It was for the best, that's what Scott told himself as he looked down upon the courtyard of the State Home for Foundlings. There, Alex was being directed into a car by a thin, older blonde-haired woman, he looked back, Scott in turn, turning away from the window and moving back inside the now empty room that he had once shared with his brother.
They had been at the State Home for Foundlings for a few months, and Alex had seemingly settled in well with their surroundings. He had nightmares still to this day about the incident with their parents, but he had made friends amongst the other children here.
The same could not be said for him though.
Scott was an outcast, the only ones he interacted with being his brother and the orphanage owner, Mr Milbury. Yet the latter interaction was not one that Scott enjoyed, often under the guise of medical checkups and therapy sessions, he and Alex had both been called to meetings with Mr Milbury. Despite what they looked like to any outsider, they were not medical checkups or therapy sessions.
They were being tested and as Scott had come to learn after studying his memories, being experimented upon.
Rubbing his arm, where the most recent set of needles had been injected, a dull ache that throbbed at the slightest of movement making it particularly uncomfortable. 'At least Alex will no longer be subjected to Mr Milbury's experiments.' That was why Scott had not fought the adoption as Alex had, his brother wanted them to stay together, to be both adopted or not at all. However, Scott knew that the Blanding's only wanted Alex and not him, he was too old for them.
Scott had spent a great deal of time making himself stand out compared to his brother, utilising his mutant powers at numerous points during the experimentation in order to divert attention away from Alex and onto him. He knew from his memories that Alex too had powers, just like him. Powers that if given time to develop, would make Alex more powerful than him, but he couldn't allow anyone else to know that, especially not Mr Milbury.
It was precisely because Alex had shown no powers though, that Mr Milbury had allowed his brother to go, Scott knew that much, thanks to the memories he had been imparted. Though he supposed, memories were perhaps not the right thing to call them, he didn't actually know what they were.
Visions perhaps?
Or maybe dreams?
He didn't know.
They had been a blur to him besides those few glimpses.
However, recently, at varying points in the day, and most commonly, at night when he was asleep, the memories would play in his head. Visions that showed him different things, but all centred around a young boy at the State Home for Foundlings, they were clear and lasted longer, almost like he was watching a tv show or a movie.
He watched them all, unable to stop them from playing, or more recently, make them come to him when he desired. They often came when he least expected and was unprepared for them, but they showed him things that made him question everything around him.
The figure in those visions, the man in those dreams, that was him.
Older, stronger, wiser and hardened by years of fighting.
But that very same man did not start out that way.
He was a scared and scarred child.
One who had lost his parents in a plane crash; just like him.
One who was taken to the State Home for Foundlings and experimented upon; just like him.
One whose brother was taken away from him; just like him.
One who endured it all silently; just like him.
They were so similar to one another, it was like looking into a mirror, except, there were a few key differences, both large and small that separated him from the boy in his dreams.
When the plane exploded, seemingly killing his parents along with it, the boy's powers manifested in a desperate attempt to save his and Alex's life, just like what happened to him. Except, the manifestation of his powers had been uncontrolled and wild, the boy hitting his head upon the floor and suffering a fatal brain injury that would make his powers uncontrollable. One that would lead him down the path of being scared of himself and his powers for many years.
Except, Scott had not suffered a brain injury.
Just as the emotions of the man, Cyclops had passed over to him, so had instincts that he had honed over years of combat and battle. The experiences that he had accumulated over decades of risking his life upon the frontlines, of the countless near-death experiences, all washed over him. As a result, Scott had avoided a head injury, coming out from the fall with only a broken arm and a few broken ribs.
The boy in his dreams, the experimentations that he endured, was done to see how to suppress his out-of-control powers, a result of the head injury and the trauma of his parent's death that had haunted him for many years. However, Mr Milbury did not experiment solely to see how to suppress his powers, but instead, see the limits of them and how to possibly enhance them.
A painful process, one that was different to those that Cyclops endured.
Most importantly of all though, was the trauma of his parent's deaths, he did not know what to believe, but Scott held out hope that they were still alive. That the ship that attacked them, just like in his dreams, had taken his parents away, that they were still alive. Even though there were differences, small though they may be in comparison to those in his dreams, Scott held out hope that this would not be different, that his parents were alive.
Because he would find out.
Somehow, someway, he would find them.
But first, he would protect his brother and to do that, he needed to know where the Blanding's lived. A task that would be much easier said than done, considering Mr Milbury kept those files locked away within his office, a room that he rarely ever left for any reason.
So, just as he had watched Cyclops do many times before, he would wait and bide his time. He would plan and prepare for that one moment and then he would strike, decisively and quickly.
-X- Line Break -X-
"Hello, Scott." The redheaded worker greeted, a kind woman that was a favourite amongst the children for he caring and gentle demeanour. "Would you like to join us for a walk?" But despite that, Scott was wary of her, having always stood back and avoided interacting with her as much as possible.
He didn't fully know why, just a little nudge, a whisper at the back of his mind that told him to be on guard around her. Scott didn't fully understand why, but his visions didn't show him everything, they were too expansive and far too detailed. There was simply too much going on for his dreams to show everything that had happened to Cyclops, there were key moments, vivid and real as if he was watching them unfold in real-time. But in other parts, the connecting moments between each of those moments were a blur, only some images being clear, though they were fleeting and few in number.
That was where his instincts came in, but Scott did not know if he could trust them fully.
They had saved him and his brother's lives, but they also told him that he would never see his mother again. Yet, his dreams showed him meeting his father again and talking of his mother, though she was suffering at the hands of an alien emperor.
How could his visions show him something, but his instincts contradict them? One had to be lying to him, or simply not revealing everything.
Yet his instincts had also led to him pushing away the only child in the State Home for Foundlings who had wanted to be his friend. A well-dressed and stylish child, with a smug smirk permanently on his face, but one that had been well-meaning and friendly to him, a social outcast, just like him.
He didn't know what to think of it all, nor what to think of Robyn Hanover who stood before him, smiling.
A smile that soon faded when her eyes look to a man approaching Scott from behind, a large hand resting upon his shoulders. "I'm afraid, Miss Hanover that Scott needs to come for another checkup." Scott looked up to Mr Milbury, who smiled charmingly towards Robyn, who frowned back in return. "Come along now, Scott."
He felt the grip upon his shoulder as he was guided away, but Scott said nothing nor did he resist.
-X- Line Break -X-
"Hello, Scott." Robyn Hanover greeted again, entering Scott's room where he sat reading a book. "Are you feeling well today?"
Scott nodded his head. "I am, Miss Hanover."
"That's good." She smiled, moving towards the window and looking out onto the summery day. "It's a lovely day, Scott, you shouldn't be holed up inside all day. Would you like to come on a walk with me, you haven't been able to join the other children on their last trip outside?"
Scott looked at her, seeing the smile on her face, she seemed to mean well, but again, his instincts whispered at him to be careful. It was not as loud nor as visceral as when meeting Mr Milbury, but it was there nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Miss Hanover, but I have a therapy session soon."
Robyn smiled sadly. "Well, maybe next time then."
-X- Line Break -X-
"Have you lost something, Scott?" Robyn asked, coming up to Scott in the library as he looked along the bookshelf.
"I can't seem to find the sequel to this book," Scott said, presenting her with the book he was reading, the Lord of the Rings. Robyn looked over it and then over the bookshelf, frowning when she realised it was nowhere to be seen, despite being in the right section.
"Hmm, that's strange." She murmured. "I have seen the Two Towers here before. I'll have a look and see if it has been logged out by one of the other children."
"No, it's okay." Scott shook his head. "I'll just read something else."
-X- Line Break -X-
Christmas was rolling around again; Scott did not care much for it.
The festivities in the orphanage were as always, grand and loud, but the gifts and the atmosphere were lacklustre. Children screamed in happiness, running around outside and playing in the snow, having snowball fights and building snowmen. The workers, often so tired and exhausted, had a rare moment of levity and happiness as they joined the children in the celebrations.
Scott just watched it all from his window.
He wanted to leave the orphanage and was certain that he could as well.
But he had no idea where the Blanding's lived, no idea where Alex was.
So, he was forced to stay here for even longer, enduring the experiments of Mr Milbury and hoping that he would make a mistake that would allow Scott to gain access to his room. But the workers at the orphanage were like machines when night fell, patrolling the corridors at night with extreme vigilance, making sure the children were asleep.
It was unnatural.
"Merry Christmas, Scott." The only one who wasn't like a machine, was Robyn Hanover, the very same woman coming towards him with a present in her hands.
"I already received my presents," Scott told her, looking towards the gift she presented to him.
Robyn smiled. "I know, but this is from me personally, so don't reveal it to the other children, we don't want them thinking I'm playing favourites." She nudged it towards him, Scott hesitantly taking the present and tearing off the wrapping paper, revealing a book.
The Two Towers.
Scott smiled. "Can we go on a walk?" He asked and Robyn smiled.
"Of course."
-X- Line Break -X-
"Hello, Colonel Bogart." Robyn greeted, Scott, standing behind her as she moved to the well-dressed man in his army uniform. "Thank you for agreeing to this, it means a great deal to me."
"Please, Robyn, call me Richard." He waved off with a smile, looking toward Scott. "Hello, you must be Scott, I'm Richard Bogart. I heard you like flying. Fancy going up into the air with me, I could use a copilot?"
Scott looked towards Robyn and then towards Richard, not overly sure what he should be feeling as he looked upon the kind man. Once again he could feel it, that feeling that something was terribly wrong, a wrenching of his heart, the pit in his stomach. Perhaps it was the fear of flying, the fear of plummeting towards the ground once more.
"It's okay, Scott," Robyn told him gently, guiding him toward Richard. "Go have fun."
-X-
He remembered it now.
That feeling of being in the air, of looking out on the world that passed by beneath him. As the clouds became almost reachable like the sun was just within his grasp. That feeling he felt within the plane, surrounded by his family, enjoying themselves, being happy, being loved. A feeling that he had forgotten when trapped within the State Home for Foundlings, surrounded on all sides by concrete walls and iron gates.
As Scott sat in his seat, the emotions within him bubbled up and for the first time, he felt safe and secure enough to let his walls down and let them out.
-X- Line Break -X-
"Did you enjoy that?" She asked, the two had sat in silence for much of the journey back from the hangar bay.
Scott nodded his head. "...I did, thank you." He replied quietly, Robyn smiling happily.
"I'm glad."
He didn't know what to do, his instincts still told him to be wary of her, to be careful. Yet, Robyn had been nothing but kind and caring, the only one that had tried to reach out to him with a helping hand when the only others were cold and distant, used to inflict pain upon him to satisfy a desire to know more about his powers.
Perhaps, it was not his visions that were false, but his instincts.
Perhaps, she could be trusted.
"Miss Hanover, can I ask you something?" He asked.
"Of course, Scott."
"Do you know where my brother lives?"
-X- Line Break -X-
"You are going too far, Miss Hanover." Mr Milbury said firmly as he looked towards the redheaded woman across from him who stood resolutely with a frown upon her face. "I have overlooked your actions with Scott Summers so far because they have not interfered with his recovery process. However, you are attempting to go over my head and organise for the Bogarts to adopt him. I do not understand why."
"It is not that difficult to understand," Robyn replied. "Despite what you claim, I do not see Scott being physically ill or mentally. He's a boy who lost his parents, has been separated from his brother and is struggling with opening up to people. He is an innocent boy, who simply needs a kind and caring family. The Bogarts are such a family, Scott is happy with them and they clearly care for him."
"And as I have told you, just because you have not seen it, does not mean that he isn't suffering from numerous illnesses." Mr Milbury retorted calmly, though hints of frustration leaked through.
"If he truly is suffering as you say, then surely we are not equipped to properly help him and instead, we should be transferring him somewhere that is better equipped to help him." Robyn then frowned deeper. "I also know full well that you have not been allowing Scott to contact his brother, he is not even aware of where his brother lives."
"That was the Blanding's personal request."
"Are we to simply ignore the fact that Alex and Scott are brothers who are the only family they have left, it is bad enough that you allowed them to be separated, but to not even allow them to contact one another. I have been a part of this business long enough to know that you are able to make that happen." Robyn sighed, taking a moment to calm herself. "I respect you, Mr Milbury, you employed me to help you and we have managed to build something truly good here. But what you are doing with Scott, is not right, morally or lawfully. So, I will give you this chance as a professional and personal courtesy, resign. If you don't, I will be going to the police and they will investigate this matter."
Mr Milbury frowned momentarily before he too sighed. "You are right, Miss Hanover, I have made a mistake." Robyn smiled, glad to see that he had come to his senses, only for her eyes to widen when she saw a strange jewel appearing on his forehead that glowed ominously. "I should have dealt with you sooner."
Robyn opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly her body went limp, her eyes glazing over mouth agape.
"Now get out and bring Scott for his checkup." Her mouth closed, and Robyn stood upright, turning on her heel and leaving silently. Behind her, Mr Milbury rose up to his feet, looking down at the filing cabinet, one of the draws slightly open. His frown deepened, opening it up to see that one of the files was slightly out of place, one belonging to Alex Summers.
Scowling, he closed the draw shut fully, realising now that he had made a mistake that nearly cost him dearly.
A mistake that he would not make a second time.