Chapter 10
Henry McCoy was a scientist, a researcher, and nothing made him happier than having a new scientific or medical problem to solve. For the past three days straight, he had been in his glory, testing Scott and his powers. He was loath to leave his work, even taking his meals down in his laboratory in the sub-basement.
The lab was where Henry was currently holding court, preparing to present his findings to Charles, Logan, and Ororo. Mysterious-looking X-ray films were hanging on a dark viewing box along the wall, and stacks of print-outs were scattered across the counters.
"I have several answers, but no solutions, I'm afraid," Henry reported.
Logan prowled restlessly through the lab. "I thought answers were solutions," he grumbled, pausing in his pacing to lean against one the workstations and folded his arms across his chest.
Henry adjusted the glasses perched on his nose, and flicked the light on the viewing box to illuminate several hanging x-ray films. "In many cases, Logan, you would be correct. However, when considering the perplexing conundrum of our young Mr. Summers, answers and solutions are independent of one another."
"Please enlighten us as to what you have found, Henry," Xavier prodded, scanning the images and trying unsuccessfully to decipher the various black and white shades presented to him in the images.
"Scott's mutation is that of energy conversion," Henry began. "His body absorbs ultra violet solar rays and transforms that energy into concussive blasts. The beams generate no heat, no radiation, and no electrical or magnetic fields, just pure concentrated force.
"Three years ago, Scott suffered a serious head injury after escaping a plane crash. He remained in a coma for close to two months after the accident, as a result of brain damage sustained in the fall. According to Scott, the specialists who treated him determined that the damage was to a dormant portion of the brain, seeing as how the boy showed no side effects other than migraines." An excitement that was almost child-like was evident in Henry's voice. "I have run a complex battery of tests, including an MRI and CT scans. If you look at this image here, you see a surface view of Scott's brain; everything is as it should be. But if you look at this image here, and at this area," he moved onto a new film, and directed their attention to the region in question, "you can see where the problem lies. This discolored area is the damaged part of Scott's brain. It is set deep within the occipital lobe –"
"Hank, in English, huh?" Logan growled as he resumed his pacing, randomly picking up and putting down lab instruments on the trays and counters.
"Of course, of course, my apologies. The occipital lobe, this region at the back of the brain, is what controls our eye movements and our vision. The occipital lobe is directly above the cerebellum, which is this portion here," he elaborated, pointing at the area at the back of the brain and towards the bottom. "The cerebellum controls all our motor functions. The mid-brain, located within the cerebellum, is the center of ocular motion – eye movement. You can see the dark area on the image, which represents the injury to Scott's brain, extends just into the mid-brain region of the cerebellum. The damaged area is, for all extents and purposes, dead. There is no activity at all, and no surgery will be able to repair it, I'm afraid. The impairment appears to affect the area that would have allowed Scott to control his optic blasts, to be able to turn them on and off. With that region of his brain not functional, he will never be able to control his mutation naturally."
Throughout Henry's discourse, Ororo had remained silent, absorbing the complex information while perched regally on a rolling stool. Only her hands, clenched tightly together, gave any indication of how disturbing she found the situation. "And is there a way for it to be controlled artificially?" she asked.
"It's possible, but I'm not yet certain," Henry admitted. "I've heard of some groundbreaking research in the field of protective materials that perhaps I could further explore. It would appear that some quartz crystals can not only deflect light waves, but withstand incredible amounts of force. I simply don't know if they could withstand the amount of force emitted by Scott's blasts."
"Have you been able to successfully measure that force?" Charles asked, knowing that Henry had been anxious to use some of the more complex equipment to test Scott's powers.
"Yes. Scott's powers are truly remarkable. While he is unable to turn his powers off, we discovered that he can control the width of the beam. From a distance of two feet, Scott was able to puncture a one-inch thick steel plate – instantly. He also destroyed my blast wall during an earlier test," he added dryly. "To the best of my calculations, when at full power, his optic blasts have the equivalent force of 1,000 kilograms of TNT – roughly the equivalent of a torpedo blast."
The others stared at Henry in stunned silence; Scott's disclosed ability to produce optic blasts of such strength was unexpected, and worrisome.
"He is a living weapon," Xavier muttered under his breath. In the wrong hands, that kind of tremendous power could prove to be highly dangerous. For several minutes, the only thing that could be heard in the lab was the low humming of various machines droning in the background.
Ororo decided it was time to change the subject. The possibilities of Scott's powers were simply too scary to ponder at the moment. "What about Scott's psychological well-being? He has not had the easiest life for the past several years, and I can't help but wonder how the manifestation of his mutation has affected him."
Now it was Charles' turn to step in. As a trained psychologist, he boasted the expertise to evaluate the mental health of the children. "I have conducted some standard psychological tests with Scott – and with Jean. The tests in question are designed to assess major symptoms of social and personal maladjustment, among other issues. Scott is still suffering grief from losing his parents and brother; he is experiencing feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, fear, relief, anxiety, abandonment and a profound sense of aloneness. These emotions are comparatively mild in comparison to what they must have been during the year following the accident, but they will affect Scott's behavior."
Logan pondered that for a moment. "Is Scott gonna be goin' through the same kinda thing Jeannie did?" It had almost killed Logan to watch Jean suffer so – and to see the extents to which she almost went – and he wasn't eager to watch another kid go down the same path.
Xavier nodded. "Quite possibly. Jean, as we all know, suffered from severe depression when she was younger, largely as a result of being 'rejected' by her parents. She was able to move past that with our assistance, but her self-esteem never truly recovered; it was worsened by her inability to form friendships with her classmates at school. She has made great improvements in accepting her gifts, though she still suffers from peer-relation issues."
Charles continued, "Scott and Jean both suffer from low self-esteem, which is a result of knowing they are different. For Scott, it dates back to being labeled as special needs within the foster care system, and it has been worsened by the manifestation of his mutation.
"They both display a remarkable maturity for their age. Scott and Jean are capable of handling their inner pain without acting out in a destructive manner. In spite of the losses they have suffered, and all they have been through, they are emotionally strong and mentally stable."
"How are our young charges getting along?" Henry asked, not having had the opportunity to observe the two children interacting since the day of Scott's arrival.
Logan snorted. "About the same as on day one – which ain't good."
"They are both afraid," Ororo said with a sigh. "Jean has had such trouble with the girls at her school that she is afraid to be herself around Scott. And Scott is afraid to let his guard down, for whatever reason – whether is uncomfortable around a girl, or that he is still self-conscious of his mutation, I can't be sure. They are polite to each other, but not overly friendly. They do not seek out each other's company."
"Yet," Charles added with a knowing smile. "It is only a matter of time before they let down their guard. They are the only two children here – they only have each other, and sooner or later, they will realize they have nothing to fear."
"Do we know what they are up to this afternoon?" Ororo wondered aloud.
"Last I saw," Logan spoke up, "Jean was outside readin', and Scott was in his room listenin' to music."
Ororo frowned. "They could easily do those activities together – even sitting together in the same room and doing separate activities would be nice for them. Should we encourage them to spend time together?"
Xavier shook his head. "No, I believe we should allow them to grow accustomed to each other at their own pace. If we force them on each other, I fear we will only exacerbate the situation, and make them less willing to bond." Charles smiled wryly. "After all, they are teenagers, and prone to do exactly the opposite of what is asked of them."
~~
Coming soon, Chapter 11
Please feed the author! Reviews are the sustenance of choice.