chapter nine • 9
↠ ↠ ↠

"nineteen seventy-three"

•••

The school was a big hit. They had a lot of students, Charles made Natalie a teacher, she enjoyed every day of it. But like all good things, it came to an end within the year. One by one, each of the men left. Sean was first, and as each man left, it took a toll on Natalie. But losing Alex, that broke her. Within a couple of years after Cuba, they fell in love, and got engaged. Before he left they decided to call off the wedding, until he came back. Hopefully.

•••

They shut down the school, and Charles got Hank to create a serum used by Natalie's DNA to make Charles walk. Natalie wasn't strong enough to heal him, but her DNA helped him temporarily walk. He had daily doses. But there were days were it was too unbearable for him, she sat by his side night after night, helping him.

Until one day he got a better friend. Alcohol.

•••

It was late morning, Natalie sat on the edge of her bed, looking over at a photo of Alex and her.

"God I hope he's okay."

She sat up and got changed into a long white skirt and green loose flowy shirt. She tied her hair up into a bun and took a breath.

SMASH!

"Hank?" She called out.

Natalie quickly walked over to the stairs and saw Hank hanging from the roof.

"What the hell is going on here?" Natalie folded her arms as she stood on the banister. "Who are you?" Natalie asked the guy who was on the table.

"Name's Logan," He started to sit up. Then looked shocked when he saw her.

"Natalie?" Logan spoke. Her eyes widened.

"How do you know -"

"Hank? Nat? What's happening?" Charles asked as he made his way over.

"Just a trespasser," Natalie replied.

"Professor?" Logan asked.

"Don't call me that," Charles responded taking a sip from his cup.

"What? You know this guy?" Hank asked.

"He looks somewhat familiar," Charles slurred.

"Get the bloody hell off the chandelier, Hank," Natalie ordered.

Hank jumped off.

"You can walk?" Logan asked.

"Well, you're a perceptive one," Charles sat down on a stair.

"I thought Erik –"Logan got cut off.

"Which makes it slightly perplexing that you managed to miss our sign on the way in, and this is private property my friend. I'm gonna have to ask him to ask you to leave," Charles sat down on the step as Natalie got off of the stairs and leant on the railings. Logan got off of the table.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that because - because I was sent here for you" He looked at Charles.

"Well, tell whoever it was that sent you that I'm busy," Charles told him.

"This is gonna be a little tricky because the person who sent me - was you."

"What?" Charles asked.

"About 50 years from now," He said.

"50 years from now like in the future 50 years from now?" Charles asked with a laugh. "I sent you from the future."

"Yeah."

"Piss off!" He took another sip from his cup.

"If you had your powers you would know I was telling the truth," Logan spoke.

"How do you know I don't have my -" Charles' head tilted. "Who are you?"

"I told you," Logan said.

Charles' face darkened. "Are you CIA? You've been watching us."

"No. I know you, Charles," Logan began walking around. "We've been friends for years. I know your powers came to you when you were nine. I know you thought you were going crazy when it started, all the voices in your head. And it wasn't until you were 12 that you realised that all the voices were in everyone else's head. Do you want me to go on?"

"I never told anyone that." Charles looked almost frightened.

"Not yet, no, but you will," Logan smirked.

"Alright you've piqued my interest, what do you want?" Charles asked.

"We have to stop Raven."

"Raven. I haven't heard that name in years."

"I need your help. We need your help."

"Who's 'we'?" Natalie asked him.

"The mutants of the future," Logan replied. "Humans kidnapped Raven and experimented on her. They used her abilities to create Sentinels. In the beginning, the Sentinels were just targeting mutants. Then they began to identify the genetics in non-mutants. Who'd eventually have mutant children or grandchildren. Many of the humans tried to help us, it was a slaughter. Leaving only the worst of humanity in charge. I've been in a lot of wars. I've never seen anything like this. And it all starts with her," Logan sighed.

"I think I'd like to wake up now," Charles said, walking into the next room and opening another bottle of liquor.

Hank, Logan and Natalie walked into the next room with Charles and sat down on the couches. "Let's just say that for the sake of - the sake that I choose to believe you, that I choose to help you - Raven won't listen to me." Charles shook his head. "No, her heart and soul belongs to someone else now."

"I know. That's why we're gonna need Magneto too," Logan stated.

Natalie snorted and Charles laughed. "Erik?"

"You do know where he is, right?" Hank asked.

"Yeah," Logan nodded.

Charles cackled as he stood up and began to walk out of the room. "He's where he belongs."

"So that's it? You're just gonna walk out?" Logan asked.

"Ooh top marks. Like I said, you are perceptive," Charles began to walk up the stairs.

"The Professor I know would never turn his back on someone who lost their path especially someone he loved," Logan said quietly.

Charles stopped and then began to walk up to Logan. "You know, I think I do remember you now. Yeah, we came to you a long time ago seeking your help. And I'm gonna say to you what you said to us then." Charles grinned. "Fuck off!"

In a burst of anger, Logan grabbed onto Charles' collar and shook him. "Listen to me you little shit! I've come a long way and I've watched a lot of people die, good people, friends. If you're gonna wallow in self-pity and do nothing then you're gonna watch the same thing, you understand?"

Logan let go of Charles. "We all have to die some time," Charles said and then he began to walk back up the stairs and into his room.

"Told you there was no Professor here," Hank told Logan.

"What the hell happened to him?" Logan asked.

"He lost everything," Natalie looked down.

"Erik, Raven, his legs," Hank sighed. "We built the school, the labs, this whole place. Then just after the first semester, the war in Vietnam got worse. Many of the teachers and all the students were drafted. It really broke him." Hank looked at Natalie. "Broke all of us." He sighed. "He began to retreat into themselves. I wanted to help do something. So I designed a serum, using the DNA from Natalie, destined to treat his spine. I used a similar formula that helps me control my mutation. I take just enough to keep myself balanced but he takes too much. I tried easing him back but he just couldn't bear the pain."

"The voices - the treatment gives him the ability to move his legs again, but it's not enough," Natalie said. "He's-" She cleared her throat. "He's just lost too much."

Charles came bounding down the stairs, standing next to where Natalie sat. "I'll help you get her. But not for any of your future shite, but for them."

"Fair enough," Logan nodded.

"I'll tell you this. You don't know Erik. That man is a monster, a murderer," Charles shook his head.

"You think you can convince Raven to change, to come home? That's splendid! But what makes you think you can change him?"

Logan smirked. "Because you and Erik sent me back here together."

•••

Hank brought in a blueprint of the Pentagon's building and what exactly is in each room. "The room they're holding him in was built during the 2nd World War when there was a shortage of steel. So the foundation is pure concrete and sand, no metal."

"He's being held a hundred floors beneath the most heavily guarded building on the planet," Charles laughed.

"Why is he in there?" Logan asked.

Both Charles and Natalie let out a laugh. "What, he forgot to mention?" Charles laughed.

Natalie snickered as she looked at Logan. "Remember JFK?" Natalie smirked.

"He killed - "

"What else would explain the bullet miraculously curving through the air. Erik's always had a way with guns," Charles laughed. "You sure you want to carry on with this?"

"Well, this is your plan, not mine," Logan held his hands up in surrender.

"We don't have any way to get in or out of that building," Natalie bit her lip.

"It's just me, Nat and Hank," Charles said.

"I know a guy," Logan nodded and glanced at Natalie. "Yeah, he'd be a young man now. Grew up outside of DC. He could get into anywhere," Logan laughed. "Just don't know how the hell we're gonna find him."

"With Cerebro out of the question," Natalie whispered.

"We have a phone book," Hank said.

•••