Post by x on Aug 23, 2014 14:33:07 GMT
“We fight to survive,” Erik shot back. “You may argue that humans do the same, but right now, there is only one race being hunted. We do not fight to feed into these lies, but humans have pushed us to this level. They provoked us. The point of having no other alternative. We either live in hiding, fear of discovery. Or we fight back against persecution.”
What Erik aimed to do was not fighting against persecution. It was only setting the stage for more persecution, both humans against mutants and mutants against humans. That Erik couldn’t see that made Charles’s heart clench. So many had died already, but if Erik kept up with his retribution, even more would die. Mutant children beaten and killed because those around them were terrified that they’d end up being as violent as Erik’s Brotherhood, human children raised in fear that mutants will kill them simply because they were human. It was a nightmare that Charles did not want to bear witness to.
“I fear how many mutants will be dead by the time we have successfully disproved their lies and prove to the world our innocence.”
So did Charles, but when the sentiment came from Erik, he could barely contain embittered laughter. Of all the thing for Erik to concern himself with, he picks the one thing that is a direct result of his actions. There would be no way to prove the innocence of mutantkind so long as Erik sought retribution for those already dead. More mutants would die because Erik reacted in violence, and he would respond in kind to their deaths, and the cycle would repeat itself and the body count would continue to rise. Oh, the irony of it all.
“We have a right to live. As free citizens of this world,” Erik insisted. “We should have nothing to prove. You speak of human allies? How many human allies thus far have you found to be helpful? What has Moira done for us?”
Charles bit his lip and tightened his grip on the armrests of his seat at the reminder. Erik had no idea, did he? Had no clue what had become of Moira, what Charles had done because Erik had left him no choice? Moira could have been their greatest ally, would have gladly played double agent to help them protect any mutants the government tried to take into custody. But when Erik decided that violence was the only response to violence, he made himself an enemy. And Moira, whom Charles would have trusted with so much, was always going to be a CIA agent in response. She would have reported him to her superiors and Charles, the idiot he had been, couldn’t let that happen.
“You say that human allies can be valuable, yet what has the CIA done for us, apart from give orders to destroy us? And the one human who knew us, who had the ability to advocate and defend us, did nothing.”
Because she couldn’t. Charles had stolen that away from her, all to protect a man who had left him to die. He bit his lip harder, trying to swallow the anger welling up in him.
“Once again, I admire your optimism and hope, my friend. But I am unable to share it. It is not a lack of patience that compels me to act. It is a lack of tolerance and a fear that our kind will continue to die each day we attempt to wait for humans to accept us.”
“I am not asking you to wait, Erik,” Charles began, his voice harsher than he liked. “What I am asking is for you to take a moment to think. You cannot prove the innocence of mutantkind through violent retribution for those who we could not save. A man does not prove his innocence in a murder case by killing his accuser. With every act of retribution you carry out, you give our opponents one more piece of ammunition to show to the world and say, ‘These mutants are dangerous! They want us all dead simply for being human.’”
He shifted in his chair, leaning forward a bit more. “You keep giving them reasons to capture more mutants, to lock them up and experiment on them until they die. Yes, what happened in Cuba was terrible, the combined fear of two superpowers who were shocked by the idea that there were people in existence who could do the work of whole armies with just a few individuals. Funny, that: people in power frightened by the appearance of those with more power.”
Charles was drifting quickly into bitter territory, but Erik’s mentions of Moira were enough to incite him. If Erik hadn’t threatened to return fire on the Soviet and U.S. fleets, Moira would have never pulled her gun. Moira would have never had any reason to go back to her superiors and divulge any secrets. But he had, and Charles couldn’t let her go and damn him when Charles had still be idiotic enough to hope that whatever good had survived in Erik would win out. Shaw had forced their hands and forced them to reveal the existence of mutants far too soon. Charles needed time, and Shaw had robbed him of that, so Charles had been forced to buy his own. Not that that hadn’t horribly backfired on him.
“As for Moira, she didn’t have the opportunity. You made yourself an enemy of the U.S., Erik. Moira would have returned to her superiors and told them all she knew of you, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
What Erik aimed to do was not fighting against persecution. It was only setting the stage for more persecution, both humans against mutants and mutants against humans. That Erik couldn’t see that made Charles’s heart clench. So many had died already, but if Erik kept up with his retribution, even more would die. Mutant children beaten and killed because those around them were terrified that they’d end up being as violent as Erik’s Brotherhood, human children raised in fear that mutants will kill them simply because they were human. It was a nightmare that Charles did not want to bear witness to.
“I fear how many mutants will be dead by the time we have successfully disproved their lies and prove to the world our innocence.”
So did Charles, but when the sentiment came from Erik, he could barely contain embittered laughter. Of all the thing for Erik to concern himself with, he picks the one thing that is a direct result of his actions. There would be no way to prove the innocence of mutantkind so long as Erik sought retribution for those already dead. More mutants would die because Erik reacted in violence, and he would respond in kind to their deaths, and the cycle would repeat itself and the body count would continue to rise. Oh, the irony of it all.
“We have a right to live. As free citizens of this world,” Erik insisted. “We should have nothing to prove. You speak of human allies? How many human allies thus far have you found to be helpful? What has Moira done for us?”
Charles bit his lip and tightened his grip on the armrests of his seat at the reminder. Erik had no idea, did he? Had no clue what had become of Moira, what Charles had done because Erik had left him no choice? Moira could have been their greatest ally, would have gladly played double agent to help them protect any mutants the government tried to take into custody. But when Erik decided that violence was the only response to violence, he made himself an enemy. And Moira, whom Charles would have trusted with so much, was always going to be a CIA agent in response. She would have reported him to her superiors and Charles, the idiot he had been, couldn’t let that happen.
“You say that human allies can be valuable, yet what has the CIA done for us, apart from give orders to destroy us? And the one human who knew us, who had the ability to advocate and defend us, did nothing.”
Because she couldn’t. Charles had stolen that away from her, all to protect a man who had left him to die. He bit his lip harder, trying to swallow the anger welling up in him.
“Once again, I admire your optimism and hope, my friend. But I am unable to share it. It is not a lack of patience that compels me to act. It is a lack of tolerance and a fear that our kind will continue to die each day we attempt to wait for humans to accept us.”
“I am not asking you to wait, Erik,” Charles began, his voice harsher than he liked. “What I am asking is for you to take a moment to think. You cannot prove the innocence of mutantkind through violent retribution for those who we could not save. A man does not prove his innocence in a murder case by killing his accuser. With every act of retribution you carry out, you give our opponents one more piece of ammunition to show to the world and say, ‘These mutants are dangerous! They want us all dead simply for being human.’”
He shifted in his chair, leaning forward a bit more. “You keep giving them reasons to capture more mutants, to lock them up and experiment on them until they die. Yes, what happened in Cuba was terrible, the combined fear of two superpowers who were shocked by the idea that there were people in existence who could do the work of whole armies with just a few individuals. Funny, that: people in power frightened by the appearance of those with more power.”
Charles was drifting quickly into bitter territory, but Erik’s mentions of Moira were enough to incite him. If Erik hadn’t threatened to return fire on the Soviet and U.S. fleets, Moira would have never pulled her gun. Moira would have never had any reason to go back to her superiors and divulge any secrets. But he had, and Charles couldn’t let her go and damn him when Charles had still be idiotic enough to hope that whatever good had survived in Erik would win out. Shaw had forced their hands and forced them to reveal the existence of mutants far too soon. Charles needed time, and Shaw had robbed him of that, so Charles had been forced to buy his own. Not that that hadn’t horribly backfired on him.
“As for Moira, she didn’t have the opportunity. You made yourself an enemy of the U.S., Erik. Moira would have returned to her superiors and told them all she knew of you, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
