Forgive any errors or anything that's weird. I'm not editing this as much as I usually do because I want to stick to my schedule. I'm happy enough with it to post. It's a couple of scenes I hadn't actually planned, one of which changed significantly two days ago, thus the delay in posting. But I'm super close to it still being October, so I'm totally counting it as getting it in by my self-set deadline of before November.
MirrorFlower and DarkWind: As always, I'm so so glad you enjoyed! It's always nice to hear.
weemcg33: I'm a huge fan of Onslaught knocking Erik down a couple of pegs. I suppose that's obvious after the last chapter. Perhaps it'll be even more obvious in a chapter to come. Maybe. No spoilers. ;)
Argetaie: Onslaught is definitely terrifying. Like Charles except not afraid to, you know, take over the world and bend everyone to his whim. That's why I like him so much. Charles certainly…does some stuff in this chapter. Hopefully you approve. :)
Chapter 4: I'm hearing voices from shadows inside me (Evans Blue, "This Time It's Different")
Onslaught pulled the helmet off and ran a hand through his hair, huffing as it caught in a mess of knots. He tugged through them then gave it a tussle for good measure. His discussion with Erik had been enlightening. Perhaps Charles would be more amenable to his ideas now. His other half had been suspiciously silent since his abrupt ceding of control. If he could turn that pain Charles was feeling into something more, something powerful-
"Any progress?"
Onslaught froze. So lost in his preparations, he'd forgotten about the machine's other occupant., He lifted his head just the slightest bit without turning towards McCoy. The boy could be an asset, but only if he was willing to work with Onslaught.
"Charles?"
His tone was too casual. The kind of casual that's forced like smalltalk at a dinner party.
Hank had stood by his side through his whole discussion with Erik, taking surreptitious readings throughout the whole interaction. Readings he could handle, but surreptitious ones, well, that was never a promising sign.
Three seconds of probing his mind and, look at that, Henry McCoy had confirmed his suspicions that something was wrong with his mentor. Smart boy.
Onslaught set the helmet down on Cerebro's panel. "I had a talk with Erik."
Hank startled, paused. Onslaught could feel the mental gears turning. McCoy wasn't worried for the man that had once been their ally. Rather, he didn't want any more variables in the mix when he was dealing with whatever was happening with Charles. What a fascinating mind.
"Why?"
"Not 'what did he say' or 'how did it go'?" Onslaught turned to the scientist for the first time, allowing a touch of power to spark free.
Hank took a step back and dropped the façade of casualness. Thank heavens. He was quite bad at it. Undercover work was not in his future.
"What's happened to you, Charles?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You've been very helpful over the years, the only person who has been truly loyal to me. You're as much family as Raven is. Don't make yourself an obstacle."
The threat was lost of McCoy. The boy was too busy looking down at his readings. "You're not- your readings are different but not by much. I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it. The baseline is there, completely normal. So…you're Charles, but…not. Are you- possessing him?"
Onslaught raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a demon, Henry."
"But another mutant. One who can-"
"Take over people's minds? And tell me, why would anyone want to take over my mind right now? Who knows about us? How long has it been since either of us have done anything productive, anything that someone might want my mind for?"
Ah, that struck a nerve. Hank looked pained before boxing it away with all the other regret he held for the past few years. "You're not different enough to be another consciousness anyway. So if you're not another consciousness…then something that already existed? Another side of him? One he's kept hidden...related to his telepathy? Everything was fine until your telepathy came back."
"Oh, you really are very clever. Spot on. I'm impressed."
Hank practically staggered at the confirmation, leaning over the side panel just at the edge of the platform. "Another part of you you've kept hidden away gaining consciousness and taking over. Sean would flip," he said, dazed. He really was taking it quite well.
"Just like one of his soap operas. Yes, Sean would flip. If he weren't dead."
Hank bolted straight again. All the pain he'd boxed away swept back tenfold with a side of horror. Onslaught had ripped open a wound that had never really healed. It had been covered, ignored, never given the proper care it deserved among all the other problems they had come across. It was a perfect weapon.
"But Sean is dead. He's not the only one. We're seeing the beginning, and it will only get worse. So few of us are alive to carry on in the future. Not even you…"
Pause just the right amount of silence to let that fact settle in. Charles may not have been adept at reading people without telepathy, but Onslaught made it an art. He could see the exact moment when the revelation struck the boy scientist. So young…yet not young enough to not fear mortality. He wheeled forward. McCoy didn't pull away.
"I've seen it, Hank. That future must be avoided at all costs. I am the way we can do that. Now, are you going to help me avert a future where you, our fellow mutants, and our human allies are victims of genocide or are you going to beg me to give you your Charles back? Your Charles," he added quickly when he felt Hank's mind snap back towards concern for his mentor, "who couldn't even stand the thought of using his telepathy 24 hours ago, who was so broken that all he did every day was lie around wallowing in self pity, dragging you down with him."
Hank opened his mouth, closed it, narrowed his eyes at Onslaught. "You're giving me a choice between allowing my friend to be subjugated to another being or trying to free him?"
"No. I'm giving you a choice to keep your memories of the past hour or not." Hank paled. "If it's any consolation, I'm not doing any subjugating. Charles chose this all by himself. He's the one who began our conversation with Erik."
"I…" Hank said after a pause.
"Is it really that difficult a decision? Do I seem that vile? Have I done anything to make you question my motives?"
"You took over the body of my friend," Hank replied with a scowl.
Onslaught sighed. "But I didn't do anything to hurt Erik or Raven."
"Because you don't have enough control back yet."
Onslaught let the shadow of a smile flit across his face. Charles made many questionable decisions, but keeping Hank around made up for, well, not all, but some of them. Such a keen mind to work with.
"That's neither here nor there. I cannot give you any more convincing data than my word that Charles and I are both doing what we feel is best for the future. You'll have to draw your conclusions from that. What's your decision? Shall I take your memories or are you going to help save the future?"
"If I help you, Charles will come back afterwards."
"I give you my word that as soon as we finish our task in Washington DC, Charles will return."
"Fine. Charles, if you can hear me, I hope he's telling the truth. We'll find a way to get you out if we have to."
"He's very appreciative, but he assures you you need not be concerned. Go to bed, Hank. We'll deal with the rest of this in the morning."
Hank had gone to bed, though it took a rather substantial mental nudge to get him to actually sleep instead of running probabilities in his head. What had happened? What exactly was Onslaught? What's the likelihood he's telling the truth? What could he do if Charles was a hostage in his own body? It was exhausting and, to be honest, mind-numbing and Onslaught didn't need any more of a headache than he already had from Cerebro. So he felt no qualms sending Hank off to bed. Charles didn't even protest, which was actually more concerning than it was a relief.
He wheeled himself into the bedroom McCoy had aired out. He didn't have the luxury of sleep though. Not that he needed it, but Hank was right. He hadn't been powerful enough to do any real damage to Erik. He'd been far more adept at his attack this time than with Raven at least. His power was returning quickly. It certainly needed to with what was coming the next day.
He laid down on the bed and stretched out. It was a wonder how much better this room was. Even with the faint musty smell still pervading the mattress, it far surpassed the mess of sweat and sorrow in Charles' old bedroom. Perhaps he'd have that room closed off after all this was over. Or burn it with all of that damn serum of Hank's.
That was a problem for another time. He had more pressing issues to attend to if he wanted to be in top form.
He settled down into the bed and closed his eyes.
Within moments, he was standing by the open French doors of Charles' old office. It was dark and the room was in disarray. A breeze just on the wrong side of chilly rustled some stray papers on the floor. Charles was sat on the balcony with his head in his hands staring out into the starless night.
Onslaught leaned on the doorway. "Are you appeased? I let you talk with him. I didn't force you back."
Charles kept staring forward, unseeing. "He's so far gone. How can anyone's logic be so twisted? All he wants to do it kill. Anyone who gets in his way is justified collateral damage to him. How can we ever work together?"
"Not easily."
Charles looked up with a furrowed brow.
"Your older counterpart allowed me access to his mind. I don't think he intended to allow me to see what Erik did to us, but…"
"But?"
"He sent Mystique to incapacitate you, kidnapped a teenage girl to take his place in a machine that would take its user's life. He came to your rescue when you were kidnapped by a madman then took advantage of you at your weakest and almost succeeded in using you to commit genocide. He provoked a student until she killed you. Killed us."
"Killed us?" Charles was looking at him with exactly the incredulous expression that Onslaught had been expected.
Onslaught shrugged. "We came back. We're harder to kill than one would imagine. He didn't know you'd survive when he watched you die though."
Charles' head dropped back into his hands, broken all over again. It almost made Onslaught pity his other half.
He could feel Charles' shift further from forgiveness. Mostly because his own desire to find a reason to forgive Lehnsherr was increasing. How annoying. He sighed. "To his credit, he regretted every one of those decisions. Your death more immediately then the others, but eventually he regretted it all. He's…a lost soul. I know how much you like lost souls."
Charles scoffed. "No. I'm…whoever I became in that future, I don't know how to get there. I'm through trying to be the telepath everyone expects me to be."
Onslaught felt another shift, different this time, so sudden it threw him off balance. It was…butterflies in his stomach except they spread out, fluttering in his back and up his chest. He squirmed, just the slightest bit, against the doorway. No need to show Charles a weakness. The squirming did nothing to alleviate the discomfort. If anything, it aggravated it more.
Then something snapped. As cliché as it was, it was akin to s rubber band stretched to the extreme then being let go to assume its natural state again. The doorway was the only thing keeping him standing. The squirming stopped. He could hear voices in the distance. What- what exactly what happening? He'd never felt anything like this before.
Charles continued seemingly oblivious. "We will save the future. Whatever happens after that, we'll deal with it when the time comes. I'm tired of allowing others to dictate the direction our life takes."
"You won't fight me?" Onslaught had to struggle not to clear his throat and even then the question came out breathier than he'd have liked. The butterflies were replaced with a bubbling sensation high in his chest.
The Charles who pulled his head out of his hands was not the same one who had let it fall there. His stony face spoke louder than anything that could pass through his lips. It was the face of a man who had made a decision with no intention of turning back. The odd feelings all ceased, leaving Onslaught grasping the doorway with one hand, knees almost too weak to hold him up, staring at Charles.
"You're the way to stop that future from coming to be," Charles said. "You won't kill Raven to do it. I see no reason to try to stop you."
His strength was returning now. He pushed himself up, taking a silent inventory of his body and mind. "Even if Erik gets in our way?"
Charles was silent a moment, staring at the sun peaking over the horizon. "The Erik I knew is gone. Who knows what changing the events that led to our partnership will do our future. He's destroyed my family more effectively than any human could have. If Erik gets in our way, we should treat him as he would treat us."
The hardened voice and declaration weren't from the Charles he'd been imprisoned by for so long. And then it made sense. The feelings he had, the one Charles seemed to be ignoring…he'd been right when he thought of snapping into place. He and Charles were now in perfect alignment. Neither was fighting the other, no hidden feelings or desires were there for one to push off onto the other. Nothing but harmony. That feeling bubbling up in his throat? It was power. The power of not being restrained. The voices echoing in the peripheral? His telepathy stretching out, unencumbered.
Charles was broken enough to finally accept who he truly was, and Onslaught was ready to meet him halfway.
Charles, broken as he was, seemed to know what was happening. He even offered Onslaught what appeared to be the barest trace of a half-smile. A quirking of the left corner of his mouth really, but it was possibly the first time he'd offered anything other than hostility to his other half. Onslaught grinned back at him. Charles turned back to watch the red sun turning the sky a flaming orange.
Perhaps he didn't have as much work to do to prepare after all.
Next chapter is going to be the White House scene from the movie (with some changes obviously). I've been having a little bit of a hard time with it. I know exactly how it's going to end, but how to get there had been eluding me. I'll do my best to get it out in November.
Reviews always help :)
