Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 31

Heat. Dust. Bright light.

That was all Charles was initially aware of as he began to wake up slowly. His eyes were taking a while to adjust while his brain tried to piece together the events that had taken place before he had arrived wherever he was.

He remembered Raven telling him about Erik, and them going down to Cerebro to find him. He remembered the few brief touches between him and Iris before he'd delved into Erik's mind, and how those had been all he needed to feel like he could go on. He remembered seeing Erik, and speaking with him – attempting to console him – before realising that someone else was there with him. That someone else – a being called En Sabah Nur – had taken control of his mind and Cerebro. He remembered seeing what En Sabah Nur intended to do – destroy the world, and enslave the human race, and have them all bow down to him... He remembered shouting at Alex to destroy Cerebro, and the feeling of Iris' hands on his face, her soft voice saying his name...

That was the last thing he remembered.

He blinked, and his eyes finally focused. He was leaning against a rock, sitting on a dusty, sandy floor with the sun beaming down on him. In the distance he could see... pyramids. He was in Egypt. Why was he in Egypt? Egypt was where Moira had been – where this had all begun.

He blinked again, and registered the five figures standing around him. There was someone else on the floor, just out of arm's reach...

It was Iris, her dark hair falling away from the ponytail across her face. He tried not to convey the panic on his face. What was she doing here? His thoughts flickered to two nights before, when he'd seen her for the first time in months, and how he'd had so much he'd wanted to say to her, but hadn't been able to say it. He didn't know where he stood with her anymore, and it hurt him so much.

The next morning he'd found her in the sitting room, asleep on the sofa, a small crease between her eyebrows as she dreamt. She had wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, so he'd found a blanket and draped it across her. He'd wished to stroke her hair, smooth out that crease between her eyebrows, and kiss her forehead – but instead he'd left the room before she'd woken up.

She didn't have that crease between her eyebrows now. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. He noticed a red mark around her neck, and realised with a frown it looked like her necklace had been wrapped around her neck by someone.

She looked so vulnerable lying there with her arms stretched out behind her. Charles noted that a rock had formed around one of her wrists, holding her against the floor.

"What have you done to her?" Charles whispered, finally looking up at the five figures standing in front of him, "Why is she unconscious?"

En Sabah Nur stepped forwards, "She's been put to sleep by Psylocke until she'll be required for further use."

"Let her go," Charles hissed, "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Everything," En Sabah Nur murmured with a smirk, and it was at that moment that Charles became aware that he could not hear the thoughts of the figures around him.

"You're blocking me," He muttered to En Sabah Nur, "How?"

En Sabah Nur stepped forwards, "I can shield their minds from your power. It's one of the many gifts I have acquired over the millennia. But... to see inside a mind- to control it. That's your gift. You saw it, didn't you? The glory of what's to come."

Charles shuddered at the thought of what he'd seen. His gaze fell on Erik – his oldest friend who he had not seen for ten years. He could see the glassiness of his friend's eyes – the death of his wife and daughter were still so fresh.