Flashing silver (XMEN Fanfic, Secret Santa For SnowyDays)

[Elektra]

*            *            *                          SECRET SANTA FOR SNOWYDAYS                 *              *            *

 FLASHING SILVER, (PART I)

The day had begun like any other day, mostly. A few ping-pong games against himself (which he had all won), while playing WOW, Final Fantasy X and defeating a couple hundred zombies on his new Christmas  gift –which, by the way, kicked ass.

He wasn’t sure when things had really gone wrong. It was too hard keeping one line of thought together. What he knew for certain, was that he’d managed to stay entirely still for longer periods that this one. If he didn’t move at all, he’d found that he could remove his senses from his limbs, one by one, in a slow, methodical progress, until feeling entirely disappeared. There was no pain left. Only a general feeling of fuzziness, as if his whole body floated in limbo, and…--my God, almost warm.

Only this time he’d cracked earlier. Or so it seemed, in a place where there was no temporal notion, and every second grew longer than the last. Just the slightest, spasmodic twitch of a muscle, an involuntary move, so subtle it could have gone unseen, and it triggered a chain reaction that resulted in an abrupt return of consciousness.

And boy, did it hurt.

Peter Maximoff, aka Quicksilver, bit his tongue to keep from screaming, only to surrender to his initial urge as a maze of pains awoke along the million nerve-endings of his body. He felt it start as a low growl at the back of his throat, threatening to tear him apart as it built up in intensity, and finally let it loose in an explosion of sound, a shriek mixed up with raving and ranting, along with whatever insults he could think of to throw into the mix. What did it matter, anyway? Where he was –and he wasn’t sure where that was, he doubted anyone could have heard him. He was past caring anyway.

Peter laid tied up on his back, naked but for a pair of briefs he had been generously allowed to keep, his body stretched out in an unnatural position. His arms were extended at an off angle above his waist, and strangely evocative of crucifixion. Never mind the symbolism: Peter *hated* to be restrained, and his bounds effectively prevented from any possible movement, turning his agony into a psychic torment as well as physical.

But the worse about it was the cold. Topping any discomfort he endured was the lingering, damp, nauseating cold that permeated everything and had numbed his skin in patches, cramping his muscles into an almost constant knot. Under him was a long slab of freezing stone, and all around dark frost covered the edges of the white walls, reminding him vaguely of a clinic, a butcher’s lab…or a morgue.

Peter heaved a breath and shuddered, then blinked tears out the corner of his eyes, where they immediately began to freeze. Then he shut them close again and endeavored to remove his senses from the dull and sharp aches alike again, one clenched-up muscle at a time.

                                        *         *         *

The School For Gifted Youngsters stood tall and proud amidst the glittering snow, the red brick walls now almost gone under the new shiny layers of powdery white that shone too bright in the afternoon sunlight. A band of seemingly-normal teenagers ran around laughing and shouting, and hitting whoever came within range of fire with snowballs.

Inside, however, the cold had no reach. A wide hearth burned bright with flames in the center of the Library, its heat reaching as far as Xavier’s office next door. Charles Xavier, Professor and Head of the school, sat back in his wheelchair, his eyes half-closed in meditation, a small smile on his lips. Only to be interrupted by an abrupt sneeze as the chimney’s smoke suddenly tickled his nostrils, which he muffled in his sleeve at the last moment. Exhaling out a small cough, he looked up to find Scott Summers regarding him curiously.

_Professor?

_Scott”, Xavier sniffed then inquired courteously. “Would you be so kind as to open the doors to the Mansion? Please let our guest know that I will join him shortly in the library’s private section.”

          Cyclops arched an eyebrow but nodded silently, knowing better than to question the older man. As he moved to comply, though, the Professor stopped him:

_Oh, and Scott…?

_Sir?

_Bring us some tea as well, if you don’t mind.”

*         *         *        

          A few moments later, the bald man sat by the fire in a closed-off section of the huge library, sipping leisurely at his tea while a tense Logan prowled the room, his eyes roaming the space restlessly.

          The cause of his visible tension sat opposite him, a tall man with white hair and a chiseled face, his movements sparse and precise as he fixed his gaze on his host.

          Xavier studied both men effortlessly within his mind’s eyes; even without questing with his will, the Wolverine’s silent snarl rolled off of him in a constant wave against his psychic sense, while his guest’s unusual angst felt like a thrumming pull despite the tall man’s neutral features. Professor X had to give him credit: nothing showed on his face. He hid it well.

          The Head of the school allowed himself a small smile behind the brim of his cup as he waited it out. As the emotional level in the room rose beyond what he evaluated at a reasonable comfort zone, he nodded to Logan his permission to leave. The surly man frowned, clearly disagreeing.  

          Eric Lehnsherr, alias Magneto, smirked without humor, missing none of it. He made no biting comment, however, uncharacteristically restrained and silent.

_You can go”, Xavier said out loud, driving his point home, but with a gentle tone. “It’s all right.”

          The Wolverine retreated reluctantly, but not before glaring steadily at Magneto, conveying his mistrust with an emphasis that couldn’t be construed as anything else but rude. **And put out your cigar**, Charles sent telepathically. **it stinks.**

          The door closed on him, and the Professor sighed.

“Now,” He turned to his old nemesis and friend. “Eric. Will you tell me what ails you?”

What, no snide remark on how he could just get in his head and look? This was growing more unsettling by the minute. After a long moment, the other man’s shoulders slumped fractionally, and he let out:

_Peter’s missing.”

          His expression betrayed nothing, but Xavier abruptly perceived a father’s concern that was a far cry from the anger and bitterness Magneto had accustomed him to. His own throat tightened in empathy.

_I thought you had no contact with either Quicksilver or his mother.” He only said.

_He ….we initially had none. She wanted nothing to do with me, you understand.” Magneto finally let the words tumble from his mouth in a rush, more worried than acidic somehow. “But after he broke me out of the Pentagon last year, I….I kept tabs on him. He’s been missing for three days” He snarled, meeting Charles’ gaze openly now. “None of my network yielded me anything, and the police hasn’t come up with news either. Has he—did he show up here, recently?”

_Not that I know of. But I can find out.” Professor X swept his mind’s gaze across the school in a fast, broad search, looking for psychic residues or imprint the boy could have left in his wake with his super-fast ability. He didn’t bother asking the students, going straight for the core. But the closest track he could find dated back to weeks ago. He opened his eyes again and shook his head briefly. “You’ve got my help if you want it, Eric.”

          There was no need to be a mind-reader to see what it cost the other man. But Magneto swallowed his pride and gave a curt nod.

_Thank you, Charles.

_Any lead so far? He asked, getting to the point.

_No. But…” The lean man gritted his teeth. “I’m pretty sure someone must have picked up on his gift and want to use it to their own ends. I can’t think of anything else. For God’s sake, Charles –he’s just a kid.”

          The Professor snorted.

_A kid who broke you out of the Pentagon last year. Besides, most of them were younger than that when I started the X-Men.”  Then he turned his attention inwards and sent a message : ** Logan, Jean, Scott. Meet me in the lobby. Code One.**

          A couple of minutes later, a small and deadly team had assembled, and began planning a search party.

*        *         *        

 

          Time stretched itself thin, turned in on it self and bounced. Peter could no longer tell if he’d been there hours or days, or whether it was day or night. He was probably underground, since only a small neon-light burned above his head, and no light filtered from outside. Just when he thought the pain couldn’t get worse, a small but insistent tickle started itching its way up his nose, definite and precise as opposed to the general numbness of his freezing body. He idly wondered when he would hit hypothermia. Maybe it would hurt less then.

          The itch abruptly transformed into a hitch and he tried reflexively to hold back the sneeze that came in force, instinctively fearing the strain it would put on his bonds. But it only delayed the inevitable. For a short suspended eternity, he sniffed, nostrils flaring, hanging there in a precarious balance. Then Quicksilver sneezed two harsh, half-stifled sneezes, shaking his whole body against the cold stone, before erupting into a third, loud and uncontrolled ‘Err---ertsch!’ that sprayed unto his naked chest.

*Damn it*, He thought, and he broke into half-manic laughter. *If my captors don’t kill me, I might just be done by a stupid cold!* The whole notion seemed so trivial that he felt his sanity buckle for a moment. To shake the panic that invaded him, he screamed :

“What do you want from me??”

Peter expected no answer but the echo on the cold walls. Yet, shockingly, a few minutes later, a huge door creaked on its hinges and opened inward. Quicksilver’s breathing turned faster, too close to hyper-ventilating for comfort, his anger mixing in with both terror and relief at finally seeing someone. Two more almost silent sneezes shook him and he turned his head the other side, as if not wanting to feel the strangers’ eyes on him while at his weakest.

_Bless you”, came a rich feminine voice. He blinked. “I believe he’s ready.” The voice resumed, addressing someone behind the door.

          His sense of foreboding increased in spades, along with his congestion.

          *         *         *

[Snowydays]

oh. Oh. Oh my god. AAAAAHHHHH!! Oh my god I can't!! //flails and screams in happiness 

Okay, here's a coherent response 

I love love love your writing style!  It's like super descriptive and well thought out, the images just come to life in my imagination!! And aaah the characterisation! Love how Peter retains his sense of humour even in a situation like this  Also!! The fatherly Charles and Erik dynamic in this is just!! so!! good!! I love Erik in this, while he's done awful things that can't be justified, he's got that love and heart still in behind Magneto! Ahh this has everything I love and more, including an angst scenario which is uh..definitely a guilty pleasure whoops  But anyway! Thank you so much, I looove this fic! 

[Elektra]

Thanks Snowydays! Ahah it's cool it's exactly what I was going for I've thought about you, kid, I took your instructions with me on my family trip, but there was no way I could write it in front of my pareeennnnnts (yeah I know I'm older and all, but seriously...that doesn't change)

So anyways I was so afraid I'd flake on that one and I wanted to keep my deadline,  but I only came home today A good thing I found out some people were doing theirs in parts

Also I wasn't sure what you had read/seen or not about X Men. when I was 15 I had a friend who did a collection....and so he lent me his comics in friggin' *piles* of 50! XMen, Mechanics, Generation X, Mutant X...you name it. So while I don't remember most of it correctly, the stories tend to blend in in my head and I wasn't sure I could keep any relationship accurate. (for egg if you watched only the recent movies, then maybe you had a younger professor X in mind)

Anyways, I'm so happy you liked it! I'm going back to work tomorrow but I'm gonna try and write the follow up soon enough 

Happy new Year!

[AngelEyes]

This is excellent!

[Snowydays]

23 hours ago, Elektra said:

Thanks Snowydays! Ahah it's cool it's exactly what I was going for I've thought about you, kid, I took your instructions with me on my family trip, but there was no way I could write it in front of my pareeennnnnts (yeah I know I'm older and all, but seriously...that doesn't change)

So anyways I was so afraid I'd flake on that one and I wanted to keep my deadline,  but I only came home today A good thing I found out some people were doing theirs in parts

Also I wasn't sure what you had read/seen or not about X Men. when I was 15 I had a friend who did a collection....and so he lent me his comics in friggin' *piles* of 50! XMen, Mechanics, Generation X, Mutant X...you name it. So while I don't remember most of it correctly, the stories tend to blend in in my head and I wasn't sure I could keep any relationship accurate. (for egg if you watched only the recent movies, then maybe you had a younger professor X in mind)

Anyways, I'm so happy you liked it! I'm going back to work tomorrow but I'm gonna try and write the follow up soon enough 

Happy new Year!

Aaah I relate!! I've been away myself but I got back a bit earlier than you did, and I had to type out my story on my phone very secretly haha! I was stressing to finish mine as well so I totally get it, so don't worry! My dad is a total comic book nerd and I read a lot of the stories growing up and I read some now when I can, but everything's a whole mix up in my head as well  And take your time! I totally understand writing takes time and life's busy, so don't sweat it! I love it enough as it is ^-^

[Elektra]

Thank you @AngelEyes !