We Live Forever

Chapter 29: M.I.A.

Erik's POV:

Charles has been gone for a week now and people are certainly starting to ask questions. Curiosity has unfortunately allowed the kids to overcome their fear of me. Needless to say, I've never been more glad that I can't get Charles pregnant. 

I'm just minding my business walking through the hall when I hear someone breathing heavily trying to catch up to me. I start walking faster hoping the child will get the memo. They don't. I finally get fed up being chased and I turn around. 

"If there's something you wish to ask just ask it... Warren?"

"Mr. Lehnsherr, sir-"

"Call me Erik please, Warren."

"But Da- Hank always said to use proper titles with adults"

"Listen here angel boy, you're an X-Men that means that on a certain level we are equals. I'm not superior, just more experienced."

Warren grabbed onto the tip of one of his wings, a classic tell of stress or anxiety. At least I haven't completely lost my touch. 

"Erik, you know as well as I do that our staff has been... ahem going on a lot of long vacations lately."

"Do you have a point kid or do you just want someone to look at you?"

"Okay, rude. I think this is more complicated than we think."

God, this kid is trying my patience. My husband, his best friend, and my best friend have all mysteriously disappeared and this kid's big revelation is that things are complicated? I have to hold in my laugh.

"Complicated how?"

"I was reading through D- Hank's notebooks to try to figure out what might've happened to them. One of them disappeared randomly. I know I was reading it, then I fell asleep, and when I woke up it was gone."

"How long ago?"

"A- a couple weeks..." The kid said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. 

"And you didn't think to tell anyone?!"

I started to storm off, but the kid grabbed my wrist. I was shocked by his boldness and allowed him to pull me back.

"A missing notebook isn't gonna bring my parents back Erik."

"No, but it could help us find them. All of three of them."

I finally walked away, but Warren still wasn't done. He called out after me:

"Should I assemble the team?"

"Find your theory, then gather the X-Men."

It took the kid a few days, but he managed to find a theory and gather the X-Men. Well, what was left of us I guess. We all seemed kind of lost because typically Hank and Charles led us and made all the plans, but now we don't have a proper leader. 

"Warren why are we here?" Scott asked clearly not wanting to be here.

"I have an idea-" Warren got cut off.

"Let's just start with what we know, okay?" Alex asked to which everyone nodded. "Crimson was losing her healing abilities. Then she slipped into a coma. A lot of time passes and then one day both her and Hank vanish. Weeks later Charles disappears too."

"None of them left notes or said goodbye," Kurt said sadly.

"There were no signs that anyone broke in or had any kind of fight either. They just vanished." Peter added.

Warren awkwardly cleared his throat and everyone starred at him. 

"Well, so after my parents were gone, but before Prof- Charles was something weird happened. I was just sitting in the lab reading through one of Hank's notebooks and then I fell asleep. When I woke up EIGHTEEN HOURS later the notebook had magically disappeared out from under my face."

Scott seemed suddenly very invested and asked:

"Wait when was this exactly? I need an approximate date."

"About ten days after they disappeared."

"Shit." Scott grumbled.

"Shit what? Scott what happened?" Alex interrogated.

"One night at about the same time I remember going through the hallway and it felt like I was drunk, but I don't remember drinking at all. I thought I saw Hank, but I just brushed it off as some weird drunk hallucination."

"Well, now we know some much more, but still nothing at all." Jean chimed in. 

"I need to take a walk and think this all over," I announced. 

I left the room before anyone could reply. I walked the grounds and thought it over trying to shove all pieces together to complete the world's worst puzzle, but they weren't cooperating.

What if Crimson's dead and Hank's in shambles and Charles went to go help him? Wouldn't he have told me?

Where could they possibly be?

A bright flash peeks at the corner of my vision, releasing me from my tragic thoughts. I look the direction of the flash and see someone in a military uniform sprinting away. 

I reach out and grab whatever metal I can. A small badge lands in my grasp. I flip it over and read it aloud.

"Trask Industries"

Author's Note:

I know this chapter is shorter, but the story doesn't focus on this perspective much. Although it interesting to see how everyone else is reacting.

See you next time!