Hello hello to those of you who have made it this far! This chapter really starts to align with the movie as you'll notice so of course I need to announce, loud and clear for everyone to hear…I DO NOT OWN XMEN! Which of course included all the character and scenes you are most definitely going to recognize. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Xoxo-NickyLynn
It had been almost two weeks since she had first arrived at the mansion, but it felt much longer to Zezelia. She had spent her days either working with Charles as he taught her more and more about his powers, or training with Erik as they both pushed the other's limits. They did end up facing off against each other with no powers, only sheer combative skill, at the insistence of the others. They had all crowded around and watched as the two older mutants threw and deflected blows against each other. The match had ended with Zezelia's legs wrapped around Erik's neck, pulling his arm painfully behind him until he tapped out in defeat. Alex, true to his word, handed over twenty dollars to Raven who took the cash gleefully, giving Zezelia a high five.
She was gaining better control over her telepathy all while deepening her relationships with the mutants who she had come to know as friends. She found herself enjoying her time there, watching the other's harness their powers, their strength and confidence growing every day. They spent their days training and their nights sharing stories and laughing, though Zezelia was always the one listening to the stories, not telling them. While she grew comfortable with Charles and Erik knowing the details of her past, she wasn't quite ready to tell the others everything.
It was mid-afternoon one day and Zezelia was taking a much needed reprieve from her training and was currently sitting curled up in an arm chair, reading a copy of 'Of Mice and Men' that Charles had been kind enough to lend her when the same man interrupted her thoughts.
"Zezelia, would you be so kind as to help me out with something?" his voice asked.
She marked her page, closing the book and deposited it on the table before getting up. She stretched out her mind, searching the grounds for Charles before finding him in the bunker with Hank and Alex. "Sure." She spoke back into his thoughts, making her way outside and towards them. She wondered what Charles could possibly want her help with.
She made it to the bunker in a couple minutes time and when she pushed the large metal door open, it's loud creak drew the men's attention to her. She poked her head in and looked around confused.
"Ah, good. Zezelia, just the person we need." Charles said, motioning for her to join them at the opposite end of the underground tunnel.
Charles was ginning at her like a mad man while Hank and Alex stared at her in confusion. It seemed that neither of them knew why she was there either. She brushed Charles mind as she made her way towards them and stopped mid-step when she got her answer.
"You're kidding me." She said to him, dumbfounded by his idea. Although it was an admittedly good one.
Charles smiled at her, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her until she stood only a couple feet away from the mannequin with a black x marked on it's stomach made out of tape. "Now Alex." He said, going to stand next to him, placing a hand down on his shoulder. "I want you to hit the mannequin and not Zezelia."
"Are you serious?!" Alex nearly bellowed, his voice bouncing off the confined walls.
"Uh, can I just point out that I'm immune to death, not pain?" Zezelia called out from the end of the hall, lifting a finger. "And I've seen the graveyard of his victims out back and that looks very painful." She said referring to the pile of charred mannequins.
"Don't worry, Alex, I have complete and total faith in you!" Charles beamed at him, before he and Hank walked back to the safety of the blast door.
Alex turned his face from the retreating form of Charles to Zezelia. "You good with this?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"You got this!" she said back to him, giving him a thumbs up. "If I get barbequed in here, you might want to start running before I get back up." She thought, sending the threat to Charles mind.
"Alright, Alex!" they could hear Charles call from beyond the metal door. "Fire away!"
"Alright, here goes nothing." Alex said, taking in a deep breath and bracing himself for the flow of power.
Zezelia sent out a silent prayer to whoever would listen and jumped about a mile when a fiery blast tore from Alex's chest and towards her. Much to her relief, it hit the target next to her and the target alone, just as Charles had theorized. Alex let out a scoff of disbelief as the doors swung open.
"Oh thank God." Zezelia said, a hand covering the heart that threatened to beat right out of her chest as she looked at the burning form next to her.
Charles and Hank burst back in, the prior clapping excitedly. "Wonderful Alex!" he said. "I told you, you could do it!" he said giving Alex a firm pat on the back. Alex stood beaming, positively elated that he had gained control over something that had seemed so uncontrollable.
"So, am I still a bozo?" Hank asked Alex with a smirk.
"Yeah Hank. You're still a bozo." Alex said back to him. Hank's smirk fell before Alex added, "But good job."
Zezelia strode back across the bunker, giving Alex a pat on the chest as she walked past. "Good job Alex, but as much fun as this has been-let's not do this again." She told him before making her way towards the door.
"I could actually use you're help with something else later if you're up to it." Charles voice called after her in her mind.
Zezelia kept walking, rolling her eyes. "Is there a risk of fire, dismemberment, and/or death?" She called back to him as she made it back to the surface.
She heard Charles chuckle inside her head. "None of the above actually."
"Okay, but I'm getting a drink first." She said, making her way back to the mansion.
Once she was inside, she found the bottle of vodka Erik had hidden in one of the top cupboards, pulling it out to pour herself a glass and then another. She was on her third glass when Charles's voice once again drifted into her head. "Ready when you are." He called to her.
She twisted the lid back on the bottle, shoving it back into it's hiding spot before setting her cup in the sink and making her way back outside to where Charles's mind had been emanating. She found him on the back over-look talking with Erik. She made her way over to them, both of them turning at her approach.
"Excellent, you're both here. Now, Erik, see that satellite?" he said, taking and turning Erik around and pointing at the colossal metal dish. "Why don't you try moving that, so it faces us?" Charles finished.
Zezelia's eyebrows shot up at the request, but said nothing, choosing instead to stuff her hands into her jacket pockets and watch curiously. Erik let out a sigh before reaching out with both hands, focusing his powers towards the large satellite. He stood concentrating, his arms trembling with resistance before he let out a gasp, dropping his arms onto the railing before him, hanging his head and panting in exhaustion.
Zezelia fought the urge to reach out and run her hand along his back in comfort. "You know," Charles began, drawing Erik's attention to him. "I believe that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity." He told him before turning to Zezelia. "Now comes the part where you come in." he told her. "Would you mind…" he said, putting his fingers to his temples with a little wiggle. He pushed his thoughts into her and in an instant she knew what he wanted her to do.
"Charles, I'm not sure…" she began, unsurely.
"Trust me." He told her with a knowing smile.
She let out a huff before pulling off her glove and walking over to Erik. She reached two fingers up to his temple, pausing just before touching him. She took a breath before making contact with his skin, her mind pushing into his. She closed her eyes and focused on the memories she was searching for. It was like looking for a locked door, similar to the one that Charles had tore open when he had searched her mind. However, instead of nightmares being hidden behind it, she found, instead, all the moments in his life filled with the purest and deepest emotion: love. She pulled open the door and out poured memories of his childhood. Moments shared with with his mother, where he had known nothing but the purest of joy. The love they shared for each other, swirling around them like a bright burning fire. She watched as the tender moments with his mother turned into images of much younger versions of themselves. Moments of tender touches and hopeful promises. The images suddenly stopped as she pulled her hand back, eyes mirroring Erik's as they glistened with tears.
"What did you do to me?" he asked her, his voice shaking with emotion.
"She unlocked the brightest corners of your memory system." Charles said.
"I didn't know I still had those." Erik said as a tear slid down his face.
Zezelia swallowed the lump in her throat. "They were buried." She told him. "Buried under layers of rage and anger."
"There's so much more to you than you know." Charles said softly. "Both of you." He added, looking between the two of them. "Not just pain and anger. There's so much good in you. I've felt it. And when you can access all of that…" he paused looking over to Zezelia. "when you accept that you are capable of good….you'll possess power no one can match." He finished, looking back over to Erik. Zezelia felt his words cut deep into her and she hung her head, staring at the ground as the tears threatened to spill down her face. "Now come on," he said, patting Erik on the shoulder. "why don't we try again."
Zezelia lifted her head as she watched Erik lift his hand out with renewed determination. The emotion radiating off of him was so intense that she stopped breathing beside him as she watched in fascination as the mass of metal groaned under the force of his power and began turning. Zezelia drew in a sharp breath as her face split into a wide grin. Charles put his hand on Zezelia's shoulder, squeezing it as he shared her joy. Erik's face lit up in a smile larger than she had ever seen on him as the monolith came to a stop, now fully facing the trio. He broke out on a fit as laughter as Zezelia latched herself onto his side, squeezing him proudly. "You did it Erik!" She cheered, looking up into his joy-filled face with one of her own.
"Well done." Charles said with his own smile, dropping a hand on his shoulder.
Their celebration was short-lived, however as Moria had stuck her head out the window, yelling to get their attention. "Hey! You guys better get in here, the President is about to make his address!"
Their smiles quickly faded as they glanced between each other in worry. Zezelia unwound herself from Erik's side. "Better get in there." Charles said, somberly.
The three of them made their way back inside the mansion and into the living room where the others were all ready waiting, standing behind the couch, watching the small television. Charles took a seat on the couch next to Moria as Erik and Zezelia stood off to the side. The back of her knuckles brushed against Erik's hand as President Kennedy began speaking, only to feel the coldness of metal meet her touch. She looked down to find a pistol in his hand before snapping her eyes up to meet his briefly before they both turned back to the small screen.
"…It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile crossing the embargo line that surrounds Cuba as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States. Requiring a full retaliatory response on the Soviet Union…" Kennedy's voice said filling the room.
"That's where's we're going to find Shaw." Erik said pointing the gun at the television.
"How do you know?" Alex said looking over to him.
"Two superpowers facing off and he wants to start world war three. He wont leave anything to chance." Said Charles shaking his head.
"So much for diplomacy." Said Erik watching the screen. "I suggest you all get a good night's sleep." He told the others before turning and leaving the room, brushing past Zezelia as he went. She followed after him, feeling the frenzy of his mind.
He stormed through the house, his emotions rolling off him as he went. "Erik." Zezelia called, but he kept going as if she had said nothing. She picked up her pace, reaching out to grab hold of his arm. On contact, he spun around, the gun pointed dangerously close to her. She stopped the movement of his hand, using her powers to keep the barrel pointed safely at the floor. "Erik!" she snapped.
Startled, he looked down at the gun and then back up to her. "Sorry." He muttered as she dropped her hold over the gun. "I didn't-" He said as she finished closing the distance between them and put one hand on his chest while the other slid over his hand and the gun.
"I know." She said, sending a wave of calm into his mind. "I know." She repeated. "But Shaw's not here….and this…" she said, grabbing hold of the gun and gently pulled it from his grasp. "Is just going to end up hurting the wrong person." He let her take the weapon from his hand, knowing she was right. His nerves were just on edge and it was almost an unconscious need to feel the coolness of it in his grasp. She could feel the strong emotions beginning to boil within him. "Come on." She said, taking his hand and pulling him down the hall. "I know where Charles hides his good stuff."
She pulled him through the halls until she brought them into a room that was lined with bookshelves, a fireplace, a couple of couches, a few tables and various lamps and décor. She gently set the gun down on the large table that sat between two couches, looking over to Erik to make sure he knew she wasn't trying to hide it from him before going over to one of the bookshelves. She reached up on her toes, pulling open one of the doors to reveal a glass decanter filled with amber liquid and several glasses. She pulled them out, careful not to drop anything before making her way back over to the table and setting them down.
She pulled the top out of the bottle and poured a generous amount into one of the glasses before replacing the stopper and turning to hand Erik the glass. "None for you?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nah. Alcohol doesn't affect my body anyways and this stuff is quite expensive. Would be waste." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
Erik shook his head before taking a long sip of the burning liquid. He let it run down his throat before releasing a sigh. "Wow." He said looking down at the glass. "That is good stuff."
"Rich people love their alcohol." She joked, sitting down on one of the couches, letting her elbows rest on her knees and hung her head into the palms of her hands. Erik took a seat across from her, letting his head fall back onto the cushion. It was silent for several minutes as both of them processed their thoughts. Eventually, Zezelia pulled her head back up, running her fingers through her hair and into her scalp. "So, this is it?" she said, breaking the silence. Erik nodded his head, taking another sip of his drink. "Do you think they're ready?" she asked him, her mind wandering to the young mutants who had become her friends.
"Do you remember that promise I made to you the first morning you were here?" he asked her.
She nodded her head, biting her bottom lip. "We'll keep them safe." She said.
"We'll keep them safe." He echoed.
Letting out a sigh, she pushed herself back up and back over to the scotch pouring out another generous helping. Erik's mouth quirked in a smirk. "I thought you didn't want any."
"I don't." she said, pushing the stopper back into place. "He does." She explained as the door swung open revealing Charles's haggard face. Zezelia made her way over to him, reaching out to hand him the amber beverage.
His lips pulled up in a smile as he took the glass from her grasp. "Thank you." He told her, before walking over to the seat she had just vacated and sitting down. Zezelia then excused herself from the men as she had to make her way to a bathroom briefly.
After using the bathroom and checking in on the others she made her way back to the room she had left Erik and Charles. She was about to push open the door when the seriousness of their voices stopped her, muffled by the thick wood of the door.
"I'm not going to stop Shaw." She heard Erik say. "I'm going to kill him." Zezelia's head shot up at the statement and focused in on Charles thoughts at the declaration. She knew that the younger man's morals drastically differed from Erik's or hers. "Do you have it in you to allow that? You've known all along why me and Zezelia were here Charles." Erik said "But things have changed. What started as a covert mission…tomorrow mankind will know that mutants exist. Shaw. Us. They won't differentiate. They'll fear us. And that fear will turn to hatred."
"Not if we stop a war. Not if we can prevent Shaw. Not if we risk our lives doing so." Charles countered.
"Would they do the same for us?" Erik bit out.
"We have it in us to be the better men." Charles argued.
"We already are. We're the next stage of human evolution. You said it yourself!"
"No-no." Charles interrupted.
"Are you really so naive as to think that they won't battle their own extinction? Or is it arrogance? Erik questioned.
"I'm sorry?" Charles bit back angrily.
"After tomorrow they're going to turn on us, but you're blind to it. Because you believe they're all like Moria." Erik said.
"And you believe they're all like Shaw." Charles threw back at him. "Listen to me, very carefully my friend…Killing Shaw will not bring you or Zezelia peace."
"Peace was never an option." Erik said darkly.
Zezelia turned on her feet and took off until she was practically running through the house. She didn't stop until she made it to her room, slamming the door shut behind her and pressing her back against it, sliding down to the floor. She pulled up her knees to her chest and tucked her head into her arms. Her mind was at war with itself. She didn't know what to do or what to think anymore. She wanted to kill Shaw. She wanted to watch the life drain from his eyes under her hand. She had fantasized about that her entire life. But Charles voice floated into her memory. So make a choice….you can be something more.
She wanted to believe in a world that she could be accepted. A world that she could make a difference in. That she could be different in. But what Erik had said about humans was true. She had a nagging feeling that the world would not treat mutants kindly.
She slammed her head back against the wood as tears fell from her eyes and she let out a scream of frustration.