During the late 1930s to the the mid 1940s, the world was faced with a conflict the likes of which had never been seen or fathomed by mankind before. The fate of billions of humans beings was dependant on the outcome, but fortunately the Nazi Regime...
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1452 Hours, February 14th
Thousands of metres beneath Liberty Island, Neu Berlin Harbour, Amerika
He was a man of many titles. Revolutionary. Extremist. Terrorist. All of them involved a lethally imposed social hierarchy with mutantkind on top, and humanity on the bottom. Steve had no patience for any doctrine that valued the lives of one group above another. To him, a life was a life, no matter what DNA they carried or what colour their skin was. All lives were equal. Magneto was just as bad as the Nazis to him; he used tragedy to justify systematic murder and potential genocide.
Steve shook Erik's hand, much to his disdain. It seemed that Fleischer noticed Steve's reluctance, but she said nothing.
"I would have you know that three of our own died yesterday." Erik said.
Fleischer crossed her arms. "Yeah. They figured that dying free was better than living like rats."
"There's...no use in fighting them. It'll only bring more death, and God knows that we all have seen enough of that." The old mutant replied, very obviously not happy with Fleischer's morbid words especially in front of the children.
This response was surprising to Steve...but he realised that he had to try his best to separate this Erik from the one he was familiar with. An alternate timeline meant that this version of Erik might as well be an entirely different person. As hard as he tried though, there was a glint of something in Erik's eyes that made Steve uncomfortable.
Erik took a deep breath, then resumed his friendly attitude. "The good Miss Pym notified me of your...miraculous story, and it came to my attention that I have a friend that could help."
He gestured his hand toward the children, and one in particular stood. The sight made Steve's heart freeze once again. The girl, about 7 years old, was covered in severe burns. Her flesh was a mottled red, and her hair had been completely seared off. "This is Gertrude. Come now, child." Erik urged.
Gertrude shyly shuffled forward as her classmates shifted, giving her room to approach.
Erik lowered a comforting hand onto Gertrude's shoulder, a gesture that calmed her. "Gertrude is a mutant. She can peer into your mind and tell us if what you see is either true, or a figment of a diseased mind. Take her hand, Mister Rogers."
Steve kneeled before the young girl and smiled at her. He reached out to her with his right hand as she hesitantly did the same. As soon as their skin came into contact, Steve felt his mind swirl about him. The dizzying sensations caused him to shut his eyes in an effort to stay upright. Momentarily, things began to filter through. He saw a cot...and a baby inside it. The baby's parents were sobbing as they set fire to the room with her still inside. They left.
As soon as the experience began, it was over, and Gertrude was left staring into Steve's eyes. Her eyes glistened, and Steve wasn't sure if it was in horror or awe. "Gertrude...are you okay?" He whispered.
