Shared Trauma

Pushing open the door to the hotel room, Scott shifted the grip on the paper bag in his hand, the heat from the food making his fingers sweat a little. He then stepped inside, pausing as he looked upon the TV displaying the news of the recent incident at Oscorp, one that showed Norman addressing the public.

"This is proof!" Norman proclaimed loudly, slamming his fist down upon the stand in front of him, his voice carrying out over the crowd thanks to the microphone. "Proof that the so-called heroes like Spider-Man are menaces to society! Mutants like him have been given free rein to do as they wish without care for the laws which we citizens abide by!"

He was a gifted orator, something Scott had always known.

It was what made Norman a dangerous figure to go against, despite the lack of power he possessed. He knew what, when and how to say his words to get the most visceral reaction from the people watching, and no doubt there were people on his payroll within the crowd, cheering his words. Those around them, like most people, copied their actions, trying to fit in with the rest leading to a chain reaction that was mass applause.

"That is why Oscorp has been at the forefront of developing our own superpowered entities." Those words created a hush and Scott frowned deeply. "The scourge known as Atomic Red killed one." Here, Norman's voice lowered, the faked sympathy earning empathetic murmurs from the crowd. "A kind man with a family, who I will personally ensure live comfortably as payment for his ultimate sacrifice. It is the least I can do."

'Strange.' Scott thought to himself. 'I had no clue that Sandman was killed. Though perhaps it's all just a story meant to incur sympathy.' He wouldn't put it past Norman to pull off such a ploy, he did manage to take advantage of the Avengers civil war and the Skrull Invasion of Earth in Cyclops' memories. Faking the death of one of his subjects, or killing one personally for the failure and then blaming it on him was well within Norman's abilities.

"However, one member proved themselves invaluable in their defence of Oscorp." Norman stepped to the side, extending his hand out.

Shouts and cries of fear filled the air as the camera panned up, showing a figure falling towards the ground rapidly, having seemingly jumped off the top of Oscorp. Only for him to slow down, riding atop a flying platform, the Goblin Glider. Because there, hovering just above the stand beside Norman, was the Green Goblin.

"I present to you my son, Harry Osborn!" Norman exclaimed, the Green Goblin removing the helmet to reveal the heir to Oscorp. "My son had been plagued by illness since his birth, it is why I focused so much money into this avenue of research, to find a cure. I succeeded and yet, when I was threatened, my son rushed to my aid, battling against the Spider-Man, defending Oscorp from its threats, a true hero to this city! I present to you, my son, Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin!"

Grabbing the remote, Scott switched off the tv, threw it onto the sofa, standing there in thought deeply for a moment. 'Well played, Norman. Well played.' Scott thought, frowning as he moved towards the bedroom.

Not only had he advertised what Oscorp could do with its new avenue of research into creating superpowered soldiers to the government, but it had also given living proof in the form of his own son, Harry Osborn. A change that stuck out to Scott especially, considering that the first Green Goblin had been Norman himself.

The Green Goblin was also no longer going to be seen as the villain of Queens but as the hero. By implying that he, Atomic Red and Spider-Man had been working together, or at the very least, targeting Oscorp at the same time, as well as hinting at Spider-Man possibly being a Mutant, it would make Spider-Man the villain.

It was a very well-played move.

The best move Norman could have made in this situation.

Adrian Toomes was missing, having seemingly runaway after the attack on Oscorp, taking with it the flight suit. Sandman was also missing, though Norman had claimed that he had been taken by Oscorp to be healed after their battle. As for Rhino, little had been said about him, but it was more than likely that he was still in Oscorp receiving treatment.

Spider-Man would have his work cut out for him, that was for sure.

Yet, Scott had already given him a burner phone, filled with the information he had gathered on Oscorp from research online. It would not be enough to convict Norman, but it was enough to make Spider-Man target Oscorp. However, Scott would have to keep an eye on things in Queens, there was a lot to come and Spider-Man might not be able to handle everything on his own. Reaching into his pocket as he moved towards the bedroom, Scott sent a single message to the young hero of Queens, "Find Adrian Toomes."

If there was one person who could give Spider-Man more information on the inner workings of Oscorp, it was going to be Adrian Toomes. He had been the one to experiment on Warren after all and if he could reveal to Spider-Man that Norman had known and even given the order for it, then there was no doubt the young hero would focus his efforts on Oscorp.

The biggest problem though would be the idea of fighting his friend.

Dismissing this for now though, Scott entered the bedroom to see Warren sitting on the bed as Amelia did a number of checks. "How are you feeling?" Scott asked, closing the door and raising the bag of food into the air. "Hungry?"

"Starving," Warren replied, Amelia moved away and wiped her hands.

Handing over the bag of food, Scott then looked to Amelia for answers as Warren began to eat. "Physically, he's fine. A full recovery, you have your unique physiology to thank for that." She directed the last part towards Warren who didn't spare her a glance. "But I recommend you see a doctor in a few days to make sure and also, a therapist."

"Nah, I'm good." Warren shrugged off, tensing momentarily, something both Scott and Amelia picked up on. "I just want to find that bastard Toomes, that's probably the best therapy I can have."

"It's not," Amelia replied.

"You should still see a therapist as well" Scott added.

"What do you know anyway." Warren snapped. "I don't remember you being strapped to a table and being experimented on. Either of you. I'm thankful that you guys saved me and all, but I don't need a therapist. I'm fine, physically and mentally."

There was a pause.

Then Scott sighed.

"You'll freeze," Scott stated, Warren glaring at him. "People deal with trauma in different ways. Some get angry, some want revenge, others break down, and others hide away. There are a lot of different ways people react to trauma, and when you know what to look for, it becomes obvious what will happen when you face the cause of your trauma."

Warren clenched his fist tightly. "Oh yeah, like what?" He mockingly asked. "What's going to happen? I'll freeze? I doubt it, I'm gonna rip that bastard apart."

"No, you won't." Scott's response was sharp and cutting. "The bravado you're putting on right now is an act, you just don't realise it. When you face Toomes, you'll remember everything he did to you, big and small and you won't be able to breathe or think. Your body will freeze up, making you think your back, strapped at that table, vulnerable and helpless before him."

"How do you know that exactly?" Warren angrily snapped, getting in Scott's face who stared out at him calmly.

Amelia tried to intervene and calm the situation. "I think you both need to calm down."

"No!" Warren shouted, never once tearing his gaze from Scott. "Go on. Tell me how you know what I'll do better than I will."

"Because I've been in the exact same situation." Those words didn't fully register with Warren, but they did to Amelia, who seemed to almost recoil in shock as if looking at him in a different way. "Because when I faced the cause of my trauma, I felt like I was strapped back on that table." That seemed to have done the trick though, Warren blinking and seemingly breaking from the haze of anger that had befallen him.

"W-what? You?"

Scott nodded his head. "I was seven, it was at the orphanage my brother and I was staying in, the manager knew I was a Mutant. I could have escaped a long time ago, convinced myself that I was staying because of something else. But the thing was, I froze. Every time I met the manager, whether it was just seeing him in another room, passing by him in the corridor or when he was talking to me, I froze."

He had tried to convince himself that it had been to find where his brother was staying, but he could have done that easily. Yet he hadn't because he was afraid, a helpless little child that had been too weak to try and escape despite having all the tools and skills he needed.

Fear had consumed him.

"Facing your trauma is easy to say but much harder to do." Scott continued. "It's only when you're in a situation where everything is threatened that you can find the strength to face it head-on. That's why I want you to join the X-Men so that Mutants don't have to suffer what we did. Never again."

"You're still trying to recruit me?" Warren questioned dubiously, recognising the tactic for what it was. "You really are determined, aren't you?"

"It's why I've survived and why I will win." Scott then extended a hand. "But I need you by my side to do it."

-X-

Exiting the room, Scott ran a hand through his hair as he sat down sofa, grabbed hold of his laptop and started it up. Though the situation in Queens had reached a point of temporary calm, Scott knew that he could not do anymore without things getting even more out of hand. He was in no position to do that without a proper team to back him up and relying on Spider-Man was not something Scott was entirely convinced was a good thing.

To distract Norman while Scott prepared in the background, Scott was fine with that.

Spider-Man had a certain way of doing things that made him quite effective, but he had one of the strongest moral codes of any of the heroes which would make a proper team-up between them difficult. No, for now, while Scott focused on other areas, leaving Queens and Norman to Spider-Man was the best plan, though that might change in the future.

But in order to ensure that he took advantage of this time, Scott needed more allies, the Morlocks were not enough. The Fantastic Four were down in Los Angeles, another difference between his and Cyclops' worlds, it was too far away for Scott right now. Especially not when he already had proof of Hank McCoy being in a similar situation to his counterpart in Cyclops' world as he looked upon the news headline surrounding Illinois, one in particular. about a small town called Dunfee.

'Bard College Star Football Play, a Suspected Mutant that Stopped Robbers at Local Game.'

Though he didn't have the details, Scott knew from his instincts that something was meant to happen following this, Hank was in danger. But the exact details behind it had yet to appear, or perhaps like they sometimes were, this was a small event that didn't need any further information. 'I'll have to contact the Professor and let Alex know that I'll be extending my trip. But if this goes well, I could have potentially recruited two X-Men. However, I know that it's not enough.'

Hearing the door open, Scott looked to see Amelia closing the door behind her and she paused upon looking at him. He could see the question and emotions in her eyes, there was definitely a difference from the usual look, his revelation making her question things about herself and the world around her.

But she didn't ask.

Instead, she walked across the room and left.

She was overwhelmed, trying to rectify what she thought she knew with what she now knew, it was always a difficult thing to do. It would take time, but that was fine, Scott had purposefully revealed the information to not only Warren but to her as well.