The first thing Charlus did when Alain released him from the magnetron was to tackle the lying son of a bitch to the ground.
"Tell me!" He pressed a knife against his throat, "tell me why shouldn't I slit you carotid right now!"
Alain seemed pretty uninterested, a sigh escaped his lips as he said, "You think Lysander would come alone to capture Grace Van Black and Charlus Oak?"
"He called for backup?"
"He came with it, you idiot. The moment I captured you two he wanted to ransom you to the Xovier and kill you when they accepted the offer."
Charlus frowned, "Ransom for what?"
A smirk played across Alain's face, "Your mother."
Charlus dropped the knife almost immediately, "Why?"
Alain shrugged Charlus off his body, "She's a single woman leading the largest organization on the face of Earth, come on, be real."
Before Alain could have the chance to sit up, Charlus tacked him yet again. "How will I know you won't do the same? You betrayed us and him!" He pointed towards the dead lump on the floor of the cave.
The black-haired sighed yet again, "Because I—"
"Because I said so," said Grace.
Charlie immediately turned back and saw Grace step down from the magnetron, her face was pale and all out of the blood. Grace's steps were so feeble and weak that he had to catch her midway to avoid falling face first.
"How can you trust him after—" he pointed towards the magnetron and the dead body of her brother.
She was too weak to stand up, Charlus had held her firm with an arm around her waist. She tried to break free but the magnetron had sucked out off of her strength.
"It was all a plan," she put an arm around his shoulder for support.
"How do you know?"
"Because I told her," Alain dusted off snow and dirt from his clothes.
Charlus looked between the nephew and his aunt with a confusing look, "No, you didn't!"
"He did," she struggled to speak, "Alain called me tante, it's Kalosian for aunt."
"So?"
"It's our code word, you tree!" Alain cursed, he walked towards Lysander and picked up his legs, dragging him towards the magnetron.
Grace smirked, "When he called me tante, I didn't quite catch it at first but then when he shot Lysander... I knew it."
Charlus was fuming with anger, "If this was your plan all along then why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because—" Alain locked Lysander's hands in the magnetron, he then moved to the legs, "—you're not an actor and I needed the pure expression of betrayal from both of you."
"It's not a family reunion unless there is seasonal suffering." Grace gave Alain a hi-five from the distance.
"That's... adorable, deeply dysfunctional but adorable," Charlus struggled to hold Grace, "what's your plan on getting us out of here, genius?"
Alain walked behind the magnetron, a few sparks leaked from the circle and hit him. A grunt escaped from his lips as he opened a hatch which was buried underneath a fake coat of dust and stones.
"Come on, we don't have much time, the shots won't reach the outside but after a minute or so, they'll notice something is wrong. The Apocalypse is coming, quite literally."
Charlus pulled Grace up again and walked towards the hatch, "What about the unown?"
Both Grace and Alain broke into a laugh, "There is no unown, at least not in Joliet County, it was all a ruse."
"But how—"
"For Arceus sake, Charlus!" Grace shrieked, "Grow the fuck up, you big baby!"
"Would a baby kill people?!" Charlus screamed amid the cross shooting.
"What?!" Screamed Grace.
"You called me a baby, now would a baby kill people?"
"Oh my God!" Said Alain, "you're still hung up on that?"
The three of them had escaped out of the hatch quite smoothly compared to the rest of their trip. Of Joliet County was cold in the day, it was even colder and violent at night. They would themselves trapped in between a snowstorm. Of course, it didn't do Charlus any favor but he managed to soldier through.
"I've contacted the Xovier," Alain had said before they were caught, "I asked them for backup this instant."
"You asked?" Charlus questioned, "you weren't called again to be a part of it, I hope you know that."
Alain had shrugged, "Of course I do, I used yours."
Charlus wanted to stay out there and argue to his heart's pleasure but he had a small problem, he didn't want to stay outside where there was nothing but trees and snow for miles.
Grace had urged Alain to check the status of their rescue when the transmitter was knocked off his hand. Horror dawned on their faces as they made a run for it, hiding in between the trees, sliding off snow slopes anything they could do to get away from the members of the Apocalypse which were closing in on them.
"There are too many of them!" Said Alain as they were backed into a corner, his shooting hand was getting number by the second.
"I can see that genius," Grace had chosen to fight her very obvious internal injuries.
Red sparks of deadly lasers were flying all around them. One hit Grace's leg and the other one hit Alain's shoulder, he dropped down on the ground in excruciating pain.
"We... we can't get out," Charlus had pulled Grace down on the ground, behind their self made fort of snow, "I think we're going to—"
Before he could finish the sentence, blinding lights flashed above them and a terrible sound came running towards their direction. Branches of trees fell next to them and snow came rushing towards them, burying them in their little fort.
"Is it the Apocalypse?" Asked Grace as she dug her way out, "we're gonna die aren't we?"
Both Charlus and Alain struggled to maintain their focus, amid the storm and the canopies it wasn't clear which side had landed in the clearing.
The back of the jet opened, revealing a certain brown-haired man.
"Come in!" Screamed Gary, "hurry!"
Charlus had never been more pleased to see his son, he and Alain pulled Grace to her feet and hurried towards the jet.
"We have more incoming," Gary pushed the three of them to their seats.
"Foot or air?" asked Charlus.
"Air, duh," he cursed beneath his breath, "let's go!"
Charlus made his way towards the cockpit rushing past Gary as soon as the back of the plane closed. He found a certain orange-haired girl piloting the jet all by herself.
"Move!" He said to Serena.
Serena frowned, "What why?"
"I'll pilot the jet, move!" The jet was already up in the sky, "move! I order you too!"
Serena scoffed, "I'm not moving anywhere and I don't take orders from you!" She took a sharp left, dodging the crossfire from the enemy jets.
"You're an amateur," he said, "and I'm the best pilot in the Chamber."
She laughed while taking another sharp turn, "My mother said that my father was the best pilot in the chamber."
Charlus gasped, "I'm the best pilot in the Chamber!"
"Not for long!" Serena took a sudden dive, Charlus stumbled backward but quickly caught the head of Serena's chair.
"What the hell are you doing?" He sat down next to her.
"Flying!" She rotated the control wheel 360 degrees.
"Spinning isn't flying!" Charlus found himself screaming.
Despite his obvious doubts, Serena turned out to be an excellent fighter. Her moves were rough and spontaneous and often revoked 'that's my girl!' slangs from Grace. But they were adequate, in fact considering her young age and very little training, they were excellent.
She dodged the enemy fire before they were even shot out. To Charlus, it felt like her mind and the controls were the same.
He couldn't help but wonder what Lysander had meant to say about Serena before he was shot dead by Alain.
He turned back to face Grace, who was beaming with joy despite her bleeding injures.
What aren't you telling me Grace? He asked himself as the jet soared through the skies.