For Better or For Worse

Chapter 6

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---Back at the mansion (or at least what was left of it)---

Night had fallen and the scattered bodies of the students and inhabitants of Westchester mansion began to stir.

Hank, slowly rising to his feet, felt a hard stiffness in his limbs as he looked about the green.

He surveyed the area, concern immediately flooding his features as he saw the scattered students and teachers, some in the process of sitting up.

He recognized Raven, now in her raw and natural blue form, twitching and beginning to stir.

Hank jogged over to her prone body, despite the soreness in his limbs, and gently shook her; helping her out of her dazed stupor.

Her eyes focused upon his face and she breathed "oh my god".

"Raven?" Hank asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" raven responded shortly. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but we better figure it out pretty quick" Hank responded.

"Okay, let's start with step one" Raven started, "we need to understand our situation". "From the looks of it, whatever that blast was had us knocked out for a couple of hours".

"Right," said Hank, "If that is the case, we should figure out how much time has passed and what has happened in our absence".

"Yes, but first we need to make sure all the children are alright and everyone is accounted for" Raven said quickly and sharply, as if accosting Hank for his ordering of their priorities. Of course, the children must always come first.

And so they began rousing everyone from the unconscious states.

They counted everyone and called names.

Raven's heart sunk when she remembered that Charles had been taken... her heart further plummeting into despair when she supposed Alex's fate. Then there was the other boy... The one who had saved them from the explosion... Who was he and where was he at? He could have very well run off, but she concluded that would be unlikely and decided to ask Hank about him.

"Hank!" she called. "The boy with the silver hair, the one who saved us from the explosion, do you know him?"

"I actually did, yes" replied Hank. "Charles, Logan, and I went to him for help a couple years back..."

"Oh? What kind of help?"

"He was the one to.... Um... well- I – ya know...."

"Just spit it out Hank, we don't have time for this" Raven snapped. We need to get these kids to safety and then go find Charles".

"He was the one who broke Erik out of the Pentagon..."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Raven screeched. "You're telling me... HE- was the one who broke Erik out of prison... And you're telling me that you guys hired HIM to do it, and yet never mentioned him to me ??? or brought him to the school?? Or put him in our files as a potential danger or risk??? And now he just showed up and disappears again and we have no clue what he wanted???"

"Okay," Hank started, "one, he is not a danger, he is kind and has a big heart. Two, he helped Erik escape because we asked him to help us. Three, we didn't mention him, or put him in our files, or bring him back to the school because we thought it would be safer for him to stay at his home, with his family".

"You're going to be the death of me Hank..." Raven sighed and continued, "But that raises the question... where is he now?"

"I don't know... I don't think he would just leave us; besides, he said he was looking for the Professor, right? So, he had business. Therefore, he wouldn't just leave without helping us look for him" Hank deducted.

"Then that leaves one thing..." Raven realized sadly, "Stryker must have taken him..."

At that moment Jubilee walked up and gently tapped Hank on the shoulder.

"Hank, the children are scared and tired. They want food and sleep and comfort". "What are we to do?" she asked.

"Alright," Hank said, quickly making calculations in his head. "Raven and I need to go find the Professor, we will take Jean, Scott, and Kurt with us. I need you, Jubilee, as well as some of the older kids, to take my wallet into town" as he said this he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, cringing internally at the financial damage this would cause him, "with the kids, and rent as many hotel rooms as are necessary".

"What are you guys going to do?' questioned Jubilee.

"We're going to take down Apocalypse and bring the professor home safe". "Be sure to take good care of the children Jubilee, we will be back in no time".

Jubilee nodded her understanding and began gathering the children into a group and explaining to them what was going to happen.

Raven was already over talking with Scott, Kurt, and Jean.

After Jubilee and her group left, Hank, Raven, Scott, Jean, and Kurt had to decide their next course of action. Which was finding the professor.

Since the mansion was in ruins as well as all their modes of transportation and information, it was decided that they, too, would head into town shortly after Jubilee left, in order to gain information on where Apocalypse was. Because they knew that where Apocalypse was, Charles was too.

As they were trudging into town, quite glumly due to the circumstances, they froze as a voice resounded in their heads. It was Charles! The Professor!

"Hear me, inhabitants of this world. This is a message. A message to every man woman and mutant. You have lost your way. But I have returned. The day of reconning is here, and there is nothing you can do."

"This message is for one reason alone, to the strongest among you, those with the greatest power, protect those without... That's my message to the world".

"Apocalypse must have made Charles project that!" said Raven, "but he changed it at the end!" She smiled proudly at her brother's brilliance. Although they had their problems in the past, she still loved him and would do anything she could to save him.

"It is good to hear him," Hank said, "It's good to know he is still alive..."

Kurt and Scott nodded their understanding.

Jean, on the other hand, did not join in on their musings but instead stood looking off into the distance as if in some sort of trance.

"The professor spoke to me..." she said eventually.

"He spoke to all of us. Didn't you hear?" Raven snapped.

"No, he spoke to me separately... He told me where Apocalypse has him..."

"And!? Where is he?!" Raven pushed eagerly.

"Cairo".