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ax_mainAfter Scott sees a ghost from his past, he goes to confront the Professor.
Scott didn't even pause. He parked the car, and immediately stormed up to the Professor's office. No stops at his room, the restroom, or to say hi to anyone. He was a man on a mission.
How the fuck had Xavier not fucking told him?
Scott pounded on the Professor's door.
With how Scott approached his door, maybe it wouldn't have even taken a psychic to sense his approach. But Charles WAS a psychic, and he could sense the emotions rdiating off his pupil. And so he had to suppress a sigh before he called through the door.
"Come in Scott."
Scott let himself in, the storm inside him creating an odd contract with his careful and precise actions as he gently shut the door. Once it was closed, and his privacy as guaranteed as it could be, he rounded on his teacher.
Rage, and more than that betrayal, curled heavy and cold in his stomach. "You must have known," he accused, his voice quiet but razor sharp. Xavier was the most powerful telepath in the world, he could pick up mutants thousands of miles away. He must have known about Alex. That he was a mutant, that he wasn't with his adoptive family, that he was with the Brotherhood. "Why did you lie to me?"
Xavier leaned forwards with deliberate calm nd steepled his fingers on the top of his desk. "I'm not sure what you're referring to Scott." The cool tranquility of his voice was just as deliberate a display of control as his posture was. He could have been sure, and they both knew it. But part of Charles' self restraint of his powers was that he didn't check and often idn't even assume. Especially not in a situation as emotional as this.
"The Brotherhood has a kid who looks like an older version of Alex. Summers. Tell me I'm wrong," Scott challenged.
The Professor sighed and shook his head. "No, you're not wrong. It would appear that your brother may, and I stress may, have joined the Brotherhood. And I was concerned that you would react....precipitously."
"So rather than tell me he was even a mutant, let alone that he might be with he fucking Brotherhood, you just thought you'd let that shit go?!" Scott demanded.
"Scott." The Professor said with a little emphasis. "Leaving aside that acquiring certainty about this young man would require a violation of my ethics especially as I have not seen him in person. And also leaving aside that this may not be my secret to tell. There are important considerations when it comes to the Brotherhood that require careful consideration. Which your reaction implies you are not capable of in this case."
"You have Cerebro and you didn't bother to check?" Scott said, shoving aside the Professor's insinuation.
"No, Scott. I did not. And it wasn't a case of not bothering. For now, we need to tread carefully with the Brotherhood, or risk alienating them. And thus losing any chance of pulling them way from Magneto's influence."
Scott's brow furrowed. "What does that have to do with freaking figuring out if he was there or not? People don't know when you just note their existence and situation with Cerebro." And that was the crux of it. He had never asked the Professor to find Alex, and even if Scott had somehow known his brother was a mutant he still wouldn't have. If Alex had been living his life happily and peacefully, Scott wouldn't have wanted to interfere. Scott's own life had been a shit-fire, and he wouldn't have wanted to dirty Alex's life.
But no, apparently Alex was running with mutant supremacists.
"Magneto is aware of Cerebro. While I'm sure he assumes we are using it to spy on his followers and will have told them this, proving him right could undermine our trustworthiness to a group of children I very much wish to gain credibility with. For their own good as much as ours. I could note his existence, but to ACT on that would be highly problematic. I prefer to avoid such temptation except where necessary. And in this case, the matter didn't seem urgent. As young as he is Scott, ex is allowed to make his own decisions. He is in a dangerous crowd, but out options to change that are limited."
"Did I say I wanted you to go get him out of there? Or that I was even going to? No," Scott pointed out, voice clipped by his frustration but otherwise even. "But you knew, or at least suspected, and didn't even bother to fucking tell me. I would never have known about it if I hadn't gone to check myself."
"Would you really have been happy if I had told you of my suspicions Scott?" The Professor didn't think so, not with the skeptical look he gave Scott. "Would sharing my suspicion hve helped you in any way without potentially precipitating a conflict? As long as Alex was safe, I judged this to be the most prudent course."
How could a telepath be so goddamn obtuse?! "The problem isn't the fucking outcome. The problem is that you didn't respect or trust me enough to tell me the truth!
"Not even when you had to know I'd find out." Because it had been Scott who had taken Kitty and her information to Xavier. The Professor had to know Scott would read it. "So you clearly think I am completely untrustworthy, utterly irrational, and totally fucking stupid. I'm stunned you even let me sign up to be an X-man at all if that's your opinion."
"I think none of those things." Xavier replied calmly, and then huffed a small breath. "Except perhaps when it comes to your brother. Which I found entirely understandable. If I misjudged and underrated you Scott, then I apologise." Was that the Professor being rueful?
Scott stared at the Professor for another long moment, eyes narrowed in frustration and suspicion. He didn't point out that Xavier had taken a huge risk by not telling him. What if the shock of investigating it himself had been too much, and he'd done something to make Alex aware of his presence? But the Professor knew all that.
Finally, grudgingly, Scott managed a terse, "apology accepted.
"So what do you want me to do, or not do?"
The fact that Scott accepted his apology drew a brief but genuine smile from the Professor. "Thank you Scott. But allow me to turn that back around first. And ask you two questions. What have you already done with this knowledge And what would you like to do with it?"
"I haven't done anything with it," Scott said. The tight muscles in his jaw were evidence to anyone who knew him how frustrated he was with the entire situation. "And I don't know if I should."
"Very well, then let us consider the best course of action together." The Professor suggested. "First, I think we should rule out coercing Alex away from where he is. But how do you think he would respond to an invitation to join us?"
Scott frowned, feeling uncomfortable (not for the first time) in his own skin. He was guessing that was the kind of shit someone should know about his kid brother, but he didn't. He had no idea who Alex was, or what Alex was about. Had no idea the kind of life Alex had lived before the Right had gotten their blood-stained hands on the kid. "I don't know," he admitted.
"I suspect you'll find him somewhat changed from what you remember," the Professor observed quietly. "The years, his incarceration - he may or may not bear much resemblance to the Alex you knew. Perhaps you might begin by simply speaking with him."
Alex wouldn't be the only one who'd changed, but since both he and the Professor knew that it didn't exactly bear mentioning. "He might not even want me to do that," Scott admitted, not only to Xavier but to himself.
"He might not," the Professor conceded. "And it shows maturity that you're willing to acknowledge that possibility. But then again, he very well might. Based upon the records Kitty obtained, Alex has been through a great deal. He may very well wish he still had a brother to turn to."
"So you think I should talk to him?" Scott translated.
"I think," the Professor said carefully, "that you might wish to consider whether or not you want to talk to him. And whether or not you can do so calmly, accepting his decision should he choose to remain where he is."
Scott frowned. So basically other than the catharsis of telling the Professor where he could shove it for not fucking telling him, this had accomplished nothing. Nothing other than reducing his anger from boiling to a simmer and reminding him what a shithead he was. "Great."
The Professor frowned. "What would you have me do, Scott? Contact the Brotherhood's leader and demand that he immediately send your brother here? I'm afraid that he'd very likely refuse."
"I was hoping for more useful advice than 'be just as confused as you are until you come up with an idea." Scott said, crossing his arms. Of course he didn't want the Professor to make demands on Magneto, he wasn't a goddamn idiot. And fuck, how many times could the old man insinuate that Scott was a moron? Scott must be even dumber than he realized.
Sighing, the Professor shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what to do in this case, Scott. But if it were me, I would want to speak with him. At the end of the day, he is still your brother."
"Yeah. We'll see." Scott said. He clenched his jaw like he was bracing for the emotional uppercut he felt like he'd been receiving all night. "I'll, uh. I'll get out of your office then. I guess."
"Scott..." The Professor met the young man's eyes to the best of his ability. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you of my suspicions sooner. You are correct - I focused on the big picture, and neglected to consider how the knowledge would impact you, personally."
"Whatever. Forget it," Scott muttered.
"Scott-" the Professor began again, then sighed. "Come and see me tomorrow?" he suggested. "Perhaps we can determine the best means to get in contact with Alex."
Scott swallowed. "Yes, sir. I will see you tomorrow." And with that, and with everything from that night still echoing in his head, Scott turned and left.
Scott didn't even pause. He parked the car, and immediately stormed up to the Professor's office. No stops at his room, the restroom, or to say hi to anyone. He was a man on a mission.
How the fuck had Xavier not fucking told him?
Scott pounded on the Professor's door.
With how Scott approached his door, maybe it wouldn't have even taken a psychic to sense his approach. But Charles WAS a psychic, and he could sense the emotions rdiating off his pupil. And so he had to suppress a sigh before he called through the door.
"Come in Scott."
Scott let himself in, the storm inside him creating an odd contract with his careful and precise actions as he gently shut the door. Once it was closed, and his privacy as guaranteed as it could be, he rounded on his teacher.
Rage, and more than that betrayal, curled heavy and cold in his stomach. "You must have known," he accused, his voice quiet but razor sharp. Xavier was the most powerful telepath in the world, he could pick up mutants thousands of miles away. He must have known about Alex. That he was a mutant, that he wasn't with his adoptive family, that he was with the Brotherhood. "Why did you lie to me?"
Xavier leaned forwards with deliberate calm nd steepled his fingers on the top of his desk. "I'm not sure what you're referring to Scott." The cool tranquility of his voice was just as deliberate a display of control as his posture was. He could have been sure, and they both knew it. But part of Charles' self restraint of his powers was that he didn't check and often idn't even assume. Especially not in a situation as emotional as this.
"The Brotherhood has a kid who looks like an older version of Alex. Summers. Tell me I'm wrong," Scott challenged.
The Professor sighed and shook his head. "No, you're not wrong. It would appear that your brother may, and I stress may, have joined the Brotherhood. And I was concerned that you would react....precipitously."
"So rather than tell me he was even a mutant, let alone that he might be with he fucking Brotherhood, you just thought you'd let that shit go?!" Scott demanded.
"Scott." The Professor said with a little emphasis. "Leaving aside that acquiring certainty about this young man would require a violation of my ethics especially as I have not seen him in person. And also leaving aside that this may not be my secret to tell. There are important considerations when it comes to the Brotherhood that require careful consideration. Which your reaction implies you are not capable of in this case."
"You have Cerebro and you didn't bother to check?" Scott said, shoving aside the Professor's insinuation.
"No, Scott. I did not. And it wasn't a case of not bothering. For now, we need to tread carefully with the Brotherhood, or risk alienating them. And thus losing any chance of pulling them way from Magneto's influence."
Scott's brow furrowed. "What does that have to do with freaking figuring out if he was there or not? People don't know when you just note their existence and situation with Cerebro." And that was the crux of it. He had never asked the Professor to find Alex, and even if Scott had somehow known his brother was a mutant he still wouldn't have. If Alex had been living his life happily and peacefully, Scott wouldn't have wanted to interfere. Scott's own life had been a shit-fire, and he wouldn't have wanted to dirty Alex's life.
But no, apparently Alex was running with mutant supremacists.
"Magneto is aware of Cerebro. While I'm sure he assumes we are using it to spy on his followers and will have told them this, proving him right could undermine our trustworthiness to a group of children I very much wish to gain credibility with. For their own good as much as ours. I could note his existence, but to ACT on that would be highly problematic. I prefer to avoid such temptation except where necessary. And in this case, the matter didn't seem urgent. As young as he is Scott, ex is allowed to make his own decisions. He is in a dangerous crowd, but out options to change that are limited."
"Did I say I wanted you to go get him out of there? Or that I was even going to? No," Scott pointed out, voice clipped by his frustration but otherwise even. "But you knew, or at least suspected, and didn't even bother to fucking tell me. I would never have known about it if I hadn't gone to check myself."
"Would you really have been happy if I had told you of my suspicions Scott?" The Professor didn't think so, not with the skeptical look he gave Scott. "Would sharing my suspicion hve helped you in any way without potentially precipitating a conflict? As long as Alex was safe, I judged this to be the most prudent course."
How could a telepath be so goddamn obtuse?! "The problem isn't the fucking outcome. The problem is that you didn't respect or trust me enough to tell me the truth!
"Not even when you had to know I'd find out." Because it had been Scott who had taken Kitty and her information to Xavier. The Professor had to know Scott would read it. "So you clearly think I am completely untrustworthy, utterly irrational, and totally fucking stupid. I'm stunned you even let me sign up to be an X-man at all if that's your opinion."
"I think none of those things." Xavier replied calmly, and then huffed a small breath. "Except perhaps when it comes to your brother. Which I found entirely understandable. If I misjudged and underrated you Scott, then I apologise." Was that the Professor being rueful?
Scott stared at the Professor for another long moment, eyes narrowed in frustration and suspicion. He didn't point out that Xavier had taken a huge risk by not telling him. What if the shock of investigating it himself had been too much, and he'd done something to make Alex aware of his presence? But the Professor knew all that.
Finally, grudgingly, Scott managed a terse, "apology accepted.
"So what do you want me to do, or not do?"
The fact that Scott accepted his apology drew a brief but genuine smile from the Professor. "Thank you Scott. But allow me to turn that back around first. And ask you two questions. What have you already done with this knowledge And what would you like to do with it?"
"I haven't done anything with it," Scott said. The tight muscles in his jaw were evidence to anyone who knew him how frustrated he was with the entire situation. "And I don't know if I should."
"Very well, then let us consider the best course of action together." The Professor suggested. "First, I think we should rule out coercing Alex away from where he is. But how do you think he would respond to an invitation to join us?"
Scott frowned, feeling uncomfortable (not for the first time) in his own skin. He was guessing that was the kind of shit someone should know about his kid brother, but he didn't. He had no idea who Alex was, or what Alex was about. Had no idea the kind of life Alex had lived before the Right had gotten their blood-stained hands on the kid. "I don't know," he admitted.
"I suspect you'll find him somewhat changed from what you remember," the Professor observed quietly. "The years, his incarceration - he may or may not bear much resemblance to the Alex you knew. Perhaps you might begin by simply speaking with him."
Alex wouldn't be the only one who'd changed, but since both he and the Professor knew that it didn't exactly bear mentioning. "He might not even want me to do that," Scott admitted, not only to Xavier but to himself.
"He might not," the Professor conceded. "And it shows maturity that you're willing to acknowledge that possibility. But then again, he very well might. Based upon the records Kitty obtained, Alex has been through a great deal. He may very well wish he still had a brother to turn to."
"So you think I should talk to him?" Scott translated.
"I think," the Professor said carefully, "that you might wish to consider whether or not you want to talk to him. And whether or not you can do so calmly, accepting his decision should he choose to remain where he is."
Scott frowned. So basically other than the catharsis of telling the Professor where he could shove it for not fucking telling him, this had accomplished nothing. Nothing other than reducing his anger from boiling to a simmer and reminding him what a shithead he was. "Great."
The Professor frowned. "What would you have me do, Scott? Contact the Brotherhood's leader and demand that he immediately send your brother here? I'm afraid that he'd very likely refuse."
"I was hoping for more useful advice than 'be just as confused as you are until you come up with an idea." Scott said, crossing his arms. Of course he didn't want the Professor to make demands on Magneto, he wasn't a goddamn idiot. And fuck, how many times could the old man insinuate that Scott was a moron? Scott must be even dumber than he realized.
Sighing, the Professor shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what to do in this case, Scott. But if it were me, I would want to speak with him. At the end of the day, he is still your brother."
"Yeah. We'll see." Scott said. He clenched his jaw like he was bracing for the emotional uppercut he felt like he'd been receiving all night. "I'll, uh. I'll get out of your office then. I guess."
"Scott..." The Professor met the young man's eyes to the best of his ability. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you of my suspicions sooner. You are correct - I focused on the big picture, and neglected to consider how the knowledge would impact you, personally."
"Whatever. Forget it," Scott muttered.
"Scott-" the Professor began again, then sighed. "Come and see me tomorrow?" he suggested. "Perhaps we can determine the best means to get in contact with Alex."
Scott swallowed. "Yes, sir. I will see you tomorrow." And with that, and with everything from that night still echoing in his head, Scott turned and left.
