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The Ghost of Professor X (Part 4)
Jun. 25th, 2011 08:05 pmHank McCoy was adjusting. In some ways his change was a good thing. The conclusion to a process that his body was already doing to him. He enjoyed the heighten senses, the strength, the speed but the appearance was that of his nickname, Beast. He also found that he could go with a lot less sleep which he considered a big plus so he had more time to work.
But there were times that the body wanted to run and he just had to give into the urge or he knew he wouldn’t get anything else done. He also knew that after the run, as he called it, he was going to go to sleep for a couple of hours so he planned that in as well.
What he didn’t plan on was finding the Professor slumped in his chair with an empty scotch glass on the ground next to him.
Hank sniffed and smelled the alcohol on Charles’ breath and his skin.
“Charles” he thought carefully “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
No response. Hank checked and he was breathing but very cold having been out in the very crisp night air of November. Hank sniffed. He could smell snow coming. Charles didn’t even have a blanket. He made a snuffling noise and picked the Professor up. He carried him in carefully to his bedroom, put him on his bed, removed his shoes and covered him with a quilt that was at the end of the bed. He went back out, brought the chair in and took it to Charles’ bedroom so Charles could get into it when he woke up.
‘Or sobers up’ thought Hank as he went off on his run.
Charles came back to the patio to find his body not there. He figured out pretty quick where it was and went to his bedroom. He looked at himself lying there. Totally helpless. He felt a headache coming on and figured that the alcohol he had consumed had caught up with him. He wished his projection could bring him a couple of aspirin and a glass of water but that would be too much to ask. He reluctantly re-entered his body and went to sleep.
And awoke with a wanging bad headache. He had been hung-over before but whatever he did last night was up there in bad hangovers. He got into his chair and went to the bathroom where he took a couple of aspirin and gulped a couple of glasses of water. He thought about whether he should get up or go back to bed. The headache won. He maneuvered his way back to bed and went back to sleep.
He woke up a couple of hours later with the headache down to a dull roar but his stomach protesting the lack of food. Looking outside he figured it for about noon. His watch confirmed his suspicions. He got into the chair again went to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt, underwear and sweatpants. No need to really be formal today. He went to the bathroom and took a long shower. He had to compliment Hank, this was the easiest he had had it to take care of himself rather than someone taking care of him. The shower seemed to take some of the sting out of his headache but his stomach was doing flip flops and wanted food.
He wheeled himself into the kitchen to find Alex and Sean at the table. They both looked at him and he could read the concern. He probed a little further and found out how he had gotten to bed. They thought that he had passed out drunk on the patio. Charles almost chuckled out loud.
Alex stood up and asked “So what do you want for breakfast or lunch or brunch?”
Sean piped up “Alex is a really good cook. He’s been cooking for all of us while you were gone.”
Charles thought and said, “How about eggs over easy with some dry toast.”
“Coffee or tea?” asked Alex.
“Coffee please” said Charles. He caught a stray thought from Sean. He was worried about Charles and his drinking. Charles probed a little further to find out that Sean’s father had a serious drinking problem and Sean had to take care of him after his mother left the two of them. And Sean was afraid he was seeing this happen all over again.
There wasn’t much Charles could say so he went to the half truth again. “I apparently made a right fool of myself last night. The last thing I remember was being out on the patio. The next thing I was in my bed.”
“Hank found you” said Sean “out on the patio. Passed out.”
“I’m sorry. I’m suppose to be the adult of the group and I apparently failed at that too.”
Alex put the plate of eggs and toast in front of him “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a little rough on all of us.”
“Where is Hank?”
“Either still taking a cat nap or back in the lab working on Cerebro. He almost has it done.”
Charles wolfed down the food all the while giving Alex compliments for getting the eggs just so. He then wheeled himself to the lab that Hank had set up.
Hank had climbed half way up the wall to get to some wires he had run to the dish into the room through a window.
“The boys tell me that you found me last night.”
Hank hopped down and wiped his hands on a rag. “Yep. Charles…” he really didn’t know how to broach the subject.
“Look. I’ll be honest. My drinking got out of hand last night. I drank for the wrong reasons. I’ll admit that.”
“Charles, it’s part of a bigger issue. Drinking is always part of a bigger issue. And right now you seem to have the entire subscription.”
“Now who is the telepath?”
“Since I have…changed…things are heighten for me. And you are presenting one thing but I am seeing another and…”his voice trailed off.
“It’s OK Hank. I understand what you are trying to say.” And with a thought he removed the doubt from Hank’s mind. For good measure he removed his actions last night from all three of their heads.
Hank shook his head a bit and said “What were we talking about?”
“Cerebro?”
“Ah, it’s done except for you to test it.”
“Shall we?”
Hank got Charles set up under the headpiece. Charles settled back in his chair and waited for Hank to flip the switch. Then he felt his mind expand out and over the planet. This was something he could still do and be good at it in or out of the chair. He made note of mutants that he saw and then he cast about to find… and there it was that void that he recognized. He made a mental note of where the void was and went on. Then everything went back to the room.
“Hank! Why did you turn it off? I was just getting started.”
“Professor, it’s almost 8 pm. You have been in there for 7 hours. I need a break even if you don’t”
Hank and Charles went to the kitchen where there were two covered dishes and a bottle of red wine waiting for them with a note
Figured you’d be hungry when you surfaced. Sean and I went into town to get some supplies.-Alex
As they sat down to the slightly warm chicken cacciatore, Alex and Sean came in from the garage with various bags.
Charles enjoyed listening to the banter and he had to admit Sean was right Alex was an excellent cook. He drank the wine but was careful about it. He had other things he wanted to do tonight and needed a clear head to do it. He left the boys still talking and wheeled himself to his bedroom.
He settled into bed and started relaxing his mind. He wanted to have a conversation with someone and now he knew where he was. What he didn’t know was this was a long step off a very short pier.
But there were times that the body wanted to run and he just had to give into the urge or he knew he wouldn’t get anything else done. He also knew that after the run, as he called it, he was going to go to sleep for a couple of hours so he planned that in as well.
What he didn’t plan on was finding the Professor slumped in his chair with an empty scotch glass on the ground next to him.
Hank sniffed and smelled the alcohol on Charles’ breath and his skin.
“Charles” he thought carefully “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
No response. Hank checked and he was breathing but very cold having been out in the very crisp night air of November. Hank sniffed. He could smell snow coming. Charles didn’t even have a blanket. He made a snuffling noise and picked the Professor up. He carried him in carefully to his bedroom, put him on his bed, removed his shoes and covered him with a quilt that was at the end of the bed. He went back out, brought the chair in and took it to Charles’ bedroom so Charles could get into it when he woke up.
‘Or sobers up’ thought Hank as he went off on his run.
Charles came back to the patio to find his body not there. He figured out pretty quick where it was and went to his bedroom. He looked at himself lying there. Totally helpless. He felt a headache coming on and figured that the alcohol he had consumed had caught up with him. He wished his projection could bring him a couple of aspirin and a glass of water but that would be too much to ask. He reluctantly re-entered his body and went to sleep.
And awoke with a wanging bad headache. He had been hung-over before but whatever he did last night was up there in bad hangovers. He got into his chair and went to the bathroom where he took a couple of aspirin and gulped a couple of glasses of water. He thought about whether he should get up or go back to bed. The headache won. He maneuvered his way back to bed and went back to sleep.
He woke up a couple of hours later with the headache down to a dull roar but his stomach protesting the lack of food. Looking outside he figured it for about noon. His watch confirmed his suspicions. He got into the chair again went to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt, underwear and sweatpants. No need to really be formal today. He went to the bathroom and took a long shower. He had to compliment Hank, this was the easiest he had had it to take care of himself rather than someone taking care of him. The shower seemed to take some of the sting out of his headache but his stomach was doing flip flops and wanted food.
He wheeled himself into the kitchen to find Alex and Sean at the table. They both looked at him and he could read the concern. He probed a little further and found out how he had gotten to bed. They thought that he had passed out drunk on the patio. Charles almost chuckled out loud.
Alex stood up and asked “So what do you want for breakfast or lunch or brunch?”
Sean piped up “Alex is a really good cook. He’s been cooking for all of us while you were gone.”
Charles thought and said, “How about eggs over easy with some dry toast.”
“Coffee or tea?” asked Alex.
“Coffee please” said Charles. He caught a stray thought from Sean. He was worried about Charles and his drinking. Charles probed a little further to find out that Sean’s father had a serious drinking problem and Sean had to take care of him after his mother left the two of them. And Sean was afraid he was seeing this happen all over again.
There wasn’t much Charles could say so he went to the half truth again. “I apparently made a right fool of myself last night. The last thing I remember was being out on the patio. The next thing I was in my bed.”
“Hank found you” said Sean “out on the patio. Passed out.”
“I’m sorry. I’m suppose to be the adult of the group and I apparently failed at that too.”
Alex put the plate of eggs and toast in front of him “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a little rough on all of us.”
“Where is Hank?”
“Either still taking a cat nap or back in the lab working on Cerebro. He almost has it done.”
Charles wolfed down the food all the while giving Alex compliments for getting the eggs just so. He then wheeled himself to the lab that Hank had set up.
Hank had climbed half way up the wall to get to some wires he had run to the dish into the room through a window.
“The boys tell me that you found me last night.”
Hank hopped down and wiped his hands on a rag. “Yep. Charles…” he really didn’t know how to broach the subject.
“Look. I’ll be honest. My drinking got out of hand last night. I drank for the wrong reasons. I’ll admit that.”
“Charles, it’s part of a bigger issue. Drinking is always part of a bigger issue. And right now you seem to have the entire subscription.”
“Now who is the telepath?”
“Since I have…changed…things are heighten for me. And you are presenting one thing but I am seeing another and…”his voice trailed off.
“It’s OK Hank. I understand what you are trying to say.” And with a thought he removed the doubt from Hank’s mind. For good measure he removed his actions last night from all three of their heads.
Hank shook his head a bit and said “What were we talking about?”
“Cerebro?”
“Ah, it’s done except for you to test it.”
“Shall we?”
Hank got Charles set up under the headpiece. Charles settled back in his chair and waited for Hank to flip the switch. Then he felt his mind expand out and over the planet. This was something he could still do and be good at it in or out of the chair. He made note of mutants that he saw and then he cast about to find… and there it was that void that he recognized. He made a mental note of where the void was and went on. Then everything went back to the room.
“Hank! Why did you turn it off? I was just getting started.”
“Professor, it’s almost 8 pm. You have been in there for 7 hours. I need a break even if you don’t”
Hank and Charles went to the kitchen where there were two covered dishes and a bottle of red wine waiting for them with a note
Figured you’d be hungry when you surfaced. Sean and I went into town to get some supplies.-Alex
As they sat down to the slightly warm chicken cacciatore, Alex and Sean came in from the garage with various bags.
Charles enjoyed listening to the banter and he had to admit Sean was right Alex was an excellent cook. He drank the wine but was careful about it. He had other things he wanted to do tonight and needed a clear head to do it. He left the boys still talking and wheeled himself to his bedroom.
He settled into bed and started relaxing his mind. He wanted to have a conversation with someone and now he knew where he was. What he didn’t know was this was a long step off a very short pier.
