Professor of Genetics

        Back on that beach, he had felt regret but when he looked down at Charles now, he mostly felt guilt. The man that so selflessly had taken him in, was now a shadow of himself thanks to Erik’s actions and their dispute. 

        With a sigh he squat down to help his former friend back into his chair. “You look worse than I had imagined.”, he stated as calmly as possible to not sound like he was mocking him. That would have been the last thing he was here for. 

        A pause filled the room with silence for a moment, in which Erik stared down at Charles, before looking back to the door. “Where is everyone else?” He had noticed that he didn’t bumped into a single one of Charles’ beloved students, neither had he seen Hank, or another breathing soul in generaö. It gave him reason for concern, especially the shape Charles was into. 

        “Listen. I’m not here to fight. You are not my enemy, Charles, even though it might look like it after -”, he stopped, gaze dropping to the ground, before he closed his eyes and needed a moment to collect himself, to not let his voice break ayn further. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

There were emotions welling up. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to punch the man in front of him. He was bottling everything up though and the evidence was all over his face. “You abandoned me.” He couldn’t help but express himself even though he was being helped up. 

The fact that he was asked where everyone else was had been ignored for a moment for his emotions to spill out. The feeling was absolutely overwhelming but he couldn’t help himself. “I sent them away. I couldn’t listen to the voices in my head...”

“I need my medicine,” he struggled desperately to get into his chair. The truth was he was so dependent on it. The only plus rested in the fact that Erik had the helmet on so he couldn’t hear his thoughts.

Charles had been spending the better part of his afternoon locked away in his quarters. It had been a short while since the events of that day on the beach. It was a traumatic experience and the only relief came from Hank who had brought a syringe for him each day.

He waited by the door for the first few days, waiting for his sister to return to him. He had been left alone on that beach...his whole world had ended the day that Erik had chosen to rebel against human kind. But now he didn’t know what to do for himself...

The voices were loud. They were agonizing. The problem rested with the fact that Hank was away now...and no one was there to help him.

He fell out of his chair and onto the floor, clutching his ears as he hadn’t gotten a chance to take his dosage yet. But he hadn’t expected to see those shiny shoes...the leather of which was well polished.

Perhaps the telepath should have been thankful to learn that it was no dream, that he was stood in the depths of reality - though he wasn’t sure just yet. If the young man’s mind was true, if they really was him, another version of him - what did that mean? Did they differ? Their thoughts, their ideals? What building blocks of their lives had moulded them into who they were at that very moment?

Though while so many thoughts and questions hurtled around the veteran’s mind, his lips remained still, always calm, always collected - on the surface. “I could say the same.” He briefly admitted, attempting to voice his what rattled around inside his head. “We seem… different. On the surface, at least.”

“We are different, like....two different people drawing the same thing. Similar but always having different takes to it,” he admitted, looking at the other man who was skinnier than him. He wanted to know more about him, peeking into his mind on the surface.

“Yes, I… remember all too well.” The Professor admitted in a lower tone, a few extra blinks claiming his sight as he did his best to reign in what raw and unbridled emotions bubbled beneath the surface. “I can help you, for the time being. But… before you leave this place, you know I must erase your memory of all this.” He admitted, daring himself to look eye to eye with his younger self. “I can only protect you from your, our, future for so long. Perhaps a part of me hopes you will remember. At least, in one form or another.”

“You want to erase my memory of all that I’ve seen? How is it going to help me in the long run if you erase everything?” He looked so low and lost in that moment. “Why can’t we just defy time and space?”

“They all come back...”he called out just as the boys kicked him in the face. He’d been seen as a crazy man rolling through the streets and he’d been without the medication that Hank usually gave to him. Now he was dumped from his chair, blood running down his nose. 

It was a simple mugging they said, but he knew it was more than that. He’d been on Hank’s medicine for a day and a half and he was able to walk. He was able to hear his own thoughts but that’s the thing. He wasn’t able to hear other’s thoughts. And they seemed to be more malevolent in nature this time. He’d tried to steer the young men in another direction but they seemed to think he had drugs and money. 

It had left him in a sore state. He’d been left on the ground, unable to move as they kicked and beat the hell out of him. The worst part was the medication was wearing out and he lost ability of his legs. In the middle of the street without his wheelchair and now he was bloodied to a pulp.

Emil frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that to you, you really don’t look that old. I just didn’t know how to describe it to you.” He crossed his arms. “I’m just worried about you.”

“At least my father cares about you.”

“Yeah if you count him shooting me in the spine and stealing my sister away from me and starting a revolt against mankind against everything I have ever taught.”