Fatal Attractions [Charles Xavier | Book One]

Chapter 15: Beast

        There was no time to spare by the time they woke the following morning. They dressed quickly in order to get downstairs where everyone was already in a rush to get what little breakfast they could. Their free time was limited. Kat feared that it was more limited for some of them than they would dare say out loud.

        Once they joined everyone in the kitchen, Kat took her seat next to Raven at the table. She reached for the orange juice that sat in the middle of the wooden table. Charles passed by and handed her a glass.

        "Good morning, Raven," Kat greeted her while she gave a small smile to Charles in a way of thanking him. She noticed then that Raven was in her natural blue form, her red hair combed back and her eyes yellow when they met with Kat's.  "You look . . . good. Healthy."

        "Thanks," Raven said, though she looked up to glare at Charles.  Kat shifted uncomfortably in her chair, aware that there was some tension between the two.

        'Don't worry about it,' Charles spoke with her telepathically. 'She's upset with me about last night. I ran into her when I went to get our bottle of wine. There was a misunderstanding.'

        Kat gave a subtle nod, casting her eyes downward momentarily.  Sighing to herself, Kat simply raised the glass of orange juice to her lips and counted the minutes away.

        Everyone was ready to meet together as early as they could manage, but Hank was still nowhere to be found. The only place he could be was upstairs in his lab, but Kat and Charles could sense that he wasn't up there. Surely there was something in there that could hint as to where he was.

        Pinned to the wooden doors of the lab was a note written in black marker on a piece of paper that read, "Gone to the airbase, bring the crate marked X.  Hank."  That certainly explained where he was, yet no one spoke until Charles took the note off of the door and opened both of the lab doors to reveal what was within.

        They looked on in shock when they saw the lab was in ruins. It had only just happened within the last night, that was certain to them all. But Kat had the strangest feeling that she would have heard it. Or at least sensed the distress from Hank's mind.  

        Then Kat remembered what she and Charles had both been distracted by the night before, and she had to will away the blush that came to her cheeks at the memory. It was no wonder.

        "What the hell happened here?" Erik asked.

        Charles looked back but was unable to come up with an answer. They each had to step over broken glass as they entered the lab to look around. Of all things in the lab, only one item seemed to remain unbroken: a large metal crate at the other end of the lab, which remained a maze of broken lab equipment and smashed metal tables. Not one thing was left untouched; not even the paintings on the walls, nor the blueprints that stood at the far end of the lab ripped to shreds with what looked like claw marks.

        Kat could almost feel the anger that had been bottled and burst in the room.  What could have driven Hank to do such a thing?

        As they approached the crate, Kat noticed the lid was indeed marked with an 'X' of black tape.

        Charles took hold of the lid and lifted it up, revealing what lay hidden inside. 

        "Oh, my," Kat gasped as she peered inside, standing at Charles's side.  "Are these . . . ?"  She couldn't finish her sentence as she just continued to stare down into the crate. They were suits—the suits that Hank had been working on to accommodate their abilities while providing them protection. The two most special of them belonged to Banshee and Havok—Banshee's with the webbed wings under his arms to help him fly while suspended in the air, and Havok's with the metal plate on the chest to direct and charge his rings of energy into a direct beam.  

        Kat's, of course, had a special opening for her tail and was fit her body like all of the others'. Their colors were yellow and blue with black and silver straps and clasps. 

        "Hank has been busy," Erik remarked.

        "Do we really have to wear these?" Havok asked.

        Charles didn't look up as he answered.  "Well, as none of us are mutated to endure extreme g-force or being riddled by bullets, I suggest we suit up." 

        Their jet, the Blackbird, was larger than Kat had previously imaged, though it was true to the blueprints and models Hank had created and displayed in his lab before. He had designed it as one of the fastest planes the US government had access to. It towered over them as they approached it, the seven of them suited up and prepared to meet Hank where he said he would.

        Kat stood by Charles, tempted to take his hand in hers where no one could see, but she resisted the urge. There was one problem.

        Hank still wasn't there.

        "Where is Hank?" Raven voiced from where she stood, concern showing in her yellow eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

        "I'm here." 

        Everyone shifted to look straight ahead to see a silhouette heading towards them from the open end of the bunker. It was Hank's voice that had spoken, no doubt, but the figure's shape and shadow didn't look anything like him. 

        "Hank?" Charles asked, a look of confusion on his face. Havok and Erik glanced at each other while Raven and Kat looked in awe as the lights of the bunker finally caught the features of the figure's face.

        It was Hank. Only he was larger with blue skin and blue fur that Kat could only assume covered his body as it followed into the neckline of his own suit. His hands seemed to have claws instead of the nails he had before, and his teeth were larger, sharper. Yet he still wore his glasses. It was definitely him.

        "It didn't attack the cells," Hank began to explain before anyone could ask. He came to stop before them, meeting everyone's eyes for only a moment.  "It enhanced them."  His eyes turned down as if he was admitting defeat.  "My serum. It didn't work. . ."

        "Yes it did, Hank," Raven said sincerely. "Don't you see?  This is who you were meant to be." She stood still while Hank approached her to stand directly in front of her, close enough for her to reach up with one gloved hand to touch his face. "This is you."  There was a look of fondness in her eyes, a newfound pride mixed with happiness.  "No more hiding."

        Erik finally cleared his throat, before he clapped his hand against Hank's shoulder.  "Never looked better, man," he said, just before Hank turned from Raven's touch and grabbed Erik by his throat. 

        "Hank," Charles warned just as Kat took Charles's hand.  But Hank wasn't having any of it as he leaned closer towards Erik, glaring into his eyes. 

        Hank snarled. "Don't. Mock. Me," Hank growled, showing his teeth. 

        "Hank, put him down immediately please," Charles ordered.  "Hank. Hank!"

        Finally, Hank let go of Erik, letting him fall on his knees to the floor as he gasped for air. After a moment, Erik looked up at Hank, hands still tugging at his suit collar.  "I wasn't," he gritted out.  

        "Even I gotta admit you look pretty bad ass," Havok said as Erik finally stood and straightened himself once more. Kat let go of Charles's hand before anyone could see, and she moved from where she was directly beside him.

        "I think I got a new name for you," he continued. Havok looked Hank up and down. "Beast."

        Hank—Beast—took a deep breath and sighed in what sounded like a growl.  Kat thought the name fit him perfectly.

        "You're sure you can fly this thing?" Banshee asked.

        Hank straightened up and looked directly at him.  "Of course I can," he said with certainty. "I designed it."