Lost Cause
Title: Lost Cause
Words: 1,380
Rating: PG
Summary: Split off from each other early in the game, Charles and Erik must make it on their own while the kids fend for themselves. For once, the balance of power is uncertain, and it's up to the team to determine the fate of their world. The entire group is fighting their toughest enemy yet.
It just happens to be themselves. This is sort of that story.
A/N: I swear you will love it. God the things this movie does to my brain.
"Erik, I can guide you through, but once you reach the centre you'll be essentially alone. Can you handle that?"
"You know I can, Charles," Erik said, all confidence and smooth determination.
Charles knew this was true, but still he paused and took a moment to let his heart catch up with his mind. "We can make it through this," he said, more to himself than to Erik.
"Oh, we'll do better than make it through. We'll annihilate them."
Charles grimaced and looked down, obvious distaste showing on his face.
"Charles… you know this is necessary. We have to show them that there is no impunity for those who challenge our authority and power. We have to show them that there is no escape from our justice." Erik cupped Charles face in his hands, willing him to believe. "We must show them," he repeated.
Charles looked so lost, but finally he nodded, uncertainty fleeing in favor of iron resolve. In one quick motion he was in Erik's space completely, lips pressed together in something that was more a promise than a kiss. Erik's hands slipped easily into his hair, prepared to make it more of a kiss. But, as suddenly as he had come Charles moved back, eyes shining, and a fierce smile on his lips.
"Give them hell."
Erik grinned. He stalked down the dark corridor, looked back once at Charles, and finally disappeared in the gloom.
-
In the distance, Alex heard the ragged pant of a man running from a nightmare, someone who knows he will never truly escape. He remained crouching, tense, and ready to deal with whoever came around the corner. His pulse pounded in his ears, in time to the erratic footfalls of the unknown runner. Ready, ready, ready for anything. Well, maybe not anything, he thought, what if--
"Ah!" Sean flew around the corner, forced from 60 to 0 in 0.2 seconds upon colliding with Alex. They ended up in a tangle of painfully jabbing limbs and awkward positioning. Nerves too shot to care, Alex quickly untangled himself and helped a frazzled Sean into a kneeling position.
"Dude, you have no idea how glad I am to see you," Sean said, gasping and glancing nervously over his shoulder. Satisfied no one was directly following him, he turned back to Alex. "We need to get out of here, our position's been compromised."
"Where are Raven and Hank?"
"They've gone on ahead, scouted our next base. I came back to get you, but I really underestimated the enemy. I barely got through. I have literally no idea how we're going to get back. Man, they are killin' us!"
"…but not, like, literally, right?"
"No, of course not. Not yet, anyways, I wouldn't put it past them-"
"-Christ, there's only two of them-"
"-plus, none of us can even use our powers, the space is too confined. Shit, this is so not turning out the way I expected." Sean looked up at Alex imploring. "I am so sorry for getting all of us into this."
"You did what you thought was right, Sean. We were all behind you in this. You can't blame yourself."
Sean nodded dejectedly.
"Come on, let's get going before he finds us," Alex said, getting to his feet.
Sean groaned and stumbled upright, sighing. "The visibility is shit, Hank stands out too much, you can't shoot anything without the risk of bringing the roof down, I'll probably deafen you lot in any attempt to deafen them-"
"-Thank you for the foresight for once, well founded-"
"- and Raven…" he trailed off, snapping around suddenly, hope finally in his eyes.
"Raven!"
-
Erik was in his element. The smoke, the danger. Having nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Nothing to lose? Charles projected disparagingly, with a hint of amusement.
You're fine Charles, no one knows where you are. You can't be lost, you're not a liability. Erik thought back.
Thank you for the vote of confidence. I'm "fine", not because I can protect myself, but because I'm hiding. Fantastic.
Well, you're "fine" in other ways.
Head in the game, Erik, head in the game. Charles chided. Now... take a left.
-
"Come on Raven, you know him better than anybody. You have the ability to save us all. You take him out, the rest of them fall," Sean pleaded.
"And by "the rest of them", you mean the "only-other-person-connected-to-him" falls, as there are two of them."
"Wait," Hank said," there's only two of them?"
"Yeah, genius. Who else did you think we were facing? The Brute Squad?"
"That was actually only one guy-"
"Shut up, bozo. Raven, please. I know this is hard for you, but it's life or death-"
"Are you kidding, Alex? I've been waiting for this for years. Plus, I think I know where he's is hiding. Let's kick some ass."
-
Charles had been concentrating on guiding Erik so completely that he hadn't noticed the soft scuff of leather shoes announcing another's presence until it was too late. He froze, some sense of preservation vainly telling his body not to move in an attempt to become invisible.
"Turn around," a familiar voice said.
Charles turned quickly, and then froze, suspended in confusion.
"Erik… what…how…"
He was caught off guard. For one brief moment, Charles Xavier was off guard. And that was all Erik needed. Except now, the smile was definitely not Erik's. Now, the movements were definitely not Erik's, nor were the words to come.
"Goodbye, Charles," that man said. And, leveling his gun, he pulled the trigger.
-
Erik flinched as he caught a wave of shock and a sliver of fear shoot through their link.
Charles? Charles!
But it was too late, and Charles couldn't hear him.
"Damn it, Charles!" Erik turned and sprinted, hoping he wasn't too late for what he knew was a lost cause.
***
Charles swore as his vest turned an angry red and the lights came on, signaling the end of the game.
"Really, Charles, cursing? How unlike you," the man that looked like Erik said, hefting the gun that was attached to his vest, and becoming increasingly feminine by the second. Soon Raven stood triumphantly before him, all smiles and victory.
Charles huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Only in circumstances of extreme and justifiable nature."
"Like when you get totally owned!" Sean yelled, running up the ramp with Alex and Hank to join Raven. They all high fived.
Suddenly they all recognized the sound of angry footsteps making their way towards them. Hank flinched reflexively, aware of the man he had been running from all night.
"Hahaaa, get ready for the rage!" Sean said gleefully.
"You're a telepath!" Erik stormed through the group of kids to stand imposingly in front of Charles. "You're a bloody telepath and you get shot in laser tag!?! Good God, Charles, we are never being partners again."
Only in this sense, yes? Charles inquired.
This sense? Erik asked coyly. Partners in crime sense, hot air ballooning partners sense,sex sense…?
But only in the laser tag sense?
…Just in this sense, yes. Erik reassured.
…Hot air ballooning, Erik? I'm not sure how I feel about that.
"Hey, mouths open, thoughts out, you two," Raven scolded.
Charles raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to ask what they talked about privately. "So, hot air balloons, Erik?"
"Ugh, never mind."
"And, as the winners of this glorious challenge," Sean broke in, ecstatic, "we will-"
"-Rematch," Erik insisted.
"-denied, we will enjoy the exclusive rights to the "faculty" jet for the use of a massive vacation of our choice!"
Charles felt the need to hang his head in defeat as they followed the exuberant children out of the laser tag arena. Why did we make this bet?
Erik glanced over. Head up, Charles. If you think this is over you are horribly misinformed. This is far from over. We will have the last play. And it will be glorious.
Never the pessimist, are you, my friend? I assume you have something diabolical planned?
Oh yes. That and more. These amateurs won't know what hit them.
You are a scary force of nature.
Thank you.
How do you know I meant that positively-
-Shut up, Charles. And the affection in that statement was unmistakable.
Words: 1,380
Rating: PG
Summary: Split off from each other early in the game, Charles and Erik must make it on their own while the kids fend for themselves. For once, the balance of power is uncertain, and it's up to the team to determine the fate of their world. The entire group is fighting their toughest enemy yet.
It just happens to be themselves. This is sort of that story.
A/N: I swear you will love it. God the things this movie does to my brain.
"Erik, I can guide you through, but once you reach the centre you'll be essentially alone. Can you handle that?"
"You know I can, Charles," Erik said, all confidence and smooth determination.
Charles knew this was true, but still he paused and took a moment to let his heart catch up with his mind. "We can make it through this," he said, more to himself than to Erik.
"Oh, we'll do better than make it through. We'll annihilate them."
Charles grimaced and looked down, obvious distaste showing on his face.
"Charles… you know this is necessary. We have to show them that there is no impunity for those who challenge our authority and power. We have to show them that there is no escape from our justice." Erik cupped Charles face in his hands, willing him to believe. "We must show them," he repeated.
Charles looked so lost, but finally he nodded, uncertainty fleeing in favor of iron resolve. In one quick motion he was in Erik's space completely, lips pressed together in something that was more a promise than a kiss. Erik's hands slipped easily into his hair, prepared to make it more of a kiss. But, as suddenly as he had come Charles moved back, eyes shining, and a fierce smile on his lips.
"Give them hell."
Erik grinned. He stalked down the dark corridor, looked back once at Charles, and finally disappeared in the gloom.
-
In the distance, Alex heard the ragged pant of a man running from a nightmare, someone who knows he will never truly escape. He remained crouching, tense, and ready to deal with whoever came around the corner. His pulse pounded in his ears, in time to the erratic footfalls of the unknown runner. Ready, ready, ready for anything. Well, maybe not anything, he thought, what if--
"Ah!" Sean flew around the corner, forced from 60 to 0 in 0.2 seconds upon colliding with Alex. They ended up in a tangle of painfully jabbing limbs and awkward positioning. Nerves too shot to care, Alex quickly untangled himself and helped a frazzled Sean into a kneeling position.
"Dude, you have no idea how glad I am to see you," Sean said, gasping and glancing nervously over his shoulder. Satisfied no one was directly following him, he turned back to Alex. "We need to get out of here, our position's been compromised."
"Where are Raven and Hank?"
"They've gone on ahead, scouted our next base. I came back to get you, but I really underestimated the enemy. I barely got through. I have literally no idea how we're going to get back. Man, they are killin' us!"
"…but not, like, literally, right?"
"No, of course not. Not yet, anyways, I wouldn't put it past them-"
"-Christ, there's only two of them-"
"-plus, none of us can even use our powers, the space is too confined. Shit, this is so not turning out the way I expected." Sean looked up at Alex imploring. "I am so sorry for getting all of us into this."
"You did what you thought was right, Sean. We were all behind you in this. You can't blame yourself."
Sean nodded dejectedly.
"Come on, let's get going before he finds us," Alex said, getting to his feet.
Sean groaned and stumbled upright, sighing. "The visibility is shit, Hank stands out too much, you can't shoot anything without the risk of bringing the roof down, I'll probably deafen you lot in any attempt to deafen them-"
"-Thank you for the foresight for once, well founded-"
"- and Raven…" he trailed off, snapping around suddenly, hope finally in his eyes.
"Raven!"
-
Erik was in his element. The smoke, the danger. Having nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Nothing to lose? Charles projected disparagingly, with a hint of amusement.
You're fine Charles, no one knows where you are. You can't be lost, you're not a liability. Erik thought back.
Thank you for the vote of confidence. I'm "fine", not because I can protect myself, but because I'm hiding. Fantastic.
Well, you're "fine" in other ways.
Head in the game, Erik, head in the game. Charles chided. Now... take a left.
-
"Come on Raven, you know him better than anybody. You have the ability to save us all. You take him out, the rest of them fall," Sean pleaded.
"And by "the rest of them", you mean the "only-other-person-connected-to-him" falls, as there are two of them."
"Wait," Hank said," there's only two of them?"
"Yeah, genius. Who else did you think we were facing? The Brute Squad?"
"That was actually only one guy-"
"Shut up, bozo. Raven, please. I know this is hard for you, but it's life or death-"
"Are you kidding, Alex? I've been waiting for this for years. Plus, I think I know where he's is hiding. Let's kick some ass."
-
Charles had been concentrating on guiding Erik so completely that he hadn't noticed the soft scuff of leather shoes announcing another's presence until it was too late. He froze, some sense of preservation vainly telling his body not to move in an attempt to become invisible.
"Turn around," a familiar voice said.
Charles turned quickly, and then froze, suspended in confusion.
"Erik… what…how…"
He was caught off guard. For one brief moment, Charles Xavier was off guard. And that was all Erik needed. Except now, the smile was definitely not Erik's. Now, the movements were definitely not Erik's, nor were the words to come.
"Goodbye, Charles," that man said. And, leveling his gun, he pulled the trigger.
-
Erik flinched as he caught a wave of shock and a sliver of fear shoot through their link.
Charles? Charles!
But it was too late, and Charles couldn't hear him.
"Damn it, Charles!" Erik turned and sprinted, hoping he wasn't too late for what he knew was a lost cause.
***
Charles swore as his vest turned an angry red and the lights came on, signaling the end of the game.
"Really, Charles, cursing? How unlike you," the man that looked like Erik said, hefting the gun that was attached to his vest, and becoming increasingly feminine by the second. Soon Raven stood triumphantly before him, all smiles and victory.
Charles huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Only in circumstances of extreme and justifiable nature."
"Like when you get totally owned!" Sean yelled, running up the ramp with Alex and Hank to join Raven. They all high fived.
Suddenly they all recognized the sound of angry footsteps making their way towards them. Hank flinched reflexively, aware of the man he had been running from all night.
"Hahaaa, get ready for the rage!" Sean said gleefully.
"You're a telepath!" Erik stormed through the group of kids to stand imposingly in front of Charles. "You're a bloody telepath and you get shot in laser tag!?! Good God, Charles, we are never being partners again."
Only in this sense, yes? Charles inquired.
This sense? Erik asked coyly. Partners in crime sense, hot air ballooning partners sense,sex sense…?
But only in the laser tag sense?
…Just in this sense, yes. Erik reassured.
…Hot air ballooning, Erik? I'm not sure how I feel about that.
"Hey, mouths open, thoughts out, you two," Raven scolded.
Charles raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to ask what they talked about privately. "So, hot air balloons, Erik?"
"Ugh, never mind."
"And, as the winners of this glorious challenge," Sean broke in, ecstatic, "we will-"
"-Rematch," Erik insisted.
"-denied, we will enjoy the exclusive rights to the "faculty" jet for the use of a massive vacation of our choice!"
Charles felt the need to hang his head in defeat as they followed the exuberant children out of the laser tag arena. Why did we make this bet?
Erik glanced over. Head up, Charles. If you think this is over you are horribly misinformed. This is far from over. We will have the last play. And it will be glorious.
Never the pessimist, are you, my friend? I assume you have something diabolical planned?
Oh yes. That and more. These amateurs won't know what hit them.
You are a scary force of nature.
Thank you.
How do you know I meant that positively-
-Shut up, Charles. And the affection in that statement was unmistakable.