X-Men: The Gifted Ones

55. CHARLES' CLASSROOM, XAVIER MANSION, WEST CHESTER, NY

Charles believed no one was too young to learn about genetics. He was in the middle of teaching a lesson on Mendel's genetic discoveries when he heard an explosion from Jane's office followed by a second one. A look of fear crossed his face. He dropped the pictures he was using and aprubtly left his classroom, going into the hallway. He found Sway, Cannonball, and Hank were running toward the Jane's office, too.

Charles was relieved when Hank grabbed his chair and ran towards Jane's office. He gasped in horror when he arrived at her office and found that she was gone. Everyone stood in the doorway, stunned.

Charles went up to her desk and found a fine black powder surrounding her chair. "She's... she's gone!" he panted.

"What is this?" Banshee asked as he touched the powder.

Charles touched it, focused on it. "It's from that teleporter. The Brotherhood's abducted her! She's...they've..." His voice shook with grief as he struggled to find the words.

Sway placed her hand on his shoulder. "Professor, we'll find her. She'll be alright," she reassured him.

Charles struggled to gather his wits about him. Jane had trained for this, he had to trust her abilities. Erik would keep her alive at all costs. It wasn't the end. Couldn't be the end.

He decided to disregard letting his men on the ground handle this. He wanted Jane back home! "Hank, take me to Cerebro now!" Charles shouted, his voice desperate. "The rest of you, send the children to their rooms. I can send an illusion to them that it's bedtime. Have everyone suit up and meet me in the training room in no more than 10 minutes! We haven't much time!"

The urgency in Charles' voice galvanized theminto action and they ran out of the office. Charles puts his hand to his faceand started crying as Hank rushed him toward Cerebro. He thought he had plannedfor everything, that there was no scenario left unimagined. He realized henever imagined how he would feel, how desperate, helpless, and hopeless hewould feel once she had indeed been taken.