Chapter 6: The Emoto Effect
"It never ends, does it?" Agent Frank thought aloud, holding the evidence bag in his hand up to the light. The hotel room that he and Moira stood in was splattered with an inordinate amount of blood, too much to have come from one victim alone.
"Care to let me in on the big secret here?" Moira asked, walking up behind him. He looked over his shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge. "People are dying, Peter, and it's fairly obvious that you've got something to do with it."
"You still don't trust me."
"We've been working together for almost a month now, Sir." Moira insisted, never breaking eye-contact with her superior-turned-partner. He frowned at the use of his title, turning to face her. "And in all that time I never gave you any reason not to trust me either. I need to know." Peter studied her for a moment before nodding and moving past her to leave the crime-scene.
"Not here." He told her, holding up the police tape for her so she could duck under it.
"We could contact Moira and see if she can find anything." Raven suggested from where she sat on the window-seat in the library, watching Erik pace.
"About Francis, or Charles?" Alex inquired darkly, poking at one of the chess pieces on the board in front of him. Erik glared down at him and he snatched his hand away, leaving Charles and Erik's unfinished game intact. They had started it on the night of the 'Glass Incident' and had never gotten the chance to continue it since.
"I think information about either one would be helpful at this point." Raven said, glancing out the window at her brother, who was currently sitting alone on the lawn outside, staring up at the sky. He had taken to avoiding the others now, especially in enclosed spaces. The only person that he was willing to share a room with for any length of time was Logan, a fact that troubled the others to no end, especially Erik. He would spend time with the rest of them outside, but never for more than an hour at a time, always managing to find some excuse to slip away before that seemingly random time limit was reached.
"She has no way to help with this." Erik nearly growled in frustration, gesturing out the window. "She's already relayed everything that she and that other agent have learned about the Shadow King."
"Has Logan—" Alex began to ask, but stopped short, flinching at the look he got from Erik.
"No explanation. Just the same thing he said before." Raven replied.
"He isn't safe for us anymore." Erik recited, glaring bitterly out the window. Charles stood up and turned to face them, looking into the window as if to meet Erik's gaze. He smiled sadly at Erik before turning his back to them and wandering out of view. Erik scowled and the metal around them shifted, as though the fixtures nearby were beginning to melt. "Enough of this!" He muttered and stormed out of the room.
"Erik?" Raven called after him. He held up hand a without turning looking back and the metal solidified once again. Raven and Alex shared uncomfortable looks.
"So…" Alex said, breaking the tense silence that Erik had left in his wake. "Checkers?"
I sat on the edge of the bed in our cell. The child had finally fallen asleep. I hoped that she'd be able to remain that way for a long while this time. All of the crying was really beginning to fray my nerves. I had tried to get her to stop but well… I never claimed to be a people person, and as inexplicably fond as she'd become of me, I was still apparently rather frightening to her. I had seen two of the other prisoners clearly by now. Farouk was trying to keep us isolated after all, but I'd seen and recognized you -or rather the child had seen you and I had recognized the image she relayed- and there was another mutant, another man that I didn't know. He didn't seem too broken up about his captivity, although from the fleeting impressions I got from his mind, he was just a calm and collected sort of chap.
I stilled, becoming fully alert at the sound of movement outside our cell. Someone was coming closer. The footsteps were light and almost soundless, but there was a slight click indicating heels. I reached out telepathically and instantly recoiled. Moss came into my line of vision a moment later holding a tray. She stopped to regard me smugly from the other side of the bars.
"Xavier Junior." She said, smirking. "I expected you to be taller."
"Everyone does." I replied in a more modulated voice. The child curled up on the bed beside me had begun to fidget in response to the woman's voice. I rested my hand on one of her feet and sent a couple calming impressions her way before continuing. "Is that all? If you're hoping to tease me with that food I should mention: I'm incapable of experiencing hunger."
"How nice for you." Moss remarked, unlocking the cage. "Don't try anything funny, Junior. You know what I'm capable of." I waited until she was in the cage, letting her close enough to set down the tray next to the no-longer-sleeping child first. At least the girl was clever enough to fake it.
"I do, yes." I admitted casually. Moss smirked again, then made the mistake of looking up. I locked eyes with her. "And yet I still can't bring myself to care." I sensed Moss' mind beginning to push back. It was my turn to smirk. "I'm going to have to stop you right there." I added, and paused her in mid thought. I reached over and patted the child's legs, prompting her to sit up. She eyed Moss' statue-like stillness interestedly, before crawling over to sit beside me, reaching one tiny hand up to touch my cheek as she observed my glowing eyes. I grasped her hand and gently removed it from my face.
"Listen, Child, I've got an idea. Do you trust me?" I asked in a muted voice. The child chewed her lower lip as she considered this, then nodded. "Good. No more talking from now on then. Don't be frightened. I have no intention of harming you." She tilted her head to one side, looking up at me questioningly, then gasped when I projected into her mind for the first time.
I have a plan to get out of here but I am going to need your faithful cooperation to pull it off. Can you do that?
The child grabbed my hand leaning her head on my arm as she responded.
I want to go home. She thought back. I sighed, then shifted my full attention to Moss for a second when my hold on her began to falter.
I can't hold her forever. Can you do it? I restated, trying not to sound too forceful. The child sobered and nodded again.
Excellent. I replied and snapped my fingers. Moss collapsed, unconscious. I stepped over her uncaringly, leading the child by the hand out of our cage. Stay close.
Erik found Charles sitting alone on the same garden bench that Erik and I had shared before our mission. He was reading an old, leather-bound book from our family library. Erik took a closer look at the spine as he walked over to him. A collection of Poe's short stories. Erik wondered if that was a wise choice considering…
"What's troubling you, my friend?" Charles asked, sounding concerned as Erik sat down beside him.
"You already know the answer, Charles." Erik returned, forcing himself not to look away. Charles had begun to look too much like a ghost for Erik to bear.
"I'm sorry but I have to do this."
"Why?" Erik inquired, frustrated. Charles opened his mouth to reply but Erik continued. "And why will you only see Logan?" The hint of a smile crossed Charles' pale face.
"Are you jealous?" He queried. Erik scowled. So, yes, a bit. Charles sighed and rested his head on Erik's shoulder. "I assure you. There's no need. The reason isn't nearly as pleasant as you suspect."
"You haven't answered my question." Erik noted.
"He's immortal." Charles admitted grimly. Erik frowned, feeling the guilt emanating from the younger man.
"I don't understand."
"I don't want to hurt anyone, but at least Logan… At least I'm certain that I won't kill him." Charles confessed. Erik felt dampness on his shoulder and realized that Charles was crying. He reached up a hand and ran it soothingly through his hair. Erik noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and looked down at the reflecting pool they were facing. The water was rippling, which made no sense as there was no wind. The ripples were becoming more dramatic as he watched. The sight was so sudden and peculiar that it took him a couple of seconds to notice the obvious. The water was flowing away from them as though it was repelled by some unseen force, but more accurately: it was flowing away from Charles.
Erik tightened his hold on him as he saw a few sizeable drops of water float up out of the pool, shining in the morning light like crystalline spheres.
"Charles?" Erik prompted, trying to keep his voice even and calm.
"I miss you." Charles whispered shyly, oblivious to the disturbance with his eyes shut. More beads of water were ascending to join the others, some of them combining to create larger globes. "Something strange is happening to me."
"You don't say." Erik replied, watching a little fish swim anxiously about inside one of the larger globes until it hid behind a leaf that had been carried up with it. It was as though he'd fallen into some sort of peculiar and depressing dream without noticing. He knew that he should probably be taking this more seriously, especially since the cause was still completely unaware of his effect, but this was Charles and Erik simply couldn't bring himself to believe that Charles would ever harm him.
"I'm serious, Erik." Charles responded, sounding exhausted. "Strange things keep happening around me. I know that I'm the cause, but I can't quite manage to control it yet. It seems to be tied in with my emotions." The little fish peeked out from behind its leaf only to dart out of sight again when another, tinier drop impacted its floating puddle. "I've been seeing Francis in my sleep. I don't think they're just dreams." Charles continued. "He won't tell me anything useful and our meetings are so brief…"
"I wondered where you'd gone." Erik said distractedly. Charles sat up to regard him with suspicion but instead gasped in surprise at the unexpected sight in front of them. All the little globes and droplets collapsed into the reflecting pool with a loud splash.
"What in the—Erik! Why didn't you say anything?" Charles demanded.
"I didn't want to disturb you." Erik responded easily. Charles frowned at him. "You weren't doing anything dangerous." Erik pointed out. Charles stared at him with an irritated expression on his face before taking a deep breath and attempting to clear his mind. He'd almost managed it when a thought occurred to him and his eyes snapped open to bore accusingly into Erik's.
"What do you mean you wondered where I'd gone?" There was a minor staring match between the two before Erik answered:
"I sneaked into your room while you were sleeping a few times. Your signature kept disappearing." Charles let out a little frustrated sound from his throat that Erik really shouldn't have found so adorable.
"I should go." Charles decided. "My annoyance will only make things worse."
"Yes, you're right. If you don't flee immediately the poor fish may never know what hit them." Erik deadpanned.
"This is serious, Erik." Charles admonished, although he was smiling slightly. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Then you won't." Erik replied, pulling him back onto the bench. Charles raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by his sudden naïveté. "I'm not being naïve. I'm being logical. Your tertiary mutation-" Erik paused for a second at the giant grin that got from Charles. "Your tertiary mutation or whatever this may be reacts to your emotions, correct?"
"That's correct."
"You don't feel like hurting me at the moment do you?"
"No."
"Well then. I'm perfectly safe with you." Erik concluded. Charles relaxed a little.
"Unless you startle him." Logan warned, strolling towards them with a lit cigar in one hand. "Or he gets ticked off at something you do." At that Logan looked accusingly down at the young professor, taking a draw from his cigar.
"Then perhaps you'd like to take your cigar elsewhere." Erik responded coolly, his silver eyes following the other man's movements like a panther regarding its prey.
The child and I, mostly I, had managed to break out of the basement and we were running through the halls of the gaudy mansion under which we were being held. Whoever the Shadow King had possessed in order to acquire this place should be utterly ashamed of themselves. The hall we were currently jogging down was an appalling shade of mustard that had no right to exist in my world, accented by hints of a species of blue that ought to be extinct. The table we ran past on our way to the stairwell was so hideous that it simply had to be expensive, a further 'fuck you' from the makers of the object no doubt. It also was painted just the right shade of blue to somehow not only clash with the mustard walls, but with the other blue in the accents. I felt two more presences coming towards us down the hall, and hastily pulled the child through the nearest unlocked door to hide. We were in an empty study, also hideous- but hey, there was a wall of windows across from us. Who thought that patterned, lime-green drapes were appropriate? Focus Francis! I locked the door and crossed the study to take a peek out the window. Oh lovely, I know where I am now.
I turned back to the child and blew out a breath, surveying our surroundings tactically, and resolutely avoiding acknowledging the disgusting, patterned rug. Fuck the sixties. …Actually, this room would do nicely.
Okay, I'm going to focus very intensely for a moment. Why don't you go sit and wait over there while I do this? It'll only be a few minutes. I told the child. She pouted up at me unhappily, hesitant to let go. She had been hanging onto my hand like a life-line ever since we'd left the cage. Only a few minutes. I swear. I insisted and she finally released me and climbed up into the padded leather desk chair behind me to wait. I sat down in the center of the room, reaching out with my telepathy for a familiar mind that I could latch onto. I had to get a message through quickly, before Farouk could locate either of us. I smiled at the unexpected connection that jumped out at me from the sea of minds around us. That was the best news I'd learned all day. I sent my message and opened my eyes, turning to address the child, when a large and irritatingly undetectable someone smashed their way into the room. The child screamed and darted over to hide behind me, her hands sparking in reaction to her fear. The large, muscular man lumbered toward us, looking simultaneously enraged and absolutely chuffed to bits to see me. It didn't take me long to recognize his face.
"Oh, well aren't you familiar. Haven't I killed you before?" I inquired casually.
"That was my brother, you little limey bastard!"
"I killed your brother, incidentally, but regardless, I was expecting a better insult than that." I replied. He growled and stomped toward me, clearly intending to strangle me. The child shrieked and cowered when I let him grab my throat. I waited until she had scrambled far enough away from us, then transitioned. He went flying back into the wall with a satisfying crunch. All the windows shattered as well, clueing others in on our location, but you can't win them all. "I can definitely see the resemblance: same mistakes, same cheekbones." I held out my hand to the child. "Come along, child. Time to run." I prompted. No reaction. I paused and looked at the girl more closely. She was holding her hands up near her ears with a discomfited expression. "Oh, right…"
We need to go. I projected to her. She hesitated. He was a threat. When he wakes he will be an angry threat. We need to run, now! I insisted sternly. She jumped at the sudden intensity of my internal voice, but then finally ran up and grabbed my hand. We bolted out of the room and round the corner just in time. I pulled her up the stairs then paused, letting out an exasperated sigh and bent down.
You're too little. I need to carry you. I informed her regretfully. This was so not my forte. She nodded in an oddly businesslike manner and climbed up onto my back. "Um… Alright then." Hold on tight. I added awkwardly before breaking into an all out run for the nearest balcony. I'd only just managed to reach it when three of the Shadow King's thugs caught up to us and opened fire. I just kept running, continuing over the balcony with a running leap that elicited a frightened shout from my passenger, and sped into the forest.
"You actually expect me to believe that you're from the future." Moira said, setting her coffee cup down on the simple black coffee-table in Peter's unexpectedly-modest living room.
"Of course I'm from the future. Francis is from the future. Why do you find it so strange that I am?" Peter responded, sounding incredibly practical considering the subject matter.
"Francis Xavier doesn't have a paper trail. Let alone the time that it would take to reach your position." Moira argued. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Oh, well the reason for that should be obvious."
"It isn't."
"I was thrown back a bit farther than the others. It gave me time to make myself at home." He explained with a shrug, taking a bite of his biscuit. Moira watched him thoughtfully, feeling both intrigued and annoyed by her partner's behavior.
"How much farther?"
"About five ye—" He began but suddenly froze.
"Peter?" Moira asked, leaning closer. He was as still as a statue. She'd only ever seen something like this once before when working with Charles. She was sure that wasn't a good sign. "Peter? Damn it!" She stood up and looked out the window to see if she could spot anyone acting especially telepathic. Not that she thought she'd be able to tell. They could easily be elsewhere in the building. It was an apartment building in New York, after all; they were surrounded by strangers. She jumped when the other Agent began talking again.
"-ears give or take a..few…" Peter looked up at her shocked expression and dropped his biscuit onto his plate in annoyance. "V'affanculo! Piccolo diavolo! I hate it when he does that!"
"Wh…" Moira began, uncertain what she even wanted to ask him.
"We need to go." Peter announced, standing up. "Immediately. You still have a way to contact Xavier and the others?"
"Um…"
"Good. Do it now."
"But I don't—"
"Agent MacTaggart, lives are in jeopardy, and frankly, I doubt they'll react well at all if I just appear without at least some warning. You have a number?"
"Yes, but I'm not telling you how to find them."
"Good for you. Make the call." He replied and left. Moira hesitated for a moment, chewing her lip. Then she swore and went downstairs and ask a random neighbor for the use of their phone, just in case he'd bugged his. Agent Frank was already gone.
"Hello?" Raven answered the phone after the first couple rings.
"Hey, it's me. Agent Frank is on his way there. Don't ask me how because I have no idea." Moira informed her. Raven looked over at Erik and Marie, eyes wide, before responding.
"You're sure?"
"What is it?" Erik asked.
"It's Moira. She says her partner found us." Raven reported. Erik snatched the phone away.
"Explain." He ordered, right before the doorbell rang causing the girls in the room to jump.
"That was weird." Raven gasped. Marie narrowed her eyes and went to answer the door. Logan beat her to it.
"Who the hell are you?" Logan was asking as she reached him, Erik and Raven trailing behind. Peter opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when Marie slugged him in the face instead.
"You fuckin' son of a bitch!" She shouted angrily, glaring up at him as he straightened, wiping blood away from his mouth.
"Alright. I'll admit I deserved that." Peter remarked. "Good to see you again, Rogue."
"You know him?" Erik asked. Marie began to pull off her gloves and Peter took a hasty step back.
"Wait! Wait! Fluke sent me! If you drain me you'll never know."
"Sorry, who?" Raven asked.
"Francis." Marie explained. "That's what the twins always called him."