X-Men: Children of X Book I
An: Hello. Well, here's yet another AU fic. This one was inspired by the old Fox cartoon, the movies, what little I know about the comics, Evolution, and of course my own ideas. Enjoy.
Prologue
Poland, 1944
The rain fell hard as a crowd of people were marched through a pair of iron gates led by a dozen or so Nazi soldiers. Ten-year-old Eric Lehnsherr grasped his mother's hand. He was terrified. He'd heard so many horrible stories about the camps. That those who were sent to the camps never came back. Did that mean he would have to stay there forever? He didn't want to. He didn't like those soldiers. They scared him. He squeezed his mother's hand tighter. She was praying now. She always prayed when something bad was happening. Eric looked back at his father. He seemed older. His face was drawn. But his eyes held such sadness.
Just as Eric was about to reach for his father's hand, everyone stopped. There were more soldiers now. They were starting to separate the crowd. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped Eric's shoulders and wrenched him from his mother. His mother screamed and tried to run to him but three soldiers dragged her away. His father tried to fight off the soldiers. But one of the soldiers grasped his arm and twisted it until a sickening crack was heard. Eric could only watch in horror as his parents were dragged away. Eric managed to squirm out of the soldier's grasp and ran toward the gates, hands extended. Two soldiers attempted to follow him. But they found they couldn't. Something was pushing them back. They dug their boots into the muddy earth to keep from falling over. Then something else happened. There was a creak and the sound of metal on metal. The heavy iron gates began to bend and twist. Eric didn't seem to notice. He was too busy crying out for his parents. He also didn't notice the third soldier creeping up behind him. The soldier struck Eric across the back of the head with the butt of his gun and the boy slid to the ground unconscious. The first two soldiers rushed over lifting the boy by the arms and dragged him off. The third soldier remained behind and stared amazed at the mangled gates.
Bayville, New York, 1987
"Eric, please. Think about what you're doing."
"I've thought about it Charles." Said Eric, a tall, white-haired man who appeared to be in his early forties, but was actually much older. "And I stand by my beliefs. They'll never accept us. They'll hunt us down like animals, put us in chains and burn numbers into our foreheads. Despite what you might believe Charles, humans will never change. They will always try to destroy that which is different. Including mutants."
Charles was Professor Charles Xavier. An expert in the field of genetics. He a bald man in his early thirties who had been confined to a wheelchair due to an accident some years ago. He and Eric were in a large, well-decorated office in a large Victorian mansion. Years ago, he had discovered that his father had left him the New York estate which had been in his family for generations.
"You never used to believe that Eric." Said Charles. "Whatever happened to our dream?"
"You were not there Charles." Eric spoke in a low voice. "You did not see what those bastards did to my family. You did not see how they tortured me. And you were not there when an entire village set fire to my house trapping my family inside. All because I used my gift. Anya was only six years old. She did not deserve to die like that!"
"No she didn't." agreed Charles. "But not all humans are—"
But Eric cut him off.
"They're all the same! They're all savages!"
Eric's face was twisted in anger.
"Do you know what I did Charles? Do you know what I did after the fire? I killed them! Every last one of them! And I made them suffer!"
Charles was totally speechless. He'd known Eric for years and had not thought him to be a killer. Eric's words had hit him like a ton of bricks.
"My God, Eric." Charles started to say. "Do you know what you've done?"
"I know what I've done Charles and I do not regret it." Eric said. "They deserved it."
"What happened to you Eric?" Charles cried. "You are not the Eric Lehnsherr I knew."
"The Eric Lehnsherr you knew has become stronger. He is not that helpless child anymore."
"I want you to leave Eric." Charles said flatly. "Please."
"Very well." Said Eric. "I hope one day you'll come to your senses Charles. I'd hate for you to be my enemy."
With those last words, Eric extended his hand and floated into the air and out the window. Charles sadly looked at the spot where Eric had stood seconds ago. He didn't want to believe it but deep inside he knew he'd just lost a friend.
AN: There's the prologue. Hopefully I did a good job with the characters. Anyway, use that little button marked review. That would make me very happy. And if you have any ideas for this fic, I'd very much like to hear them. Ta ta for now.