Ok everybody, I'm back! Chapter…let's see…seven? Yeah, seven. Ok, so sorry about missing a bunch of updates last week but I've kind'a been in and out of doctor's offices because of my bad knee, so hopefully that won't lead to surgery cause I thoroughly believe that I am the most squeamish person on planet Earth. Anyway…I'm back, so enjoy chapter seven!
-E.H.
The sound of the teleporter's movements drew closer and closer down the hall until they were terrifyingly near, almost at their door. It was suddenly quiet. There was a tense moment as everyone exchanged glances. Hank slowly inched toward the door and looked out the small window.
"He's not out there." He whispered.
Suddenly the red profile of Azazel appeared inches from Hank's face. The blue mutant leaped to the side and stood with his back pressed to the wall, hidden from view as the teleporter turned to look at the door. His demonic featured came into sharp contrast as he drew closer. Charles was confused beyond belief. He couldn't sense him at all…it was like he was a ghost. Only after he noticed this did he realize that he was in the direct line of sight from the window. Azazel's green eyes searched the small room filled with mutants and Charles waited for the inevitable grin that would cross his face when he recognized them…but it never came. The Russian frowned and stepped back, disappearing in a wisp of red smoke.
Everyone collectively sighed in relief and looked around at each other. Alex laughed nervously.
"Nice one Professor, I thought he had us!"
"That…that wasn't me…" He said. As one, all eyes turned to Xandra. She was standing with her small face scrunched up in concentration with her eyes closed, oblivious to everything.
"Her?" Whispered Sean, looking at Xavier, as if waiting for him to announce it all as a joke. It was no joke, however, and as Xandra's face relaxed and she opened her eyes he looked almost embarrassed.
Why are they looking at me, Xavier? She asked as her brown eyes looked at the faces of the group members around her.
They…they're…impressed, Xandra.
Oh.
She looked at the ground nervously and wiggled her bare toes on the concrete floor.
"Charles, why didn't you take care of Azazel?" Hank asked, turning his attention back to the Professor.
"I…I couldn't. It's like he's not there. Maybe it's, oh."
"What?"
"Yes...it is."
"Charles, what is it?"
"It's Emma Frost."
The deafening sound of crushing metal rang in the hall outside of the cell, making everyone jump. After each sound there was a short pause, and as each time it came closer, they realized that it was doors. It was the door in the hall being torn from their hinges and dropped to the floor. The walls shook as it drew nearer and Xandra's grip on Xavier's hand tightened.
Xandra, can you sense them? The people that are coming?
Yes.
Can one of them sense you?
No.
Are you absolutely sure?
Yes.
How many are there?
No, no!
What's wrong Xandra?
Her hand pulled away from his and she stumbled back to the far wall of the cell and slid down to a crouch, covering her mouth and shivering.
"Xandra? What are they doing? Xandra!" Charles exclaimed, pushing aside Alex as he wheeled over to her.
"Prof, oh God…Prof…It's…" Hank stuttered as he risked a look out of the window. Charles entered Hank's mind again to look out into the hall and the sight nearly gave him a stroke.
Six mutants were making their way down the hall. Xavier knew every one of them. Raven and Emma Frost, Azazel, Angle, Riptide…and their leader. At first Charles didn't recognize him, but as he turned away from the open doorway of a cell his features became clear.
"Eric…" Whispered Charles, drawing away from Hank and putting a shaking hand to his head. Xandra peered at him with her glassy eyes and whispered into his mind.
Do you want to talk to him?
Charles looked up at her in confusion. Her voice sounded extremely collected and somehow older.
What do you know about him? Can you reach his mind?
No.
Then how could I talk to him?
You're friends...Aren't you? Charles stuttered incoherently as another door was torn away right across the hall from them. You can still talk…Just not in your mind.
Yes, but…
Harsh words were heard outside and a loud scream rang through hall outside.
Try. Please. Continued Xandra. Raven wants you to.
Charles stared at Xandra in disbelief. He looked at the door and through the window he could see the back of Eric's head, covered by a smooth red helmet. He looked back at Xandra who frowned and pulled back into her corner, her moment of mature conversation lost.
Slowly, deliberately, Charles pushed his chair toward the door where Hank stood. He looked up at the blue-furred mutant with a look of such determination that without hesitation Hank opened the door for him. Continuing into the hall and stopping behind the man who used to be his friend, Charles waited for him to turn around.
The door of the cell across the hall that Eric was now facing lay on the floor to the right and the open doorway revealed a teenaged boy with a scarred face standing facing the group. He was clearly a patient, dressed in white clothes, pale and underfed. Eric's cool and measured voice trailed off a sentence that chilled Xavier to the bones.
"You have a choice, fellow mutant. Think about this carefully because your life depends entirely on your answer… You have been imprisoned and mistreated by non-mutants. You were born the way you are, and you are hated and feared because of it. If you want to be respected and cared for, now is your chance. Of course, if you refuse, you are clearly against our cause…and as such a threat to our existence. Only a mutant can harm us, and we can't have any opposition if our mission is to continue. What do you say?"
Eric put out a hand to the teenager. He didn't move. There was a pause and the boy suddenly screamed and ran at Eric. The kid was clearly insane.
"Azazel." Eric said calmly. The teleporter at his side disappeared and reappeared between the teenager and Eric. Before he could stop or even understand what had happened, Azazel had hit the boy hard in the head with his elbow. He sank to the ground, hitting his forehead hard on the remains of the metal door. He was in a bad way, nearly dead.
Charles watched this unfold in horror.
"Shame. We could have used another recruit…" Eric muttered to Raven by his side. A small flicker of pride emerged in Charles as he saw his sister's look of repulsion at the body of the boy in front of her. Eric turned to face the door behind him and nearly walked into Xavier.
There was a very long moment of tense silence as the two groups sized each other up. Sean, Alex, Hank, and Xandra in the cell behind him took a step forward, ready to defend Charles should the others attack. Azazel reached for the knife strapped to his sleeve, but Eric held up a hand. He looked in confusion at his recently abandoned friend.
"Charles?" He whispered. His eyes fell on Xavier's chair and he looked back at Charles' stony expression. He put two and two together and Xavier could see his face lose some color.
"Eric, what are you doing?" Charles asking in as measured a voice as he could manage under the circumstances. Eric looked like he had just been punched in the face. Emma Frost at his side stepped toward Xavier, transforming into her diamond form.
"What are we going to do with him Magneto?" She asked coldly. Xavier looked from her to Eric and back.
"Magneto? You kept her pet name for you, did you?" He asked, unable to contain his anger as his gaze fell on Raven. She looked like she was going to say something but Eric cut her off.
"'Eric' sounds a bit normal. I thought Magneto was a little more…personal." He looked at Raven as he said this, putting a hand around her bare shoulders. Charles couldn't contain himself.
"Get your hands off of her, Eric!" He shouted, causing both sides to tense in apprehension of an attack by the other.
"Easy…" Eric said calmly to Azazel, Riptide, Angel, and Emma. Charles could feel the hesitation by his own group and he put up a hand.
"It's alright. Stay back." He murmured, keeping constant eye contact with Eric. There was an uneasy silence. Eric was the first to speak. He looked at Raven and back at Charles.
"I see the result of the human's incompetence has not been lost on you, my friend." He said, nodding to Xavier's chair.
"My statement still stands…" Retorted Charles.
"What statement?" he asked, his frown deepening.
"You did this Eric."
Charles almost regretted the use of his own words, but it seemed to get a reaction out of Eric. He kneeled in front of Charles, his cape falling to the ground around him. Quietly, as if to keep the others from hearing, he whispered,
"I never meant that to happen, Charles, but you were in the way. I didn't even know you were there! It was that girl, the human!"
"We're all human, Eric!" Charles shouted angrily. "You and I are as human as anyone in this city, and don't think for one moment that our abilities make us so high and mighty as to make us more fit to kill than anyone else!" He pointed at the boy behind Eric. Charles could sense that he had died only seconds before. "And now you've begun to kill other mutants! Don't you see Eric, I was right! I hate to point it out, but I was right! Killing Shaw didn't bring you peace, did it? I should have known better than to trust you to capture him yourself…You haven't started a revolution, you've started a war!"
"Enough!" Yelled Eric, standing up and towering over Charles. "I can see that I can't convince you of how wrong you are, Charles…and I'm sorry…but you have only seen the good side of them. You've been protected from it, all your life. You don't know how much evil there is in them; Evil that I can't allow to continue to beat us into the dust." He glared at Xavier, who glared back. Both sides watched this happen with silent emotion. They had seen these two men as the best of friends…and now saw them fight as the worst of enemies.
"What are you planning on doing, Magneto?" Asked Charles in contempt. Eric narrowed his eyes and turned his back on Xavier. He held Hands with Raven, Emma, Angle, Riptide, and Azazel.
"I'm going to begin the training of my army." Emma suddenly whistled loudly and all down the hall mutants in white clothes stepped out of the cells and joined hands. Over a hundred of them, some as small as Xandra.
"Eric…Eric no!"
"Come, brothers and sisters. We shall replace the humans as the dominant life on this planet. No longer shall we wait in the shadows!" He shouted. The mutants all echoed as one.
"No longer!" There was a puff of red smoke and they all vanished into thin air.