A flash and a disconcerting pause. Green fields met the eye, a lone Oak tree stood in the middle of a barren clearing. In the distance it all ended, fading into darkness as the clearing faded away. The redhead stood taking it all in, constantly amazed by the power of the mind. The shade from the tree was comforting even though it was clearly not real. Hands settled at her sides as she sat under the tree. Even the bark felt real as it roughly moved against her skin as she moved forward.
A pinprick of movement in the distance could be seen, steadily moving closer. Waiting in anticipation the redhead stood. Arms crossed as she waited. It was clear who was moving closer. After all it could only be one person. Only one person could also be where she was at the moment. The blond hair came into view as the young man finally came into sight. Gone were the glowing red eyes and wings that normally helped mark his identity. Instead the Calvin Rankin of old instead of Mimic approached her.
“Calvin.”
His eyes turned to take in her presence. “Jean.” He moved closer and paused as they came face to face. “You shouldn’t be here. Why are you here?”
“I’ve come to set you free Calvin.”
“Set me free?” It was if the very concept was foreign to him. In a way it was.
“Yes Calvin. You’re entire life has been spent trying to figure out who you are. From your father to Onslaught, you have been a pawn in the games of others. You’re entire mind is in shambles. Pieces of lives and personalities that aren’t of your own choosing. I can help you piece yourself back together. Help you allow the real Calvin to emerge.”
“No. No you can’t.” A glimmer of red light shined in his eyes, fists clenching in irritation. “There is only one will and one way. The will of Onslaught!”
A stunning pair of white wings burst from the back, flapping majestically in the air. A sense of dread overcame the telepath as she watched the slow transformation. It was going to be harder to reach Calvin than she thought. “Calvin, you have to fight it. You have to find yourself.”
“No!” Anger exploded with his words as the transformation was complete. “There is no Calvin. Only Mimic!”
***
“This is like taking candy from a baby, but easier.” The words were accompanied by a harsh chuckle as a green tail slammed through a storefront window. The owner of the tail, one Mac Gargan the villain known as Scorpion, reached in and grabbed all the sparkling and glittering jewels they could carry.
“You’re telling me Mac.” Bursts of electricity struck the nearby storefronts, draining all juice from the buildings into one central figure. The green and yellow outfit of Electro was unmistakable. “Who would have thought that all we needed to get all this loot was to get the heroes to sacrifice themselves in some stupid heroic gesture. God bless Onslaught.”
Besides the charged villain stood the imposing figure of Kraven, clad in his trademark vest and pants. None of the gathered villains had dared to ask the man how he had come back from the dead, even though it wasn’t strange in their line of work. The answer just wasn’t relevant to their work and their plans. The less they knew the better. Left more time for smashing storefronts.
Across the street more windows shattered as Chameleon and Mysterio struck. The two masters of illusions chatted quietly as they raided their chosen marks. In the middle of the street there seemed to be two metal poles of some kind standing straight up. If one looked closer they would see the figure perched upon the two metal rods high above, and realize that they weren’t poles. They were two of the four mechanical arms of Dr. Otto Octavius, or Doc Ock, as he was better known in their colorful circles.
“Don’t forget my dear electrically gifted friend that we owe much of our success not only upon the missing heroes, but on the growing size of our organization.” The two arms bent slightly to bring the chosen leader of the group lower. “The Sinister Six are only as strong as the members of the organization. Truly the name is no longer apt, but it is more symbolic than logical.”
A heavy sack was slung over Chameleon’s shoulder as he approached the others. “Pity Shocker didn’t take our offer to join. Clearly he didn’t know what was good for him.”
“Yes pity. But fret not my friends there are many more that are willing to join our ranks. Soon there will be nothing that will not be in the reach of the Sinister Six. And nothing, not even the half-baked Avengers or the insipid wall crawler will be able to stop us. The age of heroes is dead, now is our time.”
***
The whistling sound of the nightstick sliding through the air kept his attention forward, the object gliding along his face. A trickle of blood moved down his lip from a small clip of the stick, all part of the show. The guard kept their eyes steady on him, yet sliding discretely to the camera at certain times.
“You’re needed more than you know Xavier, as much as I hate to admit it.” The helmet hid the movement of the guard’s lips, keeping anyone watching the feed from lip reading. The deep baritones had been replaced by a prominent feminine tone.
“I’m struggling to see you’re point Raven, not only because of the beating you seem to be putting me through.” Eyes strayed to the camera momentarily as the baton froze from striking near him again.
A small hand held device slid into her open palm and a finger clicked a button as it was semi held towards the camera’s direction. There was a short sound then nothing. The camera remained in focus and the recording light was on. When it seemed that nothing had happened, surprise registered as the body of the guard rippled and changed to reveal the blue skinned true form of Mystique.
“I assume the camera…”
The device slid back into her sleeve. “Is distracted. They are viewing footage of you being interrogated. Will last long enough for our little discussion to complete.”
“What do you want Raven.”
“I told you. You’re more important than you know.”
“I’ve established that much. The question is important to who. I’m quite sure you’re well aware of my powerless state. No doubt you reveled in the fact that I would be unable to read you’re mind for the answers I seek.”
“I’ll admit a bit of perverse pleasure in the notion of you powerless.” Her hands slid to her hips as she moved around the seated man. His eyes followed until she was behind and out of sight. “The Brotherhood. Without a capable leader to…well lead them, they are lost. Magneto was that leader for the longest time as you are well aware.”
“I still fail to see where I come into this Raven.”
A slight hiss came at the continued use of her given name. “With Magneto now on the side of the angels, on you’re old team as a matter of fact, mutants of the Brotherhood and the world over need someone to lead them. Someone to inspire them. Someone to rally around. Someone like you.”
A light chuckle escaped the normally straight-faced man’s lips. As the redhead slid out from behind into his eyesight again, she was seemingly perturbed by the laughter.
“You find something funny Xavier?”
“No not at all.” The chuckles faded a bit as he took on a more serious look. “I am curious as to why you have seemingly chosen me as your new leader as well as how you found me. I wasn’t aware my whereabouts were known beyond this compound.”
“There is a small town not far from here. The Brotherhood has been stationed there for the past few weeks, gathering information on this very instillation. My contacts in the government had heard whispers of such a facility. We gathered as much information from the outside and inebriated facility workers in town as we could before the next step was infiltration. Imagine my surprise upon entering the facility, the once great Charles Xavier was huddled in a cell spilling information to the enemy.”
At the frown upon his face, she smirked slightly. “Not that I blame you. No doubt the simulations they placed you through were very convincing. Since I assume you don’t particularly feel like spending a life in prison, we figured it was the perfect time to approach you with the offer.”
“I’ll do it.”
***
With a slight whine the Blackbird settled down, the engines dying down slowly. The ramp descended and seven individuals began the trek down to the ground. With practiced ease coming form years of experience, Logan’s eyes scanned the area of the town before them as his senses kicked into full gear. There was no sign of the Sinister Six. The report had come in shortly before, alerting them to the Six’s rampage in the small town. Gathering a team had taken mere moments, as had the trip. Now it seemed perhaps the report had been in folly.
“Mighty quiet out there. Ah got a bad feelin about this.” Cannonball strode forward to stand beside the feral field leader.
“False report?” Joseph’s question hung in the air, his long white hair billowing in the soft breeze.
“Unlikely. There has been damage done here. Our foes have been here and very likely remain. Be on your guard.” The wind stirred up more as Storm took to the air, taking an aerial view of the surroundings.
Colossus and Magma stood behind, both silent and ever vigilant. Kitty stood beside the tall Russian clad in a standard blue and yellow training uniform that she had donned instead of her Excalibur uniform she had been wearing as of late. The old uniform carried too many memories of that past life.
“I can smell em. They're here.” Logan growled as a wall exploded beside him. A long metal tentacle shot through the hole and slammed the clawed mutant into the wall of a far building.
The rest of the X-Men jumped forward, as suddenly the world began to swirl around them. Colors bled together and the ground seemed to shift upwards. Gasps from all around showed that none of the team was immune to whatever it was they were seeing. Sam struggled forward only to feel something hard slam into his chest. Coughing violently as the air shot from his lungs, the Southern mutant stumbled back. A flash of green shot at him once again, this time striking his side and taking him to the ground.
Just as Scorpion’s tale retracted from attacking Cannonball, it struck to the side catching Kitty totally off guard before she could phase. A soft cry came as she stumbled to the side, hitting the ground.
“Katya!” Even through the disorienting haze the sight of the woman that he had once and still loved was not something the Russian wouldn’t notice. Surging forward toward where she was attacked, his fist shot out trying to find her attacker. “Show yourself coward! Face me like a man!”
“Piotr?” A soft voice traveled across the air as a figure emerged from the crazy shifting world, to stand before him. Brunette hair shifted lightly in the wind, big brown eyes stared adoringly up at the metal clad mutant. The uniform was a shout out to days long past, one not worn since the girl’s first days with the X-Men.
“Katya…but how?” Colossus eyes shot to the spot where his teammate had fallen moments before, only to see blank ground. As his head turned back, he was becoming so confused. The metal shifted from his body to reveal flesh. A hand rose towards her. “What have the vile villains done to you?”
In an instant the loving and adoring look was gone, and replaced by a sinister sneer. Pain wracked the large man’s body as hundreds of volts of electricity coursed through his system. Smoke rose from the skin as he tumbled forward to hit the ground hard. ‘Kitty’ laughed long as her body shifted to be replaced by a white faced Chameleon. “Truly pathetic.”
“Like stealing candy from a baby, huh Chameleon?” Electro was clearly pleased with his performance as he waited for compliments from the other villain. It was disgusting in a way.
“Of course my friend. Of course.”
***
In all the time of encountering and fighting Mystique over the years he had never seen her as surprised as she was at that moment. The moment quickly vanished, as she was all business again. “Very well.”
“I’m surprised in you Raven. You’re curiosity must be boiling over at this point, yet you don’t ask the question you so desire to.”
“Even without your powers you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong Xavier. A habit you should learn to curtail.” With a sneer upon her face, she moved closer as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“I will be helping you, but only to repay my debt to everyone. Onslaught was born from my hubris, and many lost their lives. The world’s distrust of mutant grew because of my actions; therefore I owe it to all mutants to do what I can. I will start with the Brotherhood.”
“Yeah whatever, just keep your sanctimonious chatter to yourself while I get you out of here.”
“And pray tell how are you going to accompl…” Before he could finish the words a syringe appeared in her hand and jabbed into his neck. Wincing visibly, his hand shot instinctively to his neck.
The needle was removed as he fell to the ground slightly convulsing. Without noticing, his legs also began to uncontrollably twitch. As the effects wore off he regained control of his body, when the movement of his legs finally dawned on him. Staring down he turned upward to stare at her. “You fixed my legs.”
“No time to talk.” The skin on her body rippled as her form began to change. Slowly she took on his features and it was like looking up into a mirror. Grabbing his hand she pulled him to his feet, pushing something into his hand. “Take that.”
Settling into the chair, she looked every bit the part that he had just moments before. “Well turn it on already.”
Numbly the flip upon the device was switched and in an instant his image was changed. Where a second Xavier had stood a moment before was now the guard that Mystique had been impersonating first. “An image inducer. I wasn’t aware the Brotherhood had their hands upon such technology.”
“We don’t.” The cryptic remark sparked his curiosity, but she waved it off. “Use the hand held I had before, it will lead you to the others. Also push the red flashing button once you are out of the cell to cause the video loop to reach its end. Don’t want them to see you wandering the halls while still in here after all. Now leave.”
Turning he reached the door and pressed the button, restoring the camera to it’s original viewing without even a skipping or visible change. A momentary hesitation was raised as eyes slid back to the woman wearing his form. “I won’t forget this Raven. We will come back to get you out. No one deserves to be under Bastions hold.”
An eerie laugh with his own voice rang out in the cell, and was chilling to hear. “No prison can hold me for long Xavier. I’ll be back on the outside in no time at all. What’s important is you reach the Brotherhood, now get the fuck out.”
Without another glance he moved through the door, secure in his disguise. As the door slid shut Mystique smiled broadly while staring deep into the camera. Fun times were definitely ahead.
Next Issue: Rematch?