John will light your fire (theroofisonfire) wrote in marvel_prep, @ 2015-07-04 15:25:00 |
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John had become hyper-vigilant of anything anti-mutant. He saw every article tucked away in papers that people didn't see, and noticed the small nuances of mutant fear in places. It made him increasingly agitated, and seemed to draw him farther away from the school and his former friends. Well, not all of his former friends. He still hung out with Regan and Kevin, while John didn't seek him out, saw the other mutant with less disdain than the doe-eyed people that seemed blind to a festering problem. The anti-mutant sentiment never really went away, it just found other ways to manifest. Scholarly articles published in major journals under the pretense of science. The work of Bolivar Trask continued without him. Despite all this, John had never seen this coming. The visit had started innocently enough. His agent coming over to check on things. The woman questioning him about his current projects and then inquiring as to what manuscripts would be ready for their initial revisions. The conversation naturally turned to one of John's more recent obsession, and a new source of his anger. She also told him that the actress pretending to be Cassandra Baxter was asking for a larger part of the profit, as she was the "face" of his books and had needs. John didn't make a lot of money and even if his books were garnering more and more popularity, he wasn't J. K. Rowling or Nora Roberts. It sort of just happened. The conversation fueling John's anger until he finally uttered, "Fucking flatscans." He stopped and looked at his agent, quickly apologizing, "Not you . . . just everyone else." The agent didn't look offended. Instead, she looked almost happy that he'd said it. And that's when the conversation took another shift. His agent told him no offense was taken, and even agreed with him. To a point where John finally asked, "You're a mutant?" Another smile and then she changed. Took on a form of blue skin and scarlet colored hair, yellow glowing eyes. John knew that face. He'd seen it on Asteroid M. Seen it on the news as the figure driving the helicopter when Magneto took down the Brooklyn Bridge. "What?" he asked in surprise, not really believing this was Mystique. But she cooed, "You look scared." "I'm not scared," John said, even though a part of his mind said that he was. He knew what she was capable of. He'd seen the efficiency of her powers and how deadly she could be. Yeah, he'd be an idiot if he wasn't at least a little scared. Swallowing hard, he asked, "Why?" "Why what?" she asked and then spoke again before John could answer, "Why seek you out? Because unlike the rest of the mutants who graduated from Xavier's school, you aren't deluded by his daydream." "So you think because I didn't run to put on some tights that I'm going to turn my back on all of them?" John scoffed. Mystique sauntered over and John found himself distracted by the curves of her figure as she did. Maybe it was a redhead thing, or maybe he was just a red-blooded male that enjoyed the female form. "No, of course not," Mystique said, "but I know you're someone who understands what it means to be a mutant and has seen the ugliness of humanity. I'm not just talking about what happened with the MRA. I'm talking about before that." She took on the form of the huntress that nearly killed Jean and him, and then she shifted again, this time taking the form of his grandmother. The woman who spent more time telling John he was an abomination and beating him than she ever did showing she cared. In fact, she never cared at all. John's jaw clenched instinctively and he felt the warm of a flame in his hands, "You've got a lot of balls." Mystique changed back into her blue skin and shrugged, "I know what I see. You never had a chance. Stuck in poverty with a heartless bitch. Xavier pulled you out before you could make them pay. Do you think he actually saved you? Or did he stop you from giving those boys exactly what they deserved?" John said nothing. "You know what group I'm a part of, John," Mystique said staring him dead in the face and then touching her hand over his chest in a way that made him hold his breath. It was hard to tell if she was seducing him or lulling him into a calm before she ripped his heart out. "What are you saying?" he asked. "I'm offering you a place. A place where likeminded individuals have a goal. Promote the evolution of species and make a lot of money along the way," she said. This shouldn't sound appealing. John knew it shouldn't but . . . it did. Humanity was composed of a bunch of frightened little weaklings who ran the world and pushed down anything that would take away their power. They were afraid of the mutants but they were scared of them too. That was something John had come to the conclusion about on his own. Humanity wanted to be more and when there were those that were actually better than them, they shut them down. Unless, of course, people like John made themselves out to be slaves to a better cause. The money sounded good too. He knew the Brotherhood had resources. How else could they accomplish their goals? They had money and connections. And Mystique was offering it to him on a silver platter. "I want to speak to him before I make my choice," John said instead of just agreeing there. Mystique didn't look surprised. She didn't really look like anything except for interested. What did the little mutant boy want to see Magneto for? And John wanted to know if he'd be granted an audience with him or if this was just going to be her stringing him along with promises and no follow-through. John could be greedy, and at times very stupid, but he wasn't a complete idiot. "I'll arrange a meeting," Mystique said with perfect calm. |