Meeting the shark demon
Premonition dream
Chapter 2
« Charles ! CHARLES ! Wake up, you're going to be late ! »
The said Charles came hurtfully back to reality. His mind still foggy, he searched for the source of this damned yell. His searching was welcomed by a flash of dark blue and red.
« Urmmm… Hello Raven. What time is it ? And where am I, anyway ? »
« Hello Charly, nice to see you're awake. » She said ironically. « You're at your work desk, in your room, and it's almost eight o'clo- it IS eight o'clock ! » realized her, glancing at her watch. « Blimey, we're definetely late, now ! »
It still took charles a few more seconds to recall the situation. He was indeed at his desk, where he fell asleep last night. Papers and note for today's lesson were thrown all over the surface. He had been working late last night, feeling that he was not prepared enough for the conference he had to present. His studies of advanced genetics took him each seconds of his awake time, and the rest belonged to the preparation of his thesis. Thus, there was little time left for him to sleep, and even the concept of a social life was forgotten. In the two past years he spent every minutes of his free time studying. He didn't remember the name of the last girlfriend he had, or even the last time he had sex.
The young Xavier quickly gathered his papers and shoved them in his messenger bag, as well as his laptop. Today he was supposed to drive Raven to her Drama class, and then to drive to University for his first Biology lesson, which started at eight. Maybe if he left now and drove like a mad man, he'd be only half an hour late…
Letting himself be thrown on the front seat of the car by Raven, he turned the Porshe on, as soon as she sat. No, it was not realy usual, even for Oxfort student, to own a nice flat AND a Porshe for themselves, but Charles and his adopted sister Raven came from a very rich family background. At a speed that could have made him lose his driver licence, the young man went from the flat to Oxford, passing by the drama school, at a record time.
With a lot of discretion – and a bit of his power too – he managed to get in the amphitheater without being noticed. Or so he thought.
« I see our best student has finally decided to do us the honor of his visit » said sarcastically the biology Professor, without even looking at him. Soon hundred pairs of eyes were turned toward him, as he tried to sit with dignity while blushing from ears to neck. How he wished to be a lab rat, so he could hide from everyone !
« Well if you insist Mr Xavier » continued the sadistic proffessor, faking hearing a reponse from his student. « I'll be glad to read a paper of you about what parts are failing in the Darwinian theory. For tomorow afternoon, of course.
« But proffesor, I have a conference to present this evening ! »
« Oh yes, that's right… Make it for tomorow morning, then. And try to be on time, for once. » Pretty full of himself the old man returned back to his soliloquy about homo habilis and the invention of the first tools.
Cursing himself, the proffessor and everyone on this bloody planet, Charles took his notes out of his bag. He realy did have bad luck today. He was starting to wonder wether the bio teacher had a thing aginst him or he was doomed to experience Murphy's Law on this particular day. Remembering the conference he had to present in a few hours, he looked for his preparation in the mass of paper. After looking over it twicec more, he realized he couln'd find them at all. Bloody Murphy and his damned law ! It was as if anything that could have gone wrong today HAD to go wrong. And it was only nine fourty-five in the morning.
Neverless, Charles wasn't going to give up on his usual optimistic self and decided he'd just had to race to his flat and get his papers at twelve, even if it would prevent him from eating lunch. And for tomorow's paper on Darwin, well… he would just have to do another all-nighters tonight.
When the time of the conference came, Charles wasn't feeling ready. Not ready at all. In fact, the more he saw people enter the conference room, the more stressed he felt. It wasn't usualy like him to be stressed about explaining his researches on human mutation in front of a large public, but this time was different. He'd heard that today the University had welcomed intelletcuals from outside England, and even foreigners. While being flatered the Chancellor of the Science Departement chose him to present this semester's subject, he wasn't confortable at all having to explain the « Concequences of Radio-activity on Human Beings » in front of members of the two blocs. It was 1961 after all, and the Berlin wall had just been built this summer. Despite it being a period of pacific coexistance, the case of Germany was still fresh in everyone's ming. He could sense it.
Before worrying once more about wether his intervention was going to be the start of World War Three or not, he launcher himself out of the curtains. At the start it was difficult to introduce himself without babbling, but when he came straight to the subject, words came out of his mouth with a fluency he's never thought to be capable of. But that was his element after all, and he had been working on this project months ago.
He quickly scanned the auditors' ming after he finished talking, and was surprized to see his back on someone's thoughts. Someone was watching him from behind. Turning over, he went face to face with a smart dressed man with black and grey hair. Looking deep into him Charles saw something that froze him. Beside the determination and the cruelty of a tyran, he sensed power and strengh at an inhuman scale. This man was like Charles and Raven, he was above common humanity. Furthermore, he was dangerous.
« I believe you are the young mister Xavier » he said with a soft voice that didn't fit his colossal mind. « I am Sebastian Shaw. It's a pleasure to meet you : such a performance you have shown us ! »
« Uh thanks, I suppose… » was the only thing he could answer without seeming too wary, his instincs tell him he should run away as soon as he could.
« I mean it. It's rare to find young people with such a developped… » His eyes went up and down the said young man. – Danger – « …analysis skill. I would be glad if you accepted to have a drink with me a discuss further about that theory of yours. » - Danger –
Charles was about to politely turn him down, when his traitor of a stomac chose this moment to growl like a tiger. He haven't eaten since yesterday.
« Or even a diner, maybe ? » said Shaw in a smirk. – Even more danger – « My treat. Believe me, this wouldd be very entertainig. You and I have a LOT in common. » - DANGER ! DANGER ! DANGER ! –
The young mutant heard the voice inside him, deseperately warning him of this powerful stranger. But the tentation was too strong, and his curiosity to learn more about this living tempest passed over his survival instincts.
« It would be a pleasure to join you »
And thus had he fallen into the older man's trap.