Splinters of the Winding Way

Posted on Sat Nov 19th, 2022 @ 12:57pm by Charles Xavier & Iris Walker & Elias Buckley

2,385 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 2: Northern X-Posure
Location: Unknown
Timeline: August 5th, 1990

It had taken Iris three days to make her way back to the mansion and then she had spent several days trying to get people's attention by disrupting literally everything. She had stood in doorways so people couldn't figure out how to leave the room. She had stood in front of teachers so the students could not see them. She had even walked between people as they were having conversations so that they briefly disappeared to one another. People were beginning to talk, which is what she wanted.

But, now something else had happened. She had slipped.

She had no idea where she was, but it definitely wasn't right. Some sort of other dimension, maybe. Were there other people here? Would they be able to hear her? She intended to find out if she ever found anybody.

Elias jumped, like he always had done, from one location to another just as easily as someone else might walk through an open doorway into another room. He paid attention, always, to the material of the universe around him. The reasons why were many, but came down to two primary ones. Hoping to one day catch a glimpse of that home he had lost, and needing to ensure his safety while in transit.

Sometimes there were entities in the space between worlds, mostly there were colours and sounds and a strangely comforting sense of motion. Or perhaps that last was simply because of his familiarity with this process.

This time he slowed his pace, taking a moment to enjoy the escape from the bright colours and attention seeking souls back at the mansion. It was like swimming in a warm pool, if you could say that about dimension hopping in the space between all that solid reality.

Out of nowhere, a boy appeared. Well, okay, he was probably an adult and therefore a man, but that was beside the point. He nearly ran Iris over as he passed and she yelled after him out of instinct. "Hey!" she called angrily. "Watch it! You coulda broke my leg!"

God DAMN that shriek of a voice was loud. Unexpectedly so considering the tiny spectre of a person it was coming from. Elias considered breaking that leg just for funsies, but as he turned to look back at her, he recognised that irritating face. Hoodwink. Iris. That was her, wasn't it? He thought she'd left ages ago. Well, if she was here, maybe she had.

"If I wanted to break your bones," Elias said, sharply. "They'd be broken. I was nowhere near you. And I'm not deaf, so don't yell at me." He turned to leave, wondering why he'd stopped in the first damn place.

Iris’s eyes widened and she just stared at him for a moment. “Wait!” she exclaimed as he turned to leave. “You can see me?!”

His back to the odd, rude teen, Elias sighed heavily. "Dumb question," he pointed out. "See ya."

“No! Wait!” called Iris, casing after him as fast as her little legs would carry her. “You don’t understand,” she said as she caught up. “I’ve spent the past two weeks being completely invisible! I couldn’t make anybody see or hear me no matter what I did. And then-“ she gasped, tears filling her eyes, “and then I ended up here and I don’t even know where here is and now you can see me! Please, can you help me?”

Elias stopped, exhaled angrily and took a moment before turning around to see the waterworks in full flow. Great... Classic guilt trip move, he considered - been there, ignored that. But... this was one of Professor X's minions, wasn't it? And one of his favourites if her prior treatment was anything to go by. She didn't just work with him, she sat in the pilot seat of the jet and seemed to have the Professor's ear. At least, he smirked, when she was capable of being heard and seen.

"What's it worth?" he challenged, expression deadly serious. "Nothing's free."

“I- I- I don’t know!” replied Iris, wringing her hands. “I’ll owe you a favor. A huge favor! I’m sure something will come up at some point.”

Damn, she really was struggling, huh? Elias considered this situation for a moment and figured he had little to lose and everything to gain at this point.

"A huge favor," he confirmed. "Whenever I ask for it. No matter what it is, you'll help me out. Deal?"

"Absolutely," agreed Iris. "As long as it's legal and within my power."

"Fine," Elias agreed. "But how are we gonna work this out when you get back? I mean if you're stuck in here now, how d'ya know anyone will be able to see you when you get home? How ya gonna draw attention to yourself?" He mused openly. "You tried hanging speakers off your shoulders or something?"

Before Iris could reply, a beam of hot crimson energy cut the air between them. It was not a metaphor; rather than the kinetic energy from Cyclops' optic blasts or some kind of laser, this red beam seemed to sizzle the fabric of reality in its afterburn. A black, wispy trail hung in the air in its passing. And then there was another, yet another still.

Iris glanced around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on, but was unable to figure out exactly what it was.

Calm and steady, Elias stood his ground.

Three roughly man-shaped forms began trudging along toward them, but their likeness to men ended beyond basic geometry. They could have been fashioned from flesh or clay or stone; their fingers were three and flexed more like segmented tendrils with joints than actual digits; their legs ended in flat stumps which desecrated every square patch of ground they touched.

And, in place of a face, their smooth, rounded heads had but one feature--an amber slit that flashed crimson. More beams of energy shot past Iris and Elias, melting and dissolving all they touched.

A scream ripped through the air and seconds later, Iris realized that it had come from her own throat. "Run!" she cried, grabbing the guy's arm- she fleetingly realized that she did not yet know his name- and attempted to drag him with her.

"Stand still," Elias told her, side-stepping her attempt to grab him easily enough and holding his ground. The adrenaline spike was a sweet rush he opted to hold onto for a few more seconds. "You can't outrun them." He offered his hand out to Iris and grabbed her wrist firmly to pull her in close to his side. Then Elias waited just a little longer before making that decision to dimension walk the hell outta there.

A battle roar filled the air, though it was not carried on the voice of any man. What appeared to be a Minotaur of all things, clad in naught but his wintergreen hide, burst onto the scene in a fury. Ethereal bonds formed from the energy swirling about his fists that bound the faceless beings in mid-step, though the action swiftly turned their attention upon the newcomer.

"You should not be here, mortals!" the green Minotaur cried out in a voice that was not entirely audible. He grunted as a glowing barrier summoned by dexterous legerdemain reflected the crimson beams away. The effort pushed him backward despite his cloven hooves digging into the ground. The Minotaur roared again, his voice invoking some unknown mystery. At his call, the number of attackers doubled, forcing him to abandon his shield barrier and go on the offensive. Glowing battleaxes of pure energy manifested around him and cleaved into the abominations called Mindless Ones. Though the wounds would have critically wounded a mortal being, the Mindless Ones were barely slowed. "Flee and begone! The Mindless Ones shall never relent!"

"I think that's our cue to leave!" exclaimed Iris. When a giant, one-eyed monster told you that the bigger, scarier monsters were dangerous and you should leave, then you should probably do as he says.

"I'll leave when I want to," Elias told her, invoking stubborn, independently-minded teen to the end. "Not when you tell me to." He didn't let go of Iris' hand either though as he avidly studied this vast green creature's attack offensive from behind his own shield. The big fella had some serious mojo, that was for sure. And yet the sheer force of the Mindless One's will and numbers still pushed the minotaur backwards. Time was limited, but damn it was awesome to watch him fight. "Thanks for your help!" Elias yelled at him through the void and the raging noise, his left fist held triumphant to his side as red energy swirled about it, him and Iris. "Owe ya one."

"BEGONE!" bellowed the Green Minotaur as much telepathically as audibly before he began glowing with a charge of mystic energy. "I cannot hold back the Fires of Faltine indefinitely."

Unable to hold Iris' hand and cover both his ears simultaneously, Elias didn't bother to respond, but simply stepped from one dimension to another.

As his boots found the hard surface of the driveway just outside Xavier's mansion, he maintained the skin to skin contact with the 'invisible' girl and smiled. "So, are you gonna vanish if I let go?" Elias asked.

Wide-eyed, Iris stared around at her surroundings. When she realized that everything looked normal, her knees buckled and she nearly fell to the ground, but managed to stay on her feet. “I sure hope not if it means going back there,” she replied. “But, I shouldn’t. Once you’re aware of me, I stick around until we’re out of sight again.”

"Uh-huh," said Elias and scowled. "Guess you're holding onto me until we get to the Prof then," he decided. "Thinking he won't be real happy with me if I get you outta the sixth dimension and lose you on the front lawn. C'mon, let's go, he'll know we're back on the grounds by now."

"All right," agreed Iris, not eager to get lost again. "Let's get going, then."

There was a curt nod, and maintaining that physica contact, Elias walked them both purposefully back to the mansion. It would have been much quicker to dimension-walk again, but he honestly didn't want to risk losing the girl now they were this close. The images of the battle between the worlds still ingrained on his mind's eye, he wanted to talk to Professor X about that once he'd shown the old man that Iris was back.

Up the driveway, through the side doors and down the halls, familiar surroundings silently welcoming them both back. And then right to Professor X's office to knock on the door.

But the door opened before Elias had the chance. It was as if Professor Xavier was waiting for them, though the shocked look on his face spoke to his surprise.

"Please, come in" he said, looking at Elias as he added, "both of you."

"Hi, Professor," said Iris. "Please tell me you can see me now!"

"I can, indeed..." Xavier was stunned. "I cannot say how relieved I am to find you back here, Iris, and looking so well. After the events at the Roxxon facility, I was unable to locate you even through Cerebro. I... feared the worst." His eyes darted away in a moment of grief and remorse, but he suppressed his fleeting guilt as he looked upon Elias. "But I see our mutual friend succeeded where I did not. Thank you, Elias, and well done!"

He'd hung in the doorway and let Iris take the lead, even as he still had hold of her hand - just in case. The incredulty in the Professor's voice was interesting, Elias considered, but he watched the two of the, interact and stayed quietly observant until Xavier specifically thanked him.

"No problem," Elias said, stubbing the toe of his boot self-consciously before adding. "You're welcome."

There was a loaded pause, before the teen added. "Can I let go of her hand now?" He wanted to talk to Xavier in private, but didn't want to ask for that privilege within earshot of Iris. He let up the pressure of his hold a little though, giving Iris to walk away under her own steam now.

“The only way to know is to do it and find out,” replied Iris, crossing the fingers on her free hand. Then, with a deep breath, she released Elias’s hand. “I didn’t disappear, did I?” she asked with a wince.

"No, my dear." The Professor smiled. "You are quite visible."

With a squeal of joy, Iris threw her arms around Elias and squeezed tight. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” she cried happily.

"You will have to tell us everything that happened, but only once you are ready," the Professor said. "Your old room has not been claimed, though your belongings, scarce as they were, are boxed up in the attic. Perhaps Elias could help you fetch them?"

The look on Elias' face as Iris engulfed him was mortification mixed with horror, but Xavier's presence tempered his response and kept it strictly non-violent. He didn't immediately struggle, but tolerated the hug until the Professor spoke. At that point he pulled deliberately away to stand apart from the other two while adopting a displeased frown. "Do I have to?" he asked at the request for help. A moody exhale followed.

Though he hardened his expression at Elias, the Professor did not reply directly. "There are some dire events afoot, so forgive me for not giving your return the great celebration it is due, Iris. If you feel up to it, I would like you to attend a team meeting later."

"Absolutely," replied Iris, still grinning from ear to ear. "I think I can handle retrieving my stuff, if you've got something to do," she told Elias. "I can just make two trips."

"As you wish." Xavier spared a soft smile for Iris. "It does me good to see you come back to us, Iris.". "Now if you will excuse me, I have more to prepare for this evening."

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