Dawn of the Evolved |•| Wakanda x Xmen

Chapter 9: The Mansion

I decided to change to third person for this chapter. Let's see how it turns out.

Hank pushed the drunken professor up to the mansion. They spent another night in a club. Charles trying to drown his regrets in alcohol and hitting on random girls. Though he would always lose his chances by throwing up or ranting on about Raven.

Hank sighed. It hasn't been the same since she left six months ago. Some say it's heart breaking to lose a sibling, but it's worse if you know they're gone because of you. Charles blames himself and has no hope in ever finding redemption.

Hank and the professor reach the stairs. Hank lifts up the professor's chair easily all the way up to the front door.

"Home sweet home." Charles says in a slur. Waving his hands around like a mad man.

"Yes home at last." Hank hated seeing him like this and would have left like the others if he didn't think the professor could be saved. He figured because the professor saved him, he should at least return the favour.

"You know I think I'm going to go to bed now. Hank can you get me my meds? I need to get out of this blasted chair."

"Of course professor." But Hank had other plans. He was glad that he waited until the professor was drunk so that he wouldn't think to read his mind.

So Hank wheeled Charles in. Leading him through the lush hallways and wooden doors to the basement. In his drunken stupor, the professor didn't even notice that the hallways changed from cream wallpaper to the metallic silver of the basement. The ex-headquarters of the X-Men.

Hank hadn't been here ever since the First Class incident. It brought back to many memories and he couldn't bear to think of her. Raven, a friend, a teammate and the professor's adopted sister who left for the other side. Coincidentally, the side of one of Charles' old friends who had more radical ideas. It literally ripped the professor apart and broke Hank's heart.

Hank pushed those thoughts down as he focused on what he came here for. He had to do it now or else he would lose his nerve.

He pushed the professor further into the basement, passing various security doors that let him through as they recognized them. As the professor and Hank neared  a huge circular door with a giant metallic 'X' the professor finally seemed to realize where he was.

"Hank what are we doing down here?" He demanded.

"To remind you of why we are here professor." Hank replied hoping the uncertainty didn't show in his voice.

The professor started to get angry. "Hank I told you I don't want to ever go down here again!" He practically yelled at him.

Hank had already wheeled him to the door. All they needed was the professor to complete the retina scan.

"Professor look at the scanner." Hank commanded. He wasn't used to giving him commands but he had to take charge, at least until the professor got better.

"No I will not." His voice was slightly shaky and he was closing his eyes. Hank hated what he had to do next.

He carefully placed his large fingers on the professor's eyelid, pulling them forcefully open. A grid of blue light projected from the tiny hole that was the retina scanner to the professor's right eye. All the while he was screaming curses at Hank. Threatening to turn his big brain to mush, but he was too muddled himself to actually follow through.

Finally there was a single beep. And an electronic female voice said, "Welcome Professor X."

Charles stopped yelling long enough to snort at the name he had programmed into the system. He seemed to get calmer, but Hank wasn't sure because he gets random mood swings when he's drunk.