Chapter Nineteen: Isn't Someone Missing?
Tobi didn't even know why she'd got it in her head that Magneto and his brotherhood of freaky friends. All that she knew was that she had to find him, and her ability as an empath meant she was gaining extremely troubled vibes. When she had explained things to Danni, Sean and Hank, they had immediately risen to the occasion. Tobi examined the interior of the Toucan with a rather contemptuous expression, her hands planted on her hips as she examined the swarm of people, dizzy with dancing and drink. The other day, she might have been one of them…but tonight, she meant business.
Sean and Danni lingered uncertainly behind Tobi. Danni was gnawing nervously at her lips and Sean, true to his nature, was checking out all the girls under the age of twenty-one. Hank had decided to wait out in the car, and Tobi, who had felt the humiliation washing off him, hadn't questioned the matter. It was kind of scary to think that she was in charge of this entire operation. Hank, Danni and Sean were actually listening to her, which kind of creeped her out as well. It meant that her suspicions about Alex's disappearance were founded, and that they must think she was right.
Tobi was terrified that she would let them down, that she would be wrong. What if Alex had just run away? She couldn't bear thinking about it. Then there was the part that made her feel guiltiest of all. Tobi had always been the perfect thief and now she had stolen from Charles. She fought against the sick, heavy feeling in her stomach and ignored the cold steel pressed against her skin that reminded her of what she'd taken.
"Any idea what we're looking for?" Sean inquired, his eyes appreciating a blonde girl walking by.
Tobi just shrugged. A lot of the people who came to the Toucan were actually undercover mutants. All they had to do was find someone drunk or stupid enough to tell them where Magneto was hiding. She found her victim and a smile curved her lips.
"Come on, guys. I think I've found someone."
Tobi reached into her belt and touched the cold metal to reassure herself. She really hoped that she could rely on her powers – because she had no wish to use the weapon she'd stolen. She crossed the bar as Danni and Sean did their best to make themselves look inconspicuous. It wasn't hard for Sean – he was still busy checking out the girls, much to Tobi's despair.
"Excuse me." Tobi smiled as she tapped the dark-haired man on the shoulder. He was in his early thirties with a goatee and a glazed look about his eyes. She placed her hand on his arm, channeling her emotions into him. He was already drunk, so it shouldn't take much. "I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find Magneto."
It would have been stupid to barge into the Brotherhood's base with a gun in her hand. Magneto would have it out of her hand quicker than Tobi could blink. For that reason, she left Charles's revolver tucked snugly where it was in her belt. However, her expression remained hard as she pushed open the door to the rundown old church.
Magneto was just as Tobi remembered him. He whirled around upon hearing the deafening screech of aged hinges, and his eyes flicked over Tobi, Hank and Sean. He frowned when he glanced at Danni, but quickly recovered himself.
"Somehow, I don't think you're here to join me."
Tobi smiled humourlessly. She had seen Magneto's true colours on that beach in Cuba, and she had never forgiven him for paralysing Charles. In fact, she pretty much hated him, especially now that she suspected he played a part in Alex's disappearance. She tried to sense Magneto's emotions, but he was pretty much unreadable.
"I know what you've done. I don't care if you're Erik Lehnsherr or Magneto now, I want Havok back."
Magneto raised his eyebrows with a smirk, clearly aware of the relationship between Tobi and Alex. It had been evident even then and Tobi flushed furiously, hating how easily Magneto managed to undermine her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Tobi."
She noticed Raven stepping into place beside Magneto – well, Mystique now. The blonde girl Tobi had once known had been permanently replaced by the sapphire-skinned, yellow-eyed shapeshifter. Tobi still thought she looked nice no matter what form she chose, but Mystique's defensive stance and hostile stare assured Tobi that the shapeshifter was firmly on Magneto's side.
"Liar," Tobi hissed under her breath, taking a step towards him. Magneto's followers were still a small group – as well as Shaw's forces, there was Angel, Mystique and a shapely blonde woman in her late twenties or early thirties who Tobi didn't recognize. They all stood almost protectively around Magneto.
Tobi wheeled around and nodded to her friends. It still felt weird, being in charge. The blonde woman leapt into action, but before she could accomplish anything, Danni's eyes had narrowed and Tobi knew she was focusing her power on the blonde woman. Hank snarled and clashed with Azazel, while Sean used his sonic scream to knock out Riptide. Mystique stood beside Tobi, her yellow eyes narrowed as Tobi marched through the chaos towards Magneto. Angel tried to lunge at her, but Tobi knocked her away with a force field.
"Get out of my way, Raven," Tobi warned, surprised at the hardness in her own voice, "Don't make me hurt you."
"I doubt you could." Her former best friend's tone was cool and self-assured. "Besides, it's Mystique now."
Then she grabbed Tobi and threw them both to the ground. Tobi's head smacked down, narrowly missing one of the pews. She grimaced, having underestimated Mystique. While Tobi might be hesitant about hurting her former friend, Mystique clearly had no qualms about doing what she must to protect Magneto – who was watching everything with amusement.
"Who the hell are you?" Tobi asked, slapping away Mystique's hands and pulling at her fellow mutant's crimson hair. "You're not my best friend. You're not the girl I once knew."
"I've changed," Mystique snapped, "I grew stronger. What about you, Tobi?"
Tobi responded by throwing the other girl off her with such force that Mystique crashed across the pews, knocking them over like dominoes and hitting the far well. She didn't move.
Tobi got to her feet, feeling a little bad about what she'd done…but before she could even contemplate her next move, someone had grabbed her by the wrists so that she couldn't use her power. Tobi whipped around to find herself glaring at Magneto, who still looked dryly amused by the whole situation.
"Give me Alex back," Tobi snarled at him, trying to yank her wrists from his grasp, "I don't know what your sick little idea is, but give Alex back!"
"I don't have Alex," Magneto replied calmly, tightening his grip on Tobi, "But now I have you."
Magneto pinned Tobi's arms behind her back and started to drag her from the service hall of the church. She kicked at him, but despite his grunt of pain, he didn't let her go. She struggled as he pulled her down a hallway and then whirled her around and shoved her against a wall.
His cold hand ghosted down her waist and found her hip. Tobi raised her eyebrows and laughed as he pulled the gun from her belt, holding it up triumphantly.
"Kinky, Erik. Just shove me up against the wall and take away my weapons."
Magneto just chuckled as he cast the gun aside.
"I thought I felt the tug of metal on you. Besides, you're a little young for my taste, October."
She flinched at the use of her full name and decided to bite back. "Well, Raven's obviously not."
Magneto didn't reply. Instead, his eyes hardened and he frowned. Tobi pushed at him, but he just gripped her by the shoulders and shook her like she was a ragdoll.
"Listen to me very carefully, girl. I don't have Alex, and I never did. If he disappeared, I have no idea where he's gone. Except…"
It was the last word that Tobi clung grimly to, the shred of hope that she might find Alex.
"Except what?"
Magneto looked grim. "There is a young mutant who aspires to become like Shaw. He is growing in power and despite the fact that he only has one ally, this ally of his is an extremely powerful one. This is the young man who could have done something to Alex, perhaps tried to use him as a weapon…"
Tobi's heart was beating a fast, frantic pattern in her chest. Her green eyes were wide with horror.
"What's his name? What's his power?"
Magneto clenched his jaw. "They say is young, around twenty or so. His power is the same is Shaw's and it's highly likely that this young man, unknowingly or not, is actually Shaw's son."
"What's his name?" Tobi repeated, her voice little more than a terrified whisper.
Magneto shrugged. "He is known only as Bishop."
Tobi thought her blood might have turned to ice as she followed Magneto back out towards where the rest of his creepy brotherhood were waiting apprehensively along with Tobi's friends. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Magneto didn't mean Bishop Bishop. Not the same guy that Tobi had known and who had relentlessly tormented her throughout her teenage years. It had to be a coincidence.
"He's not here, guys." Tobi's voice was completely flat, and she avoided Danni's questioning stare. "Let's go."
"What…?" Sean sounded shocked. "What do you mean, not here? Then where the hell is he?"
Tobi didn't answer, however she became aware that the fourth member of her party was not as quick to follow. She turned around to face Hank, who was staring rather pleadingly at Mystique.
"You can still come back you know, Raven."
Mystique shook her head slowly, walking over towards Magneto. "No, I can't. My place is here now. With Magneto. I'm where I belong."
To prove her point, Mystique tilted her head upwards and passionately kissed Magneto on the lips. He wrapped a casual arm around her waist and kissed her back. It was clearly a slap in the face to Hank, who was forced to acknowledge that Mystique had formed a relationship with someone else.
"Fine." Hank's voice was hard and he glowered across at Mystique, an animalistic growl beginning deep in his throat. "You want to stay here? Okay. But I just thought I'd let you know – Charles can't walk, Raven. He's a paraplegic. Thanks to him…" Hank jabbed accusingly at Magneto. "He'll never walk again."
Mystique turned her head away, but Tobi didn't miss the horror that was washing off her in waves. Magneto took a slight step forward, his mouth opening and then closing again. He too looked shocked by this news.
"Exactly," Tobi sneered at them. She couldn't believe that her former friend would stick by Magneto. She was definitely not Raven anymore. "But don't come back, Raven. We don't need you anymore."
Charles was infuriated when Tobi, Hank, Sean and Danni returned to the mansion bruised, battered and completely exhausted. There was no escaping his piercing blue stare as they trudged in through the kitchen and froze upon finding Charles there reading the morning paper.
"Where exactly have the four of you been for the past twenty-four or so hours?"
Tobi glanced across at her friends. Hank was staring at his feet as if they'd become the most interesting things on the planet, and Sean had jammed his hands into his pockets. She swallowed hard and stepped forward. She had to take responsibility for her own actions.
"It was my idea, Charles. I'm the one who did all of this."
"Tobi, that's not true!" Danni exclaimed, grabbing her friend's arm, "We were involved in it just as much as you are…"
Tobi jerked her arm free, not even looking at the dark-haired girl. Instead, her eyes were focused on Charles, who didn't look angry. Tobi could have dealt with anger. Anger she was used to. What she didn't know how to deal with was the cold disappointment that now emanated from Charles.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Tobi," Charles said in a quiet voice, "I never would have thought you would do something so stupid. You're setting a bad example for the new mutants. You will not be borrowing the Cadillac for a week and you certainly will not be going out clubbing. Is that understood?"
Tobi exchanged a rather confused glance with Hank. Did Charles not know about Alex?
"Umm…Charles? Alex took the Cadillac the day before yesterday. He, umm…well, we got into a fight, a big one, and now he's missing. We went to confront Magneto, because we thought he might have taken him…"
"You did what?" Charles asked, suddenly alert. His eyes widened. "Tobi, what were you thinking? You could have been killed!"
Tobi shook her head vehemently. "Magneto didn't have Alex. But he told us about a mutant who might. There's this mutant called Bishop, who has the same power as Shaw and might even be his son. He's getting more powerful by the day…"
Tobi was certain that the Bishop she'd known definitely wasn't the Bishop that Magneto had referred to. What would Shaw's son have been doing as part of a theft joint?
Charles shook his head and rubbed at his temples. When he looked at Tobi, he looked rather tired and sad. He glanced across at the others.
"Would you mind if I had a word with Tobi alone, please?"
Tobi knew this couldn't be good. The other three shuffled from the room and she knew that she had endangered them with her recklessness. She felt bad about it now, but wasn't it worth it, to find Alex?
"We can't make any decisions just yet. We'll continue with our lessons and see what happens."
"What?" Tobi exclaimed, unable to accept this. Her green eyes widened with shock. Charles wouldn't just abandon Alex. There had to be another reason. "You can't be serious! He could be in big trouble right now! We need to help him!"
"I understand why you are so concerned for him," Charles replied gently, and there was sorrow in his eyes as he stared right back at the infuriated girl. "I am very sorry, Tobi…but I looked into your mind. I know exactly what has happened between you and Alex. You must understand…there is every chance that Alex has chosen to leave us for good."
Tobi refused to believe it. She refused to believe that she was responsible for whatever had happened to Alex. He had been mad at her before, and he'd always bounced back. Sure, this had been a huge betrayal, but surely he'd cool down after this long?
"No," Tobi whispered, shaking her head. "He wouldn't do that."
But in her heart, doubt began to take hold like a poisonous weed.