𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 -and lost just as many reasons to keep going.
Natalie Parker, once hidden in the shadows of history, is a mutant unlike any other. Bound to the earth by blood and power, her touch coaxes life from st...
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"don't control your powers,"
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
The jet sliced through the clouds as it soared toward Cairo, humming with tension. In the cockpit, Hank and Moira kept their eyes forward, while in the back, the atmosphere was tight, but full of unspoken resolve.
Raven sat quietly across from Jean, her gaze distant. Peter popped another bubble with his gum, somehow both jittery and completely at ease. Natalie sat between Scott and Peter, her arms folded, her expression unreadable.
"Were you scared?" Jean asked suddenly, looking at Raven. "That day in D.C... were you scared?"
Raven looked over at her—and then at Natalie. A beat passed. "No," she lied at first, then sighed. "But I was scared on my first mission. We were just kids, like you. We called ourselves the X-Men."
Natalie smiled softly, glancing at Scott.
"Alex was there," she spoke like using the past tense hurt her heart. "We called him Havok. He was a pain in the ass... but he was brave. So damn brave..."
Scott's throat bobbed. "What happened to the rest of them? The other X-Men?"
Natalie looked to Raven. Raven hesitated, her voice quieter. "Hank, Nat, and I... we're the only ones left."
"I couldn't save the rest," she said. "That's why I'm not a hero."
"But you are to us," Jean said quietly. "Seeing you that day... you changed my life."
"Mine too," Kurt added.
"Same here," Peter chimed in, shrugging. "I mean, I still live in my mom's basement, but otherwise I'm pretty much a legend."
Laughter broke the tension, if only briefly.
Scott turned to Natalie, his voice more serious. "You and Raven... you're symbols of hope. I know we don't know each other that well.. but I want that to change. My brother adored you, Nat. I - I understand why."
Jean nodded. "You gave people something to believe in."
Natalie squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I would love nothing more," she grabbed the back of Scott's hair gently and pulled him close as she kissed his forehead, his arms slipping around her waist tight.
But the moment shattered as the jet shook violently, breaking their hug.
"Seventh wonder, 12 o'clock," Hank called from the cockpit.
Natalie and Raven jumped up and hurried forward.
The skyline of Cairo looked like a nightmare. The city was twisted and half-floating. Monuments torn apart. Rubble hovering mid-air. In the centre stood a towering pyramid, ancient stone reshaped with alien geometry.