Chapter 1 – Mexico

As the Magneto wandered the halls beneath the Sphinx he was thinking of how to get through the dome Apocalypse had set up around the pyramid in Mexico. While he was walking he suddenly remembered something a discussion between Gambit, Colossus and Quicksilver.

Flashback

As Magneto went by the training room he heard laughter and looked inside. His son and two of his Acolytes were doing a training session against some robots. He smiled proudly when he saw them defeat their enemies.

"Hey Speedy", Gambit said. "If you keep running around the enemies in circles like that the boss soon will have to get a new floor."

"Huh?" Pietro ran over to where the other two was looking at the floor. "Oh!"

You could see that where Pietro had been running the floor had been starting to wear down. It was a bit lower than the rest of the floor.

"Guess that 'you'll make a ditch in the ground' talk when you're pacing really does happen", Gambit said and the other two laughed.

"At least for Speedy here", Colossus said and clapped Pietro on the back. "If we ever get stuck somewhere where me and Gambit can't use our powers we'll let you wear the place down."

"Well I like to feel that I have one useful skill", Pietro joked. Magneto had noticed that he'd changed when he'd started to hang around these two Acolytes. He wasn't ass selfish and annoying and the three of them joked round a lot even though Pietro was three or four years younger than them.

"If you ran back and forth outside Sabertooth's room do you think you can make a hole for him to fall down in", Gambit asked with a mischievous grin.

"Maybe I dunno."

"Let's try it", Colossus said and picked Pietro off the floor.

"Hey what are you doing?"

"If you're gonna wear a hole in the ground you need your strength."

"I can walk or run it won't take much."

"So?" The giant didn't set him down and Pietro couldn't get loose.

"You're just teasing me aren't ya Piotr?"

"Now why would I do that? I would never tease someone as frail as you little one."

Gambit was laughing and Pietro huffed.

"I feel so loved", he said.

"Aw come on Quickie we're only teasing ya", Gambit said.

End of flashback

Pietro had worn a hole in the floor and Sabertooth had fallen in causing the other Acolytes to get into hysterics and Sabertooth couldn't figure out what had happened. Magneto remembered that even he had chuckled at the guy's clueless expression. But now he knew how to get into that dome. He needed Quicksilver and he needed him fast.

At the boarding house things were pretty calm. Toad and Fred was a bit annoyed that Mystique was gone so they sulked on the couch.

"And don't see why you're so upset about anyway", Lance said. "It was just a stupid statue."

"Well it made us have some payback yo", Todd said and pouted. "Ya know she didn't treat us too good when she ran the show yo."

Pietro looked at Wanda and he knew right away that she knew something but he was not going to ask. Suddenly the windows slammed open and in came Magneto.

"Father", the twins said and were on their feet at once. The other rose more slowly. Magneto looked at them and nodded.

"What are you doing here dad", Wanda asked.

"I need your assistance."

"Right", Lance said and clenched his fists. "What do you want us to do?"

"You are not going to do anything Avalanche. I said I need your assistance or more accurate…" He turned to Pietro. "I need Quicksilver."

Pietro didn't feel too comfy about the look his father gave him and neither did Wanda.

"What for", Pietro asked.

"I'll explain on the way", Magneto said and turned to the window. "Come."

Pietro started to follow him but Wanda gripped his arm.

"Don't go", she said worriedly.

"Hey don't worry about me Wanda", Pietro answered softly. "I'll be just fine."

"Hurry up Quicksilver", Magneto called from outside. "We're wasting time."

"Tro", Lance said and the twins looked at him. "Be careful."

Pietro smiled softly. "I will."

"Tro", Wanda said. "If something and I mean anything looks too dangerous for you run. Please swear that you'll run as fast as you can no matter what dad says?"

"I swear Wanda don't worry." And with that he was out with his father and they left.

"I need you to do something for me son", Magneto said as the sphere started to move.

"What and where are we going? Is this about Apocalypse's dome thing in Mexico?"

"Yes. I need to get inside but to do that… I need you to wear it down."

"But what if he comes out while I'm running around on top of that thing?"

"Run away, you're faster than he is."

"But what about you?"

Magneto didn't answer the question.

Not long after that Wanda had met Nightcrawler and arranged him to meet Agatha Harkness she and the rest of the Brotherhood was watching the newscast from Mexico where their brother were. They had all gotten real close now and the boys had forgiven Pietro for betraying them. It had taken Lance the longest but as soon as everything was forgiven he and Pietro were best friends again.

"Don't worry sugar-muffin", Todd said to Wanda. "Your bro is fast he won't get hurt."

"I surely hop whatever mission old Buckethead has for him he won't be out there", Lance said and motioned for the TV.

"Yeah not that I care", Fred said (like he always did about everyone). "But I don't like seeing him getting hurt."

Wanda pulled her knees up where she sat beside Fred.

"Don't do anything stupid Pietro", she thought.

"No we must avoid any act of aggression", Xavier told Scott and Jean walked up to them and pointed at the sky.

"You mean like that", she said and they all saw a metal sphere coming towards the dome, slowing down and hover above it.

"Are you really sure about this", Pietro asked as he prepared to jump down.

"Yes now go."

Pietro gulped and jumped down on the dome and started to run around.

"Is that Quicksilver", Kitty asked as they saw something drop from the sphere on top of the dome and silver streak was running around. Magneto left the sphere too and hovered above his son and the dome.

"What are they doing", Logan asked.

"No Magnus", Xavier spoke out loud. "Not your own son."

"Professor", Scott asked.

"Pietro is trying to wear a hole in the dome", Xavier explained.

"Of course", Hank said. "With his speed he will wear it down faster than anything else could and it isn't any agression in it."

At the boardinghouse the Brotherhood were glued at the TV.

"What is he up to", Lance asked. "Why is he running around like that?"

Wanda bit her lip in frustration and tried to send a thought to Pietro.

"Run Tro… get away from there."

At the sphinx the Acolytes were also watching.

"So he don't need us but Quicksilver", Sabertooth growled. "Pathetic."

Gambit and Colossus looked at each other with worry. They knew what Pietro was doing and they didn't like it.

Pietro didn't like it one bit either. He ran around and around and nothing seemed to happen. He knew that if he stopped his father would force him to start running again. Suddenly a small hole appeared a bit in front of him and he had to skid to an halt and up from the hole came Apocalypse.

"No", Xavier breathed.

"Yikes!" Pietro said and turned to run away. But found that he couldn't move.

Magneto saw his chance and raised his hand to get the sphere to crash down on Apocalypse. But if he did, he would hit his son… He couldn't do that to him.

"Run Pietro", Xavier shouted as did the other X-men. Pietro tried to again but he couldn't move.

"Run Tro", Wanda yelled and rose. "What are you doing run! Get away!"

"Run you're fucking lunatic", Lance yelled.

"Come on bro get away from there yo!" Todd yelled at the TV.

"What are you waiting for just get away", Fred yelled nervously.

"Come on kid", Gambit said to the small machine in his hand. "Run."

"Come on Pietro", Colossus said.

"Hey ya think the mate is paralyzed by fear or something", Pyro asked and the other two glared at him. "What?"

"Leave him alone", Magneto yelled as Apocalypse got closer to his son. The powerful mutant aimed his hand at Magneto and this was forced from the sky. Luckily Jean used her abilities to stop him from crashing onto the ground.

"I'm outta here", Pietro said and actually started to run. When Apocalypse changed his focus the power keeping Pietro frozen released. "Hey what's going on!" He'd only managed to take two steps when his feet froze again. Apocalypse held out his hand towards him and Pietro was drawn towards him no matter how much he struggled against it. Apocalypse closed his hand into a fist and Pietro started screaming in agony. Some kind of sphere appeared around him and exploded in a flash of light… and he was gone. The X-men was struck with fear and shock.

"No", Magneto said and then screamed. "NO!"

Xavier looked at Apocalypse in horror as the powerful mutant disappeared into the sphere again. Xavier looked at his old friend and saw him sink to the ground on his knees.

"Eric come with us", Xavier said. "We better leave."

Magneto nodded and the X-men and Magneto left.

"PIETRO", Wanda yelled in despair and agony and the windows exploded.

Lance closed his eyes and clenched his fists and the house started shaking. Todd looked at the TV dumbstruck… his friend had just… been wiped out. Fred looked at Lance.

"Lance calm down you're going to bring the house down", he said and Lance just sank down on the chair. Wanda broke down crying and sunk down on the sofa. Fred put an arm around her and she cried into his chest.

"It can't be true…" she sobbed. "It can't be true… why didn't he run?"

"My guess is that he couldn't", Lance said in a monotone voice. "Man if Pietro couldn't outrun the guy… what chance do we have?"

The Brotherhood sat in that room the rest of the night in quiet except from Wando who kept sobbing and Lance that kept cussing under his breath. They'd lost a member that day, they'd lost a brother.

Colossus crushed the device in his hand to pieces.

"Holy shit mate", Pyro breathed. "If Speedy couldn't outrun that thing… what chance do we have?"

"None", Sabertooth growled. "I'm outta here."

"Hey mate aren't you gonna wait for the boss to return?"

"No."

Gambit looked at Colossus and the giant turned into his human self and he had tears in his eyes.

"Come on big guy", Gambit said softly. "Don't cry."

"I'll miss him Gambit… It won't be the same around here without our little Speed demon."

"I know what you mean mate", Pyro said. "The guy was fun and okay to hang around."

"We'll miss him", Gambit said. "But look at it this way."

They looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Now", Gambit continued. "We have a reason to crush that fucker. Are you with me?"

"Da", Piotr said and stretched out his hand. Gambit put his over Piotr's.

"Hell yeah mate", Pyro said and joined them.

"Magnus", Xavier asked as he wheeled over to his friend by the window. "How do you feel?"

"Horrible Charles… I just killed my own son."

"You didn't know Apocalypse were gonna do that."

"No but I suspected it. Charles… I'm the worst father in the world. Look what I did to Wanda and now… I got my only son killed." Magneto felt tears go down his face. "And I'll strike back."

"No Magnus, do you want Wanda to lose her father too? You saw what an attack will do to you."

"Pietro didn't attack him."

"Maybe but that's what Apocalypse took it for. Work with us Magnus and together we'll find a way to win… for Pietro and for Earth."

TBC