Return-Path: From: ShardNAtl@aol.com Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 03:04:53 -0400 (EDT) To: untold-l@netcom.com Subject: The Evil Within Sender: owner-untold-l@majordomo.netcom.com Errors-To: owner-untold-l@majordomo.netcom.com Reply-To: ShardNAtl@aol.com Disclaimer: Marvel owns any and all characters in this story. I am only borrowing them. No profit is being made from this story. The Evil Within "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." New Testament, John, 8:32 My name. My name is....I am not sure. The only thing that I do know is that I am alone. Some things are eternal. Where am I? Lost within my own mind I suppose. It is cold here. Cold and dark. I don't know how I came to be in this place. Nor do I know how long I have been here. Days? Years? Minutes? Hours? Time no longer seems to have meaning. Sometimes scenery passes before me. Times that I remember. Most that I don't. Events from another life prehaps? I begin to try and remember myself. My life. My friends, family. Anyone. Time passes. Or does it? People begin to litter the scenes. I see death. Nothing but death. I know none of these who surround me. Most are no longer suffering for they are dead. Yet some have yet to fall within the steely grasp of death. Who are they? They are scattered upon the ground all around me. Suddenly I can walk. Or move I should say. There is no actual sensation of walking. I feel as if I am in a dream state. Yet the carnage that surrounds me would better be defined as a nightmare. I realize that I am not moving among them, but rather through them. As I have said most of these people are dead. Those who are not moan softly in their misery. I see these dead and yet to be dead for miles and miles around me. As far as the eye can see. Once again I ask myself who they are. Every now and again I come upon a person who seems mobile. They move about and tend to those around them. I try to speak, but no words come. Nor do they seem to notice me. I hear voices. From where I don't know. Prehaps in my head? I almost laugh at the thought. Magneto Magneto Magento The voice is constant. It seems to be calling for someone. A person named Magneto? Prehaps that is my journey. The reason I am in this place. This hell filled with dead. Magneto Magneto Magneto The people are calling for him. Magneto. Is he their killer or savior? I must find him. Yet there are no roads. There is no ending to this. I hate the man who did this. Familiar faces pass before me. Children who grow into adults before my eyes. A beautiful woman who runs from...me. Later. A man. A friend yet enemy. Dreams. I see these things. I see the dreams and failures of two men. A woman. A woman who is damned never to touch those she loves. I see a life pass before my eyes. A life filled with death and hatred. Self hatred. Is this Magneto? Magneto Magneto Magneto They start to talk to me. The dead. The living. The living and the dead. They seem to fear me and it can be heard in their voices. Do they think I am the cause of their doom? Help me! Save me! Please no more...End this pain. How can I help them? I ask, but to no avail. They do not listen. They are alone in their doom. Blood gushing from numerous wounds upon their bodies. Limbs torn from their bodies. I am walking within a sea of red. Magneto Magneto Magneto A man in his early sixties prehaps stands before me. He smiles at me. Yet it is a grim haunting smile. Not one filled with warmth, instead it the knowing smile of one's own doom. This is him. This is Magneto. I ask him if this carnage is his doing. He does not answer. Yet the smile disappears only to be replaced by an intense look of sadness. He turns and leaves me. I try to follow, but I cannot. Magneto Magneto Magneto The silent chant seems to become louder. It is there, but it is not. Loud yet quiet. How can such a thing be? I remember reality, yet I have forgotten what it is like. I know that this is not it. Scenes change. No longer am I surrounded by death. I am in space it seems. The world is within my grasp. I feel powerful. Omnipotent. I am a god among men. A god among men. Why does that seem to be important? Is this how Magneto felt? Was he consumed within his own glory? I feel this power all around me yet it fades...and suddenly I am alone. What is power to the lonely? They are back. The dead. Yet now they are alive. I see their lives. The triumphs, the failures, their loves, their hatreds, and finally...finally I see their deaths. All at the hands of Magneto. Thousands died because of one man. I hear the sound of their deaths as they pass before me. Magneto Magneto Magneto Another passes before me. He is familiar, yet I cannot place his name. I know he has suffered at the hands of my nemesis. This man I see his pain. I see his skeleton ripped from his body as he cries in agony. Blood pouring out of wounds that never should have existed. Skin ripped from itself as an impurity is removed from its vessel. Pain as no other has ever experienced is shown through this man. I cry for his pain. I wish I could have shared the burden with him. Magneto Magneto Magneto Another man. A younger man who resembles this man I must finish. Hate burns in his eyes. A pain brought about by the denial of one's own father. A woman who was molded by the fear of a man she wanted to love. Magneto Magneto Magneto I know my time as it exists is coming to end. I know Magneto is once again near. I will find him and punish him for his transgressions. He must be made to pay. Magneto Magneto Magneto Magneto don't deny yourself. He stands before me once again. This time there is no smile. Only sadness. I want to speak, but he holds his hand up to stop me. He hesitates only slightly. Then he begins to speak. It is the strange chant that has haunted me since the beginning. Since... Are you guilty? Do you find yourself guilty? I don't understand. He seems to accuse me for his own evils. I growl my denial at him. This evil man who dares blame another for his wrongs. Yet he is not intimidated. Are you guilty? Or are you innocient? You must realize the truth. Magneto Magneto Magneto Suddenly the truth dawns upon me. I know my name. I know who I am. And denial is no more. The tears flow. He asks me again. Are you guilty Magneto? Or are you innocient? I collapse to my knees as the weight of evil and atrocities falls upon me. My deeds. I am covered in the blood of innocients. My tears not enough to ease their pain. My regret a pitiful apology. So my answer is the only one that could possibly exist. How could an innocient man hate himself? I look up upon myself and nod in a grim acceptance of death. Epilogue Ororo and Hank were alone in the room with the ailing young man. Ororo looked to her friend in worry. "Hank do you think he will be fine? Is there chance that he might pull of this coma?" "It is too soon to tell Ororo, but I think he will be just fine." "It is strange is it not my friend that this man lying here before us is one of our deadliest enemies?" Hank shrugged. "I cannot judge him as he is now. I think I will leave that to a higher power." Ororo considered his words. "You are right my friend. But I think the greatest judge of a man is his own soul." Ororo looked over at the object of their discussion and noticed that his life signs were starting to fail. "Hank!! Hurry something is wrong!" Henry McCoy was already in the process of attempting to save the young man's life. "I am trying Ororo! He was stable up until a few moments ago!" Hank McCoy yelled his words as he rushed to save the life of the man before him. Yet to no avail. His next words came out in a regretful sigh. "Time of death 6:23 pm...I am sorry Joseph." The End. Author's Note. I don't know what kind of accident or fight Joseph was in to cause him to be in a coma. I thought about it and decided it was not overly important to the story. Anyways please email me at ShardNAtl@AOL.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.