Superspeed. Google it.

Mar hadn’t realized how tense he was until he felt himself smile and relax in response to Pietro’s easy humor and his warm recognition – never mind the utter destruction of the fourth wall. He stayed put, although he wanted very much to embrace the speedster with a very human hug, so happy to see him again, to see him alive at all. The Kree’s expression warmed and, although he didn’t lose any of the gravity, he looked like he might almost be happy.

“Phoenix now, is it? I suppose the name is appropriate.” Although Romulus is the one who continuously combusts… The thought made him smile just a little more, although he was sure Jack would roll his eyes at the two of them. Romulus’s mood had been especially dark recently, with very few moments of cheer – something Mar attributed to spending too much time with Thanos. “It’s good to see you again, friend. I’m sorry to have missed so many years here… and sorry not to come with better news.” He met Pietro’s eyes and sighed softly, then lost his smile. “Something is going to happen to this world – perhaps all worlds again. I don’t believe that the story of the Blood Star is actually over, despite how it may have seemed. There was something there we missed, or perhaps we’re just about to feel the ripples returning from that blast… but when I use my cosmic awareness, there is no future. It’s not death, it’s not struggle, it’s as if all potential simply stops – soon. I don’t know when, and I don’t know what causes it, or how we can fight it… but I believe that something, somehow, will attempt to – destroy everyone’s self, their identity.. 

“Anything you can do to help stop yourself from – losing who you are, whether it’s meditation, creating a mnemonic device, or even a series of them.. do it. You are valuable. Your memories, who you are, how you’ve come to be the man you are. Something will try to take all of that from us soon…” And I don’t believe we can stop it. Perhaps we can fight it, once it’s happened, but only if we remember that we can… Mar frowned and looked up at the sky for a moment. “This is vague. I know. I’m sorry. But hold on to your identity with everything you have, Pietro. Don’t lose yourself.” 

“Vague? Well...the last part definitely. Look, I’ve been on missions with even less detail than that before, it’s fine,” Pietro shrugged. He was glad to see a familiar face, especially one he’d been fairly sure was dead. He was tempted to question it, but he was likely to just annoy Mar and end up even more confused by whatever the explanation was. He decided it was better just to go with it.

“I’m all for not ‘just stopping’. But, I have to ask: what the hell do you mean ‘don’t lose yourself’...?”

He paused. And took a breath. And...he wasn’t going to be able to stop himself. His mind was going into its own version of his superspeed. Questions came rushing out.  

for @moveslikelightning 

Perhaps it would have been better to warn Pietro that he was coming – or more polite, at least. It would have been kinder to offer the man some time, or even the choice of whether or not he wished to speak to him, but kindness and politesse were not always the Kree way, certainly not when the world felt as dark as it did now. Mar-Vell had been presumed dead for years, having died during the final battle against the Foesitian’s Blood Star, but he was not at all worried about reappearing suddenly in anyone’s life; the matter that weighed on him was something heavier than any concern for human customs or matters. 

So, one day, when he could no longer bear to wait, he decided to set out and try to warn people of what was happening – what would soon be happening.

Not, of course, that his warning would have much substance, given how little he knew.

His first stop was to alight near Pietro Maximoff. Mar kept his cosmic awareness focused only on the one thing that truly mattered now, and gave a polite, serious nod of greeting to the young man. 

Luckily Pietro hadn't built up much speed yet, having just started, and was able to skid to a stop a few steps away.    

Pietro stood with his arms crossed and, instead of responding with a casual reassurance, he smirked. "Well hello 'Phoenix'. Nice of you to show up again," he joked. "Gee, you're looking different."

Daken was watching Quicksilver from a distance, intrigued. The villain turned hero had been remarkably easy to track today. He wasn’t using his super speed to get around anywhere. Following him on the subway and down the city sidewalk was a breeze for the hunter.

As his target came across the scene with the purse snatcher, he ducked into a nearby alley way, and scaled the building with his claws to get a better look. Peering down, Daken expected Pietro to rush into action. The speedster would be able to apprehend the thief in an instant. And yet, he did nothing. Daken was confused until he caught the scent of the victim. She was just a baseline human. This caused a smirk to spread across his lips. Perhaps Mystique was right about Quicksilver after all. He wasn’t quite the hero he used to be…

Once he was back down on street level, the mutant tracker returned to stalking his prey. On a relatively isolated stretch of sidewalk, he approached Pietro. He had looped around to face the Avenger head on. “Hey, you’re Quicksilver, right?” Daken asked as they were passing by one another. @moveslikelightning

Quicksilver? 

Suddenly Pietro was motionless. 

“Not today I’m not. Go ask someone else for help kid,” he replied after a moment, waving a hand dismissively, not really bothering to study the other’s appearance. “Did you not just see? I’m not a hero- not today.”

Over the years, Pietro had gone back and forth between the X-Men and Avengers, and helping people like the mutant Mystique. Now, he was more conflicted than ever, since he’d made an impulsive speech that had helped cause a riot years ago when HOPE had appeared. 

Though he thought he heard someone behind him, Dylan at first assumed it was someone who just happened to be going the same way as him and so he ignored it. As he made his way through the streets though, his uneasiness grew. Wanting to test if it was indeed coincidence, Dylan soon ducked into a side street, watching carefully to see if anyone appeared.

Shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them warm while he waited, Dylan anxiously rocked on the balls of his feet, unintentionally making himself look more suspicious.

Jami rounded the corner not too long after the stranger did, and stopped short in the opening to the lane he had chosen to wait in. He was fidgeting, obviously nervous, and she put her hands up, palms out to show she wasn’t holding a weapon; she had even elected not to carry her gun today, a decision that she was slowly beginning to regret. Fear could go one of two ways: fight or flight. This man was a complete unknown, so it was difficult, if not impossible for Jami to predict which way he would go. For the time being, she chose to assume nothing.

Freezing when he heard his name, it took Pietro a moment to recall the voice. It had been a while, but it was definitely Carol. He rolled his eyes before turning to face her. Of all the times she had to show up, it happened to be one that made him look bad. 

“That’d be me,” he smirked. “Long time no see hey? I see you chased the guy off.” He wasn’t surprised at that, but he figured it was a better conversation point than the weather, even if it ended up as a discussion about his lack of action. The speedster figured he could deal with that, as long as it didn’t turn into an Xavier-esque scolding. 

“Where’ve you been then? Space? Alternate dimension?“ he asked jokingly, brushing his silver hair away from his face.

Carol only narrowly avoided heaving a sigh at the mutant’s quips. They were an obvious attempt to deflect her attention, but she was in a good enough mood that she played along for the moment. “It was the hair that gave it away.”

Daken was watching Quicksilver from a distance, intrigued. The villain turned hero had been remarkably easy to track today. He wasn’t using his super speed to get around anywhere. Following him on the subway and down the city sidewalk was a breeze for the hunter.

As his target came across the scene with the purse snatcher, he ducked into a nearby alley way, and scaled the building with his claws to get a better look. Peering down, Daken expected Pietro to rush into action. The speedster would be able to apprehend the thief in an instant. And yet, he did nothing. Daken was confused until he caught the scent of the victim. She was just a baseline human. This caused a smirk to spread across his lips. Perhaps Mystique was right about Quicksilver after all. He wasn’t quite the hero he used to be…

Once he was back down on street level, the mutant tracker returned to stalking his prey. On a relatively isolated stretch of sidewalk, he approached Pietro. He had looped around to face the Avenger head on. “Hey, you’re Quicksilver, right?” Daken asked as they were passing by one another. @moveslikelightning

Quicksilver? 

Suddenly Pietro was motionless. 

“Not today I’m not. Go ask someone else for help kid,” he replied after a moment, waving a hand dismissively, not really bothering to study the other’s appearance. “Did you not just see? I’m not a hero- not today.”

Over the years, Pietro had gone back and forth between the X-Men and Avengers, and helping people like the mutant Mystique. Now, he was more conflicted than ever, since he’d made an impulsive speech that had helped cause a riot years ago when HOPE had appeared. 

“Help me!”

She had already stopped a couple armed robberies from escalating when she spotted a woman whose purse was being stolen. Talk about your petty crime, but a person in need was a person in need. Within seconds, she’d come to a firm landing directly in front of the would-be thief, and the young man had stumbled to a stop, eyes huge at the abrupt appearance of an Avenger. Carol stuck out her hand, beckoning with her fingers.

“Look, kid. Hand it over, and I might not drag you to the police station.” The man hesitated for several moments, eyes darting from Carol to the small crowd of onlookers and back. After some consideration, he slowly reached out and hooked the handles of the purse over Carol’s outstretched hand. She accepted it, letting the arm fall back to her side. The man didn’t exactly look like a career criminal, more like someone who had committed an act of desperation. “Am I gonna hear about you doing something like this again?” He shook his head fervently, looking terrified. She nodded, satisfied. “Good. There are other ways to get help with the things you need, you know. Contact me if you need help finding the resources. Go on, get out of here.”

As the man scurried off, Carol handed over the purse to its owner. She was just about to take off again, when she recognized a face nearby.

“That’d be me,” he smirked. “Long time no see hey? I see you chased the guy off.” He wasn’t surprised at that, but he figured it was a better conversation point than the weather, even if it ended up as a discussion about his lack of action. The speedster figured he could deal with that, as long as it didn’t turn into an Xavier-esque scolding. 

Pietro was quiet as Raven explained, simply nodding to show he understood. Already it was a nice change. Unlike Magneto, she wasn’t jumping straight to giving orders and causing chaos. While the latter went well with Pietro’s power, simple chaos wasn’t what he was looking for. A team working for what he believed in was and Raven sounded like she had just that.

“Okay…” he responded slowly, worried he’d end up speaking too fast for her to understand if he didn’t. “And uh…how exactly are we supposed to bridge this gap? What is there that we have to do that’s too big for you? Are you staying dead?” He was excited by the idea and the forced slowness stopped him from accidentally blurting out the questions in a long, confusing string of words. The last thing he wanted was to annoy her and potentially get himself kicked out already.

_________________________________

Raven smiled, getting to her feet and walking over to him. “Careful, Pietro. You’re getting ahead of yourself.” She refilled his glass and then began to pace, mulling things over, letting him wait. He needed a lesson in patience. “I have a plan… Something that can only be accomplished if we stop in fighting. That’s why it requires cooperation from mutants that may not be ready to cooperate…. So, I need allies who are willing to ruffle feathers. Who aren’t afraid to stand up to those who oppose them. Notice I didn’t say anything about not… getting physical if that becomes necessary, although I hope it won’t. And all of this…”

She stopped, facing away from him, “-will require me to be dead.”

“Er- okay?” Pietro said, drinking from his refilled glass to keep himself quiet and give himself time to settle and slow down. He didn’t entirely understand what it was she was getting at, besides about standing up to opposition. That part he was already familiar with and was more than willing to do. 

“So,” he began, trying to make sure he had the right idea, forcing himself to speak at a ‘normal’ pace (which he felt was incredibly slow). “...You don’t want to fight, but will if they start? Who is it that you want to cooperate exactly? And...you won’t be going out in public?”

“Some of us still may be,” he sighed, moving to lean against a wall once he had his drink. “I thought, I liked working with that lot but…I dunno,” he admitted.

Despite not seeing her for a while, Pietro felt at ease, like he could say what was on his mind without having to worry about upsetting anyone, as he thought he would if he brought up this particular topic with his sister. While he trusted her, he suspected admitting such feelings about the Avengers to Wanda would upset her. He hated doing such a thing, especially knowing that her powers were closely tied to her emotions.

“That…I guess is what I want to talk about, besides y’know, you being dead and all,” he added after a sip of his drink. “I’m not sure I want to be an Avenger anymore. And I bet some of them would be glad to get rid of me at the moment.”

___________________________________

She listened to him intently, wary still, but less so. She’d heard that tone in mutants before and it was almost always sincere. But coming from Pietro… he’d always had a connection to the cause, Raven always remembered, but Erik’s absence had alienated many former members of the Brotherhood, especially Pietro and his sister. 

“And I bet some of them would be glad to get rid of me at the moment.”

Raven shrugged, “You stood up for a cause. That’s an admirable thing. If they don’t see it…” she trailed off, taking another sip of her drink, peering out the window absentmindedly. “I had to die for the Brotherhood to survive. It was the only way to make a statement. There was too much damage done. Which is why,” she straightened up, “I’m glad your here.”

Raven turned in the chair to face him, “I want to make one thing clear: this isn’t the old brotherhood, Pietro. I’m not attacking anyone yet.” She sighed, “I hate to admit it, but Charles was right about that. Your father knew it too, I think, but was too stubborn to admit it. I’ve seen how rifts-” she paused, her thoughts wandering to Rogue and Kurt. “Never mind. But I don’t want to cause such discord in the mutant community, not now. And that’s where you come in. We need to bridge the gap that’s formed. And,” she added, “I don’t want you to think you’re required to fall in line. But what you said at the press conference reminded me of how much we have to do- and I can’t do it alone.”

__________

Raven poured Pietro a glass of Scotch from a bottle Erik had left her years ago. She had been planning to open it for an occasion, and this seemed a good of a time as any. These old houses held many memories like this and the mutant couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the old days- it had not been long ago since Pietro was here as a member of the brotherhood. 

“Toad is long gone,” she smiled, “He hopped off to god knows where. I’m never sure why I kept him around. Pity, I guess, now that I think about it. We we were all lost souls at one time, weren’t we, Pietro?” She sighed, taking a seat in one of the high backed old chairs, crossing her feet casually over the arm. She was dressed in street clothes today, but kept her blue skin. It was easier to not think about what she looked like when she was around people who already knew, and didn’t care. 

“I’m surprised to hear you talk about the Avengers like that,” Raven said genuinely, taking a sip of her own drink, “I thought you liked working with them. Doing good, saving the world… And the reputation doesn’t hurt either.” While she was glad he’d come to her, she was wary of his motives. This wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to get something from her under the guise of the mutant cause. “So what would you like to speak to me about? Beyond the obvious.”

@moveslikelightning

Pietro responded with a shrug. He was glad Toad was gone; one less annoyance to deal with, assuming he didn’t come crawling back. He hoped, wherever the other mutant was, that he stayed away, thinking his habit of irritating Pietro outweighed any usefulness he did have. 

“Some of us still may be,” he sighed, moving to lean against a wall once he had his drink. “I thought, I liked working with that lot but...I dunno,” he admitted. 

Despite not seeing her for a while, Pietro felt at ease, like he could say what was on his mind without having to worry about upsetting anyone, as he thought he would if he brought up this particular topic with his sister. While he trusted her, he suspected admitting such feelings about the Avengers to Wanda would upset her. He hated doing such a thing, especially knowing that her powers were closely tied to her emotions.

@ravenmystiqued

Since reading the news, Pietro had been searching. He was in denial, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel something was off. He wanted to find out the truth about Mystique. He also wanted, he’d come to realise, that he wanted some sort of direction. He’d teamed with the Avengers but it just hadn’t felt right, especially after the press conference they’d attended near X-Mansion. So he wanted to speak to someone else about his options; especially one that he felt had been in the back of his mind for a while, yet he hadn’t begun to realise it until recently.

So, he was going around the city, checking all the hiding places he knew mystique had used in the past. Technically, he could have checked them all within a few minutes or less, however he wanted to do it properly in case she’d been hiding for whatever reason, so the speedster was only using his power to travel between the locations rather than to aide the actual searching of each place. 

He had been to a number of them already, with no luck and it was beginning to bother him; the anxiety that she may really be gone being heightened from his pulse-quickening power use. His body was used to it moreso than most, however it was starting to take its toll on him. 

Reaching the next location, he stopped and took a deep breath, leaning against the wall by the door. 

Knock? Break in? Go home? Check all the windows first? Call out? Give up? Each of the things raced through his mind, going in circles at each place. So far, the only thoughts he hadn’t acted on were giving up and going home. He was, however, seriously considering it now. Despite that, he stood up straight and - still panting - he knocked on the door.

So she hadn’t been doing much to hide from him. Raven was currently situated at one of the old Brotherhood hideouts, just waiting, letting the memories of the past consume her and this was bad, and also good, because it made everything she’d gone through worth it. 

She heard the knock and smiled, turning away from the fire place and going to the door, unlocking it, but not opening it. “Come in,” she said quietly, returning to her spot in front of the fire. She heard the door open and close. “I assumed you’d make it here sooner,” she smiled at her own joke. “Would you like a drink?” she asked, turning to face him at last, the dark shadows obscuring his face. “Good to see you again.”

He nodded then, both to her offer and comment. It was good to see a familiar face, especially one that was supposedly dead. Standing awkwardly near the door, Pietro ran a hand through his silver hair. Should he comment on her ‘death’? Probably not. Somehow, bringing up such a topic seemed rude to him.

“Well, better you than Toad,” he said teasingly. He couldn’t stand Toad. Always found him disgusting and incredibly annoying. “...and it is nice to see someone other than my sister. Or the ‘Avengers’. If you can call ‘em that right now. Almost no one left there, just a few leftovers from other scattered teams...”