Chapter 21- The Maker
Atlantic Ocean- Near the Western African coast, March 23, 2008 (Noon)
Anna Marie ‘Rogue’ Hopewell
Anna had to smile when she smelled that her brother had returned inside of the long cargo compartment of the plane she was riding in. She didn’t know where Exodus or Mama Raven had gotten it, but all of the magazines and books in the thing were written in Spanish, and it smelled of bleach. So honestly her brother’s odor actually gave the thing a touch of life to it.
While Arlette and she hadn’t liked the day and a half that they had spent in Genosha. Kurt totally had. Not just because he didn't have to hide because of his appearance, but he had a total blast in a couple of races that he and other residents of the island held to pass the evening away. On top of that he still got to do new things while they flew, to wherever they were headed, she had little resistance to his infectious mood.
Before turning to look at him she asked. “How was it?”
“Very windy, but as we predicted, my powers let me hang onto the side of the aircraft, despite the speeds that we are moving at.” He said with the widest grin that he could have. Especially given what Anna saw over his shoulder.
The plane had benches stuck to the sides of the plane, so much of the middle of the craft was clear, so there in the back, was the metal case that held the body of the woman who had taken care of them for the last few years. Admittedly she didn’t know how long Kurt had been with Irene, he could totally have been with her all of his life. Given that he, unlike her and her sister, was actually Raven’s son.
‘I wonder how he got to America if he was born in some castle somewhere.’ She thought while staring at the case.
Then a grave insult occurred, as Anna watched the albino woman kick her feet up and rested them on the casket. Anna tried to leap to her feet, but the straps held her in her seat. So instead she still snapped at the woman. "Get your feet off of her!"
Kurt turned around, saw what the woman was doing, and drew a knife still strapped to his belt. Copycat lifted her feet off of the case, and sat up straight again, but glared back at the two of them as she did.
The other shape-shift was also strapped in like Anna, but the pale woman was also disarmed of all of her weapons, and was handcuffed as well. So she wasn't much of a threat to them, especially while trapped in an airplane. Anna only hoped the woman didn’t somehow copy her brother, and teleport away.
Not wanting to look at her anymore, she undid the buckles that were kept in her seat and stood up. She had planned to go to the cockpit to ask Mama Raven something, but stopped when her gaze fell on their other captive.
He was still in his leather jumpsuit, but for being told that the man was known as the ‘merc with a mouth’, he really hadn’t said much since waking up. Moreover, unlike the Copycat, he actually seemed respectful of Mama Irene’s body.
So before heading for the cockpit, she asked him. “You hungry?”
Anna had to ask him twice before he snapped up and looked around. The merc didn’t seem to really see her as he actually looked up at her. He didn't answer but the other prisoner did. "Yeah, I would love something."
"You just got another hour wait for what you just did," Anna told the woman without looking away from the masked man.
"Nah, I am good," Deadpool muttered before staring back at his feet.
"Keep an eye on her," Anna whispered to Kurt before heading for the cockpit. Halfway there, the plane shifted sharply, and she needed to reach up and grab the line that ran the length of the plane to balance herself. Or else she would have fallen over.
She saw Arlette sitting near the cockpit staring at her phone, and was about to reach her when the plane shifted again. This time sharply the other way, causing the teen to smack into the seats on the opposite side of the plane from her sister.
“You ok?” The older teenage girl asked her.
Anna was about to nod that she was, when an explosion went off outside of the plane. Worried about what was happening and not wanting to be thrown about, Anna quickly climbed into a seat and re-strapped herself in.
As she did, more explosions were going off outside. She and her sister shared a look as this happened. Anna’s first thought was it was possibly the army or something, after all, they had just stared down the FBI only a couple of days ago.
Then they all screamed when the plane entered into a deep dive. Anna was a touch jealous as Kurt walked casually towards the cockpit without any difficulty. ‘Stupid enhanced reflexes and balance.’ Anna thought as he slid the door to the cockpit open.
“Stay back there!” Mama Raven barked from the controls.
"What's going on? Is it the army?" Kurt asked from the cover of the wall.
The shape-shifter barked back an answer. "No, Maker's lab has some cannons that he didn't tell us about. And Exodus is too busy protecting us to run ahead to tell the man that is us. Now close that door so I can concentrate on flying."
Instead of closing the door, her bother looked at both her and Arlette, something in his eyes, told Anna that her brother was about to do something stupid.
"Don't…" she started to say.
However, he just smiled and muttered. “Be right back.” Before he disappeared in a puff of sulfur and smoke.
A moment later they heard Mama Raven swear. "What is that retarded boy doing now?"
However before anyone could answer her and a moment passed the explosions stopped. Then their plane leveled to a more casual dive towards wherever they were going to land. Then they heard a splash, and the already quiet engines slowed and stopped a moment later.
Arlette and I waited till they heard the plane bump into something before unstrapping themselves and getting up. Anna watched as her sister stretched and worked her stiff muscles. She had been glued to her phone most of the flight, while Anna and Kurt had moved about during the long flight.
Before either sister could say anything, Mama Raven left the cockpit muttering. “Stupid boy, if he got himself hurt I am going to kill him.” As she got to the ramp door she jumped back when someone knocked on it from the outside.
“Saul is here to meet us.” They heard Exodus say through the metal door.
Hearing that, Mystique twisted the wheel on the door unlocking it. Then she pulled it towards herself, slowly moving the metal door into the plane. As she did, the knight floated in. Still winded from moving the stubborn metal weight, Mama Raven softly asked. "Is he…"
“Nightcrawler is fine, he didn't even get registered from the defenses, as he rapidly teleported to the island," Exodus said expecting their mother's question. Then he asked. "How is the plane's fuel supply?"
Mama Raven took a breath in relief before answering. “Even with what we stole, I am not sure we will have enough to fly all the way down to the South Pole.”
“And West Africa isn’t a real air power to have more for us to steal.” The veteran Brotherhood member muttered.
“We should still be able to make do. We only need avgas after all, rather than jet fuel.” The shape-shifter said to counter him.
“What?” Exodus asked confused.
“Aviation gas. It's basically regular gas but tested so it doesn't freeze in the high altitudes that planes fly at. Meanwhile, jet fuel is actually a different blend of fuel altogether." A rough man from outside the plane answered. Raven perked up at the voice but mellowed back out when it added. "And no, I don't have any."
Exodus nodded towards the exit, before walking towards the back of the plane. Anna followed Mama Raven out, attached to the plane was a set of steps made from light. At the base of those steps, was Kurt chatting with a man.
The man was deeply tan, but clearly not African. His body, covered in only blue jeans and a leather apron, was both tall and muscular. Yet he wasn't impossibly big, like Grizzly and Anaconda had been. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and on his face was a thick handlebar mustache and goatee. While his blue eyes did stand out, it was actually his glowing silver hammer in his apron that caught Anna’s attention.
When Arlette coughed behind her, she realized that she had been staring at the hammer for so long, that Anna missed Mama Raven moving down the steps and was hugging and greeting the muscular man.
“It’s good to see you again Saul.” Anna heard her mother say as she walked down the steps.
Saul then said as he patted Mama Raven's back. "Same. This must be your family, that you wouldn’t stop bragging about… Mystique, or can I use your name?”
“Mystique, please. We have prisoners among us. Till we deal with them I would like to play it safe.” Mama Raven admitted. After a sigh and the man squinting, she added. “Both are mutants, and one was a member of the group. Magneto said we need her powers for some plan of his. And the other is her ex… Let’s change topics and introduce you to the kids. You have already met my son, Nightcrawler. And these are my adopted daughters Rogue and Murmur.”
Anna noticed that this Saul eased up at Mama Raven mentioning that their prisoners were mutants for some reason. 'Does he have a bias against non-mutants?' She wondered as she waved at him. The muscular man shook hands with her brother and sister in greeting.
Anna blinked after she watched Arlette and the man shake hands, and was about to warn the man about her sister's powers. When Arlette started to sway and needed her brother’s help to remain standing.
“You ok?” Kurt asked her once she seemed to be steadier.
“It’s like something grabbed my pouvoirs and wrestled them to the ground, while I tried to use them.” Her sister explained.
Mama Raven crossed her arms and asked. “And why are you using your powers just after meeting the man?”
Saul just chuckled but didn't scold her sister.
“Désolée, I just thought he should smile more," Arlette said while rubbing circles on her temples.
The shape-shifter looked her sister up and down, before nodding in understanding. Then she asked Saul. “What did you build this time?”
"I've built a few things since you were all here last." The man said as a non-answer and then asked. "So is this a family vacation? Or is there a reason that you all flew in unannounced?"
Mama Raven sighed before saying. “Psylocke’s bother betrayed the Brotherhood, so all of us are all on the run.”
“Do we know why?” The muscular man asked with a frown.
Mama Raven shook her head and added. "I've been doing what I could to protect my family. So we haven’t had time to look into it. I will settle things with him later.”
The man gestured towards a cave as he offered. “Give the man a chance to explain himself, do that and my lab is open to you.”
“You would defend him?” Her mother snapped.
Saul regained the serious look in his eyes before he explained to them. "With absolutely no context, yes… While there are clearly monsters and traitors among us too, but until I see proof of that from him, especially with how kind he was to your group at first. Then I will give him a chance. I have to believe that we mutants will have each other's back, because if we don't… what is the point of it all?"
Just ahead of Mama Raven answering. Then the shadows of their last three passengers graced them. Making them all look up.
Exodus floated above and watched, as Deadpool and Copycat made their way down the steps. Instead of being handcuffed to themselves. The two prisoners were handcuffed to floating scythes made from light, which floated alongside them as they descended down to the dock the family was waiting on. Anna was willing to bet, that if they tried something, Exodus would twist and drop the blades.
Mama Raven again gave him the introductions. “The man’s name is Deadpool, and you should already know…”
"Copycat," Saul confirmed.
“You taking their side in this?” The other shape-shifter asked as she got halfway down the steps.
“In what? Sounds like you all got the short end, and they're doing their best in trying to get by." Then he waited for them all to be on his now very crowded dock before he asked the still-floating man. "You do have a plan in all of this right?"
The light manipulator nodded and said. “I am fulfilling the duty Magneto gave me.”
The big man tugged on his ponytail before waving towards the cave and saying. "Well come inside, the least I can do is let you all hash this out and give you some soup or something."
It was then that Anna really looked up and saw the smoke billowing out of the island. “Does he live in an active volcano?”
Copycat winked at her, as she walked by muttering. “First time?”
Mama Raven and Exodus escorted their captives in first, and then Kurt just teleported away, while the two girls eyed the smoke and slowly made their way after them. As they walked ‘Saul’ explained why he lived where he did.
“I need the heat to make some of the things that I will need to accomplish what I aim to do. But don’t you worry, it is safe. The first thing I built once Magneto helped me move in, was a regulator for the mountain itself. So long as I keep an eye on the pressure levels, and let her vent from time to time, there is no risk of her suddenly going full Mount Doom on us.”
“How does that ‘regulator’ of yours work?” Arlette asked him as they neared the mouth of the cave.
“I don’t know.” He admitted, but then added. “I haven’t had the time to take it apart yet.”
Confused by his answer Anna asked. “You built something without knowing how it works?”
Both Mama Raven and him shared a laugh. Then her mom said. "It's kind of what he does."
"That's why the crew I used to run with used to call me 'Maker'." He added once he was done laughing.
Nah that’s hard. Just making super villain level tech with no idea how it works is wild. Tftc
Its not too different for other mutants, they don't know how their powers work, they just know how to use them. His powers just lets him build stuff, and he has to break them down to figure out the science behind it. Just imagine if Saul and Tony Stark got together, the things they could build. TYFR.