towerofanimus | Better to be hated... [open]

Entry tags:

Better to be hated... [open]

Characters: Erik Lehnsherr and YOU
Setting: Anywhere in the tower you like.
Format: Action or Prose, I'm easy.
Summary: A wandering mutant trying to sort out what's happened.
Warnings: Who knows, really. Erik's had a rough week, and showing up here and finding out his entire world's been destroyed? Is gonna put him in a bad mood.

Erik had read the note. Earth had been destroyed, and he was the lone survivor. Well, one of the lone survivors. There were other people here, clearly, but not any of the faces he wanted to see. Mystique, Azazel, Riptide, Angel, Emma.

While he didn't believe what was written in any way shape or form, the fact that his brothers and sisters were no where to be seen was troublesome. Someone, somehow, had been able to transport him here without his knowledge, under cover of darkness. It would take a powerful mutant or entity to pull that off without him even realizing it was occurring.

Whatever this place was, Erik didn't intend on staying. He had been a lab rat once before--never again.

So he wandered the corridors, the hallways, looking for information.

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And speaking of lab rats. Adorable ones, mind you. Charles is taking a round around the dorm level he's on again. He's still rather put out by there not being any ramps in the tower, much less an elevator he could use. Rather inconvenient and rude of their 'saviors' to bring someone like him here yet not construct their new home so he can get around.

It was completely possible there were others in his situation as well. It was rather demeaning to have to ask for people to cart him around the tower if he wanted to get around. Much less eat. He couldn't eat without someone bringing him to the first floor. How embarrassing. Already putting himself in a mood because of those reasons, he's wondering if he should ask someone about that. Going to eat. Maybe Molly would be interested in helping him again?

His train of thought almost causes him not to see the man wandering the halls with him. A man who he hadn't felt at all nearby. His chair rolls to a stop as he looks up blinking realizing there was someone in the hall with him and--- he feels his body stiffen, hands curl on the arms of his chair as he fears he might be going crazy. Seeing things.

"Erik...?" That damnable helmet and all, yes, it was him. There's a mix between disbelief and elation as he sees the other mutant. And fear.

Erik sensed the large hulk of metal rolling towards him before heard the voice. It didn't ping him as anything that he should trouble himself over. Bringing someone in a wheelchair here might have been difficult on the subject...but if you are going to experiment, you want to have all demographics represented.

But hearing his name, sounding through the corridor with familiar tone, a cold chill went rocketing down his spine. If he had truly cared to register anything but shock, he might have felt the sick sensation starting to roll in his stomach.

Turning on his heel quickly, Erik pressed his lips together in a tight line, drawing blood from his own cheek as he bit down, attempting to keep his face unreadable.

This...this was not what he expected to see when he saw Charles again. He had--

--he hadn't known. That this was the end result of Cuba.

His dearest friend, trapped in a chair.

Finally finding his voice, he flexed his hands at his sides, the only sign of his agitation.

"Charles."

He couldn't think of another thing to say.

It seemed they were both at a loss of words. Charles wished at the moment that he could have an ounce of Erik's powers so he could remove that helmet. So he could understand anything his friend might be thinking or feeling. Or to just be able to feel the brush of his mind, his consciousness. Like this it was as if there were a ghost standing before him.

The silence between them goes on for a moment, or more, he's not keeping track honestly. Charles won't move closer, but he won't back away. He has to do something.

"My friend," There is a forced smile, but the words sound pained as if he's not sure how to address him. Regardless of what happened at Cuba, of them splitting ways, he did not think of Erik as his enemy. He couldn't.

Charles can't believe Erik is here, "I thought I was alone."

There were no familiar minds here that he could feel, he'd tried many times to find those he knew. Hank, Alex and Sean. Raven. Moira. Even the mutants who had joined from Shaw's side. Azazel, Riptide and Angel. He'd even tried Emma. There were none he'd known here, none who he'd touched before.

How the tables had turned. With a moment's hesitation, Erik pulled the metal helmet off with one smooth gesture, tucking it under his arm as he walked forward.

Despite all things, despite what had happened on that beach, Erik found that he still trusted Charles. And what good would attempting to control him do now? Nothing. They were alone, trapped in an unfamiliar place.

A sad smile hit his own lips as he kneeled down in front of Charles's chair, shaking his head once. "You're not alone."

And with that one movement, suddenly Erik is there. Completely. The presence of his friend's mind hits him and he lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. And Erik is in front of him, kneeling down and he doesn't know what to do, a current predicament he seems to be faced with now, so his mouth opens a little and he seems to want to say something.

But he's not entirely sure what. So he'll settle for something easy. Simple. And truthful.

"It is good to see you again."

Erik looked over Charles, shaking his head. "You should have told me." He didn't say he would have come, though, because Erik wasn't sure he would have.

But still, he wished he had known. It pained him--the proof of his loss of control there before his eyes. Another person he couldn't protect. He did not regret his actions on that beach--but this. That this had not been the outcome.

"Tell you how?" He'll ask plainly. After his time spent recovering from his wound, more because Hank refused to let him out of bed, he'd not been able to find Erik. Not with that helmet of his. There was something blocking all of their minds from him, even Raven's. It made him wonder if Erik had found another telepath again... or had some how gotten Emma to join him.

Charles reached down to tap the helmet under Erik's arm before sitting back.

"You kept me away, how could I let you know anything?" A sad smile.

"You could have contacted Raven. It's been a week, Charles." He frowned, trying to ignore that pathetic sad smile. Pathetic if only because it evoked emotions he'd rather not deal with right now. This was nearly too much for him, after the mess of this place.

"How long have you been here?"

"A week?" The telepath's brows furrow a little and he'll shake his head.

"Erik it's been at least a month. I tried to contact any of you, to be honest, but when I wasn't heavily drugged by Hank and recovering in bed, you were too far away for me to find any of you." He'll explain. His reach only extended so far, if they were out of it, he couldn't contact them regardless.

"Hank had been working on rebuilding Cerebro while I rested," Between worrying like a mother hen over him, "And he has a basic model of it from before, and even using that, my friend, I could not contact any of you. Though this time it was more as if something were shielding your minds from me." Well all but Erik's. He knew why he couldn't touch his mind. That helmet. He wants to ask if he has another telepath, but he feels he's left it open enough for Erik to say it if he wishes.

"It's been a week, Erik." His words mirror Erik's, but not his tone. A week of hoping that their world being gone, and everyone on it, was just a lie.

Edited 2011-09-19 15:13 (UTC)

"It hasn't been a month." Erik is adamant in that, his brow furrowing in confusion. He immediately started to feel uneasy about the entire situation (well, moreso than he already did). In the week after Cuba, Erik hadn't been planning, plotting, deciding on the next move. Along with worrying about Charles, slightly, and dealing with the integration of his new Brotherhood. The decision to get Emma had started to form in his brain, but had yet to be enacted.

"Well does this prove to you that they've been lying, then? That the world hasn't been destroyed in some grand atomic doom?"

The urge to show Erik everything that has happened in the month after Cuba is great, but he holds back. He doesn't need to be shoving himself into his mind. That wouldn't help anything. He'll purse his lips a little and not fight him on the matter of time. It would be silly to get into an argument over it.

So he'll answer his questions instead.

"It... certainly blows holes in what they've told me. Why would they say the world was destroyed and everyone but us gone if now you're here?" Unless they plan on going with something about people arriving at different times. As it did seem to be the case. Still.

"Either way, Erik, I don't believe it, but the idea that it could be true is still harrowing. It doesn't bother you at all?"

"There is no could." Erik stood, shifting the helmet under his arm. He needed the distance, the extra height--to place the space between them.

"The fact that you think it's been a month and I've only been away from the beach for a week should tell you that everything they say is lies." Erik raised an eyebrow, a condescending smirk hitting his lips. "You're the one with the brain; I shouldn't have to reason this out for you."

When Erik stands up and slightly away from him he feels like there's a wedge forming between them. Or the one already there is being driven in deeper.

"I don't know how to explain our differences in time, Erik, but that doesn't mean we should just ignore any possibility." And he doesn't like that last bit, pursing his lips at him. Erik you're going to get this look a lot if you keep that up, mister.

"Don't belittle yourself, you have a brain as well, I'd hope you wouldn't think everything is so black and white. We'll figure out what is going on here and do something about it. But we need to find out facts first, we cannot just assume everything."

Erik rolled his eyes, controlling his temper. He wasn't belittling himself--simply stating that Charles should obviously come to this conclusion as well. As usual they were of two different minds in regards to something...before the rift it had always been something that had made them better, the dynamics allowing them to accomplish so much. But now Erik was starting to wonder if it was something of a fluke. A flash of brilliance that was never supposed to last forever.

What a sad, sobering, and most likely true, thought.

"This is a matter of black and white, Charles. The world can't be half destroyed. It either is, or it isn't."

"That isn't what I meant. Do not take my words and twist them, Erik." And he hadn't really meant that Erik had been belittling himself, but more he was chiding him for using that 'you have a big brain' angle at him.

"There must be more to this than everything is gone or not. I want to know what has happened. Why we're here, why everyone is here. How and why they've done this." And most of all he didn't want to bicker with Erik. But old habits die hard?

"I'm not. But perhaps you should work on mirroring up what you mean with what you say." Erik shot Charles a hard look. "You seem notorious for making that mistake." Or did Charles need to be reminded of Cuba?

"I don't know the how, but it's obvious why. Experimentation, testing. If they were truly kind benefactors, do you really think we'd be wearing collars like dogs? Marked with different colors, different groups. They plan on using us, Charles. For something."

And he'll not fight that accusation, as he was good at putting his foot in his mouth. He knew that, didn't stop him from doing it though. Looking away, he'll clench his jaw for a moment before speaking again.

"Then we need to find out why, find out who is behind this and we need to get out. But we have to help the others here as well, we cannot just leave them here." Big damn hero much? Perhaps, but he also didn't want to leave these people behind, regardless if they were mutants or humans, or the fanciful different races that were only from story books and movies he'd read or seen. None of them should be here. They should all be home.

At the clench of the jaw, Erik knew that perhaps he had pushed too far, but he couldn't help himself. Wherever there is a line, he tends to cross clear over it.

But no apology will be made for what he said; he had meant it fully, as much as it hurt.

"Mutants first. We can save the others if we can." Erik will concede that they can't leave everyone, but if it comes down to saving just the mutants, or no one? Mutants will come first. The humans can fend for themselves.

"Erik." Did they have to make it about mutants and humans now? Here? They were all stuck here together and as he saw it they all would do better to work together. Not let things like mutant or not get in the way.

He wasn't even trying to hide the frustration in his voice as he said his friend's name.

"Charles." Erik rolled his eyes, watching the other evenly, with an almost tired expression. Charles, despite everything, was so simplistic. "I said if we can."

Which means that he's willing to try to help the others. But of course, Charles only picked on the first part. Typical.

"There should be no 'if we can'. We should be trying to save everyone." Typical, and Erik probably expected the response from him. But he felt the need to say it anyway.

"You can't save everyone Charles. We need to save those who matter most, then go from there." Erik snorted. "Stop being idealistic. See reality for once in your life."

"I'm not--" His jaw sets tightly for a moment, he's trying to stay calm with Erik. Not to get overly frustrated, but it was difficult when he got like this.

"The reality is that no one here matters most or less. You are just too blind to see otherwise." And he'll be turning his wheelchair, sharp jerky motions as he turns it around. He doesn't want to argue with him over this. It's the same old same old. No way to make him see his way.

"Running away won't stop this, Charles. Just delay it. Think about that." Erik snorts, shaking his head as he takes a step backwards, turning to head down the stairs.

"If you really do believe our world has been destroyed, you might want to remember I'm all you have."

And that gets him to stop momentarily. It... was the truth. Erik was all he had of the world he knew, regardless of those also from Earth here. They were not of the reality he'd known before being brought here.

"It's good to see you again, my friend." Is all he'll say in return, not facing him, before he does actually head off. They could catch up later, right now he wasn't in the mood to argue with Erik. Not that he ever was.

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Better to be hated... [open]

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