Thunderbird || X-Men

Chapter 31 ~ Duty Calls I Guess

1983

I pulled my car into a parking space near Charles's school. After my first awkward but much-needed visit with him a couple years ago, I kept a habit of visiting him every so often. Today was just that, a quick visit to catch up on things. Today was a beautiful day, and I wanted to meet some of his many students.

I made my way up to the heavy wooden doors and opened them. When I entered, I stopped dead in my tracks. The three people in front of me stopped their conversation to face me. It was Hank, who seemed happy to see me again, and Raven. I hadn't seen Raven since Washington. Behind her was a mutant I had never met. He was dark blue, and had a sharp devil tail and black hair.

"It's great to see you again, Kayla!" Hank called to me, beaming. Raven gave me a soft smile.

"I almost didn't recognize you." She said moving from beside Hank to me and pulling me in her arms sweetly. "I hope you're not busy any time really soon... we have a problem." She told me once we parted.

"Problem?" I wondered

"I guess you didn't see the news..."

~

Raven, Hank and I made our way through the school and into Charles's office. Seeing that he wasn't there, we sat down on a couch and a couple small ottomans, assuming he'd return soon.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Kayla. You holding together?" Raven asked.

"I guess you could say that." I joked. "It's nothing spectacular."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I've seen you on the news. They're saying Magneto has a new face." Raven told me with a smile.

"You knew it was me?"

"Of course I did. You're fighting for mutant rights without causing a lot of collateral damage. Who else could it be?" I chuckled a bit at her description.

"We need someone like you out there to fight for us." She added.

"Then I guess I came at a good time." I said.

"Just when Erik's being troublesome again."

"When isn't he?" Hank joked. I sighed. I knew things were already not going to be easy, they never were with Erik.

"So what did he do this time?" I asked Raven, adjusting myself for some not-so-great news.

"Apparently he reappeared, but some officers came and he-"

"Killed them?" I finished her sentence.

"Sadly, yes." She confirmed. "And his wife and child were found dead as well." I felt my heart sink, and I writhed with unease.

"Did he kill them too?" Hank asked, as if reading my mind. Although I was wondering the same thing, my instinct was to defend Erik.

"Erik wouldn't do something like that." I spoke up. "He wouldn't kill someone he loved for any reason."

Raven stayed quiet. I watched the doubt cloud in her eyes. After what happened in Paris all those years ago, she didn't seem convinced. Neither did Hank.

"They don't know what happened. All they do know is that they're dead and he's missing." Before another one of us could speak, we heard the door creak open. Charles wheeled himself in, followed by Alex and a face I hadn't seen in a long time. Moira McTaggart.

"Moira?" Raven and I said at the same time, all three of us standing apon seeing her.

"Raven?" Charles looked between all of us before Moira piped up.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" She asked us. Raven and I looked at each other in shock and confusion at her response. Charles began stumbling on his words.

"Hank... Alex... Agent McTaggart, would you give us just one moment please." Charles told them, keeping his gaze on us. The three of them left the room as Charles rolled himself towards Raven and I.

"Why didn't she recognize us? She knew me in this form." Raven asked him.

"Well, after you two left me on the beach in Cuba, I took her memories of that time. Have a seat." He explained cheekily, wheeling to sit behind his desk. Raven and I did as we were told, sitting in front of it.

"Lucky girl." Raven joked.

"It's good to see you Raven, welcome home." Charles smiled.

"This isn't my home."

"It was once."

"No, it was your home. I just lived here. I barely even recognize it now." Charles's smile didn't falter.

"You know I have plans for this place." He told her, wheeling to a window to glance out at his students, who could be heard faintly from outside. "I mean to turn it into a real campus, a university. Not just for mutants either, for humans too. Living and working... growing together." He explained.

"You know I really believed that once." Raven returned. "I really believed we could change them after D.C."

"We did."

"No Charles, they still hate and fear us, it's just harder to see because they're more polite about it. I got sick of living that lie."

"And that's why you're not in your natural blue form?" Charles asked her.

"I'm not gonna be the face of a world that doesn't exist." Then an awkward pause. The whole time I kept quiet. I didn't want to interrupt their argument with my two cents. It felt like two parents fighting and all you could do was watch.

"Things are better. The world is better."

"Maybe in Westchester. Out there, mutants are still running, hiding, living in fear." Raven argued back. Charles shifted in his wheelchair in annoyance. I could tell he was just as done with this argument as I was.

"Just because there isn't a war doesn't mean there's peace. You wanna teach your kids something, teach them that. Teach them to fight. Otherwise they might live in this house for the rest of their lives!"

"You still sound just like him. You sound just like-"

"Erik's resurfaced." I said with an angry sigh. Both Raven and Charles looked over to me in shock, probably surprised I spoke up like I did. I slumped back in my chair, running my hands through my hair to calm my nerves.

"He had a wife and a child that were killed... along with a handful of policemen." I explained to Charles. I watched as his expression changed, and he sighed heavily.

"The whole world will be looking for him."

"Then you can help us find him before they do." Raven said.