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[it's automatic now; to make a call out that's meant only for a certain telepaths mind. a yell of tell me you're back. tell me you can hear me. please, before it's gone completely. his mind wiping blank in a way that only a person who spent half their lives around telepaths would know how to do

now, he turns his attention to his network device. it's different to his last one, but similar enough that he has no trouble navigating his way through it. the draw of the ship is too strong for him to leave the area yet. so when the video cuts in, the metal hull, gleaming in the sun, is all too clear]

Glory. If this is your doing, congratulations. You got me.

[his face may look familiar, but there are differences there. his hair is slightly longer, styled differently. he seems more relaxed than his other self. even his voice differs slightly. the undercurrents of german are less pronounced. but it's still clear that he's spent a lot of time speaking another language entirely. (hebrew, to those who can tell).]

We've already discussed this, so if you wouldn't mind, I have work to do.

[he adds a ping here to the few people he cares about; to hope summers, snape, caffrey. even givens gets a message sent through. but they're all bouncing back, and that leaves him...confused. annoyed. angry]

Will someone tell me what's going on here? Is this the city playing tricks again, or...

[there's some muttering under his breath then; hebrew now. if anyone listens closely enough, they may register the word ha-satan amongst it all. yes, he's talking about that satan]

I want answers. Now.

ooc; to you pesky telepaths: you're welcome to pick up on that first message. he knows how to project his thoughts well enough to make it rise above the usual surface thoughts people have. he just can't direct it to one person :|b

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[At those last words there is a flash of stark terror and then an emphatic.]

Oh yes, it does matter. [Before Charles realizes he is already instinctively responding to this man with his telepathy a habit Raven had tried to help him overcome.

No more than a couple of hours without her close to help steady him and he was already reverting back to bad habits. At least, habits he'd been told all his life were bad.]

I suppose I should ... try to help you.

[More telepathy, damn it! Charles brushed his fingers through his hair in an agitated gesture and then struggled to his feet. His messenger bag banged against his hip as he absently pushed it off to the side, looking first one direction and then the other.

Pinching his lower lip between his teeth, Charles turned and began to head in the direction were Erik's 'presence' felt the strongest.]

Here! I'm ... I'm here!

[He called out as he moved towards what looked like a doorway.]

It shouldn't. [their mutations are still gifts, and ones that he sees no reason to hide. so while he knows that there are sometimes reasons to keep them to themselves, he can't quite understand why charles believes now is one of those times.

the sudden echo along the corridors has his attention head snapping up, attention fixed on trying to pinpoint just which direction to head. his steps speed up in response though, rounding a corner to come to a halt by the entrance to the room, where he simply stares at the other man for a moment too long.]

Sorry. [for how long it took. his expression seems more like relief than an actual smile though, despite all attempts.] That should have been "hello Charles".

[Charles did not respond. He'd spent years trying to avoid Marko getting him committed to an insane asylum, not to mention standing up to his step father's attempts to beat him into inappropriate reactions.

This Charles was cautious about his telepathy.

In the end an answer did not seem to matter as between one breath and the next the disembodied voice he had been speaking too came through the door. As Erik simply stood and stared at him for a long moment, Charles shifted and raised a hand to tug at his cardigan. He even glanced down at himself to make sure he had his shoes on and a quick check at the back of his neck confirmed that the sweater was on right side out.

These were small matters he sometimes forgot to ensure if he was particularly distracted with some bit of academia but no, everything appeared to be in order.]

Ah, hello ... Erik, yes?

[Charles gave the man a tentative smile before dark brows furrowed thoughtfully as he realized ...]

Oh! You were just brought here also? When I woke up, I ... I thought maybe I had been taken to some sort of ... errr [He made shaky motion with his hand up by his head.] hospital. But nothing here looks remotely familiar to any sort of hospital I've ever seen on Earth.

[He was rambling.]

[it's difficult to step any further in to the room, but he eventually forces himself to try, keeping close to the exit once he does. he wants to move closer, to prove to himself that charles is really there. but it's the constant reminders that this isn't the same man he was trapped in the city with for all those months that keeps him from acting on it. this version doesn't hold himself the same way. he doesn't look anywhere near as dangerous as erik knows he could potentially be. this isn't a charles that's been to war, and it isn't the man he fought alongside all those time.]

We're- [he shakes his head, his hands slipping in to his pockets, fingers brushing over the metal sitting inside. it may still not be entirely under his control, but the contact is calming.]

This is a planet beyond the reach of those from our own worlds. From what I've been told, a way back hasn't been discovered yet. But it's only a matter of time.

We can't stay here though. [not with the threat of the oa still hanging over their heads.]

[Standing quietly, Charles made no move towards Erik either. His expression became more shuttered and he shook his head.]

That is not possible.

[He said softly.]

Kennedy has just begun to talk about putting man into space. There is talk of other planets but nothing like this.

[There was talk of it though. Talk and ideas and fictions built around this very sort of scenario. Things that his mind had easily picked up from the thoughts and minds around him in a day.

Thoughts and imaginations that were not his own. Could they have finally overwhelmed him? It had been a concern both he and Raven had shared for years and Charles looked away from Erik turning and walking back towards the stasis pod.

He reached out and touched it with his hand, gripped it tightly and pushed against it.]

This is real, I can feel this is real. It is not just in my head.

Kennedy? [it's still almost half a decade too soon for that. the idea of people going in to space is still fairly alien to him. there'd been rumours of the soviets planning something, but nothing that'd warranted his attention for too long. there were operatives already in place throughout the world to keep an eye on potential threats.

he manages a few steps further in to the room, following after charles as he moves away. there's a part of him that's still concerned that this is just the city playing tricks with him again. but there isn't any reason for it. not that he can see.]

This is something beyond the capabilities of your world. The last city- We were brought there for a reason, and I'm sure it's the same here. Once we find out who's responsible, we can work on finding a way to return home again.

[there's a moment where he reaches for that connection again, attempting to project the fact that he'll do whatever it takes to keep charles safe while he's here. that he's not going to mess that up again.]

This is all real. [and hopefully he'll believe it too, soon enough.]

[For a long breath, Charles just stood there, staring down at the floor as if transfixed. When he finally looked back up at Erik there was conflict in his expression as he struggled between what he was about to admit and continuing to flatly deny that any of this was real.

There was just something about this man, perhaps the way he kept echoing a sense of familiarity back into Charles' mind, that made Charles want to trust him.]

It's happened before. [He said quietly.] I've gotten lost in the imaginations of others and believed myself living events that were no more than the fantasies of another's mind.

Like being trapped in a dream that is not your own and at its worst, when I had completely lost my sense of self, it could be very real.

Just like this.

[He thumped his hand down on the stasis pod, wincing a little as the alien materials had no give.]

[it's an admission that actually hurts to hear. after seeing just what his own charles had gone through when the city had decided to play with his mind, the idea that this charles could well be living through that and more doesn't sit well with him.]

How do you prove to yourself that this is real? [the telepath-proof room may not be an option here, but both charles' before had had their own defences for when things went wrong. if this one has something similar, then maybe they can work it out between them. maybe charles can actually have a neutral space of his own to try and...stabilise himself?]

Is there anything I can do to help?

[Turning back to the man at the question, Charles looked legitimately puzzled in response to the question.]

Sometimes Raven brings me back. But other than that, I've simply managed to find my way back out.

[The answer, in unspoken words, hinted at the fact that he was well aware that he had been lucky enough to find his way back to his own mind and sense of reality. There was no magical cure, it was simply luck and survival.

At the second question, Charles' brows furrowed and a slightly disbelieving look came across his face.]

Why would you want to help? People hate what I do, even Raven ... tells me to keep my abilities under control, so we can function in society.

[raven. a person that he's both grateful for existing and hates for taking his place by charles' side. they may've grown closer in the last months, but it isn't enough to erase the past between them.

he needs to focus past that though. to remember just how different the other worlds are. that raven is charles' sister in one of them. so regardless of his own opinions, raven is clearly important to this charles too.]

Your abilities are a gift, Charles. You shouldn't have to hide them.

[if anything, he should be flaunting them. they're the next stage for a reason, and the sooner mutants stop being forced to hide who and what they are, the better.]

I want to help you because I'm like you. [he can hold off on the multiple versions until later. or try to.]

My abilities are a curse. [Charles corrected quietly, looking genuinely frightened for a moment before obviously forcing himself away from what ever memories this conversation was stirring.

At the claim of being like him, Charles glanced up, brows furrowing.]

You mean ... [He waggled his fingers up by his head.]

No they're not. [it comes out closer to an angry snap than a disagreement; the very opposite of what he'd like. their abilities are anything but a curse, so the idea of charles believing otherwise leaves him angry.

a breath. another. and he tries again, trying to push away that anger to focus on the problem at hand.]

My ability is different to yours. [drawing his hand back out his pocket, he holds the piece of vibranium out so charles can see it. a moment later and it's floating up from his palm, reshaping itself in to a cube instead.] There aren't many mutants who share the same power.

[Charles' head whipped around and he looked ready to snap right back when Erik was moving, drawing out the piece of metal and performing such an incredible feat with it.

The anger washed off the telepath's face, as if chased away by rain and he walked closer to the older man, eyes transfixed on the cube.]

My God. [He exclaimed, glancing up into Erik's face and then down at the cube.] That is amazing. May I?

[He was already reaching for the cube, barely remembering to stop himself before just taking it up. He had only experienced Raven's powers, which were absolutely beautiful as far as Charles was concerned. This ability of Erik's tickled at his curiosity and he practically vibrated with the desire to ask questions.]

Of course. [because he's incapable of saying no to charles, regardless of the version. the piece of vibranium may be important to him, but the other man takes priority.

reaching out with his power, he pushes the cube in to charles' hand. it still takes more effort than he'd like to manipulate this particular type of metal, so it takes a little while this time to reform it to the shape of a chess piece. a king, this time.]

There are hundreds of thousands of other people like us out there. We aren't cursed. We're evolved. Gifted,

[Once again, Charles' eyes widened as the piece of metal shifted in the short time it took to reach him and he carefully plucked the king out of the air, holding it very carefully.]

Your control is astounding. [He breathed, obviously fascinating by both this man and also the chess piece in his hand.] I can not even imagine.

[Charles paused and then looked up. The words that came from him next surprised him, because it was something he never spoke of, never discussed with anyone but Raven. In fact, he could hear the whisper of his sister's voice, telling him to be quiet, to be more cautious that this could be a trick.

Yet the thoughts, the images, the feelings coming off the German told a different story and nudged the telepath into speaking almost incautiously.]

It is only a gift if you can control it, Erik. If there is no control; if the thoughts, memories, feelings of hundreds of minds around you are constantly doing battle with what you hope are your own? It is no gift, my friend.

I had a good teacher. [in charles, at least. his time with schmidt may have started him along the road to using his abilities, but it's that decade spent with charles that developed his powers. it's the other mutant that taught him the right way to do things. the better way.

it's a somewhat distracted answer, regardless; the rest of charles' words striking a chord with him. it's the kind of thing he'd expect to hear from one of the others instead.]

Control is something that can be learned. And even before then, there are ways to manage your gift. [his hold on the piece is gone, and he can't keep himself from stepping close this time. close enough to try and close a hand over charles' shoulder to squeeze.]

Charles, I know what you're capable of. You can control it. It doesn't control you. Not unless you allow it to.

[Charles' eyes never left the chess piece, even when Erik reached out and took his shoulder. He could feel, flashes of a recognition that had nothing to do with him, yet everything to do with him and it was confusing.

It was as if this man knew him but Charles was well aware that he had never met anyone like Erik in his entire life. In the end, he sighed softly and held the chess piece up, towards Erik as he glanced towards the man.]

You do not know me, Erik. I'm sorry but I am afraid the control you are expecting is well beyond me at this point.

[There were too many mitigating factors in the mix. Factors he was not ready or willing to even begin to address at the moment.]

You said we needed to get away from here?

[he doesn't let go at first, the temptation there to just pull him close and ignore all the differences between this charles and the one he lost. if it wasn't for the lack of that familiar presence in the back of his mind, he knows it would be easy enough to do. to replace one with the other, however briefly.

reluctantly though, he manages to let go again, taking the chess piece back and pocketing it as the shape warps beneath his fingers. a deep breath, and he finally steps back again, nodding his head a little.]

The...Authorities. I've been warned that they're a danger to most of us here. [to those who woke up on the ship.] Staying here will make it easier for them to find us.

The Authorities? Are they the people who brought us here?

[His shoulder felt chilly where Erik's hand had rested and now fallen away. Charles adjusted his messenger bag and moved to show that he was ready to fall into step with Erik and exit the ship.]

No. [not even close. he starts moving then, leading the way out of the room and back toward the exit of the ship. despite how little information he's collected so far, he knows better than to stay inside any longer than they have to.]

There's a city here, hidden beneath a dome. They Outer Authorities are the ones responsible for guarding it, and we're seen as a threat to those inside. They're prepared to attack us on sight, and they have methods to defend themselves from those with abilities.

[Following the taller man's path, Charles listened closely to what he was saying, matching the words up against the smatterings of thoughts and emotions he could pick up.]

Why?

[He asked, though in a tone that indicated he did not expect Erik to miraculously have the answer but rather this was a genuine musing.]

What is it about us that they feel is a threat?

[it's a question he wishes he had a better answer to. he knows that they're protecting those inside the dome. that the entire area is apparently off-limits. but quite why they're specifically targeting everybody who arrived on the ship, he has no idea. as far as he knows, there hasn't been any kind of attack made against the dome yet.]

Perhaps they're more concerned with what we may do. [because he knows it's only a matter of time before his own curiosity gets the better of him and he makes a trip to the dome.]

[Once again Charles goes quiet as he walks along with Erik, his expression thoughtful and distracted, for the time being, from his own predicament.]

What a sad way to live. [He said softly.] I wonder what has happened in the past to make them so wary.

[The distraction of this inner pondering would no doubt keep him from overthinking his own situation, trapped here in a strange world, among complete strangers.]

That may be something you're better suited to finding out.

[assuming this charles is anything like the other ones he knows. whether there's any relevant information available or not, the history of this planet isn't something they can ignore.]

There's some form of library here that I'm sure you'd be able to access if you wished to.

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