Chapter 3

The next morning I met in the kitchen with a laptop (the Xmen are very welcoming), finishing my eighth cup of cocoa (good cocoa here) and finishing my third pack of cookies (admittedly, Americans know a lot about cookies with chocolate chips). Sleeping in the room allocated to me was not at all tempting, the idea of ​​reading in the library met with serious resistance from the end of cocoa and my laziness to drag back and forth through the whole mansion, but I was doomed to loneliness karmically, so everything was normal here.

On the Internet, I mainly looked for data on the world and iconic personalities in order to finally establish in what historical period I was carried. I managed to watch the famous press conference of Tony Stark, at which he recognized himself as Ironman, that is, Iron Man. Everything coincided, starting from Downey Jr.'s face and ending with a long pause before confessing. It was two months ago, and the passions had already subsided, but there were more than enough references to all kinds of assessments by experts and those who had applied, although they did not bother me. I also found Doctor Strange, although for some reason not Steven, as I remembered from the films, but Stefan, but Cumberbatch's face was in place, once again convincing me that I was in the Avengers cinematic universe. This worthy gentleman at the moment was still a practicing physician specializing in neurological surgery, and worked in one of the clinics in New York, making good money on his operations. Traces of Bruce Banner were also found, but no where he works now, under no circumstances stopped active scientific activity on the Internet, there was not a word, and about the Hulk there was no sensible information, only rumors, water and all kinds of hoaxes. But at least they wrote about him, but neither Nick Fury, nor Victor von Doom, nor Reed Richards seemed to be there, and if with the first it could be easily attributed to the secrecy of the personality of the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., the absence of the others was speaking. And by the way, Susan Storm in the first two Fantastic Four films was a real beauty and just the perfect fit into the image of a sexy female character from classic cartoons, downright eleven out of ten. Alas, I was not lucky here either ...

I also looked at the local legends about Asgard and personally Loki. I will not say that I was a great connoisseur of legends about him in a past life, but a couple of moments, just in contrast to Marvel, remained in my memory. In particular, on my Earth, Loki was always considered a jotun, who was allowed to live in Asgard, and Lafey was not his father, but his mother, in some versions even an asinya, and not an ice giantess. But my father, yes, he was a jotun, but I no longer remembered his name. Here, there was nothing like this, Loki was considered the youngest son of Odin, and no double interpretations for you. However, the differences ended there, and then the same game began, which all primitive savages adored to compose about their gods, from Japanese Shintoists to the ancient Greeks and Scandinavians. Then you are chained to a rock with a dropper of acid poison over the crown of the head for ... well, in fact, he called on the gods to have a sense of proportion and stop eating like pigs at some kind of feast; and a Swedish family with a giantess and an asinya, and a bunch of stoned children, including the wolf Fenrir and the snake Jormungand; and the generation of all witches through the conception of an evil woman with a charred heart ... I honestly did not understand how, but, apparently, it was assumed that Loki himself endured and gave birth. In general, having delved into this selective delirium of a sexually preoccupied schizophrenic zoophile, I began to heartily understand why my predecessor hated the Vikings personally and people in general. If they wrote such a thing about me, I would also agree without any special questions to lead an army of evil aliens to seize the writers' homeland.

Spending my nightly leisure in this way, I did not forget to think about what to do next. The idea of ​​dumping from Asgard was correct and timely, but intermediate, and the words about finding methods to get out of this universe were too vague. Specificity was needed, but it was just difficult with it. And no, let's not remember Deadpool, who, after the credits in his film, jumps across parallel universes and kills his copies, including the actor who played him in my world. This is Deadpool, he doesn't even have to get drunk to catch a squirrel, and in general Deadpool is something that it is better not to touch even with a ten-meter stick.

Thus, I did not have so many options, and the first was Kamar-Taj. This association of earthly magicians possessed very impressive techniques for working with space and the dimensions closest to this plane of being. Based on the memories of the film and Loki's magical knowledge, I could well imagine how some of the techniques of local sorcerers worked, but only a few, while others made even the God of Magic respectfully bewildered. Thus, the idea of ​​contacting Kamar-Taj and offering knowledge exchange looked promising. Even if the principles of their portals cannot be finalized before the interuniversity transfer, this skill will be useful to me on its own.

The second option was the search for a technical solution, but I did not remember the names of the scientists who invented such devices in other variations of the universe, and I could hardly have found them on my own. The X-Men were not my helpers in the development, since even Hank McCoy, who was always responsible for the state of the technical part, is more of a competent technician with a broad outlook than an ingenious inventor. Yes, and something is not visible in the vicinity, so he, perhaps, is still somewhere struggling with the external manifestations of his mutation and other projects are simply not relevant for him. But in this world there was Tony Stark, who, judging by the stylish luminous mug in the chest of Iron Man, will soon begin to bend from radiation sickness. If I don't confuse anything, but it's difficult to get confused in such things, this case made him very nervous, up to almost attempts to kill himself beautifully, having previously rewrote the company to his beloved woman. But whatever you say, even the local Tony Stark is actually a genius. Why even? So the original Tony, not from the MCU, spun all sorts of SHIELD on the reproductive organ and never sagged under any Fury, rather bending himself and everyone, so much so that the US government was afraid to grunt. And he had his own super team, and he created the Avengers himself, in partnership, by the way, with Xavier and other World Politics Players, each of whom was a personal and personally loyal paramilitary organization, and the Avengers themselves created by him were not a team of adventurers on running errands for everyone, but rather a coordinating council and supreme governing body for the protection of the Earth. But okay, that was not true for a long time, almost at the time of Ona, when the hero was supposed to be pumped up, the heroine was beautiful, and the white characters were not replaced with blacks according to a tolerant quota. The local Stark is also quite a serious friend and will be able to organize the searches and work of scientists in the field of space distortion technologies. All I need is to convince him to help me, and what could be easier than negotiating with a person who stands with one foot in the grave and understands this perfectly? Radiation sickness and, forgive Guo ... ahem ... A note to remember: figure out to whom I can now address the appeal for the gift of mental strength and patience. The universe does not fit, I hate this one - you need an analogue. So, what am I talking about? Oh, yes, radiation sickness and shrapnel near the heart (my common sense, forgive me!) - this is certainly unpleasant, but using magic it is quite possible to cure, and then there will be no need to carry the reactor in your chest around the clock. Really, for such a gorgeous gift, Tony will refuse to allocate some funds for a new promising direction?

There remained, of course, the pressing problem of Magneto, and after him of Stryker, but these are already problems of local importance, which concern me only insofar as. The second is quite simple to solve, with my capabilities, and the first, one way or another, will have to be solved first of all by the Xmen. Well, and Wolverine, as a free shooter. By the way about him ...

" Early bird?" greeted me slightly rumpled Logan, entering the kitchen. He obviously did not sleep well, although there were no bags under his eyes, but he did not look rested, and this is with his healing factor.

"I didn't go to bed," I replied, continuing to read another news article.

" So get carried away by some kind of site?" pinned the man.

" I can calmly stay awake for a couple of weeks," I pretend not to get the hint.

" Physiology?"

"Physiology, magic… cocoa," I salute the regenerator with a cup and take a sip. Shopping mall, it's cold, we still need to brew it.

"Oh yes, magic …" the mutant nodded with expressive "understanding".

"You still don't believe that I am a real God?

"You are fighting well, but for God it is not enough …" he ran his hand from his chin to the middle of his stomach.

" Beards? " I raise an eyebrow, looking up at him.

"Yes," the regenerator confirmed, clearly having fun. "And also sandals and togas," the man went to the refrigerator.

"Original," I was forced to admit. - It'll do? - I take the form of Odin in the snow-white robe of a Roman patrician.

"Better now," Logan swung his gaze in my direction and opened the refrigerator door, delving deeper into the contents. "Do you have beer?"

" Unless in the Cyclops room. But you can pour yourself some water - I will transform," returning to the previous form, graciously offer a solution.

"Into the wine? " closing the door and turning to face me, Wolverine raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

" Into the beer. I can also add ale and mead. You cannot compare with natural Asgardian ones, but for our deplorable situation it will come down."

The mutant silently found a glass and, having filled it with liquid from a teapot, handed it to me. He still had an expression of disbelief on his face, but he was ready to test his skepticism experimentally.

Without taking the dishes, I raised my hand and performed the key gesture, directing the magic. A second later, the water darkened and filled with bubbles, and the smell of strong beer began to spread through the kitchen.

" Hmmm," the mutant sniffed the provided substance with suspicion and, with the air of a man who has nothing more to lose, sipped the drink. For a second, doubt reigned on his face, but now it smoothed out, replaced by contentment. " Even if this is another illusion, then your illusory beer is also gorgeous."

" This is not an illusion, but something like alchemy. The magic of transformation, specifically," I spread my hands, between which the word "Magic" shimmers like a bright rainbow." - Well, a little Divine Miracle, of course, - unable to resist, I wink at the mutant.

"Keep up the good work and I truly believe you are God," Logan agreed graciously, sipping his drink.

"You know, I, in principle, assumed the likelihood that sooner or later there will be a nice girl who can twist ropes out of me, who will use my divine power for all sorts of household trifles …" I close the laptop lid and with a grin I look at Wolverine. " But the key words here are "nice girl.""

"Well …" Logan thoughtfully shook his head back and forth, rolling a beer on his tongue, " in this you and I are alike."

In honor of this discovery, I raise my cup of cocoa, after which, putting on an important-solidarity expression on my face, Wolverine and I solidly clink glasses and pay tribute to each of our drinks.

Alas, such splendor did not last long - not even five minutes had passed when the forester came and dispersed everyone. In the role of the designated caretaker of the forests, Storm played, who suggested that we, firstly, not serve as a bad example to the younger generation, deafening beer in the morning, while this "growing up" will now come running for breakfast, and secondly, to follow her to the underground floor to explore and figure out why the hell did Magneto need us.

" Eh," I sighed sadly in one gulp, drinking a new portion of the sweet drink, " no, a pretty girl would have called to a secluded dark corner for a more detailed acquaintance, but instead, I was offered to proceed to a secret laboratory, where a set of activities for my study" I wink slyly. Storm - clearly will not be the way I would like it to be. Life is pain and the universe is full of sadness and sorrow.

"Well, well, don't worry, there will be a holiday on your street," Wolverine patted me on the shoulder with feigned sympathy.

"If you have finished expressing your feelings to each other," Ororo was clearly embarrassed, and therefore somewhat aggressive, " then please follow me!" amendment, she was very aggressive. But I appreciated the joke, yes.

The way down the secret corridors of the mansion, and then the "underground base" took another three minutes. But then our journey ended, and we found ourselves in the right place, suspiciously reminiscent of a medical laboratory. There the professor, Jean, Scott and Rogue were already waiting for us.

"Good morning," the telepath nodded to us.

"Uh-huh," I designate a nod to others, "it is likely that it is."

"So why are we here?" Wolverine did not begin to breed unnecessary literature.

"I want to do some general research so we can understand why Magneto is interested in you. I assure you it is completely safe and will not harm you. Do you agree?"

"Okay, let's get this over with as soon as possible," Logan nodded.

"If it's necessary, then I don't mind," confirmed Rogue.

"It will be interesting," I didn't pretend to be a black sheep, looking at the equipment.

And the "research" began. An x-ray, a tomograph (to the top of the ring of which poor Logan was so stuck), a blood test (here I already distinguished myself - the needles just bent and broke, unable to pierce the skin) and so on. Four hours later, we gathered in a small conference room to discuss the results. On the board hung a full X-ray of Logan. The adamantium skeleton looked impressive, but the fact that its joints were covered with this metal, personally, put me into a stupor, because at the same time he could move calmly, without experiencing any discomfort and limitations in mobility! And what about the generation of blood and other work of the bone marrow? This is some kind of organometallic, not a banal spraying. However, the team was much more amazed and interested in my testimony, since they were not corny. Yes, that's it. X-rays did not shine through, the tomograph did not scan, the ultrasound did not pick up the "echo" of the body, and it was impossible to take blood either.

"One is more interesting than the other," said Dr. Gray, looking at the excerpts from Logan and me.

"Tell me, doctor, will I live?" letting in more drama in my voice, I asked the telepath.

"Um… probably," she said uncertainly.

"That's wonderful," I smiled and began to deliberately enthusiastically study the X-ray of Wolverine's claws, "it will be necessary to note this matter! Yes, five liters of cocoa is enough for me …"

" Do you like sweets?" Cyclops could not resist.

"Not really, but no cocoa beans grow in Asgard.

"Hmm," catching Scott's expressive look, once again telling everyone what he thinks about my mental health, the red-haired girl coughed, "it doesn't matter. As for Wolverine, there is a deep modification and coating of the entire skeleton with an unknown, but extremely durable metal. It's a miracle that you even survived such an operation," she turned to the man, "most likely, your regeneration should be thanked."

"Yes, I'm tenacious," Logan muttered reluctantly.

" Experiments on mutants," Xavier pursed his lips, touching the control lever of his chair to move closer to the pictures, "I heard about it, but I have never seen anything like it."

" Who did this to you?" turned to Wolverine Ororo.

"I don't remember anything about how it happened," the mutant said, shrugging his shoulders with a degree of displeasure. "I don't remember anything at all until fifteen years ago ... Although I would very much like to remember.

"I can help you with that," Xavier turned the chair in his direction. - If at least fragments of memory are preserved in your brain, they can be restored into a single whole.

Logan clasped his arms across his chest and stared into the telepath's eyes for a few seconds. It was easy to guess what thoughts are now wandering in his head, but in the end the assessment was made in favor of Charles, and the mutant jerked his cheek in a kind of nod. Obviously, he was ready to discuss this topic, but our presence was unnecessary.

"I think adamantium was applied in liquid form, literally impregnating the skeleton," I decided to share my knowledge, and at the same time tactfully change the subject. - And amnesia is caused precisely by prolonged heating of the brain upon contact.

"Adamantium?" Wolverine frowned. "Do you know this metal?"

"I personally saw it for the first time, but I've heard it. This is a kind of alloy, very rarely found in nature, and it is more difficult to process it in a frozen form than neutronium, from which the cores of some stars are composed."

" And where could he come from on Earth? Storm asked."

"To fall in a meteorite, for example," I shrugged. "But the bigger question is, how could it be melted and poured into the skeleton? Here, the temperature of the crown of the star is not enough, and magic was definitely not used."

"Um ... magic?" - asked Cyclops.

"Why are you so sure of this?" Xavier asked him to be silent with a gesture, looking at me with interest.

"Because it's pointless," I turn to Charles. "With all the beauty of the resulting masterpiece, a magician capable of this," I point out with my hand in the photograph, " would not have thought to waste my time on such a strengthening of a mutant with regeneration. Yes, this is a gain, and quite significant, but the mage would just take Logan as an apprentice. Believe me, a sorcerer with a couple of good artifacts healing from any damage would be orders of magnitude more dangerous than just a tenacious man with claws. Sorry, Logan," I'm scoffing at the mutant.

"No problem," he said.

" Rogue," went to the third guest member, Gina. "Everything here is quite standard and understandable - the absorption of life force upon contact, and if the touch occurs with a mutant, then his gift is also taken away. Although the effect is temporary."

" Can you cure it? The girl asked."

"Rogue, your abilities are not a disease, they cannot be cured, but we will try to help you take them under your control.

" Loki …" now it's my turn, " remains a completely incomprehensible and unknown factor. You didn't interfere with our equipment, did you?" a suspicious squint.

"And so it was possible?" I play surprise. "But in general, no," I turn to a serious way, seeing that the red-haired telepath is completely devoid of a sense of humor. "I myself am curious what you can learn about me with the current level of technology.

"And Magneto needed one of you three," the professor drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the armrest of his wheelchair, his gaze wandering over our figures until he settled on Logan. "Experimenting with mutants… that might have hooked Eric.

"Sorry to interfere with your thoughts, Professor, but this is unlikely.

"Why? Charles looked at me."

"Do you think they came for you?" Scott asked at the same time.

" No, not likely. Of course, I can unleash a world war and arrange a lot of other interesting things, but two days ago I was not on Earth at all, and with all due respect to your Magneto, he could hardly have found out about me during this time. In addition, if he knew about my capabilities, he certainly would not have sent a brutal militant to the meeting. As for Logan ... I'm sorry, buddy, but for all your brutality, powerful hairy chest and aura of harsh primal charisma ... Magneto already had one of this kind, and even wider in his shoulders, and the metal on your skeleton is good, but for all its merits, is clearly not attracted to a thing that can have a decisive impact on provoking a war between ordinary people and mutants. In the end, even if you break into the White House and cut the president into shreds, it will be unpleasant, but rather easily attributed to a lone psychopath. And in terms of the complexity of the operation that is needed to cover your skeleton with adamantium, they will look for anyone, but not simple mutants from the streets. And therefore, the method of elimination remains …" I turn to the teenage girl.

"I? But what is it about me? Rogue wondered."

"Well, taking into account your interesting talent, I immediately see a dozen options for how you can have very good fun and play pranks! " I assure the girl cheerfully.

"Loki!" it was said in several very indignant voices.

" Hey, I meant taking over the world and all that jazz, not what you thought you perverts!" not really hiding a satisfied grin, I was indignant. "And anyway, baby," I turn to Rogue, "I'm sorry, but you're not my type!" and now a speaking look at the Storm. "I prefer blond beauties with a chiseled figure and a chocolate tint of skin," oh, how she turned away and began to pretend that I did not exist ... Universe, I really hate you!

"That is …" a teenage girl scaredly ran her gaze over our faces, " is it me - the target?"

"Most likely," I confirm, returning myself to a serious look. "Of course, this is still worth checking, but in any case, the attack attempt was not spontaneous, which means that Eric Lansher had time to both study the victim and draw up a plan for its use. And here we come to the most delicate moment: they did not try to recruit you in an amicable way, and this can only mean one thing …" I paused, noting how the faces of the Xmen and Wolverines darkened. It had clearly dawned on them all.

" What? What does it mean?" the girl swallowed.

" You say or I?" I look at the professor.

"I would not want to worry you in vain, Mari," having made some decision, the telepath looked directly at the girl, " but I have to agree with Loki's analysis. Most likely, the cause for which Magneto wanted to kidnap you does not imply your voluntary participation and …" he hesitated, literally for a split second hesitating to voice the following words, but to the ear it was almost imperceptible "may end in your death."

"What am I supposed to do?" Rogue turned even more pale.

"Calm down," Charles smiled encouragingly. "Now that we, with a high degree of probability, know who my old friend is after, we can direct all our forces to your protection. Don't cheat yourself in vain - even a mutant with Magneto's powers won't be able to reach you while you're in this school. Study calmly, get to know other students, settle in, and at this time we will deal with the problem.

" Professor," Ororo drew attention to herself, " I think Rogue is hungry and she can already have breakfast, besides, lessons will begin soon."

"Yes, of course," Charles nodded. "Rogue," blue eyes gazed at the girl, and in this gesture there was not even a hint of threat, "the best remedy for anxiety is to find something to do. Now Storm will guide you upstairs and help you figure it out."

"I get it," the girl nodded.

Further, accompanied by Xavier's fatherly smile, the schoolgirl was taken out of the room, and the gazes of all those who remained were again filled with concern. Well, okay, not all, I was still good and wonderful. In a sense, I, of course, realized that Storm ran away from me with the complete connivance of the chief, all her facial expressions and body language shouted about this in plain text, but I already resigned that everything would be difficult here, and did not see the point of sweating over it occasion.

" What are we going to do, professor? Scott was the first to clarify."

"We need to understand why Magneto needs her," Xavier began to speak anxiously, looking down to the floor. "What can a mutant that takes over powers that is not capable of a mutant that possesses these powers? If Eric wanted to use her fighting potential, he would have acted differently - he would have made her his supporter, convinced of the correctness of his ideas. But for some reason he did not act that way, which means that the goal is not a military action, but something else …"

"I think it's pointless to guess here, but it's better to just establish observation for her," in support of my words, I create my own illusion, which is immediately sent to the exit. "If your friend needs her so badly, he'll try to kidnap her. And best of all, if we ourselves offer him such an opportunity, and do not let things go by themselves.

" What? Jean asked in amazement."

" Do you want to make bait out of it? Logan frowned."

"Oh, my friends, it seems to me that you have forgotten one small detail" a gesture with your hand, and next to me there is the illusion of the girl under discussion that immediately shyly smiles at the mutants." The God of Intrigue and the Lord of Magic are on your side. So tell me, professor, can we play a scene where a newcomer's abilities cause a minor accident, after which a young impressionable girl decides to run home?" an insidious smile itself crept out on the face.

Eric Lanscher.

"... everything is according to plan, wait for her at the central station. The parting gift has been left," the phone told the head of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

"Great job. Wait for us at the evacuation point," the mutant turned off the device.

Magneto's heart was uneasy. Since the open hearings on the registration law, petty and not so troubles began to haunt him. At first, an inopportune meeting with Charles right in the building of Congress, when he, on the wave of emotions from the speech of this neo-Nazi Kelly, had poor control of his thoughts, turned out that the old friend learned part of the plan. Then the disappearance of Sabretooth on the simplest task of capturing an unsuspecting girl ended with the fact that this girl was under the protection of Xavier. Even the successful capture of Senator Kelly did not bring the expected effect, because as soon as he went through the operation, he managed to escape that very night. Fortunately, the news from the Mystic inspired optimism, it was not in vain that he sent her to visit his old friend. It is a pity that it was impossible to keep her there for a long time - even her talents for changing her appearance and controlling her consciousness are hardly enough to hide in a house with two telepaths for longer than a day or two. But this turned out to be enough, and when Charles tries to use Cerebro after the kidnapping of the girl, he will have a "pleasant surprise." Nevertheless, they developed this machine together, Magneto perfectly knew the principles of its operation, therefore it was not a problem for him to find a chemical to neutralize the "thought damper". However, he believed in his old friend and understood perfectly well that he could cope with the overload on his own, despite his venerable age, but from a few days to a couple of weeks of a head start due to Xavier's elimination from the game it would give him. More than enough.

Dressed in a suit, he ordered Toad to prepare the helicopter - it was time to move forward for the most important part of the plan.

Finding Rogue was easy. She sat on the train to Denver, alone, lonely and lost. It turned out to be unnecessary for those who just started to trust. More than a suitable attitude to implement his ideas.

"Hello, Rogue," standing in the aisle, he greeted the girl.

" Who are you?" She looked up at him warily.

"Your brother," he replied, "is a mutant," he explained, seeing the incomprehension on his face.

"And what do you want from me?" the girl cautiously leaned her back closer to the window, unconsciously wrapping herself in her green coat.

"You, " short and clear.

" And ... what if I don't want to?" the look of the runaway darted, and a lump clearly rose in her throat.

"I'm afraid you have no choice," he shook his head sympathetically. "I would not want to use force, however …" mental effort, slightly raised his hand, and the car screeched with tearing metal. The section of the wall, against which the girl was pressed, turned outward and crumpled with even steps, crushing the glass. The resulting descent to the platform clearly indicated the direction for the young mutant in which it was better for her to go.

The air was filled with belated cries of people, luggage fell from the shelves, but the panic that had begun did not have time to turn into a crush, for the next moment all the passengers were tightly chained to their chairs by curved handrails.

" Okay," with a pale face squinting at what happened to the window, to which she had just pressed, pushed Rogue out of herself. As he expected, the ordeals she had endured broke her, and even such a small amount was enough to completely suppress the will to resist. It is a pity that this had to be done, especially in relation to a representative of his species, but ... this is a war, and in war one cannot do without victims. The only thing he could do for her was to promise that future generations will remember her as the heroine who began the triumphant march of mutants around the world.

The captive did not resist and obediently walked wherever they were told. She also obediently got into the prepared helicopter and allowed herself to be handcuffed. Neither the police nor anyone else had time to react, and they had already gone to the base, on the way slightly deviating from the course to pick up the Mystic who played the role.

" What are you going to do with me?" met with huge eyes the appearance of a blue-skinned woman with red hair in the salon, the girl made the first attempt to pull herself together.

"You will find out about it in due time," Magneto replied.

" But I didn't do anything to you, for what? What is my fault?"

"It's not your fault, but this is a war, and your strength must serve the purpose of the mutant victory in this war.

"What war?"

"The one that is about to flare up," Eric shook his head, catching the confused look of the captive. "People will never accept us, and if we do not strike the first blow, they will strike it."

" But after all ... after all ... mutants are becoming more and more every year, even in the news they talk about it, doesn't this mean that in a few years there will be no ordinary people or we will become the majority? Why fight then?"

"Do you really believe that?" Magneto smiled patronizingly. " Do you believe that we will be allowed? Trust me, I know people. I know their nature. Even when there were only a few of us on entire continents, the people in power were afraid of us and did everything to either control or drive us so deeply underground that we did not dare stick out the tip of our nose. The very idea that there may be individuals who can give a damn about all their armies and systems of state control over society horrifies them. And when people are afraid, they attack. As soon as mutants really get out of the image of urban legends, tales of the yellow press and incomprehensible theories of scientists, they will begin to catch and destroy us. And they have already begun to act," Lensher leaned forward, noticing how his words had an effect on the girl, "it took only a dozen young mutants, whose powers were revealed, innocent teenagers like you, and in the Senate there are already hearings on the law on compulsory registration. Today they will pass the law, tomorrow they will create a special police force for mutants, and the day after tomorrow - concentration camps." Rogue's eyes were filled with more and more fear and understanding. "I already went through this," he continued, experiencing gloomy delight that his words found their way into the heart of the listener, "I remember how it was in Germany in the thirties, and I will not let this repeat itself on a global scale ... Even for this I have to go to extreme measures."

On this the conversation died down. An oppressive silence, broken only by the sound of the helicopter blades working, descended on the cabin, and Rogue no longer wanted to ask about anything. The mystic was about to report in more detail, telling that it was not worth trusting the phone, but the elder mutant stopped her with a short gesture - there is no need for the girl to know that the "rejection" from the rest of the inhabitants of the school and Charles himself was only a rigged performance. And now, after an hour and a half, they flew and landed at the base.

" Let's go,"Toad jumped out of the pilot's seat and opened the helicopter door for passengers.

" Where is everyone?" the girl looked around in fright, looking around the empty area.

"And everyone is here!" the pilot grinned.

"Toad," Magneto barked at the loose subordinate.

"How is it? Perfectly!" Rogue's face disappeared with fright, as usual, but Magneto did not have time to notice anything else, much less to do - a heavy blow to the helmet, as if Sabretooth had hit him on the head, was a complete surprise, and then darkness fell.

And again Loki.

"The first one has gone!" watching Eric fall under my feet with a kulem, I even got worried that I had gone too far and the mutant would not come to himself. However, this did not prevent me from grabbing the type named Toad by the head and pulling towards the helicopter. The pilot's head collided with the aircraft's skin with a booming sound, and the mutant fell helplessly to the ground.

" What?!" The mystic managed to recoil, contorting her face in a confused, surprised expression. " Who are you?"

"Oh, just a humble traveler with immodest goals," I smile at the girl, throwing off the illusion of Rogue. " And you shouldn't try to kick me in the ear during a representative speech - it's very uncivilized!" I bent down and hit the metamorph supporting leg, but that, obviously, in addition to the talents for changing forms, also had increased physical characteristics. In any case, I doubt that an ordinary person will be able to spin a backflip, standing on one leg, and even in a split second between the blow to the opponent and the retaliatory blow of the designated opponent.

" Hs-s-s…" Landing on all fours in an interesting position, Mystic bared her teeth and hissed.

" Your serpentine has a terrible accent," I stand up straight and, without stopping to smile charmingly, I take a step towards her, imperceptibly releasing magic. "Maybe you'll be a good girl and just let yourself be tied up? I promise I'll be gentle!" In response, demonstrating incredible flexibility even for a resident of Asgard, they tried to beat off the kidneys with kicks, in one movement twisting the body like a spring and literally shooting themselves, transferring the impulse to strike from the very tips of the fingers from opposite limbs.

I would not have time to dodge, I would have to take on the block, however, for a long time I was not going to dance with the shape-shifter, and therefore her blow went through the illusion, while my real body was already lowering his fist on her head.

The disappearance of the enemy, coinciding with a surprise attack, caught Mystic by surprise, but did not take him out of the game. As I expected, the girl's body was stronger than a human's, since the effort calculated on the condition of an ordinary mortal of her build made the blue-skinned only "float". But her resistance did not last long anyway, since I was not going to give her time or conduct small talk and quickly "calmed down" the stunned woman.

"Hmmm, won't the feminists and others declare war on me? Still a woman, yes in the face, yes three times …" with a share of self-irony, I thought into space. "Although, just a minute ... I'm an evil God!" On this life-affirming revelation, I began to bind the prisoners, and first of all I took the helmet from Magneto, placing it in a subspace pocket.

Of course, I could not get rid of all the metal in the vicinity, and the island where we arrived was literally stuffed with it, it is possible that it was intentional. But without his telepathy-protecting helmet, Eric Lenscher could have been neutralized by a single thought of Charles, who had already flown here with his team, guided by my illusion in real time. Nevertheless, I still did not plan to give him the opportunity to wake up until this time, and therefore a mental spell from the field of enhancing sleep-out was laid on the mutants. There was a temptation to quietly wring Toad's neck - I didn't like him, but, on the other hand, he was the coolest Toad of all his incarnations that I've ever heard of, and he didn't have time to do anything personally, so the guy lucky - I decided to give him a chance.

But after all the prisoners were securely packed (well, how securely a woman can be packed, capable of arbitrarily changing the proportions of her body), I proceeded to the most interesting thing - viewing Magneto's memory.

Shortly before this, Westchester, New York.

"Is your presence here something like making a copy?" Asked Cyclops, looking puzzled at the guest.

"No," a young man in an impeccable suit shook his head, "what you see is a phantom under direct control.

"But how can you control the body here and there at the same time?"

" I distribute attention. My brain is more perfect than a human, and I can afford to do several things at the same time."

" How are you doing with Magneto?" with notes of concern in his voice, Xavier intervened in the dialogue.

" While we are flying," Loki shrugged, looking at the satellite images of New York and the surrounding area on the laptop screen, " just sincerely talked about his political program. I will not say that I have heard something new, but I am pleasantly surprised by the strength of his position."

"Do you agree with him?" Folding his arms over his chest, asked Cyclops.

"He says the right things, relies on hard facts and draws the right conclusions from them. To be honest, I expected much less from a terrorist hunting an innocent girl."

"And yet he's wrong," Jean shook her head.

"Not at all, Dr. Gray," Loki smiled slightly, looking up from the screen, "he's absolutely right, but this is the root cause of all real conflicts, that there are many more correct decisions and correct answers. If it were otherwise, any enmity would be extinguished at the level of checking the logic in the clashing glances.

" How can unleashing a war be the right and right decision?" Storm entered the conversation.

" Very simple," shrugged his shoulders, calling himself God, returning his eyes to the screen. " If the Second World War began with the fact that Britain and France would have hit Hitler when he just began to occupy Czechoslovakia, then this, of course, would have led to casualties and losses, but these victims would have been an order of magnitude less than it turned out in real history. Then the war and the first strike would be the right decision, capable of saving many millions. Likewise, your Southerners, in the Civil War, had to strike the first blow and take Washington, without waiting for the enemy to gather his strength and go on the attack himself. But they preferred to play diplomacy and peacefulness, which eventually ended in rivers of blood and the victory of the enemy. So you can always find a moment when a preemptive strike will do more good than no preemptive strike. Another thing is that there is almost always a way to do without war at all, for example, if the Americans had not given money to Hitler, the Third Reich would never have risen. True, America would not have become the first power on Earth, having enriched itself on military orders. In short, in geopolitics, everything is always complex and interconnected, and the benefit for one person is not equal to the benefit for the other."

" About what …" Scott shook his head, trying to put into her what he heard. " What did you just say about America's help to Hitler?"

"M? Don't you know?" Loki was surprised, raising his green eyes to the audience. "Then I did not say anything," he immediately shrugged his shoulders and returned to the computer, teasing the audience with a smile hidden in the tips of his lips.

"Have there been such moments in the history of Asgard?" With a gesture stopping his students from further remarks, the professor spoke, staring intently at the guest.

"Of course," he nodded. "If Odin had not hit the army of jotuns when they just invaded the Earth, your world would now be a ball covered with a solid crust of ice without a hint of humanity. And if Odin's father - Ber - had not attacked Svartalfheim, then our galaxy had every chance of perishing from weapons that change the physical laws of reality."

" Do you believe in it yourself?" Wolverine grunted skeptically.

" I've been to Svartalvheim and Jotunheim. If in the first one a person can still live for some time on the brought products, then in the second one he will die in two minutes even in very warm clothes."

"I'm curious," Professor Xavier folded his hands in a house in front of his face, leaning his elbows on the armrests of the chair, "in this conflict you are an outside observer, Loki, so, based on what has been said, who do you think is more right? Now that you've personally spoken to both of us? Erica, with his desire to start a war, acting proactively, or me, the one who "plays diplomacy" and prevents this war?"

"As I said, there are always more than one right decision," the dandy brunette smiled at the owner of the house. "You are both right and, to be honest, this world needs both at the same time. Magneto is like a horror story for the authorities and a leader who can unite and lead mutants into battle if everything goes according to the worst scenario. You are like a buffer between radicals on both sides and a way for sound forces to come to a compromise where blood would otherwise have flowed. Everyone, fulfilling their role in due measure, can make this world a better place, the only bad thing is that, despite all your strength, you are not the only one playing this game, but the actions of other players can break any good undertakings."

"Alas," Charles let out a bitter smile on his face with a sigh, "even without the intrigues of other players, good endeavors too often go awry.

Suddenly, the sound of a doorbell came from the hallway, forcing those gathered in Professor Xavier's office to interrupt their conversations.

"I'll open it," Storm was getting ready to go to the door, just in a minute to recoil in amazement.

"I need Dr. Jean Gray," overcoming severe shortness of breath, the subject covered with strong perspiration hissed through the threshold, almost hanging on the doorframe.

" Senator Kelly?" The girl voiced the reason for her amazement, but the late visitor was already rolling his eyes, definitely fainting. "Damn it!" At the last moment, catching the falling body, Ororo cursed.

The thought even flashed in my head that now she would not mind Loki's help, even if the latter caused her fears with his ... eccentric behavior, as well as looks and words. But a half-insane mutant, who considers himself a Scandinavian God, was not here, and therefore she had to drag the surprisingly heavy body alone.

"Storm, what… Senator Kelly?" Jean exclaimed, seeing a man on the back of a mutant, but then Wolverine and Cyclops jumped up to her and quickly got rid of the burden by dragging her to the nearest chair.

" Doctor …" the politician wheezed, looking around the room with a dull look, "I need help ... " and immediately switched off again.

"In his infirmary, quickly! Xavier commanded sharply, leaving his desk."

Five minutes later, everyone was in the medical office, and Jean fussed around the bed, connecting sensors to the senator's body to track heart rate and temperature. It turned out that of all the clothes the man was wearing only a sports jacket and pants, under which there was nothing, and clearly distinguishable gills appeared on his back. Finally, when the equipment was connected and the doctor took blood samples for analysis, Kelly regained consciousness and looked around convulsively.

"Calm down, Senator," the head of the X-Men rode closer to him. " You're safe. I am Professor Charles Xavier. Tell us what happened to you?"

"I…" the lying man was still breathing heavily, "I was afraid that if I went to the hospital… they… will…" Large drops of sweat appeared on the man's forehead and bare chest.

"Treat you like a mutant?" The telepath helped his interlocutor to find the words. Kelly's eyes froze, sticking to the professor's face, and her facial expressions reflected pain and despair. "We're not who you imagine," Xavier said in a low but clear voice after a few seconds. "Not everyone is like that."

"Tell that to the one who did it," the patient swallowed hard, with difficulty wheezing in response.

Charles looked away and sighed. Kelly breathed heavily and intermittently, as if looking through a dull veil at those around him. The rest were silent. But the pause did not last long, and, turning his chair, the professor silently walked around the bed in order to turn back to her at the head of the bed.

"Senator, try to relax," the telepath's hands went up to the guest's head and froze in front of the temporal regions, without touching the skin. "I won't hurt you…" Xavier said soothingly, closing his eyes, and concentrated.

A minute later, the telepath finished his work and straightened in his chair, leaving the unconscious Kelly to sit on the couch.

" So, what did you learn, professor?" Loki's illusion turned to the elderly mutant.

"Magneto has created a device that can turn ordinary people into mutants," the owner of the estate said, looking up at the students. "Its core is Eric himself, and activating the machine seems to weaken him. I saw how this mechanism emits a certain field visible to ordinary eyes ... perhaps some new type of radioactive radiation with a particle-wave structure, like light. This field causes a mutation in the body, but not natural and very fast. The senator was kidnapped yesterday morning, and at night he was already able to escape, seeping through the bars.

"And how does it affect mutants? Cyclops asked with keen interest."

"I suppose not," the professor shook his head.

"How curious…" Loki drawled, running his palm over the senator's forearm, and as he did this, the veins were clearly outlined under the skin. - I can't say for sure without the Crucible of Souls, but it seems to me that the organism of our guest is dying.

"Because of which?" pursing her lips, asked Storm.

"The cells are breaking down," the brunette replied. "But this is not necrosis, they …" the green eyes of the God of Magic narrowed and darted, as if looking past the man on the couch. " Very similar to decay with the release of water. His body is no longer so human as the body of ... a jellyfish."

"So why would he need Rogue?" - Raising his voice, Logan inquired grimly.

"Obviously, to run the battery for this machine," Loki answered without a pause, still looking into space and incomprehensibly examining Kelly. "He will touch her, thereby giving her the opportunity to use his abilities for a while, and then shove her into the device. Or first he shoves, fixes, so that she cannot rock the boat, and then touches. And I think I heard on the news something about the congress of a bunch of big earthly bumps in one place …" the guy added with a well-discernible hint in his voice.

" The UN Assembly …" immediately understanding everything, stretched out Xavier.

"But now he will not succeed?" Wolverine raised his eyebrows with a grain of question.

"Yes," Charles nodded decisively and glanced at Loki. - How are you doing with Magneto?

"Um ... We are going down," the "illusion" was distracted, removing his hand from the senator. "Give me a map, and I will point a finger - where."

"Scott …"

"The plane is ready, we can load even now, professor."

" Okay," the telepathic nodded shortly and rolled his chair to the ramp to the hangar, - you need to quickly finish with all this and try to help the senator."