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Bearer of Bad News; [Scott]
Topic Started: Oct 6 2008, 10:57 PM (434 Views)
Avery
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Botanical Manipulation and Biology
Time of Day: Mid-Morning
Place in Timeline: September 6th



Not even when her bare feet stepped onto institute grass was there any comfort brought to her. The feeling of her safe haven, her ‘home, sweet home’, meant nothing to her. Her eyes flittered to the mansion, its image clutching her heart with an impending pain and sorrow of the news she had to deliver. The little hours that she had been awake on the plane, she tried her best to keep herself together, to believe that there was a fragment of a hope that Lorna and Alex were alive…somewhere. Yet, as her hands clung to Alex’s chest monitor, what was she to believe? In her mind, it just didn’t add up. Not she, not Pietro, nor even Alix could find a single trace of either of the two. Surely if they had died, one of them would have somehow known. …Somehow. But, looking down at the monitor, once again she could not make heads or tails out of it. Where had they gone? Or were they truly dead like some members already believed.

Hot tears burning her eyes once more, she turned to her beloved. She said her goodbyes, placed a soft kissed upon his lips and held him longer than she meant, murmuring her love for him before she slipped away. It had to be done. In being the only one from the institute to come on the trip, and perhaps closer to Scott than any of them, she felt it was her responsibility to report to him what had befallen. There was no sense dwelling on it, waiting to clean up and rest first. She had to do it now; otherwise she’d never get the courage to carry it through.

With each step within the mansion her anxiety grew. Her contemplation on what to say, how to begin, dwelled heavy in her mind. If her aspirations to be a nurse were true then she would have to own up to the fact that this was a duty of hers. One day she knew that she would be put in such a situation, that not every patient would survive, no matter how much effort was pit into saving them. It was part of the job…a part that she hoped that she wouldn’t have to face. Yet here it was, facing her this very day and she just shy of being twenty. She felt she was not experienced or wise enough to handle the situation delicately…but then, Avery was one of many self doubts. She may fumble through it, but get through it she would. Scott deserved to know.

Now at his door, she looked at it slightly dazed, wondering how she got there. She couldn’t recall walking through the halls, climbing the stairs nor passing anyone as she went. Her hair curled in long twists, having dried naturally, someone (most likely sweet Wanda) had been kind enough to wipe away the blood and sand that had stained her face and neck. Her feet bare, she also still donned the dress ripped to the thighs. She couldn’t bring herself even the moment to change. Behind her she left a trail of wildflower and morning rain, her scent so strong that even the dim witted would realized that something was terribly wrong. The smell, though not offensive, was almost too much.

A balled fist reached up to tap the door, curled to tight that her hand trembled. But then, her body had already begun to tremble the moment she stood at Scott’s office door. She worried that the moment he opened it, she would break down and it would be near impossible to get to words out to him as she cried like a child. Truth was, she wasn’t that much more than a child.

“Scott? It’s Avery..” Her usual timid voice, held something else, something unnerving. “Are you free?” She hoped that he was there and more so not with a student at the time.

When he opened the door he would surely know something was amiss. Though her face feigned solemness the best that she could muster, her shapely brows and soft lips frowned slightly as if she truly was going to cry. Her hands behind her back, he would probably note the slight movement in her forearms, she nervously fumbled with Alex’s chest monitor. Despite her disheveled look and her clothes, even her scent, Scott would not be able to miss the aura that loomed over the elven like a shadow. The heavy feeling around her spoke loudly of the news she was about to deliver.

The moment he opened the door Avery faultered and her lips pursed before the deepened into a sad frown that perhaps he had seen Rosie do many times. Her words caught her in throat she shook her head, knowing that she didn't have it in her to say what she wanted to right away..

"Oh Scott..." She wimpered, a strange, sad sound that he'd never heard come from the elven. Yes, there was definately something wrong.
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Cyclops
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Scott was working on his lesson plan for that afternoon's algebra class. He had not been a great lover of school as a child. What child was? But when he'd woken up from the coma, with enough damage done to his brain from first the injury that tumbled him into darkness and then the year long darkness itself that he had had to relearn many of the basics like how to tie his shoes and simple reading comprehension, he'd fallen into school as a lifeline, that first step of regaining control of his life. The strict rules of mathematics had become comforting to him, and helped him to find his place back into the world. Math eventually became engineering, so important to his tinkering with his machines and machines became technology and technology became flight...

He shook his head, as he realized he was daydreaming, an uncommon thing for Scott and, he smiled to himself. His wicked wife was tweaking his routine, nudging his thoughts into frivolous directions teasingly. He gave her a light tap through their rapport, a mental kiss and a peck, with a scolding, ::Class, Darling, I'm a hard taskmaster and I have a reputation to maintain.::

The knock on the door broke their light banter and Scott rose to answer it. He was surprised to find a very disheveled and grief filled Avery Doyle, "Avery..." he said.

"Oh Scott..." She wimpered, a strange, sad sound that he'd never heard come from the elven.

Scott felt his heart clench in his chest and he said, "Come in, what's happened? Please, sit down. I didn't expect you for two more days."
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Avery
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She knew it would happen and no matter how many times she had ran it through her head, it hadn’t strengthened or prepared her at all. The mere sight of Scott made her falter. There were so many differences between the two, he and his brother. Their personalities were like day and night, so much that one wouldn’t say the two were related. However, knowing the two Avery could see it, just barely in Scott’s face. That maybe if the eldest brother smiled just then, she would be able to see Alex’s smile as well.

He invited her in, easily picking up on her distress yet remaining calm regardless. Finding she could not speak she shook her head again, reluctant to even move forward, let alone take a seat. A moment after though she managed to step ahead enough to enter the room so that their conversation would be private. Her violet eyes flickered to him for a moment, yet never met his ruby shaded gaze, being careful not to show him what she was holding until the time was right. No…the time would never be right, but things had to be explained first.

“No…I can’t sit..” She said most assuredly, her voice somewhat on edge. Her stomach was in twists and knots, tumbling over with ever moment that passed. Already the nausea was starting to set in and Avery knew that if she continued on like this it wouldn’t be long before with little her stomach held would be dispensed.

“I don’t know where to begin.” She shook her head. Going back through it all, it seemed like a really bad dream, too unreal to be, quite frankly, real. “It was…” Her hand went to her forehead that swept back to smooth her hair. “God…It was horrible near the end…” She was having trouble talking about it, that much was obvious. However, no matter how fresh it was in her mind, the words came jumbled in her mouth. A living island? Really, it sounded insane.

“The island, there was something very wrong with it from the start. I…I know it sounds crazy but we all felt it. Each one of us started seeing different things. …Things that couldn’t be..” The elven explained vaguely, honestly not knowing what everybody had seen, only a few. It wasn’t a topic that was eager to be discussed on the trip home. Avery then pursed her lips before continuing, her eyes shifting as she went through her memories of the last couple days.

“I…I found Pietro talking to himself, speaking to someone that wasn’t there. And his body…There were these vines wrapping around his legs…they came up through the sand to grab him…” It seemed as if she could not stop shaking her head. “It was the island Scott. It was trying to take him. It…It somehow knew what we were afraid of…It somehow poured images and feelings into our minds and made us think that it was real…” She closed her eyes. It had been frightening at the time, but when it was her love that she had to save there was no time to reflect how terrifying it had actually been. Avery swallowed. “It was trying to take us; one by one….It was…trying to feed off us. And by the time we realized what was happening, it had already taken Jet, Shane and Jon…”

She stopped. She was coming onto the hard part and her body began to tremble more visibly. She realized that she was only telling him the bare bones of what happened…Perhaps Jean could scan her mind later so that both of them could see what she knew as her words seemed to fail her. God she didn’t want to go on. Never had she’d seen Scott cry and now being closer to him than before, it was something she didn’t wish to see. She didn’t want to be the one that broke his heart…but it seemed it was inevitable.
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Cyclops
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Avery's story came out in fits and false starts, and she was clearly in such distress. He took her arm and gently pulled her into the office, shutting the door behind her. She refused to sit, but he pushed a chair up for her, and tried to urge her to. What the hell had happened to her?

::Jean, honey, can you come down to my office? Avery's returned from her trip and she's... well, something happened on the island, and I am having trouble trying to figure out what exactly went on out there.::

Scott turned his focus back to Avery and said, "Let me get this straight. The island did this to you? The Island? Miss Black and the others? They were killed because of some entity on this island? Pietro?"

He frowned, already leaping into battle mode. If this island was alive then it would need to be taken care of before it did more damage. He could hardly believe so strange a story, but after fifteen years of being able to shoot beams out of his eyes, there was a certain amount of acceptance of the weird that he had grown accustomed to.

"Avery, what happened to the rest of the team? Who's left? Where's my brother? What's he doing to reestablish control over this situation?"
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Avery
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To his urging, his guided touch, he had finally managed to get her to sit. Even though what she was saying made sense in her head, when it came out she only managed to blurb out perplexing bits and pieces. By all rights she needed to write it all down, do up a report like she believed they did in debriefings. But this wasn’t a debriefing. It was all just filler until she got to the moment where his brother’s body could not be found.

Understandably confused, he asked about the members that she had mentioned, thinking that they were dead. She shook her head to this, murmuring no before falling into a short silence. This only prompted Scott, being who he was and that which she should’ve expected, to ask more questions, to encourage some sense out of her. It hadn’t been her intentions to confuse him so, but she had managed it easily.

"Avery, what happened to the rest of the team? Who's left? Where's my brother? What's he doing to reestablish control over this situation?"

“I...At the time there was Pietro, Wanda, Alix, Ric, Violey, Wanda and myself. We found Madison and Legard afterwards...” Her eyes finally flickered up to him, pools of watery amethyst. The word brother just about made her choke. “But it wasn't like Shadow X...It was the island…all of it. The wind, the rain…the earth..It’s mind…” She skirted his question, feeling that he needed to know what they were battling against. “Everything on Krakoa was controlled by this…this thing! I used my link with the plants to look for them. Jon was the first. When we freed Jon, the island became angry…I could hardly control the plants..” She drew in a breath that shuttered.

“It formed it’s into this…rocky beast of a thing. I don’t know…it must’ve been twenty feet high or more. And within it….Shane and Jet…they were all wrapped in vines and struggling.” The image flashed in her mind and she closed her eyes. “We fought it…we got them back, but it made things worse. When Pietro swung the last blow, the whole island went nuts, I was told. It was breaking apart, I think... It would’ve swallowed us whole. All of us, whole!”

“We had no choice but to leave….” Her voice began to rise and slip into a whisper at the same time. “I searched for them Scott…I kept looking…But no matter how hard I pushed, they wouldn’t tell me where they were…I couldn’t feel them..” She bit her lip as her face twisted, forcing back the sobs. Her delicate fluting ears flattened like a beaten dog’s as more so now, the scent of rain took over. Try as she might to stop it, large droplets fell from her lashes to patter upon her lap. Her hands unfolded in her lap to reveal what she had been holding all this time.

“I passed out before the beast was killed…” She shook her head. “Alix looked for them…Pietro stayed as long as he could. We couldn’t find Lorna…Or, Alex..” She looked up to Scott because she had to. He had to know how sincere she was in her words. “I’m sorry…” She whispered, just barely lifting the chest monitor as tears rolled freely. “All he found was this..”
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Cyclops
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The tears came and Scott knew, he knew before she tried to explain, before she handed over the chest monitor. He knew what it was, even as strange as it looked in this condition, ripped free from the containment suit, shreds of black clinging to the edges. He could see that it had been modified in some way, though he didn't know the purpose of the enhancements, having never been told about the extent of the injury to Alex's heart. He stared at the monitor for a few moments and then set it carefully on his desk, next to the model of the Dehaviland Mosquito, the plane that was the last one that the Summers family had flown in as a whole.

He put his hand on the distraught elven's shoulder and said, "I'm glad you've returned to us safe, Avery. I'm very sorry you had to go through such a trial on what was supposed to be a happy fun time. You should try and get some rest. Let me get a few facts from you and I'll do what I can to find my brother. Where exactly is this island? I'll search the area in the Blackbird, and have Jean use Cerebro to try and pinpoint his location... Wait a moment, you said you couldn't find them. Who else is missing? Lorna?"

His mind was already working, planning... His brother was out there somewhere, lost, clearly injured if this orphaned monitor was any indication. The thought that Alex was dead... Scott simply refused to believe it. He was not the last of the blood Summers and that was that.

There were many things that Scott expected the worst of, but Alex, simply by virtue of being Alex, had always been a blind spot in Scott's scarlet eyes. He had forgiven him for leading him into Mystique's clutches when he was influenced by Magneto's teachings when everyone else could see
nothing but a misanthrope self pitying ass. He had trusted him with his supervillain plan when ShadowX had taken him and Jean. He had ignored all the little flaws that were so inherently Alex, and though at times he was hard on him, though at times they butted heads, Scott had always had faith in his little brother... even when it appeared that he didn't.

He had faith now.

Alex was alive, and no matter what happened, Scott was going to find him. The last thing he had ever promised their parents was that he would take care of Alex. He'd failed to do that when they were children.

He was not going to do that again.

He crouched beside Avery's chair, "I'm sorry to bombard you with questions, but any information you can give me will make this search faster and more affective." His voice never changed, his face never changed, but inside, he was calling for Jean, needing her here with him.
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Avery
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He lightly took the chest monitor from her hands, carefully placing it on his desk after inspecting it. Her posture had become leaned forward as her forearms rested limply on her knees. Now and again her bowed head would lift so that she could look to him. And though the tears fell to the floor audibly, not a sound more did she make, trying her best not to become a blubbering mess of a child.

His gentle hand upon her shoulder caused her to look up longer this time. His face had remained the same since she had stepped in, slightly concerned but still the day to day Scott that she was accustomed to. He hardly seemed bothered by the fact and once he began to ask a few questions and speak a little more, she realized that he had no doubts in his mind about his brother. His direction slightly changed for a moment as something she said must have clicked in his mind. He asked about Lorna and Avery had nodded her head sadly in response.

“The two were practically inseparable most of the trip…” She replied, her voice just barely above a whisper. She didn’t go on to answer his questions as her mind had drifted to Lorna now. They had not much of a relationship, not as developed as she and Alex had, but it was enough to call her a friend. She thought of her as such a strong woman, so independent, kind enough but not so much to take shit from anyone. She was gorgeous with dark green locks similar to her own; it made Avery start to take a liking to her hair. But had really befallen her? The unknown was almost worse than having to know that they were both dead…

She must have slipped into silence for longer than she realized, for now Scott was crouched beside her chair. Her head turned slowly to him, her face painted with sadness as she tried very hard to control her tears. It was almost embarrassing for her, one whom thought she had a decent control on her emotions, to be crying in front of her mentor, a man she had respected and looked up to ever since entering Xavier’s. Perhaps he didn’t see how a lot of times she had strived to impress him and make him proud, but there had been something about him that caused Avery to turn to him from the start. Scott indeed set the bar high for her, and he certainly wasn’t the easiest person to win both respect and a friendship. Avery had benefited much from knowing this man.

"I'm sorry to bombard you with questions, but any information you can give me will make this search faster and more affective." He told her straight up, his voice calm and strong.

“No…I understand.” She replied, her voice sobering for a moment. She looked forward, her eyes staring unblinkingly ahead as she sorted through her memory. “The island was very small…I would need a rather detailed map to show you…” Thinking hard, she told him everything that she could recall about its location. Just barely could she remember hearing the coordinates but suggested he speak with Jon to confirm if she was correct in her thinking.

Her head tilted back to Scott once more and she seemed to wince just by looking at him. Her head shook and she spoke again with a wavering voice. “How do you manage to stay so steady? I feel like a fool here cryin’ like a child when it’s your brother that’s missing...” Her slender hands flew up to quickly wipe away the wetness of her face with her palms. “Someone else would’ve been better for this…I’m so sorry Scott..”

Perhaps he would be startled by her movement, or maybe he would take it in stride. Yet like a child she could no longer hold it all in and sought out for comfort that she was accustomed to giving but hardly ever sought out for herself. Her body had slipped from her seat and her knees clunked to the floor as she fell into Scott’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

“It was horrible…” She told him with a soft sob. “It was far worse than Shadow X… I’ve never been so terrified in my life…” Her weeping was silent but her delicate body was wracked with shaking. Unable to speak sensibly, she whispered once more before giving in. Avery had not been the only one guilt stricken in this. They had all encountered early signs of Krakoa evil intentions, yet they ignored it… “I’m so sorry…”
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Cyclops
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Her movement did indeed startle him as she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him in this crouched position they were in together, sobbing into his chest and asking how he was managing to stay calm. Scott couldn't explain his actions, his emotions. He couldn't tell her how when he as a newborn fifteen year old mutant his anger at his fate, his miseries had lead, more than once to holes in the wall, as he unleashed his deadly gaze. He couldn't explain the process of self control that had lead him to his current strict persona.

If only she knew the panic that was gripping him, the sudden resurgence anger, the case of 'not fairs' that was a childish and unhelpful thought, but unfortunately one that couldn't be helped. Things were finally evening out for Alex. His team was making a difference, his drinking was under control, his relationship with Lorna was taking off apparently...

Avery was apologizing, in his arms, for what? For crying? For being grief stricken? How could she possibly know how envious he was that she could so easily express herself? He could never make her understand, he could never make anyone understand.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled them both to their feet, holding her, awkwardly, but kindly, and gratefully, touched by her mourning for his brother. Avery was an amazing young woman, who had never given him trouble, or cause for concern. She had, with her unusual appearance and generous nature, won over the hearts of everyone she had met, even the abrupt and unpleasant Quicksilver. He might've felt strange accepting such affection and attempting to return it had it been anyone else. With Avery... there wasn't really a thought about it. Strange how she was able to do that.

"Hey," he told her, "Hey, you're all right, Pietro, Wanda, all of them, and that's a very good thing. You survived, and I am not going to believe that Alex and Lorna are dead until we've found tangible proof. I'm going to find them and I'm going to bring them home, one way or another. Alex wouldn't dare die on me now, not after everything we've been through." Scott straightened his arms, forcing her away from him just enough so that he could see her face, "Avery, I have hope, and I am not a man who hopes lightly."

He did not know how to comfort her, but to tell her the truth. He wished Jean would get here soon. He needed her expertise in this sort of thing.
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Jean
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Bits of foam floated around her workshop as though she was in a snowglobe. Before Rosie had entered their lives, clay and paint had been Jean’s artistic materials of course, mostly because they traditional and hadn’t needed to expand her horizons. But while mushy clay and pretty paints were fun to work with, for her and Rosie, the finished products weren’t things that could really be played with or enjoyed much by Rosie.

She slid what looked like a mini hedge trimmer over the huge foam block. It already had the long, lean body of a dolphin, which she chose because of it’s simply shape and Rosie could play with it in the lake. However, she’d failed to take into account the increasingly cooler weather. The next project, she’d decided, was going to be a new playhouse for the kindergarten room, shaped like a huge mushroom.

Over the edge of her breathing mask, her eyes gleamed wickedly as she played with Scott, subtly nudging his thoughts down different paths. She smirked at his protests, both knowing that they enjoyed the mental stimulation.

The playful banter stilled when Avery appeared at Scott’s door and Jean withdrew her presence. As much as she and Scott shared, she respected his privacy and knew that everything in his life didn’t automatically include her. But a moment later, she switched off the trimmer and stepped away from the dolphin when she heard Scott calling to her. She pulled the goggles and breathing mask from her face, tossing them causally on her table.

She watched and listened through Scott, as she ran a hand through her hair and over her clothes. Her attempts to shake off the foam, which made her look like she had the worst case of dandruff in the world, were forgotten as Avery veneer of self-control crumbled and the disjointed story came pouring out. They had been attacked on the island and something had happened to Alex and Lorna. Was it possible they were dead? Jean quickened her pace, arriving at Scott’s out of breath, her brow furrowed in concern and sorrow.

“Avery,” she said, going to where she and Scott stood and enclosed Avery in a hug. As capable and sensible as Avery was, she was still needed to be comforted. Jean looked at Scott over Avery’s shoulder, instinctively knowing that he was going to keep it together while Avery was there… he needed to stay in control and her trying to comfort him now would only weaken his iron-willed resolve.

“Yes,” she said, not looking at the chest monitor on the desk, “we don’t give up that easily. Avery,” she said, looking into Avery’s watery eyes, “can I look into your memories of the island? It will give us a better chance to find them if we know everything that happened,” she said, easily shifting into her squad-leader mindset. Later, much later, she would take Scott aside and be there for him.

“Humans can survive a week or more in harsh conditions,” she told both of them. “Lorna was an X-Man for years and Alex is strong but we don’t have any time to waste.”

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He let into his arms with no protest and for that she was grateful. Even those who knew little of Scott knew enough to know that he wasn’t openly affectionate man, except for those who were extremely close to him like Jean and Rosie were. She was aware that her breakdown made him slightly uncomfortable but in her current condition she couldn’t help but to want to be held. How odd it was, that neither of them would never know. Avery wished so much to be like him in moments like these. To be a strong and steady anchor in the storm so that she might be more helpful than others. He however admired her heart, the fact that she could freely convey her emotions when she needed to.

Pulling them to their feet, he wrapped his arms around her and though she could feel that his hold was not what it should be, she didn’t care. He was trying for her and that was more than enough at the time. He then spoke to her while she continued to cry quietly. It was oddly more pitiful and heart wrenching, her silent sobbing, in comparison to those who bawled, hiccupped and choked in their cries. However as he spoke to her she had at least lightened in her venomous trembling, his positive outlook calming her somewhat. Then easing her away he added, "Avery, I have hope, and I am not a man who hopes lightly."

He hands had slipped from him as she was moved and she knew he wished to look at her. After a moment of staring at his chest unmoving, her chin lifted to reveal soaked, green hued cheeks and a helpless pout upon her lips. Somehow seeming younger she bobbed her head in understanding, visibly forcing her composure.

The door had opened and Jean had entered, speaking her name and Avery turned to see the woman. "Jean.." She had mewed in return.

She took Avery into her welcoming arms, proving to be far more nurturing than Scott could be. Holding nothing against him for that of course, she wrapped her arms around Jean and found herself quivering once more, her control lost. Yet as Jean spoke to her she tried once more to get a hold of herself. She nodded softly to her question, knowing that she must calm herself so that she could allow Jean to sift through her memories.

Stepping back, Avery slipped away from Jean’s embrace and eased herself back into the chair she had been sitting in earlier. Once more she wiped her face until it was somewhat dry and folded her hands in her lap. With a little sniffle she closed her eyes only to open them once more to glance between the two.

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, Pietro most likely seen more than myself..” She admitted, her voice flat and lacking much emotion. Closing her eyes once more, she sat still and awaited Jean to enter her mind. Avery wasn’t too clear on the whole process, her memories were strong and very fresh, emotions heavy in each one, whether it was fun, terror or the sorrow she had experienced. She hoped that Jean would not be overly affected by their vividness, hoping that she would just see what she saw rather then what she had felt. “…I’m ready.”
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Cyclops
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And, then, Jean was there, and was taking Avery from him, knowing without having to comment, having to even think about it, that Scott was not what Avery needed at this time. Amazing how Jean, just by being Jean, was able to comfort them both at the same time, while interacting with them in completely opposite fashions. As hard as it was to be him, to keep his control even in situations where his first inclination was to smash his fist through the nearest wall, or rip off his glasses in a blast of scarlet rage, how much harder must it be for Jean to remember which of the myriad people in her life wanted a hug, which needed a drink, which demanded to be left alone.

She offered Avery the comfort that Scott was unable to demonstratively give, and as the two women embraced and Avery consented to having Jean gather what information she could, Scott stepped away, picking up his brother's chest monitor. He ran his thumb over the cracked surface, looking down at it and imagining his brother's face...

The tiny squalling bundle of pink, fine blond baby hair, bundled in a blue blanket. "This is your brother, Scotty. This is Alex..." Daddy setting down the baby carrier to help Mommy to the couch. Scott, six years old, running a small hand over the baby's arm and pinching it, in childish unkindness, not wanting a brother, not liking this thing that had invaded his home.

*****

The toddler running after him, clumsily, arms held out at his side for balance, and mimicking Scott, who was pretending to be an airplane, flying over the shoreline of the Hawaiian beach they played on. "'Cott! Cott!" Lexxy yelled and Scott stopped, looking at his little brother, surprised.

"Mommy!" the seven year old cried, "Lexxy said my name! He said Scott!"

"Well, of course, Scotty," Kathy smiled, "Alex adores you..."

*****

The terrifying fall through the sky, clinging to each other as the ground rushed towards them, knowing that their parents were dying in the skies above. "Don't drop me! Scotty, please!"

"I got you, Lexxy! I promise! I won't let you fall! I won't let you fall!"

Eyes filling with red for the first time, remembered now, but forgotten then in the year long blackness that met him as they hit the ground.

*****

The angry man that confronted them in the mall, changing from the helpful samaritan who had rescued lost little Rosie. Dressed in the black containment suit under his street clothes, his face twisted with anger and bitterness, bringing the roof of the mall down, spitting bitterly, "I know who you are now, Cyclops, and if you are my brother, if you really are my brother... you should have stayed dead."

*****

Not long after, his brother, contrite, miserable, ashamed, kneeling beside his bed as he recovered from torture and abuse, "Scott, I'm so sorry, so damn sorry..." Scott, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder, forgiving him, but not forgiving his own failures towards him.

*****

Alex standing with him at his wedding, behind Warren, smiling, healthy, whole.

*****

Alex leaving for his vacation with his team, promising to bring Scott back one of those hulu dancer dolls for his dashboard, both men knowing that Scott would never put it in his car...


These thoughts in his mind, his expression never changing, Scott, stared down at the monitor and waited for something to happen, something to make this all make sense.

But he was a realist enough to know that it never would.
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Jean
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Jean stood beside Avery’s chair and rested her hand on Avery’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Avery. You’ll do fine. It’ll just take a moment.” She’d already calmed down quite a bit. It seemed Avery only needed that initial release to let go of her anxiety. From the corner of her eye, she saw Scott retreating to his desk. Outwardly, his face was as blank and stoic as ever but she could feel the rush of emotions within him. Jean let him be, giving him the time and space he needed, for now and turned her attention back to Avery.

Jean slipped into Avery’s mind and suddenly, she was on the white sandy beaches of Krakoa but its breath-taking beauty was marred by the knowledge of what would happen there. As Jean looked around the memory, the image of the island began to shimmer and jerk as though time was hiccupping. It was Avery; her emotional and erratic thoughts jumping backwards and forwards over their vacation like badly spliced video feed. Jean’s mental self stood as the scenery and people of X-Factor changed and moved around her. It all had a dreamy quality, except for Pietro Maximoff, who shone with a golden aura and always seemed to be smiling at Avery, a twinkle gleaming in his eye.

Jean saw them playing in the water, sitting around a blazing fire toasting marshmallows, Jon, the clone of Jean’s friend Jon Harker, balancing a wine bottle on his forehead and dancing a jig, then Avery and Pietro walking along the beach at night; in the linked minds of Jean and Avery, days passed in mere moments. Taking a deep breath, Jean concentrated and brought their minds back to the first night the team, as a whole, was on the island.

She walked out of the dark tropical jungle, toward the laughing partiers around the fire. She reached out touched Avery’s shoulder, just as she was in the physical world.

“Avery,” she said when Avery turned to look at her, “I’d like you to show me around the island. The others won’t mind.”
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Avery
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“Don’t worry, Avery. You’ll do fine. It’ll just take a moment.” Jean told her gently as her hand rested on her shoulder. She gave a soft nod and a perhaps the faintest of smiles tugged at her lips, it was hard to tell.

Her mind flickered through her memories, not that she hadn’t known where to start, but she wasn’t sure what would be helpful for Jean to see. Not she needed not worry for through their shared link, Jean took them back to the very first night. Clearly it unfolded before her, they all sat before the fire, her hair finally drying from the numerous times she wiped out while learning to surf with Alex. Next to Pietro she sat, all of them exchanging stories and laughing as if they had been friends for years and years. Her attention would shift from Alex to Jon as they were the most humorous of the group, and chuckle as might she remained quite but happy all the same.

It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder, her name being called at the same moment. Right away she tossed her head up to see who it was, her face flashing from confusion to the delightful surprise of Jean’s presence.

“Jean!” She had chirped, smiling up at her. Rising enthusiastically at her request, she spoke a few words to the group, leaned in to place a soft kiss on Pietro’s cheek before linking arms with the redhead and strolling off.

“It’s beautiful here, Jean. Scott should’ve come with you too. He said he used to be a good surfer and I want to see if that’s not a bunch of hoo ha.” She winked to Jean with a giggle, pulling her along.

“Look how big the moon is…” She said looking up to the sky. “We don’t even need a lamp. It lights up the whole island.” She made a sweeping gesture before she ended up pointing. “Those are our cabins there on the dock. Isn’t that awesome? I can listen to the waves roll in before I fall to sleep. Wanda and I share one with Pietro. We thought it’d be funny to split a room and make Pietro stay in one alone.” She giggled as she rattled on, very much at ease with Jean and in high spirits at the moment. “You should’ve seen the look on his face when we told him, it was priceless!”

“But…There’s nothing to really see in there…” She dismissed the cabins and kept walking down the beach. Since it was nighttime it suddenly occurred to her that it wasn’t an optimal time for sightseeing. It suddenly seemed strange for Jean to want a tour, yet she hadn’t put too much concern into it. The island was still pretty at nighttime. “Was there somewhere you wanted to go, Jean? Anything you want to see?”
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Jean
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Jean felt the night breeze, cool and with a hint of salt, wafted against her skin as if she had really been there. Managing a small smile at Avery’s comment about Scott, she replied, “Oh don’t say that Avery, you know how Scott is, if he doesn’t surf as well as he thinks he should, I’d never get him off a board until it was perfect.” She paused, fighting away a cloud of sorrow, “especially with Alex here. Brothers… they’d be trying to one-up each other the whole week.” She walked beside Avery as the green-skinned woman led her around the island, grinning at Avery’s joke about what she and Wanda did to Pietro and the look on the imperious gypsy’s face. “I’ll bet it was a sight.” She was glad that he was no longer the aimless man she’d had sessions with a year ago.

“Was there somewhere you wanted to go, Jean? Anything you want to see?”

Time and space inside a memory was elastic. They had walked all over the island, every where that Avery had explored, every cove and every hilltop; all of it seeming like a leisurely stroll to Avery. Later on, Jean knew she would walk it again with Scott; he would want to see for himself, all of it.

“Yes, Avery, now I’d like you to show me the last time you saw Alex and Lorna. The day the island turned into a monster.” She clasped Avery’s hand in hers. “Where were you, when it all happened?”

Her steps suddenly halted as if she had been surprised by Jean’s words, as if she had no idea at all of what she meant. Deep within her she did, however, and a light sense of dread swept through her as she knew she had to relive the memories as fresh as when it had happened. Her cheerful dropped as she looked over to Jean, her face painted with reluctance. The older woman needed not to say a word for Avery to know that she understood her initial aversion to go further. Avery’s long digits shifted a better, stronger grip within Jean’s hands before she focused her memories.

“I was…” Her eyes shifted, flicking through the memories like slides. “I...remember we all had breakfast together. Actually, it was more like brunch..”

Suddenly they were whisked away to the docks where the cabins were located. There at the very end had been quaint table set made of bamboo and weave, where most of the X-Factor team had been congregated eating juicy fruit and drinking ice tea. Just a normal meal, laughter was had, meaningless talk and chit chat from some more than others. As usual Avery sat content, smiling, leaning in as Alex told a joke of sorts, but never putting much more in than a giggle.

“Most everyone was there..” Avery commented, not at all weirded out in watching herself from just a few meters. “Though Jon hadn’t shown up…none of had seen him since the night before. We figured that he was just sleeping off a hangover..” She said thoughtfully, frown upon her lips. “Maybe he was the first taken..” Her voice trailed off hauntingly, a little unnerved by how dead on she had been. More frightening was the fact that no one had suspected a thing, no one had really worried about Jon at the time.

All sounds suddenly stopped, a bird hovering in the air above the ocean in mid-fight. If she was to look to Alex and Lorna, the frame had been stopped the moment he had brushed his fingers across her face to sweep back a stray piece of green hair. Avery looked back to Jean and shook her head. “That was the last time I saw them..”

Jean patted Avery’s hand and hated that she was making her re-live this but she knew that memories were in Avery’s head and she’d be reliving them and agonizing over them – what she missed… what she could’ve done better – for a long time to come. “They look so happy. I’m glad for them,” she said with a soft smile.

Time skipped once more and shifted to later when the sun had painted the sky of purples, oranges and pinks. Together they stood on a bank overlooking a short stretch of beach before its shores rounded. The wind was still pleasant, picking up from what it had been that morning but pleasant all the same.

“It was here…” She pointed down to the beach where a man stood, unmistakably Pietro from his stature and silvery locks that wisped. “We had warning signs from the second day but we just brushed them off. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized that something was wrong…”

She felt she was on a talk show, setting up a clip for some sort of tragic disaster where she would go on to tell how she had been lucky enough to survive and what she had been thinking at the time. Seconds passed and Avery saw herself walking towards Pietro’s back, smiling as she quickened her pace to reach her beloved. Though somewhat distant to Jean and Avery, they could both hear Pietro’s words crystal clear, but only his. The next few moments came more quickly than she remembered. As past version of herself tried to awaken Pietro from the spell, she could see the horror that pierced through her eyes and Avery’s hand became tighter in Jean’s.

“Avery,” Jean stepped between her the scene, “It’s alright, you made it out and Pietro is fine. Remember that the pain is already gone.” She stepped back when Avery’s breathing slowed and steadied.

“He wouldn’t wake up and the vines kept coming…” Avery murmured as she shook her head. They could see her powers flaring and how she had struggled to keep the vines from moving any further. “I’ve never had plants react in such a way. It should’ve been so easy but it turned into a game of tug-o-war for control of them…And even when I did have the upper hand, it made no difference to Pietro’s condition. It was in his head, making him see things, manipulating him. He had to fight it himself and when he did break free he was very disoriented and confused…” As she spoke the scene continued to unfold as Pietro struggled against the influence of Krakoa and find himself once more. She spoke to him desperately with her hands cupping his face and within moments he pulled her to him, embracing her as if his life had depended on it…Or perhaps it had been his sanity.

Again time stopped for her just as Pietro gathered her in his arms. Avery turned to Jean, her face rather placid. “We headed for the cabins as he looked for his sisters as well as the others. It became swallowed by the sea, but they were not there.” A quick scene flashed by as the cabins were torn apart, planks cracking and twisting before they were engulfed. The wind whipped the elven’s hair about and just as she screamed out to be taken by the sea as well, Pietro flew by, scooping her up just as the plank’s shifting had caused her to fall.

“We found Ric not far away. He was being pulled into the ground by the same vines. Alix found us and after saving Ric we were joined by Violey and Alister, and Wanda whom Pietro had left to find. Together they located Box down at the bottom of the ocean…but I had left them looking for Jon, Jet and Shane.” These scenes too unfolded as she spoke, her narration held little description for merely watching was enough to understand. However because she did not witness Alister’s mermaids rescuing Box the scene had turned to watch her past self enter the jungle. She walked as if she was in a trance or was being lured by some unseen force, yet her face was twisted in concentration and extreme focus.

This time Avery did not look to Jean. Instead she watched herself disappear into the jungle. “You wish to see the monster now?” She asked listlessly her voice rather soft. She knew what was just beyond those trees. She knew the beast would come the moment she helped Jon free himself from Krakoa’s hold. The worst part was coming and it was like in a horror movie where you beg the main character ‘not to go in there’.

Jean watched Avery stride into the jungle with fire in her eyes but the Avery at her side looked shell-shocked. She didn’t want to see friends in pain and struggling for their lives again. Jean slipped an arm around Avery’s shoulders; her skin felt cool, despite that the rain and wind were passing through the two watchers.

“Please… for Scott. He’d like to know,” she said, not urging Avery forward but knowing that she would go… to this through; it was what she came here for.

At his name Avery’s expression became more hurtful than reluctant. Of all the titles that were bestowed upon Scott Grey-Summers, (mentor, teacher, leader), friend had made it to the near top in the light that Avery saw him in. She knew of the link between him and Jean, she knew they shared almost everything. Soon he would see everything that she had and perhaps feel every emotion in reviewing her memories with Jean later on. Considering him a friend now she worried how this would affect him, if it would hurt him to see. Yet she couldn’t deny him the truth either. If anyone deserved to know what happened on the island in every single detail, it was him.

After a breath or so Avery nodded, washing her face away of her concerns and stepped forward to pass through the foliage that blocked their view. There they found the elven breaking forth the earth with vines, dragging a large man sized cocoon along with it. The rest of the x-factor ‘survivors’ followed her there, now accompanied by a battered Box and a worse for wear Legard, just in time to see Jon freed and standing, air crackling with lightening around him. He had been freed but clearly as Jean could see for herself, his mind was still in control of Karoka.

“Jon had been more….difficult.” Avery commented hollowly her hand sweeping towards him. Avery beckoned for him to wake up as her legs gave out, trying to coax him out of his ‘reverie’ state, but he was not as easily awoken as Pietro and Ric had been. Krakoa had owned him longer. He stalked towards the elven with murderous eyes before he lashed out with a power bolt of raw electricity, barely missing her.

“Barely an inch,” She said, neither sounding amused or proud. It was a surreal feeling watching as a third person how close she had been to death. “It was only by chance that he missed.”

The scene continued to unfold as Pietro swept her away and devised a quick and dangerous plan to recharge Box. Taunting Volt a blast of lightening sent the two X-Factories flying back but worked just as Pietro hoped. Meanwhile in the background, Alix worked her mind into Jon’s, doing her part to shift him from his influenced state. As Box took aim and commanded Jon to stand down, the green hued mutant once more lifted her tired body and staggered towards Jon, trying to coax him as Alix was.

There had been more struggle this time, Jon shouting confused things, fighting against what he had been to grab a hold of who he was now. It was a painful internal conflict that ended with a massive unleashing of electrical energy into the air. Jon was weak and tied but he was his own man. In turn, unfortunately, the island had grown furious in the loss of one of its meals. The ground started to protest; beginning the crude shaping of a monster that seemed to grow and grow. To Jean’s side Avery let out a sigh or moan of some sort before she glanced to her sidelong. “This is the worst part. It was all scary before this point but I think it was here that we realized what we were actually up against. It was a battle that we couldn’t win…”

To the side they could see a woman in white, older and serene looking, with a striking resemblance to Avery in her induced form. Although she realized that it was nothing more than an induced form created by Krakoa, it had occurred and was just as real in her memory as anything else that had happened. She had remained to the side as Krakoa began to form itself into something. Later as Avery fought, Jean would witness Avery’s mother trying to coax her out of battle and how Alix had helped her to banish the woman.

Presently the terrible rock thing rose, shaping itself into some unnatural creature composed of pieces of the island. There at the heart of the beast, Jean could see the forms of Jet and Shane that were yet to be rescued. Yet no matter how frightening it was to behold, X-factor had sprung into action to free Jet and Shane. They had all done their part, even Jet and Shane who had been terribly drained. They worked as a team should, each one having a role, whether it had been to still the winds, force back the psi attacks, control its flora or the earth or blast it with whatever you had. Each one of them contributed to its fall and with every blow the Krakoa beast cried in fury and pain. The last thing to be heard was Jon calling out to Pietro to finish it. The memories had already become choppy with fadeouts as Avery struggled with her consciousness. Avery had not witnessed the final blow before she had totally blacked out and crumpled to the ground.

In her mind, Jean and Avery stood in complete darkness, only enough light loomed around them so that they could see each other. Helplessly, Avery shook her head. That was it. There was no more to show. She learnt about Alex and Lorna many hours later when she awoke on the plane, sleeping on Pietro’s lap. She had been told that neither of them had been found, nothing but the chest monitor that she had been shown, and that the island had sunk shortly after the plane lifted. Once more the feeling of loss swept through her again and Avery balled her fists as she fought the urge to burst into tears once more.

“That’s all I can show you Jean…” The elven told her hoarsely, turning to the fire-haired woman. “I’m sorry…”

Wordlessly, Jean wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “We appreciate you sharing these memories. Nothing that happened was your fault or the rest of your team. You did everything you could, everything that Scott and I would’ve done. You tried. And if we know that if anyone knew where Alex and Lorna were, you would have moved Heaven and Earth to bring them home,” Jean spoke comfortingly into Avery’s cascade of hunter green hair. In her thoughts, the chest monitor was the lynchpin of death for at least Alex, and perhaps Lorna, although it pained her to think about it, but Avery and Scott didn’t need to hear that right now. They needed that little flash of hope, to say… to say that they tried everything.

“But we haven’t given up hope yet,” she said, filling her tone with confidence.

After what must’ve seemed like only a long pause to Scott, Jean and Avery were back in the room, as it were. Jean still stood beside Avery’s chair with her hand on her shoulder.

“You can’t be sure... really sure what happened to him or Lorna on the island,” she said, looking down at Avery. “You said it yourself that the plants were hard for you to control and there was very little time from the initial attack until the island sunk. They could still have been in the control of someone else. And although Alix scanned for them, she’s young and it was a very emotional time. If they were abducted… before the island attacked and were cloaked by another telepath, she wouldn’t have felt them.” Jean turned her gaze to Scott, “After setting up X-Factor and becoming a public figure, with that newspaper interview, he could have attracted unwelcome attention – from Magneto or a dozen others.”
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Cyclops
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Scott waited for Jean and Avery to finish their mental conference, and he was not a patient man as a rule, though his stoic personality gave him the appearance of being so. It was good for them all that he had been so tightly wrapped in control at this moment, because he wanted to shake both of the women and make them tell him what was going on, what had happened to his brother, how he had been left behind. None of this made sense, it just didn't make sense.

He was also not the sort of man to moan 'why me, why me' no matter how many times fate kicked him in the teeth... well, not anymore. When he woke up from his coma, a scrawny, wasted twelve year old who had to relearn how to tie his shoes, he'd raged at fate for a long time. It took coming to this place and seeing true misfortune before he realized that he did not have a monopoly on pain, something that so many of them had to learn. Alex himself had suffered from it, in a major way, letting his angers and fears lead him down a dark path that thankfully did not last long.

But, frankly, it was unfair that just when things were going so well with Alex, that he... No, he wouldn't think it. No body had been found, and just like with the Professor, Scott would not believe him dead.

"We will find them," Scott said with finality, "I'll find them. Jean, I need you to use Cerebro, to scan every inch of this planet if you have to. Avery, I'll need a full report from every X-Factor member. I know you're tired, and I know you need to get some rest, but could you relay that message for me as soon as you can? The longer we wait the colder their trail goes." He looked at the two women with no more expression on his face than he might have when ordering a pastrami on rye. "Alex and Lorna will be back with us by the end of the week."
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