Charles Xavier
The second the telephone rang, Charles knew what the call was going to be about. His telepathy was limited without cerebro and it never worked via telephone but he didn’t need to be a telepath to know what was going to be asked of him.
It had taken him no time at all to see what – or better whom – they were dealing with once he had seen the video footage on the news.
He mentally called the students together for an assembly in the main hall before wheeling himself out of his study and into the hallway. He was immediately accompanied by Raven and Hank who had been waiting for him outside the door.
“We’re going to Gotham City.” Charles announced before either of them could say anything: “Arkham Asylum has been attacked. Several staff members and patients are missing.” He could hear Raven scoff behind him and he could perfectly imagine the way she rolled her eyes along with it. “And since when are we the police’s errand boys… or girls?”
“What’s going on?” Peter asked before the professor could reply, stepping out of the library alongside Kurt.
“Charles wants us to go solve some missing persons cases for the GCPD, because apparently that’s what we do now.” Charles took a sharp breath in an attempt to keep himself from projecting his annoyance at his sister’s disrespect. “They suspect mutant involvement.”
“Mutant involvement? Well yes of course mutants could be involved since we make up a certain percentage of the population of this country! The police better learn how to deal with mutant cases the same way they’d deal with non-mutant cases, that’s how integration works.”
“She does have a point,” Peter said dryly as the group entered the elevator to the ground floor. “Professor.” he added as Charles raised an eyebrow at him. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to move. Eventually, Charles ended it by sighing softly before clearing his throat.
“The wall lining –consisting of multiple tons of solid steel – came apart without any apparent use of explosives or other kind of physical energy. When the asylum’s emergency program shut down all electric activity someone still managed to make their way to the basement via the elevator, and multiple witnesses claim to have been held captive by metal piping wrapping around their ankles – forgive me if I deem this mission unavoidable.” He did his best to keep his voice as even and low as possible but he suspected he did a poor job doing so judging by the way his eyes began to sting and his throat felt dry when he was finished.
There was more silence afterwards. But he could feel the others’ minds shifting the second he mentioned what sounded like the act of a powerful metallocinetic – and there was no need to ask why. “You think it’s–“ Raven’s voice sounded rough and shaky as opposed to her snarky remarks earlier. Charles looked at her for a second before letting his eyes wander towards Peter – who had grown frighteningly pale under his words.
“I simply don’t understand, why would he–“, “I don’t know, Raven.” Charles answered truthfully as they left the elevator on the ground floor. “I have my suspicions but none of them can be confirmed unless we go and have a look at this for ourselves.” Charles was relieved at the way he could feel the others’ agreement pour into the air.
No one – besides Raven – ever truly questioned Charles’ authority in decision making but the professor always made sure not to overstep anyone’s personal needs and that everyone’s voices had been heard. He didn’t consider himself above the rest of the teaching staff but he knew the others did and he would never dare to abuse the power and trust put into him by his friends to chase his own aspirations.
“I guess we have no choice but to go.” Hank confirmed and Charles released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding at the verbal confirmation of what he felt.
This gave him the strength he needed to face the student body with real confidence and certainty – not the faked version of it he’d adopted out of necessity in the past.
Once everybody was gathered in the main hall he mentally asked students and teachers alike to quiet down so he could speak. He cleared his throat and gave a reassuring smile into the crowd before beginning with his announcement.
“Hello everyone, thank you for coming. We have something to discuss.” The breathless sting of anxiety floated towards him from countless minds – he had to close his eyes for a moment to overcome the dizziness of it.
“Now, my dears, don’t be frightened. It is simply for the fact that classes will be dismissed throughout the entirety of the upcoming week that I have called you here.”
The anxiety shifted into the confused but relieved buzz of excitement that came with the unexpected announcement of a weeklong break – something that was still slightly distracting but by far more agreeable to listen to.
“Something has come up that is of utmost importance to me and I see myself obliged to look into it. Several teachers – myself among them – will be absent for a few days and I want you to be at your best behavior for those I will put in charge to look after you while I am gone, alright?”
It filled Charles with pride of his students to see them look at him and nod in agreement at his words. He took a few more minutes to answer any questions as well as he could before dismissing everyone but two students whom he called to meet him in his office. Once he had made his way there, Jean Grey and Scott Summers were already standing by the door.
“Professor, you wanted to talk to us?” Charles nodded as he led the way into the room. “I have something to ask of you – something rather important really and I wanted to make sure it was going to be okay for you to do it.”, “Is it dangerous?” Scott looked at Charles intently and his stare was piercing despite the colored lenses of his glasses. Charles smiled at the protectiveness radiating from the boy’s mind. “No. Of course not. The least I would want is to put you in unnecessary danger. It just might be a little … challenging? Or rather stressful at times.”
This was the moment that Jean’s telepathy must have picked up on what Charles had in mind as she looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. She bit her bottom lip as she seemed in thought for a moment, twirling a strand of her ginger hair between her fingers. “Professor, are you sure this –“, “I believe in you, Jean. You are the only one I can stay in contact with while I’m gone. I am as concerned as you are – leaving my students by themselves for a few days – but there is simply no one among the adults I deem expendable on this mission.”
“So what’s going on?” Scott crossed his arms in front of his chest and let his gaze wander between the two telepaths: “What did you have in mind?”
Jean reached out to take Scott’s hand between her own, rubbing the knuckles gently with her thumb. “The Professor wants us to … be in charge while he’s gone. He’s taking the rest of the staff as well as Storm, Kurt, and Peter with him so he wants us – as the oldest and most experienced students to look after the younger ones. Additionally –“, “I can stay connected to Jean via telepathy and she can reach out if necessary without either of us being dependent on telephones or other devices.”
Charles let go of his bottom lip – he had been worrying it between his teeth – to give his students a cheerful smile. “I know it is a high level of responsibility I ask of you but my trust in you is unshaken. If there is anyone among the student body I can trust with this it’s certainly you two. And if there’s any trouble –“ he raised his hand to tap his temple with his index and middle finger “I’m just a thought away.”
Scott didn’t seem too happy with the idea but nodded his head regardless. Charles couldn’t quite tell whether it was the responsibility for his fellow students or the fact that he’d be left out of the mission that bothered him but he was glad that behind the curtain of annoyance understanding for the Professor’s request was clearly noticeable.
“I cannot thank you enough, you two. I have faith in you – you have proven yourself worthy of it more than once.” Jean smiled at that and placed a hand on Charles' shoulder. “We will do our best not to disappoint you.” Scott nodded in support of her statement. “That will suffice.” Charles replied, returning the smile. “Now if you will excuse me, I have some preparations to make.”
As soon as the office door fell shut behind the students, the professor buried his face in his hands and let out a deep, exhausted sigh. His head was spinning with the news of today’s events and all the telepathic impressions of hundreds of the confused and mildly concerned young people at the school were not helping either. He wasn’t sure what to make of any of this, it just all didn’t make sense – not even in the slightest.
He had been so certain that this time Erik finally would have found the way to a more peaceful path for himself. When they had parted roughly ten years ago he had seemed so… calm. Of course he had been grieving, he had just lost the people he cared about most in his life –once again –but some naive part of Charles had made him confident that they had at last worked out a way for Erik to lead a life apart from hatred and destruction, to go somewhere and find peace.
But it couldn’t have been all naïveté, could it now? After all – he was a telepath: what he had gathered from the other man’s presence the last time they had met couldn’t have been all wishful thinking… Erik’s sudden return to old habits didn’t seem logical to Charles at all. Obviously it wasn’t the first time this happened but still … something didn’t feel right. Attacking a mental health institution for criminals? Kidnapping inmates and staff members?
Charles slouched in his chair and slightly shook his head. He had been waiting for a sign from Erik all these years. Countless times he had used cerebro to try and make out the mind that he had felt so ridiculously drawn to ever since that night in Florida all those years ago… to no avail. Erik remained hidden from him – and it pained Charles to know that the German was probably doing it intentionally.
But this – watching the news and seeing this all too familiar destruction – was not the sign he had been hoping for, this was not at all what he had wanted. It had been painful enough to watch Erik walk away ten years ago, making an active decision that there was no place for Charles Xavier in his new – presumably peaceful – life. But having to face him now? Like this? The telepath took a deep breath to calm his rapid heartbeat. It didn’t matter if he was ready for this or not, what mattered was keeping Erik and the GCPD from having a violent clash. His personal feelings had no place in this.
The latter thought became kind of a silent mantra he kept telling himself over and over all through the process of packing his stuff up until they were in the car to Gotham City – no place for Charles Xavier’s personal feelings. If he reminded himself of this often enough perhaps one day he would be able to live by it. One day.