[2009 – October]
"We have to eliminate the boy, he is too great a threat for mutantkind. This 'vaccine' is the best example.", Magneto stated calmly, his expression not giving away any emotion even though he was talking about murdering a child.
Logan wasn't surprised though as he looked on while standing behind the Professor, who sat at a large round table with Magneto and Emma, ready to discuss what should be done about the 'vaccine'.
They were currently in a small country home a few dozen miles away from the city. The meeting place was arranged by the frosty blonde with consideration to the fact meeting in the city might not go unnoticed.
None of the three leaders came alone as Logan, Ororo, and Hank had accompanied the Professor as the most veteran X-Men while Magneto had brought Victor, Astra, and a man named Janos Quested, otherwise known as Riptide.
Contrary to them, there was only a single person accompanying the third and only female leader amongst the mutants. And yet, Logan was sure that none of those present had any delusions about harming even a single hair on Emma's body with 'him' being present.
A few stray locks hanging in his face, his calm green eyes held immeasurable darkness in their depths as Elijah Frost stood protectively behind his older sister.
His presence though didn't bring with it an unbearable pressure, instead, it quietly spread across the room in an all-encompassing manner, a silent reminder that a single thought of his was probably enough to turn them all to dust.
"The boy is one of us.", the Professor stated, rebutting Magneto's words before he continued, "If anything, we should be thinking about how we can protect him. But apart from this, if we really attack the facility in which they are experimenting with the 'vaccine', we risk an all-out war."
"I do not doubt that the legislative process to pass the Mutant Registration Act will be unimpeded once we do something like this, and I don't that I have to explain to you what this would mean for mutantkind, do I, Erik?", he added.
Logan understood that the Professor was hinting at Magneto's past in the Nazi concentration camps, since any kind of 'racial branding', even if it only happened through documentation, was a very dangerous thing.
From there, it would only be a small step to them losing their rights and facing eventual prosecution simply because they were not human.
Magneto obviously understood the meaning behind the Professor's words as a stern frown appeared on his face while a short pause appeared in the discussion.
"This cannot just be about a physical confrontation.", the Professor added, "If we lose our political influence because you openly attacked the facility, the consequences might be even more grave than the appearance of the 'vaccine'."
Turning to Emma, the Professor continued: "Things are already incredibly tense due to what transpired when you saved your daughter, you should be aware of that."
"At a time like this, we cannot afford to put any more strain on our fragile relationship with humanity.", he ended.
His muscles tensing up, Logan admired the Professor's bravery by indirectly chiding Elijah's actions as he wasn't sure that he would have dared to do the same since he knew that the boy was of the ruthless kind. Almost expecting some sort of retaliation, he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the young man seemed entirely disinterested in reacting to those words.
Logan also noticed that he wasn't the only one that was relieved at that as Ororo and Hank also heaved quiet sighs while Victor's muscles tensed and relaxed too.
Instead, it was Emma that reacted, icy calm in her expression as she replied: "While you aren't wrong Charles, we can't afford to take a step back all the time. If they do not fear our retaliation, they will see us as nothing but lambs to be slaughtered."
"Naturally, it is their fear that makes them search for weapons to exterminate us, but at the same time, fear is also the only thing that has stopped them from openly hunting us down and killing us all."
"Now, as soon as they truly create a 'vaccine', they no longer have to fear us. And I can only imagine what they will do when that happens.", she ended on a decisive note, "We simply cannot allow them to finish their research."
Sighing, the Professor muttered: "If we attack them, we will destroy what we have built these last few years and all the sacrifices that we made."
"Charles.", Magneto took up the word while shaking his head, "For several years now, we have not had any conflict with the governmental entities, we abided by the unwritten agreement of non-aggression in hopes of them finally acknowledging mutantkind and placing down laws that protect our rights to the same degree as humans."
"And yet, all we have to show are empty promises for our efforts. How many of our brothers and sister have to be killed by them for you to understand that they cannot be trusted?"
"Our alliance has failed, old friend. Your way has failed. Now it is time for a new way."
"Maybe they will understand that we are not enemies that they wish to make when they have bled enough.", Magneto intoned deeply, the murderous aura around him thick enough to make Logan understand that the older mutant desired to cause a true storm of blood.
Another pause settled on the room but this one was filled with great tension.
Logan knew that the Professor would never agree with Magneto on how to approach a state of coexistence since the latter sought to do so through war and terror. And as he expected, the Professor's next words confirmed his thoughts.
"There will never come a time when war will be the best option, Erik.", Charles said calmly but the conviction in his voice was overwhelming, "And I will not, under any circumstances, choose a path that may force my students to the battlefield. Nor can I allow you to do so."
"If you insist on choosing violence to approach this matter, I will not sit by and watch. I cannot, for all our sakes. Only in peace will there be a chance of survival, of coexistence.", he declared, causing the tension in the room to become palpable.
Logan's muscles tensed, his claws ready to be unsheathed. The same was true for Ororo and Hank, as well as the people that Magneto had brought with him. He could practically smell Victor's bloodlust while the pressure around Riptide started to rise, a focused look on his face.
Magneto though didn't seem to care about the tension, the stern look on his face not changing in the slightest as he turned to face Emma as if waiting for her to choose a side.
…
Deep worry filled Charles' heart as he sat at the table with his old friend and former student, each of them voicing out their opinions.
Having been active in the political hemisphere for decades, even if his influence was at times questionable, he knew well enough what the actual situation for the mutant race was like.
And he wasn't naive enough to think that his 'friends' and 'associates' in the government would much rather see his students without their power if that was an option, instead of truly placing down laws that ensured the safety and well-being of the children under his care.
Not to mention that if they knew about his telepathic abilities, they would certainly be more than alarmed. Realizing that their own minds were not safe from intrusion, Charles could only imagine their reaction, which he suspected would be most violent.
Still, this was the game in the political arena and it wasn't really them that he wanted to convince that peaceful coexistence was not only possible but desirable.
Charles wanted the general public to understand that mutants could still be part of humanity because it was the people that could sway those in power to do the right thing. Or at least, that was what he believed since he was convinced that humans were compassionate at their core.
Thus X-Men weren't just a team that sought to help mutants in difficult situations but also a 'implement' that would allow humanity to feel something besides fear when looking at mutants, who possessed powers that they did not.
He had always hoped that their admiration for the mutant heroes would eventually turn into a seed of compassion and goodwill that would stop the discrimination.
For this, he had tirelessly worked and hoped that the government would come to acknowledge mutant rights, especially since the alliance consisting of Erik, Emma, and himself was not a force that could be ignored so easily.
At this moment though, hearing Erik's unwillingness to compromise or at least try to find a solution that didn't include violence, Charles knew that his dreams for coexistence might very well turn into an impossible aspiration.
Looking at Emma, he hoped that at least his former student would see that nothing good would follow a direct conflict, especially so since her younger brother was a mutant that truly had the power to change the world.
If the young Frost was willing to step up and act, Charles firmly believed that there was still a chance. This belief was most founded in the fact that he himself could not fathom the power that the young man wielded.