By the time the trio in the foyer had entered the private study room of Charles, he was spotted not so subtly topping up the glass in his hand. He looked at them curiously, he almost seemed tempted to toast the glass to them, but thought otherwise. He only thought otherwise because Hank seemed to suddenly frown his way, Lola crossed her arms and looked at him pointedly and Logan just looked displeased in general. Charles had overheard the introductions, it was easy to hear their voices in a rather quiet space. So the mystery guest now had a name, at least that was something.
Despite of his evident displeasure over having to discuss such a serious matter with a potentially drunk Charles, Logan explained what his future was like. How everything went wrong, and bad. His life had been turmoil anyway, always with ups and downs, perhaps more downs than ups at times; but at the turning point, life had been going smoothly for him, for them all. To suddenly be thrown into chaos like they all were, it took a lot out of them, and took a lot from them. Logan's uncanny ability to seemingly survive nearly any dangerous situation he was placed in, was perhaps really the only reason why he was still going. That much he knew for certain. The thought of possibly ending up as the last one standing didn't fill him with any confidence whatsoever.
Regardless, he explained the situation the future Charles found himself in, the future he left behind to come here in hopes of help. Charles was basically reclining back on a sofa near the large curtained windows. He sat in silence, quiet and contemplative looking and casually sipping his drink now and then, but he sat listening. How much he took in, Logan didn't actually know. Hank seemed to be between leaning against the large desk in the room, and trying to clean the space up. He was at least somewhat conscious of the fact the place was a tip, not exactly the best to entertain a guest. Lola sat with her legs tucked up in the chair which was beside the one Logan was in. She seemed to be the one who appeared the most attentive to his tale. He wasn't sure if that was entirely good or not, Logan didn't exactly know Lola, he didn't know what her mutation was; he was presuming she was a mutant, considering she was here, even though normal humans had been in the school in the future at times. His point, as harsh as it was, was that he was here for Charles, Hank was a bonus. Excuse him for not being wholly trusting.
"That sounds utterly horrible! I am so sorry, Logan. But it does. The whole thing sounds like something from a book, or a late night movie." Lola was the first to pipe up after he had finished, she looked troubled and saddened that he had been through so much. Logan sighed, she was one of those types, it seemed. It wasn't her pain to shoulder and carry, it was his, yet here she was taking it on.
"Though I agree with Lola, the thought of someone weaponising Raven's power is...well, what word would be apt?" Charles mused from his sofa, swilling the contents of the glass he looked at the liquid distantly. Horrific was an apt word, terrifying, just anything bad.
"She is unique," Hank seemed to come out with this statement before his mind actually caught up to what he said. He looked awkwardly at Lola, she smiled and shook her head. She had said a while ago something along the lines of someone having the ability to love more than one person. She didn't know the girl who Hank was apparently fancying in the past. She would not hold it against him, that would make her a hypocrite. Someone could move out from the realms of love and turn that to a friendship. If his friend was in trouble, she'd expect him to aid like he did with her. Even if she was a complete stranger in a way at the time.
Charles frowned a little at Hank's slip, he didn't want a possible jealous comment to come from Lola. Not that he'd expect the girl to, she was too laid back in a way at times. With a sigh and a slow sip of his glass, Charles nodded his head. "I agree, Hank. She is most definitely that." His sister was special, he had always thought she was. What sort of brother would he be if he didn't see the brilliance in his sibling? Though the thought of someone learning to weaponise her ability had his stomach turning, or that could just be the alcohol...
"The Sentinels were only targeting mutants at first. Then they began to identify the genetics in non-mutants who'd eventually have mutant children, or grandchildren. Many humans tried to help us, it was a slaughter. Leaving only the worst of humanity in charge. I've been in a lot of wars, I've never seen anything like this. And it all starts with her." Logan explained slowly, his eyes lowering to the floor below his boots before looking up and looking between the other three in the room.
"That isn't a slaughter, that's a full on massacre." Lola said quietly with a hand to her chin in thought and a frown on her face. "How do you fight against yourself? But this version of you being stronger, faster and unable to be stopped." Lola fidgeted in the chair, the thought of fighting against something invisible had her feeling uncomfortable. Though he didn't wish for her to fight, Lola had persuaded Hank to at least teach her basic defence in the room below in the basement. It didn't end too well, even when unable to be seen, he could still find her thanks to his other senses being so much stronger than a regular persons.
"Hold on," Charles leaned forwards a little lazily, Lola looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. Charles sighed heavily, "You're getting carried away."
"How am I?" Lola sounded confused, she looked it too as she leaned against the armrest of the chair and looked in Charles's direction. She really wasn't following. Considering how earnest Logan sounded, how could any of them say he was lying?
Charles rolled his eyes, "You're so readily believing in something that might not even be. Even if we are to believe what Logan is saying, it's pointless because Raven won't listen to me."
"How do you know if you don't try?" Lola pressed with a frown, she watched him pinch the bridge of his nose. Charles seemed utterly exhausted by this all, she was in no doubt that his brain and thoughts were kicking in overdrive to make sense of everything. He shut his eyes for a few moments before opening them and seeing Lola's lilac eyes staring at him hard. Lola wasn't dropping this, "She is your sister, Charles! No matter what happened in the past, you two are family. There should be nothing in the way of you two managing to find an impasse."
"You don't understand, Lola." Charles sounded defeated, there was much that Lola was in the dark about. Charles doubted that Hank was all forthcoming with the past. How much she knew, Charles didn't know. But if she knew the whole picture, she wouldn't be sitting here saying things like this.
"You're right, I don't. In comparison to Hank, I have not been with you for very long. But I know when something is right and wrong, and not helping your sister? Totally the wrong thing to do. Especially if there is a prospect of her being experimented on. Just let that sink in, yeah? You are sad, and I see that, but surely that sadness would get pushed aside to protect your sister from a fate worse than death." Lola's fingers dug into the armrest, she rarely lost her cool, but she was feeling herself getting slowly and steadily more annoyed. She didn't know what happened between the siblings, but she didn't and couldn't understand why the past couldn't be forgotten about to save his sister from this horrific future coming her way.
"And if she doesn't listen?"
"You make her listen!" Lola exclaimed, throwing her arms up and holding up her hands in a huff, she turned away muttering to herself. She let out a disgruntled noise when she noticed her hands weren't visible. Shaking them and rubbing them up and down her arms she flicked her eyes around the room looking quite disgruntled. She didn't do slip ups, only when her emotions were raised did she happen to make mistakes.
Logan raised an eyebrow, he had met others that could vanish, but his attention slid over to Charles as he looked more distant from the short conversation with Lola. Perhaps something had sunk in for him? Logan quickly forgot this thought as he watched Charles hang his head, shaking it slowly he waved a hand nonchalantly in the air. "Her heart and soul belong to someone else now."
Logan held up a hand, he could see Lola was ready for another round. Unfortunately this truly was something she was in the dark over. No matter what she said, it wouldn't do anything. Logan knew, and he understood, like hell did he understand, but he grasped onto the concept here. "I know. That is why we're going to need Magneto too." Logan said with a slow nod. He tried to ignore the incredulous look Hank sent his way while Charles looked up with wide eyes. Lola was in the dark, the girl just sunk into the chair and crossed her arms, hiding her hands in case they were still invisible. Surely if Charles was giving him the benefit of the doubt, he should've at least considered that there was a lot of things Logan knew. Raven and Erik as a team, a partnership, a...whatever they even were half the time? Yes. Logan knew all too well what the pair were like, unfortunately.
"Erik?" Hank's expression was still dubious as he looked at Logan. Hank didn't like the thought of that too much, and who could blame him considering what Erik was like. Nothing good could come from freeing Erik. Hank wasn't sure Logan knew just where Erik was at the moment, or else he wouldn't have mentioned him so freely.
Charles laughed, excuse him but this was just too much. He had reached a point now, and he couldn't help but find this all humorous. It was a mess. It was one big, gigantic, utterly confusing shambles of a mess. And he found it amusing that out of everything, everyone, they would need Erik to help. Him, help? Somehow Charles doubted that all too much. Erik's loyalty was questionable at the best of times, and he doubted he'd help Raven for innocent reasons. The sarcastic laughter died down, and Charles shook his head.
Ignoring the dying laughter, Hank frowned down at Logan. "You do know where he is, right?" He asked uncertainly. From the look on Logan's face, Hank was still inclined to say no.
"Yeah," Logan replied, Hank raised an eyebrow. Well he was surprised at least, he thought Logan was clueless. It was no easy feat to get someone from the Pentagon, let alone under all those layers and security.
Now he had calmed down, Charles sat with a hand against his stomach. With a rather heavy sigh, he looked almost pitifully at Logan. He really had been sold out, down the river without a paddle and he was sinking fast. This could only get worse, Charles knew that well enough. Patting his knees and fidgeting on the sofa, Charles fixed Logan with a serious look. Standing and moving over to where Logan sat, Charles just looked at him unblinkingly. "He is where he belongs." He said nothing more before turning away and walking off.
Logan wasn't leaving it as that, he shot up and took a step forwards. He couldn't help but frown at Charles's retreating form. "So that's it, you're just gonna walk out?" He questioned firmly, he couldn't believe it. Could the future Charles not have given him a heads up that the past him was going to be such a handful?
Turning on his heels, Charles smiled cynically and pointed a finger at him. "Ooh, top marks." The cynical smile and sarcastic tone just made Logan frown more. It was clear he was reaching his limit of patience. The glass in Charles's hand got toasted Logan's way before he took to drinking from it, full intending to disappear upstairs for the foreseeable.
"The Professor I know would never turn his back on someone who lost their path; especially someone he loved."
Logan's words caused Charles to cease in a step. There was silence for a moment before Charles turned back around. "You know...I think I do remember you now. Yeah, we came to you a long time ago seeking your help. And I'm going to say to you, what you said to us then: fuck off." Charles's tone was serious, dark even as his eyes looked sharply at Logan as he made his way slowly back to the Canadian.
The patience limit had been reached and in a blink of an eye, Logan had reached out speedily and grasped onto Charles. The collar of his dressing gown was in an iron grip and the poor male could do nothing but practically sag as Logan glared down at him. "Listen to me, you little shit. I've come a long way, and I've watched a lot of people die, good people, friends. If you want to wallow in self-pity and do nothing, then you're gonna watch the same thing, you understand?" Logan's tone was deadly serious, icy even as he spoke through gritted teeth almost. He was angry, that much was evident as he watched Charles's eyes grow distant as he stood there staring up at him listening intently, not that he had any other choice considering Logan still had a hold of him.
Eventually though Charles was freed, Logan just took a few calming breaths and watched Charles simply nod and retreat. It was like everything Logan just said was ignored. "We all have to die some time." Charles was nonchalant as he shrugged and turned to the stairs. He walked up them speedily, happy not being obstructed this time as he disappeared from view.
"Told you there was no Professor here." Hank had taken to sitting throughout most of this talk, standing slowly he shook his head sadly. Yes, it hurt him to see what his dear friend had become. But he was somewhat powerless to change Charles and his ways. Picking up a black bag, Hank took to putting empty bottles inside, the clinking of them filled the room slightly.
"What the hell happened to him?" Logan was confused, he couldn't deny that. He was really very confused.
Hank was silent for a few moments, he was trying to think of an easy way to explain everything. The bottle in his hands got placed down, and Hank looked at Logan with a sad expression, a sympathising expression even. "He lost everything, you know? Erik, Raven, everyone else. We built this school, the labs, this...this whole place. Then just after the first semester, the war in Vietnam got worse." Hank could see that Logan was following so far, and that in fact it looked like something clicked and made sense to him. Holding up the bag, he watched Lola lean across the desk and dump a bottle inside. She had stood from her seat and was pottering around clearing the space as much as she could. "Many of the teachers and students were drafted, and it broke him. He retreated into himself more. I wanted to help do something, so I designed the serum. It's derived from the same formula that helps me control my mutation. I take enough to keep myself balanced, but he takes too much. I tried easing him back, but he just couldn't bear the pain, the voices." Hank explained sadly, "He's just lost too much." He finished off quietly, Logan looked at him for a long while before nodding. He could understand why Charles was like he was now. Hank returned back to cleaning, Lola appearing now and then to help too.
"He's still got you two though." Logan watched the pair pause, they exchanged a look and looked back at Logan. "He isn't as alone as he probably thinks. I hope he knows this."
Lola shrugged, "He stays in his room a lot. I...I think the only times we see him is when we cross paths by accident because he thinks we're out, or sleeping." She mused while scratching her neck in thought.
Hank nodded slowly, "He's become quite well adapted in the art of avoidance."
"And I thought you were the supreme master of that." Lola waved at Hank with a grin, he frowned her way from behind his glasses. She just grinned and rocked on her heels before turning and moving to the sofa. She saw a few empty bottles there to bin and intended to.
"Though I agree with Lola, Hank's ability to avoid can far out do mine...but I'll do it. I'll help you get Raven. Not for your future shite, but for her." Charles's voice piped up from outside the room, he was in the foyer, looking at them pottering around. He'd been there for a few moments, just watching as they got on.
"Fair enough," Logan couldn't ask for anything more, at least Charles agreed to help. That was primarily why he was sent back, after all.
"I'll tell you this though, you don't know Erik. That man is a monster, a murderer. You think you can convince Raven to change, to come home? That's splendid. But what makes you think you can change him?" Charles shuffled forwards a step or two, looking at Logan questionably. By all means, he'd love to know the answer to that question.
"Because you and Erik sent me back here together." Logan responded simply, it wasn't a lie. He found it mad too, at one time Erik was very much his enemy, and in the future he was an ally. It was a strange turn of events, but Erik's reasons for fighting were exactly the same as theirs, and their survival, everyone's survival in fact. Not saying Erik mellowed a little with time, that would be pushing it. But self-preservation went far at times, that wasn't to say the Erik that Logan knew, didn't have some loyalty to Charles. They were friends. Deep down, they were friends and always would be, anyone with eyes could see that.