Getting into the hotel was easy, Erik taking out some guards to the garage with a metal gate allowing them in then it was just a quick jaunt through the hotel up to the meeting room where Trask was giving his presentation.
"Raven." Erik called out as they ran into the room where Raven was crouched on top of a table, gun pointed at Trask. Her distraction gave time for a soldier to taze her though.
"Raven." Charles called out running to her as Erik took the tazer darts out of Raven and rammed them into the soldier who fell to the ground convulsing. "Raven."
Rhea glanced over at Trask with a raised eyebrow as he looked from a beeping device and then to them in astonishment. He looked to Rhea who was staring at him and flinched back into the wall behind him looking scared.
"We're not here to hurt you Mr. Trask so calm down." Rhea said in a board tone knowing he wouldn't believe and low and behold he didn't, he only looked even more panicked than before.
"Charles?" Raven smiled as she shuddered.
"We've come for you, Erik and I, together." Charles gently brushed her hair back.
"I never thought I'd see you again." Raven admitted.
"I made you a promise a long time ago that I'd protect you." Charles talked to her, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through Rhea's head causing her to stiffen, her hands fisting in her hair.
"Crap." Rhea looked to Logan who was staring at the soldier breathing hard. Logan fell back against the wall as Rhea struggled to his side. "Logan, calm down. You have to stay calm. If you lose it we'll both be lost."
Since Rhea was still connected with Logan until his consciousness returned to the future permanently, whatever he was experiencing would affect her as well. The pain roared in her head as she tried to hold his mind, her vision blurring.
"I'm going to keep you safe; I'm going to keep you out of their hands." Charles went on, but his voice sounded so far away, then Erik called the gun to him.
"Erik?" Raven looked to him in shock as he leveled the gun at her.
"Erik? What are you doing?" Charles stood between him and Raven.
"Securing our future, forgive me Mystique." Erik replied. "As long as you're out there we'll never be safe."
"Erik…" Hank tried.
"Use your power Charles, stop him." Raven said.
"He can't." Erik said then Hank tackled him, but using his powers Erik fired the gun sending the bullet straight at Raven who jumped out the window, the bullet following until it hit her leg. The pain got worse as Rhea tried to maintain him, but he was slipping back and forth too much.
"Please Logan, calm down." Rhea grabbed his shoulders as they fell to the ground.
Trask made a run for it; Erik belted Charles and ran after Raven grabbing the sentinel film as he went while Hank was recovering from his own hit to the face curtesy of Erik. Suddenly Logan's claws shot out and he attacked blindly catching Rhea across her stomach causing her to fall back barely remaining sitting up clutching the wound which luckily was shallow since her skin was so tough thanks to her heritage and his claws were only bone.
"Damn it Logan, calm the heck down!" Rhea snapped, slapping him hard across the face, and it seemed to work until he spoke.
"Where am I?" Logan questioned, panicked.
"What?" Charles looked from him to the window.
"Oh crap." Rhea whined breathing hard as Logan stood up, she tried to follow, but the effort was too much.
"How did I get here?" Logan questioned as Charles noticed Rhea in distress.
"You came to us." Charles replied as he ran over to Rhea helping her stand up so she was leaning against the table.
"I'm fine." Rhea gasped out, her face pale and glistening with sweat.
"Who are you?" Logan demanded walking over to them.
"Charles." He answered. Logan grabbed him by the shirt. "Charles Xavier."
"I don't know you." Logan said then Hank in Beast form stood up.
"Huh?" Charles looked to him.
"What the hell is that?" Logan nearly screamed.
"Whoah, whoah. Look I can deal with this, just go." Charles said to Hank who dashed out of the window. "Stop Erik." Charles looked to Rhea who had her hand on either side of her head, her face a mask of deep painful concentration as she chanted her strange words under her breath. "What's going on?"
"He's slipping between the past and future. He needs to calm down before he snaps and takes me with him." Rhea grit out. "Try to get him calm, talk to him."
"Right." Charles turned to Logan. "You're Logan, that's Hank McCoy, I'm Charles Xavier." Charles tried to reason with Logan. "You and your friend Rhea have spent the last couple of days with us."
"Not working." Rhea snapped as her tattoo glowed fiercely and tears streamed down her face.
"Ok…you're on acid. Someone gave you really bad acid, yeah?" Charles said. "Just hold on tight, we'll get through this together."
The soldier managed to remove the Tazer and after one final look at them all he ran for it.
"Please Logan…please…"Rhea begged then her eyes snapped open with relief, her knees buckling.
"Professor?" Logan looked around.
"Oh thank goodness." Rhea slumped to the floor. "I thought we were going to lose you."
"Rhea." Logan quickly stood her back to her feet. "Are you ok?"
"I'll be fine, just need some rest." Rhea replied groggily, holding onto Logan so she wouldn't fall. "Holding you in place while you were having a…breakdown was taxing."
"What happened to you?" Charles asked.
"I just saw someone who's going to bring me a lot of pain someday." Logan replied. "Where's Raven?"
"Gone." Charles replied backing out of the room.
"What?" Logan asked picking Rhea up in his arms.
"We have to get out of here." Charles said as they quickly left along with the other people being evacuated.
-0-
Rhea had slept the whole car ride back to the mansion her head resting against Logan's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. Once they reached the mansion she had recovered and was able to walk to the door.
"We should have something for your wound inside." Hank commented looking to Rhea.
"That's ok, I'm already healed up." Rhea gestured to her stomach where three thin pink lines were all that were visible of her wound and in a few more hours even those would be gone.
"Incredible." Hank said.
"Heritage." Rhea said back as Hank opened the front doors letting them in, but as soon as they were inside Charles fell to the ground in pain.
"What happened?" Logan asked as he and Hank helped him up.
"Come on." Hank said lifting up so he was sitting on a bench connected to a wall.
"Can he walk?" Logan asked.
"He needs his treatment." Hank replied.
"Hank I can hear them." Charles panicked.
"I know, it's okay." Hank assured him.
"Can you make it stop?" Charles begged.
"I'll get them." Hank ran off as Charles struggled looking like he was in deep pain.
"Hey, hey, pull yourself together." Logan placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not over yet."
"You don't believe that." Charles said with a hand to his head.
"How do you know that?" Rhea questioned as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"As these go…" Charles touched his legs then moved to his head. "This comes back." He placed his hands on either side of his head. "They all come back."
"Look, we're still here, Rhea and me, and she's still out there." Logan started as Charles partly removed his jacket off his arm then rolled up his shirt sleeve. "We need your help Charles, not like this, we need you."
"He's right; we can't find Raven, not without your powers." Rhea said crossing her arms as Hank came back with the drugs.
"I added a little extra because you missed a dose." Hank said handing him one of the needles. Charles took it breathing heavily as he stared at the tip where a bit of the liquid was beaded.
"Charles." Logan said causing his eyes to snap over to them.
"Please." Rhea said softly, her eyes completely un-guarded showing him how truly afraid she was for her family, friends, and for him.
Charles put the needle to his wrist and struggled to press the plunger down, but as he looked from Logan and Rhea's pleading gazes then back to the needle he knew he couldn't do it. He placed the needle down with a painful sigh as his hand passed over his face before he looked up to Hank.
"Hank, do me a favor and help me to my study." Charles said.
"Come on, I got you." Hank said as he helped him up and into the study with Rhea and Logan following. They walked over to a closet door and opening it revealed the wheelchair. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely not." Charles replied.
