Thank ya all for the reviews :) I always love to read them.

So, warning; mentioning of rape.
Also you might note that Stryker is a bit more like he was in the comics than as he was in the movies..

Well, we'll see each other next week, I guess :)

The source of all misery is power.

And, it is not the power of body strenght; it is the power of words.

Words are weapons; you can bend and place them as you wish, you can cover lies by saying it is the truth. You can form your own reality just by saying the right words at the right time.

Words are dangerous, if used by the wrong person.

I've seen it already, we all did.

Humans never learn from the mistakes they've made; they just make them again.

It starts again.

They set the citizen and public against us by telling lies about our kind.

No one asks if they tell the truth; it has to be, because those men are politicans.

They will follow them blindly, and this will be their downfall; they follow orders and words of men, but not a single one of them dares to use the own head.

What would the world be like without its greatest weapon;

the weapon of words?

Chapter 4

"Mutants are evil. They are the spawn of Hell who came out of the hell to lull our minds with sins and wrong thoughts. They are NOT human! They are NOT like us! They are sons and daughters of the devil himself, because what could you call them otherwise? God has created the human race, he has made a man and a women, and he has shaped the world. He did NOT shape the mutants, because such abnormal beings are not of his thoughts. God is pure, and so are we."

There was applause and murmur of approval.

The man on the podium reached out with his arms, his eyes those of a madman, his face grim and serious. He did believe every word he was saying. And so did the others. The headlight let his hair look like a silver helmet and the shadows under his eyes made his eyes sharp, almost glowing.

"Some call it evolution, I call it abnormality!"

More applause, and the man gave his listeners a self-confident smile. His voice was strong as he began to speak further..

"WE, the human kind, have to stop those children of the devil! WE have to stop them from luring our mind to the dark side! WE are pure, and we shall not let them take our pureness and the purness from our children! WE shall not listen to their evil words, and WE shall not have mercy on those creatures! Watch your children, don't let them be poisoned by the mind of evil! Save the poor souls of those ones who have been captured by the kind of devil and lead them back to the path of god! Have no mercy with the lost souls who have given their live to the darkness by their own will! We shall-"

He could not take it anymore. The man grabbed the remote control, zapping to another chanel as he leaned back against the sofa. There was a bitter clump inside his throat and a part of him realized that it probably was the anger.

Who allowed them to tell all those lies?

Who gave them permission to put this under the will of god?

Why did no one SAY something against the madness that Stryker was spreading with his words?

Why were they quiet?

Maybe because they DID want to believe it. Maybe they thought it was right. It is so easy to believe the things that others say, because that means you don't have to think. You just have to act. And, when you realize what you have done there is still the option left to say that it was not your will that you have fulfilled, but the will of the man who has given you the order.

Erik clenched his teeth, his hand balled around the remote control as he glared at the women on the screen. This chanel wasn't any better...

"Mutants are human like you and me." The indian woman said; she stood in a white lab, wearing a white lab-coat and glasses. It had to be somewhere in the labs of one of those rich human employers. "They are no monsters." the woman continued, her brown eyes directed at the camera. "They are ill. One of their genes causes the side effect what you and me call 'powers'. But, those powers are simply the side effect of the defect gene. But, with some help and patience we can find a way to heal those people and give them a chance to live a normal life-"

Live a normal life? Erik growled as he turned off the TV, tossing the remote control on the small table in front of the sofa.

Ill people, children of the devil, freaks...

What was WRONG with being different than others?

What was WRONG with being proud of what you are?

Those stupid humans always had to find a reason that was sounding acceptable for the public; evolution as an answer was simply too simple.

If you hear that mutants are devils, you'll be afraid of them. If you hear that they are ill people, you'll pity them. The politicans used the feelings that their words were causing to manipulate the people.

You can chose what is right, but no one tells the truth. So, all you can do is chose between lies, because the truth stays unspoken.

Charles was the one who had tried to convince everybody that mutants were a new race, made by evolution.

No one had listened to him.

Why?

Because the politicans had told them not to.

There was so much rage and hate and disgust inside him, so much contemptuous and detestation, and hatehatehatehate! It cut off his airway, almost choking him.

His hands were clenched into fists as he stood in the middle of the living room. He could feel every tiny metal piece in the room, could feel them humming and vibrating because of his anger..

At the moment, all he wanted to do was destroy; he wanted to destroy the source of all misery, he wanted to destroy the human race so that they, the mutants, could live in something that could be called peace.

His lips were tightly pressed together as he lifted his gaze to take a look out of the window, his fists trembling. It was spring, the birds chirped, the life was beautiful..

It was an illusion, such a lie outside there! Nothing was alright; everything began to crumble, but the outside seemed just fine while the inside began to rot away..

"H-huh?" Erik turned his head to the doorway; Sean stood there,his hand pressed against the frame, his green eyes eyeing Erik with a frown. "Everything alright man?"

Erik clenched his jaw as he opened his fists; the metal things began to stop shaking, and the room was left quiet, without the constant humming of the metal.

"Yeah,everything fine." The metal-bender snarled as he turned his gaze back to the window. He knew that Sean had nothing to do with his anger, but he couldn't control it at the moment, his mind a mess of emotions..

"You are not in a good mood, aren't ya?" The red-haired asked, almost making Erik smile dryly; of course he was not! What else did the ginger-head expect him to be? Their life was falling down, crushed by the boots of homo sapiens, Charles life had ben destroyed by their dirty hands.. "Uh,man, you should calm down." Sean mumbled, watching one of the metal pens that was thrown into the nearest wooden wall.

This time Erik did laugh out as he turned to the boy. "Calm down?" he asked, his voice sounding raspy to his own ears. "Care to tell me how?" Yeah, how? Now that Charles wasn't there to soothe him, to calm his mind...?

"Dunno." The boy shrugged his shoulders, his large eyes watching Erik with embarrassment, not with fear. "It's just...You know, anger doesn't seem to help us at the moment, neh?" The teen rubbed the back of his head. "Everyone is a bit on the edge, I guess, though..Well.."

The boy was right. Everyone was emotional down. But Erik was an adult; he was supposed to give them strenght and hope, but all he could give them was the bitterness of reality and the despair to lose 'his' Charles..

Was it selfish to act this way? Was he selfish? Well, probably; he had always been selfish, hadn't he? Erik pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to breath in calm and steady breaths.

"S' everything alright, dude?" The voice of the boy was sounding worried. Erik wasn't used to that. Charles had been to one to worry about him, not one of those kids. Maybe Raven, yes..Well, they had become a family, it was normal for a family member to worry about the others..

"Had a bad night." Erik replied as he put down his hands to his side. Yes, he hadn't slept well this night, but how could he after what Hank had told him? He hadn't left Charles side this night, watching the other man while sitting in the green armchair.

"'Can imagine." the boy muttered, though Erik was sure he couldn't. It was then that a horrible scream echoed through the mansion. It was a scream so full of anguish and pain that Erik's heart began to clench and his breath stopped.

Charles, Erik realized with wide eyes as his gaze met Sean's; the boy's eyes were just as wide as his own, his face had turned pale. Another scream rang through the mansion, followed by another, till it was a steady screaming. Erik brushed past Sean, who followed the older man, stumbling along the corridor.

"Wh-What's the matter?" he asked, his voice full of fear. "I don't know." Erik hissed, climbing up the stairs as fast as his long legs could carry him. They met Hank and Raven at Charles' door, and Alex was just on his way.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked the blue scientist, who flinched at the sharpness of the metal-bender's voice. "I-I don't know!" the boy stuttered, pushing his glasses upwards. "We just arrived at the door."

They all flinched as the screaming rose in volume. Raven shuddered, her arms wrapped around Hank, pressing her face into his shoulders. "Help him!" She begged, her fingers tightening in the fabric of Hank's lab coat.

Without hesitation Erik reached for the door handle, but Hank laid a hand on his arm, "Wait! You can't just go in there! "

"And why the hell not?" Erik asked through clenched teeth. He couldn't bear to hear Charles' screaming any longer; it did hurt him. "He is in PAIN! Can't you hear that!"

"Sure I can!" Hank hissed back. Normally the shy boy would never do something like hissing in Erik's presence. "But he is a telepath! We have luck that he does not project anything to the outside, but we don't know how it will be inside the room! We need to-" Erik snorted as he pushed the door open, giving Hank and dismissive glance, almost as if to say 'I don't fucking care a shit about what you think!'.

He closed the door as quickly as he had opened it, and was immediately hit with a strong mixture of painfearselfpanicself-disgustagonydistressdespair.

He gasped for air, his eyes wide as he stumbled towards the bed. Charles was curled up to his side, face away from Erik, his small and broken form shuddering with spasms, both of his hands pressed to the sides of his head, the fingers of his left hand digging into the soft curls of brown hair. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, screaming and screaming, and his chest was rising and falling with an rapid speed, panic in every fibre of his being.

And it did hurt! Erik felt his body ache, felt as if he was on fire, white hot pain, stinging and piercing through him and soafraiditdidhurtpainallover!

Erik stumbled to his knees, his hands against his head as he tried to block those feelings out of his mind, but he could not! They felt like his own, he felt everything, saw everything, but those were Charles' feelings, Charles' memories..

"Shut up!" He was backhanded, he gasped, pain shot through his cheek and his body felt like he was being ripped into two..A sob escaped his lips, just a tiny soft sob, but the man heard it, the man who half hunched over him, his own back pressed against the cold wall, he couldnotbreathnoairhe - !

"I said you shall be quiet, you damn scum!" Another thrust, laughter somewhere, another thrust, harderhardergettunbearable! A hand on his throat, no mercy, no mercy, they had no mercy!

Letmegoletmegoletmego!LEAVE ME ALONE! DOES HURT!IcantstandthisI-

Erik's gasped for air, a shudder ran through his body and he hunched over his knees, pain was seeping into him, and painfeardespair!

He felt so used, so dirty, his mind was racing, he could not breath, pain all over, his mind was on fire, he was screaming, screaming to get it all out of his head he did not want to see it, not again, never again, it did hurt to remember, never again, never-

Erik pressed the palm of his right hand on the floor to brace himself. Half of him was barely aware that this were not his own feelings but Charles'; it felt so real, it was so real, and again everything blurred in front of his eyes and again he was Charles, lying down on the street..

A Boot smashing his bones, someones was grinning down on him, blood in his mouth and piercing pain in is lungs, a scream was ripped from his throat, he did not want to cry, he would not cry, no crying ITDOESHURT!

PLEASE HAVE MERCY!

The scene was shifting, ... he was pressed against the cold wall again, his mind dizzy, he could not reach anyone, he could not thing straight, so much agony, his soul was bleeding, his body was broken, every limb and bone did hurt, and his heart was racing inside his chest, pounding against his rib cage, he was crying but he did not care that they could see him crying, it did hurt to much, so much, and this man, another now, he could not see him clearly, it was too dark here in the alley, but he saw his grin, a wide grin, wide, and those eyes gleaming and those hands rough and big, bigger than his, and he stillcouldnotbreath!

Panic inside his mind, fogging his brain, but he could not fight, had no strenght left, and so he held still as he was pressed against a wall, not one sound escaping his lips, because that would mean they would hit him again, and he could not take another blow, though that would mean he would be unconscious, then he would not feel anything, but they would be disappointed, would kill him because he was for no use, so !

And he was crying and crying but no one cared, and he was so afraid, the fear and panic crushing his racing heart, but his feelings began to numb, began to fade into the dullness of acceptance, but there was PAIN everywhere, and he wished they would STOP for god's sake because he was not sure if he could take any more of them, feeling already sore and used and dirty..

STOP IT STOP IT PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME BE

Maybe it would be better to die..

Another gasp, tears sliding down his face, his hands trembling, his whole body shaking as he looked up to the bed in front of him. "Charles..." he croaked, his voice as shaky as his hands. "Charles, Charles, god Charles..."

Beruhig dich, Charles, beruhig dich, alles ist gut, du bist hier bei uns..

He could not hear him, he was lost inside his mind, inside his pain, deep deep, far away, somewhere else, panicfearpain.. He wanted to leave, wanted to GO, wanted to be SOMEHERE ELSE..

It was so hard for Erik to tell wich thoughts were his own; Charles mind was bleeding into his, wrapping itself around him till he was lost inside the darkness of the telepath's memories.

The room began to shake under him, things were thrown through the air,hitting the walls with loud thuds, but Erik could hardly see them as another wave of emotions and memories hit him like a fist into his guts. Though, he could hear the screams of Charles, the soft sobs in between, always present in the back of his mind. He would never be able to forget those pained screams, never..

His vision was blurry, panic racing inside him, but he was quiet, quiet because they had told him to be quiet, they would hurt him if he spoke another word, he couldn't afford another scream...His broken rib was pressed against his lung as he was bent against the wall, he tried to swallow down the blood in his mouth but he had to cough. It was so dark here, so dark, but maybe it was better not to see anything..

He was shaking with pain and sobs, his hands weakly trying to push away the man, scratching over the skin of the human, trying to losen the grip around his throat.. Blood was dripping down his forehead, over his eye, warm and sticky, his ears were ringing but his head was so so quiet..

He wished he could hide somewhere, in the back of his head, maybe, but he could not, because the pain of every trust brought him back to the reality.

I'll close my eyes, close my eyes, I'll be somewhere else, you are not there, I am home, I am safe and I am strong, no one's there, no one, I am alright, there is no pain, no pain, it's okay, it's alright..

He didn't want to stay here. He wished he was home, with Raven, his Raven, smiling at him, and Erik, oh Erik, if he just had listened to his Erik, what would he give to be home with them now..

The hand wandered upwards, grabbing his chin in a tight grip, bruising the white skin with brutal force. "He's smiling, sick weirdo. Enjoying this, aren't you, mutie fag?"

Someone help me, someone help me, SOMEONE PLEASE!

I just...I just can't take it..anymore..

Erik snapped out of the memory once more, his breath heavy and his shirt sweat soaked. "Ch-Charles!" he rasped, somehow managing to stand up on shaky legs."Charles, calm down, it's alright!"

I am not here, I am not here, I am somewhere else..

"Does it hurt?"

Erik stumbled to the bed, his legs leaden and his limbs shaky. The room was a mess.. "It's okay, it's alright now.." It was more a whisper, heardly hearable through the screams of Charles. "You are safe.."

Erik reached for Charles hand, trying to calm him down, but the action only caused Charles to turn his head towards him, his dull blue eyes wide with horror and panic, his breath frantic, blood on his lips. He was far far away..

GOAWAY!

Erik jerked back as a sharp pain went straight through his head, a beeping noise, getting louder and louder, making it hard to think. LEAVE! the voice screamed inside his head, at the top of it's lungs, but not only in his head; Charles screamed now, screamed that he should leave.

"LEAVE!ME!ALONE!GO!AWAY!GOAWAYJUSTLEAVEMEPLEASE-"

And then the room blurred again, he was back in the alley...

The men were screaming, in pain, loud, and he sat with his back against the wall, cold wind brushing over his skin, his eyes wide as he stared at the men. DIEDIE!.. And they were hearing the beeping noise, they were trying to breath but they brain told them not to, and blood dripped down their nose and eyes and ears as they tried to stop the sound by pressing their hands against their ears.

FeelthepainDoesItHurt? DoesitdoesitdoesitHURT?

And satisfaction and relief went through him, and there was HATE because they had HURT him and he would let them FEEL how it had FELT and he would make them CRY he would make them SEE he wouldhewouldhewouldhewould!

What was he doing?

And his heart clenched as he let go of the men, as he stared into their pale faces, dead, dead,deaddeaddead he was a murderer, -

Self-hatredself-contemptself-disgust...

He..had just wanted them to stop.. Not better, not any better, he wasn't any better, hehadtheirbloodonhishands!

Panicking,he was hyperventilating,frantic,lashing out, crying, screaming...

Please someone MAKE IT STOP!

Erik coughed as he opened his eyes wide, crashing against the nearest wall, his throat dry from screaming and his eyes wet with tears. His hands wandered up to his head, gripping his hair, tugging and tightening, trying to get away..

Was it himself, or Charles? Who was he?

"Erik!" His head spun around, his wide eyes met those of Hank. The boy wore the helmet, the souvenir of Shaw that Erik had kept, and the boy seemed calm, stern, his yellow eyes serious. "Out of here, Erik! Now!"

But, no, he could not go, not now, Charles..Charles was hurt, he was in pain, he needed him he- "Lehnsherr!" Beast growled, grabbing his arm. "Out of this room, you are just making it worse!"

Worse..? Why?..

"The things, they are flying-" Erik began, his greyish eyes unfocused. Too much, too much, their emotions were a tangle-

"Latent telekinesis, a secondary mutation, set free by the memories-" Hank began, hurrying to Charles, whose hands had clenched into fists in his hair, even the worse hand, which looked even worse now.

"Let me help-" Erik lurched towards the bed, his eyes fixed on the small and broken from of his love, of Charles, his Charles, the navie, good Charles..

He was crying, so badly, and his eyes were unfocused and wide open, far too wide, and he was not here at all. And he was screaming. God,he was screaming with so much anguish and pain in his voice, and his lips were full of blood, because of his injured lung and the blood was so red against his white face, against his pale lips, and his eyes, his beautiful eyes, they were filled with horror, glassy because of the fever... He was shaking, trembling, his small body wracked with spasms..

Erik stood next to the bed, staring down on the man who had once been proud of himself, who had been naive and slightly arrogant, but a good soul, always smiling and spreading his love of life...

"Charles..."

His fingers brushed Charles cheek just slightly, it was barely a whisper over the too hot skin, but Charles stopped breathing then, shuddering, pale, biting his lips as he curled into a ball, sobbing-

Please, please, not again, please no more..

And it nearly made him cry, because it was HIM, him, not them, and he would never hurt Charles, never..It was the trauma, it had to be, but it did hurt Erik, it made his heart bleed. What if Charles would never be able to let him near himself?

"It's me..." The metal-bender turned to the blue mutant, his voice pleading ."Tell me what to do Hank, please, let me help, I-"

Hank grabbed his arm in a tight grip, his eyes dead serious. "YOU have done enough for now." And he felt like a child, a child that was scolded, and he felt so small and his head was a mess.."I've told you not to go into this room now. I've told you.."

"Please leave now."

He blinked as he was shoved out of the room. The door shut behind him and he was met by the wide eyes of the teens.

Raven was crying.

Had she seen anything?

The teenager looked as if they were in a shock, their faces white and their eyes glassy. Alex was not there.

They did know.

They could hear Charles' screams for several more minutes, and for Erik it felt like hours; hours of screaming and pain, and the memories in front of his inner eyes, his stomach twisting and nausea approaching..

He felt numb, but he was crying.

If he just had been there to help him..

And, all the while, it had never been Charles' voice which had been speaking inside his head; it had been his own voice, always his own voice.. But he knew it had been Charles.

But, Charles was quiet now. Mentally, vocally..

There was no whisper of his mind over Erik's, no soft mumble and no soothing warmth.. It was ice cold, and all Erik could hear inside his head was the echo of Charles' screams.

And Charles would not speak, not mentally, not vocally.

They had taken it, his greatest power;

the power of words and his belief in the good...