Court
“That won’t work, Charles. It never does.” Raven argued.
“Without peaceful protest, the civil rights movement wouldn’t have been successful.”
“You could say the same thing about the not-so-peaceful protests.” Erik said, pointedly. “How do we protest peacefully with police knocking down our doors? Without their peace, we cannot exist peacefully.”
Scott tuned the three leaders out, they were just going around in circles. Every countered argument gnawed at his bones, every repeated statement sent a twinge through his muscles. How would they ever defeat this threat if they couldn’t all agree on how?
“Well it sure will be a lot harder with the ripe mess of things you all made back at Trask’s base of operations.”
That was the last straw. Scott was tired of Charles laying into him about the lives lost the day before. He hadn’t wasted a second the moment he had gotten Scott alone. The words ‘we aren’t execusioners’ bounced around in Scott’s head like a pong ball; but the words ‘I expected more from you’ were the ones that had hurt the most. How did Charles expect Scott to get everyone out, to keep everyone safe, not just then but for the rest of his life, if he wasn’t allowed to make the tough calls? If he couldn’t eliminate the people that threatened them, how was he ever supposed to succeed?
Scott stood up, abruptly, exiting the room. He paced back and forth in the kitchen, the one place he could be alone in this massive house. There were no family paintings on the walls to stare at him, no TVs or radios to talk at him, just one, solitary window overlooking the courtyard, skyscrapers looming in the background. He clenched his fists open and closed, focusing on the dull pain in his healing palms. What had he done that wasn’t necessary? What had he done that was so wrong? Everyone in that building was a murderer, eugenicist, or an accessory to attempted eugenics. Were their deaths really so tragic?
His mind stampeded through questions and frustrations, his thoughts losing focus, becoming fragmented, but his emotions increasing exponentially. Walking became difficult, and he needed to lean against the table, his fingers clenching around the rim. His breathing hitched and shallowed, his chest jittery and his body heavy. Tears stung his eyes. No matter what he did, the world always seemed to fall apart around him, and somehow, it was always his fault.
A light, warm hand snaked around his waist, pulling him into a hug. Jean pressed against his back, her head resting on his shoulder, her grip feather-light. She rubbed circles into his stomach with her thumbs, whispering soothing things in his ear as he sobbed.
His breathing slowly collected, his tears subsiding. His strength was the last thing he regained, the tingly jitters dissipating with the return of his voice. He took a few intentional deep breaths before speaking. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I love you, Scott, all of you. Don’t hide from me.”
Scott turned around to be met with the most beautiful woman in the world. How had he been so lucky? “We did what was best, right?”
“We did what we thought we had to in the moment. That’s all anyone can ever do.”
Scott stared at Jean for a moment, something seemed off with those words, like they were rehearsed. They didn’t sound like Jean, but they sounded familiar. “You took that from Ororo didn’t you?” Jean smiled and looked away, her pink blush the only answer Scott needed.
“She’s an incredibly wise person.” Jean defended.
“No. I like it.” Scott assured. “I just don’t know if it’s enough. I should have thought ahead, or…I don’t know.” He buried his face in Jean’s neck. “I still can’t see any other options. Every time I replay everything we did, that was the only way that didn’t lead to even worse outcomes.”
“It was an unwinnable situation. If we made sure everyone stayed alive, we would have secured our own extinction. By killing those we had to, we fueled people’s distrust and hatred.”
“Why am I not good enough?” He hadn’t meant that to slip out, but his brain-to-mouth filter had long gone two hours into Charles, Erik, and Raven’s cyclical arguing. Fuck it. He had already said it, why not say everything? “Why is nothing I do ever enough to satisfy him? When I make him proud, I can’t enjoy it because his goals are never enough to make a lasting difference in the world.”
“Maybe there’s an in-between? Somewhere between the professor and Magneto that we can fall into? Maybe we shouldn’t be content conforming to human society, but maybe we don’t need to destroy the world…or save it, however Magneto thinks of his ideals. Maybe we just need to change it?”
Scott breathed a deep breath of his wife’s perfume. “I can’t go back in there.”
“You don’t have to. Come on, let’s get outta here.” Logan leaned against the doorway, watching the two with uneasy eyes. He twirled the keys to the X-van around his finger. Scott looked to Logan like a deer in headlights, wiping his cheeks dry. “I can always smell when you’re cryin’, Slim. Never said a word about it. Let’s go.” He motioned for the two to follow him.
They piled into the X-van, Logan behind the wheel, Scott reminding him to drive like he had two mortal passengers. Logan refused to tell the two where they were going, wanting the element of surprise. He knew Scott would complain about it getting dark.
‘Where are we going, Logan?’ Jean tried one more time privately.
‘Don’t worry about it. I aint spillin’ the beans.’
‘You’re worried about him.’ She wasn’t asking.
‘I thought you promised to stay outta my thoughts?’
‘I don’t need to read your mind to know you, Logan. Plus, you were projecting pretty hard yesterday. I couldn’t not hear you.’ Jean’s sass tickled him. Maybe he had thought a little too hard about his concerns, but Scott was hurting, and it was hard to see the strongest person he knew so vulnerable.
‘Maybe I am worried about him. But, I’m worried about you too. How are you doing with all of this? We haven’t gotten a chance to talk about it.’
‘I’m scared. I’m worried that this will be the rest of our lives, running for our lives, hiding. That even if our lives gain a semblance of normalcy, we’ll always be second-class citizens with our registration; that we’ll always live in fear of them coming to our door with a new policy change to take us away. I’ve looked inside Magneto’s mind; I’ve experienced what people are capable of. What if they find a way to eliminate the X gene in Eutero? Will we see the last generation of mutants? Will they decide to kill us off? Give us a vaccine to “cure” us? I’m sorry, that was a lot to dump on you.’
Logan gripped the steering wheel, his foot trying to press harder on the gas, but Scott’s white knuckles on the handle above his window reminded Logan to take it slow. ‘No. I’m glad you told me. I think we’re all worrying about the same things. Have you talked to Scott about all this?’
‘We talked last night. He’s just as nervous, if not more.’ Logan chuckled, earning Scott’s attention which he dismissed.
‘I want you to be able to talk to me about this stuff. I know Scott’s your husband, I’m not tryin’ to step on anybody’s toes, but I care about you, and I wanna be there for ya.’
‘Thank you, Logan. I really appreciate you being there for me and Scott. He does too, even if he won’t admit it to you. He loves you a lot. So do I.’ Logan’s face burnt hot. He tried to ignore the shiver down his spine and focus on the road ahead, but Scott’s cologne and Jean’s perfume were mingling in his lungs, a perfect symphony of aromas making his bones turn to jelly. He pulled over to the side of the road dramatically.
“This is good enough.” He proclaimed, putting the car in park. He stepped out of the vehicle, encouraging the two to exit with him.
“Where are we?” Scott squinted into the woods, barely making out anything in the twilight.
“The woods.”
“I can see that…but why?”
“You’ll just have to see.” Logan grabbed Scott by the arm, Jean taking his other side. The two helped him down the embankment into the woods.
“It would be helpful if we knew where we were going so I could help steer, Logan.” Jean inquired, gripping her visually impaired husband’s elbow.
“We’re already here. We’re just looking for a quiet place away from the road.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea? We could get lost if we go too far from the car and it gets dark.” Jean spoke Scott’s thoughts before he could formulate them.
“I can smell the car, don’t worry. I know exactly where I am.”
“Jean?” Scott looked to Jean for confirmation. His wife nodded. Logan was telling the truth, he really did know exactly where they were.
They settled into a spot with a comfortable log to sit on. Logan left Scott and Jean, coming back a few minutes later with firewood. He dug a pit in the ground and piled the wood inside. Once he had a fire going, the sun had completely vanished, all that was left, a navy blue sky with two stars shining down at them, or were those satellites?
Scott rocked back and forth on the log, his fingers fidgeting nervously. Jean sat beside him, tapping her feet the way she did when she was anxious. Logan squeezed his way between them, a cigar in his mouth and a beer in his hand. Had he brought those?
“You two really need to loosen up.”
“I know. I’ve heard it all before.” Scott rolled his eyes.
“No, I mean seriously.” Logan took a swig of his beer.
“You know, people always say that, but no one ever tells me exactly how I’m supposed to do that.” Scott huffed. Logan was really starting to irritate him, the smoke from his cigar drifting toward his nose not helping in the slightest.
“That’s why I’m here; to show you.” Logan patted Scott on the knee, the gesture feeling too intimate, so he pulled his hand away.
Jean looked at Logan curiously. “I guess you are kind of the master of losing control.”
“Come on. Get up.” Logan ushered the two off the log. He grabbed Scott by the shoulders. “Punch me.” His stomach twitched with excited anticipation.
“I know what happens to people that punch you, Logan.” Scott’s irritation had blossomed into full blown frustration.
“Not on any bones, idiot. Punch me in the stomach.”
Scott’s heart rate rose, his breathing elevating. “I don’t want to do this.”
Logan glared Scott down, but eventually, he relented. “Fine, you’re not ready to lose control? I’ll work with Jeanie first. At least she recognizes her need for it.” He turned to Jean. “Jean, punch me.” Jean cracked a smile, obeying Logan’s wish. She punched him, not very hard, but at least she tried. “Harder, and keep going.”
She punched him, then again, and again, each hit getting harder and harder as she tested his tolerance. By the end, Logan was flinching, but he assured her he was fine. She was breathing hard, her punches starting to lose steam. “Why are you afraid to lose control?”
“It’s dangerous.” She panted.
“How?”
“Someone could get hurt.”
“So what? People get hurt all the time, it’s part of living.”
“I care about you. I don’t want to hurt the people I love!” Her punches were barely whispers at this point, her eyes watering, her forehead sweating.
“What about people you don’t know?”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone, Logan. I’m not a monster.” Her voice cracked at the last word, almost as if she didn’t truly believe it.
“What would happen if you hurt someone?”
She stopped, looking at Logan, confused, like she had never thought deeper than that about it. “They would be upset at me, people would be upset at me.”
“And that matters because…?”
Jean turned away, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. “I don’t want to be a bad person.” Her voice was meek, her eyes trained to the floor. Scott migrated to her, wrapping a loose arm around her.
“Well, there’s no one here. No one to hurt. No one to hate you. No one to fear. So let go now.”
“How?” Her eyes sparkled in the firelight, big, desperate, pleading.
Logan walked behind her, grabbing her shoulders firmly and twisting her away from Scott, toward the empty woods. “Release your powers. Everything you can muster.”
Jean took a deep breath, her face hardening into something Logan had only ever seen from Phoenix. Her arms floated in front of her, a blast of energy cracking and flattening trees as far as Logan could see. The gust of air produced ruffled Logan’s hair, floating splinters of wood all around them. Something in her eyes flickered, but quickly extinguished as she let her arms fall and her body relax.
“How’d that feel?”
Jean smiled. “Really good.”
“Your turn!” Logan chimed to Scott, but Scott retreated into himself.
Scott’s voice was small, timid; a sound Logan had never heard from the man. “You hurt people all the time. How are you okay with that?”
The question was harsh, but genuine. Logan thought really hard, trying to find the right words to express how he felt. “I’m not.” That was all he could get out, everything else coming out as a jumbled stammer until he frustratedly gave up. He turned to Jean, begging for her help. “Can you do that thing where you make my thoughts words?”
Jean smiled at him, nodding. She placed two gentle hands against his head, sorting through the scrambled mess of words, untangling them expertly. “Look, I don’t like hurting people. I don’t like losing control. I actually hate it.” Her voice was soft and smooth, speaking more eloquent words than Logan would ever be able to create. Yet, she spoke Logan’s heart, the words everything he wanted to say. “I lose myself and I dissapoint the people that care about me. But I’ve had to accept it. I’m not able to bottle everything up and constantly monitor myself, I have very little tolerance for it. I know that the people that matter will forgive me, and I’ve learned to forgive myself.”
Logan poked Scott in the chest while Jean verbalized for him, her voice dropping to a lower, gruffer tone, imitating the Wolverine. “You can’t keep everything neat and tidy inside your head forever either. Your emotions are like a rubber band wound around a stick until it can’t wind anymore, and someday, that rubberband is gonna snap, and its gonna take everything it hits down with it. You can mitigate that if you learn to loosen that rubber band periodically, so it never fully extends.”
Scott backed away from Logan’s pokes. “Not the best metaphor, but I understand the point you’re trying to make.” He stared at the fire, the only thing he could see more than a silhouette. “I know you just want to help me, but this isn’t what I need.”
That was bullshit. This was exactly what Scott needed. As much as Scott may hate it, Logan knew him: Scott was the guy who still got nervous on airplanes if he wasn’t the pilot. The guy who had to hold his little brother’s hand for fear that he would lose him in another crash. He’s the guy who would check every exit before entering a room. The guy who feared he was like his father whenever he saw his son. The guy who couldn’t sleep at night worrying about what the next day would bring. The guy who refused to use the alphabet as a plan labeling system due to its limiting numbers. The guy who looked every teammate in the eye before a mission in case it would be the last time he ever saw them. The guy who couldn’t feel loved if he wasn’t being useful, who couldn’t take a day off without working in his mind. The guy who blamed himself for every mistake in the world.
Logan pushed him, making Scott catch himself with his back foot. “You’re not listening to me.” Logan complained.
“Yes, I am, don’t push me.” Scott grit his teeth as Logan pushed him again. “I said stop.” His fists clenched around the loose bandages wrapping his palms. Logan pushed him again, his finger hitting a bruise on Scott’s shoulder. “Stop!”
“No! Not until you get angry!”
Logan made to push Scott again, but Scott grabbed his hand. Logan tripped Scott with a quick leg sweep, Scott landing on the moist ground, a stick poking into his thigh. “What the fuck, Logan!?” He instinctively reached for his glasses.
“That’s right. Let go! Hit me.”
“I don’t wanna hurt you, Logan, back off!”
“Why? What’s gonna happen? You can’t hurt me, so why won’t you use your powers? Why can’t you lose control?”
“I know what you’re doing, Logan.”
“It doesn’t matter. Why can’t you lose control?” Logan reiterated.
Scott glared at Logan, he hated him for making him do this, but he wouldn’t stop harassing Scott until he gave him something. “Because I can’t make a mistake, okay!”
“Why not?” Jean opened her mouth to explain Scott’s inner thoughts to Logan, but Logan shut her down. ‘Let him say it, outloud.’
Scott climbed to his feet, dusting his pants off. “I could lose my family!” He pushed past Logan, bumping into his friend’s shoulder intentionally. He stood by Jean. “Come on, let’s go.”
“No.” Logan stood in Scott’s way. “Why would you lose your family if you made a mistake? You think they care that little about you? You think their love is conditional or something?”
“No! You make them sound terrible. It’s not like that.” Scott tried to step around Logan but Logan was faster.
“Why would you lose them, Summers?”
Scott let out a frustrated growl, immediately berating himself to control his temper. He closed his eyes, his jaw so tight he could barely speak. “I’m not worthy of them if I’m not perfect. Are you happy? If I make a mistake, someone could die. So I can’t. Make. Mistakes.” He finally found his way around Logan, but Logan grabbed his wrist.
“How would you make a mistake out here? There’s nothing around. Let go.”
Scott spun around, his face less than an inch from Logan’s. “No.” He hissed.
“Fine. Then don’t use your powers. Scream.”
Scott stepped away, taken aback. “What?”
“Scream. Let it all out without using your powers.” Logan let out an angry howl as an example.
Jean grinned behind him. ‘It could be fun.’
Scott huffed, pulling his wrist from Logan’s hand. “Fine. Aaaaah.” He said sarcastically with as little effort as possible. Jean looked at him disappointedly before belting out her own battle cry.
“Come on, Pretty Boy, don’t be a stick-in-the-mud.” Logan prodded.
“Fucking fine!” Scott growled, letting out a frustrated roar. His throat felt raw, but it felt good.
The three mutants yelled into the empty woods for a few minutes before putting the fire out and heading back to Osborn’s mansion, tired and relaxed. Scott apologized to Logan for getting so upset, and Logan apologized for pushing him so hard, all the while, Jean sat silently in the back, smiling proudly at her family.
When they returned to the mansion they were met with a smiling team. Logan’s apprehension only grew as Charles and Erik explained. “We’ve figured it out.” Charles started.
“We’re going to work together, but separately.” Erik continued.
“We will split into three teams to tackle different problems. Erik has convinced me of the necessity of some more forceful tactics.”
“And Charles has convinced me of the need for humans to feel safe.”
“Scott, you will be leading the X-Men. Your team will consist of Jean, Iceman, The Human Torch, Colossus, The Thing, Nightcrawler, Morph, Jubilee, Wolverine, and any other registered mutants we may encounter.”
“But, Colossus and Jubilee never registered?” Scott interrupted.
“Not by their own accord, no.” Charles moved to a new section of the room. “Spyke and Quicksilver managed to grab a list of registered mutants from Trask’s headquarters. The MRD seem to have gathered enough information to register quite a few of us.” He grabbed a stack of papers from a desk and handed it to Scott.
Scott inspected the list; so many of his friends and family, their choice and privacy taken away from them.
Alvers, Lance - Avalanche: Emits earthquakes from hands.
Darkholm, Raven - Mystique: Transformation.
Drake, Bobby - Iceman: Creates ice, transforms body to ice.
Duke, Fred - Blob: Enhanced strength, endurance, stamina, durability, mass.
Eisenhardt, Max/Lenshire, Erik - Magneto: Controls metal.
Frost, Emma - White Queen: Telepathy, turns body to diamond.
Grey, Jean - Marvel Girl: Telepathy, Telekineses.
Grimm, Ben - The Thing: Body made of rocks.
Pryde, Katherine - Shadowcat: Intangibility. (pet dragon?)
Rasputin, Piotr - Colossus: Metal body.
Logan - Wolverine: Hand claws, healing factor, regeneration. (mediacally enhanced skeleton).
Maximoff, Pietro - Quicksilver: Enhanced speed.
Maximoff, Wanda - The Scarlet Witch: Chaos magic?
Monroe, Ororo - Storm: Control over the weather.
Richards, Reed - Mr. Fantastic: Body elasticity.
Storm, Jonathan - Human Torch: Turns body to fire, produces fire.
Storm, Susan - Invisible Woman: Invisibility, produces forcefields.
Summers, Scott - Cyclops: Emits concussive blasts from eyes.
Unknown - Sabertooth: Healing factor, finger claws, fur, fangs.
Unknown - Rogue: Power absorption, flight, enhanced strength and durability.
Unknown - Morph: Transformation.
Wilson, Wade - Deadpool: Healing factor, regeneration.
Xavier, Charles - Professor X: Telepathy.
Scott couldn’t turn the page to view any more. He restrained himself from crumpling the paper and throwing it on the ground to stomp on it over and over again. He gently placed it on a coffee table, the information too important to lose.
Charles continued once Scott had digested the information. “I have already called for a meeting with the senators to discuss why the act should be repealed, they promised to meet me if we bring a petition with 1,000 signatures.”
“Won’t they just arrest you the second you step in the courthouse?” Logan questioned.
“I thought so as well, but it turns out, Trask and his Registration Division acted alone. He did not obtain a warrant; but, since he never managed to get his hands on any minors, he was able to use the excuse of arresting us for forming a private military; which is one of the restrictions outlined in Title IV of the Registration Act. Due to the lack of a warrant, the senators have agreed to suspend our arrest, unfortunately, they do not believe me of his actions during your detention. They require proof of the horrors you all faced. Since we have none, we will simply have to let it go for now, and focus on our mission to abolish registration.”
“That’s bullshit.” Logan griped, earning a look of agreement from Magneto, something that made him uneasy.
“If they didn’t order the arrest, why were you and Jean attacked at the courtroom?” Scott questioned.
“We weren’t attacked in the courtroom. Jean and I sensed Trask’s telepath outside of the courtroom, they had a team waiting for us outside. That was who we were running from, we just didn’t realize the court had nothing to do with it.” Charles looked to Erik with a slight smirk and a glint in his eye. “I told them we were kidnapped by Magneto. They seem to have bought that.”
He turned back to Scott. “Scott, take your X-Men and start to gather the signatures for the petition tomorrow. We have one week to get this completed. They have promised to send a cease and desist to Trask in regards to our arrest warrants, on the grounds that I present evidence to them that we are not militarized-”
Rogue interrupted the professor. “Sorry, Professor, but…how in the hell are we supposed to do that? The mansion was destroyed and they want us to show proof that we aren’t militarized?”
Charles looked to Rogue, confused. “Oh?”
“Yeah, they had these weird glowing pillars surrounding the mansion! They said something about ‘lighting her up’.” Kitty exclaimed.
Morph interjected, talking around a microwavable hotdog they had found in the back of the freezer. “The mansion’s still there. I was one of the last people caught. Suddenly, I couldn’t use my powers anymore and that was when everything was over. They packed me into a van and drove off.”
Disgust itched at Logan, compelling him to spit on the floor out of spite, but he restrained himself out of respect for their host. “They had something similar when they nabbed Scott and Rogue.”
“And Bobby!” Bobby spoke up, inserting himself into the conversation.
“And Hank!” Alex said, incredulously.
“Anyway-” Logan continued. “They had these four devices they surrounded me and Scott with, then I couldn’t use my powers, till Iceman broke one.”
“You’re welcome.” Bobby beamed at Logan, obviously accepting a thank you even if Logan never gave one.
Erik and Charles shared a concerned look and Hank pushed himself through the group to grab a notebook and pen from the desk along the wall. He sat on the couch and started scribbling. “This is interesting…and concerning. It seems like they’ve increased the scale of the inhibitor collar’s range, but how? I’m going to be thinking about this all night.” He muttered to himself.
“At least it’s better than shooting us with a ‘cure’.” Raven crossed her arms.
Scott looked to the professor, millions of questions on his mind, but only one so loud he couldn’t push it away to store for later contemplation. “If the mansion’s not gone, and we aren’t going to be arrested, can we go home?”
Charles looked down at the ground, a slight frown on his lips. “I wish so, but, I’m afraid I just can’t risk it. I want to trust the government, I really do, but Erik has made some very good points to me whilst you were away, around the need for an anonymous base of operations. Which, actually brings me back to our plans.
Once we have our petition and Ororo, Sue, Reed, Hank, and I are in the meeting with the senators, I want you all to form a peaceful sit-in outside the courthouse, we will gather as many registered mutants as possible to put pressure on the court. However, Magnus and I fear this may not be enough, which is where our third group comes in.” Charles looked to John. “Erik and Raven will lead a covert group to disrupt any police interference, allowing you all to escape if you are faced with any trouble.”
“The world needs to see that mutants will not quietly disappear from existance. We will not be complacent in our own extinction. We are the alternative to Charles' peace. The humans will be faced with a choice: accept mutants, or fight us.” Erik placed his hand on Raven’s shoulder, staring directly at Scott. It was as if he could feel Scott’s discontent; as if he could sense his longing for more than just conformity. For the first time in a decade, Scott had hope for the future, when he fought, he wouldn’t just be fighting for survival, he would be fighting for more, more out of life, more out of society, more out of himself.
“Pyro, Rogue, Shadowcat, Havok, Spyke, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Angel, Avalanche, Blob, Toad, Gambit, and X-23, you will be my team.” Erik stated.
“Our team.” Raven reminded.
“I don’t understand.” Scott looked to the professor. “So many of the covert team are already registered, why won’t they be in the sit-in. Doesn’t their registration defeat their covert status?”
“Well, everyone in the anonymous team will be hiding their identity. We specifically chose powers that were less distinct from our registered team, that way their identities could be kept a secret. Plus, some of their powers are too important not to have on a destructive team. I assure you, Scott, every person was meticulously placed.” This made sense. The Human Torch, Jean, and Iceman, while very vague in their powers, were too famous not to use as influential figures. Morph, The Thing, Jubilee, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Scott himself were too distinct not to be recognized. And all of the players with distinctive traits in their covert team could simply avoid the things that would get them recognized, like the professor said, their powers were too vital to the mission to place anywhere else.
Logan crossed his arms and stared at the professor with an expression that could only be described as pouting. “Why the hell aint I on the destructive team?”
“Logan, you are many things, but covert will never be a word to describe you.”
“You realize I’m a samurai, right?” Logan muttered.
Jean placed a pitying hand on Logan’s shoulder. “A samurai with a very distinctive style.” She patted him, holding back a teasing smile.
Scott organized the petition, gathering 1,213 signatures by the end of the week. Pietro had been sent to the X-mansion to gather the iconic X-Men outfits. Hank had finished new outfits for their anonymous disruptors and the court day finally arrived.
Jean sat between Scott and Logan on the green lawn of the courthouse, a sign propped between her legs. They had gathered as many registered petitioners as they could, even recruiting Emma Frost and a few human sympathizers. Mutants sat in an unorganized circle, some wandering around distributing food and drinks.
Johnny Storm fidgeted with his powers, finally uninhibited by John Allerdyce, a rivalry Scott was starting to miss; his anxiety spiking with every ember. They could not afford a disastrous mistake. Luckily, Scott’s stress was rescued by the ever-unimpressed Ben Grimm.
“Stop that.” Ben trapped Johnny’s hands between his rock mitts. The two had a staring contest until the Human Torch gave up, the tips of his hair sparking.
Scott focused on his shoulders, willing them into relaxed submission. Jean placed her hand on his thigh, concern in her eyes. “This will work. It has to.”
Scott smiled at his wife. “Yeah.”
Logan opened his mouth to spread skepticism but Jean shot him the nastiest look she could. He closed his mouth and turned away.
Bobby popped his head between the trio, staring at Jean with his perpetually worried curiosity. “What’s happening in there?”
Jean closed her eyes and crinkled her nose. “They’re not very convinced by the evidence the professor is presenting. One of them accused us of being a terrorist organization. But…the professor’s hopeful he can change their minds.”
Bobby’s eyes were as wide as plates. “Terrorists!?”
Scott pulled his adopted brother into their circle. He kept his tone quiet. “Hey, keep it down. We don’t wanna scare everyone here. They haven’t decided anything yet.”
“Sorry, Scott. It’s just…we do nothing but help people, and then they call us terrorists? It’s not fair.”
“You’re right. It’s not fair.” It wasn’t fair that mutants were forced into registration for the false promise of human rights. It wasn’t fair that registered mutants could be fired from their jobs. It wasn’t fair that mutant’s could be turned away from healthcare. The travel restrictions weren’t fair. The mutant panic defense that legally protected those that attacked or killed mutants wasn’t fair. The physical violence mutants faced every day from strangers, friends, intimate partners, and even family wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that so many saw no other way out but to end their own lives. None of this was fair. But Scott couldn’t let Bobby dwell on that, not when today was supposed to be a day of hope.
“Which is why we’re here.” Scott’s words clearly did nothing to quell Bobby’s discomfort. He’d have to try a new approach. “Don’t be too obvious, but do you see that hotel over there?” He motioned subtly to a tall building mostly made of windows. Bobby nodded. “Erik, Warren, Kitty, and Rogue are on the roof. And over there-“ he pointed to a coffee shop. “John, Wanda, Domino and Laura are watching us. If anything goes wrong, they’ll get us out. Why don’t you have one of your weird face battles with John while we wait, okay?” He needed to keep Bobby distracted, or else his friend’s anxiety would pull him down into an uncontrollable abyss of panic.
Bobby gave Scott an awkward side-hug that twisted his neck in an odd position. “I’m gonna mess with Alex. Thanks, Scott. I’ll get out of your hair.”
Bobby sat beside the Human Torch whispering something to him. The man smiled and nodded at the Iceman. Bobby proceeded to pointedly make increasingly provocative ice-sculptures in the direction of Alex’s hideout, Johnny melting the sculptures once they had been spotted by their target.
The smell of fresh-cut grass tickled Logan’s nose. Jean's thigh radiated heat onto his own where they touched. Scott’s heartbeat maintained it’s natural slightly elevated pace. People chattered all around him, distracting him from the soft lullaby of Scott and Jeans breathing. He hated sitting on the ground doing nothing for hours. He had tried meditating, it was too noisy. He had tried antagonizing Scott, he had been shut down by Jean. All that was left was to wallow in his own fears and restlessness…or…he could be unconscious.
Logan lay on his back, his hands behind his head. “Wake me when it’s over.”
Jean smacked Logan’s knee. “You can’t go to sleep, Logan!” She scolded, a slight chuckle to her voice. If he had done nothing else with his day, at least he had made Jean smile.
“Fine!” Logan threw his hands up, a big smile on his face. “You really want me awake this whole time?” He questioned, mostly pointed to Scott, the man that was most likely to tell Logan to ‘get lost’ or ‘do anything you want to, just do it somewhere else’.
Scott pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. “I mean, you’re welcome to take a nap if it means one less player for me to have to beat at cards.” He quirked an eyebrow at Logan, teasingly, holding the deck for Logan to see.
Jean scooched closer to her husband, taking the deck out of his hand. She planted a kiss to his cheek and Logan’s stomach twisted in familiar jealousy. He looked away, trying to give them privacy, or maybe just trying to spare himself. He loved seeing them happy, he loved that they made each other happy, but physical affection was still to much for him to witness.
Jean shuffled the cards, claiming that Scott would cheat if he was playing against Logan. This earned her a loud objection from Scott who tried to snatch the cards back. Jean laughed and promised she was just joking, the boy scout’s honor back intact.
Scott distracted Jean with another kiss, stealing the deck from her. Logan felt sick. He was about to stand up to walk away when Ben Grimm’s booming voice broke through the noise. “Stop it! You’re turnin’ the lawn into a waterpark.” Then a giggling Bobby and a scared Johnny trampled through the trio’s space, knocking Logan onto Jean and Scott. Perfect. Exactly where he wanted to be. Closer to the happy couple. Logan grumbled, standing up and dusting himself off. It didn’t help that Scott and Jean held onto his arms to keep him steady, his skin abuzz like thousands of tiny bees danced down his arms. He pulled away before he could break into goosebumps.
“Are you oka-” Scott was cut off by the professor’s voice in his head.
‘X-Men, local police and MRD are just around the corner. Help everyone peacefully escape. I fear they do not come in peace.”
Scott’s stomach dropped but his mind narrowed into focus. He fell onto the evacuation plan he had created and run through in his mind a thousand times before they had arrived. “Everyone listen up! We are about to be faced with MRD. Pack your things up and be prepared to leave if requested. We will cooperate with their demands. If things escalate, we will use evasive manuevers only.” He turned to Jean. ‘Create a mind-link between the X-Men.’
Jean nodded, opening all of the X-Men’s minds to each other. ‘I’ll patch us through to magneto, but there are too many people in total if we include-’
‘Alex named them Team Anarchy.’ Bobby explained.
Jean chuckled. ‘-Team Anarchy. I can’t link us all.’
Local police were the first to arrive. They formed a line in full riot gear. Their shuffling loud, their presence menacing.
Scott stepped to the front of his group to address the officers. “We have a right to protest.” His hand twitched, ready to shoot to his visor at any moment if the situation called for it.
The police ignored Scott. One cop with a megaphone explained. “Mutants. You are impeding the traffic of an official government building. You are in violation of Title VII of the Mutant Registration Act. Put your hands in the air and remain still.”
‘They’re going to arrest us.’ Jean gave Scott a look he knew to take seriously. Jean was furious. ‘Title VII states that any crime, even a misdemeanor will result in arrest. It’s unfair and drachonian.’
‘Why the hell are they targeting us though, we’re not blocking the entrance. People can come and go as they please.’ Logan griped.
‘I guess the humans are too scared to pass us.’ Morph chimed in.
Scott raised his hands above his head and Logan begrudgingly followed, listening to the sounds of the police boots stomping closer. He heard Laura’s voice ordering her team. They would have cover any minute now.
The MRD finally arrived, big black vans ready to take the mutants away. No way. No way was Scott going to let those monsters take these innocent people. ‘Jean, it’s time.’
Jean contacted Erik. Seconds later their aerial team, clad in their new anonymous uniforms, swooped down to disrupt the officers. Rogue threw punches while Warren dropped people onto other people to disorient them. Erik, the only one projecting his identity, took all of their shields, stacking them infront of the protestors as an extra barrier.
“Evasive tactics only! Get everyone out!” Scott vocalized, a way to keep the protestors from joining into the fray.
MRD rushed into the chaos, their mutant-specific weapons drawn at the aerial team. Bobby turned the ground at the MRD’s feet into an ice-rink, a move teetering a little too close to offensive for Scott’s taste, but it bought the aerial team time to escape, and Laura’s team time to move in.
Wanda, Domino and John followed Laura’s command. Wanda turned all of the MRD’s guns haywire, the weapons randomly firing everywhere, Erik’s shield barrier the only thing keeping the protestors safe. Not ideal. Scott urged everyone away. Panicked mutants ran everywhere, their few human allies struggling to escape the mess.
“Wolverine! Help the human’s escape!” Scott ordered.
Logan grit his teeth, and shot Scott a quick glare. He shouldn’t be on babysitting duty. He should be out there fighting those that wanted to hurt them, that wanted to beat them into submission, to erase them from the public.
‘Come on. You’re the only one I can trust with this.’ Scott pleaded and Logan softened. He still didn’t want to do it, but Scott was right, Bobby, Johnny, and Jubilee were too immature to trust with this. Ben and Kurt were busy helping their disabled protestors escape. Morph, Piotr, Emma, and Jean were too busy blocking the stray gunfire.
He helped one woman off of the ground, placing his body between hers and the mutants desperately trying to escape. “I’ve got you ma’am.” He shielded her, grabbing another human, keeping them from being trampled.
The MRD shot tear gas toward the crowd. Scott deflected as many canisters as he could back at the police, but two slipped past him. Gas filled his lungs, stinging and choking him. His eyes watered as he coughed uncontrollably. He staggered away toward clear air when a heavy body slammed into him, tackling him to the ground. Scott fought his assailant as hands grabbed at his arms. He couldn’t use his powers against these people, his job was to be peaceful today, the most he could do, was struggle to get away.
Laura’s sharp battle cry whizzed past Scott, relieving him of the pressure on his chest. He climbed to his feet, gasping for air between coughs. Laura released all of her rage onto the poor agent. Being mauled to death by a wolverine: a fate Scott hoped to never experience.
Logan safely escorted all of the human’s he could find to the end of the block where they were safe to run away on their own. He turned back toward the courtyard, gas and smoke distorting his view, lingering in the stagnant air. The popping and banging created an annoying and painful ringing in his ears, disorienting him further. Fireworks lit the scene adding to the noise and distraction. ‘Jean, where are you?’
‘Getting as many people away from the gas. Scott needs help.’ Logan’s chest tightened as he scanned the crowd looking for his leader.
‘I’m fine!’ Scott insisted, hidden from view in the smokey violence. Logan would prefer to be the judge of that, but as he couldn’t find his friend, he would have to take his word. ‘Help Morph get out!’ Fine.
Scott darted around bodies determined to make it to higher ground. They could really use storm right about now to clear the air. A large body bumped into Scott, nearly knocking him over, but a massive hand grabbed his forearm to hold him up. Scott gathered himself, looking up at his ally. His heart swelled but immediately sank as his elation twisted into dread. Guilt pounded at his heart for ever feeling such a way, but he couldn’t help it. “Cable.” It was never a good sign when he saw his son, no matter how much he cherished those few precious moments.
“Is this a bad sign?” Scott searched his son’s eyes desperate for the answer he didn’t expect to come.
“I was just in the area. Figured I’d help out a bit.” Cable shrugged, looking away. He was always so guarded around Scott. He just wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. But it wouldn’t, Scott knew it, Cable knew it.
Scott stared at Cable, his mind battling between hope and despair, unsure of how to take that answer. Cable sighed and answered him directly. “I think you’re on the right path.”
A familiar voice called behind Cable, twisting Scott’s stomach in dread and disgust. “Come on! Why are you doddling, Daddy? You promised me a pig hunt! Oh!” Deadpool, or…Wade as he had insisted Scott call him--well, actually, Wade had insisted on being called Super-Special Favourite Son, but Scott had settled for Wade--spotted Scott, his hands shooting to his cheeks with a wide-eyed expression and a large gasp. “It’s your daddy!”
“Hi, Wade.” Scott waved, his lips pursed. He turned back to his son, trying to ignore the obnoxious intrusion. “You should come have dinner with Jean and I sometime…anytime. Whenever you’re in the area.”
Cable shot someone behind Scott with his futuristic weapon. “I don’t know. I’m really busy.”
“Of course we will!” Wade jumped in. Scott could settle for both of them if it meant seeing Nathan. “We’ll come over next week after clown bungee jumping and before toddler street racing.”
“What is-nevermind.” Scott didn’t want to know any of the answers to the questions in his mind. “Just come over whenever you want. We’re staying somewhere that I can’t speak outloud.” Scott projected the address for Cable. Cable nodded and the two separated in opposite directions.
Logan’s lungs burned, stuck in a cycle of pained inhales and healing exhales. His eyes stung and watered being disrupted just as quickly as they could regenerate. Four men in gas masks wrestled him to the ground as they shoved tear gas in his face. ‘A little help over here?’ Logan requested, struggling to keep the MRD from grabbing a hold of him without using force against them. He hated being stuck on the X-Men’s team. He would obliterate them if he wasn’t morally castrated by the X-Men.
Fuzzy hands grabbed ahold of him, light weight pressing down on his body where two expert feet balanced. The world disappeared in smoke, warping his stomach, filling his lungs with sulfur, his body weightless, until the smoke dissipated, the air fresh and his body trapped by gravity. His team surrounded him, the sky clear, the noise of their distraction in the distance. They had made it. No fatalities-at least on their side-no prisoners, no power slips. Their plan had worked and the world felt brighter.