Chapter 16: Falsely Accused
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"Welcome to the Xavier institute, Ryan." Professor Xavier sat beside a very distraught young man who lay in a hospital bed. He had a broken arm and quite a few deep cuts that had been stitched up.
"Professor, I really appreciate all that you've done for me but . . . I'm-I'm not safe. I belong back in that lab, under lock and key. Where I can't hurt anyone else." His voice came out quiet, strained.
Professor Xavier smiled genuinely. "This institute is here to help you take control of your powers. I know what happened with Paul Dorsey. I know how you blacked out and you could not control what you were doing. But I can help you if you let me. Together, we can develop your gifts-"
"Gifts! You call this a gift?!" Ryan shouted. His brown eyes grew wide and filled with tears. "I . . . I killed my whole family because of this gift!" He spat out the word like it tasted foul on his tongue. His hand went to his face. "I didn't mean to - if I hadn't blacked out . . . if I hadn't gotten upset . . . if I'd never gone back . . . "
He felt a tingling in his head, like someone had put their fingers inside of it, like someone had gone in to search for answers. His mind went back to the first day he got his powers, the hot sensation of anger rising through his body, the very vague remembrance of causing inanimate objects to attack Paul Dorsey, Dobson and Stryker laughing at him, and then . . . Kael. After that blood filled his vision and for shame, for misery, he covered his face.
A monster.
You're not a monster Ryan, the professor's voice said in his head. You did not kill your family.
Ryan looked up.
How would you know?
"Right after I found you with Cerebro I did a little research on you. I found out about what happened to your family. All the police records show that you killed them, but George Dobson's mind shows differently." Xavier said aloud. "I took a trip just before we rescued you and read his mind. It was he and Stryker who killed your family, not you."