Right. Wow. I add one chapter and already I've got another twenty or so reviews, do you guys like this fic that much? O_o
Stupid question obviously :p
I've got to admit, my attempt with this chapter has proven to be more difficult because I'm developing one heck of a migraine – I hate these things but they're getting more and more frequent, I blame college really.
Anyway. Moving on to the chapter itself :)
I hope you like it and will continue to review as much as you have done so far. It makes my head hurt less :p
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Lesson Three: When you kidnap a team's only way of staying calm be prepared for the consequences – i.e. they're going to be way more violent than they would have been before hand... some more than others(I'm actually finding these rather stupid chapter titles entertaining to come up with :p)
"We are currently two hours flight time away from Cuba." Hank's voice rang out in the silent Blackbird. They had all been quiet and tense whilst in the air, each of them trying to remain calm in time for the upcoming battle. None of them looked at each other, choosing instead to look at their hands or the floor.
Raven stared at her hands, watching the ripples of nervousness and worry disfiguring her skin colour causing it to constantly switch between blue, black, brown, white and anything in between. She was so worried, so scared that she couldn't think beyond 'Oh God. Charles.' and 'We're going to die before we save him... oh God.'
Alex stared at the floor, hunched over as best he could with the shoulder straps of the seat keeping him in position. He was worried, not for himself, but for everyone else. He'd been in prison before this and he knew how to handle himself in such an environment, knew how to handle the stress and the threats on your life, the danger. But the others, most of them at least, they didn't. So they were all mutants, yeah, but they'd had entirely different lives. Done entirely different things and he knew Sean, Raven and Hank didn't have the experience to pull this off without something going wrong. He just hoped that they had enough luck to survive this. 'I'm not the type that prays for a Hail Mary but right now... damn it we sure could use one.'
Sean stared at the empty seat opposite him, not really seeing it but taking in the contours of it as he thought over the last few weeks of his life. As he thought over where the next several hours of his life would take him. He was scared and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He was scared for himself because he'd been trained to use his voice, he'd been trained to fight with his body and his power together as one, but he hadn't been taught how to deal with this. The waiting. The tense waiting as they flew closer and closer to fate. How could he have been taught how to deal with this though? He'd never experienced anything quite like this. Not once and it scared him more than the prospect of his power failing him whilst he was flying. It scared him more than dying. What was the point in winning when you can't handle the stress?
Hank for the most part tried to focus his mind on the task of flying the Blackbird but the problem with that was that she was mostly automated. All he had to do was turn the controls here and there, check the radar and the like. It didn't require as much of his concentration as building her had been. Which was why he was thinking over the possible outcomes. What happened if they didn't get there in time? What if they couldn't stop the Russians? What if they couldn't stop Shaw? What if Shaw turned the professor? What if? What if? He was starting to hate those words.
Erik stared at nothing and saw nothing. For the last hour of their flight he had almost become a ghost he was so silent and removed from the rest of them. Not only in years but also in experience. Everything that he'd ever experienced. Everything that he'd ever done. Everything that he'd ever failed to do in his life had built up to this. This moment. He was going to kill Shaw. He was always going to do that but now, now, he was going to cause Shaw as much pain as mutantly possible after he saved his friend. 'You took my mother from me Shaw... I won't let you take my friend.'
In the tense silence of the Blackbird Raven finally looked away from her hands and fixed her gaze on Erik. "Erik." She called softly, her voice low but more than loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "Erik?" Upon calling his name the second time Erik started and looked up at Raven opposite him.
"What Raven?" He asked, his voice quiet and uncharacteristically raw, emotional.
"Why don't you try and rest? We've got two hours, that's enough time for you to have a decent nap." Raven suggested quietly. "I know you didn't sleep last night." She added as she thought back to the sounds of metal bending and grinding in the gym throughout the night – she'd only heard it once before after the older man had had a nightmare and Charles had soothed his mind.
Erik stared at Raven for a long moment, his face unintelligible and, just when she thought he would ignore her suggestion, he smiled at her tiredly and nodded. "Wake me when we're thirty minutes out." He instructed, making sure he voice would carry to the others in the Blackbird. "I want to look somewhat awake when we find Shaw." He added, trying to lighten the mood and the others smiled slightly.
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Charles wasn't unconscious per say, well he was but it wasn't the usual type of unconsciousness where one remembered nothing. This was like dreaming but far more coherent. Standing in the midst of an empty desert, wind blowing up sand that turned to rose petals, Charles looked around himself in surprise. Where was he? What was this place and why on earth was there a floating towel twenty feet above his head?
"Hello?" He called out, surprised when there was no echo, no anything really. He was thoroughly confused and nearly jumped a mile when a sudden crack of thunder sounded around him. "What on earth?"
He reached out with his mind, trying to find out where he was, and was even more surprised and confused when he found that he was inside his own mind; the feeling of his own thoughts distinctly different to the thoughts of those whose minds he'd entered in the past. "My God." He breathed out. "I'm on an astral plane of some sort."
He couldn't help it. He laughed in surprise. "Amazing." He breathed out. "I had no idea I could do this." It seemed like today was a learning curve of sorts. Looking about himself Charles wondered if he could do more than exist on the plan. Smiling, his eyes sparking with excitement, he reached out a hand and tried to focus on creating something out of the sand on the ground.
It was easier than he expected it to be.
A large X made of sand floated three feet off the ground in front of him and he grinned widely, laughing in sheer exhilaration. "Fantastic!"
It took him a couple of minutes for him to realise that whilst he was playing around the real world was at risk of being destroyed by Shaw. He needed to get in touch with the others but he didn't know how. He couldn't talk to them whilst awake, not with Shaw always shaking hands with his internal organs, but maybe... just maybe he could talk to them now. If they were sleeping. God he hoped one of them was.
Shutting his eyes and placing two fingers on his temple, a familiar and grounding gesture that Raven had often made fun of when they were younger, Charles focused his mind on trying to communicate with one of the others. He tried Hank and Raven first but found that they were conscious, the same with Alex and Sean but Erik was a different story.
His friend wasn't asleep per say but he was dozing, half between being awake and asleep, and Charles took the opportunity presented to pull Erik's mind into his own.
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Erik spun around, instantly alert for any danger, his mind confused and buzzing with activity as he tried to figure out where the hell he was.
"Bloody brilliant!" A distinctly British voice rang out behind him and Erik spun around in shock, turning to look at a smiling Charles Xavier. Who was currently missing his shirt and shoes.
"Charles." Erik breathed out in surprise. "Where-" He looked around them and Charles laughed as he moved closer to his friend.
"We're on some sort of astral plane inside my mind Erik." Charles explained as he stepped up in front of his friend grinning like a school boy. "Amazing isn't it?" He asked and he laughed again when Erik nodded dumbly still looking around them.
It took Erik a couple of seconds to get his awe, surprise and sheer exhilaration under control enough for him to turn to Charles and study his friend. "Charles. Where are you really?" He asked and he watched as a dozen thoughts and feelings passed across his friends features; fear, anger, worry, concern, hesitation.
"Charles." Erik pressed reaching out a hand and placing it on Charles' shoulder.
"I don't know where I am Erik." Charles almost whispered, his happy mood vanishing immediately. "I don't know where I've been for the last..." He trailed off, not knowing how long he'd been in Shaw's hands.
"Nearly three days my friend." Erik said softly, guilt obvious in both his tone and his eyes as Charles looked at him. "I'm sorry..." He muttered.
"Whatever for? You couldn't have found me Erik. We don't know where Shaw is remember." Charles pointed out, instinctively trying to absolve his friend of any guilt.
"I heard you..." Erik whispered, looking at the ground. Charles frowned and opened his mouth to speak but Erik continued. "I heard you the night he took you... I heard you call out for me. I heard you call out for my help Charles and I thought it was dream..." Erik's voice died away as the self-hatred stole the words from him.
"Oh my friend." Charles whispered, his voice warm and forgiving. "My friend. Knowing you were safe from Shaw was enough to help me." Reaching out a hand Charles lifted Erik's chin and stared him right in the eyes. "Shaw wants your power my friend, he doesn't care for you and I am so terrified of him hurting you anymore than he has already done so that I am glad that you didn't find me then..." Charles smiled and Erik shook his head disbelievingly. "If you don't believe me then have a look around; this is my head afterall. I'm sure you'll find the proof to back up my words."
Erik snorted and Charles' smile widened slightly. "Forgive me my friend?" Erik asked as he tightened his grip slightly on his friends shoulder.
"Already forgiven my friend." Charles smiled and nodded as Erik blinked tears out of his eyes. "Though I don't see anything to forgive really." He added and Erik gave him a weak glare.
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"We're about forty minutes out guys." Hank called out. "Be ready to wake Magneto." He added just in case any of them had forgot the mental manipulators orders.
Alex looked at the cockpit and answered. "We can count Hank."
Raven sighed and continue to watch Erik sleep. He looked so peaceful, so calm, so happy that she dreaded having to wake him.
But she'd have to in ten minutes anyway. They had a war to fight afterall.
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"Erik. You need to listen very carefully to me." Charles said, all humour gone from his eyes as he jumped into leader-mode. Erik instantly snapped to attention and focused on what Charles said. "I don't know exactly where Shaw is but I know he's on a submarine; there's no minds for miles and I can tell that we're below sea-level. You need to find a way to find the submarine and bring it to the surface."
Erik nodded and Charles continued, his voice low and urgent. "My friend. You need to listen to what I say next so carefully." Charles stared into Erik's eyes for a long moment before continuing. "I understand how much finding Shaw means to you but please, my dear friend, find me first." Charles stopped speaking and looked away from his friend, suddenly vulnerable and shy.
"Charles." Erik said. "What is it?"
"Please Erik. Just promise me that you'll find me first." Charles said, his voice uncharacteristically timid and desperate.
Erik frowned in worry and concern for his friend as he felt the anger start to build up. Shaw had hurt his friend and had turned his strong, confident, unafraid Charles into a man who was scared of being left alone.
"I will Charles. I give you my word my friend. I will find you." Erik said firmly, tilting his head to look intensely into Charles' eyes. "I will not fail you my friend."
Charles smiled at him in amazed surprise because he knew how much Shaw meant to his friend and he had really thought that his friend would go after Shaw first. Just as Charles was about to speak again there was a shudder that ran through the astral plane.
"Charles?" Erik called out as he began to fade.
"Erik?" Charles exclaimed as his friend began to disappear before his eyes. "You must be waking up! Don't fight it! Please, don't fight it Erik!"
"Charles!" Erik called out again, reaching for his friend as he was pulled from the astral world in to the real world.
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"Charles!" Erik exclaimed as he sat bolt upright, forgetting the shoulder straps which jerked him backwards.
"Erik!" Raven was stood next to him, her hand on his shoulder. She stared nervously down at him in worry and concern. "Erik?"
Erik stared at her and breathed out heavily, trying to get himself under control. "I saw him. I saw Charles." He panted out and Raven gasped.
"What? How Erik?" She asked as she sat down in the seat beside him. The other were listening in to their conversation.
"He was on an... astral plane in his mind. He brought me into it." Erik explained, knowing he was confusing the others. "He told me that we have to find the submarine." At the blank faces of the others he clarified. "Shaw's on a submarine. So Charles. We need to find it and bring it up."
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Shaw entered the room holding the young telepath and walked over to stand over the still unconscious young man. He smiled softly as he stared down at his greatest weapon. The boy, because he was a boy compared to Shaw, was powerful, far more than he gave himself credit for, and Shaw knew he could use the boy for a great many things. If he could turn him.
"Wakey-wakey Charlie-boy." He called out as he placed his hand on the young telepath's shoulder and sent a strong burst of electrical energy through his system, ripping him from unconsciousness with a vindictive pleasure. "I want you to be awake for the end of the world."
He smiled as Charles groaned and looked up at Shaw's face. "You're insane." He muttered and Shaw's smile turned into a frown.
"And you are still trying to be normal Charles." Shaw pointed out. "When are you going to accept it? You are not normal. You're a freak. And they are insignificant bugs that need eradicating."
"No... they're human beings with the ability to be the better men. They are better than you Shaw. They'll always be better than you." Charles argued and Shaw snarled at him, sending another burst of energy through his body causing him to writhe in pain on the table.
"You won't think like that when there's none of them left." Shaw muttered darkly before turning and stalking out the room leaving Charles lying on the table, panting in agony.
It took him a good few minutes before he could get the pain under control. Groaning and closing his eyes wearily, Charles tried to think of something, anything he could do to help. He couldn't contact the others on the astral plane again, he was awake now and so was Erik. But... maybe...
His eyes snapped open and he smiled. He couldn't talk on the astral plane, but maybe, just maybe, he could do the same thing in the real world. Maybe he could make a projection of himself and put on the plane. It was close enough now from what he could tell. He could feel the pull of hundreds of minds around him, not close enough for him to control any of them, but certainly close enough for him to hear things.
Closing his eyes and forcing himself to breath evenly Charles tried to clear his mind and think only of the plane and the others. He tried to think only of Erik. In... out... in... out... Breathe and think... focus...
He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of the Blackbird being stared at by his friends. He smiled and waved at them. "Surprise."
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Okay. I had intended to finish this chapter two parts earlier but I really wanted to include those last two bits in this one.
And I really like the last line – best way to end a chapter is to have the dude you're looking for pop into existence and say 'surprise' in an awkward way xD
I don't think I need to ask you guys to review do I? No... thought not :p
Anyway, I've got some sort of a plot for this now – it's not concrete and it'll probably change by tomorrow but I don't care :p
And on one last note, I might not update tomorrow since I have a Psychology trip to the zoo and I might be a little busy with that so this may be all you have for two days. Sorry.
Kasey