Chapter 1
Charles woke to crashing downstairs. Slowly he got out of bed grabbing the bat that leaned against his wall in case of emergencies. Carefully he made his way downstairs. He immediately froze at the top of the steps. “What-?”
“Charles Xavier?” One of the many military men in the entry way asks, all of the attention was on him.
“Yes I am,” his voice shook.
“Where is the other one, Raven Xavier?”
Charles looked past them and that was when he noticed the butler unconscious on the floor. The seventeen year old lashed out at the men with his mind only to feel a sharp pain in his neck and everything blacked out.
…
Charles couldn’t get his eyes open, not properly at least. There was a harsh pain radiating through his body. “Stay calm, now is not the time to have a panic attack. Trust me.” He had to keep trying for a while before he was finally able to open them. Binds on his arms kept him from moving and there was a bitter taste in his mouth which he concluded was from the gag stuck between his teeth. “There you are, good now we can get started, I’m kind of in a hurry. My name is Bolivar Trask. Most of my patients call me Trask, usually with a tone of disgust.” Contemplatively he picked up a vial humming to himself.
Trask poured the content of the vial over Charles abdomen and watched as he screamed against the gag. "Yes, yes Xavier, I imagine that hurts quite a lot. No need to make a spectacle about it." Charles glared at him pulling at his binds. "My job is to make you go through unbearable pain to check the dosage you need. Don't bother trying to falsify the results." He tapped one of the instruments suctioned onto his head that the telepath hadn’t even noticed until now. "These will tell me everything I need to know." He poured more of the vial up towards Charles's neck.
"You're lucky, I usually have my patients heads shaved but it seems Stryker is especially excited about displaying you and he think you being bald would take away from your value. He’s being very risky if you ask me. Stop glaring at me, I like to make conversation with my patients even if they can't respond." Trask poured more all the way up to his neck and across his collar bone. "You're strong, look at all of those brain waves still buzzing around." The man set down the vial and picked up a scalpel. Charles shook his head trying hard to get away. "No, no Xavier none of that," the small man tsked. "If you promise not to bite your tongue off, I’ll take the gag out and you can talk with me to distract yourself. I don’t want any begging for it to stop or calling me names. If you do that, the gag goes back in. Some of my younger patients find it easier when they talk."
"Do you promise me?" Charles had to think about it but nodded. "I suppose you are one of my younger ones but definitely not the youngest. Remember no begging, it won't do you any good, this happens no matter what." He reached behind the telepaths head and undid the clasp.
"Why don't you start by telling me about yourself? What hobbies do you have?" Trask went over the burned spot with the scalpel. Charles had to scream for a while but eventually found it in him to start telling Trask about his readings, his favorite books and what information they contained. Trask only stopped inflicting pain to inject a serum into his arm. The telepath had told him about three books front to back before it was over. "There we are!" He patted the others cheek and watched as he sagged in relief. "All done little telepath." He grabbed antiseptic and started cleaning up Charles's wounds covering them with bandages. "You were a very good boy." Even after the restraints were undone, he couldn't find the energy to move. "You'll have twenty minutes before the guards come to take you back. Get dressed and relax."
It took a while before he calmed enough to move. He panicked again when men came in, he had barely gotten his pants on.
“Boys help him with his clothes.”
The telepath struggled to get away but was captured and they got him into his shirt.
“Relax Charles. You act like we would hurt our new star attraction. Now can’t have you figuring out your meds so you’re going to have to forget all about this.” The man who seemed like hew as in charge grabbed a needle from the counter. He struggled harder against the people holding him. “Shh you’ll wake up just fine soon."