**{I do not own any of these characters except, Andromeda Shaw. All rights and credit go to Marvel}**
The snow and wind tore and pulled at my body as I flew through the mountains. My teeth were chattering, but I kept on flying. I had to make it to them, before it was too late.
The mountains rose up around me out of the mist, and I had to swerve hard to avoid one that just appeared in front of me. "Ow." I groaned as my hip glanced off an outcropping of rock.
This armor really isn't helping at all.
I had pulled the metal of a fallen sentinel around me, magnetizing it to my body, giving it the appearance of a sentinel. So far it had been a great camouflage, good enough to help me escape Trask industries. Unfortunately it had taken me a lot longer than I thought to escape, roughly 60 years. A long time I know, but if I reach them in time, it won't be so long, and Trask won't succeed.
I could barely see the temple ahead of me through the snow. It was a remote enough hiding place, but the sentinels knew where they were, and they were coming. Everyone was standing outside in the snow, welcoming the jet that had landed moments before.
I was suddenly nervous, I hadn't seen Charles for the better part of 60 years, he thought I was dead. All those years that I spent at Trask Industries were a mystery to him, he doesn't know, and I don't know how he will react. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
I crashed to the ground in front of everyone, cracking the old stones beneath my feet. Everyone looked up in horror, taken aback at my presence. Oh, right I look just like a sentinel.
A woman with short white hair, conjured up a thundercloud spewing lighting,and man with long black hair began to glow bright red, powering up the gun in front of him.
"No wait!" I yelled, letting the metal parts of the sentinel fall from my body. I was wearing my Trask industries sanctioned grey outfit, with the emblem stamped under my left shoulder. "See mutant! Not crazy killer robot!" I shouted putting my hands up.
I looked around at the weathered set of mutants, most of them were young, but two older men stood out to me. One was in a wheelchair, and the other was wearing a long black cape.
The old man in a wheelchair, moved himself towards me. He was completely bald, but I still recognized him. Time itself seemed to slow down.
"Andy?" Charles breathed, a nickname that I had not heard in years. He still had the same eyes, a shock of blue standing out in the dark.
"Hello Charlie, It's been a long time." I said smiling. I took a step towards him, slowly not wanting to surprise him too much.
"How are you here? You died a long time ago." He said louder. He reached up and brushed his hand against my cheek. "You haven't changed at all."
"It's a long story, but we don't have much time. The sentinels are coming." I said quickly.I pulled his hand from my cheek, but didn't let it go. I didn't want to let it go. "We need to get inside, now."
Charles nodded and we went inside, still holding hand. Everyone parted as we went inside, finally following behind us. We all arrived in a room deep within the temple, with multicolored glass built into the stone walls, and a large stone table in the middle.
Charles suddenly whirled around in his wheelchair and pulled me down into his arms, squeezing me tightly. "Andy, I thought you were gone. I'm so sorry that I didn't look harder. After you died, I fell into this hole and I couldn't get out of it. I missed you so much." He said into my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, if I had looked harder, you could have been with me."
"I missed you too Charlie." I mumbled into his ear. I pulled away slowly, looking at him. He still had the same smile, so full of love that my throat caught. "It's not your fault Charles. No one knew that I was still alive, except for Trask and his scientists."
"Wait, you were with Trask and his scientists?" Charles asked his eyes wide.
I nodded .
"So what happened?" A man with gray hair asked from behind us. I turned around slowly to look at him, it was Erik. "We thought you died, saving us. That was the whole point, to preserve the future or whatever it is you said. Why didn't it work?"
" The future changed and I didn't see far enough to know what would happen after. My visions stopped right at the beach, they didn't pass that, and I thought that was the end. I did see a war, but it wasn't this one. It didn't end with giant killer robots. After I absorbed the blast I blacked out, and I woke up in a cell. The U.S government had found my body and handed it over to Trask for testing. They thought I was dead, but Trask discovered that I wasn't. When I woke up I was in a cell, and I had lost all of my powers, except the one I was born with. He used me to sway the government into funding the sentinel project, showing them how powerful mutants could be and how they needed to be stopped. He then used me for experiments, testing out every new model of sentinel on me, trying to find one that I couldn't destroy. It took years, but finally Mastermold figured it out. The new generation of sentinel is almost unstoppable, and they have a twist. They are able to absorb powers from mutants and use them against them. He found the special part of my DNA that allowed me to do that, and now they are coming." I said confidently.
"You were at Trask industries for 60 years?" Erik asked.
"Yes. We need to send someone back to save me. If you get me out of Trask industries then this will never happen." I urged.
"Andy, you weren't the only one that contributed to Trask's sentinel. Raven was captured also and was used for experimentation. She killed Trask and inspired the government to fund Trask Industries." Charles said gravely.
"I know. I could hear her screams. Her cell was right next to mine. A few days ago, she broke out of her cell and came to mine. She begged me to kill her, and get out to warn you, so I did." I looked around the room solemnly. " She was my best friend, and she didn't deserve what happened to us. Which is why I have a plan. For a little while I was being held in the same facility that Erik was, just for a week or so. Just before I was transferred to Trask's personal lab."
"The facility under the Pentagon?" Charles asked.
"Yes. You need to send someone back and have them get me out of there. It will change the future, and we won't be here now."
"How do you know it will be better? You said that you could stop the war from happening once before and look where we are now." Erik seethed.
"Erik, I know for a fact that this reality will never happen, if Raven and I are not sent to Trask Industries." I retorted glaring at him.
"To send someone's mind back that far would almost kill them, and no one is strong enough for that." A small brunette squeaked.
"I'm strong enough, but me going back won't help at all." I mumbled.
"I'll do it." A gruff voice said. I looked over at the man whose hair was going in two different directions, and I suddenly knew who he was. He was the mutant I met so long ago,the one I stole the healing power from, Logan.
"Logan, we don't know what that would do to you." Charles replied turning to him.
"No, his powers would be able to protect him. He will survive the journey, but I don't know if I can do it." The brunette said biting her lip. "I mean, I've never sent anyone back that far before."
"Then I'll do it." I said making eye contact with Charles.
"You can't do it. You will just kill her and take her powers." Erik rolled his eyes at me.
I whirled around to look at him. "Well that was before I was in a cell for 60 years. Everyday I practiced and perfected my powers so that I can absorb an ability, without permanently taking it from the host and without killing them." I glared at him.
"Really?" Charles asked surprised.
"Yes. I can retain her powers and send Logan back. He can get me out, so we can all stop Raven from trying to kill Trask."
Everyone in the room was staring at me, trying to understand. I knew how crazy this sounded, I mean time travel? Come on.
"Okay, lets do it." Logan said.
I took a step towards the brunette. I reached out slowly, letting my hand hang between us. She reached forward grasping my hand tightly, closing the distance between us.
"This might hurt a little." I muttered, giving her an encouraging smile. She gulped, nervously.
I took a deep breath, and felt my eyes shift to gold. She gasped seeing my eyes, fear apparent on her face. I looked deep inside of her, finding her powers, drawing them to the surface. I threw open the flood gates, and she began to glow softly in the light. A rope of pure energy wound itself around our entwined arms. I began to slowly pull her power into me, and as I did she gasped in pain. When her pulse of energy hit me I moaned, it felt so good. Mastermold hadn't given me a ton of mutants to absorb, and the ones they did, were not as powerful. They kept those mutants for themselves, trying to find a sentinel that could take their powers.
It took everything for me to stop where I did. The girl stumbled into a tall brown haired guy, that held her close to him. Even in the midst of all this, there is love. It's kind of comforting when you think about it. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, trying to comfort her, and it was utterly adorable.
"Storm can you make the snow thicker, so that it buys us a little more time?" Charles asked the white haired woman. She was leaning against a post in the corner.
She nodded, and walked outside, her eyes turning a blazing white as she went.
"The rest of you create a perimeter, so that the sentinels have one hell of a fight when they show up." Logan said gruffly.
Everyone nodded and filed outside.
Erik was the last to leave. He stopped at the door and turned around. "Andromeda, I'm sorry too. I was young and stupid, and I made decisions that I'm not proud of. Will you forgive me?" He asked.
Well this is new...
"Of course I will Erik." I said smiling.
He gave me a small smile and walked out the doors.
Why do I get the feeling that, that is the last conversation we were ever going to have?
"Wow, that was weird right?" I asked turning to Charles.
He chuckled. "He really has changed, Andy. He hates the choices he made when he was young." He paused. "He reminds me of you."
"Yeah, we are more alike than I care to admit." I snorted.
"Yeah." Charles hummed. He was looking at me the way he used too, and it broke my heart a little bit. I wanted to grow old together, well watch him grow old, spend our lives together.
"If ya'll are done staring longingly at each other, then I'm ready to go." Logan said, ruining the moment.
I laughed at his reaction.
He laid down on the concrete table in the center of the room. I put one hand on either side of his head.
"Oh, wait. Logan, the most important thing is that back then I was dangerous. Whoever opens my cell, make sure they are ready. Back then Trask starved me, he would make me go a long time, without absorbing any energy. When I don't absorb energy I get to a point where my instincts take over and I just attack the nearest person. Logan it has to be you that opens the cell, let me absorb your healing factor. Your healing ability is the only thing that stops the hunger, because then I don't have to kill to survive. Okay?" I looked down into his face.
"Okay. I'll open the door and let you out." He agreed.
"And Logan?"
"What?"
"Thank you."
He just nodded, and gritted his teeth, ready for what was coming.
I closed my eyes, and unleashed my power, pulling Wolverine into the past.