A/N: Real quick message before the story, I use a triple thread story telling method for this story. Meaning it is 3 different POVS; Naruto, SHIELDS (Nick or Nat), and the X-Men for this first arc. They are all connected, but I understand that for some people it can be confusing or hard to keep track of, I will gladly answer any questions about what is happening to who. Now onto the story
The ringing of a phone caused him to wake up, his hand reaching out onto the night stand and flipping the phone open and hitting the speaker button with practiced movements, something he has done time and time again.
"Naruto Uzumaki speaking" he groaned as he kept his eyes closed, his cheek pressed firmly against the silk covered pillow on his bed.
"I know who I was calling" replied a gruff familiar voice
"Then you should know that I've killed people for less, show some respect" retorted Naruto, "How did you even get this number"
"Little here you blond asshole, this is General Ross and I keep tabs on all people of interest" spat the voice on the other end of the phone causing Naruto's eyes to shoot open, "You need to shut the fuck up and listen before I have you listed as public enemy number 1"
Naruto sat up, rubbing his pounding head, "Get on with it thunder ass"
"We have a situation out here in the Rockies, something that only someone like you can handle. I need you to subdue the beast and to do it as soon as you can" ordered General Ross
"Nah, I'm good" replied Naruto
"WHAT?" screamed General Ross
"I said 'Nah, I'm good', are you deaf?" questioned Naruto
"You are disobeying a direct or-" started General Ross
"I'm not in the army, you can kiss the palest parts of my ass" dismissed Naruto as he laid back down on the bed.
"Son, you are making a mistake" hissed Ross
"Whatever you say" yawned Naruto
"GET YOUR ASS HERE NOW!" roared Ross
"I will be there in DTB" replied Naruto
"DTB?" repeated Ross confused
"Yeah, dial tone bitch" answered Naruto as he hung up and went back to sleep, he had more important things to do than listen to the US military.
And he was quite happy upon waking up hours later, when every news channel in the United States was telling a story about a 10 foot green beast battling the Army out in the Rockies.
Naruto bathed his blond locks in a single wash dye, leaving his hair a rather dark black color, before using a small headband to give it the appearance of a slicked back hairstyle prior to ressing into his acquired uniform, complete with a hat to cover up the headband that had completely changed his hairstyle.
Using a bit of makeup, he covered his whisker marks entirely before using a bit of contour to simulate slightly sharper cuts to his cheeks. Looking in the mirror, he was looked closer to 30 than 17.
As he exited his safehouse in Queens, Naruto didn't have to walk all that far to Forest HillsStadium, a large outdoor based stadium that could fit about 13000 people in open seating, about another 3 to 5 thousand could fit in the standing room only.
Approaching, Naruto looked up at the sign that showed the event being held there; The Annual Stark Expo
Normally, Naruto couldn't give a squirt of piss about what some rich prick like Stark was going to show off to the public, but he has been hired to do a job. Hence why he was wearing one of the stadium's security uniforms with an actual working badge.
Scanning into the behind the scenes, Naruto made his way up the back stairs, avoiding the escalators like most of the other people. He made his way to the control hub, nobody else was around and he spotted the main computer that would be used to assist in creating the displays that Stark would be using.
Plugging in the USB, whatever software that was inside the USB got to work and started copying all of the details of the computer, Checking his watch, it was only 6:01 PM, the event wouldn't be starting until 7:30 PM, plenty of time for him to get back out before things go south.
"Hey buddy, what are you doing in here?" called out a voice that sounded a bit off
Naruto turned around and mentally cursed as he came face to face with Tony fucking Stark, the older man was holding a bottle of scotch that burned Naruto's nose from this distance, so it was probably expensive and old.
The signs were subtle at first, little things that only became clear under closer scrutiny. His words carried a peculiar slur, sentences seeming to slip over each other like the curve of a river changing course.
"I … I asked you a q *hiccup* uestion buddy" said Stark as unsteady smile clung appeared on his face, stretching just a beat too long, as if savoring a private joke no one else understood.
The bottle in his hand tilted at odd angle, sending a dribble of alcohol sloshing over the opening of the bottle. Naruto met Tony's eyes and found that they were struggling to focus.
Stark made to take a step forward but he stumble ever so slightly, leaning too far forward, catching himself just before tipping over entirely.
"Mr. Stark, are you drunk?" asked Naruto in as professional a voice that he could muster as he tried to suppress all of his shock at seeing what many would consider one of the smartest men in the world absolutely smashed.
"Eh .. I .. uh" muttered Stark before Naruto walked forward and slung one of his arms over his shoulder and assisted the billionaire in making his way back downstairs towards his dressing room.
"Has anyone seen St- oh thank god" said a red haired woman upon seeing Naruto half guiding, half carrying Tony.
"I found him upstairs, wondering about" said Naruto
"Nothing out of the usual" said the woman with a sigh before she ripped the bottle of alcohol from his hand that despite his state had kept a firm enough grip on the bottle, "Someone get cups of coffee and water in him until he's awake enough that I can yell at him"
People that Naruto could only assume was Stark's bodyguards came forward and grabbed Stark from him.
With that handled, Naruto returned to the USB, noting the green light showing that it had completed whatever it was copying and made his way back outside.
He had already ditched the security coat, dressed in an orange hoodie and a fitted NY Yankees cap when he arrived outside.
Making his way to the corner, he was waiting with a mass of people to cross the street when a gun was pressed into his back and he didn't blink or react.
"Let's make a right here and walk into the park" whispered a male voice, "There is a hiking trail that we will follow"
Nodding, Naruto did as he was told and eventually he was walking through the hiking trail when he felt the man step backwards.
Turning around, Naruto found himself face to face with a tall bald black man with an eye patch dressed in casual wear, the gun trained on him.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you are quite the son of a bitch to track down" said the man
"You know who I am and yet you still are throwing your life away?" questioned Naruto
"I have a gun" said the man as he jabbed the gun at Naruto who simply snorted
"I don't care. Go ahead, pull the trigger" demanded Naruto as he took a step forward and the man's finger trembled on the trigger before he pulled it.
Three bangs, three bullets, three hits on Naruto's chest.
Three crumpled up bullets dropped to the ground.
"You see, bullets don't really work on me" tsk'd Naruto as he looked at the man, "But you already knew that"
The bald man smirked, "I did, I know all about you Naruto Uzumaki"
"You know my name, you know how dangerous I am, you brought me here because you have some snipers in the building to the East overlooking the park. You don't reek of fear, meaning you are confident that they'll get the shot off before I can rip your head off and go bowling with it" said Naruto, "Now, the question is who are you? FBI? CIA? Homeland? SWORD?"
"Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division" replied the man
"Sword as everyone else calls it" dismissed Naruto, "is that where you're from? They have attacked me a couple times in the past, usually using some kind of lab grown mutant, but to use a normal human with a gun, that's bold"
"I am not from SWORD" stated the man as he holstered his gun
"No, then what long ass named organization are you from?" asked Naruto as he smirked
"I am with Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division" said the man
"Jesus Christ Vampire Slayer that's a mouthful" muttered Naruto, "SHIELD? Who the fuck is that?"
"Think of us as the CIA but for the entire world" declared the man
"So you're a bunch of noisy twats but not just for America but the entire world … great" commented Naruto with a roll of his eyes, "Did I accidently kill on of your agents or something? Because in my defense … he or she deserved it"
The bald man glared at him with his single eye, "I am reaching out to you about several people that you've murdered, all of them associated with the Double Helix Association"
Naruto blinked, before the world around the black man twisted and his right leg in a great amount of pain at the knee instantly as Naruto's foot pressed down on it, his back pressed against the ground and he was looking up at Naruto's whose eyes had slowly bled from blue to an angry orange-red.
"You should have mentioned that you were with them, I would have ripped your head off and taken a shit in it from the start" hissed Naruto
"I'm not with them" gasped the man as Naruto put more pressure down on his leg, threatening to break it, "My name is Nick Fury, the leader of SHIELD. I am trying to shut them down"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "How do I know that you're not lying to me to save your own life?"
"Because I saw what you did to Liam Soto and want nothing like that to ever happen to me or anyone" admitted Fury
A bang rang out and a sniper bullet hit Naruto in the back, causing him to stumble forward before he disappeared in a burst of smoke.
There was a note where he had been standing and Fury grabbed it, it simply read:
Saw you trailing me, gave you the slip after you shot me. Fuck off
Fury grumbled as crumpled the note, this was their best chance to bring in the blond menace and he gave them the slip like it was nothing.
With Naruto:
Having easily replaced himself with a shadow clone, Naruto had left the park and made his way to Stark's Tower in Manhattan.
Waiting for him in a car outside of the building was a tall bald man who rolled down the window as he arrived at the building.
"Get in" ordered the man
Naruto slipped into the black town car, "You know, not many people are willing to steal from their own company, Mr. Stane"
The bald man rolled his eyes, "Not many people have to deal with a drunk fucking man child like Stark"
"I thought he was a once in a lifetime genius, that's what the media says anyway" shrugged Naruto
"Yeah when he's not drunk off his ass, fucking any hot woman who spreads his legs for him. It's a wonder the Stark name doesn't have a couple dozen heirs" spat Stane, "Do you have the thumb drive or not?"
Naruto pulled it from his pocket, "Do you have the money"
Stane pointed to a bookbag on the ground of the car at his feet, "Of course, you are too valuable not to pay"
Naruto handed over the thumb drive as he grabbed the bookbag, the weight of the money in it telling him of the payday that was inside.
"You know, you should really invest in a bank account. A wire transfer is much easier to process than pulling out 200 thousand dollars" commented Stane as he slipped the thumb drive into his pocket.
"Banks can be tracked, banks leave a paper trail. A payment for stealing information like you wanted this time might not be the end of the world. But when you saw that guy cheating on your daughter and you had me snap his spine, that payment should never be on the books" said Naruto with a shake of his head, "Plus, I refuse to pay taxes"
Stane let out a huff of a chuckle, "Very well, this car will take you anywhere you want to go, I will be in touch"
Stane slipped out of the car and the window that separated the driver from him rolled down, "Where to Mr. Uzumaki"
"Take me to Forest Hills Queens" requested Naruto
"Same building as last time?" asked the driver
"Yes please" answered Naruto, "Thank you Marco"
The car pulled off, prepared to make the trip across the bridge to head over to Queens from Manhattan.
Off the coast of Spain: SS Shroud
The large containment transport ship was slowly making its way to Europe, from there the people would begin unloading their 'cargo' and receive payment.
A small black plane flew by overhead and a figure jumped out, floating down to the ship in a controlled manner.
Landing on the top of a container as silently as humanly possible, they looked around before sliding down off the container.
Turning the corner, they came face to face with an armed guard whose eyes went wide upon seeing a stranger aboard the ship. Before the guard could react, a fist slammed into his neck, causing them to wheeze. A pair of hands grabbed the guard's head and ripped it downwards to slam it down into a knee.
The guard dropped to the ground knocked out, and the figure kept moving. Making their way to a door to inside the ship, they stopped to study the map of the ship right outside the door. This door would bring them into a hallway that led to the only set of stairs that went into the captain's room.
Pleased with this information, they opened the door and were immediately displeased when the door opened up to a large break room rather than a hallway. Apparently the map was not for this ship, also there was almost two dozen more armed guards just sitting about inside the room, all of them looking at her figure standing in the open doorway.
"Oi, toots you lost?" asked one of the men
Natasha tilted her head, "Depends, are you guys human trackiffers?"
She immediately slid forward onto the ground as a spray of bullets shot at where she had been standing. Crawling forward, she leapt to her feet as she kicked one of the tables at the man who had fired at her.
The first guard swung a heavy fist at her, which she sidestepped with ease, using his own momentum to pull him into a devastating knee to the ribs. She twisted his arm and brought him down to his knees before using his face as a spring board to avoid more gun fire. As his body dropped to the ground dead, she was already moving, vaulting off him to kick another guard square in the jaw. He stumbled back, dropping his gun, which clattered uselessly to the ground.
Another came at her, but Natasha dropped low, sweeping his legs out from under him before springing up to deflect a blow from another. She caught his arm, twisted it, and with a brutal efficiency, sent him sprawling into his own comrades, toppling them like dominos. Her movements were sharp and economical, each strike calculated for maximum impact.
A guard came from behind, attempting to pin her arms. She leaned forward, using his own grip to swing him over her shoulders and slam him into the ground with bone-jarring force. He groaned, stunned, as Natasha turned, planting a boot slamming down on his neck and a moment his chest stopped moving as Natasha launching herself into the next guard.
Natasha felt the hum of adrenaline course through her, sharpening her senses as she dodged another fist aimed at her face. She caught the guard's wrist mid-swing, twisting it sharply until he cried out in pain, dropping his weapon. Without hesitation, she shifted her grip, swinging him around like a human shield just as two more guards raised their guns. They never hesitated, unloading into their fellow guard that she used as a shield. When she heard the click of the guns, she threw the dead guard into them, knocking all three to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs.
Another guard lunged at her with a knife, his eyes wide with determination. Natasha sidestepped him, allowing his momentum to carry him forward. She brought her elbow down hard onto the back of his head, forcing him to the ground. The knife clattered from his grip, and she snatched it up, flipping it in her hand as two more guards approached. She flung it at one, the blade embedding itself in his shoulder, and leaped toward the other. Before he could react, she hooked her arm around his neck, pulling him into a chokehold and spinning him around to use as cover.
A group of three guards, rattled but still determined, surrounded her. One came at her with a high kick aimed at her head, while the others swung low, attempting to trip her up. Natasha moved with a dancer's precision, ducking beneath the kick and dropping into a crouch. With a swift sweep of her leg, she sent the nearest guard sprawling, then used his falling body as leverage to spring upward. Her knee collided with the jaw of the guard nearest to her, and he stumbled backward, clutching his face.
As she landed, Natasha caught a glimpse of another guard trying to flank her from the side. She spun, grabbing his wrist as he swung a baton at her, twisting his arm with enough force to dislocate his shoulder. His scream echoed through the room, but Natasha was already moving, ducking under a wild punch from yet another guard. Her hand shot out, striking him square in the throat, and he fell to his knees, gasping for air.
Panting, Natasha's eyes flicked around the room, noting the guards still standing. She sprinted toward one of them, vaulting off a fallen body to reach him. Her fists were a blur, landing quick jabs to his face and ribs before a final, well-placed kick sent him sprawling. Another guard tried to tackle her, arms outstretched, but Natasha shifted her weight, pivoting to the side, and drove her elbow into his back, knocking him to the floor.
A large, burly guard charged her, shouting as he barreled forward like a bulldozer. Natasha braced herself, waiting until the last possible moment before sidestepping him and hooking her arm under his, using his momentum to flip him onto his back. He hit the ground with a thunderous crash, his head smacking the concrete, and lay still.
Now, only a handful remained, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and disbelief. They glanced at each other, but Natasha gave them no time to regroup. She was on them in an instant, fists and feet flying as she delivered swift, brutal strikes that left them reeling. One by one, they staggered back, clutching bruises and broken bones. In moments, the room was silent, save for the muffled groans of the defeated guards scattered across the floor.
Natasha wiped a smear of blood from her knuckles, her breathing steadying as she took in the scene around her. She paused, her gaze sweeping over the fallen guards, before she heard a series of gunshots and found that all of the guards that she had knocked out were killed as a dark shadowy figure with a large white smile on his face.
"The Black Widow" gleamed the figure, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You killed your own men" noted Natasha, "If you know who I am, then you know that you're fucked"
"SHIELD is not something that concerns me" admitted the man as he walked into the room, stepping on one of his killed men as he arrived at a chair and sat down, crossing his legs
"And if it's Naruto Uzumaki?" asked Natasha
The man flinched and his shoulders tensed, "That would be something else, I … I would prefer not to see him ever again if I can help it"
"Interesting, what do you think he's going to do to you when he finds out that you're still human trafficking?" asked Natasha
The figure's form darken and sucked all the light in the room into his dark shadowy form, "You cannot threat me by pretending you can sic that beast on me. I know that he does not listen or answer to anyone"
"I don't need to have him on a least to give him the information of your whereabouts" shrugged Natasha as she pulled out her PDA and showed a picture of Naruto and Fury talking in a park, "How long do you think you would last against him Coyote?"
Coyote chuckled insanely, "You play a dangerous game widow, what do you want from me?"
"The so called 'Prince of Madripoor' and Tyger Tiger, and Tiger's right-hand man, Tech Ed. I want all three of them. I know you provide bodies for the No Restraints Play" demanded Natasha
Coyot''s formed stared at her despite him not having visible eyes, "You ask for a lot Widow, you will find that Jessán Hoan is Tyger Tiger, Tech Ed is a computer expert in Madripoor. The prince is Roche, he's a crime boss"
"You seem to know a lot about them" noted Natasha
"We all float around the same circles" admitted Coyote, "Jessán has a lot of morals, she will be your way in"
Natasha nodded as she turned to walk out of the room when Coyote said, "I trust that my location will remain unknown to that blond demon?"
"You seem so afraid of him, why?" asked Natasha
"Because he can't be killed. He doesn't stop, nothing but the death of his target will stop him. He's the devil" replied Coyote
Natasha felt the fear in his words but she couldn't feel that there was more to the story that she was missing, "He looks cute to me"
Coyote chuckled, "People like him will never seem that bad to people like you because you will never be in his way"
Natasha could understand that and she walks out of the room and the SHIELD plane is waiting for her. She climbs the rope and she could only gasp as the ship below her explodes instantly once she finished climbing into the plane.
"I guess he really didn't want Naruto to find him" noted Natasha
Upstate New York:
In a serene park setting under the gentle shade of old oak trees, Charles and Erik sat across a stone chess table. Their eyes met across the board, carrying an intensity only shared by rivals and longtime friends. The clinking of chess pieces echoed against the hum of birdsong and distant laughter from park-goers, none of whom had any idea of the level of strategy unfolding here.
Charles full attention was on the game, his gaze flicking across the pieces with quick, calculating intent. Erik, on the other side, leaned back slightly, a faint smile playing at his lips, fingertips lightly pressed together. Both had entirely different approaches to the game—Charles was meticulous, precise, moving pieces as if every step held a story he wanted to tell, as if each piece was something he was afraid to lose.
Erik, however, was fearless and unpredictable, known to sacrifice pieces with a flare, often pulling victory from thin air at the last moment.
"Your move, Charles," Erik said smoothly, one eyebrow raised.
Charles responded with a soft nod and nudged his bishop into position. "You know, Erik, sometimes the most strategic move is simply to wait. There's a lot to be gained by patience."
Erik's eyes gleamed. "True, but inaction has its risks. Sometimes, you have to go on the offensive, seize what you want before it slips away."
They played in silence for a while, trading piece for piece, each one more surprising than the last. The board shifted constantly, knights, rooks, and bishops circling each other in an elaborate dance of skill and intuition. The tension was palpable, the game seeming to teeter constantly on the edge, with neither showing weakness.
Finally, Erik moved his queen, placing Charles's king in a tight spot.
"Check," he said, a touch of triumph lacing his voice.
Charles took a deep breath, his mind racing through endless possible moves, countermoves, each one a thread in an intricate web of tactics. He moved his knight, deflecting the threat. Erik leaned forward, amused yet cautious, clearly savoring the challenge.
And then, in a swift series of moves, Charles managed to slip Erik's defenses, guiding his bishop and rook to close in on the black king.
"Checkmate," Charles whispered, his voice calm yet unmistakably victorious.
Erik blinked, then let out a low chuckle. "I see you haven't lost your touch, old friend."
"I find that my mind is as sharp as ever" suggest Charles
Erik rolled his eyes, "Yes, that must be why you have the metal coated beast waiting in the jet out in the parking lot as if I couldn't smell the metal that coats his bones from the other side of the state"
Charles chuckled, "I brought him as a sign of good faith, would you rather it be Jean or Scott in there?"
Erik waved his hand causing the pieces on the board to rearranged themselves back into the starting position, "I would prefer that you bring nobody like I do"
"You know that even if I wanted to, I could never" replied Charles as he glanced down at his wheelchair and Erik couldn't deny that his friend's lack of mobility was something that did prevent him from going out and about by his lonesome
"I appreciate the gesture" admitted Erik
"I heard that your daughter has been recovered" said Charles, "How is she?"
"She is doing well, they didn't get very far into their plans for her thankfully" answered Erik
"Do you know who did it?" asked Charles as he moved a pawn
"The Double Helix Association" answered Erik
"They seem to be quite popular as of recent, I recall someone saying that they were kidnapping children" mentioned Charles as he made another move
"They took my daughter" replied Erik dryly
"Perhaps they are a bigger issue than I realized" admitted Charles, "Because if they are capable of taking Lorna …"
He trailed off but Erik knew what he meant, it was a fear inducing thought because Lorna was not some helpless young woman. She was a very capable fighter and they had still managed to capture her.
"You should tell your students that they are not to venture far outside the school for the time being" added Erik
"Oh my, is it possible that you care about my students Erik?" gasped in fake shock Charles as he made a move to counter Erik's.
"Of course I do, I care about all Mutant kind. You might be championing for equality for all, but I still do not ever want to see a single drop of our blood spilled again" hissed Erik as he used a bishop to take one of Charles' knights.
"You'll find that both of us want that" replied Charles as he shift a pawn into place to take the bishop, "We've had this conversation, this argument, so many times Erik. If you think I want anything other than the best for Mutant kind, then perhaps you don't know me like I thought you did"
"But do you care more about us than your morals?" challenged Erik, "If they continue to capture us, experiment on us, rip us apart like some child's frog in science class, whose side are you going to pick Charles?"
Silence filled the space between them as they made more moves on the chess board, before after a couple minutes, Charles finally spoke.
"If I am forced to choose between Mutant Kind and the Humans that I wish for us to coexist with, I would die trying to find the middle ground for both sides"
That answer wasn't a very pleasing for Erik and Charles could tell when all of their chest pieces crumpled like cheap aluminum foil.
"That is your problem Charles, you wish to please everyone. You want everything to work out for everyone and when you try to give everyone what they want, nobody gets what they want" spat Erik
"I disagree old friend, people can want different things and still reach a common middle ground, look at us" countered Charles
"Our friendship as preserved because you're halfway on my side Charles" said Erik with a shake of his head.
"I am all the way on your side, but you refuse to even take a peak over to see what my side has to offer" stated Charles, his voice growing stern.
"Because half of your side would want nothing more than to kill us off or use us as lab rats" retorted Erik as he lifted his arm to show his Nazi issued serial number
"You let the pain of your past cloud the sun of the future, there is so much brightness to look forward to that you block with your hate" said Charles, "You're not the little boy who was ripped from his mother's grasp at a camp anymore Erik, you need to let go of that pain"
Erik opened his mouth to say something but his chest exploded in a spray of blood that covered Charles.
Charles looked as his friend shook from the force of the blast that had hit him and Charles' mind reached out and found several hidden men, all of them wielding some kind of alternative weapon.
Logan raced out of the jet as he approached the scene of Erik laying on the ground, his torso missing chunks as his elderly body had been ripped apart by carbon based bullets. Blood stained the floor and pooling under the man's body.
"What happened?" asked Logan
"They killed him Logan" whispered Charles, "I grabbed their minds, they're frozen over there in the bushes, bring them here"
Logan felt a tingling sensation go down his spine upon hearing the professor's voice and went to grab the men.
Charles felt Erik's mind go blank and his stomach burned with heat. One moment, Erik was laughing, smiling, winning the chess match and falling into their usual argument, it was just another Saturday between the two friends. And then there was a shift in the air, a spray of blood, a look of pain and Erik crumpled.
Charles couldn't move, couldn't breathe. His mind locked onto the image of Erik lying motionless on the cold ground, his eyes staring into nothingness, as though frozen in that last, carefree moment. People around them had screamed, and the reality of it rippled outward, but for Charles, there was only silence deafening, all-consuming silence.
It felt as if someone had reached inside his chest and twisted his heart, every breath a raw, searing ache. Erik was his friend, his brother in everything but blood. Memories, a thousand moments of shared laughter, arguments, and quiet understanding flooded Charles's mind, each one a new wound. His body threatened to give out, but he held on, his fists clenched, nails digging into his palms as he fought against the tidal wave of anguish that tore through him.
Guilt surfaced in the torrent, a relentless whisper in the depths of his mind: You should have protected him. You should have done something. But he hadn't. He had watched, helpless, frozen, as Erik's life was taken in a single heartbeat. The thought burrowed deeper, embedding itself with every painful breath.
Their final moments together had been another argument. His last moment with his oldest friend had been a rehashed argument. Bitterness filled his thoughts as Logan brought a trio of men in combat gear before him.
"Logan, you may want to close your eyes, I doubt you will want to see this" admitted Charles
Logan nodded in understanding but kept his eyes trained on the men as Charles did something he had always been capable of doing, but never did. He pushed himself into their minds and when they tried to push back, he shredded their minds looking for answers.
Blood flowed from their ears, noses, and eyes, dribbling out of the corner of their mouths, but Charles didn't relent.
Finally, he found what he was looking for; they were sent by the Double Helix Association and they had gotten further than Erik had thought with his daughter. They hadn't injected or pulled blood from her, no they had used her sleeping brain waves to find out what materials she and by extension, her father could control.
Charles wiped their minds of getting caught before he told Logan to put them back in the bushes, which he did instantly.
Upon returning, Charles looked at Erik and said "Logan, please grab him, we're going to lay him to rest at the only place he's called home in his adult life"
Logan nodded and he gently picked up the body of the man who he had shared battles with and against, the moment feeling so surreal and out of place.
Charles looked up at the sky as Logan carried the body of his friend towards the Jet to bring him back to the Manor before he reached into his wallet and pulled out a small card that held only three words and a phone number on it: Nick Fury SHIELD.