The world was changing.
Its trajectory had not shifted, Mutants were still feared, but that fear was rising and changing into hatred. Charles doubted it would be very long before the small number of Anti-Mutant mobs radicalised and cases of Mutant deaths increased dramatically.
Yet, at the forefront of these changing times was Oscorp, who had unveiled a number of superpowered individuals that, as he put it, were to be humanity's defence against the Mutant threat. It wouldn't be long before they received government and private funding that would catapult Oscorp to even higher heights.
Oscorp would become very influential in a few years' time, the extent of their reach no longer extending to just America, but all over the world. All the while possessing immunity and its own private army of superpowered soldiers that would do its bidding.
Norman and Oscorp were about to become very powerful indeed.
Anyone with a brain could see that, it didn't take a genius.
Thanks to that influence, Oscorp's own stance on Mutants would become even more widespread as well, they used the idea of Mutants being a threat to justify their experiments. Their influence would only spread that message further and further, making Mutant rights that much harder to achieve.
All of it could be traced back to one incident, a very recent one.
The attack on Oscorp.
"I'm not happy about you extending your trip to go visit Illinois," Charles said, holding the phone to his ear as he sat watching the news. "Your last act of attacking Oscorp has caused mass Mutant hysteria. Things are about to get a lot worse for Mutantkind as a whole thanks to this."
"I know," Scott replied over the line, voice sounding calm. "But, that is why we must act quickly. Hank may be loved in his hometown, but how long that will remain the case is uncertain and unlike others, he does not have the luxury of keeping his mutation secret."
Charles nodded his head, well aware of this fact.
Hank was one of the few public Mutants in the world, a star football player in his hometown and more recently, a small-town hero. But with that publicity came a lot of backlash and hate, all one had to do was look at the public comments on anything remotely related to Hank or Mutants and he was there receiving hatred and death threats.
If someone decided to act against him, they would know exactly where he was and how to hurt him the most. "Scott, I am not happy about this, even if you are right." Charles was undeterred though. "You attacked Oscrop of all places! I am not faulting your actions to save Warren, simply the methods."
"There was no other option." Scott's reply was quick. "They had Warren for only a few days and yet the improvements they reportedly made to the Vulture suit speak for themselves. I'm sure you've seen the news of Adrian Toomes' actions. He may have gone rogue, but the prototypes that Norman Osborn has do not match up to the suit that Adrian has. If they had him for any longer, who knows what other improvements they could have made."
It was logical and cold, but Charles knew that was simply Scott's way of emphasising how dangerous things could have been. Though stopping such things from happening was important, he knew that Scott had been more worried about Warren than such things, he just had trouble expressing such thoughts.
It was his way of compartmentalizing.
"I know." Charles sighed. "But if something like this is to happen again, then hatred towards Mutant will only continue to grow."
"Professor," Scott spoke, Charles going silent. "The world was always going to go down this route. Humanity has long feared what it does not understand, just look at the publics' most recent responses towards the Fantastic Four and how many are looking back on the Invaders of World War 2. Even though both teams have done incredible things and saved countless lives, there is a small rising minority growing in number that damn them. If they can turn against heroes who have done such good deeds, then they were always going to turn against Mutants."
A harsh truth that made Charles' shoulders slump.
He knew it was the truth, the Invaders had been the first team of heroes assembled under Captain America's leadership to defeat the Nazis. Many had been superpowered and despite all the things they had accomplished, and the people they had saved, now people were turning against them. Many whispered that they were Mutants, a small minority of people, but one that was growing in size and volume.
It was the same with the Fantastic Four, the most beloved hero team of the current age. Despite the great public opinion they held, people still called them Mutants and hated them for that reason.
Irrational and stupid, but it was the truth.
"It is best to use this moment of calm to recruit as many as we can before it gets too late." Scott continued. "I'll be heading to Illinois with Amelia by train, we'll arrive tomorrow. We'll be there no more than a day or two at most. There is a game tomorrow and so, Hank should be there. We shall try and catch him then and explain the situation to him."
"And Angel?"
"...He said he needed some time to think," Scott answered. "But I have every confidence that he will accept."
Once more, Charles sighed heavily, well aware that he could not stop Scott now. "Very well. I will let Alex know, but he will undoubtedly be upset." There was silence on the other end. "However, Scott, I have contacted an old friend of mine. He shall meet you in Illinois and bring you back home after three days. Whether you have convinced Hank or not."
There was a pause.
"...Very well, Professor."
The call ended and Charles leaned back, looking up to the ceiling, feeling a headache about to come along. He had and still believed that Scott was the one to lead his X-Men and carry out his ideals, but clearly, he had underestimated Scott's determination and willingness to act. He was not afraid, of anything and would act in accordance with what he thought was best. Luckily for Charles, Scott struck him as the type to act rationally and logically, rather than emotionally.
Even so, he was now in a situation where he had to get Logan on another flight.
His friend would not be happy in the slightest.
-X-
Lowering the phone, Scott ran one hand through his hair, pocketing his phone and pulling out the worn photo. It was small, fitting in his hand comfortably and the edges were dulled and flaky, the colours a little dulled and grainy, but still prevalent. It was a picture of his family on holiday before everything went wrong, his parents, Alex and himself, all there smiling and happy. It was the most important photo to him, even though it was not the only one because this was the last photo they took before everything took a turn for the worst.
It was a reminder to him to never forget.
"What did he say?" Amelia asked, coming up to him, two cups of coffee in her hands, presenting one to Scott as they sat down on the bench at the train station.
Putting his photo away, Scott took the cup, holding it in two hands as Amelia sat down beside him. "He's given us permission, but an old friend of his is coming. I have three days, after that, we're to return." Who the friend was, Scott did not know, but it was unimportant he had a goal in mind and he wouldn't stray from it.
Warren was already an X-Man, even if he said he needed time to think.
Amelia wasn't so convinced.
Charles was right though, his actions will cause a backlash, and Mutant hysteria would rise more rapidly now than ever before. But Oscorp would be too busy dealing with Spider-Man and now, the rogue element that was Adrian Toomes. The prototype wing suits that he had created had all been handed to the police as a show of good faith, a bribe more than likely.
It had only been a day since the attack on Oscorp and already Norman was making moves, working in partnership with the New York Police Department to create a special branch of the police. An aerial patrol unit that used the wing suits, only for their first unveiling to end in disaster when Adrian Toomes crashed the expo, taking out the entire squadron in a matter of minutes.
The only thing that avoided this disaster from growing was the actions of Spider-Man and then the Green Goblin. One that resulted in a three-way conflict that saw Green Goblin gain the upperhand, driving Vulture away and almost defeating Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was the only one to fail in that fight.
Vulture succeeded in ruining the expo and collected or destroyed most of the flight suits, escaping in the chaotic fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. However, the act of fighting his best friend led to Spider-Man hesitating, giving Harry all the opportunity he needed to overwhelm the local hero.
In turn, the event was being portrayed as a triumph for Oscorp's prize asset, Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin and true hero of Queens. Spider-Man meanwhile was being painted as a villain, one that had been working alongside the Vulture.
It was a smart plan, Norman was turning the city against Spider-Man and making them fall further and further in love with his son. But if there was anything Scott understood about Peter it was that he could only be pushed so far before he showed his true potential.
Right now, he was a wounded animal and Norman was backing him into a corner and knowing Norman, he would continue to do so. But when he pushed too far, when Peter learned there was no escape except through the obstacles in his path, he would rise to the challenge and overcome every challenge in his path.
Or at least, that's what Scott expected.
If Peter failed, he would have to find another way to get to Norman, though that would be simple. He was currently the puppet of Kingpin who was in conflict with Hammerhead and the Maggia. There was already a conflict there and if it didn't develop naturally, then forcing it would be on his agenda.
But he had faith in Spider-Man to rise to the challenge.
"Can I ask you a question?" Amelia asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
"...Go ahead."
"Did...was Alex..."
Scott realised instantly what she was trying to say, but couldn't vocalise. "No, not to the extent you're thinking. Most of what he endured was having his blood taken and studied. I made sure that their attention was focused on me."
Amelia didn't sight in relief, though she did look relieved at the news, even then, she couldn't help but feel the pit in her stomach. There was something about the ease with which Scott admitted that he purposefully let him get experimented on to keep his brother safe that made her feel physically ill, the coffee in her hand becoming unappealing as she placed it on the ground.
"You know, I find it hard to believe that you are a sixteen-year-old kid," Amelia said, Scott looking at her questioningly. "Ignoring everything that happened in New York, you're still unnaturally mature. You know, I pulled up your medical record and that alone is proof that you're not normal. Broken bones and internal haemorrhaging, those things would have resulted in most children passing out in shock, unable to move due to the pain and all sorts of things. But not you, no, you got up and led Alex to safety, even insisting that Alex get treatment first despite his injuries being superficial."
Scott said nothing in response, Amelia frowning slightly, but she was not angry or disappointed, she seemed saddened.
"Now you admit, so plainly and simply, like it means nothing to you, that you let people experiment on you, that you drew their attention to you more and more, just to keep Alex safe." Amelia continued, turning to him. "Do you know how that sounds?"
"I do." Scott responded.
"Do you?" She pressed. "Because the more I get to know you, the less like a child you appear. No, the more impossible it becomes to convince myself that you are one."
"What do you believe then?"
Amelia shook her head. "I don't know." Turning to see him once again checking the photo. "But I suppose there are some things that do convince me that whatever you might be, you do love Alex more than anything."
"He's the only family I've got left," Scott answered. "I'll do anything to make sure he's safe."
"Then why did you not leave sooner."
That made Scott freeze.
"Leaving was never a difficult thing, in fact, it would have been much easier and neither myself nor Charles would have been able to stop you. Except you didn't and made it easier for both men and Charles to know you were up to something." The only reason she had known was that he told Alex he would be busy with something after school, an oddity that stood out to them both, but an oddity they only knew because of how much time they spent around him.
"I don't know what you mean."
She smiled when she saw Scott once more look down at the picture. "I think you do." She looked away. "You know, I am at fault for not getting to know you sooner, even though you didn't make things easier, I am the adult."
Though Amelia sometimes found that difficult to believe when Scott was around.
"But in the past few days we've been together, I've gotten a very good idea of what you're like." Scott looked at her, raising a brow in a silent challenge. "You're mature beyond your years, a prodigy and someone that terrifies me more than words can describe. Determined and talented in droves, skilled and experienced beyond anything I've ever seen before to the point it makes little sense as to how it's possible and yet, you have one weakness."
"Which is?"
"You can't let go." She smiled comfortingly, indicating to the picture, Scott looking down at it once more. "You lost your parents and you had no time to grieve or mourn their loss. You had to get Alex to safety. Which you did, only to end up in the grasp of someone truly vile and cruel beyond words can describe. You had to continue protecting your brother, unable to mourn and unable to come to terms with everything that was happening to you."
Scott didn't turn away from the picture, focusing upon the smiling faces that stared back at his mask of dismissiveness.
"Then, when you escaped, there was only one thought on your mind, the same thought that had been on your mind since the moment you lost your parents, protect Alex. You focused on nothing else except that point and it drove you, gave you strength that when you finally had a chance to relax and calm down, you found letting go of the one thing that had been driving you all this way, impossible."
Amelia knew that Alex was Scott's one driving force, the only family he had left, the thing he wanted to protect most in this world. He had stayed, not because he didn't want to leave, not because he lacked the ability to leave, but because he couldn't.
Scott couldn't leave Alex because he was Scott's anchor.
She was ashamed to have taken so long to realise this.
"You didn't leave now because Warren turned up, or because of Hank. You didn't leave because you just now had the tools you needed to leave. You left now because you had finally worked up the courage to do so." Amelia continued, placing one hand on Scott's shoulder, feeling the muscles tense in response to her touch. "I know this because in the last few hours since you decided to extend your trip, you've looked at that picture more in the last hour than you had during the few days you went to recruit Warren."
His courage was waning, and the urge to return back to the mansion was growing, but Scott needed to hold firm and continue on the path he had set. But despite everything that made Scott who he was, despite everything that made him so abnormally skilled and mature, deep down, he was a boy who had yet to overcome so many other traumas.
It was obvious to her now.
Alex was obviously a boy who needed help, but Scott hadn't.
He had always seemed so capable and in control, while it was true, Amelia knew now it was also a mask to hide the turmoil that hid beneath the surface. Scott was in more need of help than Alex ever was, but he was unable or unwilling to ask for it.
She didn't know how much help she could be, but Amelia knew that someone had to help him or else something would break.
What and when that might be, she did not know and that scared her more than anything.
"Our trains here." She murmured softly, Scott pocketing the picture and getting to his feet, not even waiting for her as he moved on forwards. But unlike before, Amelia did not stop him, instead, she calmly got to her feet and followed behind him.