NEW FIC: X-Men: the cleaners are coming one by one
title the cleaners are coming one by one
author patientalien
rating R
summary It begins on a Thursday morning, when mutants are ordered by an executive order from the White House, to report to the camps.
notes For citizenjess, because I love her and she asked very nicely. Title from "O Children" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
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#01 - Air
The air in Westchester is not exactly clear, but it's not a roiling mass of pollution either; it's just air.
#02 - Apples
Erik offers knowledge, Erik offers danger, Erik offers everything Charles has never wanted; Charles resists, barely, but does not cast the snake out of the garden.
#03 - Beginning
It begins on a Thursday morning, when mutants are ordered by an executive order from the White House, to report to the camps.
#04 - Bugs
Xavier's Institute is a school, nothing more, but Charles and Erik scan the mansion for listening devices several times a day, just to be safe.
#05 - Coffee
Charles never drank coffee before Erik came along, now he needs the energy to prepare for the fight that is sure to come.
#06 - Dark
Charles and Erik curl around each other in the dark places; Charles takes away Erik's painful memories, and Erik soothes Charles' soul.
#07 - Despair
Charles does not allow himself despair, even as he watches his fellow mutants be herded up like so much cattle; he knows when the time is right, all will be free.
#08 - Doors
He has the students reinforce the doors of the mansion; Erik provides the molded steel that will keep them safe - just in case.
#09 - Drink
The mansion's water comes from a well on the property, which Charles decides is a benefit when public services to known mutants are shut off across the country.
#10 - Duty
Erik proclaims their duty is to free the mutants who have already been sent to the camps; Charles thinks their duty is to the students who have not been.
#11 - Earth
They farm on the grounds, producing their own food and storing it away - the mansion has become self-sustaining, but beyond the gates there is anarchy.
#12 - End
The school's secret is discovered, and a Sentinel-led SWAT team attacks; Charles is their first target.
#13 - Fall
Erik's rage is a palpable thing, and he lashes out at the attackers who have threatened the life of his dearest friend; it's not the first time he kills, but it's the first time he kills for the sake of another.
#14 - Fire
The mansion burns, and from the embers, Magneto emerges.
#15 - Flexible
Charles Xavier adjusts to this new challenge as he does with all others; he knows he must keep calm for the sake of the students who have been captured with him.
#16 - Flying
The Blackbird is spared, sequestered under the tennis courts, and Magneto takes off, wishing he'd paid more attention to Hank when the blue-furred scientist tried to show him how it worked.
#17 - Food
Food is scarce in the camps; Charles makes sure to save a portion of his rations each day to distribute amongst the students.
#18 - Foot
It only takes Magneto a day and a half to find Stryker, hidden in a base at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain.
#19 - Grave
There is a mass grave just outside the camp, the dead not even getting the dignity of individual plots, or cremation.
#20 - Green
Magneto is surprised at how green the country is from above; on the ground, everything seems dark, and dead, much like Stryker, much like Fury.
#21 - Head
The device is secured tightly to Charles' head and cuts off his powers; he sees Emma across the camp one day, and her blonde hair is matted down under a similar device.
#22 - Hollow
He'd never thought he'd care about another person, not after Shaw and his mother (it hurt too much to get close), but Charles' absence leaves a hollow in his chest and makes him that much more determined to find him.
#23 - Honor
They say there's no honor amongst thieves, but Remy LeBeau is instrumental in helping Charles keep the guards' wrath from being taken out on the students.
#24 - Hope
He finds an enclave of mutants in the sewers; they call themselves Morlocks, and one has the ability to find other mutants - Magneto allows himself half a moment of hope.
#25 - Light
There are rolling blackouts in the camps, and Charles works by pale moonlight to comfort the youngest among them.
#26 - Lost
He does not want to admit he is lost; the Blackbird's navigation system has shorted out, and without Hank's wizardry with the plane, Magneto finds himself using the pull of magnetic north as his guidepost.
#27 - Metal
Charles realizes he is noticing all of the metal in use in the camp and can't help but have the fleeting thought that they will be safe if Erik can find them.
#28 - New
Magneto finds a new mode of transportation; the magnetic pull of the Earth itself provides all of the propulsion he needs.
#29 - Old
Charles feels much older than he is, his weary bones creaking as he rolls over in his hard bunk.
#30 - Peace
Some humans do want peace, want the camps to be disbanded; Magneto treats them just the same as all the others.
#31 - Poison
They are testing a cure on the mutants; the poison runs quickly through the camp and the mass grave overflows.
#32 - Pretty
The girl is pretty, for a human, but Magneto can't be bothered with her; he finds out what he needs, and uses the necklace she is wearing to strangle her without even breaking a sweat.
#33 - Rain
The rain is toxic, now, and burns holes through the flimsy tin roofs of the cabins.
#34 - Regret
Of all of the people Magneto has killed in his attempts to find Charles, he regrets Mystique the most.
#35 - Roses
The rosebush that has been planted over the first grave site flourishes, but to Charles, they are anything but beautiful.
#36 - Secret
Magneto raids an anti-mutant Congressional meeting, and manages to liberate the secret locations of the camps; the Morlock tells him which one the students are at, which tells him where he will find Charles.
#37 - Snakes
Charles never thought he'd be eating snake meat, but the creatures are plentiful and the students are starving.
#38 - Snow
Magneto arrives at the camp just as the first flakes of snow begin to coat the ground.
#39 - Solid
Even without his abilities, when the metal-sided cabins begin to shake, Charles knows it isn't just because the foundations are not solid.
#40 - Spring
He tells the students to be ready, and they lie in wait, preparing to spring into action as soon as they see Erik.
#41 - Stable
It takes some hours after removal of the inhibitor before Charles feels stable again, but knowing he is lying in Erik's arms makes the hours much more manageable.
#42 - Strange
After so long in captivity, it feels strange to be able to just... leave.
#43 - Summer
On Genosha it is always summer, and Magneto spirits them there, determined to keep his unlikely family safe.
#44 - Taboo
Being a mutant supporter is such a massive taboo that those who are suspected to be sympathizers are gunned down with as much ruthlessness as the mutants themselves.
#45 - Ugly
Charles can't believe how ugly the world has gotten, how hateful; he knows things need to change.
#46 - War
Magneto declares war, and Charles is not sure it will ever end; it does, eventually, but not without a price (they are safe, but never equal, and he's lost some good friends).
#47 - Water
Charles and Erik sit by the water, watching the children shout and play in the surf, testing their powers, unafraid once again to be themselves.
#48 - Welcome
On the mainland, they make it clear that Genosha welcomes all mutants, that all are safe and all are loved.
#49 - Winter
It is winter, but Charles doesn't feel it; they sit in front of a fire nonetheless and play chess - he can almost forget the past year.
#50 - Wood
Everything on Genosha is living metal, with the exception of Charles' bed, which is a rich mahogany; Erik constructed it himself, without his powers, which makes it all the more special (well, that and the fact Erik has taken up residence there himself - Charles falls asleep in his arms, safe and warm).
author patientalien
rating R
summary It begins on a Thursday morning, when mutants are ordered by an executive order from the White House, to report to the camps.
notes For citizenjess, because I love her and she asked very nicely. Title from "O Children" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
-----
#01 - Air
The air in Westchester is not exactly clear, but it's not a roiling mass of pollution either; it's just air.
#02 - Apples
Erik offers knowledge, Erik offers danger, Erik offers everything Charles has never wanted; Charles resists, barely, but does not cast the snake out of the garden.
#03 - Beginning
It begins on a Thursday morning, when mutants are ordered by an executive order from the White House, to report to the camps.
#04 - Bugs
Xavier's Institute is a school, nothing more, but Charles and Erik scan the mansion for listening devices several times a day, just to be safe.
#05 - Coffee
Charles never drank coffee before Erik came along, now he needs the energy to prepare for the fight that is sure to come.
#06 - Dark
Charles and Erik curl around each other in the dark places; Charles takes away Erik's painful memories, and Erik soothes Charles' soul.
#07 - Despair
Charles does not allow himself despair, even as he watches his fellow mutants be herded up like so much cattle; he knows when the time is right, all will be free.
#08 - Doors
He has the students reinforce the doors of the mansion; Erik provides the molded steel that will keep them safe - just in case.
#09 - Drink
The mansion's water comes from a well on the property, which Charles decides is a benefit when public services to known mutants are shut off across the country.
#10 - Duty
Erik proclaims their duty is to free the mutants who have already been sent to the camps; Charles thinks their duty is to the students who have not been.
#11 - Earth
They farm on the grounds, producing their own food and storing it away - the mansion has become self-sustaining, but beyond the gates there is anarchy.
#12 - End
The school's secret is discovered, and a Sentinel-led SWAT team attacks; Charles is their first target.
#13 - Fall
Erik's rage is a palpable thing, and he lashes out at the attackers who have threatened the life of his dearest friend; it's not the first time he kills, but it's the first time he kills for the sake of another.
#14 - Fire
The mansion burns, and from the embers, Magneto emerges.
#15 - Flexible
Charles Xavier adjusts to this new challenge as he does with all others; he knows he must keep calm for the sake of the students who have been captured with him.
#16 - Flying
The Blackbird is spared, sequestered under the tennis courts, and Magneto takes off, wishing he'd paid more attention to Hank when the blue-furred scientist tried to show him how it worked.
#17 - Food
Food is scarce in the camps; Charles makes sure to save a portion of his rations each day to distribute amongst the students.
#18 - Foot
It only takes Magneto a day and a half to find Stryker, hidden in a base at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain.
#19 - Grave
There is a mass grave just outside the camp, the dead not even getting the dignity of individual plots, or cremation.
#20 - Green
Magneto is surprised at how green the country is from above; on the ground, everything seems dark, and dead, much like Stryker, much like Fury.
#21 - Head
The device is secured tightly to Charles' head and cuts off his powers; he sees Emma across the camp one day, and her blonde hair is matted down under a similar device.
#22 - Hollow
He'd never thought he'd care about another person, not after Shaw and his mother (it hurt too much to get close), but Charles' absence leaves a hollow in his chest and makes him that much more determined to find him.
#23 - Honor
They say there's no honor amongst thieves, but Remy LeBeau is instrumental in helping Charles keep the guards' wrath from being taken out on the students.
#24 - Hope
He finds an enclave of mutants in the sewers; they call themselves Morlocks, and one has the ability to find other mutants - Magneto allows himself half a moment of hope.
#25 - Light
There are rolling blackouts in the camps, and Charles works by pale moonlight to comfort the youngest among them.
#26 - Lost
He does not want to admit he is lost; the Blackbird's navigation system has shorted out, and without Hank's wizardry with the plane, Magneto finds himself using the pull of magnetic north as his guidepost.
#27 - Metal
Charles realizes he is noticing all of the metal in use in the camp and can't help but have the fleeting thought that they will be safe if Erik can find them.
#28 - New
Magneto finds a new mode of transportation; the magnetic pull of the Earth itself provides all of the propulsion he needs.
#29 - Old
Charles feels much older than he is, his weary bones creaking as he rolls over in his hard bunk.
#30 - Peace
Some humans do want peace, want the camps to be disbanded; Magneto treats them just the same as all the others.
#31 - Poison
They are testing a cure on the mutants; the poison runs quickly through the camp and the mass grave overflows.
#32 - Pretty
The girl is pretty, for a human, but Magneto can't be bothered with her; he finds out what he needs, and uses the necklace she is wearing to strangle her without even breaking a sweat.
#33 - Rain
The rain is toxic, now, and burns holes through the flimsy tin roofs of the cabins.
#34 - Regret
Of all of the people Magneto has killed in his attempts to find Charles, he regrets Mystique the most.
#35 - Roses
The rosebush that has been planted over the first grave site flourishes, but to Charles, they are anything but beautiful.
#36 - Secret
Magneto raids an anti-mutant Congressional meeting, and manages to liberate the secret locations of the camps; the Morlock tells him which one the students are at, which tells him where he will find Charles.
#37 - Snakes
Charles never thought he'd be eating snake meat, but the creatures are plentiful and the students are starving.
#38 - Snow
Magneto arrives at the camp just as the first flakes of snow begin to coat the ground.
#39 - Solid
Even without his abilities, when the metal-sided cabins begin to shake, Charles knows it isn't just because the foundations are not solid.
#40 - Spring
He tells the students to be ready, and they lie in wait, preparing to spring into action as soon as they see Erik.
#41 - Stable
It takes some hours after removal of the inhibitor before Charles feels stable again, but knowing he is lying in Erik's arms makes the hours much more manageable.
#42 - Strange
After so long in captivity, it feels strange to be able to just... leave.
#43 - Summer
On Genosha it is always summer, and Magneto spirits them there, determined to keep his unlikely family safe.
#44 - Taboo
Being a mutant supporter is such a massive taboo that those who are suspected to be sympathizers are gunned down with as much ruthlessness as the mutants themselves.
#45 - Ugly
Charles can't believe how ugly the world has gotten, how hateful; he knows things need to change.
#46 - War
Magneto declares war, and Charles is not sure it will ever end; it does, eventually, but not without a price (they are safe, but never equal, and he's lost some good friends).
#47 - Water
Charles and Erik sit by the water, watching the children shout and play in the surf, testing their powers, unafraid once again to be themselves.
#48 - Welcome
On the mainland, they make it clear that Genosha welcomes all mutants, that all are safe and all are loved.
#49 - Winter
It is winter, but Charles doesn't feel it; they sit in front of a fire nonetheless and play chess - he can almost forget the past year.
#50 - Wood
Everything on Genosha is living metal, with the exception of Charles' bed, which is a rich mahogany; Erik constructed it himself, without his powers, which makes it all the more special (well, that and the fact Erik has taken up residence there himself - Charles falls asleep in his arms, safe and warm).