<<< Behold the Kingdom, Exodus

[Amelia Voght]

Date: September 15
Time: 6:00 pm

---

Amelia Voght stood atop the Citadel roof. It was the highest point in all of Sanctuary and you could see all of the underwater kingdom if your eyesight was strong enough. The sky was simulated above them but the red head knew that they were protected by the dome that held up the entire ocean. She wondered if the entire populous was ignorant of that fact. It was a security measure for one thing. If everyone knew that they sat at the bottom of the ocean word could spread easily. Then again, people might be fearful of joining a civilization under the sea. They would live in constant fear that the dome would crack like an eggshell and crush them under tons and tons of water. But they were safe. There were many contingencies, most of which she didn’t really understand, and many mutant geniuses put their hearts and souls into the creation of Sanctuary.

Amelia tried to take in every sight of the city, the country side and the beach. Sanctuary was a wonder that they could recreate all of the different types of living area for them to share and enjoy. From that vantage, the Acolyte could see the general area where her house was located but could not pick it out individually. They were blessed to have a place where they could live in peace but Amelia knew it wasn’t so for every mutant. So many of them were still being persecuted in the world above. The bastard Purifiers had destroyed Charles’ school and killed 42 innocent lives there. A war was coming and the zealots brought the coming wrath upon themselves.

The Acolyte remembered back to her time as Pestilence. She had killed so many and infected even more. Those infected eventually became her slaves, followers of Apocalypse. The Brotherhood had taken some revenge against Purifiers and their followers. They would be ready to kill any more that stumbled out of line. It was so very different, the Purifier situation. They deserved death, Amelia thought grimly. None of the humans that fell subject to her miasma as Pestilence deserved the agony she had inflicted upon them.

“Would you be proud of me, Charles?” she asked.

A few moments later there was a noise and Amelia turned from her survey of Sanctuary to find her guest for the afternoon. “Bon soir, Monsieur Bennett,” Amelia said. “Thank you for coming to visit with me. I hear word that you’ve been rather busy.”

[Exodus]

He had been at Sanctuary for several months now, but that didn't mean that he had been widely accepted. The fact that he now rubbed elbows with Magneto on almost a daily basis probably didn't go over well with many, especially when he had killed quite a few of the Brotherhood's members before that. But he had been exonerated by Magneto himself, accepted to train with him, and was on his way to earning enough trust to gain his own position within the ranks of Sanctuary.

Exodus had power. He was blessed with a mutation that was rivaled by few, and he imagined that he was seen as a threat to many of those that had been with the organization for a long while. His nonchalant attitude about his past actions did little to smooth things over and he had made no attempt to apologize to those who had survived his little massacre. So he was left with his leader, who he worked to earn the respect of, and the rest of the Brotherhood who had no respect for him. He could live with that.

Amelia Voght was one of those that were tasked with stopping his attack upon the Brotherhood cells several months ago. While she had not exactly failed, Exodus felt that he would have killed her, Mystique and the rest of the team that had been sent if Magneto had not shown up. Knowing this now, he was glad... because surely Magneto would not have spared his life if he had killed the Acolyte and the shapeshifter. So it was a surprise when his presence was requested by Amelia, especially in a secluded place.

At the appointed time, Exodus came from above and behind Amelia Voght, touching down on the Citadel's roof. His landing made a purposeful noise to alert her of his arrival and he took a few steps towards her in order to look at the view that she was taking in. When she turned, he lowered his head once in acknowledgement to her and the words that she spoke.

“Bonjour,” Exodus said shortly, turning so that his shoulders were squared towards her. His brow narrowed as he looked upon her again. He had seen her a time or two, during the battle with the Purifiers and while within Sanctuary, but he had not interacted with her directly since he had attempted to kill her. She would be a hard one to kill if he were to ever try again, though he doubted she could hide her mind from him for very long. “I have been busy serving Magneto, as is my duty,” he spoke carefully, almost as if expecting the Acolyte to be luring him into a trap.

“Have you been enjoying the life that he saved?” he asked with a pleasant smile, his features softening slightly. He was, of course, referring to Magneto's arrival on that day when he would have killed them all.

[Amelia Voght]

Paris Bennett, also known as Exodus set down and accepted Amelia’s greeting. His words were very specific and measured. He was a very well rounded man and quite sophisticated. His manner of dress was polished and regal. In that respect he was head and shoulders above most of the Brotherhood. Many of them had been drifters and outcasts clinging to the fringes of society but Exodus could have been counted as one of the upper echelon of the human world had he chosen to remain in that setting. Perhaps he could have been a member of the Hellfire Club if things had turned out differently. But that was always the question that they could never ask themselves, What if things had worked out differently?

Both Amelia and Paris had been busy. The telepath said he had been busy about Magneto’s work. That was something that she did not doubt. The two had in fact been very busy in fact. The tragedy at the school had been the springboard for a whole new wave of action for them and the rest of the Brotherhood. War was on the horizon and there was going to be a rain of blood. The last time that Amelia had truly interacted with Exodus was that night in Germany when he had been trying to kill the Brotherhood and Exodus was making it clear that if Magneto had not intervened the red head would not have survived the night. The last time they had interacted Exodus had thrown a shipping container at her.

The Acolyte had played the night over in her mind. Was she powerful enough to vaporize Exodus into nothing and scatter his molecules or was his telekinesis so powerful he could pull himself back together at a molecular level. Would he have picked up her intentions telepathically and given her an aneurism before she could flex her mutation to attack him? If she had retained more of the upgrades of being Pestilence she could have dealt with the rogue mutant personally, but that was not a means to an end that Voght truly wished to have.

“Yes, in fact I’ve enjoyed every second of it. We cannot really enjoy our life and do the true work until we realize how fragile that life is,” she said. “And that life is pointless without a driving purpose.”

Voght crossed her arms, not in a move to seem defensive, however and turned from Exodus to face the cityscape once more. “This is my purpose; everything you see here and beyond the walls of Sanctuary. I fight for all of the mutants who cannot fight for themselves. You now tend the work of Magneto but that night you did not. Did you know that I was ready to die if it came to it? I would have sacrificed myself to stop you.”

[Exodus]

As she turned to look back out towards the sprawling city of Sanctuary below, Exodus took a few steps forward so that he would come to stand beside her. He placed both hands behind his back and looked out towards the horizon as well, still impressed by the realistic view that it put out. It seemed as if it continued on forever, just as the earth did. Exodus nodded thoughtfully at her words.

“I have told only Magneto and one other this, but my life was without purpose before I came here in defeat. I learned much about your Brotherhood through one of your members, which I befriended while in Russia,” he explained, his voice strong and confident even when addressing an Acolyte. He imagined that many grew nervous in their presence, but he saw them as subordinates to his Master, and little more. They had their purpose, as did many others within the organization, but he showed no true respect to those who did not deserve it. At this time, there was only two that had earned his respect and trust.

“I have no remorse for what I did, Ms. Voght. In my opinion, I did you and the rest of the Brotherhood a favor. I showed you where your weaknesses were, and I removed many of them in the process. Also, I made Magneto bleed,” Exodus continued, turning his head and flashing a smirk towards her. “Not many can say that. This earned me his respect, even if he had killed me that day. He would have still remembered the name Exodus as the man who gave him a good fight. Again, not many individuals could say that.”

It was clear that he was a proud person. His spirit had not been broken that day, either because he was so confident or because he was simply a touch insane. Exodus continued to look at the woman, attempting to judge her mind without actually reaching out and touching it telepathically.

“But to answer your question, I do realize that you would have died that day in the attempt to stop me. You would have done just that, I believe,” he said, never dropping his gaze from her eyes. “Do you know why? Because you doubt yourself. You did not say, I would have stopped you... you say I would have died to stop you. Did you see any doubt in my actions when I engaged your team, or when Magneto came from the sky and struck down upon me?”

He shook his head.

“No. Because there was none. That is why I say, you would have died. My purpose then was to prove a point, and that was to weed you all out until I came face to face with Magneto himself. I intended on killing him and taking his position, and then killing anyone who was opposed to that. But he did what I hoped for... by stopping me and proving why he is the leader of the Brotherhood. He has given me purpose now, and that is to serve him,” Exodus finally looked away from her. “He earned a respect from me that I have shown no one since my father. Which is why I will willingly follow him, and yes... I will now die in his service. So you and no other member of this Brotherhood have anything left to fear of me. Is this why I was summoned here? So that you may sleep easier at night?”

[Amelia Voght]

Exodus found his purpose through defeat. He was looking to destroy Magento and his Brotherhood in an effort to eradicate the false prophets. Exodus waged a personal crusade across Europe wiping out cells of the Brotherhood until he was met by a strike team and eventually Magneto himself. Paris’ defeat pulled the scales from his eyes and he became a true believer. Erik’s power was so primal that it overpowered the telepath. Magneto could have killed him. At the time, Amelia had wanted it so badly. The man had killed members of the Brotherhood, but now Exodus was a powerful asset. It was also true what he had said. The Frenchman had exposed weaknesses in their system of operation and they were working on improving them.

The statement that Exodus made next caused her to whip her head from viewing the expanse of Sanctuary to look at him. She doubted herself? Yes, she had told him that she would have died to stop him rather than she would stop him. Did that really imply she doubted her powers? Exodus was a force of nature, not as powerful as Magneto but still, and their battle had been a struggle. Why didn’t she teleport a Volvo into his midsection? Why hadn’t Amelia just vaporized him to leave him to hang in the atmosphere? Amelia had used that tactic as Pestilence. Even without the diabolical enhancements the potential was there. The red head felt a warming sensation in her face. Was she really holding back? Could she sink to the depths of Pestilence’s violence to secure a victory?

Exodus had no concerns or self-doubts. He was ready to kill each and every single one of the Brotherhood in his way and continue to the next cell. Amelia had convictions, she knew. She would defend the Brotherhood and mutantkind but did she really falter when it came to the belief in her abilities? “No, you did not show any doubt whatsoever, Paris. You were confident that each of us would die by your hand that night. But Magneto has deemed you fit for the Brotherhood. He’s given you a chance and you have proven yourself, but I was almost killed by you. That is not something a person can simply ‘get over’ in a night.”

The Acolyte turned her gaze back to the horizon, such that it was. “I didn’t simply ask you to join me to say ‘I am keeping my eyes on you,’ of course,” she replied. She turned back to the man gazing hard at him. “What do you see in the future for the Brotherhood, for mutantkind? You were an outsider, an enemy, and joined us. You fought valiantly against the Purifiers. Do you see us gaining a foothold beyond our Eden here in Sanctuary?”