The waves remained steady as a certain Toad sat glumly on a rock.
"I don't get it." Toad said to himself. "I'm strong. I'm agile." He used his tongue to eat a fly that was buzzing near him. "I got this killer tongue. How could I be left behind twice?" He saw another fly and shot out his tongue to get it when he felt something grasp it.
This happened to be Kurt, who wanted to know what just happened to Rogue and the others.
"Alright, spill it, Toad." Kurt demanded as he continued yanking on Toad's tongue. "What just happened? Where'd the others go?"
"Okay, okay!" Toad gave in as Kurt let go of the tongue, causing it to shoot back at him, knocking him to the ground. "Yeah. I don't owe that crummy Magneto nothing, no more." He said bitterly. "That's for sure."
"Who?" Kitty asked.
"Magneto." Toad explained. "One major mega-mutant. He's screening out the best from the worst." He hopped toward the X-Men. "And we lost. Guess what that makes us?" He used his hand to make an L on his forehead. "Losers."
Kurt, getting irritated with his lack of answers, grabbed him by the uniform. "What happens to the winners?"
"Scott, Danny, no!" Xavier said in horror, thinking that they had joined Magneto.
"I know, professor." Danny said as he looked down at his jacket. "These outfits are horrible. But it was getting cold, and they were in the pod."
Xavier couldn't help but let out a laugh, glad that his students hadn't joined up with his former friend. "It's good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Danny."
"And it's good to see that you're all right." Danny replied as he got behind the professor's chair to push him out of here. "We came to rescue you, so let's go."
As he was pushing it, the chair suddenly stopped, courtesy of Magneto's power.
"Oh, yeah, Magneto." Danny said, as he had forgotten about the mutant. "I forgot." He turned around to look at Magneto. He was decked out in red armor with a spartan-like helmet on his head, along with a purple cape.
"So are you Magneto? Or are you another one of his brainless lackeys that I have to knock around?" Danny asked, getting a small glare from Magneto before he schooled his expression and adopted a welcoming look.
"Ah, Daniel Fenton." Magneto greeted as he walked over to Danny to get a better look. "It is nice to finally meet you. I have been interested in you for quite some time. Your power is quite astounding." He said, being genuine in his awe of Danny's abilities. He knew how the boy took down the Juggernaut with one punch. With that boy by his side, Magneto could rule the world. A world where mutants reigned supreme over all else.
"I am Magneto, master of magnetism." Magneto introduced himself before gesturing to their location. "And this is Asteroid M, a sanctuary for us mutants."
"Sanctuary, huh?" Danny asked, not impressed by Magneto's claims. He pointed over to the Brotherhood. "Being near the Brotherhood is the last thing I think of when I imagine sanctuary." He then raised his fist in front of Magneto. "Now get out of my way, before I throw you off your precious little asteroid."
"Hey, hey, easy, man." Alex said as he got in between them. "Magneto doesn't want to cause us any trouble. He just wants us to listen to him. That's all." He turned to Scott, thinking his brother would back him up. "Right, Scott?"
Everyone turned to Scott, who was caught off guard by being the center of attention.
"I, uh..." He tried to think of a response that would satisfy everyone. "I guess we're here to listen."
"What about them, Scott?" Xavier pointed over to the tubes that contained Jean, Storm, and Rogue. "Are they here to listen as well?"
"Hey!" Scott shouted in indignation at seeing his friends locked up. Danny saw his girlfriend unconscious and immediately went to action. He went over to get them out when the Brotherhood got in his path, but Danny simply phased through them and got to the tubes.
"Stop!" Magneto cried, but Danny ignored him as he phased Storm out of her tube, then Jean, and finally his girlfriend.
The three ladies opened their eyes as they realized they were somewhere else.
"Danny?" Rogue saw that Danny was holding her bridal style. "Where are we?"
"Long story short, that asshole over there," he pointed to Magneto, "abducted us to be part of his weird cult or something."
"It's not a cult." Magneto stated in annoyance and anger that Danny had freed the others.
"Sure, it isn't." Danny responded sarcastically. "And I'm sure you're gonna offer us Kool-Aid and tell us it isn't poisoned, right?"
"How could you kidnap them?" Scott demanded of Magneto, who simply smiled.
"Not everyone has the maturity to accept the need for change as you do." Magneto answered. "Not yet."
At this, Danny glanced at the Brotherhood before he broke down laughing, making everyone look at him strangely.
"What's so funny?" Magneto demanded, getting angered by this boy's lack of fear or respect for him.
"It's just that you implied the Brotherhood is more mature than us by accepting being abducted." Danny explained. "And I just couldn't help but laugh at those bozos being more mature than us."
The Brotherhood merely glared at Danny for the insult.
"Shut it, Dan!" Quicksilver snarled, which made Danny stop laughing immediately before zeroing in on the speedster and grabbing him by the throat.
"Don't ever call me Dan!" Danny threatened before he threw the white-haired mutant aside. Now no longer in a joking mood, Danny narrowed his eyes at Magneto.
"Alright, fun time's over. Now we're leaving, and if you want to have all your bones intact, then I suggest you move out of our way." Danny commanded as he turned into his ghost form.
"You'd better do what he says, Magnus." Xavier said to Magneto, allowing a small smirk to appear on his face. "Danny really isn't the type you want to get angry."
Magento raised his hands in order to calm down everyone. "Now, now. Let's not fight, shall we? After all, we have all won the trial by fire. All that's left is Sabretooth and Logan."
Xavier, realizing Logan would get abducted if he won, connected his mind to his colleague.
'Logan!' He said telepathically. 'Logan, lose the battle. Magneto is-'
He was unable to say more as Magneto saw Xavier trying to contact help and used his magnetic powers to take control of Xavier's wheelchair and slam him into a wall. Unfortunately, this earned Magneto a punch in the jaw by Danny.
Danny then glared at the Brotherhood, his eyes glowing in anger. "Now are you going to be a problem, or are you gonna let us leave?"
Frightened, the Brotherhood got out of their way as the X-Men began to leave Asteroid M, when Scott noticed Alex wasn't moving.
"Alex, come on, let's go." Scott encouraged.
"Scott, I can't leave." Alex said. "Magneto promised me that he would help me. Help me get rid of the pain." He elaborated.
"Yes, Scott." Magneto concurred as he got up from the ground. "I'm not your enemy. Nor am I Charles'." He took off his helmet, revealing that he had white hair, giving him a certain resemblance to another mutant.
Danny saw that resemblance and placed a hand on his head. "Oh, God, there's two of them." He moaned.
"Two of what?" Rogue asked him.
"He's Pietro's dad." Danny revealed as he pointed at him. "Look at him. You can see the resemblance. It also explains why he has as few brain cells as his son."
"Hey!" Quicksilver protested.
Magneto ignored this jab to himself and his son as he turned back to Alex. "If you want to know how to take control, follow me." The mutant floated down a corridor as Alex followed him, determined to hear him out.
"Alex!" Scott cried as he chased after his brother as the X-Men followed him, with the Brotherhood trailing behind.
Logan was thrown into a rock as he was pondering the last words Charles sent him.
"Lose the battle?" He said to himself. "I don't get it, Charles." He went back to fight Sabretooth, who tackled him, causing the two of them to tumble down a hill. As they neared the edge of a cliff, Logan kicked Sabretooth off, knocking him through a tree.
"I know about Magneto." Logan said to his rival.
"Then you know I'm the one who belongs at his side, not you." Sabretooth replied.
"You're right. Not me." Logan sheathed his claws as Sabretooth decked him in the face, sending him off the cliff. The feline-like mutant looked down to see Logan knocked out on a rock floating in the ocean.
He then laughed as he celebrated his victory before looking over to see a floating orb come down. He got in it, and the orb took off, with Logan opening his eyes to watch it leave. The X-Man then saw a nearby helicopter, which he could use to get back home.
The X-Men, plus Toad, entered the mansion to see that it had been totaled. Furniture was ripped up, statues had been knocked over and shattered, and even the front door was knocked off its hinges.
"Whoa. What happened here?" Kurt said.
"Oh, my gosh." Kitty looked around at all the damage, wondering what happened.
"This place is trashed." Evan said bluntly.
"Oh, man." Toad said. "You guys live like slobs."
"Storm?" Kitty called out, hoping that she was okay. "Storm? Hey, are you in here?"
Up above Kitty, a statue turned into Mystique, who jumped off the railing and landed in front of the group.
"She's out." Mystique told them. "Can I take a message?" She said sarcastically.
Toad had an amused look on his face as he realized what Mystique's still being here meant. "Hey, if you're still here, then that means you're a loser too."
Mystique grabbed Toad and glared at the little slimeball. "Don't ever call me that."
"What are you here for, Mother?" Kurt asked in suspicion, saying the last word with a bit more anger.
"Simple truth. Nobody discards me." Mystique replied as she tossed Toad aside. "Especially not Magneto, after all I've done for him. So I'm paying him a visit. We can go together, or I can go alone." She offered the team.
"You won't be alone." Logan said as he entered the foyer. "If Magneto's got our friends, then we're going after him."
"Good." Mystique said in approval. "But I know the man, so I'm calling the shots."
"Then get your own ride." Logan told her. "X-Men, let's go!" He ordered the team as they headed off to rescue the others.
"Alright, fine!" Mystique acquiesced as she pushed Toad along to follow them. "But I expect to be consulted."
Outside, the tennis court opened up as a highly advanced helicopter took off into the air.
"Welcome to the first test flight of the XM-Velocity." Logan said as he piloted the aircraft.
As Scott was chasing Alex, he couldn't help but think back to the last time that he saw him. The two of them, along with their parents, were taking a family trip on a plane when lightning hit it, causing it to go haywire.
The four members of the Summers family went to escape, but they realized they only had two parachutes. With a heavy heart, both Alex and Scott strapped on parachutes as they gave one last hug to their mom and dad before jumping out.
Scott ended up activating his brother's parachute before doing the same to his own. The two were safe before the plane exploded, and a flaming piece of debris hit Scott's parachute, causing him to hit the ground pretty hard.
He had spent a month in a coma. The hospital said that he was the only one who made it.
He had lost Alex when they got separated. He wasn't going to lose him again.
"Alex, please, listen to me!" Scott begged before Alex stopped running. "I don't think Magneto should be trusted."
The X-Men and Brotherhood caught up as everyone saw that in the room was a circular door that looked like the entrance to some kind of bank vault. It was open, but what was inside was too dark for Scott to discern.
Alex merely gave Scott a look of regret on his face. "Scott, I need to know." He looked at his hands. "My joints are on fire. They've been for a long time." Alex confessed. "I've been to a bunch of doctors, but nobody could tell me what it was." He said sadly. "Until today, when I met Magneto, now I know what I am."
"Alex, please." Jean pleaded. "Your brother just wants to help you."
"She's right, Alex." Xavier agreed. "We can help you at the institute."
"Perhaps you may try to help him, but you won't succeed." Magneto said before pointing at Rogue. "After all, you've promised to help Rogue take control of her powers, but yet I haven't seen any results yet."
Rogue looked down sadly, which caught Danny's attention.
"You leave my girlfriend out of this!" Danny roared in anger at Magneto.
"But I can help her." Magneto insisted. "I can help Alex. I can help all of you."
"And how do you propose to do that, Magnus?" Xavier asked suspiciously.
Magneto smirked as he pointed to the device that they were standing in front of. "Behold the next step in mutant evolution."
"What is it?" Scott asked.
"A genetic enhancer." Magneto explained. "Perhaps you've heard of the legendary gems of Cyttorak." He pulled out a glowing red gem in his hand. "Well, they do exist. Once believed to possess mystical properties, these actually emit a very distinctive radiation."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Alex protested, catching the part where Magneto said radiation. "You mean you're gonna nuke us?"
"I'm going to evolve you to finish your growth." Magneto clarified with a fervor that made him sound like a pastor. "No more pain, Alex. And no more hiding behind that visor, Scott. And you, Rogue, will be able to experience touch."
Rogue looked down at her hands, wondering if Magneto could actually help her.
Danny gently grasped her hands as he looked his girlfriend in the eye. "Rogue, please don't listen to him. I know it's hard, but you can't trust him. Nothing good like that comes without a price. And I don't think you want to pay whatever price that asshole wants."
"You wound me, my friend." Magneto said in a fake-hurt voice. "All I want is to help mutantkind."
Danny snorted at the claim as he rolled his eyes at Magneto, while said mutant was trying to hold back his irritation at this upstart's rudeness.
"You say you want to help all mutants, yet you kidnapped them and also pitted them against each other. If that's your idea of help, then you must have suffered from brain damage with that helmet squeezing your stupid head."
Magneto was trying to hold back a glare. This one was much more sharp than the others.
"How do we even know that thing even works?" Danny brought up. "Cause honestly, I feel like you're gonna end up getting us all killed with your half-assed solutions."
The master of magnetism had to bite his tongue to keep himself from lashing out at this whelp. He then saw Sabretooth entering the room and got an idea. "Then how about I provide you with a real firsthand demonstration?" Magneto offered. "Sabretooth." He gave the mutant a look, telling him to get in.
Sabretooth obeyed as the enhancer glowed with a crimson energy that caught everybody's attention. The mutant then headed in.
"In a few moments, he'll emerge reborn." Magneto said to everyone.
The XM-Velocity soared through the sky as Wolverine was admiring how it handled.
"Oh, yeah!" He said in approval. "This thing cooks."
Toad was buckled up along with everyone else, as he was having trouble dealing with how fast the aircraft was moving. "You hear that metal straining?" He asked. "We're breaking up. I know it." He panicked.
"Couldn't be." Wolverine told him. "This crate's built without an ounce of metal."
"None? That means we're flying in what, cheap plastic?" Toad asked before placing a hand on his forehead. "I need an airsick bag."
"I've got something huge on scanners." Mystique said. "Asteroid M. Four hundred sixty-three miles and closing."
Sabretooth stepped out as the group saw that he was more muscular with fur all over his body, making him look even more animalistic than before as he let out a roar.
Magneto then looked at the others. "Now it is time for all of you to reach your full potential."
"Full potential?" Danny scoffed. "He's just got more hair on him. Evolving to the next state, my ass."
"Danny, please don't upset him." Xavier warned him, seeing that Magneto was slowly losing his temper.
"Upset him?" Danny repeated. "Look at him. He's an idiot. He thinks he's helping save the mutant race, but he's probably gonna kill us all before any human gets the opportunity." He then gave Magneto a look of contempt. "The next stage of human evolution. You sure you're not a step back in evolution?"
"Just get him into the machine." Magneto whispered to himself, trying to keep himself from strangling that boy for his insolence. "And his power will be mine to command."
"What do you think, Scott?" Alex asked his brother. "I want to try it, but not without you."
"Alex, are you crazy?" Scott exclaimed in disbelief. "We can't go in that thing. Danny's right, that machine might actually nuke us."
"But the pain." Alex reminded him. "I want the pain to go away."
"It will, Alex, but you can't trust Magneto." Scott told him. "Xavier will be able to help."
"Just as much as he's helped Rogue with her powers?" Magneto goaded, as Alex looked down at his hands before making a decision.
He ran into the enhancer, determined to evolve into his next state.
"Alex, wait!" Scott ran after him as he tried to pull him out, but the door closed on the two brothers.
"Scott!" Xavier cried in worry.
"I got him!" Danny phased through the door to grab them, but he was shocked by the enhancer's energy as he fell to the ground as the three boys cried out in pain.
"Danny!" Rogue shouted, hearing his screams.
"Too late, Charles." Magneto said smugly. "They're mine now."
The trio were shouting out in agony as the floor underneath them moved like a conveyor belt, sending them deeper into the enhancer as they were bombarded by the radiation of the gem of Cyttorak.
Danny was trying to pick himself off the floor, but the torture was too much. He felt like his entire body was being electrocuted down to every molecule in his structure. It was just like the incident he had with the ghost portal.
Not only that, but he could feel something in his mind—something that was trying to take over. As he fought it, he suddenly felt cold, not in a temperature sense but in an emotional sense. He didn't care. He didn't care what was going to happen to him, the X-Men, Magneto, or even Rogue.
He couldn't bring up a feeling of joy, love, or even relief.
All that was in him was a burning rage.
As the rage consumed him, he thought he could hear Vlad's voice from that alternate timeline.
"No more painful human emotions to drag you down."
The door then opened as everyone on the asteroid watched with baited breath as two figures stepped out.
"Come. The world awaits you." Magneto said to them. He had them under his control; not only were they enhanced to their fullest potential, but they were mind-controlled to serve him.
The X-Men all gasped as they saw that the two figures were Scott and Alex, but they were different. They were buff and sported white hair that made them look old, but gave off an aura of power and control.
Alex felt his hand as he realized his joints weren't hurting any more. "The pain's gone."
"And you shall be called Havok." Magento said to Alex. "Go on, Scott." He said to the other brother. "Show us the color of your eyes."
Scott did just that, as everyone's eyes widened when they saw no optic blast come out.
"Another benefit to your enhancement." Magneto said to them. "Your minds, they're purged of useless emotion. You should have a clear perspective of our dominant roles here on Earth."
"But what about Danny?" Rogue asked, hoping that her boyfriend was okay.
"Oh, yes." Magneto's smile became even wider as he remembered Danny and his cheek. "Let's see how our resident skeptic has taken his evolution." He walked over to the enhancer. "Come on out, Daniel." Magneto urged. "Let the world see the new you."
The crimson light in the enhancer faded, leaving it in darkness. As Magneto peered in for a closer look, he saw two red eyes stare back at him before a flame of white fire appeared above them.
"What the-" He was cut off as the eyes shot two beams of green energy at him, sending him flying out.
Everyone watched in apprehension as a figure slowly walked out, making them shout in fear.
This new Danny was buff and muscular like Scott and Alex, but the white hair was gone, replaced with the aforementioned white fire. His green eyes, which used to shine playfully, were replaced with red ones full of hatred for every living thing. He even had a goatee that was made of fire as well. His skin was pale blue, and his ears were pointy.
All in all, this new Danny looked exactly like a certain other phantom. The only difference was the lack of a cape.
"Danny!" Rogue cried out at seeing the state her boyfriend was in. She turned in fury at Magneto, who was shocked at how much Danny changed. "What did you do to him?"
Magneto didn't register the question for a sec, as he was currently admiring Danny's new transformation. "I merely enhanced his powers while ridding him of any bothersome human emotions." He answered.
Walking forward, Magneto got closer to the new Danny. He could see the power behind this being and how it would allow him to finally make a world where mutants were on top. Though there was a small part of him that was thinking this was a bad idea, Magneto ignored it. This Danny would obey him.
"Now, Daniel, tell me, do you know what our place is on this earth?" Magneto said to his new recruit.
Danny cocked his head as he looked at Magneto lazily. He didn't seem to respect or fear Magneto, it seemed. In fact, it looked like he was merely annoyed by him.
After gazing at the man in annoyance for a bit, Danny finally spoke. "I know what my place is." He said, getting everyone to shiver. This wasn't the voice of their fellow X-Man. It didn't even sound like that of a teenager, but a man. A psychopathic man who had no qualms in slaughtering the innocent.
Rogue and Xavier realized the voice sounded familiar, but they placed that in the back of their minds for later. Right now, they have to deal with the current situation.
Danny got closer to Magneto, much to the mutant's discomfort.
The enhanced phantom then gave a questioning look to the mutant. "The question now is, do you know yours?"
"What?" Magneto asked, wondering what he was playing at.
"I'll tell you." Danny answered. "You belong on your knees, begging me for mercy as I come up with the most brutal way to kill you." He then shot out a ghost ray from his hand at Magneto, sending him crashing into the stasis tubes.
"Danny!" The X-Men cried.
"Danny, stop!" Rogue got in front of her boyfriend to stop him from hurting anyone else. She gave a pleading look, praying that Danny would remember who she was.
Unfortunately, Danny didn't give Rogue a second glance as he grabbed her wrist, flinging her behind him, where she landed into the genetic enhancer.
"Rogue!" The X-Men all got into fighting stances as they realized that Danny wasn't going to hold back.
The newly transformed Sabretooth roared at Danny in an attempt to intimidate him.
Danny just rolled his eyes. "Oh, please." He then stomped on the ground as the floor around Sabretooth became intangible, causing the mutant to fall through the entire asteroid and down below.
Magneto was indignant at this creature refusing to obey him. "Scott, Havok!" He called out for the two enhanced mutants. "Destroy him!"
Scott and Alex nodded as they each shot their energy blasts from their eyes and hands, respectively. But strangely, the blasts didn't affect Danny in the slightest, who pushed them back with a telekinetic wave.
"How is this possible?" Magneto muttered to himself. No one could be that strong.
"Don't worry, Father, we'll take care of him." Quicksilver bragged as the Brotherhood went to confront the out-of-control phantom.
Quicksilver kept dashing around the ghost, letting out a series of punches on him, but Danny didn't show any sign that the attacks hurt him. Getting fed up with the speedster, Danny grabbed him by the throat, stopping him in his tracks.
"Ah!" Quicksilver tried to break out of his grip, but it was futile. "Let me go!"
Danny smirked at the terrified boy. "Let's see how fast you can run with a broken leg." He took one of Pietro's legs and snapped it.
"AHHH!" Pietro yelled in excruciating agony before he was thrown at Avalanche.
Danny then looked over at the glaring blob and lifted him off his feet with a wave of his hand.
"To think I spent the best years of my life trying to help ungrateful people like you." He said to the large mutant. He raised up a hand as it glowed with green flames.
Blob tried to get out of the telekinetic hold as he saw Danny come closer to him.
"It looks like I'm going to have some roasted pork tonight." Danny joked, making Blob squirm even more. Before he could lay a hand on Fred, he was hit by lightning, courtesy of Storm.
"Danny, please, it's us." Storm pleaded. "Your friends."
Danny merely blasted her across the room as he started to let out some ecto-blasts, destroying all the equipment.
Magneto could only shake his head in disbelief. "This shouldn't be happening." He said to himself. "He should be under my control, but he's not. How can this be?"
"Danny's mind is truly something, Magnus." Xavier said to his old friend. "Not even I can penetrate it unless he allows me to."
That caught Magneto's attention. "Impossible, Charles; you are the most powerful psychic in the world."
"I was." Xavier admitted. "Until I met Danny."
They then saw Danny walk over to the balcony as the XM-Velocity was making its way toward them.
Wolverine saw Danny in the distance, and despite the changes, still recognized him. "Danny!"
Danny let out another ghost ray at the aircraft as it crashed into the asteroid. Danny turned intangible as the helicopter passed through him and crashed into the room with everyone else. Luckily, no one was harmed, though Scott and Alex were buried under some rubble.
Kitty phased herself and Evan out while Kurt teleported next to them.
Toad kicked open the hatch as he and Wolverine popped out, with Mystique being the last to exit.
"Knock-knock..." She stopped as she saw the transformed Danny walk back into the room. "What the hell?"
The others saw what had happened to Danny.
"Danny? Is that you?" Kurt asked his friend.
"What happened to you, man?" Evan asked as well.
"Like, are you okay?" Kitty said in concern.
Danny just kept walking toward them as he sent an ecto-blast in their path, prompting them to scatter out of the way.
Kurt glared at Danny for that. "Whoa, what was that for?"
"He's not himself." Xavier explained. "Magneto did something to him. He's out of control."
Wolverine tackled Danny into a wall. "Bub, you need to snap out of it." He told the hybrid. "We're your friends."
"Not anymore." Danny replied as he kicked Wolverine away.
He fired more ecto-blasts as the X-Men and Brotherhood tried to get out of the way. Danny kept on firing before something came to his side and punched him.
"Danny, stop!" At the familiar voice, Danny looked up to see Rogue glaring down at him. The most shocking part was that Rogue was levitating a few feet off the ground.
Danny had a look of confusion at this before he tried to punch her, but Rogue evaded the attack.
"Sugar, it's me." Rogue reminded him. "Rogue, your girlfriend. Remember."
Danny tackled her to the ground as he started strangling her.
"Get off of her!" Mystique sent a flying kick, but Danny caught her leg and threw her aside, where she landed in the genetic enhancer.
"No!" Magneto shouted as he saw Mystique land in his machine. "My enhancer!" He went over to stop her. "Get out of there!"
Wolverine went up to Xavier. "Where's the X-Jet?"
"Observation deck." Xavier said as he pointed to his left. "That way."
"Gather there." Wolverine ordered as he tackled Danny off of Rogue.
"Storm, prepare the jet." Xavier said to the weather witch, who nodded and went off to get the Blackbird ready. "Jean, let's get to Scott and Alex."
"And what about Danny?" Jean asked him.
Xavier looked over at Danny as he fought Rogue and Wolverine. "I can only pray that Rogue and Logan get through to him."
The Brotherhood was cowering in the corner when the asteroid started to shake.
"Enough with the tremors, man!" Blob scolded Lance.
"That ain't me!" Avalanche told him. "This rock's cracking up!"
"Scott, are you all right?" Xavier went up to the debris that had fallen on Scott and Alex.
"Please, Scott." Jean pleaded.
As Xavier and Jean were trying to help Scott and Alex, Toad hopped over to his team.
"Now let's make like a toad and hop to it." He said.
Avalanche glared at him. "Hey, which side are you on, Toad?"
"The side that lives." Toad answered. "Come on."
Storm was trying to use her powers to get through the debris that blocked them off from the Blackbird when she heard footsteps running toward her. She turned to see the Brotherhood coming.
"Coming through!" Blob yelled.
Storm got out of the way as Blob burst through the rock, opening a path toward the Blackbird. The trio then continued on their way as Evan, Kitty, and Kurt followed after them, with Evan carrying Quicksilver over his shoulder.
"Get aboard the jet, quickly!" Storm told them before spinning around into a tornado.
Danny was still fighting Wolverine and Rogue when he was lifted up by the tornado and thrown across the room.
Xavier and Jean were trying to lift the debris when Scott's optic blast shot through as he and Alex burst out.
Scott looked around before spotting Jean and Xavier.
"You and the others, you're ruining everything." Scott blamed. "This was our chance to unite. All of us."
"Unite?" Jean asked indignantly. "For what, Scott? And at what cost? Look what Magneto did to you." She pointed over to Danny, who was still fighting Rogue, Wolverine, and Storm. "Look what he did to Danny."
"He's helped me." Scott argued. "I'm evolved. No more training. No more hurdles. My powers are now at my mercy!"
"Yeah." Jean glared at him. "So you joined up with the guy who abducted us and pitted us against each other. How united is that?"
"You don't understand." Alex pointed out. "We are the future."
A blast came at the four, knocking them all down as Danny glared at them all.
"Future?" Danny said to Alex's earlier words. "Ha ha. You have no future." He aimed a ghost ray at them before Rogue pushed him aside.
"Danny, stop!" Rogue begged. She grabbed a stasis tube and, using her newfound strength, broke it over Danny's head, but it didn't hurt him at all. She then kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the floor. "It's us!"
The asteroid then started to shake again.
"We have to get out of here." Jean said before Scott grabbed her arm.
"No, stay here with us, Jean." Scott offered, but Jean yanked her hand back, giving Scott a look of disappointment.
"If you really are the future, then I don't want any part of it." Jean told him before she left to get on the Blackbird.
"You're right." Xavier said to Scott. "Mutants shouldn't be divided. But we didn't draw the line. Magneto did. And it's still there. You've just crossed over it." He then turned around to join the others.
Scott looked down in regret at what he had just done. The combination of Danny's attacks and their words finally snapped him out of Magneto's control.
"Man, what was I thinking?" Scott said.
"Logan, Storm, let's go!" Xavier said as they prepared to leave.
"What about the boys?" Wolverine asked.
Xavier looked down in sadness. "They'll do what they must. We couldn't force them. They're too powerful."
"And what about Danny?" Storm said.
Xavier glanced over at Danny, who was still fighting Rogue. "I don't think any force on earth can stop him."
The three adults shared a look of sorrow before heading off.
"Rogue, we're leaving!" Wolverine shouted.
"I'm not leaving without him!" Rogue returned as she dodged another punch from her boyfriend.
"This place is going under!" Storm reminded her.
"I said I'm not leaving him!" Rogue repeated. "I don't care what happens. I won't lose him."
"But..." Logan tried to argue before Xavier placed a hand on his arm.
"Let's go, Logan." Xavier said forlornly. "We can't force any of them."
They all left, leaving just Rogue, Danny, Scott, and Alex. Neither of them noticed Mystique stepping out of the enhancer, looking much more buff than usual.
"You should've left." Danny told Rogue as he circled her.
"Maybe." Rogue conceded. "But I'm not letting you get away from me, sugar." She then raised her fists. "Now you're coming home with us, even if I have to drag you there myself."
Danny phased through her kick before sending a blow to the back of her head, knocking her out. As he was about to finish her off, Scott and Alex shot their blasts at Danny as the asteroid continued to shake.
The floor under Rogue started to crumble as she fell into the depths below.
Danny saw this as he blasted Scott and Alex aside.
"Rogue?" He said to himself as he watched her body fall. It was then that he snapped back to his true self. "Rogue!" He flew down as he managed to catch his unconscious girlfriend before setting her down safely.
As the asteroid started to crumble, the Blackbird was getting ready to take off when Jean and Xavier saw Scott and Alex running toward them.
"Here they come!" Jean said in relief before the platform under them fell off, causing the Blackbird to fall off as it managed to take control of itself. With the asteroid losing its buoyancy, Scott and Alex slid off the ground as the two brothers fell to what seemed to be their deaths.
As the two brothers grabbed hands, they shared a look, knowing what to do. They each shot out their energy blasts at the ground, slowing their descent as they landed safely on the ground.
The two then looked up as the Blackbird hovered over them, with Jean standing by the door.
"Scott, I-" She was cut off as Asteroid M started to explode. A piece of debris hit the jet, causing it to make an emergency landing.
The two brothers saw two orbs fly out of the base as it started to fall.
"Ready, bro?" Scott asked Alex.
"Ready." Alex said before the two of them felt someone behind them. Turning around, they were greeted with Danny, except his eyes were no longer red but back to the usual green.
"Let's finish this." He said as all three of them let out their energy attacks at the asteroid, destroying it once and for all. As they let lose all their energy, they all turned back to their normal selves, with Scott covering his eyes since he no longer had control over his powers.
"Easy, Scott." He felt Jean's hand on his shoulder. "I'm here."
"Jean, is everyone okay?" He asked.
"See for yourself." Jean said as Scott felt his glasses placed back on him. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the smiling face of his friend, who turned around and let him see that everyone was all right.
"I'm sorry, all of you." Scott apologized. "Professor, I just..." He didn't know how to explain it. "You know, I made some bad choices."
"Don't blame yourself, Scott." Xavier assured him. "You were mind-controlled. We're just glad to have you back." He then smiled at Danny. "And we're glad to have you back as well, Danny."
"Danny!" Rogue jumped into his arms as she wrapped her arms around him, glad that he was back to his normal self.
"Rogue!" Danny embraces her, relieved that she's okay.
"Oh, sugar, you're okay!" Rogue kissed him. "Don't ever leave me again!"
"I won't. I promise." Danny told her. He then noticed that she was floating off the ground. "I see you can fly now." He rubbed the back of his neck, remembering that it was he who knocked her into the enhancer. "Sorry about knocking you into that machine."
Rogue placed her hand around his shoulder. "You can make it up to me on our next date. Besides, I feel super strong."
"Interesting, Rogue." Xavier said. "Your mind appears unaffected as well."
Rogue shrugged. "I guess I was too worried about Danny to fall under Magneto's influence." She then took off one of her gloves. "I wonder." She flew over to the Brotherhood and absorbed Quicksilver, proving that she still had no control over her powers.
"Drag." She said in annoyance. "Guess I still have to wear gloves. Ah, well." She smiled at Danny. "At least I always have you. Come here." She kissed him again.
As the X-Men were joking around now that the danger had passed, the Brotherhood was pondering their future.
"I wonder what's gonna happen to us." Toad said.
"Two metal spheres shot out of that asteroid before it blew." Avalanche said. "Mystique is out there. Believe it. And she'll be back."
Back with the X-Men, Alex was feeling guilty for dragging Scott into this situation. "So much for Havok, huh?"
Scott ruffled his hair. "The white hair is more Danny's style anyway."
"Hey, Scott. If nothing else, at least I have my brother back." Alex said. "And that's what really matters to me."
"Yeah. Me too." Scott agreed. "And I promise, nothing is ever gonna split us up again." They hugged each other.
"With time, Alex, your powers will emerge on their own." Xavier said. "And if you'll allow, we will be there to help you along the way. All of us, together, united. Because we are the X-Men."
"Why are we posing like this?" Danny asked as he noticed that everyone was posing like they were in front of a camera.
"To look good for this photo." Kurt explained as he took a picture.
Alex shook his head. "Man, I wonder how I'm going to explain this all when I go home."
Alex had been given a ride back home. Walking in, he was greeted by his foster father, who sat at the dinner table.
The man smiled. "Ah, Alex, my dear boy. I was almost worried when you hadn't come home."
"Sorry to worry you." Alex apologized. "But I just had the most incredible adventure."
His foster father raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Do tell."
"Well, I met my brother, who it turns out was still alive, and I found out that we're mutants an-" Alex was cut off.
"Mutants?" His foster father asked, not knowing what that meant.
"Oh, people with powers, see?" Alex raised a hand that glowed with energy.
"Incredible." His foster father said in awe.
"Yeah, according to Scott's professor, who runs a school for mutants. We have this gene that gives us mutant powers, and I got to meet all the other kids who go to this school." Alex held out the photo Kurt took. "Here, we took a picture together."
His foster father looked at the photo, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Everything fine?" Alex asked in concern.
"Of course, Alex." His foster father assured him. "But I have to go now. Something came up at work. Take care." He bid his foster son farewell as he entered his private study. His gaze locked on the image of Danny in the photo as his eyes turned red.
"I finally found you, Little Badger."