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▎ BEAUTIFUL CRIME    ▎
»»————-　act one. a hero's journey
CHAPTER FIVE ━━ human nature

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♯ ❝I KNOW MINE WAS RUINED! ❞ 
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MAGGIE SIGHED AS AS SHE WATCHED RAVEN SULK ON THE couch with the others. She hated to see these young kids their spirits being crushed. Their whole life they were supposed to sit still and hide whi they were. And now that they finally found the courage the be who they are it was taken by them in a second.

She just wanted them to be kids for as long as they could because that was what she needed when she was younger.

"Raven." Maggie softly placed a hand on her shoulder, making the blonde look up at her with sullen eyes. "You don't have to be sorry for being young." She told her firmly, before looking up at all the teenagers gathered around the room. "You all don't have to be sorry for being kids."

"Well it seemed that Charles has forgotten that." Raven scoffed, a frown on her face as she turned her head to aimlessly stare out the window

"Well Charles grew up very differently from us, he might not endured it, or completelt understand it, but he cares. And when people care they just want you to be the best you can be." She tried to explain, eyes flickering over all their faces as her words were answered with silence.

"Look." Maggie began carefully. "If we all have one thing in common it's that we had to grow up way too soon. We all faced our own struggles, we all lost a part of out younger self. But that doesn't replace the fact that you're still young."

"When I was ten, my abilities went haywire, I was forced to face the reality on how cruel this world is too soon. I moved a lot, always on the run. I didn't have time to be a teenager but I'll be damned if you al have to go through that too."

"We were reckless, and we made a mess. That's true, but we also cleaned it up."

"Now I want all of you to stop sulking around." Maggie told them sternly her eyes flashing dangerously. "Or so help me Charles and Erik are the least of your concerns."

Raven chuckled softly and and the others nodded in appreciation, "Thank you."

"Don't worry alright. Everything will work out." Maggie patted her shoulder before moving outside the room and looked around for Charles.

She spotted the man walking down the hall and even if she knew maybe now was not the time she felt obliged to explain the situation.

"Charles!" The brunette called out amd she watched the man halt and look over his shoulder as he waited for her to catch up.

Maggie quickly did so and stopped in front of him. "I'm going to keep this short because I know we all have a lot to do, you especially but you should really take this in consideration."

"Most of them in that room are kids, they're young they make mistakes but they only made a mess and destroyed that statue while the people around here, around them destroyed their childhoods Charles, I know mine was ruined. And maybe you didn't have to go through that and I'm glad you hadn't, but remember life was hard on them so please don't be too hard on them too."

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MEANWHILE RAVEN STARED AT THE DOOR WHERE MAGGIE had left through, her head placed on her palm before she turned to look at the others.

"Do you think it's true?" Angel asked.

"What?"

"That everything will be okay?" She clearified her question.

"I like to believe it's true." Raven answered a small smile gracing her lips as she thought about her first encounter with Maggie.

"I hope so."

Their conversation was cut short when laughter erupted from the other side of the window and they all turned towards the source to see two goverment agents staring at them.

"I didn't know the circus was in town." One of the men mocked. "Hey come one honey, give us a litte..." he fluttered his hands in a mocking manner looking at Angel. "No? Come one let's see the foot."

Hank rolled his eyes before standing up and shutting the curtain shut as a looming silence fell over the group.

"They're just guys being stupid." Raven tried to comfort the raven haired girl.

"Guys being stupid I can handle, okay? I've handled that my whole life. But I rather a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these ones stare at me." Angel huffed, anger boilinh in her veins as she spoke.

"At us."

A sudden loud noise interupted the tense silence and everyone sat up straight.

"Guys what was that?" Darwin asked turning away from the game he was playing with Alex to look at the group as the banging noise continued.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." Darwin rushed towards the window to open up the curtains again as they all huddled in front of it and stared outside.

They all jumped as a door behind them was thrown open before they all calmed down as Maggie dashed through the door with wide eyes.  "We got a problem." The brunette breathed out in a hurry as she rushed towards them.

Before she could explain further a flashing noise caught their attention and they all looked up in the sky where two figures appeared.

"What is that!"

Suddenly one of the men dissapeared in thin air while the other came soaring to the ground, landing right in front if them. A sickening crush echoed over the courtyard as shrieks escaped Maggie's mouth.

She placed a hand over her mouth in shock, staring with wild and wide eyes at the disfigured body of the boss of this facility before she came to her senses and pulled the closest people to her away from the window. "Get back! Get back."

They all listened to her relief when more people started to fall from the sky, each sicken crunch reminding the group of another dead person laying motionless on the pavement. "Just try and stay calm alright." Maggie tried to give them some sort of confort as her heart hammered in her throat.

Suddenly more agents appeared in the courtyard with guns. One hammered on the glass eyes wide. "Stay back."

Choas ensued moments after when suddenly a red figure appeared in a blink of an eye. Gunshots rang through the air while shouts followed soon after. "Shoot! Shoot!"

They all ducked down behind the couch in fear, terrified screams leaving their lips as they watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes.

Bullets hit the glass separrating them from the fight and Maggie placed her hands over her head to protect herself from the incoming sharp shards of glass that flew across the room.

Behind them through another glass window the group could see a large hurricane appear out of nowhere, leaving destruction in its wake as it teared cerebro apart.

"Stay here my ass! Let's go!" Darwin shouted as he stood up straight rushing towards the door as everyone followed behind him.

They were soon stopped by more agents as they tried to get them back but they all didn'y budge. "We can help!"

"We can help! We can help!" Panic seeped through Maggie's veins as they continued to hold them back when a terrifying explosion followed that shook the building. The group ran down another hallway only to hide behind a the couch again, a crippling fear running through her veins as she stared with wide eyes at the choas going on outside.

Suddenly the tornado that previoulsy destroyed cerbero was comimg closer and closer. A terrified shriek erupted from the back of her throat as a man came bareling towards the window, breaking the glass as another scream left Angel and Raven's mouths.

All them huddled together in fear as the last few agents were slaughtered in the courtyard and the red devil-like man came marging forward, climbing into the room through the broken window at the same time as another man crawled through the broken window on the other side neatly buttoning his jacket close.

There was a couple gunshots from the hallway, as more shrieks echoed through the room when suddenly a voice spoke up from out there, "Wait, wait! You want the mutants? They're right through that door, just let us normal people go! We're no threat–" a loud crack followed and Maggie's hand shot up to cover her mouth in shock.

A shadow formed through the tinted window before a man stepped inside the room with a strange helmet on his head. There was complete silence that loomed over the group, like there was a knife pressed up againts their throats, witholding them from making any sound.

Maggie could feel her heart rapidly beating inside her chest, panic coursing through her veins as her eyes daryed between the three people.

"Where's the telepath?"

"Not here."

"Too bad." The unknwon man lifted the helmet of his head. "Well, at least I can take this silly thing off."

They all watched with wide eyes as he brushed his hand through his hair before introducing himself. "Good evening. My name is Sebatian Shaw." He started to stalk forward, like a lion creeping up to its prey. "And I'm not here to hurt you."

His speech was interupted as a man came into view from outsid the room, his gun pointed at Shaw as he naively threatened the man. "Freeze."

"Azazel." Shaw simple said before the red devil like man teleportaed towards the goverment agent, killing him swiftly before returing toward shis previous spot.

"My friends, there is a revolution coming." Shaw continued holding his arms out holding his helmet out for the neatly dressed man to take.

Maggie narrowed her eyes at the man, holding her head up just a bit higher despite the fear that was close to taking over her body.

"When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice."

Maggie stood protectively in front of the group with Darwin besider her. They were the oldest, they had to protect the younger kids, and the brunette was hell bend on doing just that.

"Be enslaved." He paused, scanning all their faces. "Or rise up to rule."

Maggie took a deep breath as she watched the man with calculated eyes. He was trying to turn them against each other, he knew they all had a fear of being rejected by society and he was playing into it, using it to his advantage.

"Choose freely, but know if your not with us, then, by definition, you are against us." Shaw drawled out. "So, you can stay and fight for the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings." He looked at all of them, trying to see their reaction before his eyes landed on Angel. "And queens."

Maggie focused her attention towards the raven haired girl who stared intentsely at Shaw's outstreched hand before finally taking it and letting the man lead her away.

"Angel?" Raven asked shocked.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Come on." Angel nodded towards Shaw, like ot was the obvious choice. "We don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Please Angel." Maggie stepped up beside Darwin who held his hand out for the raven haired mutant. "Don't do this. If you follow him, everything bad, anyone has said about mutants will just be proven right. We have to show them we are not the bad guys."

"They give me no choice, it's in their nature." Angel countered, eyes flickering to one of the dead facility members that was mocking them earlier.

Angel turned around to follow behind Shaw. "We have to do something." Raven whispered as the watched the group climb back outside through the broken window.

Maggie watched as Darwin whispered something to Alex before all hell broke loose again as they began to shove each other around.

"Stop! I'm coming with you!" Darwin shrugged away from Alex' grip to march towards the other four.

"What? Darwin no!" Maggie stepped forward utterly confused as Shaw stepped forward to approach Darwin.

"Good choice." He nodded. "So tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive." Darwin shrugged as Maggie watch the scene unfold in disbelief. "So I guess I'm coming with you."

"I like that." Shaw grinned holding his arm out, motioning the dark skinned man to join them. He nodded coming to stand next to Angel before he shouted suddenly. "Alex! Do it!"

And just like that Alex demanded them to get back as Darwin pushed Angel aside, covering her with his body as it turned to stone. Red pulses formed around Alex before he shot them towards Shaw with a loud shout.

But instead of destroying shaw, the greying man only absorbed the beams of energy. "Protecting your fellow mutants?" Shaw taunted wickedlt. "That's a noble gesture. Feels good."

Suddenly Darwin moved forward to attack Shaw, only for the man to block him and take ahold of his jaw. "Adapt to this." He whispered, throwing the energy he absord towards Darwin, the ball being forced down his throat.

They all disappeared in thin air as Darwin began to shake and tremble, his body trying to turn itself into something that could withstand the sheer amount of energy coursing through his body to no avail.

He held his hand out towards them, now in some sort of lava like form before he imploded, a strong white light blinding them all for a moment as the ground shook. When the light faded, Maggie lowered her hand, tears glinstering in her eyes as she watched what was left of Darwin.

Ash

Darwin was death.

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