Past, Present, Future - Cable, Deadpool 2

1.

She had always been cautious concerning her powers, they being far too vast, far too complicated, and far too strong for anyone, including herself, to fully understand. She would always thank her lucky stars that Charles had found her that day in 1962, her powerset making it difficult for even him, the most powerful telepath, to locate her.

She had no recollection of where she came from. The earliest she remembered, in her confusing, non-linear timeline, was Ancient Egypt, all those centuries ago, with Apocalypse, almost ruling the world together.

In many ways the X-Men saved her. They became her home, her friends, her family. Back then she still had little control over her powers, and to quote Charles she was 'stumbling in the dark.' Not lost, but not yet found either. But then he and Erik had found her - perhaps it sounded cliché, but they really had changed her life forever. They had brought her home, where she had remained ever since.

Well, okay, there was the whole incident following Erik and Raven's betrayal where Charles went into a state of depression when she had left the mansion for a while. She couldn't bear to see Charles in such a state. And then she and Logan from the future had to go and help rework the past to save the future. Confusing, I know. That was a story for another time.

But since the '70s she had been here. She lived and worked at the mansion, teaching history to the students and helping them come to understand and accept their powers. Not to say that she had fully come to understand and accept hers, but she was doing better. Besides, she didn't think she would ever fully understand them. Some things were just too vast to fully understand.

In those years since Apocalypse she hadn't felt as afraid as she had last night with the vision, and so the next morning she did what she always did first when unsure or concerned about something: speak to Charles.

She got some stares from the students when she emerged from her room and made her way through the mansion to the Professor's study. She hadn't been this embarrassed in a long time. For the first time in decades, she shrunk away and closed herself off.

"I saw my death, Charles." The words, when she finally found the courage to speak, were soft and croaky, her voice catching in her throat when she spoke words she never thought she would speak or have to speak.

She heard him draw in a sharp breath. "It's in the future, I don't know when. But I don't just die, I'm killed. And it's terrifying-" Her voice broke, tears stinging her eyes.

He reached out across the desk and placed a gentle hand over hers. "Oh, Nina. We never thought this possible." He sighed, letting her have a moment to recover.

"It happened so fast, just a glimpse. I don't know how far in the future, when, where, or who kills me. I just know that it happens, and when it does its frightening." She looked up and met his eyes, always with kindness in them. "Would you look at it, please? See if you recognize anything?"

He appeared hesitant at this but eventually gave in. He reached across his desk again and placed his fingers gently against her temple, closed his eyes, and concentrated. This she found comforting.

She could feel his presence in her mind, in her thoughts, as he too witnessed the disturbing vision.

Suddenly he gasped and drew back sharply, and when he opened his eyes she saw tears forming in them. "Oh, Nina."

Her tears were returning too. "Did you recognize anything?" she asked him after a moment. She didn't want to press but was awfully curious.

He shook his head. "No, I didn't." She felt her heart sink. "Did you?"

"No, nothing." She thought back to it, the glimpse of a vision.

"This hasn't happened since - since..."

"I know." He reached for her hand again. Apocalypse. A traumatic experience for them both.

"But there was someone else there... That man..." Charles nodded, knowing of who she spoke. "But I don't know him, I have no idea who he is..." And he was recognizable too, this man from the vision, with one eye glowing amber, and one arm made of metal. She would know if she had seen him before.

Charles nodded again. "Do you think he has something to do with your death?"

She shook her head distantly, trying to remember the vision that was rapidly fading from her memory. "I don't think so. I don't think he causes it. But he's there, whoever he is... He's there when I die..."

A tense silence hovered in the air as they both absorbed this.

"I wish I could be of more help," Charles sighed, finally breaking the silence.

"No, you were helpful, as always. Thank you." She smiled, a sad smile however. "I'll let you know if there's anything else."

"Please do." He nodded as she left the study, the distant image of the mysterious man lingering in her memory.

(Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) Nina is an OC that I created for the X-Men film storylines, and I might write stories based on those too, but I thought it would be fun to add her into the Deadpool side of the X-Men universe too (especially since I enjoyed 'Deadpool 2' so much!) Thank you so much for reading, more to come soon!)