{Author's Note: And the suspense rises! Just a note, there really was a C.I.A. Director Schlesinger, who was only in office for 6 months. I also read that he was really unpopular, but I doubt he went around kidnapping teenagers, so just remember his portrayal is completely fictional. Please comment. It motivates me to write more. (: Also, in this fic., not that it really matters, but Wanda is the older twin.}
Erik didn't know where he was going. He just walked and walked in circles around the grounds, finally coming to a stop when he was back at the fountain near Charles' mansion.
God, what was he even doing? All of this power he possessed and he couldn't even protect his family, and now, with no other plan, he had to wait another 10 or so agonizing hours for Wanda to arrive back in the D.C. area. It was not fair that he should sit here in perfect safety, while his only son was out there all alone facing unimaginable horrors…
Feeling as if his legs might fail him, Erik sat down on the edge of the fountain, and buried his face in his hands, and that is how Charles found him.
Erik was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the sound of Charles' wheelchair approaching.
Charles maneuvered himself up the path to Erik; his mind was still processing the revelation that Erik was a father. At first it seemed preposterous, but after seeing how Erik reacted to Peter's disappearance, he knew Erik was telling the truth. It even made a strange sort of sense. Not that it justified Erik's past actions, but if Erik had children, who were also mutants, Charles could see why he might go to extremes to make the world more accepting of them.
After Erik had stormed out of the basement, Charles had started to feel a little guilty about how he had reacted to the news that Erik had a child,two children in fact. After thinking it over, despite his flaws, Charles thought Erik could actually be a good father. Sure he disagreed with his methods, but there was no doubt in Charles' mind that Erik would protect to the death those he held dear, or at least he would have thought so if Erik hadn't tried to kill Raven recently. Then again, he had taken that course of action because he thought Raven was a threat to the rest of mutant kind, mutant kind that apparently included his own children.
As Erik came closer into view, Charles saw that he had his head in his hands, and he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Erik." said Charles, causing Erik to look up startled. "You look like you could use a drink."
Charles held out a glass to him along with a bottle of whisky, which Erik promptly took.
"Thanks." Erik mumbled as he quickly poured a generous shot into the glass and downed it.
"Erik, I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but we still have to talk about this whole situation. You came to me for help. I deserve an explanation at the very least. We were friends once after all, weren't we?" asked Charles taking the bottle of whisky back from Erik and pouring himself a glass too.
Erik didn't say anything right away, but after a bit he responded, "I—yes, that we were…but don't ask me to talk about this. Not now, not while Pietro is still missing, and my daughter is out there on her own. I just…I can't…if you must know, you'll have to look into my head, but I warn you, you won't like what you see."
Charles swirled the glass of alcohol in his hand and then took a swig from his glass, before answering Erik, "I've been in your head before, Erik. I've seen some of the things you've lived through and done, it's not going to scare me away now…if you're ready then?" Charles asked lifting his hand to his own temple.
Erik looked intently at Charles before nodding slowly.
"I guess I'm not very good at promises, since I'll be breaking mine to you once more." said Charles before he delved into the deepest depths of Erik's mind. He shifted through Erik's most recent memories, and headed far back into the past…
Charles saw Erik as a small child tearing down the gates of a concentration camp as he cried for his mother. He then saw Erik watch his mother die at the hands of Shaw. He watched as time passed and Erik struggled to survive the concentration camp and Shaw's manipulation and torture. He watched Erik find solace in the friendship of another young female child who was also a prisoner in the camp. He watched them finally escape together and get married. He saw Erik became a father for the first time and hold a little baby girl in his hands. Then he watched as Erik's happiness was stripped away from him…
He saw Erik's little girl die. He watched as Erik lashed out in rage, and then left his wife in tears. He saw Erik hunt down Nazis in an effort to quell the anger that had risen up inside him.
As Charles already knew what happened in Erik's life once they met, he skipped forward in time.
He saw Erik in his isolated cell in the pentagon, and watched as a silvered hair boy appeared above him. He listened as that boy said his mother once knew a man who could control metal…
He skipped forward again, and watched as Erik went to the Maximoff household where he apprehensively confronted his past. He saw the love in Erik's eyes as he talked with his son amidst the boy's stolen collection of memorabilia. He looked on as Erik was cut off during his phone call with Peter before he could truly express what he so desperately wanted his son to know. He felt Erik's terror as he returned to the Maximoff household finding Peter gone, Ms. Maximoff brutally murdered, and Mila crying…
With nothing left to see Charles released his hold on Erik's mind and returned to the present.
Charles was overwhelmed. Erik's actions over the years made so much more sense now. "Oh Erik—"
"Don't. Just don't. I don't want your pity…I don't deserve your pity," said Erik whispering the last statement so quietly that Charles doubted Erik knew he had heard.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" asked Charles
"What did you expect me to say Charles. That I'd failed as a father, watched my daughter die and abandoned my wife? In case you've forgotten Charles, normally the past stays fixed. It's not everyday someone comes back in time. The mistakes I've made will remain forever." Erik said raising his glass back to his lips for another drink before realizing it was empty.
Charles watched Erik for a moment, considering how best to respond to the broken man in front of him whom he once considered a dear friend and hoped to someday again, when he noticed Erik was fiddling absentmindedly with a pocket inside of his jacket.
"What do you have there Erik?" asked Charles.
"What?" responded Erik seemingly unaware of what he was doing until that moment. "…Oh, just reminders of everything I've missed." He said pulling out the photographs that were hidden in his jacket.
"May I?" asked Charles slowly holding out his hand.
Erik hesitated for a second, holding the photographs tightly as if they were valuable items to be treasured, which to him they most likely were, before placing them in Charles' open palm.
Charles flipped through the photographs slowly. "You have a beautiful family Erik."
"They're not my family, not really. I'll never truly be a part of it. I've missed too much of their lives. All I've done since I've tried to be part of their lives is cause havoc on what little happiness they have. The whole reason Pietro is missing is because of me," responded Erik.
"You can't put that on yourself Erik. Peter could've been noticed by whoever took him long before you made an appearance, and yes, you've made poor decisions in the past, but as you said, the past is fixed. The only thing to do now is to live in the present in do what you can to make the future better. From what you've showed me, there's no doubt in my mind that Peter knows you will come for him, wherever he is. We will find him Erik." As Charles finished, Erik remained silent and he still looked doubtful but perhaps there was a hint of hope in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
Charles went to hand back the photographs to Erik when one of his fingers brushed over the edge of the photo of Magda and Anya, as it did so, he noticed that there was another photo stuck to the back of it. He began to carefully peel back the hidden photo.
"What are you doing?" asked Erik a little alarmed.
"There's another photograph here," replied Charles as he finished separating the two photos.
Once separated, both Charles and Erik leaned forward to see what the photo contained.
"Wow…you look…so…happy." said Charles as he gazed down at the photo, which revealed another image of Magda and little Anya from what appeared to be the same day as the other photo, but in this one they weren't alone. Erik was with them, holding Anya tenderly in one arm with his other placed lovingly around Magda as they smiled out at the camera. Erik was even smiling too, and not an evil grin or a forced upward turn of the lips, but a genuine blissful smile that reached his eyes and made Charles wonder what Erik's life would have been like, if his family had not been the victims of such hatred and tragedy.
"Well…that was a long time ago…" said Erik. Suddenly realizing how long they have been talking, Erik abruptly grabbed back the photographs and swiftly stood up. "We need to get going straightaway."
"Calm yourself Erik. Wanda's train is still hours away from the D.C. station, we still have plenty of time to make the drive there and arrive before she does. You should get something to eat and get some rest before we leave. You look dead on your feet."
"That's of no import. Wanda's train could be early. We need to leave now," said Erik firmly.
"Erik, you're not going to be of any use if you fall asleep or pass out from hunger. You should really—"
"Charles just drop it. If it makes you feel better, I will let Hank drive, while I attempt to rest on the way, but we've already delayed too long as it is."
"All right Erik." said Charles. "We will leave now, but I'm grabbing food for you before we go. Even if you are not giving in to something as mundane as hunger at the moment, you may very well find you want something later."
"You seem to forget that we did not have quite the same childhoods, Charles. I have gone far longer without food and sleep than a couple of hours." said Erik as the two headed back to the mansion. "And I'll be able to eat and rest when I know my children are safe, Charles, and not until then. Not when Pietro and maybe Wanda—if we do not leave now—are being subjected to consequences that should have befallen me."
PIETRO'S POV
Pietro didn't know where he was when he woke up, but he knew it wasn't in his basement where he had fallen asleep.
His head was killing him, and his mind seemed foggy, which was a real pain in the butt since he was used to his brain being able to function at an extremely fast rate thanks to his ability.
He was about to open his eyes, but then he moved his arm slightly and realized it was restrained somehow. He was starting to get pretty freaked out at this point, but he forced himself to remain still with eyes closed because he noticed that wherever he was, he wasn't alone, as he heard people talking.
"So everything has been taken care of?" said one voice
"Yes, Director. We went undetected by the neighbors and local authorities, and the situation has every appearance of a break-in gone wrong." replied another voice.
"Good…good…of course it won't be long before the police or someone discovers the aftermath and realizes the boy is gone, but eventually, he'll be labeled as just another unsolved kidnapping."
"The little girl wasn't there though. She must've been at a friend's house, so we were only forced to deal with the woman." said the first voice.
Deal with the woman? What did that mean? Thought Pietro.
"Good. No need to have anymore causalities than necessary, especially if the girl's human as suspected…now doctor, catch me up to speed on our new subject."
Pietro tensed as he heard them walk closer to himself, but he forced himself to relax quickly again and remain in his feigned sleep.
"Based on superficial tests, the subject appears to be dead," said an entirely new voice, this time female.
What? I'm very much alive, idiots. Thank you very much.
The female voice continued. "Although he is breathing, our equipment doesn't register a heartbeat. I deduce this is a result of his heart beating much too rapidly for our technology to pick up. I believe his cardiovascular system must operate much like a hummingbirds. His heart beats at an extremely fast rate in order to support his increased metabolism. We've taken some blood and other DNA samples, but it will take time to analyze, and other tests will obviously be necessary to reveal the extent of his mutation."
"Thank you for that analysis, doctor. It's unfortunate of course that we don't have access to the DNA of the subject's parents, since the mother is long dead and the father unknown, but the more we learn about the origin of mutants the better we can eliminate the expendable and manipulate the ones who prove useful. Major Stryker, did your team extract blood and DNA samples from the aunt?"
"Yes." replied the second voice again. "Once the woman had been terminated, we—"
"What!?" Pietro suddenly blurted out while opening his eyes. He hadn't meant to, but when the voice said his aunt had been terminated, he freaked out a bit.
"Oh good. He's awake." said the first voice, which belonged to an older man, well into his fifties with salt and pepper hair and a no nonsense face. He was dressed in a sharp looking dark grey suit and appeared to command the room.
Behind him stood a younger looking man in a military outfit, which Pietro could just make out was adorned with a nameplate that said Stryker.
The final individual was a fairly attractive woman with auburn hair and looked to be in her early thirties. If circumstances were different, Pietro might have even called her hot, but being that she was wearing a lab coat, holding a clipboard, and he was handcuffed to a table of some sort, he had other things on his mind.
"WhatDoYouMeanTerminated? WhereAmI? WhoAreYouPeople? What'sGoingOn? ThisIsn'tCoolMan. LetMeGo. WhatDidYouDoToMyFamily? IfYouHurtThem, ISwearI—"
"Well that's quite enough." said the older gentleman. "Welcome, Peter, to your new home."
"New home my ass." said Pietro. "I asked you who you are and what the HELL DID YOU DO TO MY FAMILY?!"
"Now, now young man. No need to use that kind of language. I'm sorry to say that your aunt is dead. Unfortunate, yes, but necessary. We couldn't have her bringing unwanted attention to our cause."
Pietro felt numb. Marya couldn't be dead. No. No. No. She's always been there. She couldn't be gone. "No. Nonononono. I'm gonna kill you! I swear to—" Pietro was unable to finish as the older man had placed a hand over his mouth.
"That's enough of that. I think you'll find that you'll like to cooperate with us Mr. Maximoff. You are about to become a part of history and a part of a movement for the greater good."
Pietro stuck out his tongue and licked the man's hand, causing him to withdraw it in disgust, but enabling Pietro to start talking again. "Cooperate!? You actually think I'll cooperate?! You murder my aunt! I am never going to cooperate! And I'm going to bust out of here and then you'll all be sorry!"
Pietro started moving his body about very quickly, in an effort to break free from the cuffs that held him in place, but his struggle was futile. The metal bonds that held him were just too strong. When he finally stopped struggling, the only result of his actions were that his arms and legs now hurt in addition to his head.
"Are you done behaving childishly?" asked the man in the suit. "As I was saying, I think you'll find it will be better for you to cooperate with us. You most certainly do not have to cooperate, but you will likely find your life much better off if you do. Oh and after all, you wouldn't want us to have to take care of little, Mila, is it? We are already making an effort to find your twin, of course, since she is undoubtedly a mutant like yourself."
Pietro was fuming with anger but he was also beginning to grasp the gravity of his situation. It was starting to fully hit him that he would never see his aunt again, and these people could very well hurt the rest of his family, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He felt tears begin to pool in his eyes, and he furiously tried to blink them away, not wanting to give the monsters in the room that satisfaction. "Why are doing this? I've never hurt anybody. Just let me go, and you never have to see me again."
"No we won't be doing that." replied the older man. "You see, we need you Peter. We need you in order to find out what makes mutants tick, and how we can neutralize them and use the mistakes of nature they were born with to stop threats to our country and the world."
"Dude! Kidnapping isn't helping the world, and if you need help with something, do you know what normal people do? They ask for help! They don't murder and abduct people! Seriously, what's wrong with you people!?" shouted Pietro.
"I don't expect you to understand, Peter. You're just a boy, but if you didn't want to draw attention to yourself, maybe you shouldn't have broken out a prisoner from a highly secured facility."
Maybe the fact that these people were able to find locate him so quickly after his one major crime spree should have scared Pietro even more than he already was, but actually it just made him remember something.
Erik. His father. He was still out there. He was still out there, and he was all kinds of badass.
He'll find me. He has to. I just hope he finds Mila and Wanda first.
"Now then…" said the man, clapping his hands together and bringing Pietro out of his thoughts. "I believe I have a meeting to get to, am I correct Major Stryker?"
"Yes Director Schlesinger, and I believe we are already late." replied the man called Stryker.
"Ah no matter. This young man here is quite the chatterbox though. I think we will have to do something about that, Doctor Marshall…" said Director Schlesinger staring at Pietro intensely.
"Yes Director." replied the woman.
Pietro shivered. He really didn't like the sound of that. Not at all.