X-men: World of Gray

Chapter 13

"What are you proposing?"

"Use Cerebro. Give us the coordinates we need, and any that are children, we give those to you."

Charles' expression had darkened as if Erik's idea was offensive to his ears. But in his eyes, a trace of interest shimmered.

"I know Hank will eventually rebuild the machine," Erik went on, "but it'll take time. Do you really think those wasted months are necessary?"

Charles seemed ready to protest, but stopped himself. He turned back to the paper, his fingers twitching on its edges. Erik could practically see the wheels of thought turning in his friend's mind. But then, a long sigh escaped Charles' lips.

"No." Charles set the paper on the table. "Your price is too high."

Tapping his fingers on the table, Erik groaned. "Dammit, Charles—what would you have me do? You're the only option we have."

"That's not my problem. You have no right to do what you've done, no matter the circumstances."

It was sudden; even Erik didn't expect it. But inside him, a surge of anger surfaced and with it, he slammed his palm into the tabletop. Charles flinched. Jerking away from his seat, Erik stood, eyeing his old friend.

"I don't have the right?" Erik asked. "What gives you the right, Charles? These people are our kind. They're our brothers, and we have a right to let them know we exist!"

Charles expanded his chest like he was preparing for an assault.

Erik pointed a finger at him. "What I'm asking of you is an inconvenience at worst. Help us find our brothers and sisters. And your self-righteous delusions don't give you authority to deny us—and them—the right to join our cause."

Erik watched as the other man digested the words and waited for him to hit back with his own. But no anger stirred. Instead, Charles frowned, sadness cloaking his expression like he was looking at something he regretted.

After a moment, Charles finally said, "I'm curious to know something, Erik. When you create this mutant army, what do you intend to do with it?"

The fury coursing through Erik's body weakened some.

"What is the ultimate goal here?" Charles continued. "Will you try to control all of mankind? Eliminate them? Or simply continue to isolate yourself from humanity as you've been doing for the last six months?"

"I will do what is necessary to protect my kind, Charles."

"That's not good enough. I've seen what you do to protect our kind."

Erik instantly knew what Charles was referring to—Cuba. The missiles. As the images of that day resurfaced in Erik's mind, all the anger inside him vanished like a raindrop under a desert sun. He sank back down into his seat.

Charles continued, "Don't you see, my friend? You've isolated yourself so far away from mankind with your 'brotherhood of mutants'…you don't even know what humanity is anymore. How can you possibly judge it?"

"I've had my entire life to judge it."

Charles slouched his shoulders. "Oh, yes. At the mercy of Nazis. Hunting down and killing Nazis."

"What's the point, Charles?"

"Can't you even see the hypocrisy in your convictions? Erik, I'm not about to defend the Nazi regime by any stretch of the imagination, but your personal tormenter was a mutant."

Erik averted his gaze to the table.

"The person who directly killed your mother was a mutant," Charles continued. "The man who has hurt you the most in your life was a mutant." He paused. There was hesitation as if he didn't know if he wished to say more, but then he added, "And the person who has hurt me the most…is you."