Charles smiled. "The door is always open," he said. "you are welcome here as well Jessica."
Mark stepped closer to Jessica, then bent and scooped her into his arms before she could protest properly. She grumbled, but she wrapped her arms around his neck anyway. He lifted off from the lawn and rose into the air, the mansion dropped away beneath them as they moved up and out over the trees. The students on the lawn watched, and a few waved, Mark waved back with one hand while the other kept Jessica held close.
Rogue stood near Ororo and Scott, her wet hair stuck to her cheeks, her hands down at her sides, her eyes followed the blue-and-white figure until he was only a small shape against the sky and then gone. Her fingers curled once, remembering the feel of a hand she could hold without fear, for the first time in years she remembered what it felt like to feel the warmth of someone's hand.
_____________________________________
Mystique walked down the main corridor ger boots tapping softly against the polished floor as she passed clusters of new recruits gathered along the walls and near open training rooms. Some wore mismatched street clothes, others had already adopted pieces of Brotherhood gear, jackets with symbols stitched onto the shoulders or belts loaded with equipment.
Eyes followed her.
Of course they did.
Mystique didn't need to look at them directly to know. She could feel the shift in posture, the whispers, the sideways glances that lingered. She had long since gotten used to men seeing her as an object of desire. Not only was she beautiful and exotic looking in her regular form, but she also possessed the ability to take on any number of different forms.
In short she was their wet dream.
Both men and women.
She kept her expression neutral as she walked, though her mind remained active. 'Like any of them will ever get the chance...' she smirked.
She passed a training room where two mutants sparred under Pyro's supervision. Farther down, mothman hung upside down from a ceiling beam while arguing with a recruit.
Mystique didn't slow down.
She rounded a corner and nearly walked straight into Toad and Blob.
Blob leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his massive torso, while Toad crouched beside him, balancing easily on the balls of his feet. Both of them looked up as she approached, the smirks appeared almost immediately. "Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Toad said, his voice dripping with mock enthusiasm.
Blob chuckled. "Heard you've been busy," he added. "Real busy."
Mystique stopped in front of them, one brow lifting slightly. "If you're trying to say something, say it."
Toad grinned wider. "Oh, we heard stories. You getting close to certain people. Playing nice. Getting real friendly."
Blob snorted. "Yeah. Real friendly."
Mystique's lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in the expression. "You two spend an impressive amount of time worrying about other people's lives," she said. "It's almost heartwarming."
Blob pushed off the wall. "We're just curious," he said. "You out there playing house while we're stuck here doing the heavy lifting."
Mystique tilted her head. "Heavy lifting," she repeated. "That's an interesting way to describe leaning against walls and running your mouth."
Toad barked out a laugh.
Mystique's gaze shifted to Blob. "And you," she continued calmly, "shouldn't be throwing comments about other people's personal lives when you likely haven't seen your own cock since childhood."
For a second, silence hit. Then Toad burst into laughter, doubling over and slapping the wall. "Oh, that was brutal."
Blob's face darkened. "You think you're funny?"
Toad straightened, still chuckling. "She's not wrong."
Mystique didn't wait for a comeback. She stepped past them without another word and continued down the corridor, their muttered insults fading behind her.
'Predictable,' she thought. 'Always predictable.'
The hallway narrowed as she approached the inner sanctum, security panels were embedded in the walls and a reinforced door standing open ahead. Two guards stepped aside without question when they saw her, and she moved through into a chamber that felt markedly different from the rest of the base.
The room was wide with a raised platform at the far end, steps leading upward toward a central space where metal structures hung suspended in the air. At the stop sitting on something that could only be described as a Throne.
Magneto waited.
Mystique slowed as she approached the steps, her posture straightening instinctively. Even after years of working beside him, standing in front of Magneto always made her feel uneasy. It wasn't fear exactly, but something close enough that her instincts recognized it immediately.
She stopped at the base of the platform.
Magneto turned toward her, his expression unreadable. "Raven," he said. "I trust you have a report."
Mystique lifted her chin slightly. "Progress is going well," she replied. "I've secured access to the Baxter Building and my cover remains intact."
Magneto hummed quietly. "And the GeoCore Stabilizer?"
Mystique shook her head once. "I haven't managed to get close yet. But I've discovered the device is protected by layered fail-safes. Without Reed Richards' authorization or Franklin Srorms access, any forced attempt would trigger a defensive shutdown and permanently disable the system."
Magneto's expression hardened. "Unacceptable."
Mystique stood there in silence like a child being punished.
Magneto descended one step. "Are you able to access the room where it is housed?"
"Not yet," she replied. "But I will be able to soon."
Magneto stopped midway down the steps, studying her for a moment before nodding. "Good," he said. "I do not believe I need to remind you how important that device is to our plans."
Mystique remained silent.
Magneto continued downward until he stood only a few feet away, metal fragments from the surrounding structures drifting slightly in the air around him as if responding to his presence. "I am a patient man," he said. "I understand timing. Opportunity must be seized, not forced. We will wait for the moment when acquisition becomes inevitable."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"And when that moment arrives," he continued, "the world will finally understand what it means to fear mutantkind."
The game was finally beginning to unfold.
(AN: Mystique is pretty sexy. She's probably the reason I like Na'avi women.)
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