The Puppeteer - X-Men

Twenty Five

Lily froze. In front of her stood the man who had almost taken everything from her. The man who had robbed her brother from her.

Erik Lehnsherr stood in a white uniform, hands at his side, gaze locked on the people in front of him.

"Charles?" Erik spoke first, his eyes on the man he had grown to admire. "Lily" Erik's eyes found hers but all he saw was a rage not even he could match. Before he could say anything else, Charles punches Erik across the face with everything he has and everyone knew in that moment, that single punch, Charles just let out a decade worth of pain, trauma and anger.

Erik stumbled but stayed standing, so Lily decided it was her duty to change that. She surged forward, bringing her fist up and punching him harder than she'd punched before, a beautiful and painful crack sounding out.

Erik slumped back against the wall, massaging his jaw as he looked between the two siblings, standing side by side with a fury in their eyes. "Good to see you too, old friends" Erik said. "And walking" Erik pointed to Charles' legs. "No thanks to you" they both spat. "It's still creepy when you do that" Erik muttered, getting to his feet.

"You're the last people in the world I expected to see today" Erik spoke, standing to his full height. "Believe me, we wouldn't be here if we didn't have to" Charles answered. "If we get out of here, we do it my way: no killing" Charles clarified, stepping closer to the man. "No helmet. I couldn't disobey you even if I wanted" Erik replied, tapping the side of his head.

"I'm never getting inside that head again. I need your word, Erik" Charles spat and Erik hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. The sound of running feet caused them to turn around, seeing about a dozen guards with plastic guns all raised in their direction.

"Hold it right there!" one yelled and Charles' hand gripped Lily's wrist tightly. "Charles?" Erik called out, but the man he once knew is gone. "Don't move!" another one yelled. "Hands up, or we will shoot!" another guard yelled.

"Freeze them, Charles" Erik pleaded. "I can't" Charles grimaced and Erik looked at him in surprise. "Lily?" he whispered but the woman was barely standing up as it was. She didn't answer, just kept her eyes forward and all the metal shelves around the room began to shake. "No!" Charles cried out, gripping the man's shoulder and Lily tried to enter his head.

She felt something push by her quickly and she knew it was Peter. So, she got inside his head and watched as he came to a stop in front of them, time slowed down as he moved all the bullets away from them. But unfortunately, he didn't see one of the guards had double pressed the trigger of his gun. Two bullets were heading from the same gun but Peter only saw one.

And so, when time sped up once more and the bullets hit the wall behind the four, the guards all falling unconscious on the floor, Lily gasped. Peter stood with a smile on his face as Logan and Erik looked around in shock. But Lily simply turned to her brother.

"Charles?" she breathed and the shocked man looked at her. "What?" he frowned as he watched her unzip her jacket, revealing blood staining her white shirt. Charles' eyes widened as she looked down, her shirt transforming to a shade of crimson that originated from her stomach. She looked back up at her brother, shock written on her face before her knees buckled.

Charles grabbed her, a cry escaping his lips as he lowered her to the floor. She gasped in pain as the adrenaline wore off, Logan crouching down next to her. "No, no, no. Lily, stay awake, okay? Erik" Charles panicked as the German man crouched down next to the gasping woman.

His hand hovered above her stomach and she cried out. Apparently this bullet was still metal. She screamed as she felt the bullet move underneath her skin and Logan held the woman down as the bullet finally exited her abdomen, floating in the air before Erik flung it across the room, embedding it in the wall.