Part 16
N/A: Mike is having fun with friends. Rogue manages to enter in contact with him and Doom is arranged to someone to go after Mike as Prof X is testing Mike´s personality. Kitty is sorting things with her mom.
The news of the Avengers hit the X-men hard, not out of love for this team, in fact, Scott is a great anti-fan of this group, but, rather how easy the group who faced aliens together is so now against each other. Bobby Drake and Spike are sharing the news with Michael who is also not taking the news well.
"So...they´re just gone?" Michael is not a fan of the Avengers, but, knows enough thanks to Tony Stark´s commercials and interviews about the team and how the public reacts to each Avengers and often left a poor taste on his mouth.
"Yeah, they´re gone. Scott is happy, but, Jean is concerned...if they can be dissolved so easily...can we be too?" Evan asked worried as the X-men are his second family and if he loses them...
"I´d not think it will happen...the Avengers tried to split the team, yes Scott told me about the recruitment program, and failed...whatever happened to them won´t happen to us" Bobby promised and Mike offers a small smile. They can´t know the future and speaking only for himself, and only in the safety of his mind, is possible to break any group...you just need to find the weak link.
"Change the subject! Hey, Mike, how are you dealing with all of this?" Spike asked giving full attention to the blue boy who is dreading this conversation. "if you´d not want to talk is fine...I get it" and Mike would like to say that no one could get it, but, then again...what he has to lose?
"Her mother thinks I´m the anti-christ if that´s not a bad first impression..." he jokes mildly. "If I think I´m the antichrist? I´d not know...not a religious person and my mother NEVER talk to me about my father....maybe they think I´m ...but I think I´m just a mutant" and this a good answer for the boys. A good answer to soothe their concerns and doubts, but, Mike still has fears, but, he´s good in concealing. If, in the worst cases, he´s the anti-christ...what this will change for him? Nothing.
One month in the school and Michael Darkholme knows how to survive in here and how to blend in...and Michael quite likes here. He can move freely and can interact with more people. Marrow, one of Kitty´s friends show up and she´s funny("so you´re blue bada badda?" "I´m not getting the reference") and he has hobbies here.
Michael likes to cook and modesty apart, and Mike really does not like to brag all that much, he can make really good cupcakes. Kitty, sadly, still is getting the gist of how a cupcake should look like.
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Kitty is having problems with her newfound powers and understandably so, Wanda is not present to help her, but, even if she was Scarlet Witch is the one to advocate for self-learning, so in the end, Kitty has to solve the problem on her own.
Terry Pryde knocks on her door to see her only daughter levitating her own bed and chatting some words that Terry has no idea of its origins. Once Kitty noticed her own mother, exchange a few words in Latin words, the bed is on the floor.
"Mom?" she asked and Terry is more than happy to see her magic progress. Even if it means accept Kitty is no longer the little girl she once was.
"I´m fine, how was your magic training going?" Terry´s tone is amicable enough and Kitty gives a summarize of her magic tranining. It has a month since Scarlet Witch had shown up to teach witchcraft to Kitty and now with the news of the Avengers...and her supposed betray.
"Mom, you think she´s a traitor?" she asked looking at her hands for a moment and then to her own mother. "This is a mess. The Avengers blame Thor, Thor blames Scarlet Witch and Scarlet Witch is accepting the blame" and the teen looks desolated enough that Terry, not knowing much of magic, can only hug her and kiss the top of her head, as she tries to make sense of this situation.
"I can´t say much here, Kitten, your friend Wanda seems to have her own reasons. Are they good? Are they bad? Not sure, but, I do know that you" and she boop Kitty´s nose with her finger. "Shouldn´t worry about this and should worry more about yourself. Trying to fix everything in the world at once will give you a headache" and Kitty nods accepting those words or at least trying to.
"Mom...do you still think Michael is bad?" is a code to say if Terry still believes he´s the antichrist and tries at Kitty might but she can´t believe in this story of Satan being his father.
"I´d not know" a good lie and Kitty can see beneath it so easily that begs the question why Terry even lied in the first place. "I know you don´t believe me. I know you think I´m wrong and maybe I´m...but, after all, I saw and after all you did, we could agree that Satan existing and having a son is not impossible"
"Maybe" she conceded. "But it would kill you to see Michael as what he is, instead of what you feared him to be?"
"I think not" not a lie and not a truth either. Terry is still firm on her beliefs as is Kitty. Both Pryde women are equally stubborn right now and both think this is each other greatest flaw.
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Prof X is looking at some footage of Michael Darkholme. Speaking with friends (how quick he is to make more friends), studying, partying (this one image is the reason for the kids to be grounded as their secret party wasn´t a secret at that time) and of course, getting together with Kitty Pryde.
"Is time to test him" Michael stated and Courtney Ross is in the room with him, her magic is mostly connected to her domains, after all, Courtney is just a servant of Zaorva, but, she has her little tricks.
"Test? I think the best case here is to kill while he´s sleeping, Charles" Courtney nows how unpleasant the image would be, but, this is the only solution. "Thor has been corrupted thanks to the little demon, I´m sure. The Avengers are no more and Doom is too silent...Xavier, kill the child. Kill him now"
"No!" Prof X stated. "Not if there´s something worth saving in him. Besides, Dr Strange is also silent, is also working..." and Courtney stops him.
"He´s trying to speak with Pheonix...we need a plan C if that monster turns out to be a bigger monster than we thought"
"And so far?"
"Pheonix is not returning the calls. Dr Strange is not pleased...and you should kill the child NOW"
"No, one test, I just need one test...if he fails...you, Dr Strange and even Doom can kill him, hell, I´ll gladly help, all I ask is one test" he pleads and he remembers flashes of his son, Legion, and how Xavier was more than ready to murder the boy and...how in the end, he did.
Courtney closes her eyes. "One test. One, and if he fails...we´ll kill him and not give a damn about your opinion"
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Clea provides the news for Dr Doom. The King of this country can ignore the rejection Clean offered to him and be professional, as much Doom is a villain even him has standers, and her news pleased Doom greatly.
"The Avengers are no more. The X-men are afraid. Thor is too tired of Earth to care and he´s taking care of his daughter along with Amora, who has no intention in interfering with our plan as long we stay away from her island" and Doom, for the moment, has no problem in fulfil this small request even if he would love to have such powerful kid on his side. "Hela is still fighting Thanos...uhm, fighting and fucking" and even Doom makes a gross face even behind the iron mask.
"Uhm, great, we can carry on...and Prof X´s test?"
"Is ready to crash and burn as soon you gave your word"
"Excellent, Clea, prepare yourself...because this little test will be bloody and will end the X-men in one strike"
"As you wish"