Two Sides Of A Coin

19~Charles

"Intruders! Male and female, armed!" The sound is garbled, but I am able to make it out. It is declared by a thick man in uniform. I see Stryker turn, but I can't figure out why. I glance back at the informant, but he is no longer there. Instead, Moira is standing over him, her gun in her hands. I feel myself gasp, and she looks at me.

Erik comes in behind her, taking long strides. He stretches out both hands in want of Stryker's helmet and the contraption I am situated on. Moira is rushing towards me, and is free to do so because Stryker is dealing with Erik. He won't leave us alone for long. Moira raises my head out of the water, leaving me to gasp for breath. Soon I am completely upright, and she is undoing all of the clasps and straps pinning me to the rod. I become aware I'm shivering, trying to get out words. I feel relief, even though I know this isn't all over.

"M-m-Moira, Moira..." I crumble onto the ground, now free of my bonds. Her arm crawls under my arm and around my chest, and she starts pulling me towards the open door.

"It's okay Charles, it's going to be okay." Moira whispers in my ear. I notice she has her gun towards the two other men.

"You're going to pay for this, Stryker!" I hear Erik shout.

"You think you'll distract me by sending your freak? Close the door!" I didn't know who he shouted to, but a rumbling sounded over head. Moira steps through the doorway with me. As my legs clear the frame, a metal door crushes down, taking its place.

"Erik!" Moira yells at the door. She drops me onto the floor to pound on the door. A flood of voices rushes into my brain, but still no Erik.

"That room, Moira, it's-- stop! There's no use-- the room blocks all mutations, I couldn't use my powers in there, I can't get in there now and Erik can't use his. We have to get in there somehow." My hands are behind me, propping me up. Moira searches the block of metal, separating us from my kidnapper and long-time friend.

"There isn't any access panels, so how does it open?" Moira mutters to herself. I glance around the dim hallway, and my eyes rest on a small camera.

"Cameras," I say, pointing. She follows my gaze.

"Of course! Charles, you need to try and find the people in the control room, or how to get there." I pick up one hand and put two fingers to my temple. I rush through the hallways until I find the control room, where two men are sitting in front of multiple screens with their feet propped up on the desk.

"I found where it is, but whatever Stryker did to this room must also be everywhere else but lesser. I can't get in their heads but I know they're there."

"That's good enough for me, let's go." She bends over me and picks me up by putting one hand under my knees and the other behind my back. "You know if I can carry you, you really need to gain some weight. Remind me to check on that every few months." A corner of my mouth is forced to tug up. She runs slowly, because of me presumably, but we round corners and cross hallways without meeting anyone.

"This isn't right." I say when we are almost there. "Stryker knows we are here, soldiers know we're here, they can communicate, we should be bombarded with-" I am interrupted by heavy gunfire. Moira stops short of turning the corner as bullets whiz past her and sets me down.

"Can you stop them?" Moira asks me, her brown eyes wide. "I can't take them all myself."

"Uh," I press my temple and shut my eyes. "I can freeze them enough to get by. They're guarding the door. I can't see inside the room, there could be anyone in there." She looks me over, evaluating the situation in her head.

"We'll try it." Her expression is grim, a line in her brow. "I'll go and take care of whoever is in that room. I'll get you when it's clear. Ready?" I manage to freeze all the men in front of the door. As Moira turns the corner, I lean around it to watch. She walks cautiously but with grace through the layers of armored men. Their guns are poised, ready to strike. Moira turns to the side to edge through them, but then she's through. She glances back at me, before entering the room through the open door. I hear two gunshots, then silence. She reemerges, pushing a wheely chair in front of her. With her hands she motions for me to separate the men. With effort, I get the ones in the very center of the hall to take a few steps towards the walls. Now there is a skinny passage through the frozen guards, and she approaches me through them with the chair in front of her. She has to help me onto the chair, and I am not much help because of the concentration I need to keep the guards at bay. A breeze is created and brushes past me while we go back to the control room. Once we are in, Moira uses an access panel by the door to close it. Two men are laying on the floor against the wall, blood coming from I-don't-know-where.