A/N: Just a short little chapter. Originally it was going to be the first part of the next chapter, but the second part got way too long, so I had to break it up. Look out for the next chapter some time this week.
It seemed that torture had been upgraded since his youth, Erik thought wryly as he felt the incision being stiched back up after it had been left open for the doctors to root around in his abdominal cavity for a few hours. They had continuously pumped blood back into his veins, so he was in no way at risk of dying from blood loss, but they had also neglected to give him anesthetic before cutting open his stomach. Why they felt the need to look around in there was beyond him, though he didn't really get a say in any of it.
Once he was adequately recovered, they brought in the smarmy telepath with a wicked mean streak that they had convinced over to their side. Erik snarled at her wordlessly. In another time, in any other situation really, Erik thinks he might have actually liked this mutant. She was ruthless and beautiful, with short brown hair and frigid blue eyes. However, the only expression usually found in them was sadistic glee as she rooted around in his brain.
Erik's internal mantra of pleading Charles, Charles, Charles, if you can hear me, please Charles, I'm sorry, come get us, please Charles, Charles, Charles, was cut short as the woman came closer.
"Hello, Erik," she said slowly, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face as she reached out to touch his forehead, no other warning given as she ripped into his mind with ease, so unlike Charles' reluctant yet soothing presence any time he tried to enter Erik's mind.
Gott, what he would give to feel Charles in his head again.
"Ooh, thinking of Charlie-boy again, are we? Naughty, naughty, Herr Lehnsherr. But that's not what I was looking for, was it. No, let's go a bit further back." She delved back into his memories, and Erik realized where she was headed right before she tossed his struggling conciousness to the side and delved into his memories of his time with Herr Schmidt, starting with the day he shot Erik's mother in front of him and Erik had destroyed the lab in his grief.
She pulled away in success, a beaming smile stretched across her attractive face. Erik could feel nothing but disgust and the loss the memories of his mother always drudged up. He spit at the telepath, glaring unrepentantly as the woman just wiped the spit off of her face and skipped toward the door.
"I've found what I was looking for, little Erik. I don't think they'll be needing my expertise any longer, not for you, anyhow." Erik was confused, but he watched her leave with a scowl and a feeling of growing dread. Just what had she found that would be helpful here?