Hands of Blue - Chapter One (1/?)
Hands of Blue - Chapter One (1/?)
Fandom: X-Men (First Class)
Pairings and characters: Charles/Erik, background Mystique/Azazel, whole cast.
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Medical experimentation and torture, psychic violation, some disturbing imagery.
Prompt: From the kinkmeme HERE requesting an AU based on the Firefly universe. Charles is captured by an organisation that use him for experiments and try to turn him into a weapon. Erik and the other mutants save him, but his mind is severely damaged.(also updated on the kinkmeme thred)
Summary: When Erik met and saved Charles, the telepath had endured years of torture. The ruthless Magneto sees himself in the broken and shattered mutant who should have been his friend. AU - Firefly inspired.
Prologue + Masterpost
The compound was all concrete and steel, a supposedly hidden CIA base of operations, where the Beast had spread word of X. It didn’t stand a change against Magneto.
He was accompanied by his inner circle, first, the telepath, Emma Frost, who was needed for this little mission of search and retrieve. The other two, the blood red demon of a transporter Azazel and his wife, the lethal Mystique, had nothing the government could take from them, and nothing to fear from the telepaths. They were also deadly fighters and powerful mutants by their own rights, and saw the mutual benefits that came with an association with Erik Lensherr.
Erik waved a hand and the barred gates peeled open, allowing the four mutants entry. Snipers were taken out of commission moments after Azazel disappeared from his side. After a cheeky grin over her shoulder, Mystique took off running at the guards moving to intercept them. She was very graceful in battle, sleek blue lines twisting around them as they fell.
‘Find the mutant.’ Erik ordered Emma, sending a few wayward bullets bending impossibly around them.
Emma nodded, tilting her head as she reached out with her mind. A brief frown flicked across her face. ‘I can’t feel him.’
‘You said he was here.’ Erik reminded her, with an edge to his voice.
‘He was.’ Emma snapped. ‘It’s like he’s hidden. But it can’t be mental blocks, no one’s strong enough to make themselves disappear.’ She opened her eyes, an impossible blue that stared right through him. ‘I can feel a void, like you.’
The helmet weighed heavy on his head and Erik strode towards the CIA Research base. Agents fell from the sky around them, Azazel disappearing from the night’s sky, leaving behind wisps of red smoke. They had hardly walked through the doors when Mystique approached them, half dragging a young man wearing a lab coat. She gripped his throat, holding him out to Erik.
‘This one might know where X is.’
‘Magneto.’ He gasped out, Mystique’s blue nails pinching sharply into his neck. The scientist turned his eyes towards Emma and focused his thoughts.
‘Let him go, Mystique.’ Emma said, stepping closer to scrutinise the young man. The shapeshifter looked to Erik for confirmation before she dropped him. Emma stroked the tip of one finger down the side of the scientist’s face. ‘We don’t hurt our own.’
‘He’s a mutant?’ Mystique asked, incredulous.
Once the word was spoken aloud, the man’s entire demeanour changed. He straightened his back, confident and proud. ‘Yes. I’m the Beast.’
‘Really? You?’ Mystique hid a laugh and drummed her fingers against her bare hip. ‘No offence, honey, but we’re looking for a government spy, not a fast-tracked co-ed.’
‘Show us your tricks, Henry.’ Emma prompted.
‘My name is Hank McCoy.’ He corrected indignantly as he toed off his shoes and tugged at his socks.
Mystique raised a sardonic brow. ‘Erik, we don’t have time for-’
Erik raised a gloved hand to silence her as Hank revealed his deformed feet, letting them stretch finally on the concrete floors. He jumped and flipped in mid air, grabbing onto the pipeline that ran above their heads with his finger-like toes.
‘Beast, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’ Erik said, admiring the impressive display. ‘My telepath seems to have… misplaced X, could you bring us to him?’
Hank didn’t display the usual fear a mutant usually does when confronted with a telepath, he just answered honestly. ‘He’s not misplaced. When he’s being punished, they lock him in cerebro, with the deprivation helmet. You won’t find him telepathically.’
‘Beast.’ Erik leant in close to the upside down face. ‘Take me to him.’
Henry swung down and straightened his clothes. ‘This way.’ He said, before scurrying off quickly.
There was a flash of red smoke and fire, and a red hand slipped into Mystique’s. ‘Who’s that?’ Azazel asked.
‘It’s the Beast, apparently.’ Mystique answered, gripping the strong hand.
‘They’re getting younger every year.’ Azazel grumbled, pulling Mystique tight against his body and stealing a kiss before following after the other mutants.
‘I’d been working from samples of his blood and DNA for months before I was granted access to him. His neoprosin formation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.’ Hank said excitedly. ‘I was transferred here three months ago and actually saw him. That was when I contacted you.’
Erik laid a hand that was only slightly threatening on Hank’s shoulder. ‘You did right.’
They went down some steps that led to a bulkhead door that bulged outwards in a gradual curve and sealed tightly shut. Hank gripped the spinning wheel that held it closed and tugged, turning it and the door opened outwards.
Cerebro was a large, round room, dimly lit and perfectly spherical, with nothing interrupting the smooth line of metal.
‘What is this?’ Emma asked, standing at the entrance which was at the exact middle of the curve, half a story from the bottom of the sphere.
‘This is Cerebro, she amplifies brainwaves, in the case of X, it increases his power range and ability.’ Hank explained simply as he pulled a contraption off of the wall. It unfolded to become a set of narrow stairs that he fit inside Cerebro, leading down to the rounded bottom.
Erik stepped inside, his eyes slowly adjusting to the thin light. Keeping one hand to steady himself against the metal of the curved wall, he stepped down into Cerebro.
There was a figure curled up on the floor of Cerebro. In the dim light, Erik could make out the curve of a pale back, naked and shivering slightly on the cool metal floor. X was thin, his rib cage prominent enough that Erik could have traced each protruding rib.
‘X?’ He said hesitantly, stepping closer. There was no response from the imprisoned mutant. Erik’s eyes adjusted and he noticed a flush of goosebumps along the other man’s skin. He reached for the collar of his outfit, unclipping the dark red cape that hung from his shoulders.
Erik dropped to the ground beside the mutant and draped the material around the huddled form, giving X some semblance of dignity for the first time in years.
X stopped trembling, his breathing coming short and quick. One hand unfurled from his chest and reached over his shoulder, fingers contracting in the dark material. For a long moment, Erik froze, unsure what to do next, then he placed his gloved hand over the stranger’s.
Thin fingers closed around his, pulling firmly, using Erik’s weight to roll over and face him.
X’s head was completely encased in metal, a dome shaped helmet - Erik reached out with his gift - made of the same material as the unmistakable material as the one on he had stolen from Shaw. His face was hidden by the dome, giving the impression he was less than human.
Erik ran a finger along the underside of the dome. A metal bar ran diagonally under the helmet, pressing into X’s throat and jaw. Erik looked for a catch or a lock, but -
Some fucker had welded it on.
‘You shouldn’t take it off.’ Hank warned.
Erik turned his head to glare daggers at the mutants still standing, silhouetted at the entrance. ‘What the hell is this?’ Erik demanded, spreading his hand on the top of the dome as a protective gesture that X couldn’t even feel.
‘It blocks all telepathic transmissions.’ Hank attempted to explain, even though the other mutants had already deduced as such. ‘It’s pretty necessary because of the treatments. Don’t remove the deprivation helmet until you’re prepared to deal with it.’
Erik settled his other hand on X’s shoulder, trying to coax movement from the furled mutant. ‘Can you hear me? Come on, come with us.’
‘He can’t walk.’
At Hank’s voice, Erik’s gaze slid to the thin legs under his cape. They were still angled away from the doorway, at a painful angle now his body was facing the other way. Carefully, so as not to disturb the delicately placed cape, Erik slid a hand under the bent knees and the other around X’s shoulders. He used his power to make the domed helmet seem weightless. Immediately, X pushed his head into Erik’s arm, making an uncomfortable pressure on his bicep.
‘Azazel, we’re leaving.’
Azazel nodded and slid an arm around Mystique’s waist, his other hand grasping Emma’s.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘No you’re not, son.’ Erik said, ascending the stairs with the naked form of X in his arms. ‘You can do your work here, The Network needs an inside on this research base.’
‘There is no research without X.’ Hank said, grabbing Mystique’s hand despite her glare.
Erik felt fury begin to build inside himself, the metal hinges of the doors trembling. ‘We don’t hurt our own. You’re not coming so you can continue your experiments.’
Hank raised his chin, but his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. ‘I feel responsible for him, Magneto.’
Erik scrutinised the young man. ‘Fine.’ He said eventually. Emma placed a hand on the arm Erik had wrapped around X’s shoulders, holding him tight.
Azazel tugged at the small group’s existence, then they were gone.
Charles was free.
Chapter Two
Fandom: X-Men (First Class)
Pairings and characters: Charles/Erik, background Mystique/Azazel, whole cast.
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Medical experimentation and torture, psychic violation, some disturbing imagery.
Prompt: From the kinkmeme HERE requesting an AU based on the Firefly universe. Charles is captured by an organisation that use him for experiments and try to turn him into a weapon. Erik and the other mutants save him, but his mind is severely damaged.(also updated on the kinkmeme thred)
Summary: When Erik met and saved Charles, the telepath had endured years of torture. The ruthless Magneto sees himself in the broken and shattered mutant who should have been his friend. AU - Firefly inspired.
Prologue + Masterpost
The compound was all concrete and steel, a supposedly hidden CIA base of operations, where the Beast had spread word of X. It didn’t stand a change against Magneto.
He was accompanied by his inner circle, first, the telepath, Emma Frost, who was needed for this little mission of search and retrieve. The other two, the blood red demon of a transporter Azazel and his wife, the lethal Mystique, had nothing the government could take from them, and nothing to fear from the telepaths. They were also deadly fighters and powerful mutants by their own rights, and saw the mutual benefits that came with an association with Erik Lensherr.
Erik waved a hand and the barred gates peeled open, allowing the four mutants entry. Snipers were taken out of commission moments after Azazel disappeared from his side. After a cheeky grin over her shoulder, Mystique took off running at the guards moving to intercept them. She was very graceful in battle, sleek blue lines twisting around them as they fell.
‘Find the mutant.’ Erik ordered Emma, sending a few wayward bullets bending impossibly around them.
Emma nodded, tilting her head as she reached out with her mind. A brief frown flicked across her face. ‘I can’t feel him.’
‘You said he was here.’ Erik reminded her, with an edge to his voice.
‘He was.’ Emma snapped. ‘It’s like he’s hidden. But it can’t be mental blocks, no one’s strong enough to make themselves disappear.’ She opened her eyes, an impossible blue that stared right through him. ‘I can feel a void, like you.’
The helmet weighed heavy on his head and Erik strode towards the CIA Research base. Agents fell from the sky around them, Azazel disappearing from the night’s sky, leaving behind wisps of red smoke. They had hardly walked through the doors when Mystique approached them, half dragging a young man wearing a lab coat. She gripped his throat, holding him out to Erik.
‘This one might know where X is.’
‘Magneto.’ He gasped out, Mystique’s blue nails pinching sharply into his neck. The scientist turned his eyes towards Emma and focused his thoughts.
‘Let him go, Mystique.’ Emma said, stepping closer to scrutinise the young man. The shapeshifter looked to Erik for confirmation before she dropped him. Emma stroked the tip of one finger down the side of the scientist’s face. ‘We don’t hurt our own.’
‘He’s a mutant?’ Mystique asked, incredulous.
Once the word was spoken aloud, the man’s entire demeanour changed. He straightened his back, confident and proud. ‘Yes. I’m the Beast.’
‘Really? You?’ Mystique hid a laugh and drummed her fingers against her bare hip. ‘No offence, honey, but we’re looking for a government spy, not a fast-tracked co-ed.’
‘Show us your tricks, Henry.’ Emma prompted.
‘My name is Hank McCoy.’ He corrected indignantly as he toed off his shoes and tugged at his socks.
Mystique raised a sardonic brow. ‘Erik, we don’t have time for-’
Erik raised a gloved hand to silence her as Hank revealed his deformed feet, letting them stretch finally on the concrete floors. He jumped and flipped in mid air, grabbing onto the pipeline that ran above their heads with his finger-like toes.
‘Beast, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’ Erik said, admiring the impressive display. ‘My telepath seems to have… misplaced X, could you bring us to him?’
Hank didn’t display the usual fear a mutant usually does when confronted with a telepath, he just answered honestly. ‘He’s not misplaced. When he’s being punished, they lock him in cerebro, with the deprivation helmet. You won’t find him telepathically.’
‘Beast.’ Erik leant in close to the upside down face. ‘Take me to him.’
Henry swung down and straightened his clothes. ‘This way.’ He said, before scurrying off quickly.
There was a flash of red smoke and fire, and a red hand slipped into Mystique’s. ‘Who’s that?’ Azazel asked.
‘It’s the Beast, apparently.’ Mystique answered, gripping the strong hand.
‘They’re getting younger every year.’ Azazel grumbled, pulling Mystique tight against his body and stealing a kiss before following after the other mutants.
‘I’d been working from samples of his blood and DNA for months before I was granted access to him. His neoprosin formation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.’ Hank said excitedly. ‘I was transferred here three months ago and actually saw him. That was when I contacted you.’
Erik laid a hand that was only slightly threatening on Hank’s shoulder. ‘You did right.’
They went down some steps that led to a bulkhead door that bulged outwards in a gradual curve and sealed tightly shut. Hank gripped the spinning wheel that held it closed and tugged, turning it and the door opened outwards.
Cerebro was a large, round room, dimly lit and perfectly spherical, with nothing interrupting the smooth line of metal.
‘What is this?’ Emma asked, standing at the entrance which was at the exact middle of the curve, half a story from the bottom of the sphere.
‘This is Cerebro, she amplifies brainwaves, in the case of X, it increases his power range and ability.’ Hank explained simply as he pulled a contraption off of the wall. It unfolded to become a set of narrow stairs that he fit inside Cerebro, leading down to the rounded bottom.
Erik stepped inside, his eyes slowly adjusting to the thin light. Keeping one hand to steady himself against the metal of the curved wall, he stepped down into Cerebro.
There was a figure curled up on the floor of Cerebro. In the dim light, Erik could make out the curve of a pale back, naked and shivering slightly on the cool metal floor. X was thin, his rib cage prominent enough that Erik could have traced each protruding rib.
‘X?’ He said hesitantly, stepping closer. There was no response from the imprisoned mutant. Erik’s eyes adjusted and he noticed a flush of goosebumps along the other man’s skin. He reached for the collar of his outfit, unclipping the dark red cape that hung from his shoulders.
Erik dropped to the ground beside the mutant and draped the material around the huddled form, giving X some semblance of dignity for the first time in years.
X stopped trembling, his breathing coming short and quick. One hand unfurled from his chest and reached over his shoulder, fingers contracting in the dark material. For a long moment, Erik froze, unsure what to do next, then he placed his gloved hand over the stranger’s.
Thin fingers closed around his, pulling firmly, using Erik’s weight to roll over and face him.
X’s head was completely encased in metal, a dome shaped helmet - Erik reached out with his gift - made of the same material as the unmistakable material as the one on he had stolen from Shaw. His face was hidden by the dome, giving the impression he was less than human.
Erik ran a finger along the underside of the dome. A metal bar ran diagonally under the helmet, pressing into X’s throat and jaw. Erik looked for a catch or a lock, but -
Some fucker had welded it on.
‘You shouldn’t take it off.’ Hank warned.
Erik turned his head to glare daggers at the mutants still standing, silhouetted at the entrance. ‘What the hell is this?’ Erik demanded, spreading his hand on the top of the dome as a protective gesture that X couldn’t even feel.
‘It blocks all telepathic transmissions.’ Hank attempted to explain, even though the other mutants had already deduced as such. ‘It’s pretty necessary because of the treatments. Don’t remove the deprivation helmet until you’re prepared to deal with it.’
Erik settled his other hand on X’s shoulder, trying to coax movement from the furled mutant. ‘Can you hear me? Come on, come with us.’
‘He can’t walk.’
At Hank’s voice, Erik’s gaze slid to the thin legs under his cape. They were still angled away from the doorway, at a painful angle now his body was facing the other way. Carefully, so as not to disturb the delicately placed cape, Erik slid a hand under the bent knees and the other around X’s shoulders. He used his power to make the domed helmet seem weightless. Immediately, X pushed his head into Erik’s arm, making an uncomfortable pressure on his bicep.
‘Azazel, we’re leaving.’
Azazel nodded and slid an arm around Mystique’s waist, his other hand grasping Emma’s.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘No you’re not, son.’ Erik said, ascending the stairs with the naked form of X in his arms. ‘You can do your work here, The Network needs an inside on this research base.’
‘There is no research without X.’ Hank said, grabbing Mystique’s hand despite her glare.
Erik felt fury begin to build inside himself, the metal hinges of the doors trembling. ‘We don’t hurt our own. You’re not coming so you can continue your experiments.’
Hank raised his chin, but his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. ‘I feel responsible for him, Magneto.’
Erik scrutinised the young man. ‘Fine.’ He said eventually. Emma placed a hand on the arm Erik had wrapped around X’s shoulders, holding him tight.
Azazel tugged at the small group’s existence, then they were gone.
Charles was free.
Chapter Two