Epilogue- Feedback from a Mage

Xavier Mansion- Underground Medical Center, (Date Unknown)-(Unknown Time)

Prof. Charles Xavier  

His body suddenly jerked as his mind returned to it. As Charles gasped and trashed about. Someone moved to be by his bedside. "Charles, Charles its ok we're here for you. Logan go get Hank, tell him he is awake." Her words comforted him and stabilized his otherwise tried exhausted mind.

“Ororo. He muttered as he reached out and took hold of the hand she had laid upon his arm.

“It’s ok Charles I sent someone to get Hank. How are you feeling?” she asked him. He felt from her the intent to switch on the lamp, before she did so. Her smooth attractive ebony face looked worried as she waited for his answer.

“Tired. So tired.” He said as he tried to sit up. Charles noticed the IV plugged into his arm that was holding her hand, causing him to ask. “How long?”

Ororo frowned in worry but answered him. "Nine days. Drake found you hooked up to Cerebro, but unconscious. He unhooked up and carried you to the infirmary, where Hank treated you for a time, but after the third night, we moved you here to your room. What happened to you? We even had Jean poke around inside your mind, but she said you weren't in there."

"Nine days." He repeated in surprise but then heard the rest of what she had just told him. "How is Jean? Was there…"

"She's fine. She didn't suffer any fallout from using her powers. But you truly gave us a scare. She couldn't read anything of you when she was in there, she likened your psyche as akin to an empty house." Her words allowed him to relax.

Before they could continue Charles could feel the worry of Hank rushing towards him, and right behind his close friend Charles felt the bottled anger that was Logan. All throughout the mansion he could feel minds waking to his presence. Yet he worried, after all, that he had just gone through, if it would be safe to use his powers to calm them.

'No, better to wait, and do things the old-fashioned way.' He decided in the end.

Then the other half of his room's double doors were knocked open as Hank, a blue-furred man who was as wide with muscles as he was tall, leaped into the room. Seeing Charles sitting upright Hank cried out. "Charles, it is so good to see you awake."

"Sorry to have worried you, old friend." Charles said honestly.

Ororo moved out of the way so that Hank could examine him. Like a seasoned professional Hank tested Charles' pulse, and lungs, every easy thing. While they let Hank check him, Charles could feel both of the other two were eager to hear what happened to drive him from his body. But they both waited for Hank to declare him healthy.

As soon as Hank took a step back from him, Logan asked from the doorway. ”So what happened?”

"I found Erik, for once he was out and about without his helmet. So I tried to convince him to stop all his violence." As Charles explains, at the mention of Erik he heard Logan growl like a wild animal. Everyone there was used to it, so they ignored him. "He was out fighting again. He and the Brotherhood had found, and he was either coming from or going to a base camp, or hideaway of escapees from the Third Reich and their descendants. I couldn't tell if he was coming from the fight or going to it, but his intent was clear to me regardless."

Hank and Ororo shared a look. Only Hank was old enough to have been there during the war, even if he was just a child at that time. However, neither really understood how bad it was. They only heard the stories Erik would sometimes share when he still lived with them, and only when he got relaxed enough to speak openly about it. Although, they all knew what those people took from him.

Logan on the other hand only grunted, almost in approval.

Ororo took a moment to glare at him, and Logan being Logan, gave a glare right back.

Hank, not wanting an argument to break out pointed out. “But Erik’s powers can’t be the cause of whatever happened to you.”

"I am getting there Hank." Charles started with but wanted to explain things chronologically, so he continued from where he left off. "Things started out civically, I actually felt my old friend in him again, but then he briefly thought of something, and started an argument. It was all in an effort to distract me, well both of us. He was trying to hide something. While also buying himself time, to pull out and use some kind of powder, or dust, that he had been given."

“He tried to poison your mind?” Ororo asked.

Hank just rubbed his chin in thought, as Charles explained. “No. He rethought the explanation of the item as he used it. This powder releases a sort of stimulant in the air. This stimulant when inhaled causes the mind and psyche to become energized. The idea is that, if your mind is already charged other psychic abilities or effects would be less effective on you."

Hank didn’t argue with the concept, just the source. “Interesting, but who would need such a powder?”

Charles didn't have an answer but added a bit of extra information from Erik's memory. "The creators were trying to develop something anyone could use to resist hypnotism. Apparently, it was during some war, and their enemies were using a horn or song to lure people into ambushes."

Logan snorted, but didn't say anything. While Charles didn't dig too deep, however, he did feel a sense of familiarity with the ambient thoughts from the man.

Willing to let his students and X-men have secrets, Charles didn’t press and instead continued his explanation. “However, it didn’t work as intended. I don’t think it was meant to stop abilities like mine, or I was already too deep into his mind. As it didn't kick me out, but rather thanks to Cerebro's designs, I was able to experience the sensation of the stimulant. And I can assure you that it was not meant for living telepaths.'

"My powers started to expand, I felt like it was eighty-two again, and my dark side might manifest, so I fled him. But with my desire to flee was blind, and with the increase of power, I accidentally opened a rift to another plane. A psychic plane if you will."

Hank went back to rubbing his chin in thought, as he said. “You had detected such a place before. Especially with early models of Cerebro. But you actually went there this time? Instead of feeling it?”

"Yes." Charles rubbed his own chin in thought as he theorized. "That must be why Jean didn't sense anything in my mind, my mind really went there… And while I figured out how to return, I feared what I might accidentally do with my mind so charged. So I waited and wondered till I felt the powder's effects begin to diminish. You see to me, it only felt like I was gone for three or four hours. Not days."

Logan suddenly decided to add something vocally to the conversation. "We should go to his base and kick in his door. You don’t get to hurt one of us and just get away with it."

“How? After Brain Braddock’s arrest and deal, all of the Brotherhood hideouts must be under surveillance by now.” Ororo quickly pointed out.

“That was what he was trying to hide from me.” Charles said, while not agreeing with the idea.

Logan punched his own palm before he said. "Well if you got it, let's go kick his door in."

“It’s not that simple Logan, as it is not his. He and the Brotherhood seemed to be house guests in this place. And it might do us some good to let him be, down there for now… I didn’t get a clear read on who or what. But I am certain that there are two of them living there.’

“A boy and girl. I think the girl is crippled in some way, as Erik didn't have a mental image of her, so I think she hides herself away or something. It's the boy who owns and runs everything. Like Exodus, they found him in one of those golden caskets. So the boy is getting schooled in the modern world in exchange for their housing."

"That's perturbing, if Apocalypse is involved this could get dangerous," Hank muttered.

Ororo crossed her arms over her breasts, as she did when she thought about things but didn’t want to share them.

And all Logan had to add was. “He’s just another guy who deserves an ass kicking.”

"Regardless, I don't know the reason why, but Erik is determined to protect this boy." Charles continued his reasoning, after giving them a moment to think. "Apparently, this boy is the last of his kind, the rest were killed in a war. And while he feels betrayed by Israel, and in part thanks to us and Brain Braddock, he is starting to feel the same from the mutants.'

“Yet a part of him still wants to protect them. So I think that he might find a new cause with this boy. And in protecting him, he is both protecting himself and getting some appreciation for his actions.” ‘Instead of ridicule and shame from us and his homeland.’ Charles thought but didn’t share.

“You think we should let him be for now?” Ororo asked in surprise.

“You did that last time when you found his missing twins, and look how that ended. He formed another Brotherhood.” Hank reminded them.

"Well, he is distracted, for now, dealing with local threats around the boy. On top of that, this base of theirs is well protected. It has a psychic barrier, which not only makes it hard to locate. But if you come in contact with it, you slowly forget where it was.'

“It’s only weakness that Erik could discern, is that the barrier can be exempted to certain people. Namely, those living under its protection. However, because I haven't personally touched this defense and Erik knows of its location, its effects didn't trigger for me. So if I remain here and away from it I will continue to remember."

“So we will only get one surprise attack.” Logan guessed.

"So we are agreed? We will wait for now, only if he launches another attack we will go after them." Charles asked them. They slowly all nodded in agreement, even Logan in the end. As they did Charles thought. ‘Because we must be ready, the new students need more time and training. Before fighting someone like Erik.’

Logan sniffed the air and suddenly unsheathed the claws hidden in his form arm. They rest just above his knuckles and stick out a foot from the back of his hands. He sniffed twice more, before relaxing and letting his claws return to his arms.

A second later Drake emerged from the far side of Charles's room. His skin was currently unhealthily pale, as they could see his veins and everything. Like Logan he had claws, but Drake's were shorter and protruded from where his nails should be. His fingers, arms, and legs seemed inhumanly long, but as he approached them they contracted. His joints audibly popped as they shrank.

Also, his skin darkened to look fairer and far healthier. His claws returned to looking like normal human nails. His eyes, first just solid red orbs, contracted to be pure white with red pupils, and after a single blink, they were back to his normal green human-looking eyes.

Drake's voice still maintained his Eastern European accent as he said. "Dani was just here, but she couldn't stay. Where ever she works just sent out an alert."

“Wondering what happened at SHEILD to send out such an alert?” Logan muttered. The others all looked at him. Charles knew where Dani had landed a job, but that was because she was so excited about it, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. However, as far as he knew she hadn’t told any other resident of the mansion. After a couple of seconds of everyone looking at him, Logan admitted. “What they asked for a reference. And thanks to Chuck freeing up a lot of my sealed memories I knew some of their people.”

Drake pulled out a flash drive from his jeans pocket and said. "Anyway, she said this was an update on your brother, Charles." The quiet loner then threw the drive to Hank, before trying to leave the way he had come.

Hank caught the small stick easily. However, Charles wouldn’t let Drake just leave, as he reached out with his mind and asked. “How are you feeling Drake?”

Drake jerked back and looked around before he relaxed, and he sighed before admitting. "I am getting thirsty again, but otherwise I am fine… I am gonna go now before I do something we all regret."

"Hank, is there anything you can do for him?" Ororo asked after a bit, as they assumed he used his powers to walk from one shadow to another.

The blue fur ball shrugged before stating. "Genetically speaking he is the same as before the cult kidnapped him. His X gene is just hyper-stimulated by whatever they did to him. So there isn't much I can do for him." He then took a pause before adding. "Besides trying to suppress it, like I did to my own X gene, and we all know how that worked out in the end."

Hank hinted at how he originally didn't have any fur and was just hairy, and his original hair color was brown, not blue.

Logan just growled again, this time more in frustration than anger Charles felt.

“Hank? Would you be so kind as to carry me to my computer? I would like to see this update of hers.” Charles requested.

“I thought you said you were tired?” Ororo reminded him.

"I am tired, but I also just lost several days. And if her update can give me a lead on Cain then I should take a look at it." The professor argued. The attractive black woman looked for Hank for support.

He rubbed his chin once, before offering a compromise. “I will help you Charles, but you need to promise not to use Cerebro for a least a day. Not till I can run some tests on you.”

“Agreed.” Charles quickly agreed, before raising his arms to aid in them lifting him out of bed.

Hank easily did, and Ororo got out of their way. She went to the doors and triggered the ceiling lights bathing the room in light. A cross from his wide bed was his desk. A recently updated computer took up only a small portion of the ancient wooden surface. Charles refused to get rid of the old thing, it had been in his family for generations, but he was willing to admit a sleeker modern desk would allow the computer tower a place to be hidden.

It didn't take Hank long to carry and set Charles into one of his guest chairs. His desk didn't have a chair for him, because he was normally in his wheelchair. But again, Hank seemed to have no problems lifting both the padded chair and the professor toward the position behind the monitor. He then left the drive stick next to the keyboard.

Before he or the others left Ororo asked. “Do you want us to stay?”

"No, I think I will want to look into this alone," Charles admitted. As they all left, he turned on his system, and let it run through the boot-up phase. As it did he recalled his step-brother Cain.

He had nothing against his step-brother. They both had grown up with the same abusive father. If anything Charles was a little guilty that he hadn’t used his powers to stop the angry man earlier. Well before it became too much, and the man killed his mother. Not that she was really much of one, with all of her drinking.

Even after revealing his own powers to his step-brother, Cain if anything became jealous, but hopeful. That he too could luck out and get abilities of his own. Then he did, and all his powers turned out to be the ability to make a barrier around himself when he ran. Cain was heartbroken. Their communications became less and less, till it had been a few years since he had heard from the man.

When his computer was up and running, Charles uncapped and plugged the drive into the proper port. As the system began its access to the device, the professor looked at the bottom drawer on his right side. Where he hides his alcohol, yet he waited. If it was bad news he would open it then.

The drive came up, and its files were presented to him. In the base window, there was only a video labeled 'summary', and four folders. One labeled 'evidence', the next 'texts', the next 'texts- translated', and the last 'photos'.

Charles rubbed the little bit of stubble that had grown in while he was out, for apparently nine days. He then moved the mouse to double-click the video. A couple seconds later it popped up a new window. It was Dani Moonstar sitting in her studio apartment. The professor noted that the video was over an hour long before she spoke.

Dani waved before saying to the camera. “This video is the only one that I had time to record, so you getting everything in one file. Starting with a brief intro, the basic summary, and then the full summary.’

“Intro. Cain isn’t dead, and he isn’t in jail. Well, at least none of the ones my agency knows about anyway… but I am pretty sure he murdered someone.”

Charles sighed and reached for the draw. It slid all the way out, timed to the sound of Dani clapping. As he pulled out a cleanish rock glass she continued speaking.

“Basic summary. There is a lot that you may need to take me on faith in here, but I have evidence in the correct folders on the drive too. But for now, trust me… my grandpa was right. Magic is real… I didn't believe him as a kid either, too much time on the army base with mom and dad, but after what I saw last week I know it's real.’

“Two years ago, Cain got hired to be a porter and security guard for an archeologist. A doctor, Bracken. Robert Bracken. Well, he is missing, presumed dead. Mind you there are multiple suspects and your brother is low on the list. But there is an item missing that only your brother, this Doc. Bracken and the lead suspect, a Leeann Foremann, knew about."

Charles remembered Cain calling him and telling him about the job. The professor was happy that his brother had gotten himself some honest work, after the last time he had needed to bail him out of jail. The glass was beside the mouse, but the bourbon was still in the drawer.

"The missing item in question after a month of investigation, long after Cain's role at the site was over, was identified as the 'Gem of Cyttorak'… now for a long time that was all I had, and had no leads to indication that he was really tied to the missing doctor. But then last week happened, and hit ancient pre-dark age intelligence pay-dirt.'

“Cyttorak, according to my expert, was a living being of fire, which eventually rose to godhood or demi-godhood. It can vary depending on the when, as when he loses power he can be reduced or something like that. So to help hedge his bets, he left behind this gems, so us lowly mortals could find it… Now normally a person needs to research this, but if this Cyttorak can feel who touches his gem. And sometimes the people, those rather prone to anger or aggression, well he sometimes, somehow sends hints to this person."

Charles reached for the bottle of bourbon in the drawer, as she continued to talk. Since he knew that his brother Cain had been arrested more than once for getting into fistfights. He even got discharged from the army because of his temper.

"But normally they need to learn a chant or passphrase to activate the gem. Once they both hold it and recite it, then the person can be supercharged or something. My expert called it, become the god's Avatar, not that they really explained what that truly meant…"

Charles paused the video before he poured the booze into the glass. He was trying to imagine what an angry, god-enhanced, Cain with his personal barrier would be doing right now.

¹ For those that get confused by the character 'Drake'. He is an original character. Drake is his given name, him and his sister will be better introduce in the next book, when the X-men and the Brotherhood meet in 'A Mage with Servants.'