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Post by Shadowkat on Sept 7, 2009 2:31:58 GMT -5
"Oh Petey," Kitty said softly, looking up at her love. If there was anything that could make her anger and hostility melt, it was the soft and honest words of the man that she had loved ever since she met him. He was never one for speaking very much, but every word he said was spoken with such truth and honesty that one never doubted his pure and sincere soul. "You do your best for them everyday, and your kids idolize you! Even Haven does, and she's a tough cookie to break," she said reaching up to squeeze his large hand on her shoulder. She never wanted him to doubt how much those kids cared for him, because she saw how it pained him when any of his kids were in pain. To many he acted like the guardian they never had, and Kitty knew that he was exactly what that group needed.
"And Pete's right about Kurt too. You all remember Ironclad when he first came, I was even scared of where that guy would end up at one point. He didn't give a damn about anything, and look at him now." A slight smile of pride came on Kitty's face. "He would do anything for his team, he has a purpose in life, and he is already grown into a great leader. This isn't the same kid we took in ten years ago. He wasn't even on my team and I'm proud of him." Though Ironclad was only a couple of years younger than her, she still was amazed at the man he had grown into today. She saw a bit of both Kurt and Scott in him and was grateful that he ended up the way he did. "And look at Ember! That girl wouldn't be around people at all when she first came here, she always hid in the shadows and stayed away. She came to us late, but in that short time look how she changed. That's not the same girl that Emma brought over here either!" Her passionate fiery eyes turned to Kurt, beaming at him. "Kurt's doing something right, cause those two right there are as tough as they get, and he got through to them. And not just them, his kids now too. We've all seen them and we all know first hand that they are an impossible bunch, but they adore him! They strive to meet his approval and though I'm sure many of us got the finger and some lip from them once or twice, most of them would cut off their own hand before doing that to Kurt!" Kitty had an advantage, like Bobby did to be the youngest of the X-Men and see things closer to the kids point of views than some of the others. And she saw how much the Paragons adored Nightcrawler.
Her face screwed up into a pensive look, thinking about her own team. "As for my kids, well I'm not gonna lie and say we're perfect. They have their problems within the team, but it lies more so with Alex than anyone else. Riker is a dream to have on the New Mutants. That wolf in him came with a pack mentality, and Wolvie helped me bring it out in him and have him round up that team in a way unlike any others. He made that team into a family, something many of them need. I keep the peace within them, but it's very hard with Alex. He just refuses to fall into the pack mentality that all the other New Mutants took to, wanting to stand on his own and declare himself a leader. I tried to make him understand that this is simply a way for all of them to be closer to each other and that the position is earned and not given, but he won't hear it. It's something that I will work on with him, perhaps call a team meeting this weekend," Kitty said biting her lip in thought before finally deciding for sure what she would do with her wild pack.
"And yea okay, so Riker has a reputation with the ladies. He's an attractive kid and he has no problems exercising that feature. I already talked to him about it, but it seems animal instincts overrule any possible rule we could put up. He never ever lets it interfere with our 'pack' and he's careful enough that none of us hear any drama about it," she said with a shrug, knowing well that it may seem that she was excusing him, but in reality, she was just telling it like is was. Talking with Wolvie and Hank a bit more about this animal instinct stuff gave her an insight to how her Team Alpha's mind worked and what can be changed and what will always be innate to him. She handled it the way she saw fit and so far it proved to not be a problem with the team or anything in general.
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Post by Karma on Sept 7, 2009 13:10:44 GMT -5
A small giggle escaped from Shan when Kitty acknowledged Riker's social life. It was obvious that she adored him despite all that. "I will say this about Riker, he's very careful with the little ones, 'cubs' he calls them. Even my girls adore him," she said fondly enough. Shan found the generation of kids to be rather vulgar and unruly compared to how she was at their age, and it softened her heart when she watched how careful some of them were around her little darlings. She adored Stoney so much for that, for reaching out to them and protecting them from the harshness of the world while he could and for being such a true idol for them. Her heart swelled whenever she saw them with him, making him possibly the only student that she would ever entrust with her little ones.
"My little Alphas... well they are an interesting small bunch, more so now that Austin joined." A tender smile came on her face, thinking of her little rambunctious gang. "If he's anything like his sister, I knew he would be a handful, but he's that and more. Nothing I can't handle of course, but it will no doubt make life more interesting. Chopper was absolutely thrilled that another boy joined the team. Surprisingly, Chopper has been a little less troublesome for awhile now, attaching himself to Chester and Aideen's side. He idolizes them both, funny enough as we all know his feelings on the dreaded 'cooties'." Another giggle escaped Shan and they all knew why. Chopper's talks of all girls having cooties have been heard by all the X-Men at least once. It was such a surprise for Shan how he took to Aideen, and even more so how Aideen took to him. It was obvious enough the girl had little to no experience with kids, and people for that matter, but she seemed to sincerely care for him. Shan had been incredibly wary at first, seeing enough of life to recognize a dangerous person when she saw one, but after awhile concluded that Aideen would never do anything to endanger Chopper.
"As for my girls, oh well they are just darlings, you all know that too," she said beaming with pride. "Lily is just an angel, and the sweetest little thing to have around. There is never a moment that I can be around her and have a dampened mood, and her smile and giggles are infectious." The grin on her face turned to an almost mischievous one now. "And Jenny, oh she's just a character. I've never seen a more spirited and fiery girl her age in my life. She is not one to let any 'silly old boy' her push around, and it shows. Oh the fights that her and Chopper get into are never ending. Just the other day Chester had to hold them apart, one in each hand, because their fights took a physical turn yet again. It amazes me how this tiny little girl has such guts and spirit, unafraid to tell anyone exactly what she thinks of them." Shan looked at Kurt now, grinning fondly at him from ear to ear. "Oh Jenny just worships and adores you Kurt, you should hear her go on and on about you. That little girl would go to the end of the Earth for you and back without hesitation, and again if needed." The beaming smile on Shan's face was so sincere as she thought of the way Jenny's little face lit up at the mere mention of him.
"Torri... well I have some work to do with her. She has been a great help with the little ones so far, but so timid. I can deal with timid, my twins were both very timid and shy you remember, and I understand the effects of a broken childhood." Shan paused for a moment to force back the memories of Vietnam back, reminding herself that it was over. "I do have some work to do with her though, and I will do my best to make her ready for the older teams," she vowed to the other X-Men, falling silent for a moment before speaking again. "They are going to be really powerful when they get older, my little ones. They are powerful now, and it will only grow. The students here, many of them are now incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous. What's more is that they are not that much younger than I am, and I would be wary ever wanting to fight them." She fingered the woven bracelets that Lily and Jenny made her, thoughts swirling in her mind. "For their sake, we need to do what we can to keep them on a good path, but not let them lose that essence that makes them who they are. Kurt's right, if we force them to change, it may just do more harm than good." It was her input on the situation, and her words came from the heart just as much. She may also be the youngest from the X-Men, but she had enough life experience to know that forcing things wouldn't work.
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Post by Cyclops on Sept 7, 2009 15:28:46 GMT -5
"So, you are all advocating that we take a Laissez~Faire approach to this whole mentoring teachering business and leave the kids run amok? I can't get behind that. There needs to be some semblance of order here, the rules are in place to keep everyone safe. Look at what happened with those two last night. Rumble and Frostbite are old enough to be considered 'Adult' but maturity is not measured in years." Scott began pacing the floor.
"Frostbite...Lorelai, is not as mature as her years would indicate. We can agree on that I think. She is certainly not versed in dealing with some slick psychopathic Hellion, and so it is OUR responsibility to keep her safe here. Not because we have to monitor 'adults who aren't that mature yet', but because it is incumbent on us to provide a safe learning environment." He chopped his right hand down into his left palm to make his point hit that much more definitively. "AND because we should care enough. We ARE a family, it's true, we are all we have to turn to in this world."
"So she didn't turn to us, not a one of us, but maybe that's our fault as well. Sure the children see us as teachers and as X-Men, but maybe they need us closer. What Shan and Kitty were saying is true, these kids idolize us, we all see it. Sure some of them hate us for the moment, when homework is assigned or when we catch them doing something they know they shouldn't do, but that moment passes." He looked at them all "When was the last time we just sat down and had fun with these kids. Bobby tries, and you know I think you enjoy it a little too much Bobby... there needs to be a line between us and them, so I have often said, and getting too close can lead to the children forgetting their place... or ours. They need to be able to not just feel a closeness, but trust that as their guardians here we will protect them."
"So a line, yes... but not a chasm. If they got to know us better, and enjoyed being kids more, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to grow up. Also, I know for me personally... when it comes to doing the right thing, any time I am faced with it, I always think about..." he paused for a second, not sure he wanted to let his inner workings be known. Thinking how important a leaders infallible nature needs to be and the image they project must hold to that. Then for the sake of the children and what good might come of it he shared with his friends ".. I always think about not disappointing Charles. I know, but I hold myself to a standard that I imagine he would want me to achieve."
"But not just Charles. I admit I think of him and how he would judge things first, but I also think of you all and the reflection my actions would have on each of you. I don't know if any of you think this way, but I do, and I hold myself to a higher standard because of it. Is it wrong of me to want to instill this in the students here? When they do the right thing and when they achieve doesn't it make you proud?... And if they knew us better maybe they would want to do that more, try harder.. I know it's idealistic of me, but punishing them hasn't stopped them, and I can't get behind this whole leaving them to their own devises concept, not as a model for the school... it's not responsible enough for the entirety of the student body. So, I ask you all what else is there?"
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Post by Iceman on Sept 7, 2009 16:31:32 GMT -5
"Hey!" Bobby spoke up suddenly from his position against the wall, having been silent the entire time and letting the others speak. "You're acting like none of us tried to prevent this from happening, didn't try to reach out to these kids on a different level than teacher/student. That's a bunch of bull," he yelled, not so much out of anger for Cyclops, but more of anger for the whole situation. "These kids had enough teachers, enough authority figures their entire life, and for some of them it didn't make jack shit of a difference. What they need is to feel like this is a family, that its more than just some school they're gonna stay in for a couple of years and then leave. They need to feel that they belong here, and that they always will belong here!" The heartache that Bobby felt for what happened to Lorelai was great, and it wouldn't take HeartString to be able to discern what he was feeling.
"Look at us right there, in this picture!" Bobby picked up the picture that Emma turned down and pointed to it with vigor and passion. "Look how happy we all are, its got nothing to do with simpler times, its cause right there we were a real family. Charles Xavier was never just an authority figure or a teacher to us, he was family! He took all of us, who had nothing in common, in together and he made us into what we are. He treated us like we were his blood relatives, always making sure we had everything, always making sure we were never scared to talk to him about something, and never, ever letting us think that this was only a school. That's why we all are the way we were, and that's what our problem is now!"
He looked at everyone around the room, stopping to look at Scott, who was by all definition his brother. "That's what these kids are missing now, and that's what we are missing. They don't see this place as a home, not the way we did. They see it as a school, and they see most of us as teachers. That's all well and good if that's all we wanted to be, but it's more than that. Professor always said that to call this place a school was an extremely general term. That's what we're becoming though! I don't want us to be like that, it's not the home that I left when I went to San Francisco." Bobby took a moment to compose himself, taking a couple of deep breaths before he dared continue.
"We had it tough, some of these kids had it really tough. We lost a lot of them through the years, and it never hurts any less. We can't those losses harden us against the kids we have now. If you want to get through to them, you gotta stop looking at them as mere students. What they need is to be able to trust us all as more than an authority figure, but trust us the way we trust each other. The world is a harsh and cold place, and in the end, we are all most of them got. They shouldn't be running wild, but they shouldn't have to hide everything from us, because the more they hide, the more they drift from us." His hand went up to his face, that for a moment had lost the youthful and passionate glow it always held to reveal a young man who had seen and done far too much in young age and the wears and tears of that life.
"I... I tried to help Lorelai out. I saw the direction she was treading toward, I saw that she was fascinated with the idea to be with the one student that all the others fear. I remember the signs of rebellion well, and I did all I could. I talked to her about it, I warned her that Rumble would break her. I told her I'm always here for her to talk, and to find me anytime and I'll always have time for her. What more could I have done?" Bobby said in slight despair, almost wishing for someone to answer him so he could understand where he went wrong. Maybe there was something more he could have done, something more he could said that would have made a difference. He had been racking his brain, thinking of something he missed the chance to do or say to keep Lorelai from going in that direction. It tore him apart that this happened, and that he couldn't stop it.
"I took my time to get to know as many of these students as I could, taking the time to let them get to know me as well and spending time with them too so they got more comfortable with me. That's what these kids need though, they need someone that they can trust to talk to about stuff like this, but someone who's older and had seen enough of life to be able to help them. If the kids feel that there isn't anything they can't come to us about, than maybe, just maybe, we could keep them on the right track. But I'll say this, I'm not enough anymore, not for all of them." He raked his hands through his hair in slight frustration, taking a deep breath after his outburst and calming himself down. He looked down at the picture in his hand, the smiling faces looking back at him as he brushed a thumb over the Professor's face.
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Post by Nightcrawler on Sept 7, 2009 17:27:34 GMT -5
"You vill no longer have to be..." Kurt said after a slight pause filled the room. Bobby's voice having such passion, and his words so powerful. "I am sitting over here, und I am zhinking back to how it felt to come here... after you all vere gone. Not zhe first mission, no but after zhat, vhen you all seemed to leave und go off on your seperate vays." Kurt stepped down from his perch upon the arm of the couch and walked over to Kitty and Colossus. "Zhere vas a sense from zhe Professor, a slight sadness zhat his children vere gone. It didn't last long zhough."
He walked around behind the couple and threw an arm around each of them. "But he gave himself time to grieve for zhose children of his who had gone, and zhen he allowed himself to love zhe ones zhat vere zhere after. I vill never forget zhe feelings I felt vhen it seemed zhat, just like after a long vinter, zhere vas a renewing sense of spring und our Professor vas a joyful man again."
"Bobby is right. Ve need to feel more like a family I zhink, und today is a perfect time to renew our own personal commitment to zhe children und each ozher. Zhis cookout, vhat a vonderful opportunity. I for von am not going to let zhe chance to make a difference slip avay any longer." He squeezed his comrade and his liebshen tight for a moment and walked over to Iceman.
Taking him squarely by the shoulders he looked into his eyes and said "You shame me, und for zhat I zhank you. Bobby I believe you have a unique view of life und I know zhat it is by choice. You are not ignorant of how harsh it can be, yet you never let zhat veigh you down. It is by choice you behave vith zhe lightness of spirit you show, for I have seen you depressed...ve all have... und just like zhe clowns, on a sad grey day, sometimes you must paint on your smile. I vill join you in zhat...ve all should."
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Post by Colossus on Sept 7, 2009 18:51:52 GMT -5
A smile graced Piotr's face at a wave of understanding that seemed to come over the teachers, himself included. Life had hardened many of them, and it was starting to show. "I too will not let the opportunity pass today, and perhaps it is time we all got to know our students on a new level, just as Charles did with us," he said leaning down to place a kiss on Kitty's head before looking at all of them with a slightly graver look on his face. He remembered the lessons and trials they all experienced with the Professor well, and he learned a great deal from them. Sometimes, even he needed a reminder on some of the things he learned.
"We must all never get ahead of ourselves with our children. Even under Professor Xavier's caring and gentle guidance, we still needed to make some mistakes first before we learned from them. No matter how much we want to protect our kids, there are some things that they will have to learn on their own no matter what." Piotr looked at Bobby with a kind smile, their age being the closest of anyone's and he understood his pain for Lorelai. "You did everything you could my friend, you gave her another option, another choice. That was the most you could give, but she made hers, and learned something from it I am sure. That is what we all must do, give the kids all the options we can, and trust that they will make the right choice. If they do not, they will hopefully learn from it. It is all we can do," he said with a slight smile at Bobby, just to show his support and his approval of how he handled Lorelai.
Piotr turned his glance to Emma, not wanting to stray from another topic they all seemed to have forgotten. "Please excuse me Emma, but I have to ask you as well on what you plan to do with Rumble. The other day, two of my own nearly died twenty feet underground because of him. I also have to go and repair the boathouse wall because of the incident yesterday. I would never question your way of running things or your knowledge of your Hellions, but I must say that I stand beside Scott in the manner of not understanding," he said with as much respect as he could to Emma Frost. She was a dear friend and a smart woman, but he was well within his right to ask.
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Post by Emma Frost on Sept 7, 2009 21:23:10 GMT -5
"And the prize for ruining the warm fuzzy mood goes to Piotr Rasputin..." Emma said, the volume level, just above being under her breath as she did a quiet delicate little 'golf clap'. "...bravo Colossus." She felt like she was being invited to lay her divine and elegant neck in the ghastly grasp of a guillotine. "Alright then, since we are trying out this wonderful loving family... Noumenon ...I will invite you all to try to understand Rumble. If you can."
"This young man has a set of rules and standards that he lives by as well, however, they are his own rules. They are simple enough to understand and the frustration you all display towards him makes it readily apparent to any who know those rules... myself, Rumble, and the Hellions... that understand them, you in fact do." She cocked an eyebrow as she continued. "He measures his successes by his own yardstick, it is proportional to the amount of torment his is willing to undertake, or to administer and might be represented as a ratio of his will over his desire...or an inverse ratio when he so deems it appropriate. In short what he wants is what he will try to achieve, and to make him do what you want requires a paradox... or in more exacting terminology, requires fundamental nondualism of wills."
She looked around the room at the X-Men. She Knew from the looks on their faces who grasped it and who did not. Henry, certainly did, but the rest needed help. Some more than others. It was actually proven, by their own trails with the young man through the years and she found it almost laughable that none of them had figured him out yet. Telling him what to do was like screaming at a stone to give milk. It simply was not going to happen.
"Adorable as you are Bobby, I will say it so you get it... and I am sure you are not alone." Emma rolled her head and blinked her eyes directly at Kitty. She knew the girl was no slouch, but she wanted to get under her skin if she could, it was her way of saying 'I love you'. "There is no compromise with him. He will not bend, so you must. I will say though that in order to get him to do as is required you must make it appeal to him...in other words make what you want him to do become his own desire. I would caution you all however, he is far to clever for reverse psychology. What I am talking about requires finesse, and deviousness, and it is no wonder none of you have mastered it, or even intuitively struck upon it. It is, as I said, simple enough."
"As for 'THE PLAN' for Rumble, well my dear-hearts, there is no 'plan' for him as such. I have maintained a modicum of control over him in his present mental status for some years and am not entirely opposed to altering him. I have been enjoying the challenge and would miss the mental stimulation of dealing with him. I believe him to be a wonderful tool, blunt instrument as he is, and not unlike our gruff but lovable Wolverine in that respect. I am certainly curious to see what this new found 'family of mutants' attitude will stir in him, but I don't think it will promote any fundamental change in his attitude."
She knew they would all be appalled at what she had just revealed. Rumble himself would hate her for it if and when he ultimately figured it out...until she revealed to him it was all for him, a 'next level' of training for him to overcome... and thus entwined her own will with his in yet another bid, the auction ever ongoing, for his obedience. She was not above playing both sides against the middle, as finding herself in all three places, she would regardless emerge the victor in any conflict.. real, or imagined.
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Post by Rogue on Sept 7, 2009 22:27:46 GMT -5
Rogue listened quietly as each of the X-Men spoke. She had no idea that the meeting was going to be about reminiscing about the "good ol' days" and what Xavier had left them to do and what lessons they had learned. She, along with everyone else in the room, understood what their purpose on this Earth was; to help mutants and humans live in harmony or at least try to achieve that. Rogue agreed with several of her colleagues for the most part. Kurt's view on allowing students to learn from their mistakes was something she definitely practiced. However learning from your mistakes and allowing a child to make a life altering mistake were two different things. Emma's last words brought up a fury that Rogue was holding in for a while. Ever since Rumble's recent events had occurred, she tried to not be herself and hold back her feelings. But it was the last straw. One of Kurt's students did something foolish, however it was unfair that Rumble was to be "played with" in order for Emma to "control him".
"So you think this whole damn thing is a game?" she spat. "Ah can't believe you. This guy has no respect for you, me or any ov us. He doesn't understand the concept of family and you expect us tuh just let him trample on the very family we intend tuh create? All o' you are talkin' about Charles and how he made us a family. Well we aren't a family, not with Van Alstyne here or any of the Hellions for that matter." She took several breaths before continuing her point. "You really screwed this up Emma. You've been worryin' about how tuh make your Hellions like you more than teaching them tuh respect everyone else in this school. You find it challangin' in 'bendin'' Brock your way or his way than our way." At this point, Rogue's voice was loud. Not yelling but making her position heard nonetheless. Finally letting out most of her aggression, she walked closer to the White Queen and pointed her finger to everyone in the room.
"We've all accepted you and your Hellions for years. We've never questioned your methods until just now and tuh be honest, Ah don't like 'em. Clearly everyone else who doesn't get it agrees. So you either start using your damn powers for 'the family' we so claim tuh have, or let your damn Rumble and Hellions ruin it. They've already started and it seems to be workin' pretty good so far. Look at US!!" With that she looked around the room, into the eyes of everyone she called her brothers and sisters. But now they were yelling and bickering and disagreeing with everything each one said or believed in all because of Frostbite and Rumble's foolish action being discovered. What was happening to them? Had all of Charles Xavier's believes and teaching really been forgotten? Or had they been blinded by the hidden anger and personal problems of all the mutants within the school?
Finally finished, Rogue looked back to Emma and stared her down hard. "You screwed up," she said again before walking back to the chair she was originally standing next to. "So fix it." She needed to sit down after her piece, and so she did.
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Post by Karma on Sept 7, 2009 23:00:40 GMT -5
"Excuse me," Shan spoke up from her spot on the window, hopping down. "Not all the Hellions. Stoney is a dream and a student that I hold very dear." Her sweet chin was stuck out in defiance as she looked right at Rogue. "Look I will not beat around the bush, Brock is a concern for all of us, however I can admit that the other Hellions have improved since they got here. When they got here they were deplorable, no offense Emma," she said looking at Emma with wide eyes to not offend her, for that was not her intention at all. "Machete and Inflict have a softer side than they did when they first arrived, as does the Shade. Rumble, well what more can we say about him than what's already been said."
Shan was trying to be the voice of reason, knowing that at any minute there would be at least one outburst from Kitty, and after everyone coming to a consensus she was reluctant to allow the conversation to get heated again. "Now I'm not going to pretend Emma that I understood exactly how we are to handle him, but what I do understand is that he is in a pure form a sociopath, and there is nothing we can do to change that." Shan took a deep breath and looked around at the others, holding her chin high. "I don't like it at all, but... I know what it's like to have someone alter your mind and take that away from you. On principal, I could never stand by such an act to be committed in this school." She shuddered, remembering how she felt when she was possessed by the Shadow King and how long it took her to get back to herself.
"What my question is, and I'm sure everyone is wondering this as well, in the end is Rumble too dangerous to have at this school? I know of his forceful advances when there is something he wants, and we all see that his... obsession is escalating," Shan said glancing briefly at Cyclops and choosing her words carefully. She knew that this was a touchy subject for many and she needed to approach it carefully. "Emma I know that he is dear to you in his own way, I do really. But if you can really think on it, do you feel that there will be a point where even you won't be able to get even a slight handle on him?" Shan looked at her with calm eyes, for though their history was rough, she had come to respect Emma Frost and knew in the end she was a very responsible woman.
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Post by Emma Frost on Sept 9, 2009 0:24:51 GMT -5
Emma was no stranger to the emotional outbursts of Rogue and Kitty, and she recognized immediately the source of their ire. That for all the power they possessed they really did feel powerless in her presence, powerless, frail and exposed, was no secret. Glancing casually past Karma at Rogue she scoffed slightly at the display of vented emotion before returning her eyes to the young mentalist.
"You raise a good point, and even as predictions are not a specialty of mine, I will venture a guess that as with anything left unchecked, Brock's abnormal behavior will eventually grow beyond it's bounds. And to challenge his sociopathic nature too fervently would only spur the onset of that self same growth." She considered her own words and added for the laymen "We are indeed damned if we do and damned if we don't. But the alternatives to what we have here and now are to release him to the world as he is, sending a wolf out amongst the sheep, or to twist his mind into a form unnatural to him and risk worse repercussions if and when such twist were undone."
"I have done what I felt best for all, and forgive me you might or might not... but I know the truth of it all. From the start I saw something special in this young man." She began her own stroll around the room, trailing a finger across Xavier's book shelves, as she strolled the trails of memories in her mind and spoke them aloud. "But at the start my goal was something far removed from what it has become. I saw a pure villain in young Rumble, a boy who needed little coaxing into darkness, and I delighted in his dementia. I encouraged him as I did all of my Hellions, in my own way, with divine tortures that they eventually begged for and I would withhold and then revisit with greater and greater intensity until the breaking point was reached. Yet to this day he never broke and adored him for that, and adore him still to this day as the ever defiant child, I do."
"He is one of my kids, and I care for him because no other, not even Brock himself cares for him. I enjoy the challenge of him, yes that is true and I freely admit it, and I know that he enjoys that I challenge him in my own fashion. For respect? I have his respect, but apparently not all of yours. Rogue not that I don't know what you have been up to since returning here, but please share with the group... if you are not too embarrassed ...how you in your wistful daydreams of romance might even remotely have daily struggled to keep this school together as I have... I don't have to account for myself or my Hellions, since you all seem so fixated on us you should know the details of our daily lives- yet you don't, do you."
"Let me make it clear. My training sessions with the Hellions are grueling, and I have been putting them through their paces for years and years. They themselves don't even realize how the Danger-Room sessions I have engaged them with have bent them to a different approach, even Rumble -clever as he is- has not caught on to what has been done to him over the years. You say I have failed to teach them honor, heroism, self sacrifice? I say you all with your judgments and suspicions have kept them separate from this warmth you all have for one another, and that is deplorable. I have done my level best to re-sculpt them, make them over into better versions of the young people they were at the start. I have set my goals for them higher and on far more noble a course charted have they been set sail. True it may be that they will never be honorable, self-sacrificing heroes, but they have become at least non-villains and at best heroes in their own right."
"I don't have to justify myself and as everyone else here has decided for themselves and their teams what is best, so too have I. I refuse to let this 'meeting' turn into a 'Drumhead Trial' so I will not indulge any more of this baseless supposition. Let me put it to you all in terms you recognize." Emma pointed a finger around the room allowing her anger with Rogue and Scott and Kitty to settle before she made it known she was done. "It takes two to tango... and I am done dancing this dance."
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Post by Cyclops on Sept 10, 2009 0:42:31 GMT -5
"I canNOT BELIEVE YOU!!! You are seriously going to stand there and preach the goodness of the spoiled little bad-boys and girls of your Hellion Team!?! I grant you Stoney and Decibel have turned it around, but the rest? You have GOT to be kidding?" Scott said, his voice a tone of rage and dis belief. "You think you are doing us a service by keeping a pet predator on the school grounds? Let's never forget what he has done so far, his touching and his solicitous behavior, his hitting and his open threats and his lack of regard for authority. I'm sure you know what has crossed my mind and don't think I wont if I have to Emma."
"This is not some little foxtrot that you get to call the shots on. NO! This is the real deal, and I am done playing games with that sociopath! And so are you! He does not belong here any more, not as he is now. When we are done in here he goes, you blank him like a slate, and we start fresh with him. I know it's harsh and wrong, but what's worse? Leaving him to become the mutant that makes every mutant-hating mutant-fearing person on the planet right?" Scott hated to do it, he had hopes for all of the Hellions when they arrived, high hopes, but realistic goals and almost all of them had made it. Rumble though, he never even moved a single inch off of his original mindset and that was no longer going to be overlooked.
"Shan I'm sorry," he said, his voice becoming filled with empathy "and I recognize the parallels, but he is far from you. You were overtaken by a monster... Brock IS the monster, and we must do whatever we can. We are here to protect the world from evil mutants, as X-Men that is our charter, and here in our very midsts is a viper. We pull his fangs today... after this he will no longer pose a threat, and that is what matters." He looked at his fellow X-Men. Each one's eyes met his and his final look was to Emma.
"You know I'm right in this." He said stepping close to her. "I wouldn't say it if there were any shred of decency to him, but I have seen him for what he is... which may be something you are unwilling to do... and I have found him unredeemable. In all the years you have known him has he ever given you any indication that he has a conscience? Or are you, as I fear, so lost in his web of deceit that you actually believe he is capable of caring?" Scott walked up to hold her hands and said softly "I want us all to be a family, you ARE one of us, and so too should your Hellions be. It's not fair to them, of all of them, he is the one that is holding them back. Do this for us, for your family... for YOUR kids... give him a fresh start Emma. Let him have a fair chance."
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Post by Karma on Sept 10, 2009 1:41:36 GMT -5
Shan's whole face fell at Cyclops' suggestion, making her shake her head furiously. "No, you can't do this, you just can't!" She cried, eyes wide and looking at them in horror. "You just don't understand what it means to wipe a person's mind! That could... it could.. oh I can't let you do that, I won't!" Shan rarely put her foot down about something, but none of them knew what it meant to lose yourself completely, to not know who you are or were and then the consequences when it all comes back... it was so hard for Shan to even think about it. "The mind doesn't work like a slate with a bunch of scribbles, its so much more than that. Emma could readily wipe his conscious mind and all would be well for awhile, but every bit of who he is now is forever imprinted in his unconscious mind. It can’t be found through any form of telepathy, that’s why its called the unconscious mind! That’s what happened to me, I’m living proof of that.”
Her voice shook a little now, recounting the experience with the Shadow King still shook her and made her choke up. It took her a moment to steady her breath before she continued. "Do you all remember what happened when my unconscious mind met with my conscious mind again? That strength and realization is the only reason that I beat him. Think about it please before you decide anything. Say you do wipe Rumble's conscious and all is well, until one day through sleep his unconscious mind, his true self merges with his new conscious mind. Do you not realize what the consequences would be to something like that? He would realize what we did, and it would hit us all worse than it is now!" Shan cried, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. The loss of her whole being for that period of time was something she never wished on anyone, even someone as horrible as Rumble.
She went up to Cyclops and looked at him with wide eyes, refusing to let any tears fall and keeping her voice study. "Scott I know that it hurts you to see Aideen go through all she does,it hurts me too. What she did for Chopper, what she's been for him is something I can never thank her enough for. I care for her too, and every time I see what she goes through it hurts just to watch. Beneath that cold lady-like exterior is someone who is truly good, and she doesn't deserve that, I know she doesn't, we all know she doesn't." Shan looked between him and Emma, knowing that if she looked at Kitty or Bobby she would lose it completely. "But this... oh I know you don't want her to suffer with this or the other children to be in danger, but think of what I said before. If it all comes back to him after a mind wipe, what will that mean for all the kids? What would that mean for Aideen? That would be pulling the pin off the grenade." Shan spoke with such conviction and sincerity at how she felt, praying that it made a difference. "I know that Logan isn't here now for the very reason that he simply couldn't take Rumble's behavior anymore and did something about it, but despite his own fondness for Aideen I can't see him agreeing to this either, not after what he went through himself. I can't speak for sure, but even Logan's memory came back, and it hit him very hard. He has a great degree of control and humanity, as do I. Rumble has none of that, it wouldn't be the same. Please," Her tone was pleading, biting her lip. "Don't do this, I can't let you."
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Post by Shadowkat on Sept 13, 2009 17:02:25 GMT -5
The clenched fists at Kitty's sides loosened at the tearful sound in Shan's voice. They were best friends for years, and both saw each other through tough times, dangerous missions, and broken hearts. Sure things were a little awkward when Shan told Kitty of her feelings for her, but they got passed that and were closer than ever. She loved the twins too, and they had all been through so much together that there was nothing at this point that could keep them apart. Shan had always been one of the strongest people Kitty ever met and it was rare for her to have such a vulnerable moment.
"Oh Shan," she said and stepped forward to put her arm around her best friend's shoulders. "It's alright, we all want it to be right too, it's just a matter of weighing options on what to do next." Kitty had chosen her words carefully to not make any promises for anybody, but there was a certain conflict in her tone. She knew that Shan still suffered from her experience with the Shadow King, and that she would know better than anyone else what it's like to have their entire being taken away from them and made into something else. She rubbed her shoulders gently, a thoughtful look on her face, weighing the options.
Kitty couldn't stand Rumble, didn't like him from the moment she met him. Sure they were only a couple of years apart, but that didn't stop him from hitting on her, making his own comments to her. She knew how to handle him though, in her own way. His comments had ceased the last two months though, but it didn't make Kitty any less angry. She personally didn't know Aideen all that well, but she was a good judge of character. After seeing her in action in Limbo, she knew that there was a lot of good in her, more so because Logan was so fond of her, and he didn't like people period so that fact alone spoke volumes to Kitty. She knew what he was like and how distrustful he was to people in general let alone students, so when he took a shine to someone, Kitty knew that they were special and that was more than enough for her.
As much as the nurturing part of her agreed with Cyclops to every extent, Shan's words planted a seed of doubt in her mind. She forced herself to look at Emma on this situation, because as much as she hated it Shan's words frightened her to the possibilities and it was something that Emma would probably know more about. "Is that what would happen? It could all one day come back to him and he'll be worse than he is now?" She asked rubbing Shan's shoulders to comfort her. Kitty didn't all together trust Emma, and had her own theories of how the former White Queen handled her team and protected them from mind alterations. Right now though, there was no one else to consult for this type of matter.
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Post by Emma Frost on Sept 13, 2009 21:20:32 GMT -5
"Simply put, yes, and it's exactly what I have been trying to avoid for that self same reason." Emma responded, pleasantly surprised that Kitty would speak to her in the tone she had chosen after all she had said moments before. "Look, as far as altering a mind that is set on it's course, it can be done by myself and a select few others without much difficulty, however that mind will not stay on course and subtle corrections would need to be made periodically. The possibility of a psychotic break which would result in an immediate return to his former self does exist, however with regular maintenance it could be guarded against with almost absolute certainty."
She knew Shan was correct and that one day a mind would break from any imposed persona, but that assumes the mind in question to be a mind left to it's own devices. One without reinforced impositions of the new persona would make it's way back, eventually and inevitably, to itself. For Emma what it meant would be tantamount to her being the warden of Brock's mind, constantly watching over all of the safeguards she would lay in place within his new psyche. Much theorizing had been done on the subject by many, herself included, and she was curious to see what fruit such an experiment would bear, however she was not willing to sign her life over to being Brock's personal psychological mechanic and janitorial staff.
"The thing about absolutes on paper versus absolutes in reality is that on paper they always hold to being absolute... reality though does have a way of reworking the numbers when you're not looking. So, to say it would work perfectly forever... well, that I cannot." she cast her eyes down and said. "Eventually something would happen, a mistake... yes as I am not infallible an error could occur, or quite simply the passage of time and my inevitable passing from this world would leave Brock without someone as capable as myself to recondition and renew the safeguards in his mind. At that point the percentages shift to entropy's favor and the Brock we all know and love would return... as Shan suggests, with a vengeance."
Her eyes lifted to look on all of their faces. "I have toyed with the idea. It has been tried by others to some degree of success and I fancy myself far more capable then they. The problem I see in this particular case lies in the commitment, I don't really want to do this thing. It would tie me to that boy for the rest of my life and if and when this 'alteration' may fail, the responsibility would be mine. I don't care if you all decided for it, should a vote be cast, I would still refuse. I think there are alternatives we have yet to try, challenges which might present him with what he likes to call 'his entertainment' and which could occupy his mind. Presently, and for some time now, he has found himself bored here and the entertainment he has made for himself involves Ember, breaking rules, and disrespecting authority. As I said in not so simple of terms, he is as uncontrollable as the earth itself in mid quake... I merely present him diversions that I am comfortable with."
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Post by BEAST on Sept 13, 2009 23:05:08 GMT -5
After a moment of silence, Hank took it upon himself to speak up first. "I must say, that on this I have to stand by Shan and Emma," he said carefully and almost with regret. "Now Scott don't look at me like that, I am very well aware of the situation and what is at stake now and will be in the future. If you recall, we had this discussion over that fine brandy in my office." He sighed heavily and paced around the room, not liking entirely what he would say, but it was his duty as a doctor in the medical profession to say what was right whether he liked it or not.
"As Emma said, without commitment there is a great risk that his minds will merge and the effect can be devastating. And before anyone says anything about the fact that before it happens we can have time to figure out what to do, there is no time limit as to when it may or may not occur. Though risk though, as Shan and Emma said is perhaps too great to take a chance upon." Hank sighed, showing that this was truly hard for him to say not just because of how Scott, his dear friend and closest family, felt on the subject, but himself as well. "Please know that I am only thinking of the children, and despite everything he could be much worse. He doesn't bother anyone unless they go out of their own way to communicate to him, with one exception. Brock Van Alstyne is a predator, and he only associates with other predators or his prey, and those he calls his prey must be worthy of his eye. Fortunately, he prefers to prey upon those with an invulnerable will, which very few possess. He looks at most of us X-Men as simply other cats in his jungle so to speak. He respects only Emma a sort of respect that can be loosely compared to the sexual variant of submissive's respecting their dominator." Hank gave them a brief psychological profile, just to explain the situation more clearly.
He paced between the room still, carefully considering his words on how to present the situation. "I know we are all concerned for his escalating obsession with Ms. Whelan, and I must admit I myself am conflicted about my standing medically because of my concern. I respect that young lady very much, she is one of the more remarkable students that passed through our school in a long time. I've watched her deal with Mr. Van Alstyne's advances, as we all have the past couple of months, and her restraint is unlike anything I've ever seen. That is her biggest success as well as her downfall, for her indomitable will is exactly what makes her his perfect prey... his 'prize' so to speak. He chose her and sunk his teeth into her, and unfortunately, I don't know if there is a way to get rid of his fixation on her," he said with heavy sigh.
He did truly like Ember a great deal, finding her extremely intelligent and well-mannered. Hank hated that there was nothing anyone could do to get rid of Rumble for her, but some things in life could never be helped. "If Rumble were to have a mind wipe and his minds did in fact merge, I fear for Ms. Whelan's safety. He plays a game with her now you see, biding his time like in a twisted game of cat and mouse. If he was to come back to himself, there would be no more games. Though I know as well as all of you that she is far more than capable of taking care of herself, it would still not be pretty. I worry for her now as it is for it is not in her to hold back in a fight, she's only conditioned to kill. Just thinking of what could be does indeed make my stomach turn," Hank said with a shudder.
"The best we can do is to make sure our own children know not to get on Mr. Van Alstyne's radar. I recommend that team leaders just warn them on the hazard. As much as it does indeed hurt to say, I feel there is no other alternative." He sat down in the chair with a heavy sigh at what he had just said. It was hard to relate all that, and even harder to face the reality of what would happen. He knew that his conclusion would not sit well with many, but it was something that everyone needed to know.
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