Paralyzer by Yahtzee (NC-17)
Title: Paralyzer
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Categories: AU, Drama, Angst, Case File, Mystery, Dark
Length: Epic (43,521 words)
Warnings: Attempted Rape, Child Abuse & Harm, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Internalized Homophobia, Serial Killer with victims (so character deaths)
Author on LJ: yahtzee63 /
yahtzee
Author Website:
Yahtzee / Yahtzee's website
Author's Summary:
In 1965, Erik Lehnsherr has infiltrated the NYPD for his own purposes -- but his powers make him a brilliant detective. Yet that's not why FBI agent Charles Xavier has sought him out. It's because the mysterious killer they're both trying to find is murdering people like them: other mutants.
Their search for a madman binds them together. Their inner demons may tear them apart. But the greatest danger comes when the killer they're looking for looks back ...
Review:
First off, this story was toe-scrunchingly, hair-curlingly creepy. The parts from the villain's point of view, especially, are like jumping into the deep-end of a Criminal Minds episode. Mind the warnings and avoid if you need to.
That said, it's a truly excellent case fic and an intriguing AU. Set in the same time period as the movies, the two main characters are in law-enforcement and on the trail of a mutant serial killer before people had coined the term. The character voices are excellent, and I really enjoyed their getting to know each other in this different setting. I ached for Erik's internal conflict, and everyone felt like real people with real emotions and motivations. The sections from Charles's point of view are intriguing; I really liked the way Yahtzee expresses and shows his powers. The secondary characters also shine, with Moira particularly badass. The descriptions are vivid and atmospheric, and the story sucks you in.
An excellent dark mystery, if you're in the mood from some gripping suspense and creepy situations.
“Why is the Bureau tied up in this? Is Hoover interested in random homicides now?”
Xavier’s face took on an odd sort of weariness at the mention of J. Edgar Hoover; Erik had always heard the man was little beloved even within the Bureau, and this seemed to confirm it. “Would that it were random. But I’m afraid it fits a certain pattern.”
“Pattern?”
“Are you familiar with the term ‘serial murderer’? ‘Stranger killer’? Or perhaps ‘pattern killer’?”
The phrases were only distantly familiar. Something they’d gone over in training, but briefly - nothing they were ever likely to see. “You mean - like Jack the Ripper.”
“He’s the archetypal one. But they are more numerous than is generally realized. And I believe you now have such a killer in New York City. Some past murders here, plus a couple in New Jersey - they have too much in common.”
Thus the Bureau’s involvement. Erik didn’t relish the idea of having more than one partner to work with; maybe the FBI might end up taking over from here. “The victims have all been skinned? Like this one?”
“The means of death has been different in each case. It isn’t how he’s killing them; it’s who he’s killing. And that affects both of us quite directly, I’m afraid.”
It was as if he’d known that Erik was hoping to ditch the case. He frowned. “What do you mean?”
Charles Xavier looked down the hill at the dead body; strands of his hair were dark and heavy with rain. “The killer is targeting mutants. Like me. And like you.”
Paralyzer
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Pairing: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Categories: AU, Drama, Angst, Case File, Mystery, Dark
Length: Epic (43,521 words)
Warnings: Attempted Rape, Child Abuse & Harm, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Internalized Homophobia, Serial Killer with victims (so character deaths)
Author on LJ: yahtzee63 /
yahtzee
Author Website:
Yahtzee / Yahtzee's website
Author's Summary:
In 1965, Erik Lehnsherr has infiltrated the NYPD for his own purposes -- but his powers make him a brilliant detective. Yet that's not why FBI agent Charles Xavier has sought him out. It's because the mysterious killer they're both trying to find is murdering people like them: other mutants.
Their search for a madman binds them together. Their inner demons may tear them apart. But the greatest danger comes when the killer they're looking for looks back ...
Review:
First off, this story was toe-scrunchingly, hair-curlingly creepy. The parts from the villain's point of view, especially, are like jumping into the deep-end of a Criminal Minds episode. Mind the warnings and avoid if you need to.
That said, it's a truly excellent case fic and an intriguing AU. Set in the same time period as the movies, the two main characters are in law-enforcement and on the trail of a mutant serial killer before people had coined the term. The character voices are excellent, and I really enjoyed their getting to know each other in this different setting. I ached for Erik's internal conflict, and everyone felt like real people with real emotions and motivations. The sections from Charles's point of view are intriguing; I really liked the way Yahtzee expresses and shows his powers. The secondary characters also shine, with Moira particularly badass. The descriptions are vivid and atmospheric, and the story sucks you in.
An excellent dark mystery, if you're in the mood from some gripping suspense and creepy situations.
“Why is the Bureau tied up in this? Is Hoover interested in random homicides now?”
Xavier’s face took on an odd sort of weariness at the mention of J. Edgar Hoover; Erik had always heard the man was little beloved even within the Bureau, and this seemed to confirm it. “Would that it were random. But I’m afraid it fits a certain pattern.”
“Pattern?”
“Are you familiar with the term ‘serial murderer’? ‘Stranger killer’? Or perhaps ‘pattern killer’?”
The phrases were only distantly familiar. Something they’d gone over in training, but briefly - nothing they were ever likely to see. “You mean - like Jack the Ripper.”
“He’s the archetypal one. But they are more numerous than is generally realized. And I believe you now have such a killer in New York City. Some past murders here, plus a couple in New Jersey - they have too much in common.”
Thus the Bureau’s involvement. Erik didn’t relish the idea of having more than one partner to work with; maybe the FBI might end up taking over from here. “The victims have all been skinned? Like this one?”
“The means of death has been different in each case. It isn’t how he’s killing them; it’s who he’s killing. And that affects both of us quite directly, I’m afraid.”
It was as if he’d known that Erik was hoping to ditch the case. He frowned. “What do you mean?”
Charles Xavier looked down the hill at the dead body; strands of his hair were dark and heavy with rain. “The killer is targeting mutants. Like me. And like you.”
Paralyzer