In the streets of Italy, a scruffy-looking man was moving through, taking great care to make sure he wasn't spotted. Peeking over a corner, he saw a policeman conducting his usual evening patrol. Concentrating, the man walked casually by the officer, who looked at him, but instead of seeing a clearly suspicious-looking individual, he only saw a regular-looking father carrying his sleeping child.
If that wasn't strange enough, another man walked past the guy, but instead of seeing a father or some shady guy, he saw a beautiful woman smiling at him. Tipping his hat at her, he gave her a greeting before going on his way.
Now, with no one watching him, the messy-haired man walked past another corner before looking behind him. He knew that someone was following him. As he nervously backed up, he felt the lamppost behind him start to shake.
"Magneto!" The man whispered in fear, realizing just who was after him. He dashed down a street, only for the railing next to him to move on its own, blocking his path. He immediately tried to go in the opposite direction but was cut off by a crosswalk sign obstructing his path.
Not willing to give up, he climbed over the railing and landed on the pavement down below, only for a gate to close by itself. Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of Magneto in the air, hovering towards him.
Seeing no other way, he raised his hands and was about to try and trick the master of magnetism.
"Your illusions don't work on me, Mastermind." Magneto revealed. "I see you as you are." He made his way closer to the illusionist.
"What do you want with me?" Mastermind asked fearfully.
Magneto grabbed him by his coat and dragged him over. "I have a job for you."
It was a typical day in Bayville with typical traffic as one taxi was making his way over the bridge.
"Come on." He honked his horn. "I ain't got all day here." Before he could continue his road rage, there was a big flash, and he looked to see one of the towers on the bridge catch fire.
"What is that?" He asked, wondering what could've caused it, as all the other towers on the bridge caught fire too. It then got worse as bits of fire started to rain down and one of the fires on the towers started to grow in size, making the frightened citizens flee.
As the taxi driver was getting out, he noticed the oil tanker in front of him was catching fire. "That oil tanker's gonna blow. Run!"
The screams of the people were loud, but they didn't drown out Pyro's maniac laughter as he stood on one of the towers, directing the flames with his powers.
"Yeah!" He cried as he let more flames out of his flamethrowers.
Elsewhere, Kurt was walking home from school with his girlfriend, Amanda, by his side, as she was trying to curb his anxieties.
"It'll work out fine, I promise." She assured him. "My folks just want to meet you, that's all."
"I just don't know." Kurt hesitated. Meeting your girlfriend's parents would be frightening to any teenage boy, but it was doubly so if you were covered in blue fur like he was. He looked at his watch, which had been having some glitches. "My image inducer's been acting up lately. What if it-"
"I want them to meet the real you, anyway." Amanda said sweetly as she messed with it, revealing Kurt's true appearance.
"Amanda!" He dropped his books in alarm. "Someone might see me." He hid behind a tree as Toad looked on enviously as he sat on a trash can, eating flies. What he would give to have that fancy gadget Blue Boy had.
"Look, I'll come, okay?" Kurt said as he turned the watch back to its proper setting as he helped her pick up her books. "But I'm just not ready to show up at your house looking like... well, like me." Before Amanda could tell him that he had nothing to worry about, they heard a big boom.
"Hey, look." Amanda directed Kurt's attention to the smoke in the distance.
"Something's on fire." He said worriedly before he saw Danny and Rogue fly overhead in their ghost forms towards the fire. He then pointed them out to his girlfriend. "Looks like those two got things handled."
They weren't the only ones headed there, as Scott and Jean were racing towards the bridge in Scott's car.
"It's coming from the bridge!" Scott observed.
"Let's go!" Jean replied.
Back on the bridge, Pyro was having fun while looking down to see if a certain someone had shown up. Seems they were running late, which was perfectly fine with Pyro as he continued his arsenic fun.
"Burn, baby, burn!" He cheered, too caught up in his work to see that Danny and Rogue were approaching him.
"Let's put this sucker out." Rogue quipped, making Danny shake his head.
"Your superhero banter could use some work."
"He's right, Rogue." Vampira agreed. "That was like a three out of ten at best."
"Just shut up and let's kick his ass." Rogue stated as Pyro finally took notice of them and fired a stream of fire at Danny. The only problem was that Danny was intangible, so his attacks were pointless.
Once he was close enough, he punched Pyro in the face, sending him flying off as Rogue caught him by the ankle. As she not so gently placed him down, she noticed something fall out of his pocket. Before Rogue could identify it, clouds formed above her as Storm arrived and used her powers to summon rain to put the fire out.
"So Storm's got that under control." Danny said as he landed next to her. He then turned to Pyro, who was looking at them in fear. "Now the question is, why is one of Magneto's lackeys here? Random destruction isn't his style."
Just then, Wanda arrived on Danny's moped. She had been with the two at the mall, and when they were about to leave, they noticed the smoke. While Danny and Rogue took off into action, Wanda was forced to follow behind on her friend's bike.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked, getting nods from the hybrid duo as Scott and Jean pulled up.
"What happened?" Scott demanded.
"Magento apparently left one of his matchsticks behind." He gestured to Pyro. "But it just seems out of character for him to order a sudden attack like this. You think you can enter his mind and see what he's planning, Jean?" Danny had a feeling that Magneto was trying to lure them into a trap, like he did with the Sentinel incident.
As Jean was about to enter the pyromaniac's mind, the hostile mutant decided to cooperate.
"Wait, wait, wait!" He stopped them. "Come on, mate." He pleaded with Danny. "Don't let her in my head, please. I'm just a messenger boy for the old boss. He told me to cause a scene."
"What's your message?" Danny asked.
"Not for you, but the girl." Pyro pointed to Wanda, who narrowed her eyes, already piecing together what her father wanted to tell her.
"Let me guess; he wants me to stop looking for him and for his errand boy, my brother."
Pyro looked at her, confused. "Your brother?" He scratched his head. Last he heard, the little albino prick was still with the other members of the Brotherhood. "Ain't he still with the Brotherhood?"
Wanda widened her eyes. She thought that Pietro was in jail after the last time they met. How long has he been back in Bayville? "You mean he isn't hiding?"
"Not that I know of."
Wanda was about to go and have a little chat with her sibling about Magneto's whereabouts when Danny got in her path.
"Wanda, no!" He pleaded. "I thought we were past this."
"Past this?" Wanda raged. "He abandoned me! That's not something you get past."
"Point taken." Danny admitted, wishing he could've phrased it better. "But, Wanda, you've come so far; do you really want to throw it all away in some attempt to try to off your dad?" He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know it seems so tempting—revenge. But you can't give into your darkness." He told her. "Trust me. It only brings pain."
He had to keep Wanda away from her father. He saw how she ended up being assaulted mentally by her father and manipulated into one of his puppets. He couldn't allow that. He would protect Wanda at all costs.
Wanda felt her resolve crumble as unknown to Danny; she knew exactly what he was talking about. It still perplexed her that a kind boy like him could end up as an even worse monster than her father in another timeline. But then, didn't everyone have their own personal demons? And if Danny was able to master his, couldn't she be able to do the same? And seeing that cute boy staring at her with such concern, she just couldn't say no.
"I'll...I'll stop." She relented, making Danny smile in relief, which made her cheeks flush red. Did he have magic too? Because it had to be the only reason he was able to have an effect on her like this.
"Thank you, Wanda." Danny said.
"Rogue, they are too close for my liking." Vampira said. "Do something about it."
Rogue sighed. If she didn't stop this, her ghost half would keep whining. She had made great strides in getting over her jealousy over Wanda, but it seems it would take even longer for Vampira to accept her.
"So, uh, now that Flame Boy is taken care of, how about we get on outta here before the cops arrive?" Rogue offered.
"I guess so." Wanda sighed as she was still a bit unhappy at being denied her vengeance against her father. She got on the moped. "See ya there." She then took off as Danny and Rogue flew back, with Scott and Jean deciding to bail as well when they saw the police arrive to take Pyro into custody.
"You okay?" Rogue asked as they were heading back to the institute. "You seem a bit troubled. Is something wrong?"
"I'm just worried about Wanda." Danny admitted as he hoped that he could keep Wanda and Magneto separated from each other forever. "It's just that when I was on that time-traveling adventure, I saw what would happen if Wanda kept going after Magneto."
"What happens?" Rogue asked, having a feeling that the answer would be anything but pretty.
"He ends up capturing her and messing with her mind." Danny was getting angry just thinking of it. "He removes her memories of what he did to her, and it causes her to be loyal to him."
"Oh my god." Rogue said. She knew Magneto was bad, but willing to mess with his own daughter's mind? She didn't think the man could go that far.
"I know. That's why I promised myself that I would make sure that Wanda stays the hell far away from her dad. I won't let that happen to her."
"Neither will I." His girlfriend said, her eyes narrowing in determination. She liked Wanda, and she wasn't going to let her friend fall into Magneto's hands.
In her room, Wanda was stewing on her bed as she was reading some of her books in an attempt to take her mind off the fact that her brother, who was possibly her only lead to Magneto, was back in town. To think that her little weasel of a brother had been able to stay out of the X-Men's radar. It was actually impressive, considering his motor mouth, something he had had since he was a child. Hell, she remembered that one time where he-
SLAM!
The sorceress jumped at the sudden sound and looked to see that it came from her dresser. Though who or what was responsible, she didn't know. Marching over there, she opened a drawer and pulled out an object.
It looked like a broken key chain with the word arrowrose on it. But what that meant, she had no idea. Looking into the drawer, she spotted a handwritten note with three words written on it.
Now or Never
She knows that she told Danny she wouldn't try anything, but the temptation the note was invigorating in her was intoxicating. This may be her last chance at getting revenge. And who's to say she had to kill Magneto, right? After all, a good beating along with some broken bones may be enough to satisfy her. And then she could leave him for the authorities so he could be apprehended. Yeah, she could do that. Then he would never be able to hurt anyone again.
And Danny. He'd see that she may have gone behind his back, but he'd be thankful that she didn't kill the man; it's not like she would be like Dan in that regard. No, she wasn't as bloodthirsty, well not as much as that supposed future phantom was. She'd like to think she's better than that. And unlike Dan, she'd stop herself from landing the finishing blow.
Danny would be happy that she didn't give in to her hatred, and she would finally get closure with her father. Everybody wins.
Through this logic, she started to convince herself that it was the right course of action to pursue this lead. She's not doing anything wrong; she's just making sure that Magneto doesn't harm more people. After all, if he was willing to abandon his own daughter, what's to stop him from doing worse to a complete stranger?
'Who are you trying to convince, Wanda?' A small part of herself asked. 'Danny or yourself?'
Ignoring that sudden thought, she looked back at the keychain; she didn't know how it related to Magneto's location. Where was this arrowrose? She didn't know. But then she got a bright idea.
If she couldn't figure it out, then maybe her brother could.
She quietly dashed out of the room and down the stairs, out of the institute.
It was time to pay her dear brother a visit.
Pietro was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Ever since his father placed him in charge, he had the others at his beck and call, and so he has been forcing his former friends around like slaves, doing things from washing his clothes to cooking his meals, which is what Blob was currently doing as he walked into the living room.
"Here's your lunch, Pietro." He offered the speedster a tray that held a sandwich and a glass of milk. He placed it down on the table as Pietro looked over the big mutant's shoulder to keep a glimpse on the TV. Looking down at his meal, he gave his sandwich a distasteful look.
"Blob, I said horseradish, butter, lettuce, grilled onion on the side." He waved it in front of Blob's face before knocking on his head in a patronizing manner. "Try to keep up, will you? Huh?"
"Sorry, Pietro." Blob apologized sincerely. "I'll make you a new one." The big mutant started to head back to the kitchen as he kept repeating Pietro's instructions. "Uh, buttered union, no lettuce, grilled horse on the side. No, uh..."
"And no crust!" Pietro reminded him as he went back to his shows, only to see the TV had static on it. "Now the picture's messed up again." He turned around and shouted up to the roof. "Toad, the picture. Hello?"
On the roof, Toad was trying to reattach the antenna. "Sorry. How's this?" He moved further to the edge of the room.
"Better." Pietro said. "A little more, even more." He said as Toad was putting himself in serious danger just to please his new leader. "Just a skosh more." At this point, Toad was standing on one leg, having trouble balancing himself.
"Perfect!" The leader of the Brotherhood called up to him as the TV went back to normal. He continued to watch his shows when Lance entered the house, wiping oil off his hands with a rag.
"Finally." The silver-haired boy complained. "You done fixing that transmission of yours? You know, I got dates tonight."
"Yeah." Lance muttered as he glared at the son of Magneto. "I'm done, all right."
"Good. You know, nothing personal, but if you're gonna be a member of my team, you gotta look a little more presentable." Lance ignored him as he left the room. "Hey, can you move the armchair? It's blocking my view of the tube."
"Sure. Glad to." Lance snarled as he used his powers to make the room shake, causing the chair to be launched at Pietro, who ducked, causing the piece of furniture to crash through the window, with Toad to scream as he fell off the roof due to Lance's earthquake.
Pietro glanced at the broken window with annoyance. "Oh, hey, now look what you-"
"Alright, that's it!" Lance grabbed Pietro by the shirt. "I've had it with taking orders from you."
Toad walked in, tied up by the wire of the antenna. "I'm tired of being your TV antenna."
"Yeah." Blob agreed as he came in. "And I'm getting sick of doing your cooking." He looked down at the sandwich he had just prepared. "You didn't even notice the radish roses. I'm through!" He threw it to the ground and stormed out of the room.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Pietro pushed Lance off of him. "May I remind you losers that Magneto put me in charge for a reason? The only chance of joining his new crew is if you prove you can work as a team. And that, my friends, takes leadership. Strong, decisive, fearless—" He looked out the window, and his eyes widened in fear at seeing his sister walk towards their house. "Wanda!" He zipped over to the closet. "Don't tell her I'm here!" He pleaded, hoping that they would cover for him and that Wanda would leave once she knew he wasn't here.
"Ha." Lance rolled his eyes as he went upstairs, while Toad went to the door to greet their new guest.
"Well, hello, babycakes." He flirted as Wanda stormed in. "You know, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name's-" He was shoved aside as Wanda entered the house and came into the living room.
"Where is he?" She demanded, not in the mood for any games.
"Pietro?" He pointed to his hiding spot. "Hiding in the closet."
Using her powers, she yanked the door off, revealing her cowering brother.
"Thanks a lot, wart boy!" Pietro sarcastically said to his teammate.
"Alright, Pietro, where's Magneto?"
"I still don't know, Wanda." He confessed. "No lie. He only contacts me when he needs me."
"What's this?" She thrust the key chain into his face.
"How do I know? It looks like a ski lift ticket or something."
Toad examined the object. "Arrowrose. Hey, must be Mount Arrowrose. That's the local ski resort." He grinned at Wanda. "Say the word, poopsie, and we'll hit the lodge and sip cocoa by the fire."
"Ugh." Wanda pushed him away in disgust. "Get out of my way."
"But sweet'ums, you need me." Toad hopped after her as she started to leave. "Magneto is one mega mutant. You'll need some muscle to back you up." He showed his muscles, or lack thereof, as Wanda, having enough, threw a hex bolt at him, knocking him into the kitchen.
"Oh, well. Can't blame a guy for trying." He said as he heard the front door slam.
While walking back, she couldn't help but admit that the slimeball was right. She may be powerful, but her father has years of experience under his belt. If she wanted to get to him, she needed some backup. But who? The only person she knew able to hold their own against Magneto was Danny, with his ghost powers, and she couldn't ask him-
Wait.
Ghost powers.
Ghosts.
It was then that Wanda knew where to get help.
The residents of the institute were in bed, but one mutant was still restless.
Lighting the last candle in the circle, Wanda flipped through one of her books for the incantation. This ritual, if done correctly, would summon a spirit to help her take down her father.
As she finished speaking the spell, she then held her hands out as her magic glowed.
"Spirits." She called. "I summon you for help. Send me one of your own as an ally to assist me. I beg you. Hear my call."
There was a big gust of wind that blew the unlocked window doors open, and then a bright flash appeared in the middle of the circle, so bright that Wanda had to cover her eyes. As it subsided, she looked back and gasped at the ghost.
He was big in stature and was strangely wearing pink striped pajamas. He had blonde hair and pale blue skin. His eyes, though red, held a childlike innocence as he peered at Wanda curiously.
He then had a big smile as he held his arms out.
"Will you be my friend?"
"Ahh!" Wanda backed away as the ghost marched forward. Frightened, she instinctively sent out a hex bolt that blasted the ghost through the open window and past the institute grounds.
It took her a couple moments to calm down as she tried to process what happened. She then looked back at her book and sighed. That ghost didn't look very strong and probably wouldn't have been that useful anyway.
"Second try, then." She started to set up the ritual for a second attempt, and just when she was about to recite the spell again, she heard a knock at the door.
"Wanda, can we talk?" Came Danny's voice.
Looking down at the candles, she started packing them away. "Give me a sec." Once everything was put away, she then opened the door. "Hi, what's up?"
Danny stepped in. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you know?"
"I know." Danny replied. "It's just that I know you're still angry about your dad, and it must be hard trying to move past what he did to you." He then sat down on her bed. "But to be honest with you, there's a big reason why I don't want you going after him."
If he wanted Wanda to stop this pointless crusade, he needed to tell her what was destined to happen if she kept chasing Magneto.
"No more mutants." He could still hear the voice of that alternate version of her. He swore that Magneto would not only harm her but the mutant race as well.
"I know." Wanda sat beside him. "You don't want me to have blood on my hands. I understand."
"Well, that and... look, this may seem crazy, but while I was in the custody of the Guys in White, I ended up traveling through time."
"You did?" Wanda would've called it crazy, but after eavesdropping on Danny talking about Dan, she knew it was anything but. "What did you see?"
Danny raised an eyebrow, a little caught off guard by Wanda's easy acceptance of his claim, but he continued. "Lot's of things, but I witnessed what happens if you keep going after Magneto. He ends up capturing you, and he... he ends up replacing your memories of the asylum with happier ones. Making you loyal to him."
"He... he does that?" Wanda was feeling a mixture of emotions: shock that her father would go that far, anger that he would have the audacity to do it, and fear of her memories being wiped. Sure, they were really bad memories. But, you know, as the old saying goes, your memories make you who you are. And the idea of having her mind manipulated so that she could become another loyal slave to him was just horrific.
"I...I..."
"But I promise you, Wanda, I won't let him lay so much as a finger on you." Danny vowed. "But every time you go after him, you leave yourself open to his manipulations. Not only that, but if Magneto gets his hands on you, it'll spell doom for the whole mutant race."
"What are you talking about?" Wanda was flabbergasted. How did this involve the mutant race as well?
"You eventually get your real memories back, but you're so angry that, to spite Magneto, you cast a spell that destroys the mutant race."
"No!" Wanda whispered as she felt horrified at what she could do. Was she so filled with hate towards her father that she would destroy innocents just to get back at him? No, she wasn't like that. She couldn't be.
"That's why I need you to promise me that you'll stop trying to get even with him." Danny pleaded. "It's the only way we can protect not only the mutant race, but you as well."
There was a long silence before Wanda finally relented, realizing the ramifications if she kept going after her father. A whole race could be destroyed because of her vengeance. She may hate him and will hate him forever, but she wasn't going to put her own mind at risk and allow innocents to suffer. She already put those army men in danger when she went after Pietro. If it weren't for Danny and Rogue, they would've died, and it would've been all her fault.
"Okay, I promise I'll stop." The goth was now feeling guilty about what she could've done and how she almost damned every mutant on earth.
"Hey, look at me." Danny gave her a tense stare. "You won't go down that path, Wanda. I won't allow it. As long as I'm still here, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I swear."
She then hugged him, thankful for everything he had done for her. No matter what happens, she can always count on Danny to be there for her. "Thank you. You're a great guy, Danny; I hope you know that."
"Oh, trust me, I know now." Danny said. It had taken him quite a long time, including an intervention from an alternate version of his girlfriend, but he managed to get over the self-loathing that existed within him ever since his encounter with Dan.
"And I know you'll never be like my father...or Dan." She said, making Danny back away as he looked at her with wide eyes.
"How do you know that?" He demanded fearfully.
"I overheard you talking about it with Rogue." Wanda explained.
This caught Danny off guard. She knew this for so long and yet didn't act any differently with him. She didn't try to excuse herself whenever he was in the same room with her. Nor did she look at him with terror or fear.
"And you're not afraid of me?" He asked in astonishment.
Wanda laid a hand on his cheek. "I could never be afraid of you, Danny. Despite what I've learned, it doesn't change how I look at you. You'll always be that guy who rescued me from the asylum."
"...Thank you, Wanda." Danny said, glad and slightly amazed to see that Wanda wasn't afraid of him after learning about that phantom. "That means a lot to me." Deciding that he had spent enough time, he headed out. "Well, I'll let you sleep in peace. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Wanda smiled as he left. Looking down at her book that she hid under her pillow, she placed it back on a shelf as she went to bed. As much as she didn't like leaving her father alone, she knew she couldn't risk something as important as her very mind and free will.
And she wasn't going to endanger several innocent mutants.
It was time to leave her grudge in the past.
"Will you be my friend?" The pajama-wearing ghost, or Klemper as he was called, asked a nearby alley cat who hissed before scurrying away, making the ghost look down in defeat.
He then saw a guy walking down the street, and feeling hopeful, he went up to him.
Kelly grumbled to himself as he started to head home from the bar. Ever since Fenton had been dropped of all charges, he'd spent every night there, drowning in his sorrows. Why did freaks like them have to exist?
"Will you be my friend?"
Kelly screamed at the hulking figure in his path as he bolted in the other direction.
"Aww." Klemper whined. "Why won't anyone be my friend?"
Maybe his father was right; maybe he was just too scary for people. The lonely ghost remembered the sad life he lived. He was born with something—whatever it was, he couldn't exactly recall the name of it, but he grew bigger than most of the kids and, as a result, appeared frightening to others. And because of this, his father moved him to the attic of their house. Even though it had been forever since he last saw his father, he could still hear his voice.
"Get back up there, boy! You'll scare the neighbors away. You already embarrass us enough as it is."
The spirit continued to wander the streets as he tried to find someone, anyone, who would be his friend. While exploring his new surroundings, he saw a couple in the distance standing outside a house.
"I told you there was nothing to worry about." Amanda said as she looked at her boyfriend lovingly. "They love you."
"Thank heavens for that." Kurt awkwardly replied as he fiddled with his watch. The dinner did go well, but there were times his watch acted up, and he had to teleport to another part of the house when her parents weren't looking to get it under control. "I'm just glad they didn't see me with all the close calls."
"Yeah, but I hope one day I get to introduce them to the real you." Amanda touched Kurt's watch, showing his blue fur in all its glory.
"Maybe one day." Kurt said as the two shared a kiss before Kurt teleported away and Amanda headed back inside.
Klemper wished he had something like that to change his appearance, but it seemed that life and the afterlife were just unfair. So lost in his own self-deprecation, he failed to notice an oncoming motorcycle heading his way.
Gambit had just gotten back from breaking Pyro out of police custody, and the duo were currently on their way back to Magneto when Gambit slammed on his brakes, stopping them from almost running over some idiot.
"You trying to get yourself killed?" Gambit scolded the individual before he stopped as he noticed the bizarre-looking person they almost hit and took a double take.
"What's wrong, Gambi-" Pyro stopped as the two obviously concluded that Klemper wasn't human, what with his pale skin and the fact that he left a trail of icy footsteps.
"Is he a mutant?" Pyro muttered to his fellow comrade, who shook his head.
"Nope. See that aura around him; this fella here is a ghost." As the ghost got closer, Gambit pulled out his bo staff and waved it threateningly. "Now easy there. We don't want any trouble."
"Will you be my friend?" Klemper asked once again, making the two mutants look at each other. That was the last thing they expected this ghost to say.
"We'd like to be friends, Mr. Ghost, but we got to get back to our boss." Gambit explained, but this didn't discourage the ghoul at all.
"Can your boss be my friend?"
"Uh, well, you see, the boss isn't really one for friends." The Cajun said as he started to move the motorcycle out of the ghost's path. "Now if you excuse us, we-"
"Wait, hang on a second." Pyro said before he and Gambit turned around to speak in private. "Can we keep him, mate?" The pyromaniac asked, making Gambit look at him incredulously.
"Keep him? Why in blazes would we do that?"
"I mean, look at him." Pyro pointed to Klemper, who was wondering what the two were whispering about. "He's kinda cute, don't you think?"
"Cute?" Gambit was curious if they were talking about the same person. "I know you're insane, you know, with your obsession over fire, but I didn't expect you to be completely wacked in the head."
"But come on, mate." Pyro whined, having taken a liking to the ghost in his own weird way. "I'm sure he could be a big help for us. Magneto has been going on about how we have to be stronger than that ghost boy of Xavier's. He might be able to level the playing field for us."
The card-wielding mutant marveled at his partner's response. "That sounds... logical and reasonable, which is something considering it's coming from you. But Magneto will never allow it. You know him and how he's all about how mutants are the superior ones."
"Well, what if he proves himself?" The mutant with flamethrowers suggested. "And I know the perfect way." He turned to Klemper. "I think the boss could be your friend."
"Really?" Klemper looked at him in excitement; finally, he could have what he always wanted.
"Yeah, but you see, the boss lost his daughter and has been looking for her forever. He sent us to bring her to him, but I'm sure if you do it, then the old boss man would gladly be friends with you."
"Okay." The child-like ghost replied, thinking that this boss of theirs sounded like a better father than his own. Surely he would accept him, right?
"Now his daughter, she's got black hair and wears mostly red clothes, and she lives in this big mansion across town."
"Oh, I know her!" Klemper cried in excitement, remembering her as the one who summoned him. "I know where to find her!"
Pyro smiled. "Then bring her on over, and we'll have you introduced to the boss."
Gambit shook his head. "This will never work."
"You got any better ideas?" His comrade challenged, making Gambit sigh as he showed Klemper his staff.
"When you find her, aim this part of the staff at her." He pointed to the top of his staff. "Then press this button." He showed him the button. "That way, she'll fall asleep."
"Why does she need to fall asleep?" Klemper asked innocently as the two mutants tried to come up with an excuse.
"So..." Gambit tried to think of an excuse. "So that when she wakes up, the first thing she'll see is her father."
"Yeah, it'll be like a surprise." Pyro added. "You like surprises, don't you?"
"Yeah! I love surprises." The gullible ghost clapped his hands joyfully. "Okay, I'll be back." He took Gambit's staff and flew off to complete his mission.
Wanda was trying to get some sleep when she felt a sudden coldness in the room. Shivering, she threw the blankets over her entire body for warmth, only to hear a set of footsteps move towards her.
Thinking fast, she summoned a hex bolt in her hands and was about to deal with the intruder when a puff of gas was shot in her face, making her drowsy before falling unconscious.
Humming happily, he threw Wanda over his shoulder and then phased out of the institute, where he met up with the pair of acolytes.
"Well done." Gambit couldn't help but praise. "Now we just need to get her to the base."
"You think you can fly us there, mate?" Pyro asked Klemper, making Gambit blink.
"What?"
"Sure." Klemper then grabbed the pair with his remaining arm and flew off.
"Oh, man, this is so fun." Pyro said while Gambit shook his head, hoping that no one would see him being carried by a ghost wearing ridiculous-looking pajamas.
"Speak for yourself."
The next morning, everyone at the institute was searching for Wanda, with Danny being the most desperate as he looked in all the places she hung out: the library, the foyer, and the living room.
There was no trace of the sorceress.
"Any luck with Cerebro?" He asked the professor, who was using the device to locate her, only for the man to shake his head.
"She's not using her powers, which means I can't lock on to her position."
Danny cursed as he stormed out of the room, with Rogue following him.
"Danny, we'll find her. We just got to think of where she could've gone."
"I don't see what the big fuss is." Vampira said. "So what if she's gone?"
"She didn't go anywhere." Danny stated. "I have a hunch that Magneto somehow managed to kidnap her."
"But how? Even if he can break through the defenses, we'd still be alerted to him."
"I don't know, but I can't rest until I know Wanda's safe." Danny said, worried for Wanda until he got an idea. He whistled, and instantly Cujo was at his side.
"Follow me, boy." Danny ordered as he led the dog to Wanda's room. "I need you to sniff someone out for me."
After the dog sniffed the room, getting Wanda's scent, Danny then asked, "Can you find her for us?" He got a bark and a nod, making the hybrid narrow his eyes.
"Let's get the X-Men and the Blackbird ready. We're going in."
"Will you be my friend?" Klemper asked Magneto as he held his arms out for a hug.
"What in blazes?" Magneto said before he was pulled into a hug. "Ahh! Let go of me!" He tried to break out, but Klemper's grip was too strong. "Get off of me! Acolytes, get this monstrosity off!"
It took the combined efforts of Colossus, Pyro, and Gambit to separate the two.
Magneto shook his head in disgust as he looked at the ghost. He had just been told that Wanda had been captured, and as soon as he walked into the room to see his daughter, he had been hugged, or more like, almost suffocated, by this freak.
He gave a disdainful look at the creature before glaring at his men.
"What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought this abomination into our base?"
Gambit pushed Pyro forward. He wasn't taking the blame for this one.
"Well, uh, boss, he was the one who helped us get Wanda." He tried to explain. "And you've been going on about how we need to up our game against that ghost boy. So I thought maybe a ghost joining us would help."
Magneto growled. The idea that they, or rather, he, needed the help of something else only infuriated the mutant.
"We will triumph over Danny Phantom and Charles' X-Men by our own hands, with no outside assistance at all. We are mutants; we have the power to overcome anything in our path by ourselves." He pointed at Klemper. "Now dispose of this thing."
"Dispose?" Pyro asked hesitantly, not wanting to get rid of the guy. He'd already grown on the pyromaniac.
"Kill him!" The master of magnetism snarled.
"Can you kill a ghost?" Pyro turned to Colossus, who shrugged.
"I'll do it myself!" Magneto summoned a nearby pipe and wrapped it around Klemper's waist in an attempt to crush him, but the ghost merely phased through it, which only angered the elder mutant further as he realized his powers were useless against it.
"You." He turned to Pyro. "You brought it here; now you get rid of it. Immediately."
Pyro sighed. "You heard the boss, Klemper; you gotta go." He went up to escort the ghost out.
"But you said he would be my friend." He protested, saddened that once again he was denied friendship, making the pyromaniac shake his head.
"Sorry, Klemp, the boss just ain't too fond of ghosts."
Magneto watched Pyro and the ghost leave before turning to the other two acolytes. "Leave me and make sure that he discards that abomination."
Colossus and Gambit complied, leaving Magneto alone with the unconscious Wanda. As they moved down the halls, they found Pyro and Klemper sitting down on the floor as they were playing go-fish.
"Didn't he just say to kick him out?" Gambit was wondering if Pyro had a death wish for defying Magneto.
"He didn't say I couldn't play a game of cards with him before he got to go, did he?"
Gambit sighed before he and Colossus sat down with them. "One game."
Wanda blinked her eyes as she started to wake up. She noticed that she was seated in a chair with restraints on her hands, meaning that she couldn't use her powers.
"Wanda, it's so good to see you again, my child." Magneto greeted, making the girl grit her teeth at being in his presence again. Despite it being ten years since she last saw her father, he exactly looked the same.
"I knew one way or another you would show up." Her father continued. "It's time for us to talk. Father to daughter. Wanda, leaving you in that hospital was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do." He confessed as he tried to appear sympathetic to his kid. "I know it must've been hard on you."
"Save it!" Wanda was not going to buy any excuse he'd give. He didn't know the hell she'd been put through because of him.
"Please understand." Magneto tried to reason with her. "It was for your own good. I-"
"You never cared about me!" She cried. "Only about yourself. I was just something else in your way!"
"Wanda, I had hoped we could start building a new relationship." He said hopefully, only to get a glare from his own flesh and blood.
"Not in this lifetime." She silently seethed.
Her father frowned. "I see. Unfortunate. The fact is, Wanda, your single-minded quest to eliminate me may become a serious liability. Not to mention your poor decision in siding with Charles and his X-Men, along with that abomination."
"Don't call him that!" She yelled at him. No way was she going to let him talk like that about Danny. "He's more of a man than you'll ever be!"
"Since I can't secure your cooperation voluntarily, I will do it by other means." He raised his hand as the door opened, allowing Mastermind entry. "Mastermind here will delve into your memories and alter them." Magneto revealed. "Hopefully, your mind won't be too damaged by the process."
"No!" Wanda shouted as she realized what Danny had told her was going to come true. Magneto was going to twist her mind until she was as obedient and subservient to his will as her brother was. And she knew what would happen if her memories did return.
"Danny!" She yelled, knowing it was hopeless to think he'd arrive, but she didn't care. She wanted someone—anyone—to save her. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE!"
Magneto merely ignored her as he left the room to leave Mastermind to his work.
Meanwhile, Klemper and the acolytes were still playing when the ghost heard Wanda's shouts for help.
"What was that?" He asked, but the other three ignored the screams. Not that they didn't care, but they knew that it was pointless to go up against Magneto.
"Just ignore it." Pyro advised as they continued playing, but the screaming still went on.
"HELP! HELP ME!"
Klemper, though not as heroic as some ghosts like Danny Phantom, still couldn't ignore the cry for help and so he got up and flew in the direction of the shouts.
"Klemper, wait!" Pyro called out as he and the others chased after him.
As Wanda was trying to resist Mastermind's mental probes, the childlike ghost entered the room, getting Mastermind's attention.
'Magneto.' He contacted mentally. 'You have an intruder.' He was then pushed aside by Klemper as he looked at Wanda in concern.
"You!" Wanda glared, recognizing him not only as the ghost she had summoned but as the one who knocked her out and brought her here. "You did this to me! You brought me to Magneto!"
"Are you okay?" Klemper asked, making Wanda have the urge to throttle this ghost for getting her into this situation.
"Get. Me. Out." She hissed as Klemper complied, phasing her out of her restraints. She then blasted him with a hex bolt. "You disgusting little imbecile! You handed me over to my father!"
"But..." Klemper felt her magic surround him and start to crush him. "I thought that you missed your daddy."
"Missed him?" Wanda scoffed. "My father locked me up in a mental hospital and abandoned me there. And just now, he was about to have one of his goons mind-rape me. Because of you!"
"I... I didn't know..." Klemper choked as Wanda furiously stared into his eyes. "The others... they told me your daddy lost you and wanted you back."
"You fool!" The Scarlet Witch raged. "They lied to you. They're his lackeys, and I would've been another one of them. If it weren't for you, I'd..." She stopped as she realized that although Klemper was gullible, he was still somewhat innocent in all of this.
And she knew she couldn't hurt innocents over what her father had done, not like that version of her that decimated the mutant race. She couldn't let her rage hurt the innocent, or foolish in Klemper's case.
"No. It's not your fault. It's mine. I was the one who brought you here to get even with him. It's all on me."
She then let Klemper go as he peered at her fearfully. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I didn't know that he'd hurt you."
"Well, that's all he's capable of." Wanda hissed back. "Now get out of here."
Before the ghost could get another word in, the door opened, and Magneto and his acolytes arrived. Magneto, seeing that Klemper was still here, glared at Pyro.
"I thought I told you to get rid of him." He said before he felt Wanda's magic grab him. The acolytes tried to help their leader, but a hex bolt thrown by Wanda sent them back, leaving her alone with her father.
"You thought you could get rid of me that easily?" Wanda questioned as she sent a strain of magical energy to wrap around Magneto's throat. "You bastard! You were going to tamper with my mind!"
"Wanda, please..." Magneto wheezed out before he felt the tendril of magic squeeze his throat harder.
Wanda then charged up a massive hex bolt in her hand. "You have no idea what you would've done. But no more. This time the only person who's going to get hurt is you, the one who deserves it."
"Wanda, I only did it for your own good."
"Well, this is gonna be for your own good. It's time to end this once and for all."
"Wait!" Klemper interjected. "You can't hurt him! It isn't right!" He understood that her father was bad and that he hurt her, but that didn't mean it was right to hurt him back.
"It isn't right?" The daughter of Magneto scowled. "It wasn't right when he abandoned me. It wasn't right when he was about to erase my memories."
"I know he hurt you-"
"Hurt me?" Wanda sneered at the ghost's ignorance of the situation. "He did more than hurt me. You don't know what it's like to be betrayed by your own father. You know nothing of my pain."
"I do." Klemper gave her a look of empathy.
At this, Wanda paused. "How?"
"Because my daddy left me too."
This caught Wanda off guard. "What?"
"My daddy." Klemper reiterated. "He hurt me too. He always made me stay in the attic. Always said that no one would like me. Sometimes he would even lock me up there."
"He...he did?" The sorceress's anger had been completely replaced with pity.
Klemper nodded. "I never got to go outside or play with the other kids. I'd just watch from the window." He then gained a smile. "My favorite time to watch was when it snowed. It was always so pretty."
"Did you ever escape or run away?"
The spirit shook his head. "One day, Daddy took me to go skiing. But we got lost. I tried to look for him, but I just couldn't find him. Then I saw him on top of a mountain." Here, Klemper was trying to hold back his tears. "I called out to Daddy, but he just turned around and walked away... and then... and then..." He stopped, but Wanda could put together what happened afterwards as she looked at him with compassion.
"But didn't you get revenge on him?" She asked. "You know, after you came back? Did you ever find him?"
"I didn't." Klemper replied. "I didn't want to look for him."
This confounded Wanda. Just why didn't he try to get his vengeance after his abandonment? Didn't he feel angry or hurt? Didn't he want retribution?
"Why didn't you go after him?"
"Because I didn't want to find him. I wanted friends." Klemper said. "It's just like grandma used to tell me. Why focus on someone who hates you when you can focus on someone who loves you?" He tilted his head. "Don't you have people who love you?"
"I..." Wanda was unprepared for that question. "Yeah." She answered as she thought about Danny, Rogue, and the rest of the X-Men. "Yeah, I have people who love me."
"You're lucky." Klemper said sadly. "I don't. No one wants to be friends with me."
Wanda looked back at her father. She had him at her mercy. With one final motion, she could end it right here. She could put an end to her torment. And didn't he deserve it? After everything he's done, didn't he deserve his comeuppance?
And yet the hex bolt in her hand started to flicker before slowly dying down as she threw her father into a wall. What was the point anyway? It's not like it would undo the years she spent at the asylum. And besides, if that ghost was willing to move past his hatred, then couldn't she do the same?
Her thoughts returning to Klemper, Wanda gazed at the ghost in a new light. Maybe it was due to the similar pasts they shared, or possibly she had been here long enough to develop Stockholm syndrome. Whatever the case, she smiled at the ghost.
"I'll be your friend."
Klemper blinked at this. He must've misheard her; she didn't say she wanted to be his friend, did she?
"You want to be my friend?"
Wanda grinned. "Yes. I'll be your friend. My name's Wanda."
"Mine's Klemper."
"Nice to meet you, Klemper." She then wrapped her arms around him as the ghost started to sob with tears of joy. Finally, he had a friend.
As Wanda pulled away, she noticed that Klemper was gone, nowhere to be seen. All that was left in his place was a feeling of peace.
"WANDA!" The ceiling exploded due to an ecto-blast as Danny dropped into the room with Rogue and the other X-Men consisting of Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops by his side. As soon as he spotted her, he flew up to her. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he? Because I swear to God if he so much as touched you-"
"I'm okay, Danny." She reassured him, touched by his concern for her. "I'm all right."
Danny brought Wanda in for a hug before seeing the unconscious Magneto. "You're father. You didn't..."
"No." She stated. "I didn't kill him. And I don't want to anymore. I'm done. I don't care about him anymore. I'll never forgive him, but I'm done chasing after him."
The hybrid was shocked. "He didn't mess with your-"
"He didn't." Wanda said. "But I'm done focusing on people I hate. For now on, I'm gonna focus on the people I love. And I love you... guys." She added hastily as she saw Rogue raise an eyebrow. "I love you guys."
"Nice save." Vampira muttered sarcastically.
"We love you too, Wanda." Danny said before they saw Magneto get up.
"Wanda, my daughter."
"I'm not your daughter." Wanda glowered at him. "Not anymore."
'Woah, deja vu.' Rogue thought to herself, feeling like she heard that phrase before. The X-Men all watched as Magneto looked at Wanda with despair before his features became twisted with hatred as his eyes darted over to Danny.
"You! You did this! You poisoned her mind against me! I'll never forgive you for this!" Magneto rose up into the air. "I will destroy you!"
Danny rolled his eyes as he whistled once again. On call, Cujo, in his giant form, burst through the wall, startling the master of magnetism.
"No! Not again!" He cried before the dog grabbed him with his mouth, and once again, the ghostly hound shook him like a chew toy. The X-Men just stood by and watched while the acolytes, who were standing at the back of the room, were shocked (and secretly amused) to see what was happening to their commander.
"Is that a green dog?" Colossus asked.
Gambit just shook his head. "And I thought life outside the bayou would be less weird."
Cujo then took Magneto outside and spat him out before burying him in the snow.
Wanda was now howling in laughter at seeing this. She remembered Danny telling her about how Cujo did it the first time, but never would she think she'd get to see it. "Oh, my god. It's even funnier seeing it in person."
The rest of the X-Men were laughing as well, with even the acolytes joining in.
With Magneto defeated, Cujo shrunk down and approached Wanda as he barked cutely.
"Wanda, meet Cujo." Danny introduced as the girl smiled down at the cute puppy.
"I like him already." She picked him up in her arms and started to pet him as Danny smiled, happy to see that Wanda had moved on from her hatred for her father.
"I'm proud of you Wanda." He praised, making the girl blush.
The X-Men had left in the Blackbird, and the acolytes were now looking over the pile that their boss was buried under.
"Guess we'll have to dig Magneto out now." Gambit said.
Pyro pointed to the ski resort. "Can we do it after we go skiing?"
Gambit grinned. "I don't see why not."
The three then left as Magneto was stewing under all the snow. He'd vow that one day he would destroy Danny Phantom. The ghost had humiliated him and ruined his plans, and now he had turned his daughter against him.
One day, he would have his revenge against the freak.