"X-MEN: Let There Be Peace on Earth, Prologue Pt. 2"
by Tet

Prologue Part 2

The entire base had been completely silent for a few hours, as soldiers inside scrambled and rushed to do their best to handle the current crisis. A tank, with two soldiers inside, approached Magneto. The self appointed master of magnetism raised his hand. He opened his fist up, and, a few seconds later, clenched his fist into a ball. The reaction was almost immediate. The tank, once a sign of the power of man, was crushed into a ball by unseen forces. The soldiers inside, died almost immediately.

"This is the power I possess," Magneto spoke, looking around the base at various running soldiers. "Attempt to stop me, or to oppose me, and you shall suffer the same fate." Magneto laughed as the officers and soldiers tried to get away, but were unsuccessful at breaking through his magnetic field. Suddenly, Magneto felt an incredible surge of power, as though someone was breaking through his magnetic field. He fell to his knees, and stuttered, " someone with incredible power . . . breaking my shield."

Magneto looked up, and saw before him five teenagers clad in blue and yellow clothes. He didn't recognize any of them. Nonetheless, they opposed him. And so, they would die. Cyclops, the others staying back some, stepped near Magneto, and reached for his visor. "That'll be enough now, 'Magneto'."

"Enough?" Magneto whispered, fire filling his eyes. "I fight for the good of us. OF MUTANTS. And you tell me ENOUGH!!" Magneto stood quickly, and floated back into the air. "Those who oppose me shall know the power of my magnetic forces! The whole of Homo Superior is at risk, and you wish to stop me? These humans would not rest until every mutant was wiped from the face of the planet!"

Cyclops looked up at Magneto, his hand still on his visor. "You would sentence humanity for what they might do? Don't you realize that staking people's lives on what might be is wrong?!"

Magneto looked down on Cyclops, frowning. "A pity then, that because you do not wish to fight for the good of mankind, you must die."

"It's like the old saying, Magneto," Cyclops remarked, smiling some, " All that it takes for evil to succeed, is for good men to do nothing."

"Yes, and in my eyes, it could be said that those who oppose me, are evil. And so, I will take action." Magneto's eyes flared, and a tank turret turned towards Cyclops. None of the other students noticed. All were much too busy watching Magneto, waiting for him to make a move. And so, none of them noticed the tank fire, launching a shell at Cyclops. The shell struck the ground near him, blowing chunks of shrapnel at him. Some pieces landed in his head, others in his extremities. All was silent as Cyclops' limp and dead body fell to the ground. That is, it was silent, except for the sounds of gasps and frightened yelps from the four teenagers, who were at a safe enough distance to escape fairly uninjured.

One, a red headed female, Marvel Girl, fell to her knees, crying. It had been some time since she saw anyone close die . . . and never before had she seen anyone die in such a gruesome manner. Magneto looked at her, and wondered who would allow such young children to go to fight . . . and to die.

Some distance away, back in Westchester, Charles Xavier wiped tears from his eyes. He had felt the death of Cyclops, from Cyclops, his students, even from Magneto. Xavier knew how each one of them felt: the pain, the shame, the sorrow, the fear, and the anger.

And what of Xavier himself? How did he, this one who sent the children to die, feel? There were two feeling stretching through Xavier's heart at that moment: sorrow . . . and anger. Xavier reached out with his mind, with his ability to navigate the astral plane and into other people's thoughts; and he found Magneto. Rather, he saw Magneto's blind, indifferent hatred for humanity, and his beliefs of superiority over humans. And with a thought, Xavier did what he had only done once before. He used his powers to take control of the thoughts of another person.

* * *
Cape Citadel: Magneto stood over the four remaining X-Men, noting their different features: one covered in snow, one with wings, one with excessively large hands and feet, and the final one . . . the woman. He nodded at them as they cried over Cyclops' dead body. Suddenly, the winged one flew up to Magneto, rage in his eyes.

" Murderer!" Angel spouted, tears streaming down his face, soaking his uniform. "You killed him! You killed Slim!" Angel flew at Magneto, the rage showing in his blushing cheeks. However, Magneto didn't even allow him to get within ten feet. Angel's body stretched and bent as it was enveloped by a magnetic field. The energy crackled around Angel, who felt as thought his back would crack from the convulsions Magneto was causing.

"I am no murderer," Magneto retorted, his passion flowing through his voice. "He attacked me, and so I responded in self defense."

"He was . . . he was defending people," Angel said through gritted teeth. "You were murdering innocents . . . and he tried to protect them."

"Irrelevant. I had done nothing to him. Allow him to be a . . . demonstration of what happens to anyone who stands in my way."

"You're a coward! A murdering coward," Angel yelled, right before his body arched in pain, and his wings were impaled by two metal poles.

Magneto dropped the magnetic field, and Angel fell to the ground. Magneto turned towards the other three, smiling slightly. He lifted his arm, and his hand swirled with Magnetic energy. Magneto floated towards Marvel Girl. He landed on the ground, and extended a hand to her, stroking her chin. Tears streamed down her face, and Magneto simply wiped them away. He smiled some, and turned away from her. As he began walking, he fell to the ground, clutching his head in intense pain. Magneto's mind cleared itself of any and all thought, and he saw but one thing in his mind; that of the face of Charles Xavier, his one time friend.

"It's time this insanity stopped, Magnus. It's time you realized that you goal of a master mutant race is no better than those you despise. You beliefs are no better than those of the Nazis, who murdered your family because they were Jews, and were inferior. Xavier's words echoed through Magneto's mind. And slowly, Xavier began peeling away the layers of Magneto's mind, causing him to *realize* that his goal was indeed no better than that of the Nazis, who had murdered Magneto's family all those years ago.

Then, all was silent. Magneto stood totally still. Tears streamed down his eyes; and then, he simply fell to his knees, and wept openly.

The X-Men looked on in awe. How could one who had, just moments before killed in cold blood, now cry like a child. Warren Worthington III rested his head in the arms of Marvel Girl, who was crying too.

The crisis was seemingly over, but this would only be the first.


"And so, this is how it starts. This is the beginning of Xavier's dream for peace . . . it is also the beginning of the end of Xavier and his X-Men. As a Watcher, it is my task to watch this . . . but the future seems too grim. I fear that that which has created the existence Xavier's dream, will eventually intermingle with the downfall of all of humanity, homo sapien superior included. This world shall shatter the hopes and dreams of the dreamers. A pity . . . it had such potential."

End Prologue Part 2

To Be Continued in Part 1

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Read part one of the prologue here: Prologue Pt. 1

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Read part one of the story here: Part 1

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Read part two of the story here: Part 2

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Read part three of the story here: Part 3

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