Fanfic - The Face of All the World Is Changed (part three)
Disclaimer: Again, some dialogue is borrowed for this part. If it looks familiar, it probably is.
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Barbed wire. Humans were so very predictable.
Erik could feel the jagged metal calling out to him as he approached the building from the shelter of the trees surrounding him, and he twisted it out of its looped coils around the fences to wrap around the bodies of the guards. The first guard he threw to the grass, the second fell like a stone, thick ropes of wire cutting into the skin of his legs. Erik knew it would cause enough of a disturbance to draw the attention of the guards at the door, which was exactly what he wanted.
The frosted grass crunched under his shoes as he raced toward the compound. He flung away fences and barriers as easily as if they had been made of paper. There was metal everywhere: in the barbed wire, in the gates, in the weapons and uniforms strapped to the bodies of the guards scattered throughout the grounds, and it was all at his beck and call.
The two men posted at the door stalked forward, their guns leveled at him, and he brought them to their knees, dragging them forward by the guns they held until they were off-balance before throwing his hands into the air and knocking them down as he passed. He thought briefly of killing them, eliminate any witnesses just like his previous missions in hunting down the men who had hurt him so as a boy, but that would take far too much time. He needed to find the telepath. He needed to find Shaw, the man who had started it all.
He slowed his pace as he walked inside. The layout of the place was fairly simple, and all he had to do was follow the sound of the voices coming in from just down the hall. More men. More guns. More useless attempts to stop him.
“Erik!” He stopped and turned to find Charles running up to meet him.
“You’re not going to stop me, Charles.”
Charles slowed. His chest was heaving with his harsh breaths. “Just what exactly do you think you’re doing? We can’t come waltzing in here without there being consequences. Just because we’re not official members of the CIA doesn’t mean that the Soviets won’t see this as a direct assault on one of their senior officials.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re just here for the woman. You can wipe their minds or whatever it is that you do to cover up for any misgivings you see, but the telepath is all that matters right now.” He turned and started back down the hall. “I’m not going back until I have the information I need from her.”
Charles growled in frustration but followed along behind. Erik gave him a look the second he pulled up beside him. Charles didn’t even need to read him to know the question pressing on the back of Erik’s lips.
“Because you can’t do this without me. You’re no match for Ms. Frost on your own.”
“And I suppose you are?”
Charles tapped the side of his head. “Telepath. I, at the very least, have the tools to stand against her. You, my friend, do not.”
Erik snorted and pressed on. Charles could stick around if he wanted as long as he made himself useful and didn’t get in the way. They were close. He couldn’t hear any more soldiers, and this certainly looked like a master bedroom of sorts. Erik was sure that the woman they were after was not above using sex to her advantage, and from the sounds coming from the other side of the door ahead, his assumption couldn‘t be far off.
He and Charles burst through the door to find the Soviet Chief of Defense flailing about on the large bed against the wall, fondling the air and mumbling words of adoration like he was caressing a beautiful woman. A doppelganger, he supposed. And judging by how little clothing Ms. Frost, as Charles had called her, was wearing, she apparently hadn’t been expecting anyone to interrupt this little…session. There had been no need for her to project whatever the Soviet official was seeing into their brains as well.
“Nice trick,” Charles quietly shot at her, and suddenly the man’s movements stilled, like he was waking from a trance. He looked from Charles and Erik to Emma in disbelief before reaching for the gun still holstered at his hip. “Go to sleep,” Charles ordered. And he did.
Emma rose from her chair and her skin dissolved away into smooth, clear stone, the sunlight peeking in through the window reflecting a thousand colors in the endless facets of her body. Erik had seen this once before, and he knew how dangerous she could be. Charles did not. The shorter man began to back away toward the wall, his fingers pressed hard against the side of his head.
“You can stop trying to read my mind, sugar,” Emma purred, her voice smooth as silk. “You’re never going to get anything from me when I’m like this.” Charles was gasping and grimacing in pain, his body curling in a little on itself the longer time dragged on. She fixed her eyes on Charles, and her mouth curled up into a smile. She was enjoying this. Erik felt hot, burning rage flare up in his gut, and when the telepath leapt for the door, he was one step ahead of her, Charles, surprisingly quick on his feet, was on his other side, the both of them dragging her back to the ground and over to the bed where they could get some semblance of restraints on her.
The metal bed frame wrapped around her body, trapping her effectively against the floor, refusing to budge no matter how hard she struggled. Erik could hear Charles’s heavy, panting breaths just off to his left. He was still flinching a bit, though Erik was certain that the assault on his mind for trying to read the other telepath had passed. Whatever the woman on the floor had done to him had probably worsened whatever the hell was wrong with him in the first place, and that only made his rage burn hotter. He needed Charles in tact, damn it.
“So then you can just tell us,” he snarled. They had the upper hand. She had nowhere to go and was now completely at their mercy. “Where’s Shaw?”
She wouldn’t give up, and Erik’s patience was just about at its limit. He wrapped the piping of the metal bed frame around her throat and squeezed. Charles was protesting in the background, but he was unimportant. Not when this woman was the one blocking them from everything they needed, and so far she had yet to respond to anything but violence. Well, he’d give her violence. The coil tightened ever further.
And she gave up. The pale skin of her face flushed with defeat, he blue eyes glowing with hate as she watched him work his way over to the couch she had vacated only moments before to pour himself a drink into one of the crystal tumblers littering the table.
“She won’t be shifting into her other form again,” he informed Charles. She wouldn’t dare unless she wanted to forfeit her life. “And if she does, just give her a gentle tap.”
Charles said nothing. He glanced at Erik briefly before kneeling to the ground, his fingers inching back up to his head. Emma simply smiled at him, her eyes boring deep into the very core of his being. “Oh Charles, honey, you really shouldn’t hide things like that.”
Charles’s face twisted a bit, but he remained steady, completely focused on the task at hand. Erik lifted his glass to his lips and said nothing, watching every move Charles made, scrutinizing every subtle change to his face. Ms. Frost could be lying; it would be a perfect plan to psyche them out, till the soil where the seed of doubt in Charles’s ability had already been planted in Erik’s mind, but now was not the time to think about it. Right now all Erik wanted was Shaw. Charles and all of his damn secrets would have to wait.
---
Charles lowered his hand and went very, very still. Emma’s smile was wide and predatory.
“So what is it, Charles? What is Shaw planning?”
He lowered his hand from his head and cast Erik with a stricken look. “He wants to start World War Three.” Erik nearly choked on his liquor, and Charles continued, his voice grim. “The radiation from nuclear warfare between the United States and the Soviet Union would have minimal effect on the mutant population compared to the average human being. Shaw wants to use that to his advantage. Essentially wipe out mankind.” He turned back to Emma. “We’re taking you with us. I couldn’t glean all the details of what Shaw plans to do, and the CIA will want to question you.”
“And how exactly are we going to get her out of here, Charles?”
“Well, first we’re going to get her some clothing. It’s indecent for her to wander around like this.” He tilted his head toward the metal coat rack at the far end of the room where the furred white hat and overcoat Emma had been wearing when she’d arrived hung. Erik dragged the thing over to Charles with a wave, and the coat was swiftly draped over her body like a blanket. “Then I suppose we’ll get out the same way we got in. You can keep her restrained, I presume?” Erik nodded. “Good. Then I’ll do my best to keep the guards from recognizing our faces.”
“You know, that would be a lot more effective if you released my arms.” Emma shifted and the coat slid down toward her belly, once again revealing her barely-covered breasts. Erik pointedly ignored her.
“And then what, Charles? We know Shaw’s plans. We have everything we need from her, and the defense chief knows she tricked him into quite possibly revealing classified information about the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons.” He scowled at the sleeping man in the bed. “Let’s just leave her and let the Soviets deal with her as they see fit.”
Charles opened his mouth to respond, but Emma beat him to it. “I think you gentlemen might be forgetting something. I never told you where to go to find Shaw, now did I?” she chimed in smugly. Both men fell silent and stared at her. Charles hadn’t gotten that far past Shaw’s plans for world dominance to actually figure out where the man was.
“Get it from her, Charles.”
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t? You got the information about Shaw’s plans like it was nothing. Now dig a little deeper and find out where he is!”
“I can’t, Erik! We don’t have much time before he wakes up,” he nodded toward the Soviet official on the bed. “I can’t keep him down forever. And on top of that, you left a rather impressive trail of guards in your wake that most certainly saw your face. I have to deal with them too. Unless, of course, you want to be personally responsible for even more antagonism between the world’s biggest superpowers.”
Erik blanched. He hadn’t thought about that before he’d come storming in. Only finding Shaw, finding the telepath had been important. Normally, witnesses weren’t a problem when he was on a mission, but as of late, Charles’s pacifist ideals had been leaking more and more into his subconscious.
Charles kept going, his eyes flicking over toward the window. He could feel the presence of the guards moving about outside. There was only so much he could do to hold them off, and he knew Moira couldn’t keep her partner from hauling out and leaving for very much longer, no matter what kind of prisoner they’d managed to capture. Erik had already blown their cover; he and Charles were as good as dead to them at this point. “We need to hurry. The agents aren’t going to wait around much longer for us to make up our minds. The CIA will want to question her, too, and the sooner we get out of here, the better.”
His logic was sound, as much as Erik didn’t want to admit it. Charles was right. It was best to leave as soon as possible. But then again, Charles always seemed to be right. “Fine. But don’t think that we won’t try getting the information from her on the flight back to base.”
“Now, boys, if you really wanted to know where Shaw is, all you had to do was ask.”
“What?”
She was grinning again. Erik closed the metal in around her throat a little tighter, wiping the smile from her face. “Where’s Shaw?” She was silent. The smooth surface of the piping was digging deep into her neck, and it was starting to cut off her air. “I won’t ask again,” he growled.
“That isn’t any way to treat a lady,” she rasped out, glaring daggers at Erik as her arms strained against her bonds. She held the upper hand here, even without the use of her telepathy or diamond form; she didn’t have to tell them any more than she wanted to.
“Erik, that’s enough,” Charles admonished him once more, and Erik released his grip. Emma fell back against the floor in relief now that the pressure had lightened. Charles turned his full attention back to her. “What did you mean by that?”
“I meant that your little base back in the States isn’t as secure as you think.”
Charles was the one to go pale this time and he quickly staggered to his feet. “Erik. Get her up. Now. We’re leaving.”
Erik didn’t question him. He twisted apart the metal frame until the pieces encircling Emma’s wrists snapped free from the structure. She still wore pieces of the brass piping around her neck and wrists, almost like jewelry. Erik would be in near complete control should she decide not to cooperate again. He grabbed her dress from the floor while Charles wandered over to the window. His fingers were digging urgently into the side of his head; he was probably trying to contact Moira.
Erik stepped forward and thrust the dress into Emma’s arms. “You’d best put this back on. Unless you’d rather walk around in the cold in that.” He nodded at her scant lingerie, completely unfazed by her nakedness. She scowled but didn’t bother to argue. Any clothing was better than not when she couldn’t shift into her other form. She defiantly grabbed her coat from the floor where it had fallen and draped it around her shoulders.
“We need to get out of here.” Charles’s voice was breathy as he moved back to join them, and there was a haunted look in his eye. “Shaw found the others.”
---
It had grown colder since they’d entered the defense chief’s hideout. Their breath plumed out in front of them like smoke as they raced toward the grassy knoll where the CIA had hidden the truck. It was silent save for the crunch of the frosted grass under their feet and the soft pants of their breathing as they fled the building. The guards scattered across the grounds were still as death, some still wrapped in the thick coils of barbed wire from Erik’s brash entrance, but they were all alive from the looks of it; Charles appeared to be doing something to them to keep them down. His hand never left the side of his head, and Erik could see a growing pallor sweep over the skin of the telepath’s face. He looked nervous and edgy, worn a little too thin for Erik’s liking. He was probably worrying over his sister and the others back at base.
And speaking of telepaths, he could feel the woman falling behind yet again. She was dragging her feet. He growled a bit and tugged at her metal bonds, pulling her forward with a rough jerk. He could feel the sharp edges of her mind prickling at the back of his own.
“Best watch that,” he warned her. “You’re not the only one with that particular weapon at your disposal.” He nodded toward Charles, who was at the forefront of their little group. Emma quickened her pace with a little smile, jogging up behind Erik with a breathy chuckle.
“You really don’t know a thing, do you, sugar?”
The thick circlet around her neck bit into her skin as anger rose up unbidden in the pit of his stomach. “Just what are you insinuating?”
“Easy now.” Her voice was quieter now, a little rougher than he was used to. Like her throat was raw. Good. Keeping her bound had been a good idea. The sharp prickle in his head was receding, and he lessened his grip on the metal around her throat. This woman made him more uneasy than he cared to admit. She brushed away a lock of blonde hair that had fallen across her face and then fingered the smooth metal around her neck. “That’s a little better, I guess. Are these really necessary? I’m not about to run away, you know.”
“Of course they’re necessary, and I can’t trust a single word that leaves your mouth.”
Her smiled only widened. “Am I really that much of a threat?”
“Yes.”
“But I’m only a woman. What harm could I do?”
“Plenty. You being a woman has very little to do with anything. You should know that your tricks won’t work here.” He’d been at her mercy before. She was far less dangerous now that he’d temporarily gained control of her diamond form, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t wheedle her way under his skin with her words, make the doubt that had already burrowed its way into his brain grow like a weed until it consumed him. He studied Charles’s back, and scowled. He couldn’t afford to doubt Charles. Not now. No matter how much poison Emma spilled into his ear. She’d also distracted them from Shaw and allowed him the time to gain access to the mutants tucked away inside their base in Virginia, killing at least one of them, if the report from Charles was to be believed. Just one more grievance to add to his list.
Erik’s strides grew longer. The hazy silhouettes of agents were climbing up out of the fog. The sooner they were on their way back to the United States, the sooner he was able to get rid of her, and he’d sleep all the better for it. She’d be the CIA’s problem then.
“Your friend isn’t telling you everything.”
Damn this woman and her infernal mouth. “I know that,” he growled. “Everyone is entitled to their secrets.”
“ Are they really? Does that mean I don’t have to tell you where my boss is hiding out?” Her tone was light, bored almost, and that only served to infuriate him more. Erik could hear the voices of agents calling out to them, but they were muffled to his ears. He tightened the metal bands around her wrists, hoping that they dug painfully into her pretty white skin. She could do with some scars.
“You’ll tell the CIA everything they need to know.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t wait to be rid of her. She was grating in more ways than one, and it was obvious that she wasn’t going to tell them a damn thing about Shaw. That made her useless. Perhaps the American government might find some use for her. He didn’t particularly care, just as long as she was out of his care. At least now he had the addition of their little band of agents to distract him.
“Charles.” Moira jogged up to meet them. Her face was flushed with the cold. Erik did his best to ignore the blonde woman at his side, even though she warranted an odd look from Moira. “What-”
“It’s best you don’t ask. She’s cooperative, and that’s all that matters right now.” Erik jerked Emma forward using the metal bands around her wrists, and she scowled at him, her pale face twisted in fury. Charles paid them little heed. He needed to know if his sister was safe.
“Is Raven hurt?”
Moira shook her head. “No. According to the reports I’ve been able to get, it was Muñoz. And there’s been no sign of the Salvadore girl.”
“We need to get back. Are the rest of them safe?”
“For the time being. They haven’t been moved from the compound.”
“Is it safe for them to be there?”
“It’s the most secure location we have for them right now. Most of the men that had been stationed there are dead.”
Erik was growing impatient but schooled his face to stone, trying not to let his irritation show. “I hate to interrupt, but shouldn’t we be heading out? I would think that after this mess getting back to the compound as quickly as possible would be top priority. You can brief us on the way.” He locked eyes with the agent. “Unless, of course, this information is classified, in which case it might not be the wisest idea to repeat such things in front of our guest.” He nodded toward Emma, who simply watched the exchange in silence. Her blue eyes watched him like a hawk.
Moira’s face flushed with heat. “Yes, of course. The sooner we get back, the better.” She turned on her heel and led the way to where the truck sat idling on the road, thick white exhaust spilling from the tailpipe into the frozen air.
You don’t think I could just take whatever I need from her? You overestimate this human. Emma’s voice was echoing through his skull, her tone smooth as silk.
“Stay out of my head,” he growled softly. He didn’t dare think his words back to her, not when Charles could be listening in. He still didn’t fully understand the nature of Charles’s mutation and everything it entailed; it was best to play it safe.
She was smiling again. Why? You’re so very easy to read.
He stayed silent as they climbed up into the truck. The soldiers huddled along the benches in the back were eying Emma without shame, and she was drinking in the attention like water. She settled herself down beside Erik, shifting her body just enough to show an indecent amount of leg. Erik snorted in disgust and turned his gaze toward the floor. The doors slammed shut and the truck started forward with a jolt. Charles was leaning low over his knees, his hands gripping the hard edge of their seat like a lifeline. He was taking the news of the attack rather hard.
He’s pretty weak, isn’t he?
Watch your tongue or I’ll break your neck, he snarled back, no longer caring if Charles heard. The metal around Emma’s neck was growing tight again, but this time her smile didn’t fade.
But you already have me where you want me, and if I die, you’ll never know where your precious ‘Doktor’ is hiding. Your threat is losing its sting, honey.
You weren’t going to tell us his location anyway. Her skin was turning red, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the pressure or the cold. He still had yet to wipe that damn smile from her lips.
I know what’s wrong with your little telepath friend.
Erik snarled but said nothing. He didn’t ease the pressure on her throat.
“Don’t deny that you’re curious,” she said aloud, catching the attention of a few of the men. Her voice was thin and breathy, nothing at all like how she sounded in his head. Erik shot the men around them a heated glare, and they turned away, pretending that they hadn’t heard a thing. Charles still looked to be completely focused on trying to stay upright. It seemed he hadn’t picked up on his little talk with Emma. Curiosity’s a natural thing, Erik. Saying you’re not even curious about what’s going on with him would make you a liar. God doesn’t take too kindly to liars.
He thought about choking her, strangling her right there in the truck, but it wouldn’t do him any good. They didn’t need her alive, but she was no use to anyone dead. He released his grip on her bonds, and she sucked in a deep breath, rubbing lightly at the bruised skin of her neck with dainty, white fingers. His own fingers were cutting red crescents into his palms where his nails had dug hard into the skin. He fixed her with a hard stare. What did this woman know of God?
Then I suppose it’s a good thing He abandoned me a long time ago.
---
Part one
Part two
Part four
---
Barbed wire. Humans were so very predictable.
Erik could feel the jagged metal calling out to him as he approached the building from the shelter of the trees surrounding him, and he twisted it out of its looped coils around the fences to wrap around the bodies of the guards. The first guard he threw to the grass, the second fell like a stone, thick ropes of wire cutting into the skin of his legs. Erik knew it would cause enough of a disturbance to draw the attention of the guards at the door, which was exactly what he wanted.
The frosted grass crunched under his shoes as he raced toward the compound. He flung away fences and barriers as easily as if they had been made of paper. There was metal everywhere: in the barbed wire, in the gates, in the weapons and uniforms strapped to the bodies of the guards scattered throughout the grounds, and it was all at his beck and call.
The two men posted at the door stalked forward, their guns leveled at him, and he brought them to their knees, dragging them forward by the guns they held until they were off-balance before throwing his hands into the air and knocking them down as he passed. He thought briefly of killing them, eliminate any witnesses just like his previous missions in hunting down the men who had hurt him so as a boy, but that would take far too much time. He needed to find the telepath. He needed to find Shaw, the man who had started it all.
He slowed his pace as he walked inside. The layout of the place was fairly simple, and all he had to do was follow the sound of the voices coming in from just down the hall. More men. More guns. More useless attempts to stop him.
“Erik!” He stopped and turned to find Charles running up to meet him.
“You’re not going to stop me, Charles.”
Charles slowed. His chest was heaving with his harsh breaths. “Just what exactly do you think you’re doing? We can’t come waltzing in here without there being consequences. Just because we’re not official members of the CIA doesn’t mean that the Soviets won’t see this as a direct assault on one of their senior officials.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re just here for the woman. You can wipe their minds or whatever it is that you do to cover up for any misgivings you see, but the telepath is all that matters right now.” He turned and started back down the hall. “I’m not going back until I have the information I need from her.”
Charles growled in frustration but followed along behind. Erik gave him a look the second he pulled up beside him. Charles didn’t even need to read him to know the question pressing on the back of Erik’s lips.
“Because you can’t do this without me. You’re no match for Ms. Frost on your own.”
“And I suppose you are?”
Charles tapped the side of his head. “Telepath. I, at the very least, have the tools to stand against her. You, my friend, do not.”
Erik snorted and pressed on. Charles could stick around if he wanted as long as he made himself useful and didn’t get in the way. They were close. He couldn’t hear any more soldiers, and this certainly looked like a master bedroom of sorts. Erik was sure that the woman they were after was not above using sex to her advantage, and from the sounds coming from the other side of the door ahead, his assumption couldn‘t be far off.
He and Charles burst through the door to find the Soviet Chief of Defense flailing about on the large bed against the wall, fondling the air and mumbling words of adoration like he was caressing a beautiful woman. A doppelganger, he supposed. And judging by how little clothing Ms. Frost, as Charles had called her, was wearing, she apparently hadn’t been expecting anyone to interrupt this little…session. There had been no need for her to project whatever the Soviet official was seeing into their brains as well.
“Nice trick,” Charles quietly shot at her, and suddenly the man’s movements stilled, like he was waking from a trance. He looked from Charles and Erik to Emma in disbelief before reaching for the gun still holstered at his hip. “Go to sleep,” Charles ordered. And he did.
Emma rose from her chair and her skin dissolved away into smooth, clear stone, the sunlight peeking in through the window reflecting a thousand colors in the endless facets of her body. Erik had seen this once before, and he knew how dangerous she could be. Charles did not. The shorter man began to back away toward the wall, his fingers pressed hard against the side of his head.
“You can stop trying to read my mind, sugar,” Emma purred, her voice smooth as silk. “You’re never going to get anything from me when I’m like this.” Charles was gasping and grimacing in pain, his body curling in a little on itself the longer time dragged on. She fixed her eyes on Charles, and her mouth curled up into a smile. She was enjoying this. Erik felt hot, burning rage flare up in his gut, and when the telepath leapt for the door, he was one step ahead of her, Charles, surprisingly quick on his feet, was on his other side, the both of them dragging her back to the ground and over to the bed where they could get some semblance of restraints on her.
The metal bed frame wrapped around her body, trapping her effectively against the floor, refusing to budge no matter how hard she struggled. Erik could hear Charles’s heavy, panting breaths just off to his left. He was still flinching a bit, though Erik was certain that the assault on his mind for trying to read the other telepath had passed. Whatever the woman on the floor had done to him had probably worsened whatever the hell was wrong with him in the first place, and that only made his rage burn hotter. He needed Charles in tact, damn it.
“So then you can just tell us,” he snarled. They had the upper hand. She had nowhere to go and was now completely at their mercy. “Where’s Shaw?”
She wouldn’t give up, and Erik’s patience was just about at its limit. He wrapped the piping of the metal bed frame around her throat and squeezed. Charles was protesting in the background, but he was unimportant. Not when this woman was the one blocking them from everything they needed, and so far she had yet to respond to anything but violence. Well, he’d give her violence. The coil tightened ever further.
And she gave up. The pale skin of her face flushed with defeat, he blue eyes glowing with hate as she watched him work his way over to the couch she had vacated only moments before to pour himself a drink into one of the crystal tumblers littering the table.
“She won’t be shifting into her other form again,” he informed Charles. She wouldn’t dare unless she wanted to forfeit her life. “And if she does, just give her a gentle tap.”
Charles said nothing. He glanced at Erik briefly before kneeling to the ground, his fingers inching back up to his head. Emma simply smiled at him, her eyes boring deep into the very core of his being. “Oh Charles, honey, you really shouldn’t hide things like that.”
Charles’s face twisted a bit, but he remained steady, completely focused on the task at hand. Erik lifted his glass to his lips and said nothing, watching every move Charles made, scrutinizing every subtle change to his face. Ms. Frost could be lying; it would be a perfect plan to psyche them out, till the soil where the seed of doubt in Charles’s ability had already been planted in Erik’s mind, but now was not the time to think about it. Right now all Erik wanted was Shaw. Charles and all of his damn secrets would have to wait.
---
Charles lowered his hand and went very, very still. Emma’s smile was wide and predatory.
“So what is it, Charles? What is Shaw planning?”
He lowered his hand from his head and cast Erik with a stricken look. “He wants to start World War Three.” Erik nearly choked on his liquor, and Charles continued, his voice grim. “The radiation from nuclear warfare between the United States and the Soviet Union would have minimal effect on the mutant population compared to the average human being. Shaw wants to use that to his advantage. Essentially wipe out mankind.” He turned back to Emma. “We’re taking you with us. I couldn’t glean all the details of what Shaw plans to do, and the CIA will want to question you.”
“And how exactly are we going to get her out of here, Charles?”
“Well, first we’re going to get her some clothing. It’s indecent for her to wander around like this.” He tilted his head toward the metal coat rack at the far end of the room where the furred white hat and overcoat Emma had been wearing when she’d arrived hung. Erik dragged the thing over to Charles with a wave, and the coat was swiftly draped over her body like a blanket. “Then I suppose we’ll get out the same way we got in. You can keep her restrained, I presume?” Erik nodded. “Good. Then I’ll do my best to keep the guards from recognizing our faces.”
“You know, that would be a lot more effective if you released my arms.” Emma shifted and the coat slid down toward her belly, once again revealing her barely-covered breasts. Erik pointedly ignored her.
“And then what, Charles? We know Shaw’s plans. We have everything we need from her, and the defense chief knows she tricked him into quite possibly revealing classified information about the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons.” He scowled at the sleeping man in the bed. “Let’s just leave her and let the Soviets deal with her as they see fit.”
Charles opened his mouth to respond, but Emma beat him to it. “I think you gentlemen might be forgetting something. I never told you where to go to find Shaw, now did I?” she chimed in smugly. Both men fell silent and stared at her. Charles hadn’t gotten that far past Shaw’s plans for world dominance to actually figure out where the man was.
“Get it from her, Charles.”
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t? You got the information about Shaw’s plans like it was nothing. Now dig a little deeper and find out where he is!”
“I can’t, Erik! We don’t have much time before he wakes up,” he nodded toward the Soviet official on the bed. “I can’t keep him down forever. And on top of that, you left a rather impressive trail of guards in your wake that most certainly saw your face. I have to deal with them too. Unless, of course, you want to be personally responsible for even more antagonism between the world’s biggest superpowers.”
Erik blanched. He hadn’t thought about that before he’d come storming in. Only finding Shaw, finding the telepath had been important. Normally, witnesses weren’t a problem when he was on a mission, but as of late, Charles’s pacifist ideals had been leaking more and more into his subconscious.
Charles kept going, his eyes flicking over toward the window. He could feel the presence of the guards moving about outside. There was only so much he could do to hold them off, and he knew Moira couldn’t keep her partner from hauling out and leaving for very much longer, no matter what kind of prisoner they’d managed to capture. Erik had already blown their cover; he and Charles were as good as dead to them at this point. “We need to hurry. The agents aren’t going to wait around much longer for us to make up our minds. The CIA will want to question her, too, and the sooner we get out of here, the better.”
His logic was sound, as much as Erik didn’t want to admit it. Charles was right. It was best to leave as soon as possible. But then again, Charles always seemed to be right. “Fine. But don’t think that we won’t try getting the information from her on the flight back to base.”
“Now, boys, if you really wanted to know where Shaw is, all you had to do was ask.”
“What?”
She was grinning again. Erik closed the metal in around her throat a little tighter, wiping the smile from her face. “Where’s Shaw?” She was silent. The smooth surface of the piping was digging deep into her neck, and it was starting to cut off her air. “I won’t ask again,” he growled.
“That isn’t any way to treat a lady,” she rasped out, glaring daggers at Erik as her arms strained against her bonds. She held the upper hand here, even without the use of her telepathy or diamond form; she didn’t have to tell them any more than she wanted to.
“Erik, that’s enough,” Charles admonished him once more, and Erik released his grip. Emma fell back against the floor in relief now that the pressure had lightened. Charles turned his full attention back to her. “What did you mean by that?”
“I meant that your little base back in the States isn’t as secure as you think.”
Charles was the one to go pale this time and he quickly staggered to his feet. “Erik. Get her up. Now. We’re leaving.”
Erik didn’t question him. He twisted apart the metal frame until the pieces encircling Emma’s wrists snapped free from the structure. She still wore pieces of the brass piping around her neck and wrists, almost like jewelry. Erik would be in near complete control should she decide not to cooperate again. He grabbed her dress from the floor while Charles wandered over to the window. His fingers were digging urgently into the side of his head; he was probably trying to contact Moira.
Erik stepped forward and thrust the dress into Emma’s arms. “You’d best put this back on. Unless you’d rather walk around in the cold in that.” He nodded at her scant lingerie, completely unfazed by her nakedness. She scowled but didn’t bother to argue. Any clothing was better than not when she couldn’t shift into her other form. She defiantly grabbed her coat from the floor where it had fallen and draped it around her shoulders.
“We need to get out of here.” Charles’s voice was breathy as he moved back to join them, and there was a haunted look in his eye. “Shaw found the others.”
---
It had grown colder since they’d entered the defense chief’s hideout. Their breath plumed out in front of them like smoke as they raced toward the grassy knoll where the CIA had hidden the truck. It was silent save for the crunch of the frosted grass under their feet and the soft pants of their breathing as they fled the building. The guards scattered across the grounds were still as death, some still wrapped in the thick coils of barbed wire from Erik’s brash entrance, but they were all alive from the looks of it; Charles appeared to be doing something to them to keep them down. His hand never left the side of his head, and Erik could see a growing pallor sweep over the skin of the telepath’s face. He looked nervous and edgy, worn a little too thin for Erik’s liking. He was probably worrying over his sister and the others back at base.
And speaking of telepaths, he could feel the woman falling behind yet again. She was dragging her feet. He growled a bit and tugged at her metal bonds, pulling her forward with a rough jerk. He could feel the sharp edges of her mind prickling at the back of his own.
“Best watch that,” he warned her. “You’re not the only one with that particular weapon at your disposal.” He nodded toward Charles, who was at the forefront of their little group. Emma quickened her pace with a little smile, jogging up behind Erik with a breathy chuckle.
“You really don’t know a thing, do you, sugar?”
The thick circlet around her neck bit into her skin as anger rose up unbidden in the pit of his stomach. “Just what are you insinuating?”
“Easy now.” Her voice was quieter now, a little rougher than he was used to. Like her throat was raw. Good. Keeping her bound had been a good idea. The sharp prickle in his head was receding, and he lessened his grip on the metal around her throat. This woman made him more uneasy than he cared to admit. She brushed away a lock of blonde hair that had fallen across her face and then fingered the smooth metal around her neck. “That’s a little better, I guess. Are these really necessary? I’m not about to run away, you know.”
“Of course they’re necessary, and I can’t trust a single word that leaves your mouth.”
Her smiled only widened. “Am I really that much of a threat?”
“Yes.”
“But I’m only a woman. What harm could I do?”
“Plenty. You being a woman has very little to do with anything. You should know that your tricks won’t work here.” He’d been at her mercy before. She was far less dangerous now that he’d temporarily gained control of her diamond form, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t wheedle her way under his skin with her words, make the doubt that had already burrowed its way into his brain grow like a weed until it consumed him. He studied Charles’s back, and scowled. He couldn’t afford to doubt Charles. Not now. No matter how much poison Emma spilled into his ear. She’d also distracted them from Shaw and allowed him the time to gain access to the mutants tucked away inside their base in Virginia, killing at least one of them, if the report from Charles was to be believed. Just one more grievance to add to his list.
Erik’s strides grew longer. The hazy silhouettes of agents were climbing up out of the fog. The sooner they were on their way back to the United States, the sooner he was able to get rid of her, and he’d sleep all the better for it. She’d be the CIA’s problem then.
“Your friend isn’t telling you everything.”
Damn this woman and her infernal mouth. “I know that,” he growled. “Everyone is entitled to their secrets.”
“ Are they really? Does that mean I don’t have to tell you where my boss is hiding out?” Her tone was light, bored almost, and that only served to infuriate him more. Erik could hear the voices of agents calling out to them, but they were muffled to his ears. He tightened the metal bands around her wrists, hoping that they dug painfully into her pretty white skin. She could do with some scars.
“You’ll tell the CIA everything they need to know.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t wait to be rid of her. She was grating in more ways than one, and it was obvious that she wasn’t going to tell them a damn thing about Shaw. That made her useless. Perhaps the American government might find some use for her. He didn’t particularly care, just as long as she was out of his care. At least now he had the addition of their little band of agents to distract him.
“Charles.” Moira jogged up to meet them. Her face was flushed with the cold. Erik did his best to ignore the blonde woman at his side, even though she warranted an odd look from Moira. “What-”
“It’s best you don’t ask. She’s cooperative, and that’s all that matters right now.” Erik jerked Emma forward using the metal bands around her wrists, and she scowled at him, her pale face twisted in fury. Charles paid them little heed. He needed to know if his sister was safe.
“Is Raven hurt?”
Moira shook her head. “No. According to the reports I’ve been able to get, it was Muñoz. And there’s been no sign of the Salvadore girl.”
“We need to get back. Are the rest of them safe?”
“For the time being. They haven’t been moved from the compound.”
“Is it safe for them to be there?”
“It’s the most secure location we have for them right now. Most of the men that had been stationed there are dead.”
Erik was growing impatient but schooled his face to stone, trying not to let his irritation show. “I hate to interrupt, but shouldn’t we be heading out? I would think that after this mess getting back to the compound as quickly as possible would be top priority. You can brief us on the way.” He locked eyes with the agent. “Unless, of course, this information is classified, in which case it might not be the wisest idea to repeat such things in front of our guest.” He nodded toward Emma, who simply watched the exchange in silence. Her blue eyes watched him like a hawk.
Moira’s face flushed with heat. “Yes, of course. The sooner we get back, the better.” She turned on her heel and led the way to where the truck sat idling on the road, thick white exhaust spilling from the tailpipe into the frozen air.
You don’t think I could just take whatever I need from her? You overestimate this human. Emma’s voice was echoing through his skull, her tone smooth as silk.
“Stay out of my head,” he growled softly. He didn’t dare think his words back to her, not when Charles could be listening in. He still didn’t fully understand the nature of Charles’s mutation and everything it entailed; it was best to play it safe.
She was smiling again. Why? You’re so very easy to read.
He stayed silent as they climbed up into the truck. The soldiers huddled along the benches in the back were eying Emma without shame, and she was drinking in the attention like water. She settled herself down beside Erik, shifting her body just enough to show an indecent amount of leg. Erik snorted in disgust and turned his gaze toward the floor. The doors slammed shut and the truck started forward with a jolt. Charles was leaning low over his knees, his hands gripping the hard edge of their seat like a lifeline. He was taking the news of the attack rather hard.
He’s pretty weak, isn’t he?
Watch your tongue or I’ll break your neck, he snarled back, no longer caring if Charles heard. The metal around Emma’s neck was growing tight again, but this time her smile didn’t fade.
But you already have me where you want me, and if I die, you’ll never know where your precious ‘Doktor’ is hiding. Your threat is losing its sting, honey.
You weren’t going to tell us his location anyway. Her skin was turning red, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the pressure or the cold. He still had yet to wipe that damn smile from her lips.
I know what’s wrong with your little telepath friend.
Erik snarled but said nothing. He didn’t ease the pressure on her throat.
“Don’t deny that you’re curious,” she said aloud, catching the attention of a few of the men. Her voice was thin and breathy, nothing at all like how she sounded in his head. Erik shot the men around them a heated glare, and they turned away, pretending that they hadn’t heard a thing. Charles still looked to be completely focused on trying to stay upright. It seemed he hadn’t picked up on his little talk with Emma. Curiosity’s a natural thing, Erik. Saying you’re not even curious about what’s going on with him would make you a liar. God doesn’t take too kindly to liars.
He thought about choking her, strangling her right there in the truck, but it wouldn’t do him any good. They didn’t need her alive, but she was no use to anyone dead. He released his grip on her bonds, and she sucked in a deep breath, rubbing lightly at the bruised skin of her neck with dainty, white fingers. His own fingers were cutting red crescents into his palms where his nails had dug hard into the skin. He fixed her with a hard stare. What did this woman know of God?
Then I suppose it’s a good thing He abandoned me a long time ago.
---
Part one
Part two
Part four