Different

Chapter 19

Charles opens the large metal box with a black X taped on its lid. It sits at the back of his workshop, which looks as though a tornado had ripped through it: chairs are turned over, tables flipped on their side, shards of glass covering the floor. 

"Hank has been busy," Erik comments as we look down at its contents.

"Do we really have to wear these?" Alex asks.

"As none of us have mutated to endure extreme G-force or being riddled by bullets," Charles answers. "I suggest we suit up."

. . .

We meet at the airbase as Hank instructed in his note, dressed in the dark-blue-and-yellow suits he'd made for us. We stare at the jet in the hangar, a unique and much more modern of a design compared to the other planes any of us had seen.

"Where's Hank?" Raven asks.

"I'm here." His voice answers from the hangar entrance. We look ahead of us at a furry shape stepping forwards. It looks like Hank but...bigger, and covered in fur. We look at each other in question.

"Hank?" Charles squints.

He steps further into the light, revealing himself in a blue beast-like form.

"It didn't attack the cells," He speaks of the serum he'd created in an effort for him and Raven to look like the rest of us. "It enhanced them." He lowers his head. "It didn't work." 

"Yes it did, Hank." Raven says. "Don't you see? This is who you were meant to be," She puts a hand on his face. "This is you. No more hiding."

"Never looked better man." Erik says to Hank, pats him on the shoulder. Hank snarls and grabs Erik's throat.

"Hank." Charles warns.

"Don't. Mock. Me."

"Hank put him down immediately please," Charles shifts on his feet. "Hank. Hank!"

Hank finally listens and drops Erik to the floor.

"I wasn't." Erik looks up at him as he catches his breath.

"Even I gotta admit you look pretty badass," Alex adds. "I think I got a new name for you: Beast."

Hank stares at Alex a moment longer and Sean breaks the silence. "You sure you can fly this thing?" He nods to the jet.

"Of course I can, I designed it."

. . .

Two fleets of ships sit opposite each other, with the Russian ship Aral Sea headed straight for the embargo line with no signs of slowing down. The US and the Russian Federation have their weapons aimed at each other.

"Looks pretty messy out there..." Hank flies us past them.

Charles raises his hand and presses his pointer and middle fingers to his temple, shutting his eyes tightly.

"The crew of the Aral Sea are all dead," He informs after a moment, opening his eyes. "Shaw's been there."

"He's still here. Somewhere." Erik insists.

"He's set the ship on course for the embargo line."

"If that ship crosses the line, our boys are gonna blow it up," Moira says. "And the war begins."

"Unless they're not our boys." Charles looks at the rest of us and sits back in his seat. He closes his eyes and presses his fingers to his temple again. About a half a minute later, Hank's sensors beep rapidly in warning as one of the Russian ships fire on the Aral Sea. He rotates the jet suddenly to avoid impact with the missile and we're flipped upside down. I grip the bottom of my seat tightly as Charles cries out for us to hold on.

By the time we've levelled out, the Russian ship has been blown by one of its country's own missiles.

"A little warning next time, Professor?" Hank turns to him.

"Sorry about that," He says as the rest of us breathe in relief. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." Sean replies breathlessly.

"That was inspired, Charles." Moira remarks.

"Thank you very much but I still can't locate Shaw."

"He's down there, we need to find him now." Erik says.

"Hank?" Charles asks him.

"Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?" He asks Moira.

"No, nothing."

"Well then he must be underwater. And obviously we don't have sonar." Hank answers.

I immediately look towards Sean, who meets my eyes as he has the exact thought.

"Yes we do."

Charles looks at Sean and rips off his headphones. "Yes we do."