"At least we have one less thing to worry about," I said, staring at Kelly's half-melted head. We were still in the alley while I regenerated, and Natasha finished her call to Fury.

Clint, who was standing beside me, raised a brow. "Really?"

"He can't come back from the dead to make things any worse."

He chuckled. "With the day we've had, we definitely need the break."

"Yeah," I muttered, rubbing my still-healing neck. "We came real fucking close. Thank you for that shot by the way." I was replaying the fight in my head, even as we spoke. The number of times I came close, how many things I could've done differently. Like Demon Evade, for example. I basically had unlimited Demon Energy during Devil Trigger. Why not keep it permanently active? An instance of double damage might've helped.

Clint waved. "Had to. We were next when she was done with you, and I didn't like our chances against her. The fact that you were able to last as long as you did is crazy. Y'all were moving faster than I could track for a while there."

"That was a temporary thing," I said. "I was pretty much gassed at the end. I keep pushing myself to get stronger, learn new tricks and techniques, and the demons, they're so much..."

I knew I shouldn't be venting, but it just poured out of me.

I'm not sure even bringing Jean here would've made that much of a difference. Isha was simply too fast. Even with Devil Trigger, I could barely keep up. Jean would've died in an instant.

"I can't pretend to know what you're going through," Clint said. "Going from a no-name street Punk to SHIELD's biggest gun against an otherworldly threat? You give yourself too little credit, Dante. We would've been dead several times over if it weren't for you," he said. "I know the Director and Nat appreciate the help, even if they don't say it."

I knew Clint was trained to manipulate assets and motivate them, but his words seemed genuine.

Still, I made it a point not to let them sway me too much.

"At least my bag didn't burn in the madness," I said casually.

"What's in there anyways?" Clint asked, and I shrugged, refusing to elaborate.

Before Clint got another word out, Natasha spoke as she walked up. "Fury wants the Senator's remains and needs you back at McTaggert's house. The Brotherhood is there."

---

Jean

I sat by myself under the tree that Dante left me, the Sun of a vast solar system of stones, each of different weight and size. They rotated around me at different speeds.

Yao had been right. All I needed was practice. My control was improving by leaps and bounds, and I found myself drawing on exercises Xavier had taught me as a child.

The lessons were vivid in my mind, but now that I had his memories, I could peer underneath. All of the small tricks, tips, and advanced techniques he thought I lacked the control or power to execute laid bare before me. An endless collection of anecdotes and inspiration I could use to reforge my control and grow to be even stronger. It was as invigorating as it was draining. Even in death, Charles Xavier looked out for me in his own twisted way.

Setting aside my base telekinetic manipulation, I drew on my telepathic side.

My mind blanketed the entire compound easily and reached the forest beyond, but I tried not to. I had better control when I kept the area of focus small.

Scott, Logan, and Hank were in the midst of a heated conversation in McTaggert's house. Kitty was listening in on them, and Bobby hung back, waiting for the bits of gossip Kitty passed back.

At the edge of the forest, I felt a familiar gathering of mutants approach.

The Brotherhood.

Old enemies of Xavier that I inherited when I joined the X-Men. Scanning Xavier's memories confirmed what I already knew. The X-Men and the Brotherhood largely had the same goals, their execution just differed drastically.

The brotherhood didn't shy away from violence, even when it impacted the innocents, while Xavier carried out his missions without the intention to cause harm, even to the people they were hoping to apprehend, but accepted that there would always be sacrifices.

Dante and my philosophy was a healthy mix of both.

We did not shy away from violence when we approached the guilty but fought for the innocent to the best of our abilities.

If they were here for the children, I was prepared to give them the same treatment Xavier and the demons got, but a quick scan of their rank gave me pause.

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Their composition was different.

QuickSilver and Mystique were missing from their typical lineup, and in their place was a new redhead who shared facial features with QuickSilver and John?

What the hell is going on?!

The last time I saw him was after Dante shot off Xavier's hand at the mansion. He came over to give a stiff 'get well' to the old man.

Now, he was with the enemy?

Was he a hostage?

A scan of his surface thoughts confirmed my worst fears. He'd traded sides, and it was partially my fault. After the events of the mansion and Xavier's death, he was so desperate for safety and revenge that he sold Dante and me out without a second thought.

He had told them where they could find us, and they'd come specifically to try to offer the kids protection and negotiate with Dante and me.

If we agreed to serve under the pompous ass, Magneto. He would spare us and induct us into the brotherhood. And if we refused, he was ready to kill us.

I didn't know how to feel about the betrayal. It was justified, but it still hurt.

But was that enough to put John firmly in the enemy category?

Strangely. No.

While he was a genuine ass, he was hurting like I was.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

Since annihilation was off the table, I chose my second option.

Putting them all to sleep.

I would have to keep the push light or risk killing them all, and some of them might be left standing after—namely Magneto and the new girl, but it would thin out the herd and make it easier for Rin and I to mop up while Dante was away.

With a flex of my will, I formed a telepathic tether with every mind I thought I could successfully influence, and with a word, I commanded them all.

"Sleep."

And for a moment, I felt the command take root. Toad's knee grew weak, and Night Kat started to blink repeatedly, but before my mental command took full effect, an energy rippled out.

The source was a redhead girl, and her psychic energy was nearly as potent as Charles Xavier's. She rebuffed my command, and I marveled as she latched onto the connection I'd formed and followed it expertly to me through the Astral Realm.

Her advance, however, came to an abrupt stop when her astral Avatar saw mine in the mental plane. Her scarlet avatar literally went several shades lighter before it recoiled and vanished.

I sensed her stumble and fall as she raised an alarm.

"Their Telepath is strong," she announced. "I'm not sure I can stop her."

"She killed Charles Xavier, of course, she's strong," Magneto said. "Sabtertooth, Night Kat, take her," he ordered, and his cats leaped into action immediately.

"That's not good."

At the edge of my awareness, I felt them bolt up the driveway at superhuman speeds.

Throwing a poorly defined mental command their way while they were on the run seemed like a recipe for disaster. Still, I leaped to my feet and gave Rin the equivalent of a mental tap on the shoulder.

"Two mutants, they're headed up the Driveway."

Then, I focused back on them with a particularly vicious idea. I had gotten fairly decent at plucking memories from people. People who were sufficiently strong could even survive the process, as evidenced by Strucker.

What if I attempted the inverse?

Feeding them memories. But not just any memory. Horrible ones. Ones that would make them stop in their tracks.

The best part was that the mental tethers were still there.

Scanning my rotation of memories, I settled on one that I thought would be equally gruesome for both attackers. It was the moment I ended Xavier, crushing him into a crumpled bloody ball.

I observed in amazement as they both spun out like out-of-control cars. Sabertooth went off the path and into the forest, while Night Kat tripped and tumbled up the path that led to the house.

"Uh…" Ren said via the telepathic link. "They're already down."

"Yeah," I said shakily. "I took them out."

"Wait," he said. "You could've put the demons down like this as well?"

"No," I said thoughtfully. "I need my full concentration and strength to do what I just did. I'm sure that'll change in the future as I get stronger. Hold the line," I sent. "I'll go get reinforcements."

Rin nodded and did as he was told, while I sent a message through the telepathic tether I had forged with Logan, Scott, Bobby, Kitty, and Hank.

To say they were angry to have their minds randomly invaded would be an understatement.

Logan growled at me, Hank cringed, and I caught flashes of his brainwashing sessions with Xavier. Xavier had worked the man to the nub, embedding him with commands and inclinations that would've broken a lesser mind. Kitty and Bobby's minds also bore the same scars, although to a lesser extent.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but I didn't have the time or luxury to be subtle," I said quietly. "The Brotherhood is coming. They're at the bottom of the Driveway. Rin is keeping them at bay, and so am I, but I need backup."

"Never do that again," Logan said, clutching his head.

"Not without permission," Hank amended. "We will be with you shortly."

"I am sorry for not warning you first," I said, "but I will have to keep this line open for obvious reasons."

Logan grunted in acknowledgment, and my entire focus returned to the approaching threat.

My mental trick, while initially devastating, looked to be fading quickly with the help of the redheaded teenager.

She stood at the bottom of the extended driveway that I just arrived at.

Rin was sprinting towards a recovered Night Kat with his club raised and he swung with the intention to brain him. And he probably would've, if I didn't nudge his arc at the very last moment. It smashed into the cat's chest instead of its head. He went, spinning, snapping, and breaking every branch in his path.

Rin stared at his club in wonder before spinning around to see me.

I was more focused on the ensemble that stood in front of me.

Erik Leshner himself, Frog, Pyro, and the Psychokinetic girl that has been giving me so much grief.

"So, you're here," Magneto said, with an amused tilt to his voice. "You don't look like much. But looks can be deceiving." He wore a flowing trench coat, a peculiar composite armor of leather and metal, and his signature helmet that neutralized all telepathic energies.

"You are not welcome here," I said.

"I gathered. Yet, here I am," he said. "I was hoping your second would be here when we had this conversation, but I suppose I could settle for the stronger of the pair."

"Save it," I cut him off. "I already know what you want, and you can't have us or them. The kids don't want or need your protection, and I don't know if you've been paying attention, but Dante and I don't either."

Magneto scoffed. "You think the United States government makes for better protectors than your kind? They will turn on you as they turned on us," he said. "Even now, they conspire to pass a law that will strip you of your freedom, a law that Xavier and I spent years trying to bury. Thank you for undoing all his hard work by killing him by the way," he said, voice dripping sarcasm.

I let out an exasperated sigh. Where to even begin?