Not the Messiah Chapter 4 (Patreon)

[Atlantis]

Namor

The ruler of Atlantis sat pensively on his throne as he processed the news that had arrived in his kingdom, it looked like his brethren had finally done what they should have done since the very beginning. It was a shame that they hadn’t thought of coming to him for help but perhaps it was for the best as his people while more enlightened that the surface dwellers could be just as obtuse when it came to mutants sometimes.

Soon the world would be engulfed in war, Namor was sure of it, such a change like the one Magneto was driving forth could have no other outcome. Namor had given Atlantis orders to start mobilizing and his people were happy to do so as many were hoping that he would use the surface’s period of instability to make his realm even larger or rather to make sure that the humans didn’t continue their destruction of the world’s oceans.

“Your majesty” one of his guards bowed as he presented Namor with a communicator “the one called Iron Man wishes to hear your exalted voice”

Namor frowned, something was wrong Stark was not a man that played by the rules and he had no decorum to speak of why would he try to make official contact with Atlantis, Namor grabbed the device and waved away the guard.

“What do you want Stark, I have more important things to do than listen to you prattle on about what’s best for humanity” some would call him rude but Namor was just being direct, a tactic that worked best against those with personalities like Stark’s.

“Is that how you greet an old teammate? No wonder Sue decided to stay away from you, well that and the fact that Reed can stretch his dick as much as he wants” Namor growled at the insults but refrained from answering the man’s taunts.

“That doesn’t tell me why you’re here or why we’re talking like this when you usually come in person when you want something”

“Yeah but this time I have something important to say”

“And that is…?”

“Namor in order to ensure that humanity survives I need you to surrender yourself into my custody, I promise it will be temporary but if you don’t surrender right now I won’t hold back when I come for you”

Namor processed the words and then he did the only thing one could do when hearing something so ridiculous he laughed.

“I’m glad you think this is funny but I need an answer” Stratk’s tone stopped being playful and Namor sneered in response to his blatant attempt to intimidate him.

“I don’t kneel for anyone Stark and Atlantis will never forgive your transgressions if something happens to me”

“Yeah but you know what will make sure there is no retaliation? If we turn your capital city into rubble as an example of what humanity can do”

Namor didn’t want to hear more of Stark’s idiocy and broke the communicator as soon as he did so he noticed several shadows coming from outside Atlantis’s city shield. Namor moved to one of the speakers that would carry his voice all over his city and spoke.

“Atlantis prepare to fight! There are enemies at our door! Drive them back for Atlantis!” Namor’s words were answered by the roar of his guards and soldiers spread across the city.

Outside the barrier that protected his people an army of automatons was amazing, the robots were wasting no time and if Namor let them continue the shields would eventually be overwhelmed by the combined fire power of Stark’s toys, then from the other side of the city he noticed one of the flying vessels of the SHEILD organization, the thing was transforming in front of his eyes and turning into a naval vessel as the cannons of the thing started shooting.

“Quickly man the turrets at the edge of the city! I want a strike team assembled to board that thing and I want every man that can fight to grab a weapon!” Namor took his trident on and in the blink of an eye crossed the distance that separated his throne from the barrier as he sallied out to put an end to the machines threatening his home.

The automatons didn’t waste any time in redirecting their sights from the city to him and Namor had to move carefully around the beams that they started to shoot at him, they were not the usual weapon of stark as the sizzling water around him told Namor just how dangerous they were for him.

Stark wanted him dead Namor didn’t know why and at this point it hardly mattered but if Iron Man thought that he could easily deal with the king of Atlantis he would soon discover the folly of his actions. Namor spun the trident in his hands and the ocean answered his command as a vortex beyond anything natural formed and sucked the robots inside the current, even trapped as they were the tin men never stopped firing, they were well-made but nothing compared to what Atlantis could field.

From the darkness of the ocean, another hybrid ship of SHIELD approached followed by none other than Tony Stark. The fight was about to start getting interesting and Namor couldn’t wait to show the arrogant boy why he should respect Namor’s authority.

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[US, New York]

Charles Xavier

The news of what Magnus had been doing was received with skepticism by his students but they had placed their faith in him and because of it they would believe in Magneto. Charles thought that he would have to try harder or simply show them what he had seen but Magnus had surprised him by delivering his message all across the globe, Charles didn’t like or appreciate the message he was sending with his self-mutilation but it proved to be a powerful visual for many even among his own students.

Now Charles was working on moving as many families as he could across the portals and he had never felt more alive, the only thing that would make this better was if Namor or Strange would answer the messages he had sent but there was still time.

Charles moved through his home and watched in delight as many young mutants tried to find different ways to use their powers, Magneto’s message had inflamed their drive to become stronger as there was a great allure about being a person of such importance and power that the Master of Magnetism would trust you with one of the gates. It was a good trick, one that had served ancient kings and kingdoms, honor, admiration, and purpose were very enticing rewards and Charles applauded his old friend’s tactics.

Charles moved to the room where his X-Men were waiting. Wolverine looked the same as ever but there was no hiding the hesitance in his body language. Logan had been burned many times before by people offering salvation and of all the X-Men he was the one more reluctant to believe Magneto.

“Professor you seem happier every day” Storm commented from her perch close to the ceiling, she was wearing a casual dress, and if Charles hadn’t seen just how little she cared for nudity or prudishness he would have thought that she was teasing every man in the room with the view of her behind.

“I admit that watching the enthusiasm of the students has made me very happy, that and the number of parents that are ready to move with their children to a place where they won’t be persecuted, years ago the humans wouldn’t have been as understanding.

“Then isn’t it a mistake to leave the place Chuck, progress is progress no matter how small” Wolverine chugged the beer in his hand as soon as he finished talking “leaving doesn’t strike me as the best idea if we want to coexist”

“I hate to agree with him professor but it does seem counterproductive” Cyclops was ready to follow Charles everywhere but what the professor had been doing wasn’t how he would usually act, Charles was sure that if the rest of the telepaths hadn’t checked his mind so thoroughly they would think he was being controlled.

“We’re not leaving forever and there will be still a lot of mutants on this side of the portals, both to protect them and to guide any new mutants that are born”

“But professor you said that eventually there would be more and more mutants being born thanks to the mixing of non-powered humans and us, if we leave then it will take longer” Kitty was smart and Charles was glad that she was bringing this up.

Charles nodded before he answered her “What you say is true but there is something I must tell you, something that I and other influential individuals have kept hidden, it’s impossible for homo sapiens to remain as a species already there are many of what could be called proto-homo superiors, people whose X-Gene while not active are still influencing in the genetics of the world. Even if we left it would take no more than fifty generations before another wave of mutants emerged displacing homo sapiens as the dominant species”

“So we win no matter what, I can’t wait to see the faces of those humanity first group once they realize that they can never escape mutants” Wolverine’s words could be taken literally given the way he was aging or rather not aging but Charles would like to think that his friend wouldn’t go gloating about this as it would cause panic.

“I still have many questions about all of this professor” Beast exclaimed.

“And I will answer everything you ask”

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[US, New York]

Ben Grimm

There was something profoundly wrong with the world or perhaps just with his friends, Ben knew the struggles of being different every day that he lived he had to endure the stares of the common people and for some, he was no better than the monsters he helped defeat. Ben’s name was the thing, not because he chose it but because that’s what he was to other people a thing, never an individual. So it wasn’t that difficult for him to emphasize with the plight of the mutants, it became even more difficult to distance himself from them when many of the mutants started appearing with problems much like his, with their bodies changing so much that sometimes the kids just went insane from the strangeness of their body.

Ben liked mutants and he had a favorite, his godson who was coincidentally one of the most powerful mutants in the world and probably the only person that could turn Ben back into a man, a kid who Ben was currently watching as he thrashed on the floor because stretch and Susan thought that their son was being brainwashed by a mutant supremacist.

Ben could have laughed at the irony of the situation for many years his friends had despaired at the thought of their son being captured and tortured so he would use his powers for a nefarious scheme and here they were the first hero family giving electroshock therapy to their son because there was a tiny possibility that he could be controlled.

Franklin looked just like the mutants that had been experimented on by the government, he even had a collar and for some reason, Ben wasn’t doing anything other than watching as his friends destroyed their family, he didn’t even want to know what Valeria would do once she found out and she would find out because the girl was as smart as her father and she wouldn’t believe that her brother was participating in one of her father’s experiments and that’s why she couldn’t see him.

Ben could hardly believe that Jhonny bought that load of crap but he had always been stupid so perhaps it was Ben’s fault for believing he would see through the bullshit. Franklin finally stopped screaming as he fell unconscious and Ben decided that he need to leave, take a walk and do something to clear his mind but even as he walked out of the Baxter building Ben couldn’t get the screams out of his head.