Standard disclaimer: I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for our entertainment.
Phoenix Rising
Chapter 3 – Breaking down
The days began to run together and before anyone knew it, Jean had been gone two months. Scott continued on. He wasn't happy, everyone knew, but he could smile, sometimes even laugh, and be trusted not to try to kill himself.
Then the cracks began to show.
x x x x x
The first crack was simple enough. Classes were back in full swing and Scott was teaching his advanced Algebra / Pre-Calculus class. He stood at the blackboard and was writing a formula when the dizziness hit him in a wave.
"Mr. Summers, are you okay?" Rogue asked.
Scott had no idea that he had turned ashen and was weaving on his feet. He turned and gripped the back of the chair. "Give me a minute," he said quietly and fought for stability. But the weak dizzy feeling continued. Finally, he gave up. He knew what would help.
"Okay, everybody, grab your books. We're going outside for the rest of the class."
x x x x x
With the sun beating down on him, Scott admitted to himself he was feeling better. He had been underground for several days when he was Styker's prisoner and he had been spending a lot of time indoors, more than normal. Perhaps that was the reason for the weakness. In any case, the sun was helping.
Logan crossed the lawn looking for a quiet place to smoke and noticed the small group. He smiled as he saw Rogue stretched out on her stomach, more interested in a wooly worm than the mathematics lesson she was supposed to be working on. He crossed over to them.
"I thought you taught Math, not Natural History," Logan commented.
"It's called Earth Science now," Scott said shortly. "And besides, I'm recharging."
"He really is," Bobby offered.
Scott quirked a smile and put a finger to his lips but said nothing.
Logan looked up at the sun in confusion and then back at Scott. Scott Summers was an energy converter, he knew. And the energy he converted was – solar?
"You're a friggin' solar battery," Logan said in astonishment.
"Yeah," was Scott reply. Since the tone that accompanied the word clearly said, "wanna make something of it," Logan merely shrugged and wandered off. A guy with metal claws wasn't in a position to throw stones.
x x x x x
The second crack came two weeks later and was more serious. As before, it happened during classes. During Scott's shop class. He was pointing out a wiring mechanism and was trying desperately to get Rhoda to identify the correct wire. She was a bright girl, but uncertain.
Finally, she offered an answer. "Uh, the blue one?"
Scott dropped his head for a moment and tried not to laugh. Some kids in the class were already chuckling.
"How many over from the left? You've got to give me a hand here."
"Oh, sorry, I forgot," she blushed slightly. "Third from the left."
"Thank you," Scott said as he turned back to the table. It was actually a compliment that the students often forgot that Scott was severely color blind.
He turned to pick up a wrench when the pain hit him with a force that sent him to his knees. Automatically he closed his eyes for protection. He could hear the hubbub around him.
"Okay, listen up," he said firmly. The room was quiet in a second. "Nick, go to the Med-Lab and get Hank." He heard Nick's footsteps take off at lightning speed. "The rest of you – move to the left and out of the blast area."
The students quickly complied.
x x x x x
Logan was returning to the house when he saw Nick take off at lightening speed out of the garage. Knowing the shop class was taking place, he went to see what was going on. He found the students huddled to one side and Scott was on the floor, biting his lip to keep from crying out.
He dropped to one knee besides the other man. "What happened?"
Scott replied tightly. "I'm on the floor, I've got my eyes closed and my visor is on. Hank's on his way. Everything is safe." Then in a low voice he added, "Get the kids out of the room. Please."
"Okay," Logan said to the class. "The doc's on his way and Scott doesn't need you sucking up all the air. You've all got classes to go to – you can show up early. Go."
With parting comments of concern, the students to left the garage. He turned back to Scott. "They're gone."
"Good. And Logan – stay behind me. When I blast you, I don't want it to be an accident."
He was spared from replying by Hank's arrival. The doctor took in the situation in an instant. He took Scott's pulse and felt the back of his neck. "What happened?"
"Everything was fine," Scott replied with difficulty. "I was teaching class, and all of a sudden it hit me. Worst pain I've felt in a long time."
"Where is the pain centered?"
"Right behind my eyes."
"Has the nausea started yet?"
Scott nodded. "Dizzy, too," he added weakly.
Logan looked at him sharply. Scott's speech was starting to slur. He met Hank's eyes over Scott's head
"I believe it would be best for us to get to the Med Lab," Hank said. "Are you able to walk?"
Scott nodded again and they slowly made their way from the garage to the main house. No one noticed the wrench spinning on the work table behind them. Two inches above the table.
x x x x x
Together, Hank and Logan got Scott into the house. Just inside the elevator, Scott's legs buckled beneath him. Fortunately, Logan caught him as he sagged.
"Where do you want him?" he asked Hank as he half carried Scott into the Med-Lab.
"On the exam table," Hank replied as he went to a locked cupboard and pulled out a syringe and a vial. He expertly injected Scott with the contents.
"What was that?" Logan asked.
"Morphine," came the reply. "He will be unconscious for several hours. Would you please inform the Professor? I will be remaining with him."
"Sure." Logan went to the door and turned. "Is he going to be all right?"
"Oh, yes," Hank responded. "Scott's migraines are habitually activated by extreme emotional stress. Frankly, I have been anticipating this event for some time. Oh, and Logan ..."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for your assistance." Hank smiled.
"Any time." Logan went back to the elevator to find the Professor and tell him the news. He was surprised by how worried he felt. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that things were going to get a lot worse.
x x x x x
No one saw Scott again until the next morning. Logan found out from Rogue that Scott's migraines occurred often enough that they weren't really a noteworthy event. In any event, it wasn't mentioned. Even the students could be tactful when they wanted to be.
But the incident troubled Logan enough where he kept waiting for the next shoe to drop. He didn't have long to wait.
x x x x x
The Danger Room was aptly named. Half gym, half high-tech virtual reality training room, it was possible to get seriously hurt there. Logan had previously used the room alone, with Storm manning the controls (having another person in the control room was a requirement the Professor would not waive). But now he joined Scott, Jubilee, Bobby, and Rogue every morning for their training sessions.
Logan had to admit, albeit grudgingly, Scott was a fine instructor. He carefully built on each session, showing each student the strengths they brought to the team, as well as their weaknesses. He was particularly good with Rogue. Logan tried not to be annoyed by the complete trust she had in the other man. He realized now how little he had known about Rogue's life at the school after he had left. Scott had been there for her; he had not.
Well, that was all water under the bridge now. And speaking of water, they were working around a water trap. The pool in the floor wasn't deep or big, but it was an obstacle to be worked around. The trainees were doing rather well this morning.
"Not bad," Scott said approvingly. "We can work on it more tomorrow. You're all doing well." With those words of encouragement, class was dismissed.
"What do you think, 'Ro?" Scott called up to Storm, who was once again at the controls.
"They're doing more than well," she called back over the intercom. "We weren't half that good after a few weeks of training."Scott snorted a laugh and suddenly turned. Logan wasn't quite sure what happened, as he later tried to tell Professor Xavier. It looked like Scott had lost his footing and fell into the pool. Logan waited impatiently for him to come back up.
But he didn't.
x x x x x
Logan plunged into the pool. The water was specially colored so it wasn't completely clear, but fortunately, the small size made it possible for him to spot Scott quickly. Within minutes, he hauled him out of the pool.
Storm was already out of the control room. "I've called Hank and he's on his way."
Logan nodded and quickly checked Scott. "He's not breathing." Effortlessly, he turned the other man over and started pumping. "Don't you dare check out on me, you son of a – "
Scott coughed up water and began to breathe.
x x x x x
Logan, Storm, Kurt and Professor Xavier gathered in the Professor's office while Hank checked Scott. Using Kurt's powers of teleportation, Scott had been moved back to his own room, rather than be kept in the Med-Lab. That was Hank's idea. Until they were sure what had happened, they wanted to keep gossip to a minimum.
"Then you are all convinced he tried to commit suicide?" Kurt said softly.
Logan shook his head. "I was right there. It seemed more like he fell in."
"Then why didn't he come back up?" Storm said, her eyes huge with worry. "He didn't hit his head – Hank could tell that much. So what happened?"
The Professor sighed. "There's no way of knowing until he regains consciousness and tells us."
Logan snorted in exasperation. "Can't you just dive into his mind and find out?"
Professor Xavier sighed. "Scott has natural shields. If I tried to fight my way through, I would succeed, but Scott would find the experience painful, if not damaging. And I believe he's been hurt enough, don't you?"
Just then Hank came into the room. "I believe he sustained no permanent injuries from this incident. But someone needs to stay with him at all times until he regains consciousness. Until we know..." He trailed off. He didn't have to finish the sentence.
"I'll stay with him," Logan offered.
"Thank you." Hank passed Logan a com-link. "Please use this if you need me."
Logan nodded. He knew he would be in for a long day.
x x x x x
It turned out to be a very long day. Logan was relieved periodically by Kurt, Storm, and the Professor. Hank came to check on Scott throughout the day. By evening, Logan had returned to his post. He told Hank he'd sit up the night with him.
Logan sat in an armchair pulled closed to the bed. He hadn't been inside Scott's room before today. Scott's and Jean's room. Jean was still everywhere, from makeup and perfume on the dresser to a lab coat hung on a hook behind the door. Maybe Hank was right and Warren was wrong. Maybe someone should do something about this.
A moan from the bed drew his attention.
"Wha ... what happened?" Scott asked in a raspy voice.
"You tell me," Logan replied. "Here, drink this."
He held a glass of orange juice for him. Scott sipped on it.
"So, what happened?" Logan asked. "Were you trying to kill yourself?"
Scott sighed. "You're not going to believe me."
"Try me."
"Then, no," he replied. "I wasn't trying to kill myself."
"Then what did happen?" Logan pressed.
"I ... saw something," Scott confessed. "In the water. An orange glow. Then I got ... disoriented. I never lose track of space like that – ever. But I couldn't tell ... which way was up. I couldn't ..." His voice broke as he remembered the panic he had felt and he started to breath faster. Soon he would be hyperventilating.
"Take it easy, kid," Logan said softly. "Breathe normally. That's it." He watched as Scott got his breathing under control. "Your mind was playing tricks on you, that's all. Get some sleep. You need it."
"I can't sleep," he admitted. "All I can see is the water ... Why, Logan? Why did she leave the plane?"
"I don't know," Logan replied, easily keeping up with the other man's thoughts. "Maybe we should just remember what the Professor said. She made a choice. She chose to save us."
"I never had a choice," Scott said bitterly. "Ever. Until I turned eighteen, I was always at someone else's mercy, someone else's control. Until Jean. She gave me back control. She said I was safe with her - and I was. She made it safe for me. No one understands that."
Logan looked around the room now with fresh eyes. Jean had made their room a sanctuary, a place where Scott would feel safe and secure. No wonder he resisted any change.
"I still feel her, you know," he continued sadly. "In my head. It's like she's just out of range, maybe out on a mission, like she'll be back any minute. But she isn't and she won't."
Logan said nothing. What could he say? For all his gruff exterior, Logan was not without feelings. The younger man's rambling was heartbreaking. "You need to sleep," he repeated.
"Are you staying here?" Scott asked suddenly.
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured him. "Just sleep. It'll do you good."
Obediently, Scott turned his head. Soon, his steady breathing convinced Logan he was asleep. Logan pulled an afghan about himself and settled down for the night. Before long, he was dozing as well. A movement from Scott would have woken him in an instant. But he didn't notice the window sash drop a few inches as the temperature fell during the night and he didn't see the coverlet shift on its own, gently tucking Scott in.
No one saw anything at all.
x x x x x
It was next to impossible to reign in the rumor mill, but the staff tried anyway. Their story was technically true – there had been an accident in the Danger Room and Scott had been injured. They gave no details on the injury. The only reason it was partially believed was the testimony of Rogue, Bobby, and Jubilee, who all confirmed that they had left Scott and Logan after training, and that Scott certainly wasn't suicidal at that time. Logan heard (from Rogue) that some of the students hypothesized that he and Scott had finally decided to duke it out. He snorted, but preferred that story to one where Scott had tried to kill himself.
In any event, Carol Danvers made several trips to the mansion, seeing several of the students as well as Scott and the Professor. Scott returned to the classroom and to training the new X-Men. Nothing else was said.
Two weeks later, they had a visitor.
x x x x x
