Sabretooth was screaming as he was falling through a void. Images of people and places were flashing right before his eyes.
"Is there no limit to the torment in your mind, Sabretooth?" Xavier's voice sounded through the hairy mutant's mind. "Have you only known betrayal by your friends and persecution by humanity?"
"We must probe deeper." Xavier assessed.
Sabretooth was struggling in some kind of liquid that was trying to pull him under. Using all his strength, Sabretooth pulled himself up and found himself in a cage with several humans pointing and jeering at him.
"Your mind is full of torment, Sabretooth. Your mutant life has been difficult. Your search for acceptance, a failure."
The humans started to poke him with sticks and throw rocks at him. Xavier appeared next to the insufferable people and walked through the bars. "Cruelty to creatures we don't understand seem limitless." He went into Sabretooth like a ghost. "Let me become one with your pain." Sabretooth's appearance changed. He looked exactly like Xavier, but still kept the pupil-less eyes and blond facial hair.
"Together, we can find the cause of your torment. What are these inner demons that drive you?" The humans then morphed into hideous monsters that broke the bars and started to advance on Sabretooth/Xavier. One monster tried to swipe at the hybrid, but it dodged the attack and punched it, making it disappear.
"Yes, we can fight them together. Are we any closer to the core of your rages?" The monsters managed to gain the advantage and corner them, which prompted Sabretooth to separate from Xavier and run through the wall.
"Wait, don't break our psychic link!" Xavier tried to phase through the wall but couldn't. The surroundings then changed, with Xavier floating through a pink void. The wall that Sabretooth escaped from had grown into a cube that was keeping Xavier out.
"What are you hiding from me, Sabretooth?" Xavier tried to find any weak point in the structure, but Sabretooth kept a strong mental defense against the telepathic mutant. "Why do you keep these thoughts from me? Can they be so painful?" He ended up finding a weak point to force open. "Don't resist me. I will know it all in time."
As he placed his hand on the cement, he felt all the pain and hurt emanating from the troubled mutant. "Such hurt. Such rage. No wonder Magneto believes there is no hope or peace." Xavier finally exited the tormented mind of Sabretooth.
He gave the mutant, who was currently sleeping in the infirmary, a look of pity. "But we must never give up trying."
"Magneto thought we would join him, professor." Cyclops told Xavier in his office. Danny, Storm, and Wolverine were also there, drinking coffee, as Scott gave his report. "He wanted us to use our special powers in his battle for mutant liberation. When we refused, he declared us his enemies."
Xavier took in this information. "He believes we are the next stage in human evolution beyond homo sapiens. Homo superior, and that we are destined to rule a mutant control world under his domination."
"Fighting for human mutant peace has just become more dangerous." Storm stated as she sipped her coffee.
"Stuff the philosophy." Wolverine said. "Let's go kick his butt."
"Wolverine's right." Danny agreed. "That maniac was about to kill who knows how many people with those warheads."
Xavier decided to move on to more positive news. "At any rate, I have some good news."
"We can use some." Storm quipped.
"Yeah, it's been kinda depressing so far." Danny said.
They followed Xavier into the war room, where Jubilee and Rogue were as well. Wolverine was mindlessly drinking his caffeine when he heard a familiar growl.
Wolverine pulled out his claws at Sabretooth, who was restrained in a chair that was floating above the team's table. "Get him out of here!"
Xavier continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I've been spending some time with Sabretooth probing his mind, working to help alleviate his rages, much as I did for Wolverine. There are still some recesses of his mind that I have failed to penetrate. But I trust I will, given enough time."
"I'll penetrate his recesses." Wolverine threatened.
"Wolverine!" Cyclops tried to calm him down.
"What's wrong, Wolverine?" Sabretooth mocked. "No kiss and make up?"
Wolverine brought his claws up to Sabretooth's eye level. "Kiss this." Sabretooth, however, was undeterred.
"We used to be old pals." Sabretooth reminded Wolverine. "Even worked together. But we had some little misunderstandings."
"Yeah right." Wolverine scoffed. "He wasted friends of mine for no reason, and I misunderstood?"
This caught Danny's attention. Wolverine's friends were killed by this monster? It was just like... Danny refused to keep thinking about his own personal demons. He glared at Sabretooth. Now he can see where Wolverine was coming from. He wouldn't be too happy if Xavier opened his doors to Dan either.
"What's wrong, Wolverine?" Sabretooth taunted. "Feeling-" He was cut off when Danny blasted Sabretooth's mouth with a piece of ectoplasm, creating a gag that kept him from talking.
"Just shut up, you overgrown flea bag! You should be grateful that we don't let Wolverine finish you already!" Danny yelled. This took all the occupants of the room back a bit. They've never seen Danny lose his cool like this before. He was usually a very chill guy. Even Jubilee had never seen him like this.
"Calm down, all of you." Xavier took charge of the room before things became more chaotic. "After conquering your own rages, Wolverine, you more than anyone know what Sabretooth is going through. I need your assistance with the next phase of his therapy."
Danny looked doubtful. "Are you sure that's a good idea, professor? I feel like it's only going to make things worse."
"You got to be kidding!" Wolverine exclaimed. "Tell you what, long as he's here, I'm going to be somewhere else." He stormed out angrily.
"Wolverine! Come back!" Jubilee tried to get him to reconsider, but Wolverine ignored her.
"Don't worry, sweet pea." Rogue reassured her. "He'll ease on back when he's ready."
"She's right, Jubilee." Danny said to her. "You just need to give him some time to let out some steam."
"Are you alright as well, sugar?" Rogue asked. "You suddenly seemed angry at Sabretooth as much as Wolverine was."
"When he said that Sabretooth killed his friends, I instantly understood what he was feeling." Danny gave a disdainful look at Sabretooth. "I know better than anyone what it's like to lose loved ones to an enemy."
The room was in an uncomfortable silence, with Jubilee and Rogue giving Danny looks of compassion. After a couple moments of quietness, Xavier changed the subject.
"We'll deal with Wolverine's attitude later. Right now, we can't be distracted from our more urgent problem."
"Magneto." Scott said as the X-Men were giving Xavier their full attention.
"His missile attack failed, but he'll attack again soon. And next time he won't be so merciful."
Magneto was at his computer in his lair, looking over maps of the Earth.
"Well, Xavier, old friend." He said to himself. "Where shall it be? Where will you expect me?" He kept searching for areas in which he could create havoc among the human populace. "One place is as good as another. As long as it is populated with Homo sapiens, human lives can be used as bait."
He eventually found a chemical plant that caught his interest. "All those lovely chemicals. After all, without them, life itself would be impossible."
Workers were doing their mandatory tasks when, out of nowhere, one of the pipes burst, spilling chemicals on the floor. Before anyone could react and issue safety protocols, the bolts attached to a vat labeled "toxic" came loose, and hazardous liquid started to pour out of the seams.
The people inside the plant started running and screaming as vats started to light on fire while another one exploded. Magneto pulled a piece of the room off and made an entrance for himself. He watched as all the humans scattered in all the chaos and madness. This image satisfied him, as humans were nothing more than mice trying to flee from any powerful predators that were looming over them.
"Cerebro is monitoring all emergency frequencies." Xavier informed his team. "If Magneto strikes anywhere within the vicinity of..."
The alarm blared in the war room, alerting the X-Men of Magneto's attack.
"Your old buddy doesn't let the grass grow under his feet." Rogue said.
"He's challenging me." Xavier realized. "He'll hurt those workers just to get at me."
"He's a deranged supervillain." Danny pointed out. "It's what they do."
"Jubilee, you stay here and look after Sabretooth." Xavier ordered.
"My favorite job." Jubilee said sarcastically.
"Careful Jubilee." Danny warned her. "He may be bolted to that chair, but I don't want to take any chances. So be cautious around him."
"I will." Jubilee replied.
"Now, we must face the master of magnetism." Xavier announced.
"Yes, sir." Scott said obediently.
The group got on the Blackbird and set their coordinates for the chemical plant.
'I'll stop you, Magneto.' Danny promised to himself as they flew to their destination.
Magneto was waiting for Xavier to come.
"I wonder how you'll look, Charles, after so long." He wondered. "Perhaps a toupee?"
One of the walls was blasted open by Cyclops' optic blast as the X-Men barged into the building.
"Over there!" Scott cried, spotting their enemy.
"I'm disappointed." Magneto confessed. "I expected Xavier to be with you."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Magneto." Scott replied. "You'll have to make do with us!" He fired his optic blast, but Magneto used his powers to deflect the beam, causing it to hit another vat.
Storm fired her lightning at Magneto, who only absorbed it.
"Have you forgotten that electricity and magnetism are related?" He taunted.
"Maybe I can steal some of this old boy's thunder." Rogue said as she flew straight towards the rogue mutant, but Magneto created a forcefield to push her back, knocking her into a bunch of barrels.
Magneto was now getting annoyed. "You've wasted enough of my time. If Xavier refuses to face me, I'll make him regret his cowardice."
Magneto then felt some put their arms around his throat as he struggled into the air.
"What?" Magneto questioned in confusion. "What's going on?"
Danny soon became visible and threw Magneto into a wall. "Xavier might not be here to face you, but I think I'll fill your fight quota."
"Fool!" Magneto shouted. "I'll destroy you!" He fired another magnetic force field, but Danny dodged and turned invisible.
"You think invisibility will help you?" Magneto bellowed. "I'll find you soon enough."
He then felt something punch him in the face. He fired in that direction, only to be hit from another direction. Danny then turned visible and summoned three duplicates, and together they laid the smackdown on their magnetic foe.
Magneto was too slow to encounter Danny's attacks. He was actually getting worried. What kind of mutant had this much power?
The four Danny's then blasted Magneto with their ghost rays.
"How can you have this power?" Magneto demanded.
"Let's just say I'm not your everyday mutant." Danny remarked as Xavier came up next to him.
"I'm here, Magneto." Xavier said. "Just like you desired, so what do you want?"
"The years have been kind to you, Charles." Magneto observed. "Where did you find a mutant like that?"
"He's not a mutant." Xavier answered.
Magneto's eyes widened. "But that's impossible! No human could have that power! Not even a mutant!" He acknowledged Danny. "What are you?"
"Something you wouldn't believe." Danny responded.
"Why would a god like you help this fool save these pathetic humans?" Magneto asked, unable to comprehend why someone like Danny would waste his time on humanity.
"I'm not a fan of genocide." Danny said.
"You see Magneto. He may not be a mutant, but he is someone who cares. Cares about peace between humans and mutants. You must see that there is still hope." Xavier urged him.
Magneto was still not convinced. "You still dream of peace with those who would destroy all mutants?"
"Is this your answer?" Xavier gestured to the ruined plant. "This horror? After all the suffering we both have seen, you wish me to wage war on six billion humans?"
"When I was a child, my people talked while others prepared for war." Magneto said. "They used reason while others used tanks, and they were destroyed for their trouble. I won't stand by and watch it happen again. I won't!" He vowed.
He used his powers to throw Xavier to the floor, knocking him out of his hoverchair.
Danny, having had enough of this, went up to Magneto and overshadowed him. Magneto saw flashes of several incidents during the course of his life. Things that he wanted to forget about. The death of his family and living as a child under the cruel reign of the army that occupied his country. The feeling of being powerless and unable to do anything.
"What's happening?" Magneto said out loud. He could hear Danny chuckle within his head.
"I'm in your head, buckethead, and you're going to leave this place." Danny said
"No! No!" Magneto shouted in rage. "I won't let you take my body! Get out!"
"Then stop your attack." Danny demanded in exchange.
Magneto tried to force this presence out of him, but it was impossible. This wasn't like a mental assault, it was like his entire being, soul and all, was being overrun by this being.
Magneto fell to the floor and tried to blast Xavier, but his body wouldn't obey.
"You're not hurting any more people today." Danny stated to him.
Soon the other X-Men caught up to Xavier as they watched Magneto, who looked like he was having some kind of seizure.
"What's happening to him?" Rogue asked.
"Danny is possessing him in an attempt to make him leave." Xavier answered, to the bewilderment of the others.
"Possess him?" Storm asked.
"It makes sense; he is a ghost." Scott said. "Or half ghost technically."
"You win!" Magneto admitted defeat. "I'll leave this place! Just give me my body back!"
Danny exited Magneto's body and gave him a death stare. "Now get out of here."
"Who are you?" Magneto couldn't help, but ask.
"I'm Danny Phantom." Danny said, making Magneto give him a look of puzzlement.
"I don't know what you are, but I'll make you pay for this." Magneto promised. The rageful mutant blasted a hole in the wall and left, fulfilling his end of the deal.
"You guys alright?" Danny asked, turning to them. His earlier angry look had now changed to one of genuine concern.
"Nothing that a good old bubble bath won't fix." Rogue stated before giving Danny a sultry look. "Maybe you could join me." Danny blushed at the flirting.
"What about the people?" Danny asked.
"They all got away." Storm said.
"Let's get out of here before this place blows." Cyclops said as they all left through the same hole Magneto made.
A well-dressed man sat at a podium as he addressed the recent mutant concerns that have spiked since these attacks started. This man was Senator Robert Kelly, a man who felt that these "mutants" must be monitored in order to ensure the survival of the human race.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the world tonight is in the grip of a terrible crisis." Senator Robert Kelly said to all the reporters that were in front of him. "Since the president recklessly rescinded the Mutant Registration Act, those unfortunate mistakes of nature are running wild. The recent attacks at Drake Missile Base and Metro Chemical are just the beginning."
One female reported raised her hand, and Kelly gestured for her to ask her question. "Senator, what do you plan to do about it?"
Kelly smiled. "I intend, this very evening, to declare my candidacy for president of the United States."
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
Jubilee had been sitting in the control room, watching Kelly's speech. She instantly disliked the man.
"Right?" Jubilee said with a good amount of displeasure in her voice. "And I'm the queen of England."
"As President," Kelly continued, "I intend to relocate every mutant in this nation to internment camps that will facilitate the handling of these poor, unfortunate creatures."
Sabretooth took extreme offense to this as he thrashed around in his seat. "Just let me get my claws on that senator's throat."
Thinking it'd be best to calm Sabretooth down, Jubilee turned the monitor off and approached the angry mutant.
"I'm sorry." Sabretooth apologized. "I'm still learning to control that. Thanks to Professor X's help."
"Look at your wrist." Jubilee said, but Sabretooth shrugged it off.
"It's not bad." Sabretooth said, but Jubilee wasn't convinced.
"You going to stay calm while I fix it up?" Jubilee asked, hoping that he wouldn't make things even more difficult.
"Sure." Sabretooth said, making Jubilee sigh.
"Okay, here, let me take care of it." Jubilee pressed three buttons, which released the restraint. "There, that's better."
"Much better." Sabretooth agreed as he was flexing his arm.
"I'll get something to treat it." Jubilee was about to leave before Sabretooth grabbed her with his free hand.
"I heal real fast!" Sabretooth said as Jubilee tried to break out of his grip. "Lesson number one, girlie." He advised. "Never trust anyone. Your powers ain't so hot if you can't use your hands."
"But your treatments." Jubilee grunted.
Sabretooth smirked arrogantly. "You really think a few mealy-mouthed words from that old weakling could change me? I've been faking it. I've been waiting for the right moment." He started laughing at Jubilee's naivety.
"You want an Oscar or what?" Jubilee sneered.
"I want to do what I was sent here to do," Sabretooth replied, "and if you don't want the life crushed out of your little body, you're going to help."
Jubilee tried to put on a brave face, despite how scared she really was. "And what's that, dweeb?"
"Magneto ordered me to find this place and take it over." He revealed. "He knew your buddies would stop my attack and that wimp professor would take me in. He's got the X guy figured." He looked around the room. "You know, I'm really going to enjoy tearing this place up. Now you get me out of this rig before I..."
Jubilee did what she was told and let Sabretooth free. She tried to run away, but Sabretooth took a hold of her wrist.
"You done nice, girlie." He complimented. "For a reward, I'll finish you off clean and fast."
Jubilee tried to reason, but Sabretooth wouldn't budge. "But you said..." She cried in pain at how tight Sabretooth's grip was.
"Wolverine never should've let me live." Sabretooth said. "I wish he was here so I could take care of his carcass too." He then smelled a familiar scent.
"Be careful what you ask for, old buddy." Wolverine walked into the room. "It just might come true." He unleashed his claws. "Good thing I didn't go too far away to cool off, Sabretooth."
Wolverine then took notice of Jubilee and said to Sabretooth, "This is between you and me. Let the girl go."
"Whatever you say, pal." Sabretooth threw Jubilee across the room, making her hit the wall and fall unconscious.
Now it was just the two of them.
"So, you're doing the dirty work for Magneto now, eh?" Wolverine asked. "You used to backstab people for fun. What turned you into a rat-for-hire?"
"I'd heard you'd gone soft." Sabretooth admitted. "I was curious. I think maybe I heard right."
Wolverine started running towards his old foe. "All right, you egg-sucking piece of gutter trash. You always liked pushing around people smaller than you." He charged at Sabretooth, pushing him to the ground. "Well, I'm smaller! Try pushing me!"
Sabretooth was holding on to Wolverine's wrists, trying to keep himself from being stabbed by the metallic extensions. He kicked Wolverine away and then pounced on him. He grabbed Wolverine's wrists and was slowly pushing his claws towards his face.
"How about a little taste of adamantium for old time's sake?" Sabretooth jested.
The other X-Men entered the infirmary to rest after their battle with Magneto.
"It's good to be home again." Cyclops said.
"You said it, Scott." Danny agreed.
"I'm just glad that you managed to make Magneto go away." Scott said to his teammate. "I didn't even know you could do that. So can you just walk into anybody's body and take control of it?"
"Pretty much." Danny said.
"Remind me never to make you mad." Scott said, making Danny laugh.
"So you ever used that power to get with a girl?" Rogue joked, making Danny stammer nervously.
"No! I never did that!" Danny said quickly, making Rogue chuckle.
"I'm just messing with you, spooky." Rogue said.
"Yeah well..." Danny didn't finish his sentence as they heard a loud bang.
"The war room!" Xavier cried out.
"You always were second best." Wolverine said as he pushed Sabretooth off him. "And in this business, bub, second best don't cut it!" Wolverine was about to attack when the others barged in.
"Wolverine!" Xavier hollered. "What did I teach you about revenge?" Xavier was furious that Wolverine disobeyed his orders. "How often have I warned you about letting your personal feelings endanger the work of our team?"
Jubilee came to Wolverine's defense. "But Sabretooth was about to total me! Magneto sent him to do it!"
Wolverine glowered at Xavier. "You're out of line, professor. All I-" Wolverine was knocked to the ground by Sabretooth.
"Wolverine!" Xavier exclaimed.
"No!" Jubilee blasted Sabretooth with her powers, sending him through the wall outside the school.
Knowing that he was in a losing fight, Sabretooth retreated. For now.
"Rogue! Get him to the infirmary. Fast!" Xavier ordered, as Rogue carried him out.
"He's stabilized." Xavier said as they all looked at Wolverine, unconscious on one of the infirmary beds with bandages around him. "He's going to be alright."
"I was wrong, Wolverine." Xavier confessed to his unconscious X-Man. "I should have listened to you. I let my passion for an ideal that all mutants could be brothers blind me. That's twice I've failed." He said with regret.
Storm attempted to comfort her mentor. "We failed, Professor. Together."
"We can't afford to lose again, or Magneto and those like him will prevail." Xavier said seriously. "He's out there, scheming, planning. Danny was able to make him retreat today. But I wonder when the time comes, will the X-Men be ready?"
It was late at night as Danny stayed by Wolverine's side. He owed it to the man; if it weren't for him, Jubilee might be seriously injured or worse.
Wolverine stirred awake and saw Danny. "You're still here, bub?" He asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Danny informed him. "And I want to thank you for protecting Jubilee from Sabretooth."
Wolverine brushed it off. "You don't need to thank me."
Danny kept going. "I also want to apologize for all of us not listening to you in regards to Sabretooth. I know what it's like to lose family to an enemy. I should've helped them see your point."
"I'm just glad that I don't have to help him with his treatment." Wolverine said. "Now could you do me a favor and let me sleep in peace?"
Danny rolled his eyes but smiled. As he was leaving the room, Wolverine had one more thing to say to him.
"Bub, the guy that wasted your family, I hope he pays for what he did to you." Wolverine said.
"Thanks." Danny said, not knowing how to react to that. "But I'm sure that he's locked up somewhere that he can never escape from."
Magneto stood on a cliff as he observed the city.
"All right, Xavier." Magneto said. "You've cast your lot with humankind. But the others will understand. Mutants will come to me by the thousands, and we shall destroy you!"
He then thought back to when he had his control over his body taken from him by that... freak. He will make that particular X-Man pay for how he humiliated him.
"And you, Danny Phantom, I will make you pay for what you did to me." Magneto promised.