Legend: Thoughts = <>

Stray thoughts = ()

Flashback **

Com links []

Ok, guys, all the disclaimers apply, that means all thanks goes to Marvel

For the X-Men, I'm just making the story. And I do read all the other

Stories and they're great, keep up the good work. They inspire me!

A masked figure stood, his head tilted towards Future Pane. Future Pane had been captured only hours before and had been brutally beaten. The masked figure was a haunting one, a symbol of pain and heartache. Pane knew no fear, yet he feared the masked figure. It was he, the masked figure, who was destined to destroy everything he was trying to re-do.

The masked figure's head stayed tilted, "You don't want to play?" he asked.

Pane spat the blood from the cut on his lip, "You bastard!" he said, "I trusted you!"

"Such as naivety." The figure said, "Tell me, do you feel betrayed?"

"I loved you and saved you and..."

"And I'm grateful. Truly." The figure said, his head going back into position, "Pity. You always do this, you always ruin the future for the boy. And every time, I have to go back and do it."

"You can stop."

"NO! NO! It is done. The world is over. The End is here." The figure raged.

Pane laughed, "Did you forget that I'm not sane? This is all a walk in a very earthy park to me." He said.

"We're not so different, you and I."

"You're a murder...a madman." Pane said.

"When I kill them, it'll free you." The figure said.

"Don't do this..."

"That little girl. That woman. All of them, are dead. You should have died a long time ago." The figure said, taking note of sadness in Pane's voice.

"We're crazy...we're crazy. We're both crazy, but..."

"No buts." The figure said, "I'm so sorry." The figure said, leaving.

In the last few weeks, I found myself being embraced by these odd, quirky people. There was Bianca, the matter digester, Raiden, Invisible girl, Connor, Super strength having guy, Caleb and Casha, the twin mergers, Tobias, the telepath, and Monty, the duplicator. They were diverse and very open people and they were pretty fun to be around. No wonder this team thing was getting easier.

"Duck!" Raiden shouted invisible to the naked eye.

I did as she said an avoided a fireball thrown by the merged twins. In their merged form, they commanded the elements.

"Jump!" Connor said.

I did as he asked and avoided being kicked off my feet by one of Monty's clones. I blocked his attempt to chop my neck and kicked him in his mid-section, then spun around, back-handing the clone! I saw Tobias fly past me, Connor hot on his trail and I turned just in time to block another one of Monty's clones, but soon I was surrounded. Part of me wondered what made this group of mutants special. Why these mutants? I didn't have to ask why me...I'm a weapon. Got it. But these guys were strong, but their powers were so abstract.

"Sometimes it's not about power." Tobias said.

"Are you crazy?" I asked, building a telekinetic shield around myself so the clones wouldn't get to me, "It's always about power."

"What if everyone had power?" Tobias asked.

The shield had begun to take its toll on me, "Dammit, get the fuck off!" I said, causing a bright blast as my shield shattered and caused the clones and everyone else to fly backwards! The light ended and I stood in the middle of bodies laying everywhere. I was scared for a minute, then I felt faint. I overextended myself, something I hadn't felt in...ever?

"Everybody, hit the showers." Colonel Fury shouted.

There groans and moans as people picked themselves up off the floor.

I felt as if I were about to fall and felt someone catch me, "Are you okay?" David Algers asked.

"I...Umm, yeah." I panted, "Just a little tired."

"I'm David Algers."

"I remember." I said.

"I'm the head of the Organization." David said.

"I thought Fury..."

"Fury is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., not this organization." David explained.

"Oh." I said, "Well, at least that gives me a chance."

"He's still on a committee." David said.

"You just dashed my hopes." I chuckled lightly, "There should be going."

"Okay." David said.

I smiled, stumbling away.

-           

Inside Crossmore, Mesmero sat in his cell, waiting until the time he could escape this dismal life. The guards had wised up and made collars for the criminals that dampened their mutant abilities. Crossmore was more than a prison, it sucked the very life out of its prisoners. There were insane people, yelling, screaming, fights and all kinds of diversions inside the walls of crossmore, but luckily for him, he was far away from most of it.

"One day I shall escape this prison." Mesmero said to himself.

Suddenly, the wall of Crossmore broke away and dropped to the ocean below. Mesmero looked out of the hole from a few feet away, unsure of whether he should chance walking up to the hole, but he did. He looked out and saw a masked man floating just outside.

"Today's your lucky day." The masked man said, causing Mesmero to smile.

-           

"Colonel Fury, who is this other team we're going to be working with?" Bianca asked.

Nick Fury led us all to a room and we sat around, wondering what kind of mission that was going to be. I figured they needed us to take out a few thugs on the street, but boy was I wrong.

"You'll be working with a team I know very well." Fury said, "The Fantastic Four."

"Come again." I said quickly.

"That's right," Johnny Storm said, walking into the room, "The flame's back on."

"Holy shit." I said, lost in my shock.

"That's the normal response." Johnny smiled.

"You know the Fantastic Four?" Connor asked.

"Relatively." I frowned.

"Haven't seen you since you pulled the Houdini, which by the way, is warrant for an ass-kickin'" Johnny continued.

"The Fantastic Four is a very well-known team and they've recruited us to help against the Masters of Evil." Nick Fury said.

"The Masters of Evil?" Raiden asked.

"A team of bad guys." I said, "They're back?"

"They're back." Susan smiled, "Long time, no see." She said, hugging me.

"We're not going into this blind." Nick Fury said, "We have..."

The alarms went off.

"What's that?" Bianca asked.

"We're being attacked." Nick said, "Avengers, assemble!"

"Get all these kids down to the lower levels!" Captain America shouted to Connor, who nodded.

Connor led us all out through a door into a larger room, decked out in gold and I stopped in awe. Outside, robots hovered by the windows. The windows burst in and the glass sprayed everywhere as the robots burst in!

"Guys, fight!" Connor shouted.

"No." Doctor Doom shouted, "I just came for the boy."

"I'm guessing he's not talking about Johnny." I frowned.

"Come with me and no harm will come to any of the rest of you." Doom said, "He is not with any of you. He's an anomaly and will be the downfall of the world."

"Who says?" I asked.

"Me." The Masked figure said as he floated next to Doctor Doom.

"And who are you?" I asked.

"You'll find out." The figure said, lifting his hands and causing me to stiffen and levitate, "You have an eternity."

I looked at him, trying to read his mind, but I couldn't.

"Ah ah ah, it's never that easy." The figure chuckled, "Sleep!"

-           

"Wake up." Connor said.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was strapped down, "What's..." I stopped at a funny feeling. I felt weak.

"These bonds are draining you." Connor explained, "We've got to find a way to get you out."

"You came for me?" I asked

"Duh." Connor smiled, "We're friends."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Doctor Doom and the Masters." Bianca said, joining us, "Plus that scary masked guy!"

"Yeah, he's the only one to ever do that to me." I said.

"These bonds are so hard to break!" Connor said, straining to break the bonds.

"It's got a big U on it." Bianca noticed, "Is there any way to do it?"

"I got a way." I said closing my eyes. As I raised more power, I felt myself get weaker.

"Stay with us!" Bianca said.

I'm breaking these bonds, I'm breaking these bonds, I'm breaking these bonds!

My eyes opened and I braced myself as I felt the power rise in me and shoot through my hands, overloading the bonds.

"Oh crap." Connor said, stunned at what he had just witnessed, "You okay?"

"I'm pissed." I said, angrily standing, "Where is he?"

"Taking on the Avengers and the Four." Bianca explained.

"Not for long." I said, walking away.

-           

"Poor Susan, if only you had gone with me." Doom chuckled under his mask as Sue Storm writhe in pain as he electrocuted her. If only she had gone with him, he wouldn't have to do this to her! She brought it on herself and now he would rule the world with his new found powers, "I just took out your entire team, thanks to the boy wonder you found. No one alive can match me."

"Good thing I died, huh?" I asked, standing in the middle of Connor and Raiden.

"The kids are home, honey." Doom said, turning his full attention to us.

I tilted my head, "I have a few daddy issues." I said.

"Figures." Doom said, "How'd you escape?"

"Friends." I said.

"But..." Connor started.

"Nice to have friends, huh?" I smiled.

Doom shot electricity at the three of us and we ducked away! I stopped and looked up at Doom, who seemed to be levitating above us. The three of us were spaced out in the room.

"A team? My my, things have changed." Doom said.

I raised my hand, diverting electricity!

"I drained you!" Doom said.

I let down my hand and the electricity hit me, causing me to levitate in the air.

"Does it hurt?" Doom asked, dodging the objects being thrown at him by Connor!

I looked down at him and smiled, "Nope." I said, absorbing the energy he took from me. As I continued to siphon energy from him, I landed gently on the ground, "Thanks for the boost."

Doom looked shocked, then weak. He kneeled and before I could do anything to him, he looked as if he was hit and fell backwards onto his back. Raiden appeared from nowhere and smiled at me.

-           

I stood on the balcony, looking down upon the city, wondering what had happened during my sleep. I might never know. Raiden said that Doom was working with some other villain to try and siphon power from me to fuel some big machine. I was never really too up on plans, especially evil ones. I always thought the plan was destroy or protect, never in the middle. It wasn't my choice either way, just how the world worked. That's the way the world is, in colors, not just white and black, but gray. Now there was a gray, a guy that could put me out of commission...it was a wake-up call. What if I wasn't immortal? What if I just thought I was? Logan looked more and more like the hero to me. I could see why he...was how he was. Alone was a relative term.

"...Alone." Johnny Storm said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I asked why you were always alone." Johnny said, standing next to me.

I looked away, down at the street below, "Yeah." I said.

"That little thing you did with everybody's mind..."

"Sorry." I said, "I'm sorry, but I needed to be normal."

"No sweat." Johnny said, "Just a portion of my life I couldn't remember. Did you remember?"

"Less and less." I said.

"You're a downer, you know it?" Johnny smiled.

"Yeah." I smirked, "But I wasn't always."

"You like being the anti-hero." Johnny said, leaning in, "Just a little secret, uhm, you're not a anti-hero. You like what you do."

I chuckled.

"Besides, I was shocked to see you on this team." He said.

"You were surprised I was on a team or this team?" I asked.

"A team." He said, "I never bought you with the X-Men, either."

"Cause I'm a rebel?" I asked.

"No. Cause you're all-powerful." Johnny said.

"I'm not all-powerful." I said.

"Look me up, when you're doing going through the motions." Johnny said, walking back to the door.

"Going through the motions?" I asked.

"He's wrong, ya know." Raiden and Connor said appearing from nowhere, "You're pretty good at this team thing."

"Connor's right, you work well with others." Raiden smiled.

I chuckled, "I don't think I said thank you guys, for everything." I said.

"We may not have known you for years yet, but you're our friend." Connor said, "You'd do the same for us."

"Or more." Raiden said, "So, what do you say we go and get some lunch."

"I don't eat." I said.

They looked at me oddly.

"Just kidding." I smiled, "Let's go." I smiled, walking away with them.

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Well, if you liked it please tell me so I can start work on the next one. I really need feedback, especially if you like it. If you don't, I need advice and suggestions, please.