Chapter Seventeen: "The Fate of Wanda Maximoff"
"How did it go?" Asked Erik Lehnsherr, approaching Charles from behind on the balcony. Meanwhile, the Professor looked out towards the greenery of the island. It was the closest uninhabited area to the institute, and the building Wanda was kept in was hardly stable.
"I heard the screaming."
Charles shuddered before turning to face his old friend. It was the fifth time that week he had tried to reach out to Wanda in her dreams while she was unconscious. Today, she had a dream she was back in Sokovia watching American TV with her family. Since Charles had called Erik, Wanda had not been completely awake for more than five minutes at a time. Though since he had arrived, her dreams became tame and familial. He suspected she sensed Erik's presence.
"I'm sorry Charles." Erik spoke, noticing Charles' nose bleed and already knowing the answer to his own question.
"Erik, every time your daughter uses her powers to alter reality, she loses more of her grasp on reality." Charles told him, having been given the time to think to himself. "And it's not getting better."
Erik sighed, looking at the ground before looking back up to respond.
"Is she asleep?" He asked, noticing the stillness of his environment. Something that may not be occurring if she was awake.
"Yes I "suggested" she sleep." Charles stated begrudgingly. "We can't keep drugging her and physically putting her to sleep. It's inhumane. And it's hardly foolproof." Charles hesitated. "And it's barely working." He added somewhat resentfully. He hated that this is what he had come to. Years of teaching ethics, and yet, when came this decision, he hesitated. The choice between helping a troubled woman or potentially saving his reality. Now he was drugging said woman, alongside endangering his planet.
Charles noticed how this must've been to Erik. He was hesitant to trust Charles' word that Wanda was in trouble. He believed it might've been a ploy to turn him in. It took seeing the pain of his daughter— his blood— suffering for him to stand down. For Magneto to finally put down the helmet and put a halt to his political squabbles.
"Stop blaming yourself, Erik. She's a grown woman." Charles spoke, breaking the silence between them. Erik gave a humourless chuckle.
"Stop reading my mind without permission." He responded, leaning up against the balcony's railing.
"I wasn't." Charles smiled slightly. Erik sighed, not so surprised that Charles still knew him so well. Well enough to know that he would put aside their petty rivalry for a brief moment just so that he could see his daughter— potentially for the last time— although he hated that thought.
"I can't help it, Charles." Erik began. "I was never there for my children. I destroyed whatever chance they had at a decent life. Because of what I believe. My war against the humans was more important than being there for their mother." He shook his head at himself. "When I found out I had children, I tried to find them. I really did. I just... Never should've been so careless." He finished, eyes watering ever so slightly.
"There are plenty of people who think I probably deserve this." He smiled, adding a small chuckle to his sentence to try hide his self-hatred. Somewhere deep down he knew he did deserve it. To be torn away from his only daughter forever.
"Maybe..." Charles hummed. "But she doesn't."
Erik nodded, turning around to his old friend. They enjoyed a content moment of silence before Charles cleared his throat.
"I must go, Erik. The X-Men have a meeting back at the institute."
Erik allowed him to leave, planning to make a visit to Wanda on the floor above.
Once Charles returned to the school, he gathered the X-Men in the War Room. He also invited several other members of the institute, Rogue, Bobby, Kitty, Piotr and there were a few of Magnetos followers from the Brotherhood including Mystique. She above all others seemed to have a very set view on what she wanted to happen with Wanda.
"Where's Peter?" Asked Rogue, noticing that there was an absence of his usually hyperactive presence.
"He said he had some business to take care of." Bobby shrugged off, coming to take a seat at the circular table.
"More important than this meeting?" Rogue asked, slightly suspicious. Xavier never ordered meetings unless the matter was serious.
"Maybe he got lost?" Piotr chimed in and Kitty shushed him as Charles entered the room.
The X-Men and students fell quiet, watching as Charles made his way towards the table. There was a sense of both dread and eagerness as they all awaited his news.
"Why are we here Professor?" Logan asked, fist curled up on the table emphasising his impatience.
"I have called this meeting to discuss with you an almost impossible matter." Everyone's eyes were on Xavier, awaiting his proposition.
"We need to decide the fate of Wanda Maximoff."
...
Peter was knelt beside Wanda's rusty metal bed. She looked almost at peace when she was asleep, but he knew it was a false image. He knew what Charles was planning to discuss with the other X-Men. He couldn't accept it. Not when he had just found his sister.
"What are you doing here, child?" Erik asked from behind. Peter wasn't startled, he knew Magneto must've been around there somewhere. They hadn't had the chance to reconnect, even after Erik found out he was Peter's father.
"They're going to kill her." Peter said, turning on his knees to look at Erik. He was barefoot, standing by the moonlit window, but Peter's words moved him closer.
"What?"
"They are going to KILL her!" Peter shouted, standing to his feet. Erik, for once in his life stood down. He knew it might've been an option. He knew it was wrong, but then again... It might've been the only option.
"Xavier, the rest... ALL the X-Men-- Her friends! They are meeting right now at the institute. They're agreeing to kill her. Why else would they meet? They are going to decide there is no other way, and they are going to come here and kill her. MY sister. YOUR daughter." Peter ranted, pointing a finger at Magneto as he moved close. Peter wasn't one to lose his temper, but he hated feeling hopeless. He hated that this one person who didn't make him feel like a freak may be inhumanely killed.
"Peter, they may be right." At Erik's words, Peter began to rant on so fast that he became a blur to the human eye. Erik stood there patiently waiting for him to finish.
"I can't-- Peter, no one can hear you when you yell that fast." He sighed, watching the boy pace around the room.
"I made so many promises to her. Ones that I won't get to keep. I wanted to protect her. From you. From anyone that wanted to harm her-- now the X-Men! They were supposed to be our friends-- Our family, and now they are going to kill her! And you agree?" Peter scoffed, running a hand through his hair as he continued his pace.
"What would you have me do!?" Erik snapped harshly, glaring at his son.
Peter stopped his pacing, and moved chest to chest with Magneto. "They're going to kill her!"
Erik grabbed Peter's shirt in a closed fist, pushing him back.
"What would you have me do!?" He repeated, loosening his grip. Peter fell to the ground before Erik, soundlessly crying. He had no answer, no response. Because deep down he knew, Xavier was right.
Magneto didn't dare to look down, but then his eyes met Wanda's sleeping form. His face contorted into a look of pain and he forced his eyes shut, refusing to look any longer.
...
"What is there to say? Put her down." Mystique spoke first, immediately causing chaos in the room.
"No no no!" Rogue objected.
"I wouldn't even entertain the thought." Piotr muttered to himself.
"Put her down, what is she a dog?" Logan angrily stated, showing his true feelings about the matter for the first time. He had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole ordeal. He was as clueless as the rest of them, but all he knew is that he wanted her alive.
"The Professor just explained that the entire world is in danger because of her-- I think we should at least talk about this." Storm spoke, and Jean looked hesitant to add into the conversation.
"There is always a way, right Professor?" Bobby added, only to immediately get shut down.
"Not always." One of the men of the Brotherhood spoke, and a few glares were sent his way from the students.
"Okay, Charles, be honest." Scott spoke, causing all eyes to fall onto him. "You're the most powerful psychic mind on this planet... Can you help her?"
Charles looked down for a second before shaking his head.
"If I could, Scott, I wouldn't be here having this conversation right now."
"Jean is there anything you can do with your telepathy to help?" Rogue asked, and Logan shook his head off to the side. It felt as though they were going in circles. Jean had tried to help Wanda before, but failed.
"Nothing the Professor can't." Responded the red-haired mutant.
"What about with the Phoenix Force?" Storm asked, turning to look at her friend. Scott immediately shook his head.
"I could, but I'm still trying to--"
"No, absolutely not. It could kill her." Scott cut his girlfriend off. The Phoenix force at that point might've been the only thing strong enough to take on Wanda. Though, with little control for her alter, it was dangerous for Jean to try.
"I don't see another option. If Charles says he can't hold her much longer, he can't hold her much longer." Logan chimed in, eyes looking to Xavier who was sat in silence.
"Should we vote?" Spoke Pyro from the other end of the table, breaking the moment of silence.
"No. She's one of us." Logan denied, immediately rejecting the idea.
"She is a mutant threat. Didn't the X-Men dedicate their lives to dealing with mutant threats?" Mystique commented snidely.
"Threats to mutants, not mutant--"
"It's all the same." Mystique cut off Logan with the wave of her hand.
"Wanda is both. If word got out that--" Ororo began.
"This is wrong." Rogue breathed out quietly, interrupting Storm. However, the mutant continued.
"If word got out that there's a witch with potentially world-ending power hiding on an island next to New York City... It would set mutant / human relations back to the stone age. That would be it for us." Ororo continued, trying to add a more logical approach to the matter.
"A witch?" Bobby asked, but he was shrugged off.
"I'll never agree to killing her." Logan stated firmly, standing from his chair.
"Someone do the math for me. How many more of you does she need to kill before you snap out of it?" Mystique added, also rising from her seat. Logan shot her a glare.
"So if any of my powers wig out on me, I can count on you to just kill me?" He chuckled sarcastically, but Mystique just smirked.
"Yep." She said.
"Professor, I can't believe you would even entertain this!" Scott exclaimed, turning the attention back onto Charles who hadn't made a contribution to the conversation.
"It's because he's already made up his mind." Logan scoffed, moving around the back of his chair, and lighting a cigar.
"Scott-- I don't know what to do." Charles muttered, ignoring Logan's comment.
"Wanda's our friend." Rogue chimed in. "I need to hear what she wants. We should go see her." She said, looking back at her friends to receive their approval.
"Professor, can you and Ms Grey hold her back long enough for us to reach through?" Rogue suggested, causing silence to fall as Charles contemplated his response.
"It may be possible." He spoke hesitantly, but it was all the confirmation Rogue needed. She chucked a look to Logan, and he sent her a firm nod.
"Then let's go."