whispering to him as he lies there hooked up to all the IVs, monitors and so on.
"Chloe?"
Chloe stops and turns round to be greeted by the sight of a chocolate skinned woman with long white hair who judging by the cups in her hands had just returned from getting some coffee. "Ms Munroe," Chloe greets her.
"What brings you here?"
"I need to see Mrs Kent. It's urgent."
Ororo was here keeping her dear friend Martha company. This last 3 months had been hellish she knows for Martha to endure but seeing the way Martha endured it showed what a remarkable inner strength the older woman had. She accompanies Chloe inside and places the cups of coffee off to the side for the moment.
Martha looks up and smiles at the sight of Chloe. "Chloe," she greets the blond teenager with a voice tinged with happiness at seeing her.
"Mrs Kent," Chloe says back and then struggles for a moment trying to think how to say this. "Mrs Kent. It's Clark."
"What about him?"
"Lois and I found him."
Martha blinks. "What?" she asks not sure she heard that correctly but with hope creeping in that one nightmare could be over.
Chloe summarises how she and Lois were driving along, the weird lightning and finding Clark in the field.
Martha is to her feet in an instant. "Where is he?"
"Outside in the car with Lois but I have to warn you he seems to have complete amnesia. He doesn't know who he is and he says he doesn't remember anything about anything."
Well that's not good but it doesn't matter to Martha as long as she has Clark back in some way. She leans down and plants a kiss on Jonathan's forehead before she leaves with Chloe and Ororo. When they get outside they find Lois and Clark out of the car and the brunette trying it seems to stop Clark leaving which ends with her grabbing the red blanket which is the only thing covering him and it stays in her hand while Clark takes a stride away.
"Oh geez," Chloe murmurs, heat coming to her cheeks at seeing this sight again while she is beside Clark's mother.
Ororo too finds she can't help herself taking a look which is just terrible of her she knows but Clark just seems to portray the perfect male specimen.
"Clark Kent!" Martha's tone rises across the parking lot.
Clark stops and turns to face her. It is the raised tone more than the name that means nothing to him that gets him to stop leaving. Martha marches up to Lois, grabs the blanket and wraps it around Clark before she wraps her arms around him in a hug, moisture in her eyes as tears of happiness threaten to fall.
Martha pulls back and looks him over as he looks at her with obvious puzzlement in his expression. "Clark honey. Do you remember me?"
"No," he says simply.
Ok that stings a little but Martha pushes past it. She has him back. That is all that matters. They can work on his memory over time. "I'm Martha Kent. I'm your mother."
"Lara Lor-Van is my mother," he states.
Lois makes the obvious observation. "I thought you didn't remember anything and huh?"
"I do not remember anything. I said this already," Clark replies like he didn't just speak.
Chloe answers the 'huh?'. "Clark is adopted. Lara is his biological mother's name."
"No offence but that's a weird ass name," Lois expresses her opinion.
Chloe wishes...she really does she could explain but she can't because Lois doesn't know the truth about Clark.
Martha ignores another stab of pain at Clark's rather blunt pronouncement that she is not his mother. "We're going to take you home Clark," she tells him.
Clark looks at the woman. He has no memory of who he is but this woman seems to know him. Logically it makes sense to go with her until he can sort out his memory problem. "I will go with you," he gives his assent.
Martha smiles in relief. For the 1st time in 3 months she has real hope for the future.
Off to the side Ororo is now on the phone. "Charles. You are probably not going to believe this," she says.
At the Institute...
Charles listens carefully to everything Ororo is saying. "I see. We'll be there as soon as we can. The usual spot," he tells her as in the usual spot they drop Martha off when she wants to see Jonathan. It was the least Charles could do for her.
Charles ends the call and telepathically summons Logan who arrives a few minutes later. "Logan. I need you to prepare the x-jet. We have to go to Smallville."
"What's up?" Logan asks suspicious that they are going earlier than planned.
"Clark has returned to us." Charles then briefly explains what Ororo told him about how he was found.
"Just like that?" Logan queries sceptically since this is out of the blue. Logan tried everything to find that kid and came up with nothing and he just shows up as if nothing happened? That doesn't add up. In fact it is downright suspicious.
"So it seems but Hank can confirm it once we get him back here although I think answers could be short on the ground. Apparently he is suffering from total amnesia."
Logan snorts. "That's too convenient," he points out.
"Perhaps so but we'll know soon enough."
Logan guesses so as he turns to prepare the x-jet before the Professor stops him.
"Oh Logan. Could you please procure a change of clothes for Clark. When they found him his clothes had gone missing."
"You mean they found him buck naked," Logan puts his own spin on that.
"As you say. Clothes?"
"I'll pick out something for him," Logan promises as he departs.
That done the Professor summons the other person who needs to know. A few minutes later her head pops round the door, her expression as sullen as it has been every day for the last 3 months. "Ya called?" Rogue queries with little to no enthusiasm. Her voice is basically flat and her eyes are so dull and listless.
"Yes Rogue. Please come in. I have news."
Rogue frowns. What news concerns her and really why should she care? There was nothing much to care for since Clark vanished. God that still hurt so much. She has felt so empty inside since she lost him. She enters the office anyway despite the fact she doubts this will be anything interesting.
Charles clasps his hands together and places them down on his desk. "I'll simply cut to it. Clark has been found."
"What?" Rogue says, her voice a whisper. She didn't hear what she thinks she just heard right?
"Clark has been found," the Professor repeats. "And we are going to go collect him and you can come if you wish."
Hope flares up inside Rogue like a supernova. "Ya really mean it? Ya found Clark?"
"Yes Rogue."
Uncharacteristically for her Rogue runs round the Professor's desk and hugs him. "Thank ya. Thank ya. Thank ya," Rogue says and could say a hundred times more.
Charles smiles delighted by the fact he can give her such good news. He pats her on the back gently. "It's alright."
When Rogue pulls back the Professor can see everything that has been missing in her for 3 months. She is smiling and the spark is back in her eyes lighting them up. They are shining with the moisture of repressed tears of happiness the Professor is going to assume is the emotion behind them. "I have to warn you now from what Storm said Clark is suffering from amnesia. He seems not to remember anything," the Professor cautions her before she gets too excited.
That dents Rogue's happiness. "But his memories will come back right?"
"I will try but as you know I cannot use my telepathy on him. We shall have to try more traditional methods of memory recall which includes just having him home amongst familiar places, things and people. Sometimes that can help."
'Sometimes?' "There's no guarantee is there?" Rogue asks fearful that she has got Clark back and yet doesn't have him back.
"I'm sorry no," Charles admits unable to lie to her.
They'll have him back though. She'll have him back and at least then there is the possibility his memory will return. Rogue will have hope where for 3 months she has had none.
On the flight to Smallville Rogue has been indulging in her nervous habit of playing with her white bangs unsure how to react when she sees Clark. Her heart told her just to run up to him, throw her arms around him and never let go except her head is reminding her that he has no memory of her and can't be certain how he'll react. Still she feels coming along was the right decision. She needs to see him in the flesh.
The x-jet lands in an isolated field outside Smallville. As Rogue disembarks she spots Chloe, Mrs Kent, Storm and a young brunette woman she doesn't know. Her heart is racing as her eyes fall upon Clark wrapped in a bright red blanket. As she draws nearer Clark's intense gaze falls upon her and she can feel him examining her from top to bottom.
Clark steps forward up to her and gently cups her cheek with his right hand. "You," he says in a whisper. "I know you," he says with a puzzled expression because he can't explain how he knows her. It is just a feeling...an overwhelming feeling that he knows this girl.
Rogue places her hands atop of his and tears threaten to fall from her eyes once more. "Yes ya do."
"How do I know you?" he asks her.
"Ya and meh...we're dating...a couple."
"You are my mate?"
Rogue blushes slightly at the bluntness of the way he phrased that. Lois giggles at it.
"Ignore the one called Lois Lane," Clark says in reaction to Lois' mirth. "She is noisy and speaks when she should remain silent."
Lois' mouth hangs open aghast at that while Chloe places her hand over her mouth and tries to cover up her laughter at the fact Clark just nailed down her cousin to a tee.
"What is your name?" Clark asks in a soft voice.
"Rogue," she tries to make him remember.
"Rogue," he repeats rolling his tongue around it.
3 months of repressed emotions threaten to overwhelm Rogue but she maintains her control even as Clark's thumb gently strokes her cheek.
By now Logan has come out of the jet and is standing behind Rogue using all his enhanced senses to determine whether this is truly Clark standing there. He sniffs the air. Smells like Space Boy certainly. That mostly earthy farmer scent that is always just a bit off human. "There's clothes in the jet for him," he announces.
At that Rogue takes Clark's hand off her face and holds it. She gently tries to lead him into the jet and he seems compliant as he lets her. Martha follows Rogue back into the jet.
Logan turns his attention to Chloe and the brunette. "Sullivan," he greets her.
"Mr Logan."
"She trustworthy?" he asks nodding his head in the direction of the brunette.
Clark had mentioned Logan was a bit paranoid. She herself doesn't know the man well enough. "This is my cousin," Chloe explains.
Lois steps forward and holds her hand out. "Name's Lois Lane. Saw you on tv. You're the one with the claws aren't you."
Logan looks at the extended hand and arches an eyebrow.
Ororo rolls her eyes. "Logan. Be nice," she tells him making a note that they need to work on his manners now that mutants are known so as to portray a friendly image although she doubts that will ever work with Logan.
Logan growls softly and takes the hand.
Lois tilts his hand over to get a good look at it. No marks. "How does that work anyway? You know the claws?"
Logan sighs, raises his other hand and pops his claws before retracting them and Lois watches the wounds close up. "Healing factor," he explains.
Ororo fills in the details. "Logan can heal from almost anything. When he extends his claws his body instantly heals the blood vessels closed preventing him bleeding to death. It also can purge his body of virtually any known toxin, drug or disease."
"That must give you incredible stamina," Chloe assumes from her basic knowledge of the human body.
Lois perks up suddenly very interested. "Really?" she queries giving Logan an obviously appreciative once over. "I'm curious. Is this something I could...test sometime?"
Chloe rolls her eyes at Lois' blatant attempt at flirting.
Logan grins. "Maybe next time I'm in town darlin'."
Suddenly the sound of thunder is heard in the distance and Logan catches a very unhappy look on Storm's face that would be the cause.
'The nerve of that man!' Ororo thinks angrily to herself and it is so not because she is jealous. She isn't. Logan's a friend. That's all. Ororo lives up to her name and storms past him into the x-jet.
Logan is clueless as to what just set Storm off there.
Lois smiles flirtatiously at him. "Well if I'm ever near Bayville or you come here again maybe we could have a drink together," she suggests.
Logan looks Lois over. Not bad. He might take her up on that offer one day. "We'll see," is all he says before he makes his way back into the x-jet.
Chloe shakes her head at her cousin as Lois lets out a small dreamy sigh. She likes that whole rugged dangerous vibe Logan was giving off. Just her type...or Lois' view of what her type is.
"You do know he is way older than you are," Chloe points out.
"Yeah but experienced men are more fun."
"No Lois. I mean waaaayyyy older. From what Clark said he has been around since the War and is like at least 90."
"Still not seeing how that is relevant," Lois replies not put off in the slightest. Quite the contrary. Just think of the techniques he must know.
Chloe clamps her hand over her eyes. Some days she wonders if she and Lois are actually related.
Martha returns after helping dress Clark to say her thanks and farewells to Chloe and Lois.
"No problem Mrs K. Happy to help," Lois says and genuinely means as sometimes she knows she comes across as blasé.
Martha smiles slightly the fact Lois sounds a little like Tabby there who also calls her Mrs K. Martha has a feeling Tabby and Lois would get along like a house on fire if they ever met. She repeats her thanks and says her farewells to the 2 cousins before she returns to the x-jet which soon departs.
Lois looks upward as the blackbird disappears over the horizon. "You know something Chlo you sure know some interesting people," she remarks to her cousin.
Chloe suppresses a laugh. 'Lo you have no idea,' she muses in relation to Clark specifically.
At the Institute...
Jean Grey's green eyes flutter open in the early morning light as she reacquaints herself with why she feels like she is in a warm cocoon. She smiles as her eyes fall upon the man next to her still asleep with a red visor covering his eyes. Scott Summers. Her best friend for years and then her boyfriend and after an uncharacteristic moment of impulsiveness on her part for the last 3 months her lover as well.
Jean pulls her head off his shoulder and moves to lay it on his chest. She closes her eyes and listens to his heart beating slowly away as the arm around her waist squeezes her close to him. The experience of waking up next to Scott in the morning was worth the sex education lecture they got after that night in the woods. Being able to cuddle up with the man she loved helped her cope with all the hassle they now got after being exposed as mutants. It allowed her to forget it all for short periods.
So much had happened. The mansion getting blown up for starters while she and Scott were away attempting to find Clark. They went from repairing the mansion to having to rebuild it from scratch which meant for many weeks she and Scott didn't have the opportunity to do what they are doing now as they all ended up in these tiny little cubicles really that stood in for their rooms down in the lower levels which survived the destruction of the mansion relatively intact...which they had been designed to do.
The first night back up in the mansion in her own room again was like paradise compared to that and of course it meant she could then sneak along to Scott's room, like she did last night, for some...snuggle time. Sneak along because she and Scott had miraculously managed for 3 months to keep it secret the fact they were now sleeping together. It was already bad enough the teasing they got from the others. In Jean's head it would be a hundred times worse if they, especially Tabby and Bobby, found out the truth.
It was almost surreal this summer past living out openly as mutants, absorbing the prejudice that came with it while the Professor was away on a speaking tour for a lot of the time trying to 'sell' mutants to the rest of the world. Then there was that tv crew he invited in a couple of weeks ago to see the institute and to whom they all gave interviews in an effort to show how 'normal' and 'non-dangerous' mutants were.
Of course they did this while covering up what really happened to Clark and Mr Kent. The big question was that 3 months later what had happened to Clark and Mr Kent. 3 months on there were still no answers because despite the fact Clark came home last night after basically appearing out of thin air from what they were told and from what she discovered for herself when she tried to speak to him he is suffering from complete amnesia.
Still Jean could see how much hope and life had returned to Rogue and Mrs Kent that at least they had Clark back in body if not mind.
Jean was glad for Mrs Kent. She adored the older redhead as Mrs Kent, even through the turmoil of the last few months, always had time to talk if Jean needed advice on something.
Rogue...Jean has never been that close to Rogue. Rogue never wanted to be close to anyone until Clark came to the mansion and then he somehow managed to make a connection to the Goth girl that no-one else could. After both she and Rogue ended up committing the same act(ie they had sex with their respective partners) in the woods back when they were on the run and in hiding after their exposure Jean had thought that maybe it was a commonality they could build a better friendship from.
Clark vanishing destroyed that because Rogue reverted back to the way she was before Clark arrived and the look in Rogue's eyes some days when you caught her off-guard and she couldn't mask the pain...
Jean knew when Scott had been taken when the MRD stormed the mansion how much that hurt her so it wasn't like she didn't know what Rogue was going through because she did. Still that was only a few days before they rescued Scott and the others. Clark was missing for 3 months so Jean can assume it must be worse for Rogue. After all Rogue loves Clark. Jean had seen and sensed it.
Jean lets out a sad sigh at all of it.
"What's the matter?"
Jean looks up. "Did I wake you?" she asks Scott feeling a tad guilty if she did.
Scott smiles gently at the woman he loves. "No. I've been awake for a few minutes," he tells her. He was simply enjoying the peace and quiet and the feel of Jean next to him. "So what's wrong?" he asks again having heard her sigh and felt her sadness. Since that night in the woods 3 months ago Jean's moods were easier than ever for him to sense in his own mind. In fact since that night it felt like he and she were permanently linked and that he could always feel her in the back of his mind. He found it comforting to always know she was there.
Jean lowers her head back onto Scott's chest as he gently strokes her red hair. "Just thinking about all the crappy stuff we have to put up with...and I was just thinking about what Rogue must have went through these last few months," she airs her thoughts.
Yeah Scott felt for Rogue too. If he had lost Jean for 3 months he knows it would be terrible beyond description.
"In one sense it's not over for Rogue. Clark may be physically back but his mind..."
Scott knows what Jean means. They had all been there when the Professor returned with Clark last night and they all saw his blank look of non-recognition of them. Clark had total amnesia it seemed although he would utter strange remarks and then it was like he didn't even realise he said anything. What had Jor-El done to him?
That was the question no-one had an answer to. Was the amnesia another punishment or something?
Truthfully, and he knows this is a tad selfish, Scott didn't want to have to think and worry about these things. He just wanted to enjoy lying here with Jean for a few more minutes.
"I should get going," Jean says with another sad sigh as in she has to sneak out while everyone else is still asleep so she doesn't get caught.
"Yeah," Scott says with little to no enthusiasm at them having to part company.
"You know I don't want to Scott but we do have to be careful unless you want everyone to know. I think Tabby is already suspicious." It was just the way Tabby looked at Jean sometimes with this...smirk but Jean is fairly...almost completely certain Tabby doesn't known for sure because Tabby hasn't said anything and the blond bottle of fizzy energy that is Tabitha Smith is never one to hold back her teasing or her opinion.
Scott screws his eyes shut at the idea Tabby is onto them. Tabby is insufferable as is with her teasing. If Tabby found out he and Jean were lovers that would be a nightmare. Jean slides out of bed and Scott misses her instantly...although the view of her bending over to pick up her clothes almost compensates for it.
In response to that thought the pillow Jean was sleeping on rises of its own accord and smacks Scott on the face.
Tabitha Smith steps into the kitchen for breakfast, humming along to the song she is listening to on her iPod. It had been a trying 3 months especially the several weeks they spent down in the lower levels with almost zero privacy while the mansion was rebuilt. Tabby was amazed Wanda didn't kill anyone although the angry Goth with a perchance for scarlet red came close once or twice to losing it but Tabby couldn't blame the girl. Tabby herself came close to losing it herself which is why it is an utter joy to be back up in the mansion in proper rooms again.
It was pretty odd in some ways her and Wanda's friendship. The wild-child and the enraged Goth but they had one thing in common in relation in their fathers being total douchebags. Hers made her steal for him while Wanda's father, Magneto, locked her up in a mental institution because he didn't have time or something to deal with Wanda who couldn't control her emerging powers. Like Tabby said, what an total douchebag.
Now that the mansion was almost rebuilt she and Wanda shared a room as they had been sharing lessons with Beast tutoring them. All those years locked up had left Wanda far behind in her education while Tabby's time with the Brotherhood had meant she had slacked off, as Logan put it, without someone to 'encourage' her so she had been putting in these extra lessons so this year her grade is above the C she got last year.
Of course she and Wanda were not completely alone in the lessons. There was a third member of what was this little bizarre trio and that was arguably Tabby's best friend Amara. If you thought the wild-child and Goth friendship was weird trying adding an actual princess from a virtually unknown pre-industrial country into the mix. Amara even shared the same room with Tabby and Wanda.
This summer had been hard on Amara because of the fact Claire Selton aka Volcana had walked out on them needing to...and Tabby is paraphrasing here, 'find herself' after as it turns out Claire killed some of the MRD guys that attacked the mansion back at the start of the summer. It hurt Amara because she was close to Claire. In fact Tabby has had some suspicions that Amara might have been feeling something beyond friendship for the now departed fiery redhead due to how much it had seemed to hurt Amara. Mara had been moping around almost the entire summer.
Speaking of suspicions two people who had Tabby's suspicions were walking in now in the form of Scott and Jean. Tabby can't put her finger on it but there is something different about them...about the way they act around each other. Has been ever since that time they spent hiding out in the woods when the whole world it seemed wanted to lynch them. There were just secret little smiles and knowing looks and what were probably secret telepathic conversations. Not to mention Scott and Jean were just generally far more openly affectionate to each other when before, as is their nature, they were much more reserved and controlled about that kind of thing and it just made it click in Tabby's mind that something was going on. Tabby had her suspicions about precisely what but she hadn't been able to prove anything...yet.
Tabby's attention turns back to the door as Rogue enters leading Clark by the hand accompanied by Mrs Kent. A Clark dressed head to toe in black, black buttoned-up shirt and black jeans, for some reason and he still looks utterly gorgeous. Tabby lets out a mental sad sigh. If only she could get a boyfriend like that but sadly she was currently single.
Clark...and to him it still sounds wrong that that is his name but Rogue seems to call him that and from her lips it sounds nice. He hadn't yet been able to work out exactly what he feels for her but he knows for certain she is his mate and even if he can't remember it he can see why he would choose her to be his mate even under all this dark colouring she spreads over her face. He still had no remembrance of who he was or what it is he feels he is suppose to be doing so for now he has decided to remain in this place until he does remember these things. It is the only sensible thing to do.
With Clark in the room everyone goes silent unsure how to react around him. Hank, who is having his morning coffee, speaks up. "Come now. There is no need for this. Just act normally. Familiar sights and sounds can help stimulate memory," he tells them hoping that indeed will help jog Clark's memory.
Rogue sits Clark down while Martha works on making Clark his favourite breakfast. For the 2 women who both love him in different ways it was hard due to the fact Clark had little to no recall but yet at least there was hope due to the fact he is back with them.
At one of Magneto's bases...
Magneto continues to watch and wait as the young mutant boy he entrusted with Lionel's journal continues his work in deciphering it. The boy's name was Douglas Ramsey. He was of pretty average build and height for a 14 year old with blond hair and blue eyes. His mutant gift is, to use the technical term, Omnilingual Translation. There was no language or code he could not decipher given a few hours to study it. Magneto had hence given him the fitting name of Cypher.
Cypher was a runaway after his father joined the Friends of Humanity. He had run all the way here after using his mutant gift to trace the origin of the websites Magneto set-up. Magneto had been impressed enough to let the boy stay. As for the so-called 'Friends of Humanity' Magneto would deal with them soon enough. The fact they came into existence was no surprise to Magneto. It was inevitable humans would set-up little hate groups like that. It is their nature.
"So did you ever see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" Cypher suddenly asks.
"How is that relevant?"
"Indy's father's diary. You know where he wrote down every clue and lead he discovered in his search for the Holy Grail. This is essentially what is in here." Cypher swings around in the chair he is sitting in and holds out many pieces of paper upon which he has written his translation of what is in the diary.
Magneto steps forward and takes the pages and starts to skim over them.
Cypher continues. "A lot of it are stories and myths from various cultures around the world relating to the nature of the 3 stones. There is a subtle difference in what they thought there were. When some refer to power they are meaning knowledge which I guess in the right hands is power and others do mean the stones possess some kind of literal supernatural power."
"I am more interested in clues to their locations," Magneto points out trying to focus the boy on that goal.
"Right. Right. Ok that is where it gets tricky," Cypher has to confess. He grabs the journal and turns it to the relevant pages before holding it up for Magneto to see. "3 distinct groupings of text written in a language I'm going to need more time to crack."
Magneto looks at the boy through a narrowed glare.
Cypher holds his hands up. "Hey. Give me a break. The language is insanely complex. Its construction, morphology, syntax and so on leads to the conclusion it was created by beings not of this world who think in ways we can't even dream of...which is unbelievably cool," Cypher comments as he is a bit of a geek if he is being honest about himself.
Magneto can feel a headache coming. The boy was off course. "What is the purpose of this text?"
"Right. Well they were found on an Egyptian temple wall and from the other writings around them in hieroglyphics they are suppose to be cryptic puzzles leading to where the stones are hidden. The idea being that only 'The One They Were Left For' could find them...and I'm quoting the Egyptian text there."
"Do you have any leads on where the stones are yet?"
"Actually yes. While no-one has been able to decipher the language of the puzzles if you bring together other clues scattered about from other ancient civilisations you can start to narrow it down. From what is in the journal Luthor had believed he had found two of the locations. However when he searched the locations he found nothing."
"What about the 3rd location?"
"Oh he didn't have a clue where the 3rd stone was. There's practically nothing in the journal."
That means Magneto must rely on the boy to crack the language these puzzles are written in. For the moment he focusses on what they seem to know. "Where did Luthor believe the other 2 stones were?"
"An ancient temple in China according to this," Cypher says flicking the journal to the appropriate page. "However he had that searched for a month and found nothing."
Perhaps Lionel missed something Magneto muses. Perhaps he will go and look this temple over himself. "The last location?"
"Egypt...well it's modern day Libya but it was part of the Egyptian empire back when the stone was suppose to be hidden."
"How far did Lionel get?"
"Not very. He couldn't get permission so he tried a few illegal digs. However it was some discreet satellite images taken in the infra-red he managed to get from the military that perhaps show something."
"As in?"
"Well it looks like a whole temple buried by the sand. Wiped clean by the wrath of God."
That headache is returning. That's from Raiders of the Lost Ark. "Did Luthor ever manage to get in?"
"Err...no. It would require a major excavation that the then Libyan government would never allow."
"Or perhaps it would require someone who has power over sand," Magneto puts forward as a way he can excavate the site and get to this buried temple by using Sandman's gift.
"Sure. That might work."
"Good work," Magneto praises Cypher. "Get ready to depart."
"Me? Depart?" Cypher queries utterly lost.
"I will require you to translate any writings we might find. Since Luthor searched the site in China and found nothing Libya is a much better prospect as a starting point," Magneto explains.
"Look I'm as up for an adventure as the next 14 year old but Libya isn't exactly the safest place on Earth at the minute," Cypher points out. His only power is the ability to translate languages. Apart from that he is just a geeky teenager who likes video games and suffers from acne. He isn't a fighter. The only reason he is here is because he couldn't live with his mutant hating father since he is, you know, a mutant and he thought Magneto would be his best bet for staying safe.
"My Acolytes will see to your safety," Magneto assures the boy. "Get packed. Take whatever you might need. We'll be leaving as soon as possible." Magneto then turns and departs giving Cypher no room to argue. He seeks out Sabretooth to pass on the order for the Acolytes to get ready to depart.
Sabretooth grunts really uninterested one way or another in Magneto's obsession with magical rocks. "You bringing Sinister along?"
"This does not concern him."
"You don't trust him," Sabretooth states with a half-smile.
"I trust him to do what he thinks will aid him. For now our objectives happen to coincide."
"Where is he this time?" Sabretooth asks knowing Sinister is off doing something.
"He was studying the footage from the Alkali Dam collapse and said he spotted potential new recruits. If he thinks they can be useful I'll allow him to pursue it."
The Canadian Wilderness...
4 young men sit around a camp fire over which they are cooking a rabbit they caught to eat for breakfast. One of them has unruly long black hair holding what looks like a shillelagh in one hand. Strapped over his chest is an ammo belt but what it holds seems to be pieces of wood. His codename was...maybe still is Ramrod. Sitting next to him is a shorter boy covered in brown hair. He is the aptly named Hairbag. Next is a large muscular bald boy who ended up with the name Slab. The last young male is a strange looking boy with purple skin and hair and whose arms were out of proportion to his body. There were too long. His name is Gorgeous George.
The 4 young men use to be part of a mutant unit called Beat Squad working for Lionel Luthor's private anti-mutant security force the Mutant Response Division(MRD) headed by Colonel William Stryker based in a secret facility inside the dam at Alkali Lake until the X-Men came along and destroyed the dam and then Lionel Luthor was arrested, Stryker vanished, Luthorcorp was liquidated and the MRD disbanded...or that is what happened as far as these 4 know.
The X-Men made the offer to the 4 mutants to join them but they refused not agreeing with the X-Men's philosophy. The only one to leave their unit and join the X-Men was their 'sister' Domino. Technically they were all related in one way or another as each and every one of them had been created by Stryker as part of an experiment to attempt to breed the ultimate living weapon.
Since that day the dam was destroyed 3 months ago they had been living out in the woods where it was safer but it was starting to become tiresome.
"Ya know maybe things have calmed down by now," Gorgeous George suggests in his Australian accent about what might have happened in the intervening period since mutants were exposed. His accent comes from his foster parents. After Stryker created them as babies he dumped them off in varying orphanages until the day they became teenagers and their powers would manifest.
"Yeah," Slab says in agreement. "Maybe it's time to head back."
"Hairbag agree," the hairy mutant says in his simple way agreeing with the idea that it's time to stop hiding out in the woods.
"And if things haven't calmed down," Ramrod puts forward being the calm levelled headed de-facto leader of this little group.
Slab punches one hand into another. "Then anyone who crosses us will regret it," he says and since he was superstrong and highly resistant to injury he can back that up.
"Patrick," George says using Ramrod's real name. "We can't hide out here forever," he says sounding serious.
Ramrod knows he is right. Hiding was the easy thing to do at the time since they were hundreds of miles away from civilisation. "Alright. First thing tomorrow we start heading south towards the border," he decides.
"Or perhaps I can offer you boys an alternative."
All 4 young mutants spring to their feet at that voice and look around for its source. Hairbag makes some animal noises. "Who said that?" he asks.
"A friend," is the reply.
"Show yourself!" Ramrod demands. "Or face the consequences!" he threatens the mysterious voice that seemed intent on playing games.
Laughter echoes around. "Well now aren't you nasty boys. I'll show myself after you answer my questions. Do you want to be more than this? Do you want more than hiding out in the woods? Do you want a vital place in the future of mutantkind?"
"What if we say yes," Ramrod inquires wanting to know what they might be getting themselves into beforehand.
"Then you can join me in heralding in a glorious new future...and prove to Stryker you are not merely weapons."
"How does he know so much about us?" Gorgeous George wonders.
"I know more than you can possibly imagine. Now what is your answer?"
Ramrod's dark eyebrows furrow up as he thinks. "We will want more detail," he tells the mysterious voice.
"Of course. In time you will get answers to questions you haven't even thought of yet."
Ramrod looks at his 'brothers' who all one by one nod to say for now they will go along with this and hear whoever this was out. It was at the very least a means out of the wilderness. "We say yes!" Ramrod announces.
The 4 mutants wait and tense as there is the crunching sound of footsteps approaching and out of the undergrowth steps a tall man in a black bodysuit with a shredded looking cape hanging from it. He also has deathly white skin and glowing red pupilless eyes. "Excellent. I knew you would see wisdom in my proposal and with my help I will elevate your potential to levels you cannot dream of," he tells them.
"So who are you?" Ramrod asks.
The man grins and pointed teeth become visible. "You may call me Sinister. Mister Sinister."
SHIELD prison facility...
Lionel Luthor was once one of the richest, most prominent businessmen in the world until he found his company had been infiltrated by mutants who made sure he would fall. The very mutants he was developing technology to contain, investigate, and eventually replicate their powers to sell to the military as the next generation of biological weapons. On the side he was hoping to find a cure for his terminal liver disease. In the pursuit of such a cure he may have bent moral niceties and possibly technically broken a few laws with his experiments but mutants weren't humans. They were aberrations who had cost him everything and he could only hope to live long enough to make them pay. Revenge was all Lionel Luthor had left.
To be truthful Lionel was surprised to be still alive. His liver disease should have killed him by now but for whatever reason it had not yet. As he lies on the bed in his cell he contemplates the reasons why. Perhaps fate doesn't want him to step off the stage quite yet.
Lionel hears the door to the corridor on the other side of the bars open. He turns his gaze to that direction and is genuinely surprised by the sight of the son who had disowned him.
"Hello dad," Lex greets him.
Lionel gets to his feet and walks over towards the bars and his son. "So what brings you to my cosy little jail cell?" he asks with the necessary sarcasm.
"Let me jog your memory. 3 stones with mythical power hidden across the world. When united the 3 stones would grant someone unlimited power and knowledge. 3 stones you spent years and millions of dollars trying to find."
"I funded many educational digs through the Luthorcorp Foundation," Lionel says in reply trying to make it sound like he doesn't know what Lex is on about.
"Don't play games with me dad. I'm not in the mood," Lex snaps off angrily at his father's games.
"And I am? In case it escaped your attention Lex I've been charged with treason. You know what the penalty for that is?"
"The same one you tried to inflict on the mutants at Charles Xavier's Institute when you blew it up? The same one you tried to inflict on me when you poisoned my whisky?"
Lionel's face remains impassive. "Last I checked my old friend Charles was looking quite well and as for his students I found that documentary where they were interviewed on tv the other week very educational and they looked very much alive."
"10 minutes dad. I lay there for 10 minutes waiting for the paramedics. They said that dosage of poison should have killed an ordinary man but apparently I'm not ordinary."
"Of course not. You're my son."
"Piece of advice dad. Don't wound what you can't kill...and you're not the only one who needs that lesson."
"What are you on about?" Lionel asks lost.
"I was attacked at the mansion by Magneto."
"Well mutants are dangerous freaks of nature."
Lex leans forward so he can watch his father's reaction to this next bit more closely. "He took your journal."
Lionel's face twitches.
Lex smiles. "I thought that would get a reaction out of you. That journal is where you wrote down every clue in the hunt for the 3 stones. Now you couldn't find them but I'm betting with the resources and powers at his disposal Magneto can so let me ask you a question dad. Do you want him to find them first?"
"What do you want?" Lionel asks, now sounding very serious.
"I want to know whatever you remember about the clues you found to their locations."
"And what do I get in return?"
Lex turns his head to the security camera. "Open it." The lock clicks open and the bars slide back. "You get to go free...on condition."
"Condition?"
"Before I came here I had a little chat with Colonel Fury. He believes as I do if Magneto is putting so much effort into this then there must be something to the myths about the stones. Help us find them first and...you'll get a Presidential Pardon," Lex says distastefully that he is having to say this. It tastes extremely bitter but only the prospect...the hope that he could rebuild his life would make any traction with his father.
Lionel steps out of his cell next to his son. "Then on that condition I accept...assuming I get this in writing," he modifies. Lionel isn't that stupid.
Lex pulls a piece of his paper out of his pocket. "Your pardon...which will only become valid upon retrieval of the 3rd stone."
Lionel takes the paper and reads it over. It's genuine. He smiles broadly. "Well son it looks like we get to go on a father/son adventure."
Lex scowls. "Don't get too happy dad. You fail to get us to the stones 1st I'll be insisting on the electric chair. You double-cross me and you'll find out what kind of son you have truly raised," Lex warns his father.
"Times a wastin," Lionel points out in a deliberately merry tone.
Lex bangs on the door to be opened just knowing this is a bad idea but unfortunately he can't do it without his father. At least not until he gets that journal back and once he does...well Lex will be the one doing the double-cross.
Author's Note: Thought it time to complete the circle so to speak and have Sinister pick up the 4 who will become his little group; the Nasty Boys. Isn't it nice to see the Luthors reunited? Yeah Lionel is back in the game. You just know that is going to be trouble. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The inevitable confrontation between the Luthors, SHIELD and Magneto as they fight to gain possession of the 1st stone.