Patroness

Chapter 24: I'd Love To Change The World Pt.1

"Can I see your invitations, please?" A guard asks as Hank pushes Charles through a metal detector causing it to beep due to the wheelchair.

"Yes, you may." Charles answers using his powers to let the guard think they're invited. "These two are with me." 

"Go ahead." The guard replies.

"Thank you," Charles replies as Hank helps wheel Charles away.

Logan then steps through the metal detector waiting for it to go off but it doesn't to Logan's surprise before he remembers he didn't have an Adamantium skeleton in 1973.

Charles wheels himself over to where the other wheelchair-bound people are, Hank and Logan following him over and standing behind him.

"Fourth infantry. Took a Bouncing Betty." A wheelchair-bound man in uniform says to Charles. "What happened to you?"

Charles thinks for a moment trying to come up with a nicer way of saying 'I got shot in the back by my dramatic metal-bending friend who was deflecting bullets that a girl I used to like was shooting at him because he was trying to kill a bunch of people with missiles he was controlling but thankfully my fiance who wasn't my fiance at the time and who I thought had just died burst out of the water and shielded them with her powers.' 

"Friendly fire." Charles answers.

"The worst kind." The man replies shaking his head.

"Yeah." Charles sighs.

Charles turns his attention back to the crowd in hopes of Raven and Felicia. 

"I haven't found them yet, but they have to be here," Charles says as he searches for Raven and Felicia. 

"The President of the United States." A man announces as everyone stands and cheers.

"My fellow Americans today we face the gravest threat in our history... mutants." The President speaks as Charles searches the crowd for Felicia and Raven. "We have prepared for this threat. In the immortal words of Robert Oppenheimer... Behold. The world will never be the same again."

Patriotic music begins to play while the crowd cheers and salutes as the first-ever sentinels are revealed.

'This is for you, brothers and sisters.' Raven thinks as Charles finally locates her disguised as one of the guards.

'Raven?' Charles says to her taking control of her body stopping her from moving.

"I have her," Charles informs Hank and Logan

'Let me go, Charles.' Raven grunts inside her mind.

"There. You see? Secret Serviceman. Left of the stage." Charles says pointing at Raven.

Suddenly the sentinels begin powering up causing everyone to cheer and whistle while Trask turns to Stryker.

"What the hell are you doing?" Trask berates. "I didn't tell you to activate them."

"I didn't." Stryker repliers looking down at Trask.

'Raven, please, listen to me.' Charles pleads. 'We've been given a second chance to define who we are. Don't do this.'

The Sentinals being to levitate as the crowd cheers even louder but the cheers quickly turn to screams as they being firing on the crowd.

Charles looks up to see Erik looming over the event holding up an entire baseball arena. 

"Erik!" Charles screams in anger as the crowd runs for their lives.

Raven uses the moment of panic to blend in with guards and servicemen escorting the president down into a safe and secure bunker