Fated Chaos Chapter 20: Team Exercise.

-Locke's POV-

I stared at myself in the mirror, pulling at the edges of the red and black training uniform.

It wasn’t the classic yellow and black of the X-Men, but this version seemed to fit my mood better—darker, heavier, like the weight sitting in my chest.

The memory of the Danger Room incident still clung to me, just as fresh now as it was two weeks ago.

Hulk’s fists... smashing into my ribs, leaving me gasping, broken. I’d healed, of course. Wolverine’s regenerative abilities made sure of that.

But the ache in my bones wasn’t from the injuries—it was something deeper. The weight of my new found power.

I should have been ecstatic to awaken such a powerful mutation, but that happiness was shrouded with worry and trepidation.

Death Bind. The power to summon and control those I killed. It wasn’t just dangerous to my enemies- there was little someone was doing against a summoned Wanda- but also, that kind of control over souls was intoxicating. And it terrified me.

Back in my old world, I remember watching a show called Heroes. The main antagonist was called Sylar and his power was that he could copy someone's ability by cracking open their heads, and studying their brains to see how said abilities worked.

Sylar was a psycho- remorseless and addicted to the feeling of gaining power through murder.

Would that be me in the future? Would I start killing mutants, villains and even heroes for their abilities?

When I summoned Wanda, I'd felt Invicible and a part of me had fallen in love with it. Was I me, anymore?

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away. I couldn’t get distracted. Not today. Today was my chance to prove I could be an X-Man. A concept that still felt foreign.

The door slid open, and Wolverine’s figure filled the frame, cigar between his teeth. He didn’t need to say anything. The look on his face said enough.

"Ready, kid?"

I forced a grin, turning away from the mirror.

"As ready as I’ll ever be."

I wasn’t fooling anyone. Logan could see through me as easily as if I had been wearing a mask.

"Remember, this ain’t about showing off. It’s a team exercise. Stick to the plan."

He blew out a stream of smoke, turning to head down the hall.

I followed, my mind racing. 'Team'. It didn’t feel like I could be part of one. Not after being alone for so long.

And especially not after the Danger Room incident.

I could still recall the way they looked at me after summoning Wanda—Cyclops, Jean, Logan, even Beast—like they had seen something in me that wasn't human or mutant.

Something dark, dangerous. Something they feared. Something I wasn’t even sure I understood.

-0-

The doors to the Danger Room slid open, revealing its gleaming walls. Cold, sterile and newly repaired.

The core of the team was already there(Jean, Storm, Logan and Cyclops- the others had other duties)

Standing at the front like always, Cyclops was giving the tactical briefing. For the exercise, we would be facing Sentinels. And he already had a role for everyone to play.

His words washed over me, but I was only half listening.

I did notice Jean’s eyes lingering on me, her concern pressing against my thoughts. I could feel her probing, even if she didn’t fully intrude.

“Locke.”

Cyclops’ voice cut through the fog of my thoughts.

“You’ll be supporting from the back. Use your powers as needed, but keep your distance. This isn’t a solo mission.”

I nodded, my stomach knotting. Support.

That’s all I was supposed to do.

Probably no one wanted to see my power in action, not after I damaged the Danger Room last time. But it was inevitable.

They couldn’t ignore the fact I was officially rated an Omega level mutant.

“What kind of support are we talking about here?”

Wolverine asked, his eyes cutting over to me.

I swallowed, forcing my voice to stay steady while I lied,

“As you know, my mutation, I call it Bind. I can summon phantoms using objects tied to the dead...”

That was the official story I told Xavier and the others. No one knew the true nature of my mutation. I figured keeping 'Death Bind' a secret was crucial to my survival.

Jean narrowed her eyes at me, suspicious. Luckily, I was semi-shielded from Telepaths.

"This was Wanda's Grimmoire- a magic book with a catalog of spells."

My fingers tapped the Darkhold strapped to my belt.

“I'll be using it to summon her Phantom.”

The room went quiet. Wanda Maximoff. Even in death, her chaotic power had left an impression. The team exchanged uneasy glances.

Storm raised an eyebrow.

“How well can you command her...Phantom?”

“Well enough.”

I replied, keeping my tone neutral. No need for them to know how deep the connection really went. Wanda wasn’t just a fragment of her power; she was part of me now. Bound to me in a way that I hadn’t explained—and wouldn’t.

“Be careful with that.”

Jean warned, soft but firmly.

“Relying on someone else’s power can become a crutch. True strength comes from your own abilities.”

I nodded, but her words struck a nerve. Easy for her to say, with all that raw psionic power and the Phoenix on top of it. But I didn’t argue. There was no point.

---

The simulation began, and the sterile walls of the Danger Room morphed into a sprawling cityscape.

Almost immediately, Sentinels dropped from the sky, their heavy steps shaking the ground beneath us.

Wolverine charged in first, covered by Cyclops' beams of red energy which sliced through the air. Meanwhile Jean hurled debris and Storm summoned lightning to rain down on the towering metal giants.

I hung back, watching the 4 of them. My fingers tingled, itching to join in but I held myself in check.

The team moved like a well-oiled machine, their attacks seamless and coordinated, shredding a path through the Sentinel line. It was impressive, but made me feel distant and disconnected.

Then, one of the descending Sentinels focused its attention my way.

The massive grey hand came crashing down, and my heart pounded in my chest. Instinct took over as I activated my mutant ability.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl.

A sort of mental database appeared in my mind, with a list of Phantoms I could summon. Currently 2. I chose one and shivered as purple energy surged out of me, forming a female figure.

“Wanda.”

I whispered.

She appeared infront of me, ethereal and deadly, her eyes glowing with chaos magic as she zeroed in on the Sentinel threat.

Her hands glowed with the light of a destructive hex. And With a flick of her wrist, purple energy spiraled through the air, wrapping around the Sentinel’s arm, crushing it.

{A-ANALYSE---UNKNOWN M-MUTANT}

The Sentinel attempted a scan, only to be rudely interrupted by the Hex-an energy limb of destruction which climbed through its structure and in seconds, the machine crumbled, torn apart from within.

The hex multiplied into several tentacles which reached out and destroyed the rest of the Sentinels close by.

Wanda's phantom turned to me, a strange expectation on her face.

"Uh...good job?"

I complimented and was surprised when It...smiled. Strange.

I regarded The Team, noticing they had paused, their eyes on me. On 'her'.

“That... was efficient.”

Cyclops muttered, but I could hear the unease in his voice.

"Keep it up, the exercise is not done."

More Sentinels were falling down.

-0-

For half an hour, we kept fighting. Wanda and I stuck to the back and provided backup.

By now I was feeling the strain of keeping her energy in check. Summoning her was easy. Sustaining her was something else entirely.

The chaos magic hummed through our soul connection, volatile and unpredictable- almost overwhelming my own personal energies. Fortunately, my X-gene balanced it out, or else I would have been torn apart.

Another hour later and the training exercise ended.

I could only hope that I managed to impress them. The X-Mansion was currently the safest place for me to be- I could slowly build up my power and learn to fight from the X-Men.

-0-

-Later in the Week-

My breath came in ragged bursts as I forced my legs to keep moving, the steady thud of my sneakers on the dirt path pounding in my ears.

Sweat trickled down the back of my neck, soaking through my shirt as I pushed along the edge of forest that bordered the mansion’s open field.

My muscles screamed in protest, exhaustion gnawing at them, but I wasn’t about to stop.

'Stamina’s still not where it should be', I thought, gritting my teeth.

The recent training exercises, the simulation with the Hulk and the strain of sustaining Wanda made one thing clear:- my body strength was lacking.

It wasn’t just the weak strength, slow speed or endurance.

Hulk’s sheer, crushing power had exposed a weakness in me that I couldn’t afford to ignore:- Without my powers, I was incredibly fragile.

The solution? Body Training. I had Logan draft out a program for me to follow.

Despite that, I wasn't naive to think I could bridge the gap to Superhuman by lifting weights or cardio. This was just the first step before I thought of something else. Maybe a supersoldier serum?

The path curved, bringing me closer to the woods where the towering trees cast long shadows across the ground.

I slowed to a jog, my breath evening out.

Glancing toward the open field, I caught sight of the large satellite dish perched on a hill just past the treeline.

The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow over everything, but my mind wasn’t focused on the scenery.

'Maybe I’m focusing on the wrong thing', I thought, wiping sweat from my brow.

Sure, my body needed work, but there was something else that had been bothering me. My powers.

'Death Bind' wasn’t just about summoning phantoms. It was control. Pure and simple. The souls of the dead, their powers, their memories, their *essence*— all under my command.

But the real question gnawed at me, were they conscious? Aware? I needed to figure this out.

I slowed to a walk, stopping at the edge of the woods, far enough from the mansion to avoid notice.

The evening breeze rustled through the leaves above, and I reached out with my mind, feeling the familiar pull of Death Bind stir within me.

'Magneto.'

The name echoed in my thoughts as purple energy crackled around my body.

Power rippled outward, and a moment later, Magneto appeared before me, towering and regal.

His helmet gleamed in the fading sunlight, his cape billowing slightly in the breeze as though carried by an invisible force.

"Talk."

I ordered.

Immediately,

“Why have you summoned me?”

He asked, voice cold and commanding, his piercing gaze locking onto mine.

I hesitated, hiding my surprise. This wasn’t the first time I’d summoned him, but it still felt… surreal to hear him speak. Was it the same with Wanda? Did Phantoms possess a will? Too bad I couldn't summon more than one at the same time.

"First of all, watch your tone."

I stated and the Phantom bowed it's head in subservience.

"I apologize, my master."

He bit out.

Good.

“I need to test something.”

I said quietly, my voice steady despite the tension buzzing under my skin.

Magneto didn’t reply and awaited my order.

I looked up at the large satellite dish in the distance.

“Move that.”

I commanded, gesturing toward it.

His eyes flickered with recognition, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Without a word, Magneto raised his hand, and I felt the air around us shift. The hairs on my arms stood on end as magnetic fields surged around us, bending to his will.

The satellite dish groaned, its metal frame creaking as it slowly began to move.

I watched in awe as the massive structure shifted effortlessly, repositioning itself to face our way.

The sheer scale of his power was staggering, even though I had expected him to do it.

The ease with which he manipulated the dish was a stark reminder of how dangerous he truly was.

I couldn’t help but compare it to the stories of Magneto in his younger days, when he had struggled to lift even simple metal objects.

The Magneto Phantom before me was older, more experienced, infinitely more powerful.

Mutant powers grow with age and experience, I thought, the realization settling. A younger Magneto probably couldn’t have done that.

It was a comforting and terrifying thought. Comforting, because it meant my powers had the potential to grow—'evolve'—into something far beyond what they were now.

Magneto turned to face me, as if sensing my thoughts.

“Is that all?”

Second test, did Phantoms retain the same strength they had when alive? Yup.

I nodded, dismissing him with a wave of my hand. The purple energy crackled and Magneto vanished, leaving behind a faint hum.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the satellite dish.

'Power grows with time,' I thought again.

But did I have that Time?

I shook the thought away, quickening my pace as I jogged toward the mansion. There was no sense in worrying about it now. For the time being, I had to play it smart, keep my head down, and focus on the training ahead.