It was like the world had stilled around him; it had all narrowed down to nothing but the coin and the man before him and the feelings of vicious satisfaction that roared within, beneath the confusion that churned inside him. If he concentrated hard enough, he even felt as if he could hear a pained, fearful scream inside his head. The thought caused his mouth to stretch up in a wild, bloody grin, even though the expression was more of a pained grimace than anything remotely joyful.
‘Goodbye Shaw,’ he whispered, watching with hungry eyes as the coin pushed through Shaw’s head and out the other side, as the light in Shaw’s eyes grew dim and then flickered out. ‘Goodbye.’
And then Shaw collapsed and all at once Erik was free.
He was free. For the first time in his life he could finally be at peace.
He blinked as he realised that his eyes were wet and he brought his hand up to his face, amazed at the tears that brushed his fingertips. His hands shaking, he took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped back from the body in front of him.
‘Charles,’ he said hoarsely, his mouth turning up at the edges in a pained, disbelieving smile. ‘Charles, we did it! We got him! It’s over, it’s finally ov-’ He froze, mid-turn, at the sight that met his eyes.
Charles was lying crumpled on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head, his body horrifically still.
‘No,’ Erik gasped. He immediately pushed forward and fell down to his knees beside him, his own injuries completely forgotten. ‘No! Charles!’ His hands fluttered along the edges of Charles’s body, not knowing what to do or where to touch. How had this happened? How had Charles been hurt? How had he not seen this?
Swallowing, Erik calmed down as best he could and then forced himself to conduct a quick examination of Charles’s body. Brief as it was, he soon came to the conclusion that, apart from a few scrapes and bruises, Charles had suffered no major injury. He was alive and his breathing was relatively steady, as was his pulse – the first things that Erik had checked, naturally – but there was something definitely wrong. Slowly, Erik’s gaze slid up Charles’s body, over his frail neck and onto his head. There. That was it. That had to be it.
Charles’s collapse was due to some problem with his telepathy.
Trying to force away the dizziness that was steadily catching up to him, Erik gritted his teeth, trying to recall anything that might give him a clue as to what had happened to Charles.
When Charles had agreed to help him against Shaw there had been nothing wrong with him. Erik had then battled Shaw and seized hold of his helmet, allowing Charles to take hold of Shaw’s mind and clutch him there tightly, surrounding him with his mind and holding him firmly in place even while Erik sent a coin through Shaw’s brain and ripped his brains apart -
Erik grew cold as he suddenly realised what had happened. What he had made happen.
He had killed Shaw while Charles was still in his mind.
Erik shut his eyes, thoughts full of sudden recrimination and self-loathing. He had killed a man – ended his brain function – while a telepath – his telepath – was still in the dying man’s head. Erik couldn’t even begin to guess at the repercussions that Charles was now facing. Was he trapped inside his own head? Was he trapped with Shaw? Was Charles now brain-dead? Was he in pain? Had he known what would happen?
Erik let out a guttural curse and pulled Charles’s head onto his lap.
‘Charles,’ he said as firmly as he could. ‘Charles, wake up. It’s all over now. Shaw is gone. You have to get up now, Charles.’
No response.
‘Charles!’ Erik said harshly, patting Charles’s cheek sharply with his hand. Charles’s head lolled away, his muscles free of all tension.
Gritting his teeth, Erik grasped Charles’s shoulders and shook him hard, despite not knowing whether it was the best idea, despite the fact that shaking him made Erik’s own head throb painfully.
Charles, enough! he mentally snarled. You’ve made your point, you’re a better friend – a better man than I am. Now wake up, damn you! Wake up!
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timeasmymeasure
Heat - Part 35b
Date: 2012-09-13 03:25 pm (UTC)And still he pushed.
It was like the world had stilled around him; it had all narrowed down to nothing but the coin and the man before him and the feelings of vicious satisfaction that roared within, beneath the confusion that churned inside him. If he concentrated hard enough, he even felt as if he could hear a pained, fearful scream inside his head. The thought caused his mouth to stretch up in a wild, bloody grin, even though the expression was more of a pained grimace than anything remotely joyful.
‘Goodbye Shaw,’ he whispered, watching with hungry eyes as the coin pushed through Shaw’s head and out the other side, as the light in Shaw’s eyes grew dim and then flickered out. ‘Goodbye.’
And then Shaw collapsed and all at once Erik was free.
He was free. For the first time in his life he could finally be at peace.
He blinked as he realised that his eyes were wet and he brought his hand up to his face, amazed at the tears that brushed his fingertips. His hands shaking, he took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped back from the body in front of him.
‘Charles,’ he said hoarsely, his mouth turning up at the edges in a pained, disbelieving smile. ‘Charles, we did it! We got him! It’s over, it’s finally ov-’ He froze, mid-turn, at the sight that met his eyes.
Charles was lying crumpled on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head, his body horrifically still.
‘No,’ Erik gasped. He immediately pushed forward and fell down to his knees beside him, his own injuries completely forgotten. ‘No! Charles!’ His hands fluttered along the edges of Charles’s body, not knowing what to do or where to touch. How had this happened? How had Charles been hurt? How had he not seen this?
Swallowing, Erik calmed down as best he could and then forced himself to conduct a quick examination of Charles’s body. Brief as it was, he soon came to the conclusion that, apart from a few scrapes and bruises, Charles had suffered no major injury. He was alive and his breathing was relatively steady, as was his pulse – the first things that Erik had checked, naturally – but there was something definitely wrong. Slowly, Erik’s gaze slid up Charles’s body, over his frail neck and onto his head. There. That was it. That had to be it.
Charles’s collapse was due to some problem with his telepathy.
Trying to force away the dizziness that was steadily catching up to him, Erik gritted his teeth, trying to recall anything that might give him a clue as to what had happened to Charles.
When Charles had agreed to help him against Shaw there had been nothing wrong with him. Erik had then battled Shaw and seized hold of his helmet, allowing Charles to take hold of Shaw’s mind and clutch him there tightly, surrounding him with his mind and holding him firmly in place even while Erik sent a coin through Shaw’s brain and ripped his brains apart -
Erik grew cold as he suddenly realised what had happened. What he had made happen.
He had killed Shaw while Charles was still in his mind.
Erik shut his eyes, thoughts full of sudden recrimination and self-loathing. He had killed a man – ended his brain function – while a telepath – his telepath – was still in the dying man’s head. Erik couldn’t even begin to guess at the repercussions that Charles was now facing. Was he trapped inside his own head? Was he trapped with Shaw? Was Charles now brain-dead? Was he in pain? Had he known what would happen?
Erik let out a guttural curse and pulled Charles’s head onto his lap.
‘Charles,’ he said as firmly as he could. ‘Charles, wake up. It’s all over now. Shaw is gone. You have to get up now, Charles.’
No response.
‘Charles!’ Erik said harshly, patting Charles’s cheek sharply with his hand. Charles’s head lolled away, his muscles free of all tension.
Gritting his teeth, Erik grasped Charles’s shoulders and shook him hard, despite not knowing whether it was the best idea, despite the fact that shaking him made Erik’s own head throb painfully.
Charles, enough! he mentally snarled. You’ve made your point, you’re a better friend – a better man than I am. Now wake up, damn you! Wake up!
Still no response.