chapter fourteen • 14
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"don't make that same mistake, erik."

•••

Erik landed in the middle of the stadium, some of the Sentinels following soon after, the others flew to the tops of the stadium and aimed their guns at the outside world, almost as if they were guarding the mutants.

Logan and Hank placed Charles down somewhere safe before running towards where Natalie was.

"You alright?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Natalie replied. They were hidden behind a car.

"I'm probably not supposed to ask this kind of thing, but in the future, do I make it?" Hank asked Logan.

"No," Logan said.

Hank turned to look at him. "But we can change it, right?" Logan looked at him.

Hank, who was standing beside Natalie, started to transform into his blue beast form. He grew bigger muscles and his suit began to rip, hair covering every part of his body and a set of fangs on his teeth. Hank growled and that brought Erik's attention towards the group.

Erik turned towards a sentinel. "Do what you were made for," he commanded.

The sentinel turned around and faced them, aiming his gun at them. Just as it began to fire, Natalie held her hands up vines started to penetrate the Sentinel causing it slowly power down and she let it go. Another Sentinel flew over them and Logan grew out his claws and started to fight the Sentinel.

Hank jumped out of nowhere and grabbed the Sentinels head. "I've got this. Go!"

Logan and Natalie turned around and began to run towards Erik. Erik turned around to them and began to fire metal objects at them. Natalie's hair turned crystal white, frozen air emitted from her palms, stopping the objects. Then something knocked into her back. Natalie fell onto the floor with a thud and then looked at Logan and saw that Erik had stabbed several poles into him.

"Erik!" Natalie yelled at him as he made Logan levitate into the air. "Don't do this, Erik!

"The future can't be changed," Erik looked down at Natalie. "Humans are still going to try and find ways to kill us all. It will only be a matter of time." Then he turned to Logan.

"So much for being a survivor." He controlled Logan to fly out of the stadium and into the river outside.

"Logan!" Natalie cried out.

Erik then began to hold his hands above the ground and closed his eyes. He found the presidents bunker and lifted it through the ground that used to lay under the White House flew out towards us and landed on the grass. Erik opened up the door and then proceeded to rip the wall off. He controlled all of the men's guns to fly away from them and aimed them all at America's leaders. Erik then held out a large metal rod and brought it over to Natalie.

Natalie gasped and it wrapped around her several times. She couldn't lift up her hands to help her. Erik turned to the men in the bunker. "You built these weapons to destroy us. Why?"

•••

So many of us, outside. Dying. Natalie closed her eyes, hoping that Logan is saving them.

•••

"Because you're afraid of our gifts," Erik spoke. "Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different. Well I'm here to tell you - to tell the world, you're right to fear us. We are the future. We are the ones who will inherit this earth and anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you. Today was meant to be a display of your power, instead I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours," Erik looked straight into a camera. Natalie closed her eyes, with Erik making his speech, she was able to cause her whole body to freeze which also froze the pole wrapped around her. "Let this be a warning to the world and to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this: no more hiding, no more suffering. You have lived in the shadows and shame and fear for too long." Millions of people are watching on live television. Watching as Erik is going to murder these men. This is an act of terrorism that will cause an even bigger war against all of the mutants. Natalie finally had enough strength to snap the pole. "So come out. Join me. Fight together in the brotherhood of our kind. A new tomorrow. That starts today."

Natalie fell to the floor, still in her frozen form. But something was different, she felt a rage form inside her, a burning rage.

•••

"All those years wasted fighting each other, Charles," Erik sighed. "To have a precious few of them back." He reached out his hands towards Charles and grabbed onto them, the two of them sharing a smile. The room shook as the Sentinels began to break through Erik's metal barrier. Bobby looked towards Charles and then walked out the room.

•••

"Why do you think they are afraid of us, Erik?" Natalie stood up, her frozen form melting away, Erik looked behind him. "Because here you are, threatening them, I mean, look around you, do you honestly think that what you're doing is right?" Erik looked at Natalie, intently, he saw something change within her. "If we just lived peacefully with them, civilised, then they will not see us as a threat. They will see us just as the type of people we are; Humans." Natalie's hair caught a light, her eyes glistening a dark crimson red. "You are only proving them right. That mutants are dangerous. I know what you think you are doing is right, but it's not. If you stop now, we can stop the future, make it right again. Don't make that same mistake, Erik." Her hands clenched and they froze with a blue flame. Natalie's heart was filled with rage, a pure hatred, a feeling she hasn't felt in many, many years.

"Natalie," Erik spoke. He was almost frightened.

"We helped you. We got you out. We did everything, and you betray us. You go out of your way to ruin, everything." Natalie's body slowly lifted in the air, vines coming out of the ground following after her.

Erik slowly walked backwards, "Why are you so passionate about them? After everything you've been through."

Charles sat up and saw in front of him, a Natalie who was possessed by her demons, the very ones who possessed her those many years ago. "No, no, no," Charles struggled to find a way to help her.

"Erik, I've done horrible things, worse than what you've done." Natalie started to raise her voice. One vine wrapped around Erik and brought him closer to Natalie's face. Erik struggled to break free, frightened by a woman who he cared very much about, turn into her worst nightmare. Natalie brought Erik nose to nose. And a cold frozen breath escaped her lips. He looked right in her eyes, and saw the crimson glow before going to a beautiful hazel, the colour he longed to see.

"But dammit, I don't want war." Natalie placed both Erik and herself down.

Charles saw the impossible, a glisten in her mind of her letting go.

Natalie saw President Nixon stand up and make his way over to Erik. Then one of the sentinels began to charge at them when Erik ripped it apart completely. Then President Nixon transformed into Raven's blue form. She held the gun pointed at Erik and shot, only just grazing the side of his neck, he collapsed to his knees.

Erik smirked up at her. "You use to be a better shot."

"Trust me, I still am." Raven flipped and kicked Erik's head, watching as he became unconscious. Raven then turned the gun on Trask.

"Raven!" Natalie yelled. Then it all stopped.

•••

"Do not make us the enemy today," Charles said.

"Look around you, we already are," Raven said.

"You've already saved the lives of these men. You can show them the better path," Charles said. "I've been trying to control you ever since the day we met. And look where that's got us," Charles chuckled. "Everything that happens now is your choice. I have faith in you, Raven. We have faith in you." Charles spoke. Raven looked at Trask, the gun still trained on him.

•••

The Sentinels killed Bobby. Natalie cried out and stood in front of Charles, arms spread open, protecting him. Then the Sentinels charged into the room they were in. Three of them looked down at them, and Charles grabbed Natalie's hand. She closed her eyes as the sentinel's face opened up to them and she smiled, thinking of the life she had lived. The people she had saved, the people she loved and cared for.

The things she had done in this world, she had no regrets. Not a single one. Natalie was proud of who she had become.

Her last thought was of three people.

Chester White. The first person she had ever loved.

Alex Summers. The man who forgave all her flaws, and loved every inched that was Natalie Parker.

Then Charles. The man who saved her. The man who protected her.

Then. It went black.

•••

Raven dropped the gun onto the lawn. She looked over at Natalie. She nodded at her, and made her way over and gave her a hug. They let go of each other and then Raven began to walk off, not before pulling off Erik's anti-telepathic helmet. "He's all yours, Charles," And then Raven was gone.

Natalie looked down at Erik's unconscious body, looking at him before watching his eyes snapped open and he stood up.

Hank carried Charles towards Erik so they could see each other. "If you let them have me I'm as good as dead," Erik said. "You know that."

"I know," Charles replied to him, then continued to do nothing.

"Goodbye old friend," Erik nodded at Charles.

"Goodbye Erik," Charles said. Natalie looked at Erik as he did so.

"You did something incredible today, Natalie. I'm proud of you," Erik smiled at her, he looked at her longingly, Natalie looked at him, she softly smiled as he levitated himself into the air and then flew off.

•••

Logan woke up to the new 2023. Charles must have completed the mission. Logan smiled slightly, before sitting up and realising that he was back at the Xavier mansion. Logan quickly bolted out of bed and out of his room to see that everything had changed so much, because Logan didn't know any better.

He walked down the corridor, watching as all the students hurried to their classes. Logan suddenly bumped into someone, and turned around to see Beast, alive and well.

"Hey, Logan. Off to a late start?" And then Beast walked away.

Logan watched him leave before walking down the corridor again. A woman turning the corner and walking up to him made Logan smile. Natalie's eyes brightened and her smile was wide as she made her way up to Logan.

"Hey," she greeted. "You have a class, remember?" Logan just admired Natalie's natural beauty, and smiling at the fact that she was okay.
After Natalie saw his perplexed face. She smiled, gave him a hug. "Welcome back." Logan looked at her. How did she know?

"Come with me," She smiled. "I have some time," Natalie placed her books in her bag and they proceeded to walk off to the Professor's office.

•••

- guys, do you like dark natalie cause it's new and idk how I feel about it.