redemption | marvel

one

INJUSTICE. In the modern day world, this seemed to prevail. Not even the Earth's mightiest heroes could agree on their place in the world, half of them becoming war criminals in the end. The government viewed super-powered individuals as dangerous, as weapons. Something they could control and use for their own personal gain. Cass Henderson was having none of that.

Cass was a mutant, born with the X-Gene. And for that, they were ostracized. The moment their mutation manifested, their skin went from a beautiful smooth brown to having a silver chain pattern all over their body in one long strip connecting every part of their body, including right over their face in an X. It did not take long for them to be excluded by their family and peers. At only thirteen, Cass realized how terrible the world was if you did not live up to their expectations, if you differed from them.

So she left. Cass wanted to change the world. With her mutation, it seemed ideal. It was all well at first, until people wanted her dead. She was forced to change the way she did things. Soon, a once peaceful rebellion against society turned into a message. Cass became a kind of crime lord. It was not what she wanted, but what could she do? Her hand was forced. She gained followers, made a name for herself. She began to enjoy the change, she was respected more than before.

They dyed their long hair purple. They had to stand out. They wanted to make a name for themself. People started to call them X, thanks to the marking on their face. They became known throughout the streets of New York, inspiring both fear and hope in people. It took them no longer than a year to take hold of a building where they gave shelter to mutants who were not accepted in the outside world. Those mutants swore loyalty to them, leaving them protected from the various so-called heroes of New York.

She found herself in the "mutant HQ" building, as some of the residents dubbed it. It was a nice space. Rooms on the top floors, a lobby with the kitchen and dining room, but it was the basement that held the good stuff. The basement was hidden from outsiders, and more importantly, humans. The basement was where you could go to train, to work on your mutant abilities or just let off some steam. It was also where the infirmary was. Cass made her way down to the basement, knowing that that was where her people would likely be.

"X! Thank you for joining us," commented a charming person by the name of Shawn who used any pronouns. Shawn was a mutant with blue skin, blue wings and dark blue hair. He was a human bluejay. She was laying flat on her back, with her partner over her.

"Cass!" one of the younger mutants, a fourteen year old named Marceline, exclaimed upon seeing the older teen. Marceline had dark brown skin and short messy brown hair. With her sunshine attitude, it was no surprise she was able to control flowers. She ran over to Cass and engulfed them in a hug. "I missed you."

Cass chuckled. "I just went to get food, kid," she replied, shaking her head in amusement as she hugged back. "What did I miss here?"

"Charmer has been beating Shawn up," Marceline reported.

Charmer was a pale person, skin almost as white as snow. They also had long silver hair to go along with it and pointed ears, along with eyes that were often referred to as demonic. Their eyes match those of their snake, whom they could both talk to and control, just like other reptiles. Snakes were their favourite.

"Ah, young love," Cass said sarcastically, glancing over at the couple.

"They're training," Brawler clarified. Brawler was an older mutant, older than the others in the room, being thirty two. He had long black hair and olive skin, and a big scar on his face that narrowly missed his eyes. He had large brown wings on his back that not only allowed him to fly, but to use the feathers as weapons as well.