Natasha leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the gathered women with sharp, calculating eyes. This meeting was different. Something had changed. She could feel it, and by the looks on Jean, Storm, Wanda, Rogue, and Gwen's faces, they could feel it too. Mystique sat quietly in the corner, listening but not yet part of the unspoken agreement forming between them.
Natasha exhaled, fingers tapping against her forearm. "Alright, we need to discuss the Magneto situation."
Jean, sitting with her legs crossed, smirked. "Situation? You mean the old fool running his usual superiority complex into the ground?"
Mystique raised an eyebrow, the only one at the table who had actually worked closely with Magneto. "You all underestimate him."
Storm scoffed. "No, we just don't care enough to take him seriously."
Mystique said nothing, but her eyes narrowed.
Wanda, sipping her tea, tilted her head. "So what's the plan? We're not here to kill him—yet."
Natasha nodded. "For now, we play him. Keep him occupied. Make sure his focus is anywhere but Kara."
Jean hummed in thought. "We could… push him into conflict with the wrong people."
Storm smirked. "You mean set him up for failure."
Gwen chuckled. "It's what he deserves."
Natasha shifted, her tone businesslike. "We need a performance. Something grand. Something that keeps him, the Professor, and the rest of the male X-Men distracted for as long as possible."
Mystique leaned forward, intrigued. "A staged battle?"
Jean grinned. "Exactly."
Mystique considered it for a moment. "I can steer Magneto's focus in the right direction. He trusts me."
Natasha smirked. "Then let's make sure that trust leads him right into a trap."
As they discussed the finer points of their manipulation, the conversation subtly shifted.
It started with Natasha.
"I've been feeling… different."
The others looked at her.
"Stronger," she clarified. "Faster. More aware."
Gwen, arms folded, nodded. "Me too."
Jean's smirk widened as realization dawned. "It's Kara."
Natasha met her gaze. "What about her?"
Jean set her tea down. "She's changing us."
The room fell silent.
Storm drummed her fingers against the table. "I've been feeling it too. My lightning is sharper. My control over storms? More precise."
Rogue leaned forward, her smirk laced with something possessive. "I thought it was just me. Every time I touch her, I feel stronger—but she doesn't even notice."
Jean's voice turned almost gleeful. "She's powering us up."
Natasha exhaled, absorbing the information. "So it's not just one of us. It's all of us."
Gwen's fingers twitched slightly. "And she doesn't even realize."
Storm smirked. "That's the best part."
They began piecing it together.
Jean had been feeding on Kara's energy, and the Phoenix was thriving.
Storm's electrical massages were making her stronger, her connection to the weather more intense.
Rogue's absorption didn't drain Kara. It only fueled her.
Wanda's Chaos Magic felt more potent whenever Kara was near.
Even Natasha and Gwen, who had no mutant abilities, were growing stronger simply by being around her.
Mystique, sitting in the corner, was the only one who hadn't experienced it yet. But she was watching.
Listening.
And planning.
Jean was the first to say what they were all thinking.
"We keep this to ourselves."
No one objected.
"This isn't something we share." Jean continued. "This isn't something we explain to Kara."
Storm nodded. "It's ours."
Rogue smirked. "And it makes us unstoppable."
Wanda, usually the most vocal, simply smiled, sipping her tea.
Mystique said nothing, but her fingers curled against her knee.
She needed to confirm this for herself.
"So," Gwen said, breaking the silence, "what's next?"
Natasha, now fully invested in using this newfound power, grinned. "We test the theory."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "How?"
Natasha's smirk was downright sinister. "We get closer to her."
Silence.
Storm exhaled, intrigued. "So what? More massages? More time in her space?"
Natasha met her gaze. "Whatever it takes."
Jean chuckled. "Sounds fun."
Rogue licked her lips. "So we fight for time with her?"
Jean smirked. "Oh, no, darling. We share. We're already good at that, aren't we?"
The implications hung in the air.
No one objected.
Mystique, still seated slightly apart from the group, had heard enough.
She needed to feel this herself.
Needed to see if Kara would change her the way she had changed the others.
Her usual instinct—to consume, to replace—was shifting.
Kara wasn't prey.
Kara was something else entirely.
And Mystique was going to find out exactly what that meant.
Natasha, satisfied with their discussion, leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "Back to Magneto. Mystique, you'll steer him in the right direction. Jean, you'll ensure the mental distractions work."
Jean nodded. "Easy."
"Storm, you and Rogue will support the spectacle, ensuring it plays out how we want."
Storm smirked. "Sounds like fun."
Gwen, looking amused, raised an eyebrow. "And what about Kara?"
Natasha exhaled. "We keep her out of it."
They all nodded.
This wasn't for Kara.
This was for them.
And they weren't going to lose.
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