Chapter 11

"Confrontation"

Mr. Sinister was watching the X-Men closely on his monitors when he heard Sauron enter. He smiled and got out of his chair and walked over to his balcony. Sinister looked down at the forest and closed his eyes. As far as locations for a secret base he had picked the right one. Out of the way and with deadly terrain. Would be hard for any normal person to find but the X-Men weren't normal. They would find it but Mr. Sinister didn't want to wait for that. He wanted them to find it on his terms. Sauron walked over and the moment of peace Mr. Sinister had was gone.

"You called?"

"I need you to prepare things for transport. Once I get what I need I'm leaving."

"You're going to take all of them on yourself?"

"I can handle it. Plus I only need to fight them until I get what I need."

Sauron realized he didn't much care one way or the other. If Mr. Sinister succeeded then he would be leaving and if he failed then he'd be dead. Either way Sauron would be fine. His only problem with the X-Men was Mr. Sinisters problems.

"I will leave right away."

The X-Men continued along the trail and thats when Charles felt it.

"Raven!"

She turned but it was too late. Her foot pressed down on the switch and she stopped dead in her tracks. Hank took one step towards her and he pressed down on a switch as well. Eric looked at the both of them and raised his hands in their direction. He felt the metal and looked at Charles sending thoughts he knew he would pick up on. Charles nodded and looked around. His eyes stopped on Azazel and he frowned.

"Can we count on you to save them both?"

Azazel shrugged.

"That's not very comforting but ok. When I count to three teleport them both out of harms way. Emma stay as far away as possible."

The White Queen shifted into her diamond form and obliged. Eric closed his eyes using every ounce of his powers to stop the landmines from going off.

"One. Two. Three. Now!"

Everything went so quickly. Azazel teleported and grabbed both Raven and Hank and as soon as he teleported away Eric stopped using his powers and both landmines went off at once knocking him back.

"Eric!"

Charles ran over and knelt to the ground beside him.

"It'd take a lot more then that to kill me."

Charles smiled and looked over to see Azazel, Hank and Raven standing with Raven.

"What the hell was that?!"

Emma looked at Raven and scowled. "What did you expect once again following Charles into what is most surely a trap."

Raven turned and punched Emma square in the jaw. "I've had just about enough of you!"

Hank put himself in between the two women but an instant everyones attention was elsewhere. A hologram of someone appeared before them.

"Welcome to the Savage Land X-Men. I hope you've been enjoying yourselves. I must apologize for that little snafu with the landmines. I must have forgotten to deactivate them. Oh well...Don't really need you alive but I want the pleasure of killing you myselves."

Charles helped Eric to his feet and shouted. "Why have you brought us here?"

Mr. Sinister smiled. "You all possess something I need. The time for play has ended. All will be revealed in due time. See you soon."

With Mr. Sinisters last words the hologram was gone but before anyone could process what was said they heard a loud bang and something fell on the ground. Eric looked down to see the canister but couldn't use his powers in time to stop the gas. One by one the team was knocked out by the gas.

Charles opened his eyes and saw himself in a lab. He looked around and saw all of his comrades were strapped to some kind of apparatus. Xavier saw a man or what he could only assume was a man hard at work with test tubes.

"Why did you bring us here?"

The man stopped what he was doing and turned around revealing a brilliant set of teeth when he smiled. He walked over and grabbed Charles' chin.

"I thought the answer would be simple. If you can't figure it out I am not going to help you."

With that he patted Charles' cheek a few times, smiled and walked back over to his desk. Charles looked at Eric and closed his eyes.

Eric?

Charles waited for a mental response but didn't get one.

Eric? This time there was a small response and Eric opened his eyes.

Where are we?

It would appear that we are in Mr. Sinisters lab.

What's he doing?

I'm not quite sure. Can you use your powers to break us free?

Eric looked down and frowned. Rubber restraints. Maybe you can try?

Charles looked at Erics restraints and tried imagining them coming undone but nothing would happen.

"Do you think I would make it that easy for you Charles? Only one way to get those restraints undone."

He's blocking me.

Try waking Azazel. If he wakes up maybe he can teleport out of his restraints and...

Mr. Sinister burst out laughing. "You both are irritatingly optimistic about getting free. Do you think I'd allow a teleporter to wake up and ruin everything I've been plannig?"

"Why don't you enlighten us on what you brought us here for?"

"Oh is this the part where I tell you all about my master plan?"

Not likely Eric...

I'm trying to break his concentration. If he loses it for even a second that might be enough time for you to break me free.

Good thinking.

"How did you find this place anyway?"

"You'd be amazed just how much is actually out there waiting to be discovered. I had my own company and chartered a plane to take me to a meering when we hit the some turbulence. Didn't take long for me to find my way here and build this base and thats all you get."

Charles looked around while Mr. Sinister was talking and noticed a blade on the desk. He envisioned the knife coming to him and it flew off the table into his hand. He worked the handle down so that the blade was touching one of his restraints and moved his hand best he could to cut the restraint.

"So after you get what you need from us what are you going to do with us?"

Mr. Sinister smiled showing his teeth again. "Oh I am sure you already know the answer to that."

Eric looked over at Charles and noticed that he was almost done with the one restraint.

"Well if you are going to kill us anyway what would the harm be in telling us your plan?"

"I don't take chances."

Charles got the one restraint done and began working on the other one. Mr. Sinister turned towards him and grabbed his throat.

"You underestimate the situation you are in Charles."

Charles struggled to get the words out but said,"Not as much as you."

With his free hand Charles touched Mr. Sinisters forehead. He used every ounce of power he had to try to undo the mental block. Xavier saw flashes of a young boy coming into his mutant powers, a powerful CEO and the crash that brought him here. He also saw a brief flash of Mr. Sinister using a needle to take blood from him and the other X-Men.

"Eric! Now!"

Eric siezed the moment and used his powers to bring a scalpel on the desk hurtling towads his hand. He caught it and began cutting his restraint. He got his one hand free and started work on the other.

Charles tried to keep his mental hold on Mr. Sinister but the mental block was Sinister fought back.

"Now lets see whats in your head!"

Mr. Sinister pushed with all of his mental prowess and began looking into Charles mind. He saw the young boy that met Raven. He saw the grown man recruiting mutants. Most of all he saw images of the one person Charles cared for the most.

"Haha. This is too perfect!"

Sinister stopped his mental probing and walked over to Eric and punched him again and again. His laughter was becoming louder and louder and he turned to Charles. "How much will you love him when he's in a vegetative state?" Mr. Sinister began probing into Erics mind and Eric began screaming.

"What are you doing?! Stop!"

"Oh I am just making him relive the worst moment of his life again and again. Everytime he thinks its over it just starts again. Soon that will be all he can think about."

Charles saw how much pain Eric was in and something overcame him. He closed his eyes and focused on the desk in front of him trying to make it move. Every one of Erics screams just fueled Charles desire to move the desk and it began rattling. A few more seconds and Charles screamed out as the desk hurtled towards Mr. Sinister hitting him in the back. He flew forward and Eric stopped screaming. With tears in his eyes he continued cutting his other restraint and broke free. He leaned forward and began to cut the restraint on his legs. After they were free he ran over to Charles and kissed him.

"How'd you do that?"

"Ask me later. Right now we have to get free."

Eric nodded and cut the restraints. When Charles was free he grabbed the knife he used earlier and ran over to Hank while Eric began working on Ravens restraints. By the time Mr. Sinister came to he got off the floor and found the whole team standing in front of him.

"Well I got to run but do enjoy the farewell present."

Sinister took a device out of his pocket and pressed a button. He threw the device onto the ground and smashed it under his foot before running away. He stopped at the desk used to knock him over and took something out of a drawer.

Charles looked at the others and frowned. "Eric and I will stay and deal with this. The rest of you go after Sinister and get what he grabbed and destroy it."

"What is it?"

"Our blood. He wants to build a team of mutants using our DNA."

Raven sighed. "Off we go."

They ran out of the room leaving Eric and Charles alone.

"What do we do?"

Charles thought for a moment. "Can you dismantle the bomb using your powers?"

"I can try but without knowledge of how this particular device works I might blow us up in the process."

"Right. Maybe use your powers to lift it out of the room and into the air."

"I can delay the blast. You need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you."

Eric shrugged. "Least we go out with a bang."

Raven and the others exited the building and saw Mr. Sinister running towards a boat.

"Azazel! Can you teleport to him and stop him?"

Azazel smile and teleported. When he appeared next he was in front of Mr. Sinister.

"Going somewhere?"

Before Mr. Sinister could answer Azazel punched him and the vials went flying out of his hand. Azazel continued to punch him again and again before Emma stopped him. Raven and Hank cuaght up with them and Raven turned to the building.

"We have to wait for them!"

Emma scowled. "I say five minutes tops and then we leave."

Raven got in Emmas face. "You know I have been looking for any reason to hit you. Please give me one. You make a move to leave and you'll wish you hadn't."

Emma laughed and turned into her diamond form. "Be my guest."

Raven laughed and shapeshifted into an exact copy of Emma. "Oh I will."

Emma scowled and sat down. "Miss goody good."

Before they could continue their argument there was an explosion.

"Charles!"

Hank held her back and she fell into his arms. She began crying but then she heard shouting coming from the forest. She looked to see Charles and Eric walking towards them.

"How did you escape?"

"Eric used his powers to lift us out of there on the desk."

"Where's Sinister?"

Azazel pointed to Sinisters body on the boat.

"And what about the things he grabbed?"

Raven shook her head. "In the river."

Emma rolled her eyes. "While I would love to stand around and chat with you all day I would really prefer to get going."

Charles nodded. "Azazel?"

"Yes?"

"Do teleport Sinister someplace fun."

"That's the first thing you've said I actually agree with."

Azazel grabbed Mr. Sinister and teleported away and was back in an instant. Charles didn't bother to ask where Azazel took him but he didn't much care either.

"Can you pilot this boat Hank?"

"Of course."

"Lets get out of here Hank."

They all boarded the boat and Hank began steering them away from the docks. The docks where there was a vial of blood left behind.

It took them about a week to get back to New York. Emma and Azazel had opted to not return to the mansion with the others. Emma had Hellfire Club business to attend to and Azazel just didn't want to stick around. Raven and Eric had decided to stay at the mansion for a week and the week was almost over. Raven sat in the foyer reading a book when Hank walked over.

"Hi Raven."

"Hi Hank."

There were a few moments of silence before Hank sat down next to her.

"I was so mad at you for leaving."

"I know and listen..if this is leading to another argument I just..."

"No it's nothing like that. Just I understand you a bit more. I know you felt like going with Eric was your only choice but you will always have a place here."

"Thanks Hank."

"I had no right to judge you. I've been like this for such a short time and you had to live your life the way you are. Only difference is you've accepted it."

"Mutant and proud."

Hank smiled. "Maybe there will come a time when maybe we could go get a coffee or something."

Raven smiled. "You asking me on a date?"

"Maybe."

"I think I would like that."

Hank smiled and got off the couch. He extended his hand for Raven to take and asked,"Shall we go?"

She took his hand and got up. "Yeah."

With that said they held hands and walked out the door to the mansion.

Author's Note: That's it for this chapter. Hope the savage land stuff didn't seem rushed. There is one more epilogue chapter thats mainly Eric and Charles. Hope you enjoy