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Am I Getting Through To You?:
Part 2
Natalie D started this story. She
allowed me to continue
since she couldn't. This is a response to the disability
challenge.
All characters are property of Marvel Comics.
Continuity: It is set in the near future
(about three years into the future to be exact). Most of the
X-Men are part of the team. The mansion got it's Shi'ar technology
back due to Lilandra and Corsair's assistance.
It was crowded in the Danger Room as the entire X-Men team gathered
to see Scott in action. It had been two days since he had gotten his new
implants. The two days were spent mostly learning to move with the new
prosthetics. The implants seemed to have improved Scott's speed and
hand-eye coordination.
Alex watched as Scott entered the room wearing his new uniform. It was
blue and yellow like his old uniform. He wore the skullcap that was part
of one of his older costumes to hide his hideous skull. It was darker
somehow it was leather. Alex felt strange shivers along his back as
Scott looked up. He felt like he was seeing a different man from the man
he once fought with and against.
Scott simply nodded up to the control deck and Storm said, "We will
just do some simple tests. Nothing strenuous today, Scott."
Scott crouched down to signal that he was ready. Storm and the others
took a deep breath as she pushed a series of buttons.
****
Several robots appeared before him. Scott started to blast at the
machines dodging the lasers fired at him. He fired at them destroying
them. The more robots appeared as Scott let out his claws and swiped at
them. The robots got scratched. He then started to blast at them again.
He did a series of kicks as an another group of claws similar to the
ones on the palms of his hands got out of his soles of his feet and his
calves of his legs.
He fought like he had never fought before; he was savage almost like
another man had taken over. At the end, Scott stood there surrounded by
broken robots. Sweat slowly trickled down his face as he looked down.
There was silence. Scott looked up at the control deck and drew a
question mark in mid-air.
Ororo stunned at Scott's performance said, "You... did incredible,
Cyclops."
Warren whispered to Alex, "Is it me, or did he just scare me?"
Alex whispered back, "It's the new look. Trust me, he's the same
under all that hardware."
Warren looked down at his blue skin. He remembered about when he had
just become Archangel. He felt like a freak; A blue skinned metal winged
angel of death freak. He knew from personal experience that a
transformation this severe could warp a person's judgement. "I hope
so." he whispered.
*****
Nightmares. It was all nightmares now. Once, it was reality. The torture
and pain and the painful truth. Scott sweated as he sat up in a jerk. He
looked around and took a deep breath in relief. It was a nightmare. He
rubbed his baldhead in relief. He felt the tattoo on the back of his
neck aching. It was there to remind him that was branded as a weapon.
A figure stirred beside him. Jean woke up and asked, "Another
one?"
Scott nodded. He took out a notebook and wrote, ~Go to sleep. I'll be
fine.~
Jean frowned and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Scott shook his head and gently kissed her cheek. Jean sighed as she
went back to sleep. She was frustrated. She could tell that he was in
some sort of pain and yet he refused to tell her or anyone else what was
a matter with him.
Scott stayed awake. He sat up and crept away. He needed time to be
alone.
*****
Scott was sitting alone on the rooftop of the boathouse.
Alex was watching from a distance using his binoculars. He looked up to
see an angel descending to the earth. "Hey, Warren." Alex said
as he watched.
Warren frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Watching Scott. What about you? Doing some late night bird
watching?"
"I thought that you had faith in your older brother."
Alex had a concerned look in his eyes as he put down the binoculars.
"I don't want to loose him. Have I ever told you about
Fallen?"
Warren nodded. He knew about his alternate counterpart from the parallel
universe Alex had stayed in for a while. Fallen was an evil monster that
was Warren if he hadn't become Archangel. Alex said, "If there's
one thing that I learned in that universe it's that anything is
possible. A good guy like Scott could turn evil. I just don't want to
see him become twisted."
Warren stared at him for a second. He said, "I'll help you."
"Really?" Alex asked hopefully.
"Yes. I know what's it like to become... different." Warren
said.
"Well now. Is this a private stalking or can anyone join?" A
deep voice asked behind them. They looked behind themselves to see
Nathan and Jean standing there.
"Why are you two spying on Scott?" Jean asked indignantly.
"Why are you here?" Alex asked avoiding the question.
Nathan replied, "We were concerned about Slymm."
Warren's wings automatically went into defensive position. Whenever
Nathan called Scott 'Slymm' it means that he was extremely concerned. He
said, "So were we. I was going to look after him from the air. I
know that you two couldn't keep track of Scott mentally."
Nathan and Jean stared at each other. They knew that was the painful
truth. Nathan said, "Why are you concerned?"
"He spends a lot of time alone," Alex answered sadly,
"and he didn't really tell... um I mean reveal what happened to him
during those months."
Warren added, "We could tell that Scott's troubled by something.
Couldn't you?"
"Yes." Jean answered softly, "That is why Nathan and I
had been watching him. He's hiding something from me."
Warren suggested, "Maybe, he just feel... ugly."
"Hank will be giving him some more... alterations. Soon."
Nathan said.
Hank had been working on techniques in giving Scott some cosmetic
surgery and hair implants. They had been meeting privately for some
unknown reason.
Warren suggested, "Look, I know what Scott is going through. I
could keep a good eye on him from a distance. Jean, Alex, you both saw
the condition I was or could be back when Apocalypse altered me."
Alex nodded. "Okay, you could watch from a better point than me.
Just be careful."
"Yes, Warren." Jean agreed, "Please be careful."
"I will." Warren said as he flew off toward Scott. Alex
grabbed his binoculars and watched as Scott crepted off. Jean and Nathan
watched through Warren's senses.
*****
Warren flew above him. He watched as Scott stared out alone. He went to
the ledge and climbed down using his claws to keep hold of the wall.
Then, he jumped down to the ground and landed down on his feet. Warren
hovered in mid-air as he watched Scott started to run toward the woods.
Keeping him in sight, Warren followed him to a patch of woods. He landed
in a tree as Scott stopped and looked up at him. He fired a few close
optic blasts causing Warren to flew off and shows himself.
Warren landed and glared at Scott who was glaring back. Warren asked,
"You know that I was following you?"
Scott nodded. Warren continued, "And you ran this way because you
want to confront me alone."
Scott nodded again, looked away, and crossed his arms. "I know that
you are disappointed in me, but I was worried about you. Aw hell,
everyone's worried about you. Especially Jean." Warren said as he
walked toward him. Scott walked away and stared up to the sky. Warren
looked up too. There was nothing but stars and the pale white moon that
shine overhead. Scott didn't want to talk or wrote what he wanted.
Scott finally looked at him. He took out a small pad of paper and wrote,
~I can't talk about it.~ He shoved the piece of paper in his hands.
Scott expected a grilling of sorts that he would give someone else in
his situation. Warren nodded and then hugged him. "Hey, I was like
you once, remember? And look how I turned out."
Scott stepped back and studied his friend. Warren's white wings
glistened in the moonlight, matching his blue skin. His blond hair stood
out on his blue face. He wrote down, ~You look beautiful.~
"Beautiful?" Warren repeated.
~Yes, beautiful. Some men are handsome and some men are beautiful and
you are beautiful.~
"Okay." Warren said as he leaned slightly away. He knew that
Jean and Nathan was watching right now.
~Don't worry. It's that you are angelic looking.~
"Yeah, well having wings helps." Warren said. "We're here
to talk about you. Remember? What's a matter?"
~I'm ugly.~ Scott wrote slowly, ~And I guess kind of vain.~
"Vain? You?"
~I always thought that I wasn't the type that judges others by
appearance. I mean some of my best friends look different.~
"Like me?"
Scott nodded. He looked down at his hands and stared at them. His hands
twitched from the claws just below his skin. He missed his voice. He
missed his eyes. And most of all, he missed his hair. ~I can't get over
the way I look. I'm ugly. I know that the others are different looking
than you. But, I'm hideous. Hank and Kurt's appearance is just different
but they look good. Sarah's different just because of her power and
she's gaining better control. I can't stand looking at myself.~ Scott
had been avoiding looking at mirrors and other reflections. He came
close several times to smashing the mirrors with his bare hands.
"You just look different. Don't worry Hank will give you back your
hair. Maybe get rid of some of those scars." Warren said as he
slowly walked up to him. He knew that Scott could blast him away with a
mere twitch or claw his feathery wings off in two fatal swoops. But he
also knew that Scott wouldn't hurt anyone else unless in self-defense.
At least the Scott he knew before.
~He can't give me back my voice. Or my...~ he stopped writing and looked
away.
"What is it?" Warren asked.
Scott shook his head. He walked away. Warren telepathically reached
Nathan and Jean. **Guys. Scott's hiding something.**
Jean replied, **Go after him. Nathan, Alex, and I will come.**
Warren nodded and flew after him. "Scott!"
Scott stopped running and faced him. He wrote, ~I know that Jean,
Nathan, and Alex is watching.~ He folded the paper in a small airplane
and flew it straight to a group of running people.
"How?" Alex asked as he, his sister-in-law and nephew come
toward him.
Scott pointed to her. His rapport with her is still there but only as a
one way street. Jean ran to him. She asked, "Scott. Tell us. What's
wrong. What did they do to you?"
Scott shook his head and looked away. He wanted to be left alone.
"Tell me." she demanded. Scott looked at her green eyes
flashing with frustration. He looked down at his notebook and struggled
to write it down. He couldn't. Instead, he did a motion of holding a
baby.
"Okay, it have something to do with a baby." She said slowly.
Scott nodded then he pointed to the imaginary bundle then at himself and
shook his head. He looked down in humiliation.
Everyone gasped. Nathan guessed, "You can't have kids
anymore?"
Scott nodded. His eyes twitched as if he wanted to cry.
"Rachel." Jean whispered. They had been trying to have
children for the past two years without success. Due to the constant
lack of time they couldn't. Now, Scott couldn't have children since his
former captives removed his ability to do so.
Jean reached out and held him. "Scott. Why didn't you sa- I mean
tell me? Was it because you were embarrassed and you were hoping that
Hank could find a way to reverse it?"
Scott nodded. His lips trembled as if he was hoping to speak. Jean
pressed her fingertip on his lips. His lips stopped moving. "There
are alternatives." She whispered. "We can still have
children."
He just looked away. "Come inside." She ordered,
"Please."
Scott nodded in hesitance and walked along with her. Nathan, Alex, and
Warren just stared. "Poor guy." Warren muttered.
"He still didn't tell us everything." Alex said firmly.
"What else could he be hiding other than the fact that he can't
have kids?" Nathan asked. A part of him felt like shattering.
Rachel, his sister, meant a great deal to him since she founded the
Askani and saved his life back when he was a baby. He wanted Jean and
Scott to have a Rachel in this timeline.
"I don't know." Alex answered.
A lone woman got out in the night. Her face was still as she glances at
the stars. Professor Xavier and Magneto, part time political rivals and
part time friends/allies, stare at her.
"She is very quiet." Xavier commented.
"I know. She had been tortured by your government." Magneto
pointed out.
"I'm glad that you trust me enough to give her shelter."
"She wanted to come here. She insists that she had to find someone,
a fellow prisoner."
"I will do all I can to keep her protected. The X-Men will help her
find her friend."
"Speaking of which, have they found that Cyclops yet?"
"Yes. But, they couldn't tell me anything over the phone or by
telepathy."
The woman came toward them. She was lovely with long blond hair and blue
eyes. Her body is small but the two men knew how deadly she could be.
"Hello, sirs." She said quietly.
"Hello, Emily." Magneto said as he put a comforting hand on
her shoulder, "Charles will help you now."
"Thank you." She said as she rubbed a tattoo at the back on
her neck. "I need to find my partner."
To be continued...
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