He's zones out as his eyes trail on the scenery outside: an aisle of birch trees condensed together to line up each side of the country road. Even though the tree branches sway softly in the breeze, it looks sinister since their naked of any leaves. It's practically the dead centre of winter.

Charles Xavier, still unable to come to terms with the fact that he isn't six feet under, can't help but think of the most basic of thoughts while watching the trees run by. Lillian is seated beside him in the back, while Hank is in the passenger seat upfront.

How... in the world are they here right now?

It's something none of them have a decent explanation for, but people have told them stories and debriefed them on what happened.

As they are driven back to Westchester and the School For Gifted Youngsters in a private car after a lengthened and exhausting journey from the clutches of that treacherous 'research' facility, Charles begins to reflect on the events that took place over the past couple of weeks.

After the clocked ticked to '00:00', everything went dark for Charles... and for Lillian and Hank too. He had expected it to continue for the foreseeable future but with a turn of events he had awakened after a couple of days, he was informed, on a bed in a hospital. He was disoriented at first, not able to put two and two together and realise that what he had just been through and where he was at the moment. Soon, he was informed of everything.

To his utmost surprise, the 'self-destruct' for the facility he and his friends were trapped in was not a traditional last-resort explosion. The command Ennis had created linked every single mutant in the building to the mainframe of the facility via the chips installed in the mutants necks. As soon as the clock struck 12 AM, the facility system konked off and every mutant fell into a comatose state. They all were braindead, with no return... or so it seemed.

The building didn't blow up at all, and if it wasn't for the massive power outage the towns in its proximity suffered form, no one would have found them. Charles, Hank and Lillian, and the countless other captive mutants would have been entrapped in the building until they died of a variety of causes.

A complete lockdown commenced and the rescue team had to power-saw them out to penetrate into the industrial-grade metal structures within the building. Every mutant was taken to the local hospital in town and they were nursed back to health. Doctors did MRIs for each person along with Xrays and other examination procedures to see what type of experiments were done and what lasting effects, if any, are evident. Doctors soon found chips in every single mutant and they were extracted.

To Charles disappointment... the result of taking out the chip from his body causes him to fall restricted to a wheelchair again. He was completely isolated for a couple of days, getting over the lie of a second chance he had been given to walk again. But on top of it all, he was relieved to find that Lillian was back to her normal self, and Hank... he was back to normal too.

Upon exiting the hospital, Charles had given every mutant an invitation to join him at the School For Gifted Youngsters. Many happily accepted the offer but most wanted to be reunited with their families across the world.

Before the three of them left for the United States from France, they had visited the building they were stuck inside. Charles laughed and shook his head when they had arrived in '36 Rue Bamberger, 60119 Hénonville', gazing upon the 'Château d'Hénonville'. It has stood up through its time. He would never guess that it was the place where the most sophisticated research work and scientific experiments were taking place. The pristine white interiors juxtaposed the rather dull and vintage architectural exterior. To top it all off, the research facility scaled for floors underground.

Charles smiles softly. His thoughts continue to swarm through his mind but they always lead back to the fact that he is alive and well right now... He can't believe it at all.

Hank glanced over his shoulder behind him, noticing Lillian leaning her head against the window and staring outside blankly. He looks to the other side and finds Charles doing the exact same thing. He smiles slightly then turns back forward and takes out a paper in his pocket.

Hank starts to jot down ideas and thoughts based on the files he had read over the course of the past a few days. While Charles was occupied with getting explanations for everything that happened since the timer reached its end, Hank indulged in the files and research papers that were taken out of the facility they were trapped in. They served as a means of evidence against Ennis and his associates but when Hank had got the sneaky chance to do so, he took copies of all research he thought would be important to him in the future.

No matter how dastardly Ennis was, no matter the injustice he caused to so many lives, he did have a massively impactful thing going on at the facility. There was technology and innovation that Hank had never gazed upon in his life and he wanted to get his hands on it. His wild imagination didn't have to stay that way for any longer, he could make his ideas a reality.

But he had to keep his excitement subtle. If the Professor were to find out of all this paperwork he brought back with him, he would possibly be furious, not because of the load but because Charles does not want to cling on to anything that has caused him strife. The research would only remind him of all the pain and agony he went through.

Even though Hank would gain incredible insight into his future creations, the main reason for prying into the works of Ennis and his scientist was to decode the operations of the chip that somehow made a paralysed man walk. 

The Professor is someone so important to Hank and if he can find a way to fix his legs then... nothing can feel greater than that.

Lillian sits up straight suddenly, looking at the people in the car one at a time, feeling as though she had heard someone call out her name. After a strange silence, she returns back to feeling slightly dazed and melancholic. Ever since waking up from the brain-dead slumber, she hasn't been the same, which is unsurprising given the circumstances but... Lillian feels something different. It has been lingering since Ennis shot himself and she regained control over her body.

She is still unable to put a finger on what she had just experienced. Whatever Ennis had done to her... it was like she was riding shotgun in a race car and the driver was having a horrible day. As amusing as it may sound, she felt far from it. All she could do was be smothered in frustration. She literally watches herself attack the life out of Charles and she couldn't raise a finger in objection.

Ennis had combined part of Hank's and Charles' genes with hers, which resulted in her suddenly powerful hybrid self that her friends saw her fight as. She was the key to their whole scientific operation, they finally found a mutant that could take the load of combined genetics and genetics show function. All they had to do was master the control over those functions, which Ennis almost perfected.

Even though the chip in her neck was the main control centre of those genetics, she can still feel this surge of power in her veins, pulsating and ready to take over like a ticking time bomb.

She still feels a lingering sensation that she does not have full control over her powers... and it scares her... immensely-

TAP! TAP! TAP!

She jerks in fright, looking to her right to find Hank knocking on the car window from the outside. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not realise when the vehicle had come to a halt.

Lillian steps out of the car, parked in the main front yard of the school, then walks towards Hank and Charles. She helps Charles with steering the wheelchair, who smiles at her softly. Hank carries their bags up the main stairs and places them by the door.

Charles furrows his eyebrows and looks around. He finds something odd about the environment; there's a lack of people occupying the greenery surrounding the building. Usually, students spend a lot of time outdoors, walking around or playing. Surely, there would be someone outside at every part of the day... but it's left to be deserted.

Hank knocks on the door using the knocker then takes a step back. For a while, the three of them stand outside vacantly. There's no response from the other side of the door. But as Hank reaches to knock on the door again, the large wooden door CREAKS! open.

"Catherine?" Charles questions with an eyebrow raised and moves ahead without your control. A 19-year-old girl peeks through the ajar door, who then opens it wider when she finds that they're someone she knows.

"Professors?" Her eyes dart to each of them individually, a smile of relief appearing on her face, "I'm so happy to see you!"

Charles smiles then look inside, concern appearing on his face. "Where's Jackson? I expected him to open the door."

Catherine opens the door wide and helps Hank and Lillian with bringing in the bags outside. "Parker? Oh, he's..." She sighs, "He's not here anymore."

Charles stops moving forward, looking back to her anxiously. "What do mean he's not here anymore?" He repeats then glances around, "Where is everyone, Catherine..."

She bites her lips then runs a hand through her hair, "Professor Xavier, they're all... gone. I'm so sorry, they were drafted and-"

"Excuse me?" Charles starts to grow agitated, "Drafted?!"

"Professor, they got drafted for the war in Vietnam," Hank says and shakes his head. Lillian covers his mouth, realising how horrible Charles probably feels.

"What..." Charles mumbles, in disbelief. Catherine explains that the only students in the building are herself and five others, that are either too young to be drafted or are girls. There were others but once their parents or guardians found out that the school was on a halt with functioning, they were taken back home.

"W-We tried calling you Professor, we even contacted the authorities to find out what happened to you and Professor Hank and Miss Lillian," Catherine continues explaining, "But they had no information... I didn't know what to do, I'm sorry-"

Charles smiles and holds her hand softly, "It's not your fault Catherine. I'm proud of you, that you took care of the school and the other here while we were gone."

He starts to move towards his study on the right side of the main hall. "Bring yourself and the others to my study in a little bit," Charles invited, "We have stories to share with you." Catherine nods her head then walks upstairs.

Lillian looks to Hank with a frown then follows Charles to his study. Hearing Lillian behind him, he comments, "Can you believe it? One bloody problem after another. First Ennis and now this."

He pours himself a glass of whisky and takes a quick swig. He pours another glass and offers Lillian, but she refuses.

"Charles it'll be okay-"

"N-No I don't think so Lily... I really don't think so," He says, his hands trembling and his eyes stinging with tears. Lillian moves closer to him, kneeling down on one knee in front of him and taking his hands in hers.

"They're out to do a patriotic duty Charles," She says, "Before you know it, they'll be back."

He shakes his head and looks away, finishing the whisky in his glass then reaching for the bottle once more. But Lillian grabs it before him and sighs.

"Do you really want to drown yourself in drinks?" She questions and he sighs. He places the glass on the table then rubs his trembling hands.

"You know, I was so thrilled to be back. I was going to spend a whole week relaxing and doing things I have wanted to do for a long time. I was thinking of going fishing, or going star gazing... just the two of us," He said with a sad smile, "But now..."

Lillian clenched her jaw to stop herself from pouring her emotions out. She stands up and pulls Charles into a hug; he wraps his arms around her waist and buries his face in her stomach as he cries quietly.

"I j-j-just wanted a day off, away from all this... p-pain," He says, his voice muffled. Lillian kisses his forehead then steps away.

"Everything will be alright Charlie, trust me," She says the plants a kiss on his lips. Lillian starts to walk towards the study room door, "So, what do you want for-"

She stumbles a little, feeling a strong wave of dizziness and nausea wash over her suddenly. She catches her balance on the doorframe, gripping it until her knuckles turn white.

"Lillian?!" Charles calls out and rushes to her side.

"I-I-I'm fine... I just-" She shakes her head then puts a smile on her face, "I'm fine. What would you like for lunch?"

Charles furrows his eyebrows and watches her with suspicion. He wants to tap into her mind so bad to see if she is telling the truth but he refrains from it, remembering the promise he had made to her a while ago.

"Are you sure, love?" He asks and she nods her head with reassurance.

"Y-Yes,"  She replies then exits the room, "I'll talk to Hank about lunch for all of us."

As she walks down the corridor towards Hank's laboratory, she feels strange... an unfathomable feeling of disconnect from herself kicks in.

She tries to shrug it off but its sticks to her like super glue.