The Beginning: The Ideological War

[snake]

This is the Sequel to "The Begining: The Dream" It is posted here as well, read that first if you want to understand this story

The Beginning: The Ideological War
Chapter 1: Frozen Tides[/u][/size]

Xavier Time-

And so we begin the second story in what the author hopes to be a long saga of stories, eventually even no longer centering on the X-men! I know, astonishing isn’t it? Far more Astonishing that the slab of mediocrity that was “Dangerous”, I fret to say. That made me, the great Charles Xavier, look like a border-line sadist.

The title really does give away the intent of this story, but oh well. We of the cast, even the villains, all thoroughly hope you enjoy our next installment.

Ideological War

Important Note:

Words with ( _ ) around them are in German
Words with [ _ ] around them are in Russian

=== === ===

Unknown Perspective-

I thrash in my sleep as the voice wisps through my mind. “Why?” It asks me, the chilling voice running through my mind making me shiver.

I look down at the clear, transparent ground, the ocean below it. Faces start to surface in it, horror engraved on their faces as they press against the surface screaming for help, but none can hear them.

I stumble back and nearly fall over. Why can’t they all just leave me alone?! Why won’t it stop?!

Suddenly a figure walks in front of me. I look up at the clear blue sky behind him before looking at him.

“Freak,” He says looking at me with more distain then he ever has before. “Are you happy now? Look what you’ve done,”

“I didn’t mean to,” I try to stammer back.

“The hell you didn’t boy, and you know it to,” He says leaning down before grabbing me by the chin, forcing me to look at him. “You killed us Robert,” He tells me.

And I know it’s true, my lungs clench in as my eyes sting.

“I’m sorry,” I finally say. “Please, I didn’t mean to, you have to believe me,” I plead.

“The dead can’t forgive son,” He comments before his skin begins to warp.

A moment later his now massive claw like foot cracks in front of me on the ice above the ocean, the beast from before looks down at me breathing heavily, “But we can condemn,” He growled, grabbing me by the chest much like he had last week. Pulling me into the air he slams me down into the ground.

The ice shatters, almost like glass, and I am lost again, pulled into the vastness below, swallowed alive. I know what it is, my sorrow, my regret… my guilt.

Robert A voice whispers through my mind. I try to find it in the dark water, the cold, dark water. Robert it whispers again, seemingly bringing the light in my mind, clearing the water as a light forms in front of me.

A hand extends out of it, the white glove reaching for me.

I slowly reach back and grasp it, trying to pull myself out, trying to save myself. As I am drawn into the light, the world changes once again.

=== === ===

Beast’s Perspective-

“Bobby!” I shout, trying to stir him as I shake his body slightly on the bed, he is in the medical wing, and has been since the fight. He got the worst of us in the fight, easily. That rather wretched creature made quite a mess of him, and the professor has been trying to quell his reemerging nightmares.

He finally seems to be calming, and no longer thrashing in his sleep. He looks up at me a moment later and winces with pain. “Who are you?” He asks quietly, as if reaching for me.

“Bobby, it’s me,” I tell him. “Hank,”

He shakes his head slightly and his arm reaches up, pushing across his sweating forehead before sliding through his hair. “My favorite blue monkey,” He says lightheartedly. But everyone knows that light hearted appearance is false, at least right now. He’s trying to convince us nothing is wrong. He couldn’t handle the mission, it’s obvious. Scott and Warren agree, they even stopped feuding once Bobby started to have the nightmares, especially in his already frail condition.

I look down and see something, spots of ice over his chest. “Are you feeling alright?” I asked in shock. He weakly sits up, which is in and of itself a miracle given what had just happened to his torso.

“… I dunno,” He finally answers before looking down at his ribs. “I… didn’t do that,” He finally said.

I decide its now time to get the Professor.

=== === ===

Jean’s Perspective-

“I understand Professor. I won’t do it again… but you have to understand that thing was coming right for us,” I tell him, he’d been bringing this up, and I understand what I did was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. I had to defend myself.

“Killing is only used if it is an absolute LAST option Jean, we are not butchers, many of our foes need more our understanding then the hand of death,” He explains to me. Doesn’t he think I know that?

“I don’t, not yet. I think you know it, but I do not think you understand it,” He tells me.

I lower my head quietly, knowing he is right. But its so hard to understand, especially what he wants. I just don’t get it.

“I don’t understand at this point Professor, I want to, but… some of it is just so foreign, don’t our lives come first?” I asked.

He remains silent and gives me a look, a look that tells me something frightening. The look itself gives me the entire point of. “It depends”

I remain silent until Beast bursts into the room. “Professor, I need your help, Bobby is awake, and he’s well… he’s healed, I don’t know how,” Beast said.

Broken ribs and collapsed lung? Ok, THIS is interesting.

I quickly hurry down with the Professor to the medical wing, and see Bobby trying to get dressed.

=== === ===

Xavier’s Perspective-

This is astounding, there could be a whole new avenue of his mutation that has been unlocked, or subconsciously could have been opened.

But I also know what’s happened in his mind since the mission, the year of therapy had almost been reversed. I should have known a mission was too much for him right now. But I didn’t, I overestimated what he could take. This is really my fault, and that is a hard cold fact I must accept.

But what is happening here is amazing.

“Bobby, you’re healed,” I say, stating the obvious. “Yea, go figure huh?” He answers looking down at himself again before quietly looking away a moment, obviously bothered by his problems.

“We should start working through this later today,” I tell him. “You know the treatments helped before, they can help again,” I tell him.

Bobby looks at Jean a moment, as if trying to picture something before looking back at me. “I’m not sure,” He finally answers. I start to feel something, something not natural to Robert, or the surroundings.

Something I can barely feel. What is it?

“I must insist Bobby, I will come by and see you shortly,” I promise. “But for now, I really must see exactly how healed you are,”

He stretches in front of me and breathes in deeply. “Healed enough for me,” He tells me with his usual smart smile. “Never felt better. I feel almost as good as you do after a good buffing,” He says, implying to my bald head. I merely raise a brow to his joke. He walks past with a slight smile.

Jean looks at me and I look back.

*Did you feel that?* She asks. So, she felt it as well. *Do you know why he was looking at me?* She then adds.

I turn my head and suddenly feel suspicious. *I’m not sure… yet* I reply.

*Why doesn’t he seem to want to get help? He wasn’t like this before* Jean then adds, her own confusion coming into play again.

*… Bobby thinks he already has all the help he needs* I respond, the vision of the hand pulling him out of his watery grave coming to my mind.

=== === ===

Scott’s Perspective-

I shoot down the target in the yard with my optic blasts before turning quickly and shooting the last target.

I had to get better, I had to get sharper, and I had to succeed. I couldn’t let that happen again. I failed. I let everyone down, Warren, Jean, Bobby, Hank, and most of all, the Professor.

I couldn’t stop that creature, and I nearly got everyone killed, how could I have been so stupid? Everything I had been taught meant nothing, I couldn’t command. Warren was right all along.

Every time I look at him now, I’m just reminded that despite everything, he was right. The Professor doesn’t agree, but I can’t understand why, not anymore.

“All the training won’t make it any better,” I hear, looking off to the side, I see the Professor as he rolls onto the lawn quietly.

“But then what do I need to do?” I asked him. Jean floats up behind him, and smiles sympathetically towards me.

I wish she would really smile at me. I don’t need sympathy from anyone.

“Scott, it takes more then training to be a leader, that is something neither you or Warren understand. Leaders are not born. Leaders are not created in training alone. Leaders are made from experience, from being out there, and knowing what it takes,” He tells me, his honest look quieting the voices of doubt in my mind.

“Warren does not know what it takes, and I am not sure he ever will,” He tells me. He then smiles at me and his chair turns away. “I think you now do Scott,” He adds. “Do you think you do?” He adds before slowly beginning to roll away, Jean didn’t leave however.

No, I didn’t know what it took. I don’t understand what he means. What did I learn before other then I was bad at my job?

Jean places her hand on my shoulder and I look at her, her honest green eyes looking into mine, and this time she really does smile at me, in my world of red and destruction, I see something that lights it, something that means more. I can feel it.

“I think you know,” She tells me. “You just have to admit to yourself that you do Scott,” She says.

Jean has always been here for me, always. I remember the first time I looked at her, when I could see. “But how do I do that when I don’t know what he means? I don’t feel any different,” I say.

“You’ll know,” She says before pulling her arm away.

I watch her go back inside, this time walking, her graceful movements before I turn back to the destroyed targets. I had clean up to do.

*By the way, Bobby is up and about, we don’t even know how* I hear.

Bobby is alright?

=== === ===

Jean’s Perspective-

I slowly creep back through the mansion and to my room. What am I doing? I’m trying to help everyone else when I need to help myself. I believe in Scott, I care about Bobby, and I want to learn from the professor, but I can’t even face myself.

I can’t face my own fears, my own judgment day. I can’t deal with anything myself. I always turn to my rage, to my inability. I tried to kill that man, that delusional man yes, but man, the other day before thinking of anything else.

Could have things been different? Could I have really, actually changed things so that no one was hurt?

I don’t know, and I never will. Frowning I look I comb my hand through my hair, looking up at my mirror. She is looking back at me.

She, she was always there to take everything from me, to make me second best. She never let me be number one at anything, on our birthday. It was always trying to put me in the back seat. Always trying to just shove me off, always using me to make herself look better.

And mom and dad always caved.

Why couldn’t I have been special for once?!

I suddenly hear the sound of broken glass and look up. I had shattered my mirror.

I can’t believe it, as if things weren’t bad enough. I groan and sit back on my bed just holding my face. I can’t get past this, I’m stuck.

I will always be second best at everything, and always the black sheep. I am the unwanted one.

Tears prick in my eyes a moment but I blink them away. That’s over now, I have a new life. Or at least I want it that way. I want to do everything I can to make this be different then it was before, but is it?

Warren drools over me, and Scott is my best friend, but is that really putting me first? The professor just told me that I may need to sacrifice myself for others, is that all I am, a potential martyr?

And she will go on, she probably already has, she’s probably already moved past me, leaving me as second best… again.

=== === ===

Warren’s Perspective-

I sip my water as I try to relax. Everything has moved so fast the last few days, I just need to relax.

Father phoned yesterday, but did little more then that, trying to be nice to me, perhaps his guilty consciences is starting to catch up with him. Not that I care, not anymore. I’m here and all his guilt means nothing.

I stretch my wings slightly, trying to relax more so. It’s hard right now, with all the chaos that has been going on.

I have to get better, as it stands, I can now understand why I am not leader. Its not because of tactics at all, it’s because of this damned mutation.

I have no power. It’s because of these wings, what am I like this, a flying target? Hank, Bobby, Jean… even Scott, they are all better then me. Well, not better, but they have stronger powers.

For now I am relaxing, to gather my strength, but I will get stronger.

After our first mission, its apparent Scott can not lead, powers or not, I will get to be leader, I deserve it. I am the most qualified, I appreciate what we are doing the most, and I am used to responsibility.

I have been responsible my whole life, father forced it on me, he told me to make me strong I needed it. To lead I needed it. And now that I am here, I find all my years of responsibility, all that hard work, and often hardship, was for nothing. It meant nothing here. They did not know how I gave up my weekends, all my spare time, all to be the best, all to live up to his expectations, to run his tasks.

And here the spoiled orphan is given command. He can’t even command his powers.

Pathetic

I know the Professor will understand soon, I know it.

[snake]

Australia

Mystique’s Perspective-

Its far too hot, I hate being in this kind of weather for days trying to find someone. Why couldn’t he be in more moderate temperatures?

I hear another BAMF behind me and begin to feel a vein forming on my forehead. I’ve told him to stay out of sight five times now!

“Kurt,” I say turning my head angrily, “what did I tell you about that?”

My son, my youngest, smart, child, where did I go wrong?

There he was, holding his Ipod, I could here his wretched music blaring even from here as he had one headphone in his ear, the piercing stringing up his ear, and the nose ring, as well as the eyebrows. Of course, it doesn’t stop there, he has other piercing under the cover of his clothing, I can tell.

How did he even get those, with how his physical mutation was, I will never know.

“(What?)” He asked loudly. I storm over, grab his Ipod, and rip it away from him, taking the earphone out of his ear. “Hey!” He protests in English.

“I told you to stay hidden until I needed you!” I snap. He has to understand these things. He knows how… hostile people become to his appearance.

Naturally he waves his hand at me uncaringly. “(It’s like what? 3:00 am, get over it, so we’re looking for the little fire bug, can’t we just snag him and go home? I haven’t seen Wanda in nearly five days, and I’ve got an itch to scratch.)” I grit my teeth at his blunt rudeness towards me. Has he no shame or decency as well?

I raised him better then this. All he ever does is laze around at the base. And the only reason I haven’t blown the whistle on him sleeping with Wanda, is if Magneto found out, my dear son would most likely be vacating the land of the living.

I slap him in response to his comments, hard.

He looks shock and holds the cheek which I slapped. “When I tell you something you do it Kurt!” I shout, we are in the middle of a street, but I don’t care.

He blinks and glares at me. “(Fine, whatever,)” He answers coldly.

“(If you keep this up Kurt, I will tell Magneto what’s going on with his dear daughter,)” I tell Kurt in our native language. His form immediately becomes nervous and glares before he pulls out his lighter and cigarette.

After lighting it and inhaling, he looks off to the side. “(Fine,)” He says after a moment. He then disappears in a puff of smoke and his tell tale BAMF. I look down at his still blaring musical device and turn it off before slipping it into my pocket.

I hate his taste in music as well.

Turning my attention away from him, I quickly head down the street, trying to catch my opportunity. The massive blaze down the street, we know who caused it.

And I think the police have finally figured it out as well, given the lights I am seeing.

“Hey! Hey! Watch the shirt mates! I’m tryin’ to keep up my appearance,” I hear a voice whine as several police officers drag the youth towards their vehicle.

I shift my form into that of an officer myself.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, making my approach and of course mimicking the accent.

“These bloody assholes are trying to arrest me for startin’ fires, which I ain’t got nothing to do with!” The young man protests.

“This is the mutant we’ve been tracking, he’s been causing fires for months,” The officer said. “We caught this bugger right in the middle of this one. The fire department are on their way,” He adds.

Suddenly I hear a BAMF and everyone looks up. Kurt comes diving out of nowhere and drop kicks one of the officers, sending him flying back, denting into a vehicle.

“What the hell is that?!” The other shouts.

“The Amazing Nightcrawler! Savior of mutant kind!” My son jests before flipping over the man, his tail wrapping around his neck and snapped to the ground, bringing the officer down who crashed head first into the road, knocking him out.

Our target starts to freak out.

“Bloody Hell! What the hell do you want?” He asks my son in fear.

“Kurt! I told you to say away!” I scold, shifting back into my natural state.

“A shape changing lady!... an albeit sexy one, but a shape changing lady too! Alright, you two are keeping away from St. John,” He says pointing his finger at his chest as he warily moved back.

“(Well I was, but I got bored, besides)” He kicks the unconscious officer. “(They are only human trash anyway)”

I’ll deal with him later, for now. John was who needed my attention.

Kurt walks past me, and I feel him grab his Ipod from one of my pockets. Fine, have your little music Kurt. Consider it your last song. I add mentally to myself.

I slowly pace myself towards Mr. Alice. “John, we’re here to save you,” I tell him. “Thanks for stoppin’ the cops, but I think that is all the saving I need,” He adds.

“No John, we are here to save you from humanity, we are here to save all of our kind,” I try to explain to him. “Look at them,” Kurt adds looking down at the unconscious two. “They are pathetic. Come with us, and you mein friend, will be free,”

“Free how?” John asks wearily.

“We are the Brotherhood,” I tell him simply with a smile. “We are here for mutants, to bring about a new world, one for us,” I tell him. “You’re bloody crazy, how the hell do you expect to take on a whole planet of humans?” John asks.

“Its simple, we will rule through fear, and by destabilization,” I say. “And through our leader,” I say. “He is one of the most powerful men on this planet John, he can do almost anything. Join us, and when the new world is born, you will be appreciated, as will your talents. You will be a hero among our people, people who you liberate from human oppression,”

He remains silent before looking at Kurt. “Who are you?”

“Call me Nightcrawler,” Kurt responds. He then looks at me. “Mystique,”

”Interestin’ names,” John states. “They are codenames, you will learn our real names if you agree to help us Mr. Alice,” I tell him.

“… Oh what the hell? I could use some entertainment, only so many good burns you can make out here before gettin’ busted,” He states smiling, almost crazily. “Well, you are quite the little pyromaniac,” My son notes. “Pyromaniac? Nah mate, just call me Pyro,”

=== === ====

Colossus’s Perspective-

I look at my new surroundings as the young woman drags me along. The base is nice, even though it is in a remote location. Its in a remote spot for a reason of course, I feel person sick.

Not home sick, I will never say I am homesick, not from where I come from. But I do miss my sister. I am starting to almost regret coming, but things will not get better unless I do something.

I will do something, something to fix things for her, so she does not end up like me, or Mikhail. I am not a good person, I know exactly what Magneto expects of me, and I will do it. I am tired of the poverty, so tired, and I am afraid.

I am afraid that in the poverty that is my nation, my home, my sister will end up trapped in the horrible plagues that ravage our land, Crime, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, anything. Or even be the victim of these things, the slave trade is one of the few profitable things in my country.

Or she will be singled out for her gifts, and meet her end at a mob.

That is why I came here, and that is why, despite my better judgment, I left her with Mikhail. The man I am sure I will one day become. Even if Magneto wins, even if all the mutant’s lives across the world get better, I am on his road. I am destined to follow it, brought down by my deeds.

I remember the look he gave me, the look he gave me before I left home to come here.

It is a fool’s errand brother, you will be his puppet He told me before I left, drunk as always however.

But I know that is what I am to be, a pawn in this man’s game, but should I be a pawn so that I give my sister a chance at a better life, then so be it, a life where she is not exposed to what is the rotting carcass of our once proud nation, a life where she has a chance.

I cannot give that to her, neither can Mikhail, the once proud young hero of the Soviet Union, no, we have nothing just like everyone else. Magneto, Magneto can give that to her. I only do not have her here with me because I know that I am in constant danger here.

As soon as the danger has past, or at least subsided as much as it can, I will bring her, perhaps even Mikhail if he will come. I look forward to that day.

“And so this is our anti-missile cannon,” Dominic tells me, Wanda now off to the side. They seemed to be nice enough, at least to me so far.

“Most impressive,” I say, trying to find the right words. This English Language was hard for me.

“We all get better eventually,” Dominic tells me with his voice having an accent of its own in fact. “Yes, but I am having most problems with this language so long, yes?” I answer, hoping I have found the right words. Wanda seems amused in the corner and Dominic rubs his eyebrow and smiles goofily. “Uhhh… we’ll work on the whole English thing,”

I feel as though things will go as Magneto predicts.

Perhaps there is hope after all.

=== === ===

Kenya

Quicksilver’s Perspective-

I’m free, I’m finally out from under that thumb, and I’m able to maybe find some peace.

I’ve been under him all my life and I don’t want to hurt him. He is my father, he raised me, and I love him, but his plans… they are delusional, and only hurt everyone. I don’t pretend to know the answer to my mutancy, or how the world should work, but I don’t want to get involved.

I just want to live. I know he’d give me some long winded speech about this giving me a real life, or whatever, but that’s not what living means to me.

Living means following my own dreams, not his.

Wanda may want to stick around, but I don’t. I hope he ends up alright, I really do, but this is not my ballpark at all.

I look around the open plain around me and breathe in. I’d find some civilization soon, recharge, maybe go back to Europe a while, maybe go to the states, and just try to find out what I do want to do with my life.

“The land out here is truly amazing, is it not?”

I close my eyes upon hearing this.

No matter how far I run, it is never enough, is it? It’s never enough because he wants me by his side.

I feel him standing behind me, his expecting gaze looking at me. Now that he has caught me, he knows I won’t run.

“Why must you continue to do this Pietro?” He asks. “Do you not understand what we do is? Do you not understand what it means?”

“Yes” I say turning to him quickly. “But I also don’t want to be apart of it, I don’t want to be in your war,” I tell him calmly. “You were born into this war my son,” He says slowly walking towards me. “The day you inherited my blood, my gift and curse to you, is the day you entered this war,”

“They will not rest until you are their slave, or dead,” He tells me bluntly. I slowly look off to the side, before looking back.

“Why do you have to keep saying what you do not know? You don’t know that they will do this father,” I say, trying to find a rational bone in his body.

“I know!” He says back powerfully, almost making me reel back. “I know what they are, I know what they will do,” He tells me sternly. “Do not pretend that I am ignorant, have you forgotten what these humans do to each other? Let alone us!”

I know what they do, but… why? They can’t just be beasts, can they?

“Son,” He rests his hand on my shoulder, and I look up into his serious eyes. “You know where you belong. You know what is at stake. I have told you about this your entire life.”

And I know he has, but it just doesn’t seem right to me.

“Come home Pietro,” He adds. “Help me liberate our people,”

Quietly, and reluctantly, I nod. “Alright,” I say finally after a moment. “Alright I’ll come home,” I say.

He smiles at me and levitates off the ground. “I knew you would not disappoint me son,”

I continue to watch him before he flies off into the distance.

Standing in the tall grass now myself, I look forward and then up.

What difference did I make either way? What possible impact can I even have? Father, why must you always insist it is me? Am I who you expect to be your heir after you are gone?

I don’t know if I can carry on your dream father, because it is not my own. It is not forged out of my blood, sweat and tears.

“I can’t finish what you have started,” I said to myself before looking forward, and blasted off at top speed for ‘home’, as father put it.

Right now, it seems so very distant from what I consider home.

=== === ===

Nightcrawler Time-

Ja, that is one big chapter, isn’t it? Mein Gott, I thought it was never going to end. *Turns on Ramstein in the background* So anyway, *turns up volume* I figure that once I get back, I can probably get some points with Wanda if I suggest something very freaky, she’s always into that kind of stuff.

Of course, me being the Amazing Nightcrawler, it’s not so hard to think of freaky things, ja?

After all, Mystique raised me in this reality. That should help you measure my character.

So, we all hope you come back and continue to read, it has been a pleasure to entertain you mein friends.

*Mutters to self* I wonder if I should get the left nipple pierced…