Disclaimer: The characters are completely Marvel's but the plot idea is mine, any connections to other stories or movies or whatever else is purely coincidental. :)
Summary: ModernHuman!verse, in other words no powers. Can't tell you much else besides it's mainly Erik/Charles with very slight Raven/Erik and mention of past Shaw/Charles.
Xavier Lab
Xavier Labs is the country's top research facility focusing on human genetic mutations. The research done there is to aid those individuals born with genetically caused diseases, health issues or physical disabilities. There is also a section dedicated to those who develop disabilities due to physical trauma later in life as well as a section that acts as a hospital for those that need critical care. The facility is highly renowned and only the world's top researchers, analysts and doctors are permitted to work there.
The facility was opened a year ago by Raven Xavier, the adopted daughter and only remaining heir of a wealthy family. She had it dedicated to her adopted brother, the real heir to the Xavier fortune, who had went missing two years ago.
Charles F. Xavier was a brilliant young man who had a bright future ahead of him as a professor or researcher of human genetics focusing on mutations. What had driven his passion for genetic mutation was that Charles himself was born with a disability, one that had left him permanently in a wheelchair by the time he was twenty years old.
When he was away at university in Oxford working on his thesis he had gone missing without a trace. The police hadn't been able to find any evidence pointing to it being a kidnapping and no body was ever found to indicate if it was a murder or not. The whole situation had the police stumped. It was as if he had just vanished off the face of the Earth.
In the year the facility had been opened remarkable breakthroughs had already been discovered and tested countless times. Those breakthroughs had already been made into viable aids for disabled individuals. The research hadn't fully cured anyone but a significant delay in the development and progression of genetic diseases had been noted in several sever case patients.
This morning the facility was slowly coming to full life as those who worked the day shift pulled into their parking spaces. The nurses and doctors that had been working with patients overnight began to pack it in to go home and get some well-deserved rest.
The sound of stilettoes against the tiled flooring echoed off the white walls, filling the otherwise silent hallway with the light click-click-click. The blonde woman wearing the stilettoes stopped in the middle of the hall to look over a file. She had been on her way back to her office after checking on their most promising patient while she reread the file on the new expert that was supposed to be coming in today. She just needed to refresh her memory.
The file contained a more than impressive resume, a list of references, all of which checked out and had wonderful things to say about his skills but had rather unpleasant things to say about his bed-side manor, and a photo of the man the file was about. She took the photo out, looking it over she smiled to herself.
"Erik Lehnsherr…"
School busses might have been a godsend to stay at home parents who had been waiting all summer to cart the kids off to school but to those who were late for work or more importantly for a job interview, they were sent straight from the devil himself.
"Come on, move it!" Erik growled as he slammed his hand down on the steering wheel of his car, the sound of the horn venting his frustration. The bus was taking far too long and blocking traffic, it was a two lane road and cars were passing by too quickly the other way for him to pass the bus.
He had slept in enough to make himself late for the interview, which had been set for far too damn early, and now he was going to be exponentially later due to a stupid bus.
He slammed his hand down on the horn once again.
Two of the teens sitting in the back of the bus turned around and glared at him then flicked him off just as the bus started to move again. The bus inched along the street making sure to go slower than the speed limit permitted. Erik knew this had to be the driver's way of getting back at him for honking at him or her which only made him mad enough to honk several more times.
It took another turn until the road widened to two lanes on each side so Erik could finally pass the bus. He glanced over at the driver, who was a rather unpleasant looking old woman that was also giving him the finger as he drove passed. He grinned at her before he drove ahead and quickly switched lanes so he was in front of the bus and could drive irritatingly slow just to get back at her and show her he was not one to be messed with.
Even though the bus turned off the road and he started to drive normally, it still took him another hour to find the exit he had been looking for then another half hour to find the actual place and pull into the packed parking lot.
He drove around for what seemed like yet another hour before he spotted someone pulling out of the perfect space, right in front of the facility. Once he parked he got out and grabbed his brief case before he headed inside, automatically locking his car with the control as he walked away from it.
He took a moment and just looked up at the building, it was only one story and possibly a basement but it was massive. He smiled to himself, knowing that if this place had sent him a request for a formal interview then he was one of, if not the best, in his field.
The front door had an ID scanner on it that wouldn't permit anyone but the workers in through this entrance, patients were taken in around back were the hospital section was. Erik stared at the ID scanner for a moment then pressed the 'call' button beside it. Instantly, a camera above him, next to the door, flicked on and a woman's voice came from the small speaker beside it.
"Are you Erik Lehnsherr?"
Erik took a step back from the door and looked up at the camera with one eyebrow cocked. "Yes, I'm here on request for an interview."
"You're late."
Erik's gaze narrowed slightly, "That happens when certain people schedule job interviews at six in the morning."
There was an audible sigh from the woman on the other side of the intercom then an order to stay where he was while she came to let him in. He figured that she could have just buzzed him in from her office but she didn't want someone who didn't work here yet to wander around unattended while they tried to find their way to her office.
He frowned and turned to look out at the parking lot as he waited to be let in. Most of the cars were those stupid looking eco-friendly boxes they called cars nowadays, which really didn't surprise him. From what he had read about this place it tried to be as green as possible, it didn't test on animals and had ties to all kinds of charities that helped people, the Earth and whatever else needed help out there now. He rolled his eyes.
"Mr. Lehnsherr."
He turned around to see a woman standing in the doorway, waiting for him. She was certainly beautiful with long blonde hair that held a slight curl, fair skin and… one blue eye and another golden. Erik cocked an eyebrow again as he walked over closer to her to get a better look at those eyes. "Interesting eyes."
She seemed to just ignore his comment but when he was at arm's length she held her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Raven Darkholme-Xavier. We spoke on the phone," She said with a faint, cute smile.
He took her hand and nodded, "Yes, I remember."
"As for my eyes it's called heterochromia, it's a mutation," Raven said, finally addressing his comment then before he could say anything about it she changed the subject, "Let me show you to my office so that we can conduct this interview already."
It was clear by her tone that she wasn't too happy about him showing up hours late but she shouldn't have had the interview set for so bloody early.
When she finally let go of his hand and turned to head back inside he couldn't stop his eyes from following the faint trail of her spine through the fabric of her dress all the way down until they rested on her shapely rear as she walked back inside.
When he realized he was staring, he shook his head to snap himself out of it then followed her inside. She led the way to a large corridor lined with doors made of some kind of dark wood that stood out against the bleached white halls and ended in a set of large double doors.
She gestured to the doors lining the hall. "These offices are where all the facility's officials, accounts and pretty much anyone who isn't a doctor or a researcher work."
She stopped at the double doors and pulled them open. "And this is my office."
The office was large and decorated much like a study in a mansion might be. A large desk made of the same wood the door was made of was off to one side piled with paper work while on the other side of the room was a two person couch and two chairs and book shelves that took up the entire wall.
"Please take a seat." She said pointing to the couch as she walked over to her mess of a desk and picked up a file before taking one of the chairs.
Erik took a seat on the couch and took a moment to look around a little more closely at his surroundings. The room certainly looked and felt like an old-timey study, colored in mostly earthy tones and covered in dust some places. It reminded him of his father's old study back in Poland which helped to make him feel a little more at ease. His eyes finally came to rest on the woman, Raven, as she sat in one of the high backed chair, legs crossed and hands folded over the open file in a very business-like manner.
"Now, Mr. Lehnsherr, I took the time and called all your references and they do all check out with outstanding reviews on your work." Erik smiled a little smugly as she complemented him.
"But," She paused, "I have to say they did not peg you as a people person. Many said you had anger management issues among other things like being rude to coworkers and being sarcastic with patients."
Erik only shrugged. People annoyed him; they got in the way of him doing his job to the best of his ability.
"Don't get me wrong we truly need an expert on the human spine like yourself but we also need someone who can show compassion if faced with working with other doctors and especially patients." She looked away from him, down to her file then back at him. "So truly the only question as far as you getting this job is can you show compassion while working with others?"
He could. That didn't necessarily mean he wanted to but he did need a job and this was one of the best ones for him. In fact, the main reason he moved away from Poland to the United States last year was so he could get this job. "Yes, I think I could easily manage that."
Raven's strange eyes narrowed as she looked him over, it as if trying to stare into his soul and see if he was lying to her. It was a rather unsettling stare actually. After a few moments her serious face broke into a smile and she leaned forward in her chair, hand held out again for another handshake.
"Welcome to Team X, Mr. Lehnsherr. Come on, I'll give you the tour."
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