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.
They were soon to find out.
Erik knew his usual wardrobe and restraint would not do this evening. He had to be Magneto in his full, terrible splendor. He would have no qualms about killing anyone tonight if he had to. Stakes were going to be too high.
Magneto walked around the table, eyeing everyone. He couldn't help but notice that Mystique was visibly tense and clearly upset. There had been a longstanding rivalry between Mystique and Emma that began when Erik freed Emma from the CIA headquarters because he needed a telepath. He couldn't make Mystique understand that he wanted the diabolical woman for her talents only. Mystique was the only one who shared his bed, always had, always would. She was the only one he would trust when those old memories from Auschwitz came to haunt him in the quiet hours of the night. Emma made Mystique feel ugly, and Erik hated her for it. If only she wasn't so useful....
This wasn't the time for maudlin reflections...
Magneto turned to face his Brotherhood. They snapped to attention. "I just returned from visiting our dear friend, Charles Xavier... and his new wife Jane," he announced. "It appears that we are not meant to have our own Angel of Mercy."
"Why would you even want her in our cause?" Mystique asked, annoyed.
"In case you forget, she is a Class 4 mutant with the power to absorb injury. Very useful skill to have, if you ask me. Something happens to one of us, we make her take the injury and save us." He didn't dare say that he would only keep the woman for himself or Mystique. He would let them find out as their lives expired, preferable expired by his own hands.
Emma glared at Mystique and smirked, "Mystique is just bitter that you are so interested in this Angel of Mercy character."
"I'm not bitter," she retorted, more defensively than she had intended. "I just don't know why you're so interested. She's just Charles' wife."
Everyone at the table appeared amused by Mystique's agitation and started to chuckle. Magneto glowered.
"You're bitter because Magneto is interested in a woman other than you. One who... doesn't need to work so hard to blend in." Emma squinted her eyes, smiled smugly, and tilted her head. "Remember when Charles rejected you? Rebuffed you as being like his sister, found so many ways to avoid rejecting you outright to spare your feelings. No one finds you beautiful, Raven, unless you hide."
Erik didn't need to be telepathic to know that Emma was patronizing Mystique and playing into her insecurities. He thought of addressing it, but knew Mystique was capable of holding her own.
Mystique stood up, clearly in a rage. "GET OUT OF MY MIND!" she shouted.
Erik walked over to Mystique, placed his hands on her shoulders, and eased her into her chair. He waved a hand towards Emma and she found that she could not move from her chair. Delicate metal coils formed over her wrists and tightened. "Emma, Mystique does not need to hide! There is no other mutant more beautiful than her in her true form. It was I who suggested she stop wasting her energy to be like everyone else. Why should we hide who we are? This rivalry between the two of you needs to stop. We're all in the same Brotherhood. Only Charles sees the advantages of blending in. It was Charles who told this... goddess... to hide who she really is. You continue to taunt my beloved goddess, you will not continue this fight." The wires tightened more, causing Emma to wince and blood to ooze from her wrists. "I will end you right here."
Emma responded by glaring at Mystique, who seemed mollified.
Scarlet Witch could only scoff. "Magneto, I don't know why you even wasted your time trying to get that... goody-two-shoes on our side." She surprised Erik by speaking out. She was normally intimidated by the older, more experienced, more talented mutants. He wondered if it was the dissention that caused such boldness. "I've seen her in action. She is blinded by her love of Charles and is so disgustingly... wholesome, even after her experience in Vietnam. She's too soft, too nice."
Her brother shook his head. "We can use that wholesomeness to our advantage. It's leverage. If we can't recruit her, we defeat her. She could also be our way of getting at Charles."
Quicksilver had an idea not driven by temper. Erik was shocked. "How do you plan to do that?"
"We abduct her."
"Too simple," Erik reminded him.
"Simple enough to work if he expects a complicated plan," Quicksilver countered.
Azazel pounded his fist on the table. "Are you stupid? We take her, he'll use Cerebro to find her. That will lead all of them to here, or wherever we are!"
Quicksilver looked at Azazel as if he had said the dumbest thing ever conceived. Erik decided to see how it would play out. He motioned for Quicksilver to continue. "Ever hear of the word 'bait,' Azazel?" he asked. "It works like this. We set a trap. Jane is the bait. Charles will round up all his precious X-Men to save his little wife."
Angel looked at Erik. "But you said her power could be used to save one of us, if we were injured. Does that mean she can heal us?"
Erik chuckled and wagged his finger at everyone. "That is the best part. It seems our dear Mercy can only take on the injury itself, or absorb pain. If one of us real fighters gets injured in the fight, we force her to take our injury and get back in, and let her be the one to recover."
"But what if we're dying?"
"She dies instead." Emma dismissed.
Erik didn't bother to correct her. Emma would die before Jane would. Erik would see to that.
"What good will that do, if we kill Charles?" Angel asked. "If she's as in love with him as you say, then she'll die before she lets him die. And she can't die before him, or she's no use to any of us."
"We are not going to kill her, or Charles, do I make myself clear?" Erik warned. "Both of them are too valuable alive. I want to make that clear. We need Charles to lull humanity into thinking we want a peaceful co-existence with humans and mutants. That is when we can come in and fight our battle. If we abduct her, he will do anything to save the little woman."
"... Which brings us to him using Cerebro to find her." Azazel repeated, trying to drive the point home.
Quicksilver rolled his eyes and sighed. "We set a trap, you red-faced jackass. She is the bait. Let me say this in small words that even your dumb ass will understand: We get the woman. Charles will round up his X-Men to get her back. Whoever we don't kill, we imprison until they join us or die."
"Would this woman sacrifice herself for the other mutants?" Angel wonderd.
Erik shook his head. "She may only absorb enough of their pain to ease their passing."
"Then what we need to do is figure out a plan where we manage to get her," Mystique suggested.
Erik chuckled and wagged his finger at Mystique. "My dear, we have Azazel. Have you forgotten what he can do?"
"No, I have not. So we just abduct her and that's it?"
"No, my dearest. I am looking at that scuffle going on in Vietnam right now. There may come a time when it becomes closer to a real war."
"What are you saying, Erik?"
"I'm saying we bide our time, monitor the course of this war," Erik suggested. "Let Charles and his wife open their school and think they've found some peace."
Everyone groaned at the idea of more waiting. Erik wondered if he should send them to Charles' school to learn some discipline. He wanted his plan to be perfect, not hasty. Perfection would take time.
"And then what?" Emma pressed.
"Then we will find a way to get involved inVietnam to where Charles will have to intervene with his X-Men to save his wife,"he clarified. "But patience. If we act too quickly, we could ruin everythingfor ourselves. In the meantime, we need to train and make sure we're ready whenthe time comes. We will devise a plan that will lead to certain victory for theBrotherhood against mankind!"