X-Men: The Gifted Ones

26. MAGNETO HEADQUARTERS, LOCATION UNKNOWN

Erik took mental roll call of his Brotherhood. They were all together, in one room, at one table. Not sulking. They were relieved that Magneto finally had something to say, would finally have a course of action. It was time.

He looked over the members seated around the table...

Mystique. Check. He could always count on her. She would do anything he asked of her, it seemed. Her loyalty would never be questioned. He could count on her through the worst. However, there was the factor that Charles was her adopted brother. He was certain she could always save Charles and still protect Erik out of loyalty for him. Only one he would give his life for, only one that, if needed, he would sacrifice Charles if he had to to save her. Even then, he wasn't sure Mystique would beat him to it and sacrifice herself first. He could trust her to do what she needed to do for mutantkind, should it ever happen. She knew Charles' worth.

Angel Salvadore. Check. The stunning dark-skinned woman could fly, could shoot fireballs from her mouth. She was vicious. Magneto couldn't forget she was also a turncoat. She had trained with Erik when the X-Men training school first started, but abandoned the group for Shaw. He decided she couldn't be trusted, and if anyone had to go, she could be first. He never knew exactly where her loyalties lay, except for her loyalty to herself.

Janos "Riptide" Questad. Check. The Filipino man never said much, didn't need to. Former associate of Shaw's, able to control water on a large scale, even control some weather. Magneto trusted him only slightly more than Angel.

Emma Frost. Check. The cold, blonde beauty was a former associate of Shaw's. She was telepathic, that would be useful. She could prevent herself from getting killed, at least by bullets, if she was prepared enough to activate her diamond skin. Plus, she could make herself impervious to cold, even control weather. Could always be useful. She was likely the most valuable of Shaw's former associates.

Azazel. Check. He was the most mysterious of Shaw's former associates. Red-skinned and daemonic in appearance, he was a powerhouse of speed and strength. A teleporter and agile, quick with a blade. Magneto wasn't sure of his loyalties, but needed his skills.

Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff. Check. The boy was learning quick. Magneto's creature, but too hormonal and unpredictable. He was too hot-headed. Erik finally saw the merits in Charles' constant harping about serenity. He seemed eager to learn for the wrong reasons, but Magneto could count on him being on his side rather than anyone in the Brotherhood. After all, it was Erik who released him from detention and Magneto who honed the boy's skills by respect based on fear. Still, his very nature made Erik wary, and the boy would never be a true soldier. He lacked discipline. He was just a delinquent with powers.

Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff. Check. Quicksilver's twin, another of Magneto's creatures. She was trainable, willing to learn, but still had her own unpredictable nature. She was more disciplined than her brother but still lacked control. She worried him. Could he trust her? Not to kill him, certainly, but he couldn't say for certain if she'd stay on his side of the fight. He knew she would leave him for Charles' side if she could. If she wasn't so close to that hair-trigger tempered brother of hers. She had come to like the idea of the Xavier home from her reconnaissance missions, and seemed to be fascinated with the trainees. Especially Polaris.

That one worried him.

He remembered that girl. She was a young woman now, close to Jane's age. He had killed her entire family to convince her to join the Brotherhood. He had hoped it would break her spirits. It didn't. It only made her more firmly against him, and there was no knowing just how powerful she had become now that Charles had a hold of her.