Dull Reflections

One

     Erik stared silently at the building. Charles had brought him here. Supposedly there was a mutant that needed saving. When wasn't there a mutant that needed saving? You're a bleeding heart.
     "I'll take that as a compliment my friend." Charles smirked at Erik his blue eyes jovial and kind.
     "Get out." Erik studied the doorway of the building.
      "Forgive me you were just thinking so loud." Charles said crossing his arms shifting in the passenger seat of the Jaguar Mark Two.
     "How long are we going to just sit out here." He snapped as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He could sense every inch of metal that surrounded him. Even the springs that pushed against him from beneath the leather covered seats.
    "There!" Charles said as he pointed towards the man in a brown canvas jacket. He had a wool driving hat pulled tightly down to his ears. "He's the one who knows which room she's in." 
     This was wearing on his nerves. He could have easily ripped the door from the hinges and forced his way until he had found the girl. Why did Charles insist on doing everything his way.
      "Come on." Charles' voice was low as he exited the car. Erik followed suit wondering just when this plan of his was going to go terribly wrong.
"Can't you just find her thoughts, Charles?"
"No somethings blocking her from me, we need his mind."
Erik cocked his head slightly, We need to stop being so polite. The man looked up as they approached, he was pulling wires and cords from the back seat of a blue BMW 700.
"Who da fuck are you?" His gruff cockney accent betraying his background.
     "Just a pair of gentlemen who need some information." Charles said pushing his fingers up to his temple.
      " Ere now just what are you-" The man stopped mid sentence as his eyes glazed over.
"Come on let's go." Charles said as he headed towards the door.
Erik could feel the door was locked, he pushed it back. The door opened easily when Charles turned the handle. They were walking down a long narrow hallway. Sounds of sparks and metal grinding on metal could be heard in the distance. The warehouse seemed to close in tightly around them. It brought back memories Erik didn't want to face. He pushed them away.
"This way." Charles stated turning down another corridor.
      "Let go of me!" A woman's voice pierced through the droning sounds of the machines around them.
"Shut up and glow you bitch!" A man responded as a loud slap echoed down the hall.
There was a dark silence that followed the exchange. Erik continued to follow Charles who had led them down yet another tight walkway. How far in are they keeping this woman.
"Not much farther." Charles blurted stopping to look across a large open room they had entered as they rounded the corner. There was a huge dynamo that began slowly turning.
Are they using her as some kind of power source? Electricity burned in the air. He could feel the static tugging the hairs on his skin.
      "It must be the static that's been blocking her mind off...." Charles trailed off his eyes searching for what he had seen in the cockney man's mind.  "There." He said simply pointing at a small blue door on the lower floor of the room.
      The pair raced down the stairs, they creaked with the weight of each step. Erik didn't even try to do it 'Charles way'. He ripped the blue metal door away from the wall throwing it across the room as the two approached it.
      Charles raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Erik wasn't usually that emotional on a recruitment operation. Behind the blue door was the tightest hallway yet. They followed it as it wrapped around a room, a pressure seemed to be growing in their chests the closer they got.
"Stop right there." A man's voice said from behind them. "Now if you'll just come with me," he was pointing a hand gun at the pair. "I think we could settle this peacefully." There was no warning the man's gun flew out of his hands rose into the air and whacked sharply into his head.
"Well that was anticlimactic." Charles said laughing.
"Humph." Erik grunted. "It's not like you'd let me kill him." His voice was cold.
Charles couldn't believe the overwhelming silence as they approached the door of the room. He didn't remember the last time he couldn't hear anyone's thoughts except his own. There was a chain wrapped around the handles, Charles watched it fall to the floor like water. He opened the door as saw the brightest light he had ever seen coming from a small slit in yet another door. They must really want to keep her. Charles thought to himself.
"If I open the door while that light is on it will blind us." Erik said simply looking down at Charles.
"My God." Charles had put it together. "It's her, the mutant." He walked to the door, beating his fist three times, it's echo seemed to come from everywhere. Suddenly it went dark, the lights turned off one by one. "If you can hear me my name is Charles Xavier, my friend and I are about to open this door. But if you glow like that we won't be able to see our way out of here." There was no reply. "I don't think she can answer."
"Step back." As soon as Charles had moved, the door pulled from the hinges and slammed to the floor. Soon a soft small light began to emanate lightly from the room's center. It was her hand. Erik could see the chains wrapping her onto a chair.
She felt the weight leave her wrists and jumped up ripping a piece of duct tape from her mouth. She let out a quick gasp, and her breathing was heavy. "We have to leave now." Her voice was frantic.
"What is this room made out of?" Charles ran his hand along the wall.
"Solar panels." She answered quickly. "Now how do we get out?!"
Charles turned and led the way back into the narrow hallway. The man Erik had knocked out was still lying on the floor. The girl picked up the gun that was next to his head. They wound their way into the large room with the dynamo. Charles couldn't help but notice the look of contempt on the girl's face. "What's your name?" He said leading the three up the stairway.
"Aveline, but now really isn't the right time for this conversation." She said inspecting the gun in her hand. "You can call me Ava if you want." Tucking the gun into her belt.

      They were heading down the final hallway when three men entered the doorway. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?" The largest man stepped forward carrying a baseball bat.
     "Charles?"
      "Go ahead Erik."
      Ava couldn't believe her eyes, pipes began to pull off the walls. The pipes slammed into the bodies of the three men wrapping tightly around their bodies.
      "They can't breathe Erik!" Charles shouted.
      "I know."
      "Stop this!"
      Ava ignored the scene wanting nothing more than to free herself from the dreadful place. Erik watched as she stepped over the bodies towards the door. "Come on already. You two just don't know when to leave do you?" She said looking back at the two men who had rescued her.
      Erik dropped his hands barely leaving the three men alive. Charles sighed in relief as they exited the building and headed for his car.
     "Nice Jag." Ava said hopping in the back seat. The tan and white leather felt supple against her fingers.
      "Thanks." Charles said heading for the shotgun seat.
      "I suppose I'm driving again." Erik grumbled as he hopped in on the right.
"Where are we going anyway? And what is your name?" She crossed her arms and stared into the rear view mirror.
     "Erik." He turned the Jag's ignition and the engine revved slightly as he sped down the alley.
      "We're headed to my house!" Charles said excitedly turning to face Ava.
      "Great. So I'm leaving a warehouse where I was tortured and used, to head to some stranger's house." She said rolling her eyes.
      "Well it's not exactly like that, we're mutants like you and we are forming a team of people like us." Charles said slumping back into his seat.
     "Ok, what exactly can you do? Other than run around looking lost." She said, her eyes were distrustful. He's like the rest of them I bet, trying to use me. I'm not that special. All I do is glow in the freaking dark.
     "I wasn't lost." Charles whined. "And for your information I have a feeling you can do more than glow in the dark."
      "How in the hell did you hear that!" She shouted.
      "He can read minds." Erik replied dryly looking back at his passenger through the mirror.