The one thing that kinda bugged me that the movie got wrong is 'Russia's' name. Russia did not exist in the 60's. Instead, much of northern Asia and eastern Europe were comprised of a large group of nations known as the U.S.S.R. or the Soviet Union. When this group later disbanded, the largest of nations would be known as Russia. So, in order to be historically correct, I'm calling it the U.S.S.R. or the Soviet Union.
Also, the 'man in black' didn't have a name in the movie. He was listed in the credits as 'man in black' I think. If I'm wrong, please correct me.
P.S., if I can make it to twenty five reviews, the twenty fifth reviewer will get a prize ;)
Sebastian Shaw. That was the name of the man who ran the Hellfire Club. That was the name of the man who had abducted the colonel who had, in turn, convinced the United States to place very powerful nuclear missiles in Turkey. Once the U.S.S.R. found out about this, it would mean further deterioration of their already precarious relationship. It may even mean war.
Charles would bet his mother's mansion that Shaw was behind it, working with the Soviets. It was Shaw who had coerced the colonel into making such an earth-shattering decision. The question was: what was the endgame? What exactly was Shaw trying to accomplish other than utter annihilation of the human race and the planet it lived on?
Moira's mind was racing with the same thoughts and fears in a mahogany spiral drifting on the periphery of his mind vision. He had sworn that he wouldn't look into her thoughts, but the situation was rapidly expanding into something much more than the simple matter of genetic mutation and he needed all the information he could get. He had a sneaking suspicion that this had been Moira's intent all along. It just didn't seem plausible that she'd flown to Oxford to contact Charles and then flown back to Langley simply to convince her superiors of the existence of mutants. He was beginning to think that they truly had been recruited. They were now about to be shipped off to a secret research facility that's sole purpose was the study of paranormal ability usage for national defense (he had no qualms about reading the mind of the man in black who planned on taking them there). That could only mean one thing. They were about to become powerful pawns in a very serious chess game.
Once the other CIA members had all filed out of the room, Charles let out a relieved sigh. Their anxiousness was beginning to give him a pounding headache that no amount of medicine would cure. Ellie snarled softly at each one as they passed, cursing them in her mind and in her body language. Thank God none of them spoke wolf.
Ellie, that really isn't very appropriate, he scolded, sounding more like her grandfather than her friend.
She turned her sparkling eyes on him and cocked her head to the side, trying to change back so that she could snap at him properly. Nothing happened. Her backside made a soft thump as she sat down hard on her haunches, and the emerald flare that was her mind blazed with effort and frustration. She began cursing again, this time however, she was fussing about her sporadic abilities. The beast was obviously not cooperating today.
Are you stuck again? he asked, already knowing the answer.
Wipe that smug little grin off your face before I claw it off, she snapped back, baring her teeth at him.
There's no need to get angry with me, I didn't stick you there, he said, crouching down to look her in the eye. You're the one who decided to show off. He reached forward to scratch her behind the ears. The quickest way to getting on her good side was a little scratch in certain places. Having lived with her for thirteen years, he'd pretty much figured out where all of those places were in each of her favorite forms.
That is nice, she murmured, closing her eyes and leaning into his hand as her frustration dissipated. He couldn't help but smile. For all her strength and nasty temper, she really was just a very large marshmallow, and he found her more and more enthralling all the time.
"Is she stuck?" Raven asked, crouching down next to him.
"Yes, I'm afraid she is." He didn't look up from the wolf. "That was some stunt you two pulled. You're lucky they didn't have you arrested." He tried to keep the accusation out of his tone and his face. Apparently he didn't succeed.
"Don't talk to me like that," she said, leaping back to her feet and glaring down at him. "You're the one who decided to let it slip that you can find out classified information whenever the hell you feel like it." Her blue eyes flashed angrily and she perched her hands on her hips.
"I would never do so, 'whenever the hell I feel like it' and you know it."
"Yes, Charles, I do, but they don't. If anyone was going to be arrested, it was you."
Fortunately, the beast chose that moment to behave, and Ellie popped back into human form so quickly that the air sizzled a little.
"Dammit!" she shouted when she landed face first on the floor, her arm jerking spasmodically. "My muscles are going to be spazzing out for hours now!" She grunted in pain as her entire body convulsed.
"Are you alright?" Charles asked while Raven helped her up off the floor. She made sure to keep a hand on Ellie's arm because those muscle spasms would send her right back down again if they weren't careful, especially with her already shoddy balance.
"Yes, I'm alright," she growled through gritted teeth. She was trying her best not to be snappish, which he knew was quite difficult for her. "I hate it when it does that. Why can't I control it better?" She sat down heavily in one of the leather chairs and cradled her auburn head in her hands as another convulsion rocked her body. Her hair fell in a curtain that hid her anguished expression from view. He put a hand on her quivering shoulder and turned to face the door just before the man in black entered the room.
"We should probably get going now." Charles nodded and helped Ellie from her chair to make their way out the door while reaching out for Moira and finding her easily. She was with that man, Levine, near the water fountain. It was about time the two of them had a little chat.
"I can't believe this," she was saying, walking briskly down the hallway. "You'd think the director of the CIA'd have a little more composure. We should be going after Shaw right now. Instead he's up there, worrying about the wrong mutants." Indeed he was.
Levine stopped to take a drink, and Charles slipped into his mind and the minds of the two men shadowing them all too easily and halted them in their tracks.
"What are we going to do Levine?" Moira asked. "Levine? Levine, what's wrong with you?" She leaned down to peer at him, water running into his nose.
Absolutely nothing, Charles spoke directly into her mind. I've only frozen him for a moment because I'd like to talk to you. It's good, isn't it? He couldn't resist a little bit of gloating. He'd never known he could do that. Moira looked around worriedly, trying to find the source of Charles's voice. Sometimes humans really were too skittish for their own good. I'm as interested in this Sebastian Shaw as you are, and if you still want my help, meet me on the third floor of the parking garage. He left her nervous little mind quickly. It was beginning to grate on his nerves how incredibly fearful she was. The girl was still looking around with her brows knitted together like some sort of idiot. Really now, she was an agent in the CIA. Shouldn't she be a bit tougher than that? Ah well, it really was no place for a woman.
Ellie let out a low whimper as she was hit with another spasm. Of course, today would be the day for the beast to act up. She really should be better at controlling her by now, but her instincts still managed to get the better of her more often than not. She leaned heavily on Raven's arm as they walked (well, Raven walked, she limped) as quickly as they could down to the man's car.
The rather large man perplexed her, his scent giving off many different signals she'd never come across before. He smelled of many things, but strangely, fear was not one of them. In fact, he smelled of other mutants. One in particular actually. He apparently spent a lot of time around this one. She wondered if he knew he had a mutant already working for him. Possibly, possibly not. They were going to find out soon enough. The man huffed and puffed as he tried to keep up with the two young whipper-snappers. Even Ellie with her mangled hip slowing her down easily surpassed him in speed. He needed to get out from behind his desk more often, he was getting soft.
Charles walked along with his fingers pressed to his temple and his brows scrunched together in concentration. He was communicating with someone, probably Moira. That woman really rubbed Ellie the wrong way. She was fearful and timid as a little mouse when it came to mutants, and as a cat, Ellie didn't enjoy mice too much. Well, she did, but it wasn't the mouse itself so much but how it tasted. Charles was spending most of his time talking to Moira, discussing plans with Moira. Ever since they'd picked her up, the entire charade had been focused around the mousy little detective. Ellie wanted to snarl, but that would attract unwanted attention to them. She needed someone to talk to, and she couldn't do it out loud.
"Raven," she poked the blond gently on the side.
"Yeah?"
"Would you carry me if I go housecat? It'll stop the spasms until I can relax a little more." That was a good excuse! Maybe there was something positive that came out of shifting too fast after all. Raven smile softly and nodded. She stuck her arms under Ellie's as she melted into a small, silver tabby cat. The cat purred from its nest in Raven's gentle arms.
Ok, I really needed to let off a little steam. Does Moira get on your nerves too or is it just me?
I think it's just you, her snarky mind voice giggled. And I think I know why.
Oh really? Ellie remarked sarcastically. She highly doubted that Raven knew why Moira got on her nerves, when she herself did not. Why?
Her answer froze Ellie in her tracks.
It's because you're jealous.
I-excuse me? How was it possible for a mind voice to jump four octaves? She didn't know, but she really wished it hadn't. Jealous? Of Moira? Yeah, right. I am not jealous of that tart. What exactly do I have to be jealous for?
Again, Raven's simple answer robbed her of her ability to think.
Charles.
I-I don't have any idea what you're talking about. The silver, long haired cat turned her nose away and flexed her bad leg as if it pained her.
Raven laughed out loud, startling their escorts and Charles who gave the two women a strange look. Then, he went back to his silent conversation as if nothing had happened. That man could lose himself in his (and everyone else's) mind so quickly it was scary sometimes.
Yeah, I'm sure you don't, but the fact remains that you're jealous of Moira because Charles is spending so much of his attention on her. Raven really was more observant than was good for her, but was it true? Was that really the reason she had such an aversion to Moira? She hadn't really thought about it before, but she didn't know why Moira grated on her nerves. The woman was timid and meek, even when she was trying to be courageous, but that didn't seem like a reason to hate her. If Ellie was honest with herself, she would admit that she felt the most angry when she saw the two together, deep in secret conversations about God knows what. She despised the way he stuck up for her as if she were a part of their little family too. She hated having to share him, even though he'd never been hers in the first place.
She was jealous of Moira MacTaggert's closeness to Charles.
Admitting that fact to herself felt oddly liberating. At least she understood her ill feelings now. And admitting it to herself made her more comfortable admitting it to Raven.
Ok, so what do I do about it?
Well, I'm not really sure you can do anything about it. Raven smirked down at her, stroking her head affectionately. That's love for you.
What a minute, wait a minute! Ellie squirmed in Raven's arms, twisting around to look up at her, green eyes meeting blue. Whoever said anything about love?
No one, but they didn't have to. You may not wear your heart out on your sleeve, but your eyes leave no secrets for anyone with the patience to look. Raven's mind voice was gentle and wise beyond her years. She gazed down at the silver cat in her arms, and for just a moment, she wasn't a naïve teenager. For a moment, she was so much more.
You are becoming a woman, little Raven. A deep purr resonated from within her chest and she nuzzled Raven with her forehead, claiming her as family with her scent. You have to promise me that you'll never let him know.
I promise, Ellie, but you can't just keep it in forever.
Watch me. I've hidden it this long haven't I? The last thing either of us needs right now is an awkward relationship that will ruin the friendship we already have going. Besides, unrequited love goes nowhere. Telling him would only hurt me. Ellie laid her head back down on Raven's arm, and Raven could have sworn that the cat sighed.
You don't know that, Raven's mind voice was quiet. He may be thinking the same way you are.
And purple dingoes will take over the universe, Ellie snapped. I know him, and he does not feel the same way I do. I think this conversation should end and you should forget it ever happened.
Fine. We're here, she conceded with a huff and dumped Ellie unceremoniously onto the floor of the parking garage. Ellie let out an indignant hiss and slowly melted back into human form, rubbing her hip with a pained grimace on her face.
"Are you alright?" Charles asked, startling both girls. It was the first thing he'd said out loud since they left the conference room.
"Yep," Ellie barked, most decidedly not looking at him. "Just stellar." Snarky sarcasm dripped from every syllable.
What on Earth had tied her underwear in a knot? She wasn't generally this snappish. He would have asked her about it, but the man in black chose that moment to speak up. He'd been holding his tongue all the way down here, but curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.
"I've always known there were people like you out there," he spoke to Charles with wonder in his voice, his face and his mind. "I've been the laughing stock of this agency for years, but I knew it! You're going to love my facility-"
"That's going to have to wait," Charles interrupted, going over everything he'd just learned from Moira once again. If it was true, they needed to make another stop before going to this man's facility.
"Why?" he asked, still believing that he was in charge here. How adorable.
The car that would be transporting them pulled up then, with Moira in the driver's seat. "Agent MacTaggert has a lead on Shaw and if we don't move now, apparently we're going to lose him." The man's confusion washed over him, but Raven beat him to the explanation. Charles wondered why Ellie was staring at him so intently as he climbed into the seat next to Moira.
"Not only can he read minds, but he can communicate with them as well," the blond said, helping Ellie get into the car.
"Moira and I have just had a lovely conversation," Charles said, smiling down at her and then up at the man.
"Yes we did," she said, smiling back. It made Ellie want to slash something. More specifically, the something right in front of her, preferably without the seat between them.
Wonder took the man over once again. "That is incredible!" he exclaimed while Charles chuckled with mirth. "B-but I can't take you anywhere else without permission from upstairs." This man was most amusing to Charles with his delusions of authority. There was a quick and easy way to handle this.
"Would you like to see one more magic trick?" he asked.
"Sure." The large man's excitement coursed through him.
Charles pressed two fingers to his temple and said, "Get in the car."
"Good idea," the man replied pleasantly, sliding in after Raven. It was a tight fit with three of them back there, and Ellie looked out the window, scowling.
"Where are we going then, if we're not going where we're supposed to be going?" she grumbled.
"Miami."
"Excuse me?" She did look at him then, her emerald eyes wide with disbelief.
"You heard correctly," he said, far too chipper-sounding for her taste.
"Charles, we've been on two planes in the past few days, now you expect us to get on another one?"
"That is exactly what I expect, and we're not arguing about it," he turned back to look at her with a stern reproach in his eyes.
"Stop acting like my father," she snapped, knowing the insult was worse to her than it was to him. He hadn't known her father. "I'm not a little kid, but I will not be happy about getting on another damned plane."
"What's gotten you in such a foul mood?" Raven looked back and forth between the two nervously.
"You," Ellie snarled and promptly morphed into a mouse that scampered up into Raven's pocket.
Charles looked at his sister with shock and a question in his eyes. She only shrugged and patted her pocket gently.
With a confused shake of his head, Charles began to lay out their plan (which wasn't really much of one, to be perfectly honest).
"Shaw owns a boat called the Caspartina in Miami, Florida. When we get there, we're going to get the Coast Guard to arrest him and his lackeys. Hopefully, that will be the end of it."
If only he knew then what he knew a few months later.
OxOxO
The ride to the airport was uneventful, everyone but Ellie conversing among themselves about nothing. She didn't speak a word to anyone and they went right through customs without the airport staff ever knowing Raven had a mouse in her pocket. Unfortunately, there were no seats left available when they boarded, so Ellie had to remain a mouse for the duration of the flight. No one knew whether or not she was comfortable with this, because still, she said nothing. He sensed anger and irritation and something else from her. Possibly sorrow? Odd. He wanted to know what was wrong, but she was in no mood to be consoled.
Reluctantly, he settled back down and did his best to let her be. Small talk recommenced once the group was comfortably seated. All of them were preoccupied with the situation ahead, but they weren't going to speak about it with so many other ears around to hear. Raven kept a nervous hand on her pocket, the light peachy flavor of her mind tainted with apprehension. Shaw wouldn't give up on his plan willingly, and judging by the company he kept, he was a dangerous man. They had a fight on their hands and that was making them all a bit nervous. Ellie knew it too, and through the primal haze of mouse instincts he felt her excitement as a predator mentality began to take over. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to know what was bothering her so much (why he so desperately wanted to know this and make it go away remained a mystery for quite some time).
I don't understand why you're still sulking, or what you're sulking about, he projected into her mind.
I'm not sulking, she responded steadily. I just really hate planes, and this is the third one I've been on in a week. She wasn't telling him everything. He sensed information that she was choosing to hide from him, but he wasn't going to dig where he wasn't welcome.
I know that isn't all that's upsetting you, but I won't pry.
Thank you, she said, sending him a smile.
You know you can tell me anything, don't you? It was almost as if she didn't trust him, which cut him to the quick. He'd worked his tail off for thirteen years to gain that trust, and he hoped all of his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Yes, Charles, she said softly. I know that, but there are some things that are just better left unsaid.
Do you think you would ever be willing to tell me?
Maybe, she said, before severing the connection and promptly falling asleep. For some reason he wasn't ready to go quite yet, so he stuck around to watch her dreams for a moment. Every single one had something to do with him.
OxOxO
Night fell quickly on the Caspartina, allowing the Coast Guard ship to make its approach unseen. All was silent save for the noise Ellie made as she walked. Her boots made a hollow metallic sound as she paced back and forth, chomping at the bit to set the beast free. Her eyes glowed luminescent green when they reflected the smallest trace of light, reminding Charles of a wolf hunting in the dark of the forest. She lifted her nose to the air, scenting.
"There are four people on that boat," she said, peering into the darkness where Charles's human eyes failed. "Their scents are so strange though. They're definitely mutants."
"All of them?" Charles asked. Shaw himself had given no indication that he was a mutant as well, but it made sense.
"Yes. Wait-," she paused, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "Now there are only three."
"What?" Charles moved closer to her, staring in the direction she was staring but seeing nothing. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know, Charles. One smelled of steel and the ocean, one smelled way too heavily of perfume, one smelled of ozone and the other smelled like a nuclear reactor, that's got to be Shaw. The metal one just disappeared. Wait a sec, why aren't you scanning them?" she turned to him, but he already had his fingers to his face.
Ellie turned to the Coast Guard officer standing on the deck next to them. Heavy fear-scent rolled off of him and he flinched when her glowing eyes landed on him, but she didn't hesitate.
"Now is a prime opportunity," she said. "Move in on that boat."
The young man dashed away and the silence was shattered by the ship's horn, and light flooded her vision as the searchlights blazed to life. "This is the U.S. Coast Guard," a man said through the loud speaker. "Do not attempt to move your vessel. Stay where you are."
"Damn it!" she shouted, looking up to where the captain was with fury in her eyes. "I didn't say alert the whole of Miami to our presence! He doesn't have to move his vessel; he'll just kill you all for the hell of it! Idiots!" She slammed her fist down on the railing, and Charles put a steadying hand on her back.
"What's done is done," he said. "We need you on lookout."
"Fine, but I still think they're idiots."
He couldn't help but chuckle as she melted into the form of an osprey and took to the air, disappearing into the gloom. He turned his attention back to Shaw's mind (quite a nasty place, mind you) and looking through his eyes. The boat was fabulous and posh, with all sorts of luxuries that Shaw probably killed for. He had his eyes trained on a lovely blond woman in a very short dress standing next to him. Before Charles had time to react, she gazed out at the advancing speedboats and said, "They have a telepath."
Damn.
The woman narrowed her eyes and seconds later, a diamond hard barrier surrounded Shaw's mind and sent Charles reeling back into his own head. He probed the defenses, but there was no way on Earth he was getting back in. This was incredible! It was nothing like the steel wall that Ellie had been able to think up on impulse, but a well formed and solid block with no weak points for him to access. It was both fascinating and infuriating at the same time.
"I've lost Shaw," he said to Moira. "I've lost-I've lost Shaw, there's something blocking me. This has never happened before. I think there's someone like me on that ship."
"Like you?" Moira asked. Oh right, she was human and far less intelligent than he.
"Ah, I'm sorry, a telepath," he said, removing his fingers from his temple. He felt a presence in his mind this time. It was female, a dingy, dusty gray color and it tasted oddly of tainted snow. He wished he had the ability to block her as well. "This is incredible, I can actually feel her inside my mind. I don't think I'm going to be any help to you tonight. You're on your own."
Moira and the man in black looked at each other with shock and disappointment. He had been their entire operation, and now they find out that there is someone on that ship who could stop him from using his abilities? The situation had just become hopeless.
Charles smirked. They'd never met his little band of mutants before.
Charles connected with Ellie as she flew over the ship, scanning all of it with sensitive, raptor's eyes. As she circled, both of them saw a man with long, dark hair in a light-colored suit step forward and raise his palms, creating swirling patterns in the air with his fingers. Charles gawked in fascination as two huge, powerful whirlwinds sprang to life from his hands and then shot forward toward the speedboats.
"Oh, my God," Charles said.
"Jesus," Moira breathed in fear.
Not even close Charles, Ellie commented grimly. She watched as the two tornadoes slammed into the speedboats, sending them and their passengers flying into the black ocean and hurling a thick spray of sea up into the black air. A mighty din arose as the winds rushed past her ears and the sea groaned ferociously in protest. She circled back around, shaking her head to clear her ringing ears. The roar of the winds stirred up by the suave-looking mutant had deafened her for a moment.
"Get inside," the man in black said, ushering all of them into the ship and down to safer quarters. Charles didn't like leaving Ellie out there alone, but she could handle herself and he needed to see what was going on.
They were on the stairs headed down quickly when her raptor's eyes spotted something else. At first it was difficult for her to make it out. It was slick and wet as it slid out of the water and made of metal. It was lumpy and smooth and shining with stark white highlights on a long, thin, jet black body. It was…it was the ship's anchor chain, followed shortly by the anchor itself. The massive steel loops rose slowly out of the water, uncoiling like a behemoth serpent with scales that gleamed in the moonlight and clinking melodically when they rubbed together.
Charles, Ellie's mind voice whispered reverently. Are you seeing this?
Yes, my dear. It's absolutely-"Gah, ah!" he exclaimed out loud. He'd felt the mind as she'd seen the man, nothing but a head floating above the water, his hair slicked back by the ocean. It was so sharp and powerful and sudden that his knees nearly gave way and he fell back against the wall of the stairway even as his fingers migrated to his temple once again, the harsh sting of metal on his tongue.
"Charles!" Moira said nervously, reaching out to him. He did not have time for her human weakness right now! "Are you ok?" Of course not! He desperately wanted to lash out at her, force some bravery into that little mind of hers, but he did not. That was the solution of a villain, which he, thankfully, was not.
"There's someone else out there," he said instead, dashing through the closest door and back out onto the deck with the other two close behind him. "There." He pointed out over the Caspartina to where the anchor was floating several yards above it like an enormous snake coiling up to strike. Wisps of silver smoke clung to it, visible only through the incredible eyes of the osprey. He followed the long tendrils down to the water where they seemed to emanate from the mind he had just picked up. Charles didn't think he'd ever seen a mutant so powerful before in his life. His mutation made it possible for him to manipulate all forms of metal, and the incredible pain and rage that coursed through him only enhanced his already vast power.
Reluctantly, Charles turned his attention back to the great metal dragon working its way closer to Shaw's small form on the opposite side of the ship. A pale flash flitted dangerously close to the anchor chain as Ellie was buffeted by the breeze it was creating. She folded her wings and dived, narrowly avoiding getting pounded when the anchor surged forward with a violent roar and flare of power from the mutant in the water. The massive metal projectile smashed into the top of the ship, throwing debris in all directions. Ellie caught a glimpse of Shaw as he and his pale colored consort dashed inside to avoid the destruction.
Charles, Moira and the man in black watched with mouths agape as the enormous anchor demolished the ship. It swung back around and surged forward again, sheering off the top of the ship in a cacophony of splintering wood and shattering metal. Ship bits went flying off into the ocean and glass shot out everywhere. Ellie shrieked in pain as she was pummeled by the deadly projectiles, back winging away from it as quick as she could. He felt her pain in a hundred different places, and he heard the renewed ringing in her ears as the symphony of destruction and power berated her sensitive ear drums. Charles was helpless where he was and could do nothing to aid her.
Charles! she shouted to him, showing him something that sank his heart right down to his toes. She saw a bright light beneath the ocean, the lights of a submarine as it disconnected from the disabled vessel and sped away to safety.
Shaw was getting away.
The mutant in the water's power and anger surged once more as he locked onto the sub with his ability and desperately tried to stop it from leaving. Charles knew the extent of his power and also knew that he didn't have enough to raise the sub. His muscles were already vibrating with exertion and the submarine was dragging him through the waves. Ellie watched him and the wake he stirred up as he passed beneath her, her mind racing. He'd seen enough of Erik's mind already to know how much he hated this man, and that he wouldn't let go until Shaw was dead, he was dead or someone intervened. If no one stopped him this man would die, and Charles would be damned before he allowed a fellow to die on his watch.
"LET GO!" Charles shouted with every fiber of his being, his throat stinging from the force of his cry. "You have to let it go!" The man didn't hear him and continued to speed past them while Charles watched, again helpless. "You've got to help him," he turned and said to anyone who would listen. "There's someone in the water, you've got to help him!" Unfortunately, the only people who did hear were Moira and the man in black. "LET IT GO! You have to let it go!" The mutant was slipping away from him, and time was running out.
Ellie! he screamed to her in his mind. Can you get him?
I can try Charles, but I can't shift again! she yelled desperately back. He felt her trying her hardest to morph into something that could save him, but she was trying too hard and nothing was happening. Instead, she folded her wings and dived as fast as she could possibly go and clutched the collar of his wet suit in her razor sharp talons, flapping backward as hard as her bird muscles could flap. She was so small, only a fraction of his weight, and he didn't even notice her.
Charles felt like screaming in despair as the two of them disappeared under the black, icy ocean together and her mind went quiet.
They were getting farther and farther away, and if he didn't do something, they would both drown. So without a second thought (GASP!) Charles dashed up the side of the ship and hurled himself over the side, into the cold and unforgiving sea.
He'd timed it perfectly, Erik was directly beneath him when he entered the water. He wrapped his arms around the man and pulled as hard as he could while opening the floodgate that was Erik's mind. An onslaught of memories and personality and hatred and pain and rage buffeted him like a tsunami, and it took all of his willpower to project his own thoughts into the man's turbulent mind.
You can't, you'll drown, he said, trying to speak calmly. You have to let go. I know what this means to you, but you're going to die. Please, Erik, calm your mind. It was the shock of hearing his own name that forced him to let go, and Charles wasted no time in hauling him and Ellie back to the surface. He gently cupped her head with one hand and held it above the water as she burbled pitifully. Her feathers clung to her body and made her look even smaller, and she was freezing cold.
Erik's mind lashed out at him as well as his hands as he shoved Charles away shouting, "Get off me!" in a deep, rough voice. "Get off!"
"Calm down!" Charles tried to say, salty water burning his nose and throat and temporarily masking the metal of Erik's mind. "Just breathe! WE'RE HERE!" he screamed to the men on the ship. The two men and the bird bobbed up and down in the waves, water splashing into their eyes and ears as they struggled to stay afloat.
"Who are you?" Erik demanded, glaring at him with dark eyes.
"My name's Charles Xavier!" This wasn't exactly the best time for introductions, but if it got the man to calm down quicker, he was all for a nice chat while trying not to drown. Swimming never had been one of his many strong suits.
"Are you in my head?" Erik asked, taking an enormous gulp of air and still staring at him suspiciously. "How'd you do that?"
"You have your tricks, I have mine," Charles replied, spitting salt water out of his mouth in the process. "I'm like you, just calm your mind!" That was the real problem here. Erik was such a mess of pain and rage and confusion and suspicion that it was making it difficult for Charles to concentrate.
"I thought I was alone," Erik said a bit more softly, in a way that made Charles's little English heart want to break. This man had endured so much over the course of his life. At the root of everything, he was broken, and in that moment Charles set his mind on mending him.
Then he spoke those three little words that Erik would remember for the rest of his life.
"You're not alone."
Whew! That one was a doozie! I just sort of started typing and it ended up at nearly six thousand words before I could stop it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of that scene. I do enjoy writing action. :) Next time, Erik and Ellie's first meeting (I know some of you were excited about that!).
Pardon any mistakes, this story is unbeta'd and it's super late at night for me.
Like I said earlier, twenty fifth reviewer… ;)