Music is "Our Final Hope" by Steve Jablonsky from the Transformers OST.

Picture is my edit of Mary Kate Olsen as Lorna Dane, aka Polaris.

· ~ · ~ · ~ ·

"I have endured.
I have been broken.
I have known hardship.
I have lost myself,

But here I stand,
Still moving forward,
Growing stronger
Each day."

- Unknown

· ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER EIGHT

{Glory's P.O.V.}

"What do you mean he just 'let you go'?" Vlad shouts, as Steve explains how the rest of the mission went.

Steve stands straighter, his face turning from an open, wide-eyed look to a firm grimace. "It's just like I told you, Spencer. Magneto took his Brotherhood and escaped. He used his telepath to overwhelm Wanda, Strange, and Vision, and without our mental protection, we where put into a deep slumber while they escaped."

Vlad's fists clench and he looks almost ready to start swinging. "How the hell does that even happen? You have not one, not two, but three freaking telepaths!" He turns his head towards Wanda. "This is your fault."

Pietro leaves my side and rushes at the speed of sound to Wanda's. "Leave my sister alone, asshole."

"Brother, I am completely able to defend myself," Wanda whispers to him, trying to get his glare off of Vlad. "Perhaps we should focus on the issue at hand."

"Wanda's right," Nat says, uploading pictures to the overhead screen. "We have security footage from Stark's building. I was hoping Glory could shed some light on who we're dealing with."

She pops the first picture overhead, one of a man clothed in red armor and a purple cape. His hair shows his age under his protective helmet, but his figure is that of a young man. "We all know Magneto, otherwise known as Erik Lensherr slash Magnus slash Eisenhart."

The next photo comes on, a girl in all white. Her blonde hair cascades down her shoulders and she seems to be pushing her fingers to her temples. "That's Emma Frost," I say. "She's also called White Queen. She's a mutant with telepathic powers, so that's the telepath you were looking for. She's very powerful, but I wonder why she's helping Magneto..."

"She does not normally help him?" Pietro asks.

I shake my head. "She's not necessarily out to help human kind or even mutant kind, but if it aids to her personal agenda, she could take either side. She's an anti-hero." I motion to Nat to display the next photograph.

It shows a slimy, disgusting looking young man, with greasy hair and oily skin that had an unusual hue in his skin. He seems to be leaping in the hair with his long tongue out. I can't help but remember this guy from my childhood in shows such as X-Men: Evolutions and Wolverine and the X-Men and chuckle.

"What's funny?" Clint says. "Besides this guy's face."

"That's Toad, or Mortimer Toynbee. He's like a frog, as his alias depicts. He has many... talents. He is an expert kickboxer, mechanic, and machinist. He can create a paralyzing mucous and a venomous spit. He can stick to pretty much anything, and can communicate with amphibious life."

Thor crosses his arms. "This sounds like a worthy opponent. Why did you laugh so?"

I roll my eyes and laugh once more. "He has many gifts, but he's a goof. He never takes anything seriously. He's always the one who gets caught." I turn to Pietro. "I can't count the number of times you threatened to leave him in jail because he never could escape the cops. I could beat him... while seven months pregnant... blindfolded... deaf, no offense, Clint."

"None taken."

I turn to Steve. "Just don't touch his venom and you have nothing to worry about." Nat puts up he next picture, a girl with long dark hair and medium skin. She has many gadgets on her and she is seen teleporting all over he building. "That's Astra, one of Magneto's helpful agents. She has, in the comics, gotten him more alien tech than anything we have on Earth. Because of her, eventually, she will aid him to take over human government."

"She sounds like bad business," Steve says.

"She's difficult, but can be easily won over. Eventually, she and Erik will go their separate ways, not on friendly terms. All she wants is money. When he gets a little too power hungry, well, you get the idea."

"What about her?" Nat asks, pointing to the next girl on the screen. A girl with orange hair that seems to be flying all around her. Her clothing is mostly red, her dress having armor. "This one made all the guys go loopy."

I groan. "Great. Just great. That's Lorelei, or Lani Ubana of the Savage Land. Not to be confused with the Goddess Lorelei from Asgard."

"Savage Land?" Steve asks, looking confused.

"You haven't found the Savage Land yet?" My thoughts wander to the city, more like small country, that is the Savage Land. Built by an alien race, the Beyonders, to preserve the process of evolution, the Savage Land is a prehistoric, tropical paradise. Just one of many game preserves of many planets, the Beyonders created the Savage Land as an experiment in the early Triassic period, locking the city away from the Ice Age and any other global disasters. They were left to evolve in peace.

Until the Beyonders got bored, of course. By the late Ice Age, or Pleistocene era, the alien race left Earth's Savage Land unattended, though their technology has kept it up and running until this day.

Lani Ubana is just one of many people to live in the Savage Lands, alongside dinosaurs and extinction plants and animals. Magneto captured her and mutated her into a siren. She is above to control any man's actions and thoughts just be singing.

"Glory?" Pietro asks, waving a hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"Huh?" I shake my head, coming out of my daze. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Savage Land is no big deal. Just some little city in Antarctica. Lorelei is basically a siren. She can control men."

The last photograph is of two men and one woman: one man is wielding fire, the other has outstretched hands that cause the earth to shake, and the last, the blonde woman, seems to be some sort of telepath. "You guys just had to pick a fight with the fun ones, didn't you?" I groan. "Those are Pyro, Avalanche, and Lady Mastermind. They are also known as St. John Allerdyce, Dominikos Ioannis Petrakis, and Regan Wyngarde. One wields fire, one controls the earth, and one can cause you to see things that aren't there or change your perception of things that are."

Cap groans, rubbing his temples. "This is going to be fun."

"Anything else?" I ask, drowsiness creeping up on me from helping the Next Gen. Mutants keep their minds off being left behind. Those kids can go and go forever.

Steve nods. "Yes, just one more thing then you're free to go." He has Nat show us one more picture. A girl with striking green hair and eyes, eyes just like Wanda's, and a concentration face just like Pietro's. "Erik said something about this woman being the twins' sister, and I figured you were more qualified to tell them this instead of me."

The twins turn to me at the same time, that weird bond thing going on again. I sigh, trying to find the words. "You know how, when I went to get my things from my world, how I said I was going to bring back my comics?"

"You changed your mind, yes," Wanda says. "You said that you had thought about it more, and that you thought it would be best if we did not know our futures to that extent. It could be catastrophic."

I nod, agreeing. "I locked them away where even Tony Stark can't get to them. Only I know what's in them, and that's why I can only tell you certain things at certain times."

"What are you trying to say, Возлюбленная?" Pietro asks, looking sceptical.

I close my eyes as I say my next words, "Lorna Dane, your half sister. She has her father's abilities and she is both a friend, an ally, and a trusted sister to you both, and I couldn't tell you until now."

"Why?" Wanda asks, looking hurt. "She is our sister. You had no right to keep that from us. We have lost all our family. Now you tell us we have a father and a half sister?"

"I know, I know, and I'm so sorry, Wanda, but some things just have to pan out by themselves. What if I had told you? You would have gone looking for her before she was ready, might've scared her off before she even found her power. Believe it or not, she needs Erik. Her father is her support."

"Our father," Wanda corrects, sternly.

"Yes, your father. He is a bad, bad man, Wanda, but he has a special place in his heart for her. I was hoping that if I left it alone, maybe she could change him. It came close to that several times, but I see now that he's pulling her in with him."

"We have to save her," Wanda says, almost desperately. "She is our sister, Pietro. We must help her!"

"I agree, Wanda," he says, stiffly, staring me in the eyes. "But we must be cautious. Glory is right. Time and space are delicate. We of all people should know this."

"But she is-"

"-Wanda," he says, his big brother tone slipping in. "I know, but trust me. Please?"

She looks into his eyes for a few seconds, then sighs. "As you wish, Brother."

I turn and place a hand on Vlad's arm, trying to be gentle. "Vlad, we need to talk."

He turns to look at me. "Nothing to talk about, Morning Glory."

I tilt my head to the side, raising my eyebrow. "Bullshit."

"Language," I hear from the other corner of the room.

"Really. I'm fine," Vlad gives me a fake smile and walks away.

I sigh, rubbing my eyes from exhaustion. Pietro comes over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Возлюбленная?"

I nod, slightly, turning around to lay my head against his chest. "I'm so tired, and I haven't even done anything."

"Should we go home?" he asks, wrapping his arms around me.

I nod. "I need sleep, and I have to talk to you about something." I look up at him. "I called my mother, just like you asked."

"How did that go?"

I shrug. "Alright. No brawling if that's what you're asking." He chuckles. "She wants us over for dinner at my father's place. Tomorrow actually. She, my sister, and my father will be there, and they wondered if you would come, too."

"They wondered?" Pieteo enquires, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay. You caught me. I wondered if you would come." My voice turns to a whisper. "I can't go alone. I might kill them all at one sly remark."

Pietro laughs. "Of course I'll go. I'll have to meet the in-laws soon enough, da?"

I groan, "Oh, please don't call then that!"

· ~ · ~ · ~ ·

{Third Person P.O.V.}

Tony Stark takes hesitant steps up the stairs to the White House. He has planned to meet the Senator of New York about the, now renamed, Superhuman Registration Act. Senator Kelly felt that Superhero Registration Act gave the new mutants a positive outlook. Superhuman makes them seem more distant, too different to blend into society.

Once inside the large building, Tony sees people taking tours, pictures, and videos of the historic site. Trying to avoid the crowds, he slips into the private waiting room and is waved into the Senator's office.

"Tony Stark!" Kelly rejoices, a courteous smile on his face. "It's great to see you, old friend."

Tony politely shakes his hand. "Likewise, Senator. I love what you've done with the place." Last time Tony saw the office, it looked quite different.

Kelly chuckles. "Oh, that's nothing. Please, have a seat."

Tony takes his offer and sits on the sofa facing Kelly. "Would you like a drink? I can have Sofie get-"

"-No, that's fine. Really. I stopped drinking years ago."

Kelly raises an eyebrow. "Is that so? Nevermind then. How is Pepper? I hear Rhodey is doing well with the New Aveng-"

"Look, Senator," Tony says, tiredly. "This is a business trip. I'm here for answers on things that happened yesterday morning. Some mutant terrorists broke into my labs."

Kelly's face turns pale. "Magneto."

Tony nods. "I heard you had a run in with him a few years back. The New Avengers have cut me out of the loop ever since my speech. Care to enlighten me?"

Kelly nods, standing to bring a folder of photographs over to the table in front of Tony. Gently taking it, he opens it to a lab, one he recognizes very well. "What were they doing at my lab? Searching for weapons? 'Cause they won't find anything."

"We believe they were doing two things," says Senator Kelly. "One, to draw out the New Avengers, to test their strength and numbers. Two, to gather intelligence on any number of enemies of both the Avengers and the American government."

"Why the government? And why look at my place? I invent things now. I fix things. I don't make weapons." Tony looks downwards. "I got out of that business a long time ago."

"What was Ultron then?"

Tony looks the Senator straight in the eyes, rage building deep in his stomach. "A terrible mistake that I will live with for the rest of my life."

The Senator visibly swallows and moves onto a new subject. "We believe that Magneto, his daughter, and his Brotherhood of Evil are planning to try to free the Next Generation Mutants, and not just the ones in the New Avengers. We think he's going to try to take them all. Erik Lensherr has been building a mass army of powerful people. How many, where they all are, and what they're capable of, we don't know, but what we do know is that they're planning a strike on the New Avengers Tower. And soon."

"You told the Avengers this, right?" The Senator looks down, avoiding his eyes. "You didn't! Why the hell didn't you tell them?" Tony almost shouts, jumping to a stand.

"Think about this, Tony. If Magneto weakens the New Avengers, we can make politics go smoother. No one will be able to speak out against the Act, and we will have our horrible event to push the Act through Congress."

Tony scoffs and walks to the door. "I can't believe this."

"Think about who's side your on, Stark!" Kelly shouts, just before Tony pushes open the door. "Once the line is drawn in the sand, everyone will have to take one side or another. Once that Act is passed, everyone will be held accountable, even you."

"What about you, Senator?" Tony asks, spitefully. "A friend warned me about this. She warned me about all this. I don't even know what's right anymore. All I know is that even if I side with the government, and I will, I will lose all my friends, all the people I hold dear. People will die."

"That's the price we pay for order. For peace. For safety."

"You'll start a war for peace," Tony chuckles, turning to exit once more. "I hope you can live with the blood on your hands, and if any of my friends die, I will be coming for you."

Tony hurries out the door, instantly picking up his phone from his pocket, dialing a number he never thought he'd be able to call again: Steve Rogers.

"C'mon, Spangles," Tony groans, rushing to his car. "Pick up, dammit!"

"You have reached the voicemail of... Steve Rogers. Please leave a message at the tone. Beep."

"Steve, pick up. Pick up right now. Look... I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to, believe me, I wouldn't want to talk to me either. Please, Steve. It's an emergency. I met with Senator Kelly. Nevermind why, but Magneto was looking for information at the lab yesterday, but they have reason to believe he's not done. Steve, he's coming for the New Avengers Tower, and the government isn't going to do a damn thing. Get out! Get out now!"

END CHAPTER EIGHT