Thank you to those who read and left reviews on the previous chapter.

MarvelMaster616 –

To tell you the truth, in that scene on Krakoa, Scott, Jean, Warren, and Rogue were still underneath mind-control from Apocalypse, given they'd just arrived on Krakoa after having kidnapped Lorna, Hank and Rahne. Scott, Jean, Rogue, and Warren continue to trust Cassandra and Essex because like you said, they really have no other choice, and it isn't as though they have any other place left to go. The collision between the X-men and Sinister is going to come, and for Alex, it's going to be very personal, especially since now, he wants to bring Magneto into the fold to save Lorna. Scott, Jean, Rogue, and Warren also cannot keep being deceived forever. They're slowly beginning to see right through it. And Cassandra and Essex understand that just as much. There's a reason why they kept their "children" mind controlled for so long; they knew Scott, Jean, Warren and Rogue would never do the things they'd done willingly.

Chapter 19: Unveiled Truths

Xavier Institute for Higher Learning – Professor Xavier's Office

Alex Summers couldn't be fully prepared for what he was about to be confronted with when he, Logan, and Ororo entered the professor's office.

It had been hours since Lorna had gotten kidnapped. To hear that Charles already had some clues on it surprised him. Alex didn't understand how Charles had gotten the answers that quickly. But upon entering his father-figure's office, he was confronted with the sight of a dark-skinned man wearing an eyepatch, as well as James and Heather Hudson who were there as well.

Colonel Nicholas J. Fury of SHIELD sighed heavily as he lit a cigar, letting out a puff of smoke as he leaned against Charles' desk. Heather and James were wearing stoic looks, as though they were trying to stay neutral of emotion and stick with professionalism. But for the husband and wife members of Alpha Flight, even they had to admit that they felt sick to their stomachs over what they'd discovered with Nick's expertise.

"I am here, on behalf of the professor," said Fury as Alex took his seat in front of Charles' desk.

"Colonel," said Alex. "What could you possibly know? Because all the information about my family has been so obscure, and then last night, it's as though everything went crumbling. I saw my brother kidnapping my girlfriend; that's not the Scott Summers that I remember."

Nick sighed as he looked down at the young man sitting before him. His one visible eye held a look of sympathy. It was a look that over the years, Alex had been forced to accept. At first, he'd hated pity. Now, he was able to accept empathy from those who genuinely cared.

"Look, kid, what I'm about to tell you, and what I'm about to reveal to you, you're not going to like the answer," said Fury. "But these are answers that I know that you want. You've been deceived about your family long enough. It's time that you got some closure after all you'd been through."

Alex nodded in agreement. "I can concur with that," he said. "Just give me the answers I'd been wanting to hear, please. Because quite frankly? I am done being lied to. I feel as though my life has been a lie."

"And I hate to tell you it, Alex, but it's true. A good portion of your life, there's been lies and deception given to you regarding your family. I managed to uncover some of it, along with Alpha Flight. We found out some details when a team of my agents had gone to Antarctica to head to one of our bases out there. They'd stumbled upon a place out there titled Essex Laboratories. It was all empty, except for a few files, and video footage," Fury said. He swallowed before he continued to speak. He knew what he was about to reveal to the young man sitting before him was going to sting.

He placed a file in Alex's lap. It was labeled "Project Evolution." Alex could feel his fingers slowly beginning to tremble as he tried to open the file. He felt sickness pooling inside his stomach as he willed himself not to throw up. However, he couldn't help it when he tasted bile rising in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying to force it back.

"For years, you'd thought your brother had died in the crash," said Fury. "However, there were things intentionally hidden from you. Someone didn't want you to know the truth. When the plane crash occurred, Alex, your brother had survived, as you already know. However, he'd been comatose for two years. After he awoke from his coma, he'd been placed in an orphanage. We contacted the orphanage to find out what happened, and his mutation of releasing concussive optic blast beams of energy manifested. Apparently, he had a hard time fitting in with others."

Alex swallowed, nodding. "That sounds like Scott," he whispered. "He never had a lot of friends growing up. He always found it difficult to make any friends."

Fury nodded as Alex finally got the file open. He continued with, "What's more interesting, is that the day after Scott's powers manifested, someone adopted him. When we asked who signed the adoption papers, we were told that there were two individuals named Nathaniel Essex and Cassandra Nova who'd arrived to take him in."

Alex caught sight of the look in Professor Xavier's eye. It was a look of sadness and regret. "Professor?" he asked. "Does that name mean something to you?"

"Indeed, Alex," declared Charles. "I knew Cassandra Nova growing up, because she's my cousin," he said. "We grew up in the same house together; she was like a sister to me. But then 9/11 occurred, and she lost her trust in humanity. Ever since then, she's run off. I haven't been in contact with her in years."

"You never said anything," whispered Ororo.

Charles closed his eyes, a painful expression crossing his features. "That's because I couldn't bear to think about it. I – I thought that I could convince Cassandra to continue fighting for peace. But I instead pushed her away. And now, the path that she's on . . ."

"The path Charles' cousin is on is a rather bad one," Nick said curtly. "As I said, she and Essex adopted Scott. They said that they're lovers, according to the owner of the orphanage that Scott lived in. And along the way, they found other individuals to be in their care."

"Why?" asked Logan.

"Apparently, all these kids didn't come from the best circumstances," Fury said. "And it's pretty sad, too. Everything about those kids is in that file, Alex. You might want to read that first."

Alex nodded, and his eyes drifted down the file in front of him. He saw that in the file folder, there were several documents in there, with three other names including Warren Worthington III, Jean Grey, and Marie Carlyle. Seeing the name Warren Worthington III in there sent a wave of nervousness through Alex as he read through the files.

Just reading it alone made him feel sicker. Reading Jean's paperwork, he was in shock at the thought of parents being so cruel to their child. According to Jean's files, it said that her powers of telekinesis hit her when she'd accidentally killed her alcoholic, abusive parents at a young age. He also saw in Marie's file that she'd been raped and molested by her own father. Warren Worthington III had run away from home when his father rejected his mutation. Just seeing it all, Alex felt tears of sympathy and empathy filling his eyes.

'Gosh, Scottie . . . oh, God. I can't believe it. I just – I can't even begin to think about what you've been through,' he thought, swallowing as tears rolled down his face. He tried to hold back sobs as he continued to read. However, sniffles escaped him as he felt Ororo's arms wrapping around him firmly.

"I should've . . ." Alex whispered. "It – It sh-should've been m-me."

"Why would you suggest that?" asked Ororo.

"B-Because – Because S-Scott w-was the one with the potential. He had the discipline," whispered Alex as he struggled to control the shaking in his voice. "I – I –" With that, he broke into a fit of sobs as Ororo's hands rubbed his back.

"Stop, Alex, stop," Ororo said, feeling her own eyes tearing up. "Come on, that's not going to do anything right now. Alex, if we're going to find your brother . . . if we're even going to have a chance at saving him, you need to pull it together."

Alex nodded, brushing his tears off his face before Fury continued.

"As you saw, these kids hadn't lived the best of lives. So, when Essex and Nova took them in, they couldn't refuse. From what we saw on surveillance footage that we managed to collect, Essex and Nova have been training them for something. But what that is, we aren't completely sure. All we know is that it's titled "Project Evolution." Apparently, it's meant to help the Earth evolve. But how, we aren't certain," Fury said.

A chilling silence filled the air once Fury said those words. Alex digested it as tears continued to roll down his face. Hearing and learning that Scott had gotten dragged into something, and manipulated and used, it was hard for him to stomach. And knowing that the people Scott was on a team with suffered even more was harder to imagine.

Alex couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to have parents abuse you in the way Jean and Marie's parents did. As he looked down at the file, he saw that Jean's parents had killed her older sister beating her to death. Seeing the police reports and the newspaper clippings in the folder, he saw news articles about how Jean had stabbed her father, and snapped her mother's neck. He could see notes had been jotted down, and words like "telekinesis manifested after severe bullying" and "sensing death of older sister." His chest ached with sympathy at the thought.

However, as he continued to read the file, he realized that Essex had made a mistake of leaving behind a trace.

'He's got to be truly stupid to think that somehow, someone wouldn't find this,' he thought.

"Well then that means Essex was sloppy," whispered Alex with a slightly bitter smile. "That gives us a slight advantage." Looking up at the professor, he said, "I'll need you to see if you can find Lorna and the others through Cerebro."

"What do you have in mind, Alex?" asked Logan.

Alex sighed. "I'm going to save my brother, Logan. And I don't care what it takes. I'm going to do whatever necessary to make sure that he knows he still has family – his real family. I don't plan on giving up either. And I will do it, with the team, or without the team. I don't care if I have to go through hellfire or high water for it to happen. I would never forgive myself if I allowed Scott to think that I somehow abandoned him."

Ororo and Logan looked at one another. They could tell from the tone in Alex's voice that he was serious about what he was saying.

For years, Alex had thought his brother to be dead. However, now that he knew Scott was alive, and what had happened to his brother, it lit a fire in Alex to save his family. They could see, looking in his eyes, that Alex planned on taking whatever risks he had to take to make sure he brought Scott home. He wasn't planning to simply give up on his family.

Alex's eyes held a look of pure determination. He was ready to go to hell if he needed to. Through his tear-soaked eyes, he looked at Ororo and Logan penetratingly. He had that strength and determination that Logan knew Alex wasn't going to lose any time soon. Having helped raise Alex since he was a boy, Logan knew the young man just as well as Charles did.

Rising from where he sat, Logan crossed to where Alex was. While Logan wasn't particularly good with words, he knew what he was about to say was going to mean something deeply for Alex.

"I know yer gonna make the right decisions, Alex," Logan told him. "And I know ya plan on going to hell if it means bringing yer brother back. And you wanna know something? I ain't letting ya do it alone, kid. When yer with the X-men, yer never alone. So, know that wherever you end up going to try and find yer brother, I'm going with you."

"We've got your back," Ororo said in an assuring tone. "We always will, Alex."

Alex nodded in appreciation. "Thank you," he said. "But at the same time, you both know who we will need on our side. As much as I hate it, we need him."

"No, Alex," Logan said.

"We have no other choice. Erik still cares about Lorna. If he didn't, he would have allowed us to suffer in Weapon X, and you know that," Alex said. "If we're serious about this, Magneto has to be brought into the fold. As much as I am not thrilled of the thought, it has to happen. We need help. We cannot do this by ourselves."

"I can concur with that," said Charles.

Krakoa – Scott's Quarters

Sitting on his bed, it seemed as though Scott was seeing a series of flashes through his mind as he looked around his new living environment. This new environment, which his mother and father referred to as Krakoa, couldn't just be all there was. There had to have been more promised.

'This just doesn't sit well with me,' he thought. 'All our work we put in, and this? Jean's right. There's something else occurring. And – And why do I think that Alex is still here?'

As he closed his eyes, he saw a flash of a girl, begging him to help her as she was dragged off to some mysterious-looking pod. Why did she know his name? And why did she say Alex's name? The repressed memory haunted his mind every time he closed his eyes. He kept seeing it playing out in his mind. He could hear her voice. In fact, what was even stranger was that he somehow remembered her name:

Lorna.

Shuddering, Scott laid back on his bed as he sighed heavily. Staring up at the clear, glass ceiling of his room, surrounded by vines, flowers, and dark wood. The sunlight blared through the glass, lightly warming his face as he rolled over onto his side. He touched one of his pillows lightly as he closed his eyes.

As he closed them, he could see more images flashing through his mind. He could also distinctively hear a voice . . . a voice that seemed familiar, and it belonged to a young man with blonde hair and light brown eyes.

"S-Scottie? Scottie, it's me! It's Alex, your brother!"

Why was he hearing this? What did this mean for him? Was he being lied to?

Scott could feel tears welling in his eyes. They were tears of confusion as sobs threatened to escape his chest. However, as he sniffled, he heard Jean, Rogue, and Warren entering his quarters.

"Slim?" asked Warren, sitting on the bed. "What's the matter?"

Scott tried to control his breathing and swallow the lump out of his throat, before he spoke. "Guys, do you – do you think that Mom and Dad are lying to us?"

"What do ya mean by that, sugah? Why would they lie?" asked Rogue.

"H – Have you guys been having visions, lately?" Scott asked. "All day, I – I keep seeing flashes of things that are strange. I keep seeing someone who claims to be my brother. And I keep seeing a girl . . . I think she knows me. I don't know how she does, but she somehow knows me. I just . . . I feel as though I am being deceived."

Everyone fell silent at Scott's question. He was asking them something that they'd all been contemplating for a while.

"I think I know what you mean," whispered Warren. "I keep seeing these flashes of my father, screaming. I don't know why. I haven't been near him in years ever since I ran away. So, why am I seeing visions of him in my sleep, and when I'm awake?"

Jean and Rogue both swallowed as tears came to their eyes. Scott sat up.

"Guys, I – I think something is being kept from us," said Scott. "I am not sure what it is, but this? This paradise just cannot be the only thing that Mom and Dad have been promising us. We've worked, we've trained all these years, for just this? No, I don't buy it. I do not buy, that somehow, there isn't something else. We – We need to find out what this all is for. I need to know. Because what if there is somehow a chance that my older brother is alive, and that was kept from me?"

Silence fell over them once more. Scott was making excellent points. All of this seemed to be a false front for something much greater. And based on Scott's tone, it was something bad. Rogue and Jean could feel sickness forming in their stomachs as they all sat there, trying to gather a clue as to what else was occurring on this strange paradise of an island.

However, as they sat there in Scott's room, they all felt a familiar presence entering their minds. They recognized it as the voice of their "mother's."

'Oh, my children,' Cassandra said. 'There's nothing for any of you to be concerned about right. I know that you are having some doubts, but trust me when I tell you that this is only the beginning. I promise you, that destiny will come. Until then, just have patience.'

'Mom, I don't buy it,' Jean said. 'Are you and Dad keeping anything from us? Why are you lying?'

'We aren't lying to you,' Cassandra said.

'Stop lying,' Scott thought with clenched teeth. 'You've been promising us things all these years. I am not convinced that this paradise we are now living on is the only thing. And how did this island even form? What aren't you telling us? And why do I keep having visions of someone who is claiming to be my older brother? My older brother died years ago, Mom. Unless he didn't, and you kept it from me. What are you keeping from me? From us?'

Main Lab

"Nathaniel, they're growing resistant," said Cassandra with a clenched jaw. "My telepathic interventions on them are becoming less effective. They're growing more aware." Her voice came across as a growl as she shot her lover a glare.

"I know, my love," Nathaniel said. "I can sense it because you are projecting it to me. I fear that your influence isn't going to be enough to keep them from learning the truth. En Sabah Nur." Turning in the direction of the ancient mutant, he said, "I need you to control all four by telepathy, immediately! We might as well keep them on the mind control, permanently!"

En Sabah Nur nodded as he closed his eyes, sensing the presence of his four horsemen in his mind. With a telepathic pulse, he could feel the four horsemen's minds submitting to his presence.

"They now have no choice. They will remain loyal now that I have their minds submitting to my telepathy," said En Sabah Nur. "They cannot resist this, no matter how hard they might try to."

"Good," growled Cassandra. "Make sure that it stays that way! Because we cannot have anything compromise what we are doing here right now!"

Xavier Institute – War Room

Alex Summers couldn't dare to believe what he was watching as he sat in the planning room of the institute.

Watching the footage alone was sickening. The sight of his younger brother at just the tender age of twelve, training in a simulator that looked similar to the X-men's Danger Room. Scott looked to be in complete control over his mutation as he shot bursts of red energy at drones.

The surveillance footage showed everything. It showed Scott from the moment he arrived at Essex Laboratories. He'd been weak and sickly, with a blindfold around his eyes. He'd been placed inside a strange tube, and when he came out, he came out looking healthier and stronger. Alex could also see on the footage Scott in a plain bedroom, sleeping.

The fact that Scott had been watched twenty-four hours a day was disturbing to Alex.

Closing his eyes, he knew that if he was going to rescue his brother, he had no other choice but to call Magneto.

Even though he hated the idea of it alone, he knew that Erik was their best chance. Between the Brotherhood and the X-men, they could cover more ground, and they would be able to be a lot more efficient that way.

All Alex cared about was getting the job done.

Walking over to the telephone that was in the war room, he pressed down on the one-way hotline to Magneto's throne room on Genosha.

He just hoped that Erik was home, and that he would be willing to help.

Alex hoped that Lorna would be enough of a reason for Erik to fight on the X-men's side.

Pressing down on the speed-dial number, the holographic pixels formed as he waited for Magneto to answer. He crossed his arms over his chest to show a sense of authority. He felt relief when he saw Erik's face appear on the hologram before his eyes.

"Havok," said Erik. "What's occurred that has made you call me?"

Alex sighed. He knew without a doubt that Erik wasn't going to like the answer at all. "Magneto, I really do wish that this weren't happening. Never once did I think I'd be calling you right now. But the X-men, we need your help."

"Why? What could I possibly help you with? Have you finally decided to get your Genoshan citizenship?" asked Magneto.

"No," said Alex in a stern voice. "I don't plan on packing my bags to move to your homeland, Magneto. But the reason I am calling you, is because you're not going to like it. It's Lorna, she's in trouble."

That did it. The mentioning of Lorna being in trouble sent a concerned facial expression washing over Erik's features. "What do you mean? What's happened to my daughter?"

"She's been taken, along with Hank and Rahne," said Alex. "And for me, this is even more personal. Of course, I love and care about your daughter, Erik, and I always will. But it's so personal, because one of the people that took Lorna is my little brother, who I thought died years ago during the plane crash."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I'm as shocked as you are," said Alex. "But the truth about Scott has been hidden from me all these years. The reason why, is because he was adopted by the professor's cousin, Cassandra Nova. I'm going after them both. I'm hoping to not just save Lorna, but also my brother. And I know, that if you love your daughter, you won't just allow this to happen to her. You won't let her go without a fight, Erik. If you didn't love Lorna, you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of saving us from Weapon X months ago, sir. So, please, if not for anybody else, but for her, come and help us. After that, you and your Brotherhood can head on back to Genosha, and you won't have to deal with us again."

Erik took Alex's words into consideration. Alex could see emotion crossing the bitter Holocaust survivor's face. Alex knew that his words triggered something within Erik. Only Lorna could cause any emotion to come to Magneto, since Lorna was his youngest child. Alex knew that Erik knew he had no other choice but to aid the X-men in their mission.

"Alright, Havok," said Erik. "I will join you."

"Thank you," said Alex, before hanging up the line.