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Summary: After many things said, the Headmaster steps in to get one side of the truth from the latest in the long string of strange events on school grounds.
Date: July 21, 2010
Log Title: Guilt In Many Things, But Not in This
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - War Room
A large table sits in the middle of this room for the X-Men to plan their latest missions. Global information is collect by computer-based expert systems, which scan for specific data that may be important to the X-Men. The information can be displayed anywhere by verbal or other commands.
After about a week of it, the form of Connor in the War Room is a fairly common sight on the security systems. Once more he's at the computers, four different monitors scrolling data as he growls to himself, "C'mon… C'mon… where are you… Tracker can't scramble every trace you leave you arrogant sunova…" Cutting off the cuss before going back and sitting down to a sandwich with a grunt. Despite his constant presence, he's kept it clean, always picking up, and always ensuring the place looks like how he walked into it.
Scott had been waiting for the right moment to go to Connor about his carbuncle in his younger self's mind. Mainly on the way that he has been acting around the other students. The doors of the War Room hiss open and allow Cyclops to enter. He hasn't spoken to Connor since he possessed his teenage self. But from the look on his face, which is, not exactly happy, he's going to have something to say. But for right now, he's going to test and see if Connor already knows what Scott is here for. Arching an eyebrow at the display, Scott turns his look to directly at Connor.
Putting down the sandwich as the door opens and moving to a standing position just away from his chair, Connor waits a moment as he seems the set jaw and the rigid positioning of the current Headmaster of the School. After that he arches a brow, and then says, "What can I do for you?" Leaving the question short and to the point, instead of tossing any one of a number of possibilities there. Holding himself in a disciplines at-ease position, the young man waits and watches with careful eyes.
Scott gives a slight grimace as he moves closer to the older man in the young man's body. "What you can tell me, is what were you thinking by assaulting students." Cyclops has his hands at his side, and his red glasses aren't moving from being right on Connor's face. He's serious, but not at all furious as he knows somewhat of why he is here. At least all he could get from the notes on this situation.
Connor narrows his eyes, "I don't know who you've been hearing from? But I didn't assault anyone. Matter of fact? Lucas Heathe assaulted me. Drugged me. Locked me in a cage." Then he shrugs, "And you know what? I was dumb enough to fall for it. Yeah… I Fu… screwed up by telling Robyn something I thought he needed to know. It was a mistake but one I can't take back. If it was Jinx… she came along already pre-judging me. Nothing I could say would change that, so I gave her a pretty clear warning. Don't come at me expecting a fight anymore, because I won't start it, but I'll sure as sh-… hell… finish it. I'm done dealing with people giving me attitude just because I'm here. But assault? I'm belligerent, but I'm not that stupid, Sir."
Scott looks into the eyes of Connor, trying to sniff out any lie Connor might be telling him. At first, the Lucas thing, if this is really true, where the hell did Lucas get drugs, and locking anyone in a cage? No. Unacceptable. "You need to realize, that these kids, see you just as you are. Of course they're going to challenge you, everyone here thinks that they are invincible, and can take on the world." How wrong that is. "So you're saying that you did not assault Robyn Larkin?"
Connor shakes his head once more and straightens up a bit, "No. I came out onto the docks when I caught a view of him on a monitor feed of Robyn heading that way… he'd just dealt with the fallout from Selene. I thought… I could help. I was wrong. I did anything but. He struck me on the cheek with his cast arm, and I fell into the water. The only time I touched him was to put a float vest on him. With a broken arm, even in the shallow water near the Boathouse he might have had trouble, Sir." Sighing once more he shifts out of it and moves over to where the sandwich and drink are sitting, "I don't think he realizes Sir, I LET him hit me, and I LET him knock me into the water."
Scott looks to Connor, and waving to the seat where his food and drink are. "Go ahead." He's been played, apparently, Jinx stretched the truth for her own reasons. "I figured that, if you are as experienced in combat as I thought." He offers up. "And what about Jinx?" He asks. Since there seems to be the truth in this one. "What happened with her?"
Connor nods once and then reaches down to get a few bites in, and then a sip from his drink to wash it down before he adds, "She's scared of me, Sir. I admit to being harsh with her. However not once did I lay a hand on her. I know how her power works. She wanted me to assault her. She came to me, said some words, then let the other proverbial shoe drop." Exhaling a hard breath, he looks back at the food, "I know I'm not wanted. If it hadn't been for Betsy coming with, I would have hopped campus before anyone knew what had happened, Mister Summers. But this place is a prime location for Ahab to not only attack but recruit. So if I'm not out there, I should be here… ready in case something happens. I know that's the place of X-Force and the real X-men… they don't realize what comes with combat. What it means to be out there and work together in situations where trust has to be absolute, and decisions individually or as a whole need to be pre-planned and intuitive."
"Which is what The X-Men really have. I trust every single one of them, and they trust me." Scott has to defend his team, of course. But he and his team have faced a huge amount of world-threatening things. "IN all fairness, they are teenagers. And they've had a whole lot of bad things happen to them over this last year. It doesn't excuse the behavior of some, though." The last part of what Connor says seems almost insulting to Scott though. He shows his discontent modestly though. "No matter how you think, Connor. The X-Force and the X-Men are not useless, and we ARE used to combat." Some more than the others, perhaps in a different way, but it's not nothing.
Connor shakes his head, "You misunderstood… I meant the students when I was speaking of the lack of understanding. Even where I'm from, we tended to defer to what senior X-men and Avengers were left after…" Stopping before too much is given away. He takes a breath, "I understand why you're here, Sir… and in your place, if I was half the man to respect as you are… I'd do the same. I've put the staff in a bad position. I'm in the body of a student, one you have responsibility for. But I'm not that same person. And I've not done anything to engender trust with those Connor calls friend. That they'd do what they've done so far is a sign of how much they actually care, Sir." And finally he sits down and leans back, rubbing at his eyes, "I'm not apologizing to them. The distance is important. I will apologize to you, Sir. And ask you don't punish them for their attempt."
Scott nods, understanding now that Connor meant. "You haven't put us in a bad position, but when I hear that someone assaulted a student, especially one who is possessed, I have to assume the worst." As far as not punishing them goes, punishment, and a very stern talking to are two different things. "I know you're trying not to say much about the future, no matter how some of them take that, it's for the best that they do not know." Especially Cyclops himself, given that he's assumed dead in the future. "As far as not feeling wanted. There was a man who once told me, that the fight for the future is often the one that yields the most anger in the present." He's no Charles Xavier, but he sure remembers a lot of quotes from the wise man.
"Sir…" And he pauses, Connor considering his next words, "I feel partly to blame for what happened… in my timeline. I wasn't here when things happened. I wasn't aware of what was to come until it was too late. And afterwards… I focused on saving my family, instead of trying to help the others. I've always wondered if it would have gone different had I been here." Another pause and finall he looks back up, "For me, this is all like some kind of twisted memory. Better days I keep expecting to fall to ash in my hands. My anger's at Ahab… what he's done, what he'll do. Here…" And picking up a small flash drive, he passes it towards the Headmaster, "It's a copy of everything I have from my searches in the War Room databases, plus conjecture I made on my own. A copy of this is also with Tony Stark and the Avengers. I wasn't forthcoming because I… didn't realize how truly unprepared I was for this. I thought I had settled everything and could handle seeing life in a better time. It made me feel even more out of place."
Scott pauses a moment before talking, taking the thumb drive as offered. He knows full well the weight of self-blame. "I know how that can feel. In some way. You cannot be everywhere, and there are choices to make. You have a mission now, to prevent what can happen. What will most likely happen." A small pause. "And you will succeed. Wether they show it or not, your present self's peers are with you. They may never show it, or realize just what it is you will do by being here." The Headmaster inhales deeply. "But it is not for glory that you fight."
Connor finishes off the sandwich, "Glory?" There's an almost derisive snort, "Glory is for people who don't understand the nature of conflict. There's no glory in a fight. There can be honor… there can be dignity… but glory? That's an illusion leaders tell soldiers to get them to fight harder." Holding up a hand to forestall argument, "I… don't take that personally. I spent the last couple years doing mercenary work. Things I wish I could go back on, but at the time it was what I did. It was who I was. But thanks… I know none of you can really verify anything that's going on, but the trust that comes with it is… more than expected. But hey… who are you to judge? I hear tell time travel seems to be your particular family curse too."
Scott gives a little bit of a chuckle before saying anything. "That is right. Something I wish I could have taken back, but it was for the best. No matter how he viewed it." Already assuming that Connor knows about Scott's son. "Time travel, Interstellar combat…among the other things." Bashing the pep talk? It takes more than that to bruise his ego. "At the time, I thought you could use the pep talk."
Connor laughs a bit and then nods, "You're probably right… it did cheer me up a bit." Pushing out of his seat and standing up, he holds out his hand to the man, "I'm sorry we couldn't have met on better terms, Sir. If it's still allright with you, I'll stay as much to the lower levels as I can to minimize the disruptions… and use systems that you and the others can monitor. I'll submit to whatever you require to make those students who don't trust my presence feel less ill at ease. If that means leaving the campus, I will. But the great thing about being a teleporter, Sir… no matter where you go, you're always back again."
Scott inhales sharply. "You may stay here as long as you need. This section of the subbasement is locked off from student access. I will not have any impedance on your mission be tolerated by a student." Scott stands up. "As far as the systems are concerned, I can monitor any of them. But I trust that you're using them for your mission. The students bothering you will not be tolerated." He finishes.
