Marvelous: Salvation

Chapter Nine

"Thor's found her." Xavier whispered, listening through Cerebro. "But Magneto and his men are there as well." As quickly as he could, he sent the message to all of the mutants out looking for her. Hank sat with his hands pressed against his mouth. Hopefully they wouldn't be too late.

Xavier grimaced, watching the battle unfold before his eyes. This was it, the battle in the woods. This would determine the entire fate of the world.

He could only pray she would make the right choice.

- - - - - 

"Stand down, Magneto." Thor rumbled, face frozen in an angry stare. He gripped his hammer tighter, and Hope shrank behind him, afraid for what Magneto was thinking.

Magneto smiled at him. "You think you can beat me with a hammer? Foolish man!" He reached his hand out again, expecting the hammer to fly to him. Instead, lightning crackled in the sky, causing both of them to look up, confused.

"What on Earth…?" Magneto mumbled, puzzled.

"Hey! Metalhead!" Logan appeared, jumping down a hill to their right. "Back off!"

Magneto laughed. "You think you're the only ones who have back up coming?" On cue, the brotherhood of mutants began down the hill behind him, all flexing and showing off their powers as if to intimidate them. Logan, Thor and Warren all backed in front of Hope, gazing with apprehension before them.

Then more shouting reached from behind them, along with the sounds of fire and machinery and the roar of a large monster, and Hope smiled. "And here's our back up!"

Hulk slammed down onto the ground, just a couple feet away from magneto. He growled, snorting as Magneto stared him down.

"Give up now, Magneto!" Tony called, voice sounding metallic through his iron man suit. He hovered above them as the X-men, Fantastic Four and the rest of the Avengers gathered below him.

"As if." Magneto scoffed, raising his hand. "Brothers, attack!"

The evil mutants ran forward, reaching for whoever was nearest them. The people behind Hope responded, swarming into the masses. The fights erupted, and Hope backed away, eyes wide as she watched what was happening.

Thor hit mutant after mutant with his hammer, sending them flying.

A mutant called Toad knocked down Rogue and Bobby, also causing them to roll to a stop a few feet away.

Johnny caught one girl on fire, while another mutant slammed into him, knocking him to the ground beside Logan, who was busy in a brawl with Quicksilver.

"No…" Hope whispered, new abilities flaring up inside of her with unexpected sensitivity. Her senses returned, bringing with it the feelings of everyone's spirits around her. "No!"

 - - - - - 

Xavier, back at the school, flinched with Hope.

"What is it?" Hank asked, anxious.

"Hope…she can feel everyone. She can feel every hit, every blow. Her powers have escalated somehow, and she has new ability." He looked at his old friend, wincing. "I almost can't bear to be in her mind." He shook his head. "She's found it. She's feeling the energy of every living being on this earth, and it's escalated numerous ties over because of her brother's abilities manifesting as well."

Hank shook his head. "So this is it."

Xavier nodded, closing his eyes again. "We can only wait and see if she destroys they world, or saves it."

 - - - - -

"No!" Hope cried out again, stumbling backward and falling against a tree. She gripped it for support, feeling every single hit that every mutant took. She couldn't control her new sense, couldn't reign it in to stop the sensation. Every time they hit a tree, she felt that tree's pain, and when someone was cut open, she felt as if her own body was being torn apart. 

Suddenly, she felt Logan's claws go straight through her stomach. Her head snapped up, vision laser-focused to across the field, where Logan was pulling his claws out of the fallen mutant. She felt the life fade from that mutant, as if it were being torn out of her own soul.

Rage built inside her. How could they cause so much pain willingly? They were mutants, they would heal. Yet Magneto was planning on doing this to the humans? Using her to cause pain and destruction when they could barely defend themselves. Her anger boiled over, and she rose, hand pointing to the entire field as winds gathered around her, raising her into the air.

With a grip on everyone's spirits, she shouted, "Enough!" And froze them all.

 - - - - -

Xavier froze, eyes wide. How on earth was that possible?

"Hank…she's taken control over everyone. She's made them stop fighting." He looked to his friend behind them. "Can you control someone's very spirit?"

"It's not like we don't find a new ability every day…" He muttered, face clenched tight into a worried frown. "But how ethical is it to use this ability?"

"We shall see, friend." Xavier muttered. "We shall see."

 - - - - -

Logan, frozen in his battle stance, was rotated so that he was facing Hope, hovering above everyone in the valley. Her eyes were aglow, but with almost a purple hue instead of the normal white. Glancing around the valley, he saw that everyone was encased in this purple glow, even himself.

"That's enough!" Hope shouted again. "There has been too much pain caused already!" With a flick of her hand, she divided the mutants, making them walk back to their original sides they had started on. Logan could feel his legs walking him back over, though he wasn't controlling them. She was.

"Go. Go back to where you came from, and do not return." She told them, and Logan was sure everyone would listen, otherwise she would make them. "Do not come back here. There will be no battle taking place today, or ever, so long as I shall live." With another flick, she sent the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants walking back, Magneto yelling curses until he grew hoarse and they could no longer hear him. Hope turned her gaze to the people who had came and defended her, speaking again.

"You fought with good intentions, but fighting is not the way to solve this. Those are your brethren. Do not take family for granted."

Logan glanced around the clearing, suddenly able to wiggle his fingers. Hope's control over them was wavering. He looked back to her, arms now free to move.

She struggled in the air for a moment, and then the purple glow faded in her eyes and she began falling to the ground.

Thor shot forward again, just as he had two days prior, and caught her just in time. As he held her, kneeling on the ground, a single whisper went through everyone's minds.

And so you have been saved.

Hope began glowing, a white light encasing her entire being. With a bright flash,  it was gone, and everyone could move fully again.

"Hope?" Thor said quietly, looking down at her. She didn't respond, and everyone began to come up behind him, gathering in a loose circle as they all looked on. She lay there, unmoving, and Johnny, who was closest to Thor, asked quietly, "Is she…?"

"She is alive." Thor answered, watching her carefully.

Logan reached down and set a hand on Thor's shoulder, worry mixed in with anger and, though he would never admit it, jealousy. "I'll take her from here. Let's get her home." He leaned down and took her from Thor, holding her in his arms as he turned and began walking towards the jet that Jean had flown here. He ignored all the alarmed looks of everyone he passed, ignored their footsteps behind him as they followed him, ignored their whispers.

All he was focused on was Hope's breathing, making sure it continued as he took her back to the school, to safety.