12 A Sharing of Opinions

He had forgotten what it felt like to be in school.

His time in the State Home for Foundlings had not included education, or at least, it hadn't for him. It honestly seemed like a lifetime ago already since he had last attended school, listening to the teacher talk and watching the students chatter amongst themselves, occasionally paying attention to avoid being caught.

There was a time he was just like them all, fitting in, laughing and talking with everyone. He had been just another student, one that you would quickly forget about amongst the mob of nameless children. Hardly anything special outside of the little bubble he had built for himself, but now, that had all been so long ago, nothing felt the same anymore.

It hadn't even been a year since he and Alex had come to Bayville in Upstate New York, miles from the city of New York. Not even five years since his parents had been taken from them, leaving him and Alex alone in the world.

But he was a completely different person.

Older, wiser, more mature and so removed from the infantile, petty squabbling of the children that surrounded him.

Perhaps it was the experiences that he had endured.

Or the memories and instincts that clung to him day and night.

Either way, Scott was no longer the person he once was, nor could he pretend to be. Everything around him was just so...beneath him to care. The arguments, the cliques' people formed, and the rivalries and bitter feuds shared between the students of Bayville High School were so petty that he struggled to find it within him to care, or pretend to.

It naturally led to him being an outcast amongst the students, Scott being the friend of no one and surprisingly, the source of ire for many. They viewed his actions and temperament as arrogance and many hated it.

But it wasn't arrogance.

Even though many were sixteen or seventeen years of age, the arguments were so childish and unnecessary that Scott ignored them all. Each and every student acted as if their problems were everyone else's, that it was going to affect everyone. They made such a big deal out of nothing that when compared to the struggles he had endured, Scott could not relate to them. They were similar in age, but from the experiences they had endured, they were years apart.

But that was not even the worst of it.

Scott had seen the memories of Cyclops, seen what he had endured, felt it through the instincts that were now his. He knew what real suffering and pain were, he knew what real hardship and betrayal were.

Their problems in comparison were nothing.

However, Scott did not mind his position as a social outcast.

It meant people avoided him and gave him time to think and plan, a difference from what things were like in the X-Mansion. He loved Alex, but sometimes, he needed time to himself and most importantly, he needed Alex to stop snooping through his things. For now, Scott had hidden the diaries and notes he had written safely hidden away, but Alex kept looking and while he was confident Alex would not find anything purposefully, luck was always a factor to consider.

That was why Scott was trying his best to memorise everything, every image Cyclops' memories showed and every plan he made. He tried to remember every single detail without letting anything go so that he could destroy every written record he had made.

But that was easier said than done.

It would take time and practice, just as it had for Cyclops.

Especially when Cyclops' memories did not repeat themselves.

They only appeared once, then never again. Sometimes in chronological order, others out of place and showcasing things far off into the future or back in the distant past. It was random, but Scott had to be prepared, not only ordering the memories into some form of chronological order but also how to better prepare for those incidents and how to best capitalise upon opportunities.

Luckily for him, the memories did become more focused when something major was coming up, allowing Scott to better prepare for it in advance. Otherwise, it was just random.

Nothing like that had happened yet which was good news.

However, what did worry Scott was the differences that were already appearing. The most glaring difference is the location of the X-Mansion itself. In Cyclops' memories, it had been in the Salem Centre, miles to the west. Here, it was in the Bayville area, still in Upperstate New York, but not where it had been in the memories.

Scott had since been worried about what other differences there were from his memories.

There were plenty already.

His powers are more controlled.

He had no reliance upon Ruby Quartz.

The experiments he endured at the State Home for Foundlings.

Being reunited with Alex early on.

Encountering Jack Winters sooner and inadvertently making the man more dangerous.

He and Alex are both being brought back to the X-Mansion sooner.

However, these were all differences caused by his actions, the placement of the mansion was entirely a result of this world and not him. Differences like that concerned Scott because he was prepared to make changes and deal with the consequences of those changes. But unexpected factors like the differences between the memories and reality concerned him.

Yet, Scott would not let that stop him.

He just needed to prepare for unforeseen consequences while preparing with what information he had available. Flexibility and adaptability was the best way to go forwards, preparing numerous plans for any number of possibilities. Ensuring that if an unforeseen consequence did come about, Scott would be ready to handle it.

He did not want to be caught unawares and unprepared purely because he relied too heavily upon the memories. They were not the end all be all, but simply a means to an end. So long as they proved useful, he would use them, but once their purpose had been served, Scott would discard them as they would be nothing more than a crux that dragged him down.

He refused to let that happen.

-X- Line Break -X-

Hearing a knock at this door, Scott quickly looked up, closing the notebook and placing it within the drawer. "Come in." It was not Alex, that much he was sure of, he wouldn't even knock, just burst in straightaway. He needed to work on putting a lock in place to make sure Alex couldn't keep doing that.

"Hello, Scott." Charles greeted, coming inside, a smile on his face. "How was your day at school?"

"Fine, Professor," Scott replied, not lying. "I found it quite productive for my day." Slowly but surely, Scott was making progress in his detailed notes, preparing for the future as best as possible. It was a meticulous process with no shortcuts, Scott leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of total security. Though, even if Scott had a plan for every possible and conceivable scenario, Scott would not feel relaxed.

The instincts of Cyclops would never allow him to and they were steadily becoming his instincts also. His own thoughts and feelings reflecting those of Cyclops'.

"I'm glad that you are settling in well. I was worried that you would struggle considering everything you have been through." Charles replied, relief plain to hear in his tone. "I know that Alex has had his fair share of troubles settling in, but things do seem to be calming down for him as I'm sure you'll be glad to hear."

"I am," Scott replied. "Where is Alex?"

"He is with Amelia currently, he has quite a large pile of homework to work through that he had not even started upon," Charles admitted, Scott trying to hide his frown at the mention of Amelia. He still did not trust her in the slightest, her connection to Magneto in his memories a cause for concern. "She was less than pleased when learning of this."

"Nor am I," Scott grunted out, already planning on having words with his brother. "Is there something I can help you with, Professor? I was intending to go and do my exercises for the day after I finished my notes."

"Notes? Upon what?"

"..."

Charles recognised he had overstepped. "Forgive me, I did not mean to pry into your privacy. I just wish to get to know you better, you are very closed off from everyone. I sometimes feel like you do not trust me."

"I do." Scott's reply was immediate and truthful.

For all Xavier's faults, there was not a man Cyclops hadn't trusted more than him. He had sometimes trusted Xavier more than he trusted himself. However, while Scott did believe in the memories shown by Cyclops, and did trust in Xavier because of them, that did not mean he wasn't still wary of trusting anyone, least of all a telepath.

Xavier was the third telepath he had encountered already.

First, Mr Milbury.

Then Jack Winters.

Now, Charles Xavier.

Two of those three had tried to harm him and use him for their own means. Xavier, despite meaning him no harm, also sought to use him as well. Scott was wary of him for that reason.

Charles' smile grew. "I'm very happy to hear that, Scott. I know that you have had trouble opening yourself up to people, especially me and Amelia, so I am glad to know that you trust me." He then rose up a little, gaze becoming a little sharper. "But I actually came to speak to you about something important to me, personally."

"I'm all ears, Professor," Scott told him, already having an idea of what this might be about.

He had wondered when Xavier would make the speech and offer.

"Tell me, what do you think of the Mutant Crisis and what can be done about it?" A simple question, but one that would give Xavier an insight into the mind of Scott, something that had been denied to man time and time again.

"I think that we are going down a road that eventually, will end in only one way, the death of both species," Scott replied sharply, surprising Xavier. "Humanity fears what they do not understand, it is a common thing throughout history and there is little known about Mutants, what they are or where they come from. There are also too many people seeking to use Mutants to fuel their own agenda, often at our expense."

Charles nodded his head, listening intently as Scott carried on.

"They won't ever stop." Scott stated firmly. "They will continue to use us as propaganda tools, to exploit our people as means to further fuel their agenda and delusions. But most importantly, we are helpless to do anything about it."

"How so?" Charles asked, intrigued by the words Scott spoke.

"As I said, we know very little about Mutants and where they come from. We know even less about how they come about and so, a Mutant born today could be the last Mutant born for the next few months. Or, we could have hundreds in the space of a few days. None could be born in America, or they could all be born in small countries like the Maldives. No one knows the answers to these questions and because of that, Mutants are spread out across the world without a chance to come together and combine their voices into one. A voice that could be heard."

"And because of that, we are helpless to stop humanity from propagating us." Scott nodded his head in agreement. "You have thought about these things deeply, haven't you?"

"When I became a Mutant and even more when Alex did also." While protecting Alex would always be his goal and had been since they lost their parents. Scott was not blind that protecting Alex was intertwined with the Mutant crisis also. "I know that we will have to fight to protect ourselves because eventually, humanity will be stirred up into such a frenzy that war will be the only option."

"A war you will have to fight?"

Scott shook his head. "A war implies that both sides possess a chance of victory." His words were grave, his eyes reflecting his thoughts clearly. "But with the few numbers we have, spread out across the world and with no unified leader to guide us, humanity will eradicate us. It will be a slaughter that will see Mutantkind destroyed before it even had a chance to grow."

"But what if someone could lead that fight?" Charles questioned. "What if someone actively took steps to show Mutants, not as the evil monsters the media portray us as? But as heroes, those who fight to defend the rights of all? Not just Mutants, but humans as well?"

'Here it comes,' Scott thought. "What do you mean?" He feigned ignorance.

"I think you already know what I mean, Scott." Charles returned. "What I'm asking is whether you would like to help me?"