I've done everything I can to stay away from the new mutants. Though in the middle of the night I can hear their powers calling to me, like a siren.
Raven and Hank are distracting the newbies, while Charles, Erik, and I are waiting for Moira to come out of a meeting. Putting Raven in charge with Hank is a completely horrible decision, because I can smell the alcohol from here and I can hear the manic laughter. Erik and Charles were gone for days recruiting mutants from the list that Charles came up with. Honestly he could have just asked me to find the mutants, but I guess that he wants to do everything himself.
Charles is really trusting. He has no idea who these people are and yet he let them come here. They could be dangerous!
Charles, Erik, and I are in a small conference room waiting for Moira to finish talking to the director of the CIA, to give Moira permission to send us in to face Shaw. Which is another horrible decision, because none of these kids are ready for Shaw. Which I have told Charles a few times now, but he isn't listening to me.
"I can't stop thinking about all the others out there. All those minds I touched." Charles said dreamily. "I could feel their isolation, their hopes, their ambitions. I'm telling you we're at the start of something incredible! We can help them!"
I sighed and squeezed his hand. He has such a good heart, but involving the government is such a bad idea.
"Can we? Identification- that's how it starts. And how it ends with being rounded up, experimented on, eliminated." Erik sighed staring across the table at us.
"Charlie, he's right. We've seen this before. You found all of those mutants, but maybe being apart of the government is not the we should approach this. They shouldn't be involved in this." I said gently.
"Not this time. We have common enemies- Shaw, the Russians. They need us!" Charles said smiling wide.
"But for how long?" I pressed. Charles sighed and wrapped his arm around me, pulling my chair closer to his.
"Maybe when all this is over, we can make a place for mutants, where we don't have to hide. Where we can be what we are,without judgement."
Charles said.
"Maybe." I mumbled, soaking up his touch. Moira walked into the room, frowning when she saw Charles's hand placement.
Wow, really?
Charles stood up pulling me up with him.
"The plane leaves for Russia in an hour. We have a lead on Shaw and the only way we are going to find him is if we leave now." She said quickly.
We followed her out of the room and towards the courtyard.
"I'm telling you these kids are not ready for Shaw." Erik said trailing behind us. Charles was holding me close to him, squeezing my hand tightly. I could feel his worry.
"I think they are going to surprise you. They're an exceptional bunch of young people." Charles said smiling, trying to ignore the worry stirring in his stomach. Loud music echoed through the courtyard. Glass littered the pavement, the statue that once stood proudly in the middle sat in ruin, cut in half.
"Oh, boy." I said looking into the game room, where the new mutants were supposed to be quietly talking.
"What the hell!" Moira said, mouth gaping open, staring into the room.
Raven was dancing on the table beer bottle in hand. Hank was hanging upside down from the light fixtures on the ceiling dancing. Angel was flying around holding a beer, while Alex hit Darwin repeatedly in the stomach with the leg of a chair.
I really don't know what to say. Oh, wait.
"I told you so." I told Charles telepathically.
He didn't answer. Charles's mouth was open in shock. "What the hell are you doing? Who destroyed the statue?" Moira exclaimed.
"Language," Raven giggled drunkedly. Hank flipped off the light fixture, landing on his feet.
"It was Alex!" He said immediately.
"No, Havok! That's his name now!" Raven exclaimed, smile plastered on her face. She looked at Charles. "And we were thinking you should be called
Professor X!" She pointed at Erik. "And you should be Magneto!"
Did she really just add an o to magnet?
"We were just about to think of one for you Andy!" The smile didn't leave her face. I could smell the alcohol on her breath. She stumbled off the table. I took a step towards her, stepping on the broken glass, preparing to catch her.
"Exceptional." Erik said sarcastically. He walked away Moira followed behind him closely.
"I expect more from you!" Charles exclaimed, pulling me away.
We walked in silence to the plane, that was in the unattached hanger next door. Moira and Erik had already boarded, but for some reason Charles was stalling, getting on the plane.
"Charlie it's just a phase, you know how Raven is. And the other mutants, they are just kids after all, and…" I began.
"No! It's not just a phase!" He exclaimed angrily turning around, a fire blazing in his eyes that I had never seen before.
"She's still young. Maybe you expect too much from her." I said quietly. He sighed, but didn't answer me. "We have to leave, Charlie. Moira is waiting for us." I said motioning towards the plane.
"No." He said plainly.
"No? Charlie we have to go. This is what you wanted, for the government to allow mutants in the field. If we don't leave for Russia now, Shaw might be gone by the time we get there. This might be the only chance we have" I said confused. The wind blew through the open doors of the hangar. I could see Moira sitting in the window of the plane watching us, jealousy flashing in her eyes.
"No." He said taking both of my hands in his. He took a deep breath. "Andy I need you to stay here. Raven obviously can't be left alone, and those other kids aren't any better. I need someone here that I trust watching out for them."
"No!" I exclaimed pulling my hands from his. "Charlie please don't ask me to do that. I have to stay with you, I have to be there. I don't want you to face Shaw alone!" The thought of Charles being left alone with my father, without me to stop him, filled me with absolute terror.
"Andy I'll be fine." He said smiling trying to take my hands again. I shifted out of his reach.
"No! No! I won't do it. I won't stay here on the sidelines." I couldn't breathe. Vison's of Adrian's body flashed through my mind. I don't want that to be Charles lying cold and lifeless on the ground.
"Andy, it's going to be okay. I'm strong enough to face him, and Erik will be there too and Moira. I won't be alone." He said confidently, trying to assure me of his safety.
I laughed coldly. "Right Moira will be there. That stupid woman won't be able to help you Charlie! What if that telepath is there, then what huh? What will Moira do? Maybe if she asks the telepath politely she won't make you heads split in half. Maybe if she asks nicely that telepath won't make your head hurt so bad that you feel like your brain is melting. You are not strong enough to face Shaw! And it's stupid to think that a puny homo-sapien can save you from certain death!" I exclaimed angrily.
Okay, maybe I was jealous and maybe I was being a bit harsh, but everything I said was absolutely true.
"Moira isn't a puny human, she's a government agent!" Charles rolled his eyes.
"Oh, sorry I'm so scared. What's she gonna do flash her badge at Shaw?" I said sarcastically, narrowing my eyes. Charles chuckled. I took a deep breath.
"Charlie please don't ask me to wait here, please don't ask me to stay here and be a glorified babysitter, while you are out there facing Shaw. Please, don't do this!"
He exhaled. "Why are you so worried about this? What do you know that I don't?" He said softly moving closer to me, brushing a stray hair from my face, letting his finger linger on my cheek. I couldn't catch my breath and I couldn't stand it any longer.
I'm sick of all the lies.
"What are you so afraid of?" Charles asked me softly.
"I'm afraid of losing you and Raven, Charlie. The things that I've kept from you both keep you here with me." I said tears in my eyes.
"You're being ridiculous. Nothing is going to make us leave you. Now tell me, why are you so worried about this?" He said moving his face closer to me, so his cool breath washed over my face.
"I know more about Shaw than any person in the world Charlie. I've spent a lot of time with him over the years." I said slowly biting my lip.
"I know that, you were his patient in the war." He said frowning.
"No Charlie that's not why. That's not the whole story." He looked confused. I swallowed.
Here goes nothing.
"He's my father Charles." I said using his full name for the first time in forever. Charles moved back from me like he'd been slapped.
"What?" He breathed.
"He's my father." I repeated, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "I wanted to tell you, but…" I paused.
"But what? You neglected to tell me that the very man that we have been preparing to fight, the man that killed Erik's family, the man that we have been tracking, is in fact your father?!" He exclaimed.
I nodded slowly, not able to make eye contact with him.
"Does anyone else know?" He asked trying to calm down.
"No, Erik once knew, but I locked those memories away, the night the lab burned. But Charles I-" I choked out.
"I don't want to hear it! You kept this to yourself too long. Why didn't you tell me?" He interrupted.
I opened my mouth to speak.
"No. You know what? We will discuss this when I get back." He shouted, stomping away and boarding the plane.
Well, that went well.