Chapter 9
Moira grimaced at the report Armando had presented to her moments before. As Charles’ handlers, they were considered the first line of defense when it came to alien interference with the human world.
“What is all this?” Sean was reading along with her and seemed just as baffled by the material presented.
“Agent Munoz, explain.” She said briskly, hoping to mask her confusion in professionalism.
He fidgeted his sleeve for a moment before answering, “It appears that the Federation is using a type of energy weapon on Earth to prevent violent interpersonal conflicts.”
He received blank looks from his teammates.
“People who go into an altercation with more primitive weapons- clubs, knives, what have you-wake several hours later, still armed and uninjured. If they attempt to start the altercation once more the same thing happens until the parties involved give up and go their separate ways.”
“What?” Sean still seemed lost, but Moira knew it was because he was such a visual creature and this was admittedly difficult to imagine.
“How long has this been going on?” Moira asked after a long moment of contemplation.
“We can’t be sure, we don’t know if the weapon is being called into play for small incidents like road rage and domestic violence, but we have received word of a street gang battle in mainland China that fell apart, and we have footage from the India-Pakistan border where armed militants went head to head. Or attempted to,” he corrected.
“Let’s see it,” Moira and Sean leaned in to watch the short video clip that had been uploaded just a few hours before and forwarded to the National Security Agency by the Indian government.
There was no sound in the black and white video that looked to have come from a storefront security camera. A ragtag group of irate looking men stormed into the town square and began smashing shop windows and throwing merchandise in the street, they seemed to be trying to provoke a fight more than they wanted to steal anything.
After a few moments of chaos, a few local men had similarly armed themselves and prepared to fight back. Just as the altercation was about to become physical, everyone involved had frozen in place for a split second before falling into what appeared to be an unconscious state. A time skip of two hours was indicated before the men- who had been left where they lay by the terrified townspeople-had begun to stir as though rising from a deep sleep. They had gathered themselves after a few minutes of confusion before stumbling away in various directions.
“Whoa,” Sean sat back, reluctantly impressed.
Moira was feeling much the same, “do we know the cause of the altercation?” she asked after re-watching the short video twice.
“Usual territory disputes, the families have lived there for centuries. Issues will arise,” Armando said as Moira nodded along to his words.
“Do we have any more information on this suspected weapon or its use?” She asked crisply, knowing she would soon be called to give an account of this recent activity.
“Not yet, we’re compiling data from around the world as we speak and hope to have a briefing set up for you within the hour,” he informed her of the actions of the combined national security agencies.
“Great, that gives me time to check in with Charles. Let’s get moving gentlemen. I want to hear from the CIA and the FBI within the half hour,” she rose from her seat and quickly dialed Charles hoping he’d actually answer her call.
He wasn’t great about doing that, though he did always return her calls and they always had their agents on hand with hourly updates of what he and the Admiral were up to. It was behavior that worried her more in a personal level than a professional one. She suspected that Charles was in way over his head with this mission, she could only hope that it ended as well as her young friend seemed to think it would.
The phone had nearly rung out when, “Hello?” Charles asked sounding bright and breathless, she wondered what time it was where they were and what he was up to. She could have looked at their itinerary for the day, but news of this new weapon was at the forefront of her mind.
“Hello, Charles,” She smiled into the phone, relieved to hear his live voice, not the voicemail message she'd been getting so frequently.
“Moira!” He chirped happily, letting her know he hadn’t bothered checking the caller ID before answering the phone.
“Charles, do you have a minute to talk?” she asked tensely.
“Anything for you, darling,” he sang happily into the phone.
She hated to rain on what sounded like a marvelous time but, “We have news of an energy weapon the Federation has put into use on Earth. Do you know anything about that?”
“What? A weapon?...No. Hold on.” Then she was hearing nothing for long moments until he came back with a more subdued attitude.
“It’s some kind of energy ray that responds to violet intent. Isn’t that amazing?” Moira struggled not to roll her eyes. He wasn’t subdued, he was in awe.
“Charles we need to know if the Federation is going to intervene in geopolitics like this. Some warning would have been nice,” she tried not to snap.
“Oh come on Moira, you all were happy for their help when you suddenly had all the information you could ever need about the drug cartels, human traffickers, pedophiles, serial killers and so on and so forth,” he said more carelessly than she cared for. “I told you, they value life above all things,” he sounded positively dreamy as he said it.
Moira had to concede the point that the Federation had provided governments around the world the tools they needed to shut down pretty much all heinous crimes in just a few short days. That had been one hell of a week.
They even been able to take down groups and individuals they’d been entirely unaware of before the information dump they’d received the morning after Charles left on his world tour with the admiral.
Moira had been more than a little suspicious of the timing. Like the Federation wanted them swamped with work and unable to properly devote their time and attention to what their resident invader was getting up to with his self appointed ambassador.
No, Moira didn’t like it, and she didn’t like Charles’ attitude about it all. But, as Sean had astutely pointed out, there was nothing they could do about it either way.
She sighed heavily and turned the conversation back to the topic at hand, “Charles, can you tell us more about the way this weapon works? How is it powered, does it cause lasting damage?” he was gone for another long moment.
“Sorry, I can’t tell you how it works. But there’s no lasting damage and yes, it’s in effect all over the world. Something to do with energy pulses in the atmosphere. It’s a judicious way to prevent violence. Like how hunters can still hunt and animals can still kill each other naturally,” he chattered excitedly.
That was another issue Moira had that the Admiral wouldn’t explain. How could a gun know it was being used to hunt for food rather than to kill another person? The same guns had been tested deer hunting, and then fired at people-even wearing Kevlar- the guns hadn’t worked. Aimed at dummies they worked fine, aimed at non game animals-nothing.
It was terrifying.
She felt like a small bird beneath the paw of a predator. Yes, humans were safer than they’d ever been. Yes, violent crime was down 100% and while she had always thought world peace was the end goal, this felt wrong and unnatural. How much was violence an inherent part of being human? If they were forced to change too quickly how would it shape them and the world?
How was Charles not terrified of the man responsible for all this? One of the most powerful beings alive in the galaxy, possibly the universe? Her young friend seemed dangerously enamored, she remembered him joking about Stockholm Syndrome when this had all started, weeks ago now.
She listened to him chatter on about how wonderful all this was and had to wonder if his comedic prediction had come true in the worst way possible.
~~
Charles hung up the phone after a lengthy chat with Moira. He knew she wasn’t happy with the answers he’d given but they were all he had to offer.
He hoped she understood and that he wasn’t making too much trouble for her and the team. He frowned; he hadn’t even gotten to ask about Albert before she’d rushed off the phone. Logically he knew his little cat was fine, but this was the longest they’d been apart since he brought Albert home. He couldn’t wait to see him again and give him the little trinkets Erik kept buying for him at their various stops. It was so sweet.
He turned to his friend who was watching him impassively, they were in route to their final stop before heading back to D.C. for a full debrief. Then he would become the first living human aboard an alien spacecraft.
Erik had assured them that the Federation didn’t do abductions, at least not the kind they’d seen on online testimonials from ‘abductees.’
~~
“What would be the purpose of that?” he had asked, seeming genuinely perplexed as he and Charles had sat side by side during their flight to the Grand Canyon from New York. He seemed especially disturbed by the women who blamed their history of miscarriage on their past abductions.
“We value life, Charles. We don’t sterilize people against their will, or make it impossible for them to live in their own societies. That’s horrific; those are some of the worst possible crimes in the Federation. If these stories were true, the perpetrators would be tried and executed for their crimes.”
Charles had been breathless by the end of his impassioned speech, “I didn’t mean to upset you, Admiral. Very few people believe these testimonies as it is. Even now that we’ve been invaded, they’re still seen as mad by most,” he assured him softly, touched that Erik was so concerned about humans’ having a positive view of the Federation.
He had watched him silently for a moment, pupils darkened by emotion to a pale ice blue. “I don’t want you to fear me,” he said quietly as he gently rushed the back of Charles’ hand with his fingertips.
Goosebumps sprang up along his arm at the contact and he had stuttered a short breath. “I don't,” he answered honestly.
It wasn’t until later as he was washing his hands before lunch that Erik’s words truly sank in ~I don’t want you to fear me~ once again, exclusive to Charles and Erik with no mention of the rest of humanity or of the Federation. The realization sent a thrill of fear down his spine and a bit of something else that he refused to acknowledge, even to himself.
~~
Erik couldn’t believe how long it had taken them to figure out that their weapons could still be used just not against each other.
He thought for sure they would have figured out the energy disruptor long ago, but apparently most humans had been remarkably subdued since their surrender. As he’d explained to Charles, the weapon responded to the aggressor’s intent. If people were being knocked out rather than lightly stunned for a few moments, they’d meant to do grievous bodily harm or even kill their opponent.
Agent MacTaggert had sounded none too pleased with his explanation and Erik could only hope that she wouldn’t bring Charles’ mood down the way she did sometimes after they spoke.
He looked up to find those beautiful eyes watching him as a smile played about his full, pink lips. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Charles said softly. Erik was taken aback by the soft pleasure on his face.
His first impression of Charles had been correct; his face was open and easy to read. Especially now that Erik had spent just over three weeks in his presence and knew what to look for. He may never be able to read humans as well as they could read each other, but rather suspected he was becoming an expert in Charles Xavier. And that was certainly enough to be going on, at least for his purposes.
“I thought your governments would have figured it out by now,” Erik said with a small smile as Charles shook his head bashfully.
“No, they’re just putting it together,” he said, a soft smile playing about his tempting lips.
“You seem pleased,” Erik remarked lightly, knowing that was the case from hearing Charles’ side of the conversation.
“You know I am. This is amazing, Erik.” he laughed. “You just made all the beauty queen’s wishes come true,” he sank down beside Erik, leaning into his space affectionately.
Erik had no earthly idea what he was talking about, he said as much, happy to watch Charles collapse into laughter again. “Ah. For that I guess I should explain what a beauty pageant is…”
Erik was only too happy to learn more about this odd society that had produced the wonderful man sitting next to him.
~~
“Victoria Falls, While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 meters or 5,604 ft. and height of 108 meters or 354 ft. resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water,” their tour guide, a tall, slender black woman with the darkest skin Erik had ever seen was telling their small group. The glint of her teeth against the backdrop of her skin was distractingly beautiful.
He wanted to see a city of people who looked like her. He wondered how tall the men of her race were.
He noticed that Charles’ lips were pursed and instead of his usual behavior of making small talk with their guides, he stayed close to Erik’s side and appeared to be trying to stand as tall as possible.
Erik wasn’t sure what he was up to, he had been so excited to see the falls and now he had nothing to say about the fascinating information their guide was relaying to them.
He stepped aside, gently pulling Charles along until they were out of earshot of their locally assigned agents. “Are you feeling well?” he asked, worried. It was very hot here; Charles’ face was damp with sweat and flushed from the dry heat. Erik had tried to make sure he drank enough water. He was wearing light, airy clothing that should keep him cool, but perhaps it wasn’t enough.
“I’m fine; really, I didn’t mean to distract you. We’ll be within view of the falls in a few minutes, the spray will cool me down,” he placed a hand lightly on Erik’s forearm as he spoke. And even now the roar of the falls grew louder as the boat made its way down river.
Erik nodded, knowing his displeasure was clear to the other man. Charles had given a resigned sigh and reached up to gently smooth out Erik’s wrinkled brow. “Don’t fret,” he said softly before bringing his palm to rest against the high plane of Erik’s cheek.
“Alright.” Erik smiled, a wide one this time, though he knew it would frighten anyone who wasn’t Charles. “Let’s go see the falls.”
~~
Erik was stunned. He had seen a great many things in his life that made him feel insignificant to say the least. He had seen the birth and death of stars, planets made entirely of valleys of ice. He had been to worlds inhabited by massive creatures so old they defied comprehension. And yet, the things Charles showed him of this young and vibrant planet still managed to steal his breath.
The Falls, Victoria Falls, or as their tour guide called them The Smoke that Thunders, were awe inspiring. He wished for a moment that he was a different sort of man. One who could write songs, or poems to such world making beauty.
Azazel had been right; humans had a wonderful way with words. Of course they must if they were going to live among such raw, unfettered beauty they would need the ability to describe it.
The deafening roar of the water made speech impractical; fortunately Charles’ awe struck face said it all. Erik slipped the cover off his camera, a fantastic little device that Charles had purchased for him before they left New York.
“Everyone needs the authentic tourist experience. I’m sure we can find a studio that will let you watch the development process,” Charles had said with a blush as Erik had focused the camera and taken his first photo right there in the shop. Charles surrounded by film equipment.
And now by one of the seven natural wonders of the world. He truly was lovely, and finally after all their time together, he was Erik’s.
~~
Charles was…confused. Erik had been eyeing their tour guide. This whole time he’d thought…well. Of course she was very beautiful and exotic with her lush accent and elaborately braided hair. And she was certainly closer to Erik’s height of 6’3” than Charles was at 5’8.” Perhaps height was the most attractive trait to Erik’s people. He sighed irritably. He was being ridiculous.
“Charles, are you alright?” Erik was at his side asking again. They were staying in a luxurious resort. The Royal Chundu in one of their private lodges. https://www.rhinoafrica.com/zambia/victoria-falls/royal-chundu
It was stunning, and he was out here on the deck moping about a love story that had only existed in his mind.
He was determined to start dating seriously once this was all over. The issue here was clearly his long, self imposed dry spell on the dating front.
“I’m fine, Erik. Today was wonderful wasn’t it?” he asked, feeling somewhat better as the taller man gently brushed his fingers beneath the hem of his shirt, across the base of his spine, causing his nipples to pucker embarrassingly in the cool evening air.
“Yes, this was my favorite place so far.”
Charles shoved him playfully, but kept his hands pressed lightly to his torso once he was done, leaning into his space, “you say that about every place we visit,” he scolded lightly.
Erik tilted his head in a prosaic shrug. “Perhaps Earth is my favorite place.”
Charles’ eyes widened at his words, they were wonderful to hear. “I hope so,” he said softly.
“They’re done setting up dinner, if you're ready to eat.”
Charles glanced around Erik’s narrow frame to see a lovely candlelit dinner set up around a white linen table at the rail of the balcony overlooking the river.
He had been too lost in thought to notice the servants coming and going. They were swift and silent. He was more than a little impressed by the level of service they’d received. Even his mother couldn’t have complained and that had been her favorite thing to do.
“Yes, let’s eat,” they had a sumptuous feast of fresh caught fire roasted fish and grilled vegetables. They ate their fill, talking softly about the amazing things they’d seen that day and what they hoped to see before their stay was over.
“You were right about not being able to show me even a whole country if we had stayed in one place the entire time,” Erik admitted happily. He couldn’t remember being so relaxed and content for such an extended period of time since his childhood.
“But it’s fun to try, yes?” Charles asked lightly, basking in the romantic glow of the flood lanterns the staff had lit before exiting the room.
“Yes,” Erik agreed. They sat in companionable silence and watched the sun begin to set. “Would you like to try the pool? I saw you looking it over earlier.”
Charles blushed, knowing Erik was only asking since they had a private infinity pool attached to their lodge. Charles had been adamant about Erik not revealing his body anywhere another human might see.
~~
“Your body, what I’ve seen of it- is too noticeably different. You pass a cursory examination, but anything further will be immediately obvious,” he had said firmly one night when Erik had coaxed him into the Jacuzzi on the private balcony of their suite in Rome.
It had been a night of shy exploration as they had each only been dressed in tight swimwear. Charles had hoped that the bubbles would hide his body’s reaction to Erik’s slim but muscled torso. He had visible ribs, but far less than a human would.
“That explains why your waist is so small,” Charles had said, half to himself as he gave in to his curiosity and waded across the pool to sink down at Erik’s side. His torso was a smooth plane, no nipples, no hair, no belly button. That was odd; he had been expecting one, considering Erik had confirmed that he had a mother. He wondered how gestation worked for his kind, but wasn’t surprised when Erik had refused to answer anything but basic questions about his anatomy and that of his people.
He had run gentle fingers along his collar bones, that had been so slender than they looked frail, but felt like living marble under his hands. His skin was once more reminiscent of a tough animal hide. And his strong arms had far more complex layers of muscle than Charles had ever felt. He was dying to get a look at an x-ray of this man.
He had been startled out of his investigation when Erik had placed a tentative hand on his thigh, just beneath the water. He had gasped lightly, blood rushing south, nipples hardening under that intense gaze, gone dove gray with emotion.
“Why do you have this?” he had asked softly, breath a sweet brush against Charles’ lips as he ran ticklish fingers up his flank to slip the tip of his thumb into the shallow indent of his belly button.
Charles had huffed a tense laugh, realizing their minds had gone to the same place at the sight of one another, “All humans have a navel or umbilicus…” he explained, then went on to shyly answer Erik’s questions about gestation and the purpose of his nipples.
“But you are male, so you cannot lactate?” he asked softy, as he teased Charles’ left nipple lightly with his sensitive fingertips, only stopping when Charles blushed and gently pushed his curious fingers away.
“Correct, though some men can lactate, we do have the equipment.” He shrugged, hoping that his friend wouldn’t notice his half hard erection just inches from his hand.
He couldn’t help but notice that Erik didn’t appear effected in that way at all. He tried not to take it personally. After all, they were a different species; Charles probably lacked some integral thing Erik needed to find a partner attractive.
Of course there was no telling how his genitals were formed in the first place, perhaps even now he was sitting with Charles with his own version of a full erection and Charles just didn’t know what to look for. He rather preferred that thought.
They had spent hours relaxing in the Jacuzzi after their tiring day sightseeing and people watching. Erik finally saw the appeal. Getting Charles loose limbed, warm, and affectionate was one thing, but to have him nearly nude was another gift in and of itself.
After their mutual exploration had wound down, they had settled down to talk about their favorite aspects of Rome so far. As Charles had predicted, Erik loved cheese tortellini in alfredo sauce. But he had also surprisingly loved his fresh rolls dipped in olive oil, and raw oysters which Charles had never been able to stomach.
Erik loved the detailed frescoes and mosaics. The elaborate fountains and massive sculptures were a testament to the passion and creativity of mankind. He was deeply affected by their attempts to recreate the beauty that surrounded them. The fact that they could find such beauty in their own natural form was moving. He knew of many cultures that could only aspire to such a level of self love that seemed inherent in humanity.
“I love the way you see us,” Charles said softly, wrapping his hand around Erik’s slender wrist for a long moment.
Erik’s hearts had beat in perfect time at that, an idea occurred. He took Charles’ hands and placed one high up on his torso, just beneath his right collar bone and the other low on his abdomen, just above where his navel would sit were he human.
Charles looked up at him, pupils wide and dark, breath coming in short puffs. Erik knew enough to see that those were very good signs. “Do you feel that?” he asked in a low voice, unable to hide his natural smile at the ‘goose bumps’ that trembled up Charles’ neck at his words.
“Feel what?” he asked breathlessly.
“My hearts. It may feel like vibrations to you.”
“I feel it, but it doesn’t feel like a heartbeat to me. Not any kind I’ve ever felt.”
“Perhaps my skin is too thick,” he murmured, taking his hands away from their place around Charles’ wrists, pleased that the smaller man didn’t notice, and left his hands where they lay.
“Perhaps,” Charles murmured absently.
“When we go to my ship, I’ll let you see my hearts beat,” he promised, letting his hands drift to rest on Charles’ thick, lightly muscled waist. He was perfect.
~~
“Yes, we can try the pool,” Charles agreed somewhat reluctantly. He would be hard pressed to keep his hands to himself, especially if Erik insisted on touching him as regularly as he liked to do.
He had changed in his bedroom while Erik stepped into the plush, adjoined dressing chamber to do the same.
They met at the edge of the pool and stepped into the brisk water at the same moment; Charles shivered and couldn’t help but laugh as the water steamed off Erik as his body rushed to regulate his temperature to match his surroundings.
“Can you swim?” Charles shivered, waiting for his own, slower system to adjust.
“Yes, but I’ve never done so in water.”
Charles’ curiosity was piqued, “What have you swum in? Where? How did you learn?” he bit his lip anxiously, hoping his outburst wouldn’t irritate the Admiral.
Erik only smiled, he loved when Charles forgot himself, forgot to treat him as an elevated official and only saw him as Erik. He was eager for the day that would become the norm.
“Come here and I’ll tell you,” he rested against the wall of the deep end of the pool, letting the water ripple over him.
Charles eagerly obliged, swimming to his side with sure strokes and settling next to him. He was gorgeous like this. Backlit by the sun, skin burnished from the kiss of that same star. Erik ran his fingers through his wet hair, loving the way the texture changed depending on its state.
“I learned to swim when I was a child, my father taught me, he saw it as an integral part of his sons’ education. The same with running and climbing and any other physical endeavor you can imagine.”
Charles remembered Erik telling him he preferred not to climb. He wondered if the pressure from his father to do well had ruined the experience for him. He didn’t know how to ask without seeming rude.
“How did he feel about his daughters’ education?” Charles asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit from the slightly melancholy feel that had fallen over his companion.
Erik tensed further at his softly worded question and for a long while, he thought he wasn’t going to answer at all. He watched Charles patiently, his irises darkening to a watercolor teal before he finally said, “I’m an only child. My mother could only bear one safely.”
Charles had no doubt that he was telling the truth, but that was clearly not the whole story. Still, it was more than Erik had ever said about his family, so Charles was touched that he was finally opening up to him.
Charles cursed his foolish heart. This wasn’t love; it was simply the result of their romantic journey. Once they were back to normal life, surely these feelings would fade.
Erik hated to withhold information from his friend. Their trip was coming to an end and soon he would have to be perfectly honest with his ambassador and his entire race about why they had been chosen out of all non Federation planets still scattered across the galaxy.
He tucked Charles under his arm, relishing the feel of his soft skin beneath his palm and the tickle of his hair against his jaw. They watched the sun sink in glorious detail over the far bank of the river, each lost in his own thoughts about their future and that of the Earth itself.