From the Past Comes the Storms
Posted on Sun Mar 3rd, 2024 @ 11:15am by Charles Xavier & Erik Magnus Lehnsherr & Connor Bruin & Bobby Drake & Iris Walker & Jade Farwynd & Elias Buckley & Bliss Hawkins & Levi Rousseau & Shinobi Shaw & Ethan Hale & Aurora Summers & Kennedy Kelly & Hank McCoy
Edited on on Thu Mar 7th, 2024 @ 4:36pm
4,724 words; about a 24 minute read
Mission:
Episode 4: The Savage ConneXion
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: August 30th, 1990 - 00:01
~Charles! Wake up, Charles! I know you can hear me!~
The familiar voice made Xavier sit up in his bed. He had been sleeping lightly due to the campus-wide lockdown. So far, nothing had happened outside of the terrible events of the day. Between Robert Kelly's assassination and the ever-mounting geomagnetic storms that were wreaking havoc across the globe, no one had thought to leverage those events against the school. For that, he was grateful.
But that voice... Charles would know it anywhere. And not least of all because it was a voice usually closed to his telepathy. "Erik..."
Xavier closed his eyes and let his awareness rove the mansion grounds until he had seized upon his oldest friend and nemesis. The infamous Magneto himself had triggered a defensive measure and was now held hostage by a motion-sensor turret. And he was not wearing a helmet. What had happened that made Erik come to him in such vulnerable fashion?
~Help me, Charles! I cannot hold it for long~
The desperation in Erik's mind was all the sincerity Charles needed to hear. Whatever was in play, Charles would take the risk. He accessed his bedside control terminal that gave him a direct link to Cerebro. From there, he put the mansion's defenses on standby.
~Come inside, Erik. We'll talk~
~Thank you, old friend~
Charles flinched. Dire, indeed.
"This is my price," Charles said after their lengthy discussion. "The X-Men will aid you in your endeavor in exchange for you remanding William Stryker into the federal custody of the United States."
"Justice won't be done, Charles! Surely even a sentimental fool as yourself must know that!" Erik nearly spat in outrage.
"There is always hope," Charles riposted, "and forgive me if I have more faith in the American justice system than whatever kangaroo court you have fabricated up there in your orbital prison colony."
"Watch yourself, Charles..." Erik intoned menacingly.
"You're not in a position to make idle threats," Charles said, then added more gently, "old friend. I still am that, Erik. You are asking me to trust you. I am afraid that street must travel both ways."
Erik's expression soured. This price was almost too high. But he had no choice. He knew that even before he arrived. "Done. Now summon them. Time is of the essence."
"Very well..." Xavier placed the Cerebro helmet over his head and sent out a telepathic broadcast. "TO ME, MY X-MEN!"
Kennedy had yet to sleep, so when the call came through that they had been summoned, she was the first to return to that damn War Room. Fatigue showed on her face when she first walked into the room, but any trace of exhaustion left her when she saw who was sitting next to Xavier. Her blue eyes turned cold and sharp as vengeful rage filled her mind.
“What is he doing here?” Kennedy’s gaze remained locked on Magneto, the crosshairs of a huntress focused on her prey.
"Have we met?" Erik furrowed his bushy brow at Kennedy. "I am certain we have not."
Bliss came in right behind Kennedy. Her body had recovered from the fight with the purifiers. She certainly wasn't ready for another fight especially with the master of magnetism on their home territory. But there was no way she was letting the kids in the school being endangered again.
"Well isn't this cozy?"
Bliss took a protective spot next to her roommate, ready for a fight.
"Say the word, Chuck, and I'll escort him to the bus stop.... Or the moon."
Xavier waved away Bliss's offer of violence without a word.
Levi entered quietly as Bliss was talking and crossed his arms after falling in line with the others already there. He'd never met Magneto in person, but he knew enough to be on alert. He kept a cautious but restrained expression on his face, at least as much as possible, but there was no need to say anything just yet. He was listening and observing.
Hearing a couple of reactions ahead of her, Iris decided to keep a low profile and entered quietly, keeping her cover. I’m here, Professor, she thought so at least Xavier would know she had arrived. She watched Magneto with an uneasy glare, which she reminded herself that he could not see. Why she was doing it she didn’t know, but she couldn’t stop herself. So she continued to glare.
Connor hopped through the door and screeched to a halt at the sight of Magneto. He cocked his head at the man's lack of a helmet. This was unusual. He sat next to Bliss and stared at the two older men with his fingers pressed against his eyes.
Jace was sound asleep and dreaming when Xavier's voice interrupted and woke him up. It was an odd feeling, having someone's voice in your head like that and it not be a dream. He got up and put on some pajamas before going to the war room. Upon entering, he immediately tensed and was prepared to phase so he could dodge whatever might be thrown.
Aurora was asleep, resting peacefully after all the exertion of earlier, when Xavier’s voice woke her. Getting up she quickly dressed and was soon walking into his office. “You called Prof...” her words trickled off at the sight of Magneto standing in the office. She said nothing more, taking a seat next to Connor.
Ethan had been up on the roof when the call came. He'd been up there for hours. He cursed at himself, when he stepped inside. He hadn't been on sentry duty, but how could he have missed Magneto arriving? What was he doing here? He knew enough not to be drawn into Magneto's web of deceit and anger, but he couldn't help agreeing, at least in part with what had been done to Stryker.
No one was attacking anyone, yet, which he took as a good sign. He did not however sit down.
It had taken Hank a couple of minutes to remember what that voice in his head meant. It had been so long since he heard it, and yet it had also been yesterday. The whole situation was so surreal, his brain rejected it at first. Finally, though, through the foggy reaches of his mind, he managed to find a memory that matched this one and he dragged himself sleepily out of his room and to the Professor’s location.
He was unprepared for what he found, however, and before he really took in the scene, a growl escaped his throat. Then the presence of the Professor registered in his brain and he halted the sound, contenting himself to simply glare at the once friend of Xavier.
"Oh for fucks sake." The curse announced Jade's arrival. She finally looked normal, and was not wearing any sort of head cover. Seeing Magneto there set her on edge and she took effort to keep her powers downturned as she saw none of the others had powered up either. She sighed loudly instead and came to stand next to Kennedy, Bliss and Connor.
Magneto! Unshielded and looking... not as majestic as usual. Elias allowed himself an indulgent smirk as he stepped through the wall and then leant purposefully against it. Well, that was an unexpected surprise. For now, he had no smart comments or pithy welcomes for this gathering. He stood still, watched and listened. Across all the available avenues within and around them. He stood as a silent guardian to the sounds beyond the visible and listened to the Danger Rooms across the dimensions.
Ousted and enemy of my enemy, Elias thought.. Then he turned as the vibrations of the universe rippled with one more soul to join the gathering.
Bobby was the last to come. He came literally skating through the door on a sheen of ice that let him slide to one of the last remaining empty seats.
"Now that you are all here..." began the Professor.
"'All'?" Magneto asked imperiously. "Does Cyclops not number among you? I am astonishingly certain I recall seeing him the last time I was here."
The Professor shook his head. "No, Erik. Cyclops has taken his leave of this place."
That elicited a frustrated sigh from Magneto. His leery gaze fell across the rest of the team and did not appear impressed at all with what he saw. "Very well," he grunted. "Let's get on with it."
At first the Professor fixed his old frenemy with a firm glare that almost certainly contained telepathic chastisement. Even the great Magneto could not hold back a flinch under the weight of Xavier's displeasure. "As I was saying," he continued, "there are matters we must discuss. First of all, I am prepared to vouch for Magneto that neither him nor anyone under his command was responsible for... the assassination."
His eyes avoided Kennedy but his thoughts went out to her in rolling waves of compassion.
"And neither is he behind the geomagnetic storms that have brought down the major networks," the Professor added. "Not entirely, at least."
"Charles. Allow me." Magneto addressed the X-Men without waiting for permission. "Some of you are aware of the prehistoric reserve near the South Pole known as the Savage Land. For those who do not, suffice it to say that a lost civilization once ruled this planet and all that remains of their technology is within the Pangaea region of Antarctica. Before I formed the Brotherhood, I had taken residence within an ancient structure and claimed it as my Citadel. My endeavors were unsuccessful, so I shut it all down and returned to the world of humans to prepare for the inevitable war between us. As of when, I cannot say, but somebody has reactivated my old Citadel, amplified its power levels well beyond anything I ever achieved, and have begun disrupting the planet's magnetosphere as a result."
Xavier pressed a button on the War Room computer. "Before our own satellite access was taken down, Cerebro identified a number of mutant signatures within the Savage Land while confirming it as the locus for the geomagnetic storms. The largest storm is surrounding the entire continent of Antarctica, meaning that not even the Blackbird can penetrate it. Magneto has agreed to lead a team with his space transport that is shielded to withstand prolonged exposure to the intense radiation of Earth's Van Allen belts. Together you will reach Magneto's Citadel in the Savage Land and shut it down."
"So let me see if I've got this straight." Bliss started to count off points on her fingers. "So one of Magneto's plans for the final solution for humanity has been compromised by somebody else. So now they're trying to kill everybody with these crazy storms. And now he has to come to us to stop this group of unknown bad guys because it's not his finger on the button? Where's Magneto's own group of cannon fodder? Safe and cozy while we pull their collective asses out of the fire.... Again? '
Well, that was interesting... Elias regarded Magneto, but said nothing. He let Bliss' words roll powerfully into the room and he considered the task ahead. So far he'd had no reason to venture into the afore-mentions Savage Land, and its appearance in their ongoing mutual story raised several simple, yet escalating questions. Not to mention the tampering with this earth's magnetic fields.... He let the others' words ebb and flow, while his own thoughts focused sharply.
Kennedy almost broke when Xavier mentioned that Magneto had not been responsible for her father’s death. She had been so certain of it, only to find out it wasn’t true. The new unknown was a sickening revelation that made her want to mourn something different, but she resisted the urge. It was only Bliss’ outraged questions that were enough to pull her out of her own thoughts. But for Kennedy, the answer was clear; despite Erik’s arrogant and haughty attitude, he had arrived alone in the middle of the night without that fancy helmet that protected him from Xavier. Those were not the behaviors of an emboldened and powerful man.
“Because he’s desperate.” Kennedy’s voice was sharp and cold. Even though Magento had disregarded her, Kennedy’s focus on him remained intact. “He needs our help because no one else will help him.”
Looking at Kennedy as if for the first time, Erik's hawkish gaze narrowed. "I have an army at my command," he said in icy correction to Kennedy's assertion. "But Avalon is in a precarious state. If any of my enemies, foreign or domestic, were to know that the fluctuations of Earth's magnetic field have attenuated my powers, there is no telling what may result. This is a mission of peace, young lady. I had thought that within the X-Men's domain..." His eyes darted across the War Room table once more. "... though I am less than confident I see many X-Men before me."
"I stand by my students," the Professor interjected, "more than you do your own army, it would seem."
Magneto bristled but said nothing.
Bliss gave Kennedy a look of pride and approval. She has been through hell in the last few hours, but she was sharp enough to catch Magneto's weakness. She looked back to the master of magnetism.
"I appreciate your candor. The storms are messing with your powers. I know that's got to suck. You admit that Avalon has enemies inside as well as outside. How many snakes does your Eden have, anyway? Do we have to worry that some of your domestic enemies are going to be working against this little mission of mercy?"
Bliss gave magneto a grin.
"You know what, I like this plan. We get to show the master of magnetism that a bunch of Scrubs like us can save his ass. When do we leave?"
Aurora had felt a pang of longing at the mention of Scott’s name, she was starting to wish he’d at least call to let her know how his search for a home was going. He wouldn’t even know she was gone to this savage land. She looked towards Bliss as she asked about when they were leaving, looking back towards Xavier for the answer. “What happens once we’ve stopped the mutants and the machine? How do we know that you...” She looked towards Magneto, “Won’t turn against us?”
"Because he's desperate and doesn't trust his own people." Jade put her two cents in, crossing her arms on her chest. "He can't fight a two-fold battle, so he will pick the lesser threat to deal with first. Then we'll resume this stupid cold war between our groups. Sound about right?"
From her still hidden place, Iris huffed slightly. That sounded about right. But she had no reason to reveal herself yet.
"Ya know," Jace piped up, "we can talk motivations until sunrise. But I for one would like to get some more sleep before that happens." He yawned and turned to Magneto. "What are we going to do when we get there? Full on assault? Divide and conquer? Someone gets captured so we have a body on the inside? What's your plan, big dog?"
“Nobody needs to be captured,” Iris pointed out. “As long as there are no security cameras, I can watch everything that happens in there and nobody would be the wiser. I can stand right next to them and they’ll never see me.”
Aurora looked towards Iris. “That’s provided they don’t have a telepath in there, though I should be able to sense if they do.”
“That’s a fair point,” allowed Iris. “We could work together, though. I can hide us both and you can warn me if there are any telepaths nearby. Oh!” she said suddenly. “Can you block both of our minds? Is that something telepaths can do?”
“I’ll admit I’ve never tried it” Aurora gave Iris a curious look. “But I should be able to. Clouding my presence wouldn’t take a lot of effort, I’d just have to concentrate on clouding any sense of your presence.”
Magneto relented from the firm pinch he'd held against the bridge of his nose. "If you children are finished, I will take everyone who is willing onto my transport immediately. You may sleep en route if you wish." He glanced at Jace with disapproval. "Our strategy is simple: get to the Citadel and deactivate its power source. Anyone who gets creative and runs off on their own will remain on their own. The Savage Land's name is well deserved, so I suggest staying together." Standing up from the table, he said, "My craft is afloat on the lake. I will await you there."
With a flourish of his cape, Erik returned his helmet to his head and left the War Room.
"I understand your questions and apprehensions," said the Professor once Magneto had left, "but Magneto shared a rare moment of vulnerability with me. Despite his many other machinations, his intentions today are genuine, as are the dire stakes he has presented. As dangerous as the Savage Land may be, all hands are needed for this mission." He looked at Beast. "I will ask, however, that Hank stay behind to assist me in getting Cerebro back up to speed. I have sent for my computer specialist already, so I hope to restore it to full functionality as soon as possible."
Hank perked up at that. Computer specialist? Mara, he thought. He had long had a crush on the technopath but had never had the nerve to tell her. Every time she visited, he vowed to himself that he would, but if her was totally honest with himself, he knew he never would. Still, a chance to spend even a few minutes with her was too much to pass up. “Of course, Professor,” he said.
“I’ll go with him,” offered Iris. “I hope I’ve got five minutes to get dressed, though.”
"ME TOO." Connor let his gloves and device speak for him. It was one of the few instances where he readily volunteered for a mission, and the look on his face showed his resolve. Nobody had to tell him what destabilization of Earth's magnetic field could lead to.
Bliss was already on the move.
"On the bounce, team! Grab your gear and change on the way. We got a planet to save."
Anything was better than sitting still, the idea of being left behind in a quiet and empty school sounded like a sick type of torture for Kennedy. So she would go, only because the alternative was a grief-stricken nightmare. She was happy to leave the War Room, the sight of her father’s shattered skull still played on the television monitor anytime she looked up at it. Without a second glance or words of confirmation that she would go, Kennedy unceremoniously left to dress and collect her equipment.
Ethan pushed his personal feelings aside. There were more important things to do than sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went up the steps to his room where he grabbed an already packed and ready-to-go backpack.
Jace grinned. He'd seem that same look from Troy years ago when he first started practicing his powers. Jace imagined that Mags would probably be a worse dad than Troy, though. "Yeah, I'll go," he said. Then he disappeared to go suit up.
“Might as well do what we do best” Aurora smiled and headed off to change.
"Back to the Savage Land..." Bobby muttered. This wouldn't be his first time there, but the circumstances were drastically different. "Let's rock'n roll!"
"I might meet you there," Elias said, giving Ethan a loaded look as he added. "Gotta try something, see if it works." And then he stepped into the wall and was gone.
One by one, in pairs, and in any and every other configuration, Magneto counted the X-Men who came aboard the transport. The only one he truly recognized was Iceman. Who in the world were these others? No matter. Charles Xavier was a damned fool but he was still a canny adversary who trained his people well. If Charles had given these insolent children the right to call themselves X-Men, then they would be given the chance to prove their mettle.
The wide doors sealed shut with a resounding clang and an air of finality. Magneto addressed them all like pets at the pound.
"Once I reactivate the engines, the transport will enter into autopilot. Our course will take us nearly 90 degrees south by latitude." Realizing he was talking to teenagers, he clarified. "That means we have a long time. And so I will take my rest, which means I do not wish to be disturbed. If you have any pithy comments or questions, make them now. I will not brook them later."
Escapade raised a hand and waited until Magneto acknowledged her.
"Look maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I mean after all if Chuck hadn't sent me a letter I might have been working for you by now. So let's put our cards out on the table. You think we're stupid children who you will happily sacrifice for your latest master plan. I think you're a mass murderer who has adopted the tactics of your childhood tormenters because you want people to hurt as much as still you do after all these years. So as much as I want to hate you, I don't. I feel sorry for you. I wish I could just hug you. But it wouldn't help, would it?"
After she finished, Magneto looked at her for a moment and smirked. "Well done. I barely recognized Charles' voice coming from your mouth. There are dinosaurs and other megafauna where we are going. Try not to hug them either."
Bliss nodded.
"Don't hug the monsters, got it. So you and Chuck are friends going way back. Why did you split up?""
"Because he has a penchant for being a sniveling, smart-mouthed little pest," Magneto sniped. "A trait he passes on to his students. Are you satisfied?"
Bliss frowned in confused thought.
"Who's sniveling? That's just rude. Chuck has nothing but good things to say about you. Usually he's not angry at you. But he is greatly disappointed. I mean, think about it: you could be the Malcom X of mutants. But now you're the poster boy of atrocities in the name of Homo Superior. I sure this wasn't how you pictured your life going when you were my age. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"When I was your age," Magneto said, his voice low and deep with crisp diction, "I was avenging the slaughter of my family by pigs and snakes masquerading as men who tortured them for the crime of being Lebensunwertes Leben—'Life Unworthy of Life'." He raised his hand and through great effort summoned steel rivets that he bent around Bliss. "Something to think about in your new thinking spot." He sent her flying away into the luggage compartment reserved for mutant refugee belongings and closed the door.
Just before Bliss disappeared into the luggage compartment, she called out to Magneto. "Is it something I said?"
Hot on her heels, Connor came bounding along to pry the door open and release her.
Kennedy put her equipment and supplies away, her recurved bow and the obscene amount of arrows she brought felt heavy across her shoulders and the bag of personal effects suddenly felt unnecessary. But she knew all of that was her fatigue talking, the events of the past 24 hours were finally catching up to her. Magneto had mentioned sleep during the flight and Kennedy internally agreed with that idea. Bypassing the current conversation, she found a seat and tried to make herself comfortable. Unfortunately, the seats were anything but comfortable. After a handful of attempts, Kennedy perched herself on the edge of her seat and rested her elbows on her knees before holding her head in her hands. It wasn’t great but it was the best she could manage all while mentally cursing how long this flight was going to be.
There was a tap on her shoulder. Bobby sat down next to her and patted his arm with his other hand. "Come on. These seats suck. One of us should get some sleep."
Aurora looked towards Magneto. “Before you go and lie down wouldn’t you at least like to know who your team is made up of? Going into the field blind is one thing, but going in without a clue of who you’re with, or what they can do seems silly.” “I’m Aurora Summers, or Enigma if you prefer. I’m telepathic, telekinetic, and I can do this...” moments later her whole body lit up in flame, but only for a brief few moments before the flames disappeared again.
"Aurora Summers? I was unaware that Cyclops had a sister." Magneto turned droll. "Unlike present company, I am not an imbecile. I have seen dossiers on you all. Impress me going forward and you may join my Brotherhood."
“I wasn’t trying to impress you” Aurora offered a wry smile. “Ohh and for that dossier, I’m not Cyclops' sister, I’m his wife.”
“Never mind, Aurora,” said Iris with a roll of her eyes. “It’s no use. He doesn’t actually care. Not about you or me or any of his followers. I’m not even convinced he really cares about himself.”
Magneto ignored Iris, which was easy enough to do under normal circumstances, as he was struck by Aurora's revelation.
"Wife? You?"
The incredulous, disbelieving question broke his taciturn expression into a cruel sneer as a chuckle came forth. When it ended, another soon came on its heels followed by another. The chain laughter came from deep in his chest until he tilted his head back and let his laughter sound off into a mocking chorus that echoed throughout the expansive passenger compartment which had been intended for dozens of people.
"Oh, and to think Charles said it was my house that was unkept and out of order."
Magneto wiped the corner of his eye. "Child, I do not envy the lessons that life has yet to impart to you, though I will rest far more soundly after that lovely, little lark." He turned around to head toward the bridge, still chuckling under his breath.
"At least none of Chuck's students are trying to take over his little operation..." Bliss called out to the departing master of magnetism. Bliss sighed. "What a dick."
Iris reached up and placed a hand on Aurora’s shoulder. “See what I mean,” she said, scowling at his back.
Connor raised a firm middle finger to Magneto's back. "FUCK YOU," said the device in his chest plate.
A plan was growing in the back of Aurora’s mind, when this mission was over she was going to find Scott. “Thanks everyone.” She offered a brief smile, then headed over to a seat. She needed to get some rest before whatever they were about to face.
"Hey, Levi," Ethan called out. "You want to sit with me?"
Levi raised a hand to acknowledge Ethan along with a nod before coming over and sitting in the open seat. "I don't know how any of us are supposed to get back to sleep," he mused quietly as he settled in.
"I don't either. I'm too amped up. Can you believe we're working with Magneto?"
Bliss was going about trying to figure out how to make the couches more comfortable for Aurora. She finally figured out how to make the couch recline for the mother to be.
"There you go, try to get some sleep."
Aurora gave Bliss a warm smile. “Thank you Bliss.” With that she made herself comfortable and closed her eyes.
Once everyone more or less made them comfortable, Connor scooped up Bliss and held her tightly against himself like a stuffed animal before drifting off himself while the hum of the engines made the overhead lights dim.
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