Erik had been preparing the mansion for an attack for months, and his lessons were now being put to the test. As soon as the bell began clanging through the halls, the students started sprinting to their rooms. Erik almost ran into Raven, who had terror seeping out of her eyes.
"Have you seen Azazel? He has Kurt!"
A cloud of smoke appeared beside Raven and Azazel grabbed her arm before disappearing again. Erik shook his head and kept running, opening his mind completely and trying to call to Charles.
"Erik!" Ororo came sprinting down the hallway. "Erik this way!" She grabbed his hand and they ran toward the front door. "They're everywhere!"
As they hurried along the halls, Erik saw others coming out of their rooms to follow him. Darwin was helping Alex into his suit to contain his power, Sean was hurried to the stairwell to get to a higher perch with Angel hot on his heels, and Emma was waiting by the front door for Erik to arrive. "Where is Charles?" Erik demanded of her immediately.
"He is coming with Hank."
"Good." Erik turned to the array of mutants behind him. "Emma, I need you to get me a visual on the humans." He felt her link their minds before she ran out the door. Erik focused and instantly saw everything she did. Men were spread in a semi circle around the mansion. "Get Azazel for me, Emma." Erik severed the connection between their minds just as he heard more feet approaching the door.
"Erik!" Charles enveloped Erik in a hug that lasted barely more than a moment.
"Tell Angel and Sean to fly over them and take out as many as they can. Tell Sean to stay on the east side of the house. They must stay out of range of the weapons." Erik insisted as Charles lifted his hand to press his fingers to his temple. "Ororo, stay with Colossus. I want you to go to the west side of the house and hit them with anything you can. Colossus, take down anything that gets within twenty feet of her."
"Got it." Ororo jumped onto Colossus' back. They disappeared quickly down the hall.
"Alex, stay with Darwin and go up the middle. Take them down. Darwin, stop them from getting to Alex."
"Erik, Hank finished his serum. It didn't quite work the way he wanted. He could help in this situation." Charles said, grabbing Erik's arm. "The serum accelerated his mutated gene instead of destroying it." A large, blue, furry creature lumbered into sight. "That's him."
"Hank." Erik greeted him. "Nice to see you out of the lab. Go with Alex and Darwin. Don't let anything get too close." A loud pop announced Azazel's arrival. "I need you to get behind them and take them down. I'm sorry," Erik added, "but we need you in this fight."
"I will protect them better by helping the cause." Azazel said before disappearing again. "Charles, you need to stay with me. Keep your mind linked to Emma's and tell me what happens. Send the others out to start fighting as they arrive. I must join the fight." Erik closed his eyes and sensed the traps he and Hank had installed in the ground for an occasion such as this. He raised the metal spikes underneath the approaching humans' feet, sending many of them collapsing to the ground.
"Scott, go find Ororo and Colossus. They need your help." Charles ordered as a young boy with special sunglasses appeared behind Erik. As Charles continued to send people out, Erik sent out his power and sensed the metal the humans were wearing. Their weapons became useless in their hands. Charles yanked Erik's arm. "They got Angel."
"Tell Azazel to get her out of there." Erik ordered, his concentration breaking his hold on the metal and allowing a fresh barrage of grenades to be flung toward the mansion. Catching them all with his mind, Erik sent them hurtling back toward the humans.
"Erik no!" Charles attacked Erik, and the grenades all exploded, most harmlessly away from both sides. "Angel is somewhere over there!"
Erik mentally berated himself for his moment of carelessness. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He turned his attention back to attempting to dismantle every weapon within his range. It seemed that the humans had brought an entire army to take down the mansion they feared, but Erik was confident in their ability to protect the mutants living here.
"I want to help."
Erik released his power and spun around to look at Jean. "Absolutely not."
"Erikā¦" Charles said warningly, but Erik ignored him.
"You are much too young, and your powers are incredibly weakened after building the new walls. I absolutely refuse to allow you out there."
"But I can help!"
"I will not let you risk your life. We have plenty of mutants already in danger. I do not want you joining them!"
Tears threatened to spill from the girl's eyes and her lip wobbled dangerously. "You let Ororo fight. You let her out there and you won't let me." She sniffed and dug the palm of her hand into her eye. "She's only two years older than me."
Erik cast a desperate look at Charles, who raised his hands and backed away. Crouching down to her level, Erik put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to risk yourself unnecessarily, Jean. Your powers need time to strengthen again."
All of the fight drained out of the little girl and she sat down by the wall. "I'm staying here." She insisted. "Just in case."
Erik couldn't deny her that, so he nodded his consent and turned his attention back to the grounds. The humans had advanced further than he was comfortable with during his conversation and he immediately threw his power back into destroying their weapons.
There was a flash of smoke and two loud pops and Angel was suddenly beside Charles, lying on her side with blood smeared over her left side. The wings on that side were slashed. "Erik." Charles sent an image to Erik's mind of the place where Azazel had found Angel, and Erik targeted those humans. Weapons turned and fired upon their owners, grenades exploded without being thrown, and knives tore through everything Erik could reach until that section was demolished. He collapsed in exhaustion.
"Water." He croaked, wiping sweat off his forehead. Jean sprinted away and back with a large pitcher and several cups. She poured one cup of water for Erik and one for Angel. She returned to Erik with a cool washcloth and placed it on his face. "Thanks. How many of them are left, Charles?"
"They're falling back. Azazel is cutting them down as they run."
"Tell him to let some escape. If they are running, leave them be." Erik coughed several times while Charles relayed the order. "Some of them have to survive to warn the rest that we are not to be trifled with." Erik added with a grin that showed every single one of his teeth.
"I am telling everyone to come back inside. Azazel or Emma will warn us if the humans return." Charles fell silent as he located each of the mutants he needed to find. "There are several injuries."
"Nobody ever uses practice room thirteen. We should make it an infirmary. It's the biggest one." Jean said. Without waiting for a response, she marched off toward the practice rooms.
"Send them there." Erik said, pushing himself to his feet. "And tell Raven to meet me in our new infirmary. We are going to need help."
Charles sent the new instructions to the others before following Erik. Jean was already in the practice room, her face scrunched up in concentration. Several tables were floating down the hallway and settling in the large room. "I need cushions for the tables. At least until we can get some beds here." Jean said as soon as Erik and Charles arrived.
"There are spares in the closets." Charles told Erik and led the way back out of the room to retrieve the cushions. By the time they returned, several of their mutants were sitting on the tables. Jean was ordering the healthy ones about to find bandages to wrap up some wounds. "You really shouldn't treat her like a child, Erik. She has the spirit of a young woman in there."
"If I don't treat her like a child, who will?" Erik asked. Without waiting for Charles to reply, Erik hurried away to help Jean with Hank, who had several deep gashes on his legs.
