CHAPTER 51

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[Charles Xavier – Professor X POV]

He messed up.

He failed.

In his haste to prevent something that could 'potentially' wipe out the human race, he neglected the opinions of those around him and acted on his own which ended up in fracturing the trust they once had in him. 

It was all his fault and that was a consequence he would bare to lighten the guilt he felt at that moment. 

'But I would do it again.'

He might have believed that he was too hasty and paranoid which led him to take the actions he did against Mr. St. Cross but all that changed the moment he attacked him in his mindscape. 

He saw it. 

No he didn't see it. But he felt it. 

'Something else.'

It was a glimpse of what laid beneath the human skin of Mr. St. Cross. 

Chaos given form. 

It felt unlike a psychic feedback but more or a premonition. A vision, of what was to come. 

This was different from the incident with Jean. While Jean's power too great for her to handle that it had to be suppressed, the young man's was entire different. All it did was promise destruction. 

He was able to watch what happened that night from Scott's memories and it seemed that his fears were coming true. 

An embodiment of chaos and destruction was all he saw. He saw how he was able to come out almost entirely unscathed from the combined team effort of all the teachers present and how he seemed to be able to use Scott's ability in the middle of the fight. 

All he did was want destruction. 

If he was being honest then he was definitely afraid of what this man would grow to become if he was left unguided. 

He would try and talk with the young man again. No matter how hard, he would still try. 

"What are you thinking about Charles?"

He swirled his wheelchair around and saw that his long time friend had entered the room while he was still submerged in his thought. 

"I was wondering if I made the right choice Henry." He said. 

"You have to know that good and bad are different from right and wrong. While you might have made a bad choice, I believed you did it for the right reasons." Henry said. "But that's not what's bothering you is it?" As intuitive as always. His instincts were always something impressive. 

"No it's not." Charles started, "He is different than the mutants we shelter here at the Institute. He already has his own goals, his own views… his own convictions."

"And what's the problem with that?" Henry asked. 

"There's no problem with any of that."

"I sense a 'but' coming." Henry said while Charles chuckled. 

"It is his abilities that worries me. Hear me out first. I watched the fight he had with Logan and the others and coupled with what I felt inside his mind, I could very well say that he is a bad omen. What I felt from his was destruction Henry. Pure and unadulterated destruction." Charles said seriously. 

Henry mused for a while before asking Charles. 

"You think his abilities are influencing him? He wouldn't be the first but it's not like it's a new thing either. All we have to do is help him control whatever destructive urges he has, and according to Logan he has anger issues so it shouldn't be any different than taking care or advising a temperamental youth." Henry theorized with conjectures. 

"I don't believe it is ability influencing him and from what we heard from the others, he's an easygoing person even when dealing with hostiles."

"The what are you trying to say Charles?" 

"I'm saying that his abilities are not all there is to him. There is something more to him than any of you know. Deep within his mind, all he knows is destruction." Charles explained. 

"But you know these are just 'your thoughts'. While you might be gifted with a wonderful ability Charles, you of all people should know that the mind is just a place where we throw most of the things we are afraid to bring out. Just because someone has evil thoughts doesn't make them evil or inherently bad. Everyone has evil thought Charles, everyone. And it just so happens that our mind is the convenient garbage disposal for it. I can't help but think about how many times the thoughts to kill Logan comes to my mind every time he call me 'furball'." Henry said. "Everyone has a form of evil within them, some greater more than others. But if you actively look for this evil then that's all you'll see them as, as the personification of your opinion and not for the people they are. But unfortunately for you old friend, you are rather drawn to who they are deep inside as opposed to who they 'truly' are. Don't think too much Charles, you are already bald. Wouldn't want others falling off now would you?" Henry advice and joked at the last part before leaving the room and leaving Charles to ponder about what he friend just said. 

"Hopefully you are right old friend. Hopefully."

….

[Clint Barton POV] 

You know, when people say 'damnit', it's mostly due to frustration and overall bad luck but the number of times I've said it the past few weeks had me thinking about what my karma point must be like right about. Probably in the negatives. 

Its like, everything started going downhill ever since I met that dude months ago. 

Honestly if it was just any other mutant or terrorist group trying to mug a S.H.I.E.L.D storehouse then all I would have had to do nick some of the unsuspecting assholes with a few arrows and then job done. But no. 

I just had to be the guy who wound up in a group that took it upon themselves to tango with one of the most dangerous organizations ever. 

I'm just a normal guy, how couldn't they see that. The boss got his trench coat with the eyepatch thing going on which apparently is as 'badass as a motherfucker snowboarding without his shirt on' according to the boss. 

Coulson had the 'passive invincibility' thing going on for him which according to that bastard lets him blend into the background if you take your eyes off of him for more than 3 seconds. 

The new girl, Hill, she got uh… what was it again… got it! She got the 'passive aggro' thing that draws enemy fire to her. According to the bastard, she would function as the perfect bait to draw enemy fire. She wasn't too happy when he said that. 

And then the bastard himself, Draul, who according to himself 'I'm a walking tank with nuclear options. What does it mean? It means I'm not something you fuck with'. He said that with a straight face while at the same time managing not to be narcissistic about it. Smug bastard. 

And then there's me. Apparently I'm 'the bozo who thought it would be cool to play Robin Hood in a gun fight. What the fuck are you going to do when you run out of arrows? Rob them?' with no special abilities. 

I don't even want to start about that part mission. Well jokes on him if he thought that just because he dodged my arrows from a kilometer out means he could do it from 500 meters. That was a win I got to rub on his face anytime he felt the need to play the jokes on me. 

And as if he wasn't happy with me being the 'only' normal guy, he brought in the brainwashed super soldier and the capsicle that he had Fury scoop up from somewhere in the arctic. It took me a while to get that joke… like 2 weeks of a while. I wonder why they don't just say it like it is – the frozen captain. It would make a lot of things easier. 

And like a stupid twist in a fairytale story, the brainwashed soldier turned out to be the best friend of the icicle captain… no that's not it. Icicap? Capticle? Capsicle! Yes, that's the one, capsicle. He turned out to be the brainwashed best friend of the capsicle who the captain thought died but was actually dug up by HYDRA as their guard dog while the captain took a chill. 

'God! These jokes are annoying me.'

If this was a movie then they'd come an arc where the captain and his new team confronts the guard dog and its new masters and while the captain would want to save him due to past sentimentalities, there were bound to be discontent since no doubt there would be the cliché scene where the guard dog hurt one of the captain's new teammates in some way and from there tension would arise and it would devolve into a free-for-all between everyone involved where there would be forced to choose a side. 

It was honestly disturbing how things would fall into perspective when looking from an outsiders point of view. Draul was a prime example. The only times I've ever seen him serious was when HYDRA was involved and even then he would still find something about it to joke with. 

I knew he was traumatized by what happened to him but he was able to hide it pretty well. Maybe he doesn't even know. It is most likely a subconscious action to protect it's host, it wasn't something I haven't seen before. 

I knew people who could fight well even when they were half asleep or tipsy. Some had even trained themselves and their body to ignore pain to a ridiculous degree. Draul was the same as them, but his was something he wasn't even aware about. 

But it didn't matter all that much now. 

'He's healing.'

Ever since the day we took down HYDRA's head, he became more… free. His actions from the way he talked all to the way he even looked were different. Before, it could be said that he had trained his body to be able to emulate minute changes at will like a professional assassin or martial artist, but now all these came natural to him. Like he wasn't taught but had had them since birth. 

A frightening second nature. 

'That bastard sure is weird as fuck.'

Why am I doing all this? Because I'm in an HYDRA base in Wisconsin doing clean up with some agents. 

"Hill, you got 5 targets heading for you. Take the path by your right and follow it until you come across a hatch. There's a blind spot by it where you should be able to take out at least three of them before they can react." I informed Hill.

"Got it."

"Riley, double back and wait for Hill's signal to help her out." I informed one of the agents. 

"Yes sir."

I still don't know why I got this job. Less than a year and I'm already a high level agent. Gah! Responsibilities. 

"Strowmann, Hill just pulled aggro. She has 17 hostiles incoming, you and Brock go help her out." I commanded two heavy shooters. 

"Fuck you Clint." Ah yes, the aggro puller. 

I nocked an arrow to my bowstring and pulled back before letting it sail through the air in a projectile of 423 meters before it hit a wall and a flash bang blinded the incoming aggroes Hill pulled. 

My job was support, which was obvious given my weapon of choice so Fury had me overseeing these little raids. 

"Hey Clint." Hilled called me over on the comms. 

"Yeah, what up?" I answered. 

"Is he gonna show up at one of these raids?" She asked me. 

"I don't think so. He's probably… enjoying… his vacation." I replied her as I shot two more arrows at two snipers. "You missing him all of a sudden? I bet he'll be glad." I teased. 

"No. I'm just asking since it'll make these raids easier. And besides, he's not my type." She said matter-of-factly. 

"Oof. Burn. Too bad he isn't here for me to rub it in his face." I said although I doubt I could get the reaction I wanted from him for something like this. 

"Are you guys a couple or something?" I almost missed my shot because of that comment. 

"I'd rather marry a penguin than, gleurh, date that guy for even a day. What the hell is wrong with your imagination Hill?!" I almost shouted back if not for the fact of not compromising my position. 

"Nothing. Just asking." She said in a smug tone. 

'This woman is weird.'

"Are you guys done having your lovers spat? We gotta move Hawks." Strowmann said through the comms, putting an end to our bicker. 

"Hey Wade, you have heavy artillery coming from your 9 O'clock. You think you can handle them?" I asked one of the new recruits. I didn't even know where Fury picked this guy up from. Wait, was Fury the one who picked him up? I don't even remember this guy joining this raid!

"Roger that Leader-san! Make way! Pikachu is coming!"

"…"

"…"

"… Who the hell is that guy?"

…

…

A/N: Was feeling a bit wonky so I just decided to add a Deadpool cameo. Nothing serious.