Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story other than those that I created. This story will contain homosexuality and I do not make any claims regarding the sexuality of anyof the characters in the story. All of the X-Men and Villains presented in the story (other than those I created) are the property of Marvel Comics.
Author's Notes:
With the disclaimer out of the way; I just want to say that this is my first submission to Nifty and would really love to get some comments about it. If you like the story, if you hate it, whatever send me an email silversummer88@yahoo.com. I forgot to mention in the previous chapter but I've taken some liberties with the ages of the X-Men and Brotherhood characters in the story . I'll be mixing in some really popular characters and some relative unknowns as well, so if you're an X fan you can skip the character section, if not then you may want to check it out for a bit of background. Oh and if there are any particular X-characters you want to see included in the story send me an email (don't worry about how obscure they are I probably still know them).
Characters:
Conner -- 16 year old high school student, our main character, frequency manipulation
Pyro/John – 19 year old member of Brotherhood of Mutants, Australian, pyrokinetic
X-Redemption Chapter 5:
After one month of tests and medical procedures I'm finally being released from the Med Bay of Asteroid M. I'm finally going to see what this station looks like and meet some of the other mutants living on the station beyond Magneto, Mystique, and John. I actually haven't seen John for about two weeks now, which was somewhat disappointing. John told me before he left that Magneto had sent him on a mission and he didn't know how long it would take him to get back.
Another reason as to why getting out of the Medical Bay is a good thing is that I may finally get some answers to some of the questions that have been hounding me. I still wasn't completely sure what Asteroid M was and the entire talk about the Brotherhood still confused me. The only thing that John and Mystique (who often had no interest at all in my questioning) told me about the Brotherhood was that it is an "instrument to achieve Magneto's dream for all mutants".
I was just finished changing out of the hospital gown and into regular clothes when Magneto entered the Medical Bay accompanied by a man in his mid-30's. The man with Magneto however was peculiar; the man was probably 5'8" (which would make him as tall as me) but he only "stood" up until my waist. The reason for this was that he didn't actually stand, instead it seemed like he was sitting down with his knees bent...the thing that I remember when I first saw him was the position little kids would take when they would pretend to be frogs...What further solidified my perception was that this man didn't walk but instead moved around by hopping like a frog. The other thing that struck me about this man was how he looked at Magneto. From Mystique and Pyro I had seen looks of admiration and sometimes fear when speaking with Magneto (and it was understandable considering the aura that Magneto exuded), but the look that this man gave wasn't one of admiration instead it was complete subservience. It was the look that a puppy would give its master when begging for scraps from the dinner table; it was extremely pitiful.
"Well Conner, my boy, you look like you've healed quite well. Are you ready to see Asteroid M?" asked Magneto. "While I would love to show you this station, which is something I am extremely pleased with, I sadly have to attend to other matters. That is why I have brought along Toad here so that he can show you the station." Magneto then turned to Toad and with a tone of voice reserved for speaking to only the youngest of children spoke... "Toad, I trust that you will show Conner here the important places on Asteroid M."
"Yes Master Magneto sir... I'll show him all throughout the station" the way Toad said this made me pity him even more. It was said in the most snivelling way; it reminded me of characters like Wormtongue from Lord of the Rings being combined with the House Elf Dobby in the Harry Potter series (before that elf grew a pair of balls...).
Magneto then turned and left the room leaving just me and Toad. He was actually the first to speak.
"Mortimer Toynbee at your service sir, although everyone in the Brotherhood calls me by Toad. Come sir, let me show you around the station." With that Toad grabbed my hand and proceeded to guide me outside of the Med Bay.
When Magneto told me that Asteroid M was an "orbital station" I had some difficulty picturing what he meant by that. Getting out of the Med Bay and actually seeing the view that Asteroid M provided helped me to grasp the magnitude of the station. The station, as the name suggests, is a massive asteroid that orbits the Earth. Toad explained to me that Asteroid M is pretty much a floating city filled with mutants from all over the Earth who believe in Magneto and devote themselves to achieving his dream.
"Toad for instance, sir, was ridiculed and mocked for how he looked and behaved. I was tormented throughout my life and it was only after finding Magneto that I found my purpose." explained Toad. "There are many here who have similar stories as me."
"Toad," I had to ask him, "what's the Brotherhood?"
"The Brotherhood, Conner sir, is how Magneto achieves his dream. It is a group of mutants selected by Magneto. Magneto then leads this group in missions and battles."
"Battles?" I asked.
"Yes, the Brotherhood often has to fight. We have to so that humans and other mutants learn their place. You were almost a victim; humans don't like mutants and we can't live with them peacefully. The only way we can deal with humans is to make them serve all mutants. It is, as Magneto says, evolution."
"Isn't that a bit harsh though? I mean why can't we simply live apart from humans? Or try to cooperate with them? I think there are humans whom we can deal with and make peace with?"
"Conner, you sound like one of the X-Men, foolishly pursuing their crazy dream. Humans hate mutants and will do anything to wipe us out. The only way to deal with them is to make them realize that they are powerless against us."
"The X-Men?" I asked.
"X-Men are the enemies of the Brotherhood and Magneto. They are a group of deluded mutants who try to make peace with humans. Their leader, Professor X, used to be a friend of Magneto but they disagreed with how to deal with the problem of humans."
"I don't know Toad, I've always thought that if we can avoid war then we should do so."
Toad simply laughed at this last comment... "You think we can avoid war?" There was a clear hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You should know how intolerant humans can be. But you'll learn soon."
Toad continued to give me the tour. He showed me the War Room where Magneto would meet with the Brotherhood members. The hangar which housed a few shuttles used to go to Earth as well as massive metal spheres which Toad explained also functioned like shuttles that Magneto dispatched with the use of his powers. There was also a study, training rooms, rec rooms, and common areas where mutants on the shuttle mingled. We came across a few other mutants during our tour but none of them were members of the Brotherhood. Toad concluded the tour by bringing me to the dormitories. He led me to one of the wings reserved for Brotherhood members, which he explained were much larger rooms than those of other individuals on the station.
"Magneto has taken a liking to you and has given you one of the rooms in the Brotherhood wing. He may offer you a place there soon. For now though I guess you will have this as your room on Asteroid M. You should be pleased by it because it actually is right across from Pyro's."
Hearing John's codename made me realize once again that I hadn't heard from him in almost two weeks. This prompted me to ask.
"Toad, have you heard anything from John...I mean Pyro?"
"No, Pyro should have reported sometime ago, he should be ok though. He's been on missions in the past. He tends to get in trouble but often finds a way out."
"Ok, thanks Toad. I'm currently feeling tired and I think I'll get some rest."
Toad offered to show me more of the station once I felt up for it and said his goodbyes. For a snivelling brownnoser I actually somehow took a liking to the guy. I entered my new room and to my surprise it was already decorated with a lot of things that I liked. It had posters of some of my favourite bands and movies. There was a massive screen and a whole bunch of video game consoles. It also had a speed bag and heavy bag in the corner along with a whole bunch of martial arts equipment. I noticed a note on the bedside table.
"Conner,
Sorry I can't be there when Mystique finally let's you go from her cold blue hands, mate. The boss has something special planned and I'll be playing a big part. Anyway, before I left I had heard that Magneto may offer you a place in the Brotherhood. That's quite a chance for someone who just came into their powers. I asked the big guy if he could put you in the empty room by mine and he agreed! So I've already taken the liberty to decorate the place a bit.
Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you this in person but I won't get the chance before I leave. I know you think I saved you because you were a mutant...that's not completely true. I went into that train station bathroom because I saw one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen being attacked by three wankers. I guess I've never actually told you mate but I'm gay as well and hell I'm going crazy for you. So if you're up for it; I'd love to go out with you on a date when I get back.
John"
I looked at the note, over and over again. For the first time in two weeks I went to bed with a smile on my face.
My sleep however was interrupted when alarms started blaring in my room. I rushed out to see Mystique and Toad heading quickly towards the hangar. I immediately followed them. In the hangar I could see that one of the massive metallic spheres was landing. It opened up to reveal Magneto along with three other men. One of the men was large he was easily 8 feet tall and probably weighed close to a ton. The other man was around 6'3" and wore a gray and white outfit and a helmet of some sort. The last man with them looked almost beast like; he was extremely muscular and had what looked like claws. I had little time to process what I was seeing when there was another thing that came out of the sphere.
Out of the sphere came a metal stretcher with a body on it. The body was partially covered in a blanket but from where I stood I could tell that the outfit worn by the body was orange and yellow and adorned with flames. It immediately dawned on me that there was only one person that could be...it was John...
Author's Notes:
So I know I promised some action but after some tweaking I decided to change the plot a bit. For those looking for some action I promise that 6 and 7, which I'll be working on this weekend will be full of it.