psinex@yahoo.com Strange Attractors 8 of 25 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Danny and Todd, who're mine. Please don't sue. WARNING: Nasty things ahead, absolutely NONE of which I condone. NOTE: For both this and future chapters: " denotes regular speech. ~ denotes telepathy. # denotes private thought. [ denotes cyberpathy/mechanical "thought." -------------------------------------------------------- 10/31/2013: South Bronx Mutant Internment Camp: 19:00 hrs EST: -------------------------------------------------------- [UNIT OMEGA-7123, I DETECT A CHRONOVARIANCE.] Omega Sentinel-7123 turned to its' "brother" and shared an instantaneous telemetry burst, scanning the camp and their various mutant prisoners. [SCANARRAY INDICATES NEGATIVE BIOGENETIC ACTIVITY FROM PRISONERS,] the Sentinel replied. [CORRECTION - PREVIOUSLY TERMINATED BIOGENETIC SIGNATURE, 23.74 FEET NORTH OF THIS LOCUS. MUTANT DESIGNATE: TIMEDANCER - BELIEVED TERMINATED. CORRECTING FILE CLASSIFICATION, AND AUGMENTING WARSYSTEMS TO COMPENSATE.] The Sentinels proceeded forward, forcing the green-and -black-clad prisoners to flee as a shimmering white light appeared. A black-and-yellow-clad blonde girl fell to the ground, looking up and swallowing hard. "Oh Agon," Luna Maximoff whispered. "What've I done now ?" -------------------------------------------------------- Nearby, another person was wondering much the same thing. "Strip," Ahab barked at Todd. The terrified boy looked around at the lab, then at the slavering Hounds in cages around the room, and again at Ahab. "I SAID, remove your clothes," the cyborg snapped at the 6-year-old. The buzzcut blond boy whimpered, his green eyes filling with tears as he did as he was told. "P-please don't hurt me," he whispered, trying to cover himself as Ahab ran an eye across his frame. Finally, the cyborg nodded and threw the boy a small red skinsuit with spikes along the arms, chest and neck. "Put it on," Ahab snarled. Todd did so, struggling to don it as he asked, "Don't I need underpants ?" "It'll be bonded to your flesh," Ahab snorted. "Tuck your genitals into the crotch - hurry up." Todd blushed, finishing his struggle with the suit, and gulping as it sealed itself along his back. #Feels so creepy,# he thought, blushing again as the suit seemed to dig into his skin in embarassing places. "Lay on the table - don't - where ARE you trying to go ?" Ahab growled, seeing Todd start to slip towards the door. "No y'r bad I WANT MY MOM AN' DAD !" Todd cried, running. #Gotta get AWAY -# "Dear lad, it's far too late," Ahab smirked. He snapped his fingers, summoning two converted Hounds and ordering, "Restrain him, but don't do too much damage." "Yes, Master !" the Hounds yelled. Todd cried out when a sickly-green energy lanced from one of them into his body, making him fall and vomit. "Oh perfect," Ahab growled, picking the boy up and slamming him against a table. Manacles locked Todd's limbs into place, and he cried out when a dish antenna swiveled towards him. "Do you have ANY idea what kind of damage acid does to these floors ?" Ahab growled. "Oh well - soon you won't care. You'll be a loyal Hound in my service." "Nono LEMME GO !" Todd screamed. ~STOP IT !~ The Hounds cried out, holding their heads, but Ahab just arched his remaining eyebrow. "Very impressive," he chuckled, manifesting a psychic harpoon. "You'll be a superb hunter after your conversion." He held the weapon over a glowing podlike object and said, "Say goodbye to your old life -" Then a far wall ... crumbled. "WHAT !? YOU !! IT CAN'T BE - I hunted you MYSELF !" Ahab yelled, throwing the harpoon at a shadowed figure amidst the dust. The being easily evaded the spear, and bolted towards the crying Todd with a golden streak behind it. "WhoareYOUandwhy'reyouhurtin'thislittleboy!?" Luna demanded, her hands slicing through Todd's manacles. He clung to her, and she glared at Ahab with fury. "I don't know HOW - of course. Chronovariance is such a bitch, much like yourself," Ahab snarled. "You'll not escape me again, granddaughter of Magnus - nor will the Askani'son beside you ! HOUNDS - TAKE THEM !" The cages flew open, releasing dozens of enslaved mutants. Luna met Todd's horrified gaze and grabbed him to her, careful not to let the spikes of his costume pierce her. "Hangonkiddowe'regoin'foraride !" Luna blurted. Todd closed his eyes, praying, #God please let us get 'way ...# "GODDAMNIT!!!!" Ahab roared, seeing the Hounds strike thin air. "Very well, Timedancer. But in the end, I WILL have you ... and the scion of the future fire ..." -------------------------------------------------------- 9/3/2003: Mass. Acad.: Headmasters' Office: 20:00 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "It's my fault," Frank sighed to Emma and Sean from the couch. "Oh STOP it," Erik grumbled good-naturedly from where he leaned against a far wall. "What's done is done. At least th' fuckin' rock didn't fall on a populated area." "ERIK !" Emma yelled, frowning. "Stop treatin' me like a child, blondie," Erik sneered. "I've got 75 years worth of memories to sort through, and I'm not in the mood for this pompous crap you're into." "Magnus' attitude, if nae his dignity or manners," Sean muttered. "Don't think I've forgotten our Nazi-hunting days, Cassidy," Erik grinned, savoring the look of shock on Banshee's face. "I'm sort of the best of Maggie - the skills, the power levels, and the youth, combined with a bad attitude. And a desire to do somethin' right with my second chance." "Then why stay here ?" Emma frowned. "Because, my bodacious ex-queen of leather," Erik winked, "the world's not gonna take a 14-year-old Omega-class magnakinetic seriously, AND I'm having too much fun being a kid again. Trust me, waiting four years to graduate and get out there is a cakewalk compared to the carnage my old adolesence was." "Then yui're nae quite th' old Magnus," Sean asked. The boy nodded and said, "I'm more of a 'kid Magneto' than anything else - not the pansy-ass I was, but not the raving megalomaniac who abused Pietro and Wanda." His face fell, and Erik said, "I really gotta call and apologize ... and how the hell'm I gonna explain about Luna ?" "I 'saw' Luna with us a few weeks down the road," Frank shrugged. "I bet she'll turn up OK - my dreams aren't ususally wrong." He sighed and added, "Erik -" "Don't you DARE apologize, Frank," Erik grinned. "I'm havin' a BLAST. Besides, Alexa's still my girl, and we almost all got away unhurt." "Well, not damned quite !" a French-accented voice snarled from the door. The mutants turned, arching their eyebrows as Nicole stormed in with an angry glare. "You - OOH !" she shouted, getting in Erik's surprised face. "Do you KNOW what happened when I dragged Claudette through that collapsing transportal !?" "Er - y'know, I didn't see her after we got back," Erik said, looking at the floor nervously. "DAMN RIGHT YOU DIDN'T !?" Claudette screamed - - from Nicole's lips. "My body was DISINTEGRATED when the portal closed on it !" Claudette continued, ignoring the looks of shock from the others. "Now I'm stuck IN Nicky's body, in a screwed-up version of multiple personality syndrome ! Our psyches aren't even merged like we were when we were imitating Monet - I've got to GIVE her control if she wants to speak ! DO YOU KNOW HOW DEMANDING SHE IS !?" "I'm getting an idea of how bad, yeah," Erik muttered. "Look, lemme cobble together a genetank -" "Oh SUUUURE, clone me a new body ! WHERE'LL YOU GET THE DNA, MR. SCIENCE !?" Claudette shouted. She humphed, turning on her heel, and Nicole replied, "I trust you'll get to work at once." She slammed the door, and Erik sighed, "I'd better get to it. Looks like I've found my calling ... "... mad scientist again." -------------------------------------------------------- INTERLUDE 1: Savage Land: -------------------------------------------------------- "Oh MY ..." Brainchild looked up from his sensors and grinned as Zaladane approached with the other Savage Land Mutates. "You have something, maggot ?" the high priestess demanded, glaring at her technical advisor. "Indeed, m'lady," Brainchild nodded. "Magneto is ALIVE. And I've located him." Zaladane looked at the sensors, and slowly grinned. "Excellent, Brainchild," she purred. "Gaza, prepare an 'away' team. I want him brought here so I may continue with the plan I had all those years ago ... when I was so RUDELY interrupted." The Mutates ran to prepare, while Zaladane examined herself in the reflection of one of Brainchild's devices. "Arrogant bratling, locking me inside yourself," she whispered ... ... brushing white and brown hair out of her green eyes. -------------------------------------------------------- INTERLUDE 2: Upstate New York, Adirondacks: -------------------------------------------------------- "He ... LIVES ?" Mortimer Toynbee sprang from machine to machine, slowly grinning and finally cackling wildly as the sensors in the castle he called home verified his findings. "The Master LIVES !" Toad chortled, turning to his guests with a grin. "If we can convince him to take up the torch - !" "Yes, Toad," Mystique smiled from the throne, the Blob and Pyro beside her. "It could be very ... interesting." "Raven, I WARN you, this path is fraught with danger," Destiny frowned from across the room, walking in with Avalanche. "An anomaly is coming - one who will alter everything we have planned. And the shadow still walks the timelines ... the one the Dayspring must dispel." "Then we'll just move carefully, Irene," Raven nodded. "After all, I think I can convince Magneto to join us ... "... when his new love is my granddaughter ..." -------------------------------------------------------- Mass. Acad. Rec Center: 20:07 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- "You're not freaked ?" Erik asked as Alexa sat beside him on the couch in the game room. She met his gaze, finally sighing. "I'd be lying if I said you didn't scare me a little," Alexa nodded. "But you've still got that old Erik I knew and fell in love with. You're not the monster the original X-Men used to scare us kids with when we were naughty - that Magneto isn't you, 'Rik." "But he is," Erik warned. "I'm not gonna be fluffy all the time, 'Lex. I want us to have a real relationship, so I'm gonna be honest - a lot of the stuff in my head isn't all that nice. I REALLY remember Auschwitz, Magda, Anya ... and the red-and-purple days. Maybe I'm not the stick-in-the-mud nutjob the Acolytes wanted, but I'm not a 14-year-old boy, either. Not mentally." "So ? Mom and Dad were foster siblings," Alexa grinned naughtily, letting Erik stroke one blue-furred cheek. "I'll just tell them I'm marrying a REALLY older man when the time comes." "Speaking of which ... I gotta talk to my family," Erik added with a deep sigh. "Tom and Bill're -" "Hi, 'Gramps,'" Tom grinned, entering with a visibly-nervous Bill. The Shade twins flopped into either of a pair of bean-bag chairs, and Bill coughed. "Look, 'Rik ... er, Grandpa," he began. Erik held up a hand and said, "Guys, I just want us to be friends, OK ? Don't feel you have any sort of 'familial obligation' or any other crap to deal with - like I told 'Lexa, I'm not a 14-year-old kid anymore, but I'm not a geezer either. Pals ?" The twins grinned, and Bill said, "Pals. But what about -" They gaped when a shimmering figure appeared, falling to the floor with a wide-eyed, short-haired blond boy in a skintight red costume with spikes. "Oooh ... so ... tired ..." Luna whispered. "LUNA !?" the teens cried, helping her up. Alexa looked at Luna's companion and asked, "Can we help you - OH MY GOD HE LOOKS LIKE -" Frank and Ray burst in with the headmasters, stopping short with looks of absolute shock when they saw the child before them. The little boy stared at them for an instant, then broke into a huge grin. "MOMMY ! DADDY ! YOU'RE ALIVE !" -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Even a Richards can DIE ... ! -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com