The War That Was Not

The mohawk woman hooted and lifted up her arms as several others groaned around her. “Yes! Pay up boys, I was right!” She said happily and several others, some were guys and some girls, began to put dollar bills into the woman’s palm. Obviously there was a bet going on about how she’d react upon waking. The mohawk girl was the first one who answered her questions.

“Where you are is an old world war II bunker in Germany. Why you’re here? Well, You’re a mutant right? You might not know it but there is a war going on, against us,” She said.

“No, she doesn’t know,” a voice with a heavy accent of creole on his tongue said. He had a blue suit on and he had a black hat on his head. At first all she saw was the brim of his hat until he shifted his face up. Dark eyes and an incredibly handsome face looked at her as everyone else looked over at him. “This is Serena Stark, the daughter of Tony and Isabella Stark,” he said and there were several gasps in the room around Serena. “No...fucking...way!” The mohawk girl said in disbelief but she also look very impressed. Impressed and extremely pleased about that.

Logan wasn’t certain if he should say anything to Natalya. 1000 questions popped up into his head if he did tell her. ‘What would she do? Could I trust her not to do anything?’ But they quickly faded as what he was doing was being a big, fat hypocrite. He had saved her, he had given her this chance and he knew he had to trust her or none of this was going to work. That and he knew he was begging to have ‘feelings’ for the woman. Not good at all!

“He’s lying. He’s most likely recruiting us to help him and his ‘Brotherhood’” Logan said. “We need to find Serena and Peter fast,” Logan said and for the first time Natalya saw a flash of worry on Logan’s face. That ‘never’ happened until just this moment.

Serena looked shocked to the say the least to hear that she was in Germany. That shock faded to pure anger and she stood up and glared at the woman and then the man in the suit. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "This is kidnapping. I don't want to be here or be apart of your war. When my parents find out that I'm being held here against my will they and the rest of the Avengers team will come for you all. I can guarantee that."

Natalya looked at Logan and nodded. She didn't seem shocked to hear Logan tell her he was lying. Clearly, she had assumed that herself. "What do you need me to do Logan?"

A couple of the young men and women, though some looked to still be girls and boys chuckled. “Yes ya are Serena, ya just don’t know it yet darlin,” Gambit said. “There is a meetin bout to happen. An international one. They’re gunna to vote on world wide mutant registration. Most of us will be interred into ‘camps’ until we are deemed ‘safe’ to release back into society. “There is a device that when worn can neutralize our powers,” he said then nodded to a black boy who looked to be about 13. He sat on his bed on his side and had on a yellow jumpsuit. He was stocky, almost fat around the middle but he had on a collar of some sort.

“There gunna collar us Serena because they fear us. I don’t know about you, I know you think that you’re being kidnapped has some, dark seedy purpose and I will grant you that. None of us ‘liked’ how we were assembled here but now that we know what we’re up against…” he said then spread his arms as if to concede to her that there was little choice, in his mind. “Naturally its a secret conference. If word of this got out it would cause a major panic. “No one will ask you to do anything Serena and knowing who your parents are, they would likely have been inclined to be on our side. The Baron ain’t one ta take those kinds of chances though. Not when it means all of our lives,” he said. And the murmurs of the others, some were not young like them though she saw, corroborated what he believed. “I don’t know bout you but those collars aren’t particularly stylish and I think I’d rather die than to have one around my neck like some dog,” he said.

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“Keep your mouth shut about it, we need to find Serena and Peter Parker and fast,” he said quietly but urgently to. “Magneto is a very dangerous man and he always has a plan,” he said then his expression changed to one of suspicion as he looked at her. He moved up closer to her then smelled her scent. “Where Eric is Mystique is not far behind. She can be and sound like anyone,” he said. “Peter’s address is on Serena’s cork board in her room. Take a car and bring him, I’ll call Happy and see if everything’s alright with Serena,” he said. Before she left hsi side though he took hold of her arm and looked into her eyes.


“Be careful Natalya. And wear street clothes. Attract as little attention as possible until we know more about whats happening,” He said.

Serena glanced at the young boy and then looked back at Gambit. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her gaze at him. Clearly Serena was a bit of a spitfire. "There are other, non-violent ways of keeping that from happening. Have you considered the fact that if mutants start a war against non-mutants then we will all be deemed 'unsafe' and no one will ever trust any mutants again?"

She then thought about something. "Why was I targeted? There are other mutants within the Avengers team Why weren't they kidnapped and brought here too?"

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Natalya listened to Logan and nodded. She could tell that Logan was upset and worried. She hadn't known him for very long, but that didn't seem to be apart of his personality. She allowed Logan to step up to her and smell her to ensure she was who he believed she was. She wanted Logan to be able to fully trust her. She started to head towards Serena's room, but stopped when she felt Logan take hold of her arm. She turned back around and found herself looking into his eyes. They held one another's gaze for a few moments and she slowly nodded. "I'll be careful. You be careful too."

She walked away and down to Serena's room. She found the address and went and changed into some jeans, a sweater, and some boots. She took one of the Range Rovers and headed towards Aunt May's apartment.

“Magneto is talking to them now so I hear. They will not be able to get word to you, he will not divulge our where-abouts even if he was tortured to death. I can’t say that I much like Eric but I like the thought of being collared much less,” Gambit said plainly. He suddenly had cards in his hands as if by magic and he held them deftly between his fingers. With barely any movement they disappeared and he set his hands back down as he smirked at her.

“She doesn’t care Gambit, look at her. She’s a little rich girl locked in her happy little tower like rapunzel. All she’ll do is try to escape and expose us,” the punk girl said becoming annoyed.

“No she won’t Shockwave, if she’s anything like her mother and father,” he said, though it was quite rude to talk about someone when they were right there. “Serena, you can stay out of it darlin, no one’s gunna make you fight,” he said softly though by then he tilted the brim of his hat down again. He sat with his knee bent and he laid his wrist on his knee. He was completely at his ease it seemed though. “If we fail though...well i guess I don’t know what will happen,” he said and this time he sounded more than a little sad about that thought. “The Baron is here Serena,” another boy said. He was just behind her to her right. “He’ll want to talk to you soon and likely tell you what Gambit just did,” he said then looked down at the floor with the look of anger on his face and also as if he were about to cry. Obviously he was frightened to be here to but was angry that it had to come to fighting.

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Aunt May was knitting and watching the price is right on the small television that sat on a small table just in front of her. Peter was in his room studying and texted Serena...again. She still hadn’t texted him back but it wasn’t as if this was anything new. He just had a feeling that something was wrong. Like an itch he couldn't reach. It spiked suddenly though and he shifted to the side just as a small dart struck into his wall near his head. “Holy hell!” he shouted and threw himself to the floor. The dart came through the window through a tiny hole that someone, the man outside, had cut into it. His room had one window that was adjacent the small balcony that a doorwall gave access to in the apartment. A man clad all in black was up against the outside of the building and had tried to shoot him with the dart. Natalya had gotten out of the range rover just in time to see a shadowy shape up against the wall on the 4th floor. She heard someone, it sounded like Peter shout. ‘Holy hell!’

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Serena (Mystique)had returned to the tower with Happy right behind her. She had her backpack and her jacket and as she moved up to the kitchen, she tossed them onto the nearest chair to get something to eat. “Hi Logan!” She said and waved. Mystique did not expect Logan to be right there though she knew he was in the tower. She needed to keep him at a distance or that nose of his would find her out.

Serena was upset about being held here against her will and wanted to go home. She wished that Peter was there with her, but hoped he was alright. She didn’t want anything to happen to him. She didn’t respond to Gambit and just sat back down on her bed and stayed away from the rest of the group. Being a mutant was difficult. She had to hide her powers and be careful about not exposing herself, especially because of who she was...a Stark. She knew her parents loved her, but they didn’t know what being a mutant was like.

Natalya had just arrived at the apartment complex. She parked the SUV and stepped out onto the curb. Immediately she sensed that something was wrong. She looked up just in time to see a man in black on the outside of the building. At the same time she heard Peter yell out. She sprang into action and jumped up onto the fire escape and began to take the stairs two at a time.

Isabella heard her daughter’s voice and stepped out of the conference room. She was visibly relieved to see her. She didn’t want to give away that anything was wrong. “How was school today?”

Serena (Mystique) shrugged and smiled at Isabella. “It was alright but they let us out early...though I never found out why really,” She said then looked past her toward the conference room. “Whats going on here? Is...everything alright mother?” She said and hoped she had used the right words. Mystique did not know if Serena used Mom, mama or called her by her proper name. By the lack of surprise in Isabella’s eyes she thought that she must have gotten it right. If forced to it, Mystique would kill Isabella, Tony and Pharaoh and leave the others to Magneto but she didn’t want to have to do that. She didn’t like killing mutants but she would do it if Magneto told her to.

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The man in black obviously saw Natalya. And nimbly he moved and amazingly he began to climb up the side of the wall. He knew that whomever this woman was she was fast. He could sense her coming up below him quickly. He managed the roof and began to run to the other side. Natalya made the roof right after he did and saw him take off then stop on the opposite side of the roof. He was dressed in a fine, all black suit with a mask folded across his face as if his suit had extra material just for that purpose. Seeing how he really had no where to go he turned to face Natalya. That and he reached under his suit coat felt that he had lost his dart gun and then pulled out two short blades. Natalya knew what they were, straight, short blades angled at the end. Katana’s if she could guess at this distance and he flourished them expertly.

“I don’t want to fight you, leave now and let me do what I came to do,” he said in a rasp but she knew the rasp was for her benefit to disguise his voice. The man was good, very good and not leaving anything to chance. Well, save for the part where he backed himself into a corner. He had given her a choice though which was the honorable thing to do. Obviously Logan was right and his instincts as solid as he was himself.

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As the afternoon meal bell rang everyone but Gambit left the room. The man kept looking at Serena, his dark eyes were piercing into her as if he were trying to peer into her very soul. Finally he came over and sat near her on her bed. “I was once an X-Men for a short time. Is Logan still in the tower?” He asked softly. When she nodded he nodded back and he took a cursory glance around. They were alone.

“I’m not certain I can trust you Serena. But I don’t see that I have much choice. Everything that I said is not true. There is no international conspiracy. We have been brought here to help them break into SHIELD HQ. Baron Von Strucker and Magneto. There after...something, they wouldn’t say but they, themselves put that collar on that boy though he doesn’t know that. Most everyone here would kill us where we stood if we go against them though. We are in as much trouble as we can be in. The only way to get out of here is Truman Jenkins. A boy that can make portals to anywhere he has been. That’s how they brought you here,” Gambit whispered.

“I don’t want to alarm you but either magneto is convincing your parents to help him by deceit or he’s killed them already,” he said softly in his creole accent. He even smelled a bit spicy as if he had on a spicy cologne. He looked over at her and waited for her to look him in the eyes. He was ‘very’ attractive and she would know that he found her so as well. He held out his hand to her. "Are you with me Serena?” he said softly. If she wasn’t she suspected that he still wouldn’t harm her.

Isabella walked over to make herself some tea. She was trying to disguise her anxiety and she needed something to do with her hands in order to make that happen. She filled the tea kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat up. She then got down a cup and pulled out a tea bag. She knew that Tony, Steve, Kate, and Pharaoh were still talking with Eric. Something in the back of her mind told her that she couldn't trust Eric and that he was lying to them. She just wanted to make sure that Serena would be safe.

"Everything's fine. Just a boring meeting. Why don't you go to your room to work on your homework and I'll bring you a snack."

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Natalya flew up the stairs. The Super Soldier Serum in her veins gave her incredible strength, speed, agility, and endurance. She made it to the roof just after the man in the black suit. She could immediately see that he had nowhere to go. He turned to face her and pulled out two Katanas. Natalya wasn't phased though. She had a gun on her, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself up there by firing it unless she needed to. She was a weapon in her own right. She had been created and trained to fight and kill.

"And what are you here to do?" she asked without moving. She was standing in front of the stairs and his only escape.

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Serena heard the bell and watched as everyone left but remained where she was. As she looked over she realized that the man in the suit had remained as well. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he walked over to sit near her. As he began to speak she listened to him and slowly looked fully at him when he confirmed that what she had been told was a lie. However, there was an opportunity to escape from this place, but she would need to trust this guy. She looked at him and her eyes met his for a moment. She could not deny he was attractive and as his eyes looked at her she knew he found her so as well. She hesitated a moment before speaking.

"I don't even know your name."

“I’m here to collect the boy ofcourse, why are you here? Your a mutant yes?” The man in black asked. Peter had already changed into his Spider-Man outfit and he was listening to the man in black and Natalya as he clung to the side of the building.

“If you don’t want a mutation nullifier around your neck your help us fight,” the man said.

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Serena(Mystique) did what her mother asked and Logan became more and more concerned about Natalya. She had not checked in and she had had to have been to Peter’s house by now. He texted her.

‘Did you get em? Waiting to hear from you!’

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Pharoah ofcourse left the room early and then it was only Kate, Steve and Tony left and it appeared as if they were convinced by Eric’s plea for help. Pharoah came up to Isabella as she made the tea. “He is ofcourse lying,” he said as he looked over at Serena’s room. “It’s difficult to say about what through. It might be of something important or it might not,” he told her softly. “Tony and Steve want to help him, what are we going to do?” He asked Isabella.

Natalya gave a little shrug. "I suppose I am, but I just got out of one crazy organization. I'm not joining a new one. I'm not letting you go anywhere near the boy and believe me you don't want to mess with me. I suggest you just leave."

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Isabella looked over at Pharaoh and sighed a little as she nodded. She got down a second tea cup and got out another bag. When the water was hot enough she poured it into the two cups and let the tea bags steep. "I don't trust Eric. I know he's lying. I just don't know what to do." She glanced over at Logan and could see a concerned look on his face. "Is everything alright?"

Logan looked down at his phone as if he wanted to snap it in half. He shook his head slightly. “Natalya hasn’t checked in,” he said grumpily. He had to trust her. He couldn’t keep checking over her shoulder all the time. She was more than capable of something like this but he was worried to. He was beginning to really care about Natalya and that alone troubled Logan. It had been like that for Jean as well and that was a complete disaster. ‘But this wasn’t anything like that, is it?’ He questioned himself. He hadn’t noticed that both Pharaoh and Isabella were looking at him and the inner turmoil in his face spoke volumes about how he was feeling. It hadn’t lasted long though and he pocketed his phone. Pharaoh said nothing and only looked at Isabella as if he were following her lead.

“She’ll check in,” He said just as grumpily as before and moved up toward them, toward the kitchen. He went to the fridge and got out a beer. He popped the cap off with his strong, thick fingers and took a long drink.

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“The Hellfire brotherhood is not just ‘another organization’ Natalya Sokolova,” he said and the slight twitch in her features made his lips form into a smirk. “Oh yes, we know all about you but it changes nothing. There is a war about to happen. And it is the humans that are going to wage it against their enemy, against us,” he said confidently. This man totally believed what he was saying as if it were fact. He sheathed his swords in one fluid motion.

“Pe...Spiderman,” He amended in case someone was close enough to hear. “Will be forced to register his abilities just like everyone else. And if he, and us, do not do what they want they will slap nullifier collars on our necks that remove our mutations from us. I don’t know about you but I won’t be a dog for anyone. Right now, this very moment The international community is in a secret conference to pass a world resolution for mutant registration. My mission was to retrieve my target and bring him to our staging area where we have the others we’ve gathered. Out here he is alone and they will find him by using a mutant that can find other mutants anywhere in the world,” he held out his hand to her, palm up. “Please Natalya, come with me...help us...Convince...Spiderman to help us,” he said almost as if he were pleading. Not desperate exactly but he was very good with words.

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"My name is Gambit," He said and gave her a sultry smile that had been known to set a woman's heart fluttering, sometimes.

After lunch was over several of the others went to another part of the bunker to train their abilities. The Baron was an older man, balding with scars on his face. He had puffy, red cheeks and lips as if part of his face had been damaged by acid. His wife framed glasses were thick and he walked with a severe limp.

“Ah, Serena Stark,” He said. His voice was very raspy and his blue eyes looked at her with a powerful light to them. He was flanked by 2 guards, one male, one female in costumed outfits. They both looked at Serena but held no discernible expressions on their faces. “It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you,” he said and nodded to her in respect. “I see you’ve met Gambit. I apologize for the way you’ve been treated. People often do not come to us willingly until they learn the truth. We do what we do for your safety as well as our own. Are you comfortable? Do you need something to drink or eat?” he asked.

Natalya very nearly rolled her eyes at this guy's speech. It seemed scripted and did nothing to convince her to help him. She did notice though that he sheathed his swords. She had begun to move slowly towards him, while still remaining directly in front of his exit. She moved slowly enough that it wouldn't seem threatening and she took note that he did not move away from her. She was on full alert and was ready to attack at any moment.

"Your mission is to kidnap mutants and hold them against their will and force them to fight and I'm not going to let you do that to Spider-Man. You will have to go through me to get to him and I guarantee that you don't want to do that."

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Serena very nearly blushed at Gambit's smile and she smiled back at him.

A little while later an older man who walked with a limp and was flanked by two guards appeared and walked towards her. She assumed that this man was the Baron. She was not impressed by what she saw and narrowed her gaze at him.

"Am I comfortable? Well, I've been kidnapped and am being held against my will in a bunker in Germany where people are trying to force me to fight in their war. No, I'm not comfortable. I am not going to help you fight and nothing you say or do will convince me to do so."

Serena’s harsh attitude seemed to agitate the two behind the Baron. They flashed her disapproving looks. Serena heard a soft groan come from Gambit, a sign that he also wished she had minded her tongue when she spoke to this man. “A fiery spirit, I like that,” The old man said as he looked at her. “Your attitude is not unexpected Miss Stark. What you are saying is almost exactly what everyone that we’ve gathered here has said. “I will not force you to fight ofcourse and once our plans are complete we will let you go. But you must know that even if you will not help, others here will be fighting in your place. I expected more from a Stark I must say, He said as a disapproving grandfather would.

“Its of no consequence,” he said as he drew from his pocket a small, cylindrical rod with a blue stone of some kind embedded into it. It began to glow blue and he raised it up.

“Hold her Gambit,” he said as his guards moved then everything seemed to happen at once. Gambit tossed what looked like playing cards behind them and they exploded with tremendous force. Serena was flung back but Gambit had covered her body with his own and they hit the ground together hard. Beds, were flung into the air and goose feathers filled the air around them from the destroyed pillows and mattresses. The burnt smell of cotton, metal and smoke was thick in the air. The guards and the baron flung themselves to the sides. There were other mutants as well in the room and they to were caught up into the mass of bodies that had jumped away from the explosion. “Fight Serena!” Gambit bellowed as he got back up onto his feet.

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Finally Tony, Steve, Kate and Magneto finally came out of the conference room. Tony nor Steve were certain that Magneto could be trusted but at the very least they could find out what he and his ‘brotherhood’ were up to. Outwardly though they appeared in complete compliance to what Magneto wanted and that made Pharaoh frown when he saw them advocating the avengers help. Magneto smiled at them and explained that he would tell them where they were to meet tomorrow for the incursion. He left them after that and Tony, Steve and Kate only looked at one another wordlessly for a moment before turning towards the others.

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The man let her draw closer to him though it was obvious he expected her to attack him. When she did he knew she’d be faster than he. To her surprise that suit was also armored for blunt trauma. She struck him hard several times but her blows seemed to only hurt him not incapacite him like they should have. That and he snaked out of her attempts to grapple him. He was no slouch certainly and well trained. She felt a sharp, painful piercing into her flesh from a blade that had come out of his sleeve it seemed in the middle of the exchange. He was using an advanced martial arts technique, one she was not familiar with and two of his fingers nearly broke her collar bone in reposte to her attacks. The entire exchange between them only took moments but they were separated once more, both in readied stances and both ready to re-engage one another. He knew he was going to have bruises but his bones were still in tact thankfully. She could tell he wanted to say something but he held back obviously knowing that words would be useless now.

Serena's parents both had fiery spirits themselves and that had been instilled into Serena as well. She was afraid, but tried not to let it show. She just hoped that she could actually trust Gambit and that he hadn't been lying to her. She would hate to have fallen for his line just because of his handsome face. Suddenly, the Baron pulled a small rod from his pocket with a blue stone embedded into it that began to glow as he lifted it up towards her. When he ordered Gambit to hold her she began to panic and looked back at Gambit to figure out if she had in fact been fooled by him. However, in that moment, Gambit threw his playing cards back behind them and there was suddenly an explosion. Serena felt herself being thrown through the air but before she hit the ground she felt Gambit's arms go around her to protect her. When she opened her eyes she saw the destruction around them and quickly got to her feet. She glanced at Gambit and knew in that moment she could fully trust him. She nodded to him and began to fire beams of energy at the Baron and his guards.

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Natalya could feel the blood from her wound seeping into her sweater as she stood once again before the man. He was a tougher opponent than she had first thought and she began to think she might actually have to kill him. One thing was for certain...she wasn't going to let him get near Peter. She didn't know Peter very well...well really at all, but she knew that he was a good kid and she wasn't going to allow these people to use him the way the SSB had used her.

She moved and the attack began again. During this bout she better understood him as a fighter and was able to dominant the battle. As he went down she was able to get a hold of one of his Katanas and she pulled it from the sheath. She towered over him with the weapon and drew it back to drop a lethal blow. However, just before she let the weapon fall, she paused and hesitated. The old Natalya would have killed him without a second thought, but she didn't want to be that Natalya anymore. Logan believed she could change and for some damn reason his opinion mattered to her. She wanted not only him, but the entire team to be able to trust her and to not just see her as a killing machine. If she killed this man then there wouldn't be any way they would be able to trust her...nor would she be able to trust herself.

She looked down at the man and then dropped the sword and turned to just walk away...

The disorientation among those that had jumped for cover was not infinite and indeed her beams had struck several mutants that had put themselves in front of the Baron. Others struck back at her but she was able to dodge them.. Gambit prepared a few more cards but it was clear that if they continued a lot of young people, some in their teens would die.

“Hold!” The Baron yelled and everyone stopped. His 2 guards were poised to attack them and in that moment Serena knew they would likely kill her and Gambit. Everyone stopped but they were all looking at them as if they wanted to skin them alive. “Very well, if you refuse to aid us in our cause then we will accept this,” he said. Gambit had moved up next to her and she knew he was ready to fight. The Baron nodded to the female guard who upon closer inspection was quite striking to look at. With long, black hair, green eyes and full lips and body. She wore a dark blue skin tight outfit complete with 4 inch heels. The woman had a small bag in her hip and she reached into it and pulled out 2 more collars.

“You will our these on yes?” The Baron said forcefully.

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The man in black was beaten and he knew that his left arm was broken, likely in several places. However the Baron did not accept failure and though what he was about to do with beneath him and beneath honor. There was nothing more honorable than victory. He lifted up his right arm and drew out a small pistol. He aimed it at Natalya’s back. “I’m sorry,” he murmured but before he could shoot his hand was covered in a web. When Natalya turned back ready to attack she saw the man half covered in webs and Spider-Man was there.

“He was going to shoot you in the back, Uh, Miss Sokolova. I thought you were going to kill him for certain!” Peter said surprised. “I’m…...I’m happy you didn’t though,” Peter said as he lifted up his face mask and smiled at her. “He shot this at my head,” Peter said and held up a small dart. When Natalya looked at it she knew she had seen them before. They were made by the SSB. A tranq dart.

Serena stopped her attack, but remained on edge and ready to fight again if necessary. She sensed Gambit come up to stand beside her. She didn't want to hurt or kill anyone. She just wanted to go home. Suddenly, the female guard near the Baron reached into her bag and pulled out two of the same collars she had seen on the other boy earlier. She glanced at Gambit to see what they should do.

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Natalya heard something behind her and when she turned back around she saw the man in black with a pistol in his hand but he was covered in webs. She saw Peter and knew in that moment that he had saved her life. "Thank you for what you did," she told Peter. She had never really thanked anyone before. To the SSB showing gratitude was a sign of weakness. However, to her it felt good and not at all like a weakness. She took the tranq dart from Peter and when she examined it she realized rather quickly that it had been made by the SSB. She immediately walked back over to the man in black and held up the dart. "How did you get this and how did you know my name?"

“I’d rather die than to let you put a collar on me!” Gambit said and his eyes began to glow red and he suddenly had 2 more cards in his hands and they To began to glow. The Baron smiled but before anyone did anything a boy jumped at them. “I’ll save you Gambit!” The boy yelled and as he touched Gambit and Serena they heard a shot go off but they were suddenly somewhere else.

Serena felt an immediate and nauseating disorientation. She knew where the were though, they were behind her high school. As her disorientation began to go away she saw Gambit kneeling over the boy.

“Did I do right Gambit?” The boy said weakly as blood seeped from his lips. Gambit managed to hold himself together but he held the boys hand and had his hand on his shoulder. “You did good Truman, just like an X-man,” he said though his voice was beginning to shake. The boy smiled as his eyes began to glaze over. “A...X-Man,” He said and Serena knew he would not be saying anything else. “Damnit!” Gambit snarled though it was obvious he wanted to cry but wouldn’t because she was there. Truman looked like he might have been 12 or 13 years old. He put his hand over his eyes and closed his eyes.

“Where are we darlin, do ya know?” Gambit said and he stood up and took a look around.

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Natalya heard a distinct ‘crack’ and she knew in an instant that the man had broken a cyanide tooth capsule. After a few moments his mouth filled up with a white foam and he died a few seconds later.

“Holy hell! He...he killed him self!” Peter said in alarm. “Why...why would he do that?” He asked. “We wouldn’t have hurt him!” Peter said getting more and more upset.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly. She had begun to fear that the Baron's guards were going to force those collars onto Gambit and herself. Suddenly, a boy sprang forward and touched Gambit and herself and then everything around her disappeared. When she opened her eyes she had to blink against the harsh light. She felt sick to her stomach and disoriented. However, after a few seconds she realized that she was back in New York behind her high school. She heard voices and as she looked over she saw Gambit kneeling over the boy who had saved them and brought them here. The boy had blood seeping from his mouth and Serena knew in an instant that he was far from alright. To her horror he stopped talking and became very still. As Gambit stood up she glanced at him.

"Uh...we're in New York behind my high school. Why did that boy die?"

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Natalya heard the crack of a cyanide tooth capsule and began to curse in Russian under her breath. She sighed and turned back to look at Peter. "Because he was trained to do that. Probably by the SSB. The same organization that created and trained me. He would rather have died than to give away the knowledge that he had. This is quite...unsettling. Come on. I need to get you back to the Tower where you will be safe. Others might come looking for you soon."

As if for an answer, a pool of blood began to draw out onto the grass around the boys back. He had been shot by someone in the bunker. That bullet could have hit any of them but the boy had taken it instead. “I swear, Von Strucker is going to pay for this!” Gambit said darkly as he pulled off his hat and rubbed his hair. He had long, brown hair that went down to his shoulders that only enhanced his attractiveness. It might be difficult to tell if he looked better with or without the hat.

“So we can, what, hail a cab and go to the tower?” He asked though it made perfect sense to him. The last time he had seen Magneto they were not on the same side. This wouldn’t be any different. “On the way tell me everything that is going on in the tower that you can. Who is there, everything,” He said as they began to run toward the street.

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Serena (Mystique) Had found her way into the Tony’s lab. Her plan was to hack into jarvis’s mainframe and render Tony’s suits inert. Without his suits he, Isabella and Pharaoh would be easy to kill if that order every came. Then it was just Logan now that the others were not there. She knew very well how dangerous he was but she was confident that she could overcome him as well. She had no weapons or gear but she hardly needed any. Infiltration was her specialty and as she hooked up the real Serena’s laptop she began.

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Peter had done some basic first aid on Natalya before they left. They were in her car, an older classic green jaguar, one of Tony’s keepsakes. “Thank you Natalya, for coming to get me if I didn’t say it before,” Peter said. When Natalya finally looked at her phone she had several texts from Logan. They all said about the same thing. ‘Did you find him?’ ‘Did you run into any trouble?’ ‘Are you alright?’ He also sent.

‘Magneto was here but he left, we have alot to talk about’

Serena knew that it would be a very long time before she could get the image of that dead boy laying there out of her mind. She felt horrible that he had died saving Gambit and herself, but they had escaped. She nodded to Gambit when he asked about what their next step should be. They hailed a cab from the curb and she gave the address of the Tower. While in the cab she told Gambit about everyone at the Tower. "There are my parents of course and they must be worried sick since I never turned up this afternoon. There is Steve Rogers and Kate Blackwell and then Logan, Pharaoh, and Natalya. Natalya is the newest addition to the Tower. She was an SSB agent. Apparently she has the Super Soldier Serum in her blood just like Steve Rogers. Logan was sent to kill her, but instead he brought her back to the Tower. I've seen her fight and she is incredible. She's also quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure Logan has a thing for her."

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Natalya was glad that Peter was alright. They made their way down to the car and got inside. She decided to let Logan know that she had gotten Peter, and was shocked when she saw all the missed messages from him. She immediately gave him a call. "I have Peter," she told him when he almost immediately picked up. "I got here just in time. There was a man who was trying to use a tranq dart on him. This guy knew my name and the tranq dart was SSB made. Before I could question him further he killed himself. Something big is going on here Logan."

Natalya and Peter arrived at the Tower and made their way up to the Stark Apartments. Nothing was going to happen until tomorrow but Tony, Kate, Steve and Isabella were in Tony and Isabella’s office discussing on whether or not to inform Nick Fury about all of this. Tony’s office was impossible to big or eavesdrop on. He had several countermeasures in place for that not to happen.

“I have a feeling that Magneto will find out if we talk to Nick and tip them off,” Tony said. “I don’t know how though...call it a feeling,” he said. “Well none of my sources have said anything about any International mutant registration conference and they likely would know something,” Kate added and Steve seemed to agree. among them all Kate had the most contacts in the intelligence community and no one had said anything about that which likely meant it wasn’t real.

“So then, he or someone in his ‘brotherhood’ wants whatever Nick Fury has?” Steve asked.

——————-

Logan was there when they both came in. A look of relief appeared in his face though it was only for a moment. He frowned when he saw the bandages though as he approached them. “You didn’t say you were wounded,” he grumbled and began to immediately fuss with her bandage to see how bad it all was.

“Is...uh...is Serena here Logan?” Peter asked anxiously. “In the lab, I think,” Logan said offhandedly as he looked over Natalya’s wound. The puncture was fairly deep but once again the woman was extremely lucky. “Well a few more sutures maybe,” he murmured in an angry rasp and he had no idea of how amusing he might seem to those who were watching him fuss over the woman.

———————-

In the taxi Serena saw how upset Gambit was. She had seen that look before. He is internalizing his guilt over Truman’s death. Gambit did knownte boy. He had taken him under his wing since the boy appeared to idolize him. Him and all the x-men. He had only been going along with the Baron because he had no way of escape. That and he wanted to get some of the younger boys and girls out of there if he could but no opportunity had presented itself. He had no choice but to leave them all there. No choice and no way out until Truman made that choice for him. He didn’t know why but he took up Serena’s hand and snaked his fingers into hers. It seemed to smooth his demeanor almost immediately and he let out a soothing sigh.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Logan,” he said. The traffic was horrible where they were and worse it had started to rain. The cab driver was of Arabic descent complete with a turban and everything. He was cursing with an accent and honking as the traffic began to mount. He slammed on his breaks suddenly as a bicyclist in a blue poncho cut him off. As he did that the a car in the opposite lane forward and to his left exploded and the left side of the cab was caught in the blast. Glass shattered all over them and Gambit flung himself on Serena.

“Out, Get Out!!!” Gambit shouted and he saw her fumble to open the door. His ears rang from the loud sudden noise and they both managed to exit the cab. Serena saw the ale two guards, the swordsman and the seductively dressed woman. “Keep low!” Gambit said urgently as the street suddenly became a kicked over anthill with people running in every direction. They made it to an alley and they ducked behind a group of large dumpsters. Gambit’s suit was no longer as pristine as it had been but he managed to keep his hat. He peered around a dumpster and looked down the alley. “Do you see anything?” He said as Serena looked the other way. “I’ve got to get you home,” he said with determination in his voice.

Natalya's wound had started to bleed again by the time they made it back to the Tower. When they walked in she saw Logan approach and saw the look of relief on his face change to one of concern when he saw she was bleeding. She tried to tell him that it wasn't anything to worry about, but she realized it was pointless to try and argue with him and just let him look at the wound. The bandage would need to be changed and she would need a few stitches. Natalya and Logan made their way to the medical wing so Logan could stitch up the new wound. She looked at him as he began to work and then looked away. "I had an opportunity to kill this guy, but for some reason I couldn't do it."

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Kate wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but she had a very bad feeling about it and Magneto. She had spent some time working through her contacts to try and figure out if there actually was an International Mutant Registration Conference happening, but had turned up nothing. If something this big and important was happening then she knew that someone she knew would have heard something.

Kate gave a shrug in response to Steve's question. "Perhaps. To be honest I think Magneto is the Brotherhood. I just don't trust a word he is saying. However, Tony is right. We don't want to tip him off that we are suspicious of anything."

Isabella sighed a little. "Then what do we do?"

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Serena hadn't known Gambit very long at all, but she could tell in the taxi that he was quite upset over what had happened. And she couldn't blame him. She was upset over it and she hadn't known Truman at all. The kid had sacrificed himself in order to save them. In her eyes that made the kid a hero and she would certainly tell her parents about him. Suddenly, she felt Gambit's hand take her own and his fingers lace in between her own. He seemed to relax and she let him hold her hand. Serena smirked a little when Gambit mentioned Logan and was about to say something when suddenly there was an explosion. Serena felt Gambit throw himself over her to protect her as the glass windows shattered. She had some glass pieces in her hair, but was otherwise alright. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she fumbled for the door handle, but finally got the door open and they quickly got out. She stayed low and they finally made it into an alley. She was trembling as they hid behind a few dumpsters, but knew she needed to remain calm and focused. She peered around the dumpster to look and didn't see the two guards. "I think the coast is clear. I think we are going to have to go on foot." She could see the Tower in the distance. It was probably 15 blocks away.

She couldn’t be certain but she swore that Logan had smirked at her upon hearing what she said about sparing the man’s life. He was encouraged by what sje said and it brought him hope for her for the future.

“Well SHIELD isn’t known for being honest when it comes to things they want to keep hidden,” Steve said though he knew Kate wouldn’t like him speaking out against SHIELD. “They must have something worth all of this trouble and I don’t know about you all but anything they want I oppose to them getting,” Tony said.

Serena (Mustique) has been able to enter through a backdoor. Jarvis wasn’t yet aware of her encroachment and she looked quickly for access to Tony’s suit control. Either that or Jarvis’s command functions altogether.

Peter saw Serena on her laptop and he moved toward her. Serena saw him coming and she winced internally and had to minimize what she was doing. “Hey babe, I’m glad your safe,” Peter said as he came up and suddenly kissed her. Serena hadn’t been completely prepared for that and she had to try and react naturally. Peter wasn’t all that great of a kisser and she knew right away that he was only a novice when it came to such things. But ‘Serena’ likely was as well and sounding natural was going to be important.

“I’m glad Natalya found you,” She said as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. Perhaps to well as she felt his boy react to her kisses.

“It’s all been crazy around here and I take it that something happened or Natalya wouldn’t be injured.

———————

It was a mad dash and a series of run, hide and run some more. They were both exhausted but they saw the tower as it loomed up above them nearby. They were hunkered down behind a car. Gambit felt at his side surreptitiously and his hand came back red and wet with blood. He had caught some shrapnel back then that car exploded and he was now feeling the effects of losing to much blood. There were several people standing on the street near the tower. It was obvious that they were looking for them. One was Shockwave herself with her purple Mohawk. “Damn!” Gambit said as he wiped his hand on his suit coat: he was sweating profusely and his face had gone a shade paler since they had started.

“Looking for us,” he said as he scanned the area. “I can distract them away so you can get inside,” he said.

Serena remained vigilant as she and Gambit quickly made their way towards the Tower. She was terrified that someone was suddenly going to appear, but she was ready to defend them if necessary. She didn't want to kill anyone, but she wasn't going to let them take her or Gambit. As they neared the Tower they ducked behind a car and looked out to see several mutants out looking for them. One she immediately recognized with the purple Mohawk. She didn't know how they were going to get past them, but she wasn't going to leave Gambit behind.

"I'm not going to just leave you out here," she told him. It was then that she saw he was injured. She had not noticed it until now. "You're hurt," said with genuine worry in her eyes. "We need to get you inside to the medical wing."

Gambit looked over at Serena and gave her his best smile: His wounds did hurt but he couldn’t worry about that right then. He gently brushed her hands away from his wound then took up her face in his hands.

“Hey...hey there darlin, one a is has to tell them what we saw and where we were. “I know your strong and powerful and brave. I’ve seen it. I don’t mean to argue but it’s just gotta be this way,” he said and he smiled at her again. Both of their faces were covered in dirt and grime but even still he was extremely handsome. He took off his hat and without taking his eyes off of hers he put it in her hands.

“I’ll come back get that Serena. You take care of it for me,” he said then he pulled her toward him and kissed her lips with more passion and gentlesness than she had ever been kissed in her life. After a few kisses had passed between them he pulled her back and smiled as he looked into her eyes. “You tell them everything and never forget what Truman did for us,” he said. “Take care Serena Stark,” Gambit said as he drew his eyes away toward the mutants.