A/N:

Okay, everyone, I just want to point out that I am disappointed with the lacking of reviews on this story. I really value reviews and constructive criticism. Even if you're just passing by, leave a comment on the chapter and let me know what you think. Here we go with issue #2: Out of Hell!-

Danielle

In a world that hates and fears mutants, Professor Charles Xavier, business partner of Tony Stark, is the world's most powerful telepath. Co-owner of X-Corporation Tower, a company designed to help secure mutants' futures, Professor Charles Xavier and his associate, Hank McCoy, have taken in his adoptive daughter, Jean Grey, a former mental patient with psychic abilities who lost her family in a car accident years prior. Now, as they prepare to expand the company, Professor Xavier prepares to take in his next legal ward: an orphaned seventeen-year-old named Scott Summers.

Issue 2: Out of Hell

Claremont Orphanage – Nome, Alaska

The cold, brisk air of Alaska hit Professor Xavier, Hank McCoy and Jean Grey hard as they exited the Blackbird. Jean was hit with the shock of the cold winds that came even though it was only the middle of October. After some mental blocks had been placed on her mind, Jean went with Xavier, who signed the paperwork to take her in as his legal ward. Hank provided her with clean clothes and put the plane on autopilot before giving Jean a quick check-up. She was highly undernourished. Getting her eating again was going to be a challenge. Jean shivered as they walked up to the Claremont Orphanage, where Professor Xavier had said that they were going to be picking someone up. Jean's shudders were violent despite the heavy, warmed winter jacket around her. Hank seemed to pick up on this, and wrapped one of his big, blue, furry arms around her shoulders, hugging her against his side in effort to try and keep her warm.

When they entered the orphanage, Professor Xavier approached the front desk to talk with the owner of the orphanage, Stan Yost. The man looked up to see Xavier, Jean and Hank approaching, and seemed to be alarmed, particularly by Hank.

"Mr. Yost, my name is Charles Xavier," said the professor as he approached the man at the desk.

"Y-Yes, how may I help you?" Yost asked.

"I actually wish to speak with one of the boys that live here. His name is Scott Summers," said the professor.

Yost seemed to pale at the mentioning of Scott, something that Hank and Charles had been expecting. "Wait . . . did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, you did," said Hank. "Please, sir, we just wish to speak to the boy."

"I'm afraid that you would not want to do that. Scott's just a lost cause; he really is, but, it really is sad. He lost his parents in a plane crash, and it really is unfortunate because both his parents were involved in the military and they worked on airplanes. He was separated from his little brother, Alex. However, the fortunate thing is that they still manage to have a relationship . . . they talk on the phone at least several times a day because we found out Alex had been adopted by a loving family that lives out in California, so we managed to contact Alex's foster family because we wanted to make sure Scott at least had something good in his life. They tell each other a lot. As tragic as it is, at least he still has a bond with his brother, and they maintain it. It's not like Scott has absolutely nothing left in life . . . we wanted to make that very clear to him from day one. Scott was sent here because he completely destroyed the hospital he'd been staying in after waking from a coma. The only way I can describe it is some sort of strange optic blast . . . the children here are terrified of him because whenever he opens his eyes, he destroys everything in his path. This boy is truly the definition of a loaded gun. In fact, one man actually tried adopting him and using him for diamond smuggling. But, when the authorities learned of that man's intentions with Scott, Scott got assigned a new social worker and was sent back here until a family is willing to adopt him. I honestly do feel badly for him because how can you not? But, he staying here is wearing us all down. We just do not have the resources to keep him here much longer," said Yost, the frustration evident in his voice despite him trying to hide it.

"I understand sir. But, you see, Scott's a special interest of mine. Just let us see him, please. I might be able to help him," said Xavier.

Yost nodded. Hank didn't need to be a mind-reader to know that the man was relieved to release Scott to somebody else's care. While Hank understood that Yost was just simply frustrated, it angered him slightly that Scott was being considered a waste of space. It took a lot to get Hank to a place of anger due to his pacifist nature. He looked to Jean, who continued to stand next to him shaking slightly, but, her tremors seemed to have calmed considerably. The reason why Hank and Charles had decided it would be a good idea for Jean to come along with picking up Scott was because she came from that place of being young and having nobody being there for her.

Charles, Jean and Hank walked down the halls towards Scott's room. Scott was one of the only boys that stayed in the orphanage that slept alone in his own room. He could not have roommates because of his mutation, which further isolated him from everyone else and made him an outcast. Yost opened the door to Scott's bedroom.

"Scott, I'm coming in. There's somebody here to see you," said Yost, before allowing Jean, Hank and Xavier inside the room.

In the room resided an emaciated, dark-haired teenage boy, about seventeen, sitting on the bed and a bandage covering his eyes. He was wearing clothes that were too loose on him, and he had several bruises on his face that were fading, most likely from abuse in his previous foster home that he'd just gotten released from only a week or so ago. Jean felt a surge of sympathy . . . not too long ago, she'd been in this place of feeling so alone, of feeling as though nobody cared.

"Can we have a moment alone with him please?" Hank asked.

Yost nodded and proceeded to back out of the room to give them some privacy.

"Scott . . . Scott Summers?" Xavier asked quietly.

Slowly, the boy's head moved upward to acknowledge their presence. His senses seemed heightened due to his lacking of ability to see. Nonetheless, he looked worried of the fact that several people were here with him.

"Who are you?" the teen asked his voice slightly tense. Jean could sense that he was holding it together pretty strong, but, she could tell inside that Scott was apprehensive and scared.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier. With me is my employee Hank McCoy, and my ward, Jean Grey," Xavier said. "I'm here to help you, Scott."

Scott seemed surprised upon hearing that. "What's the catch?" he asked; his guard was up. Nobody had ever genuinely offered to help him. The last foster home he'd been to, his foster dad had treated him horribly. He had the fading bruises on his skin to prove it. The last thing that he wanted was repeat that adventure again, considering that that had ended about a week ago.

"There's no catch, Scott," Hank said. "All three of us we've all been where you are. We know exactly what it is that you are going through right now."

"How do you know?" Scott asked, wondering how it was possible for anyone to understand what it was like to be used.

'Because, son . . . we're just like you,' Xavier said to the teenager telepathically.

Scott froze up upon hearing Xavier's voice out of shock. "Did I just hear you in my head?" he asked.

"Yes. Scott I have telepathy," Xavier said. "What you are, what you have isn't abnormal, son. You simply have a mutation – an extra piece of DNA called the X-gene which grants you special powers. It's a gift, Scott."

"It doesn't feel like a gift," Scott said in a voice not much louder than a whisper. His voice sounded a little stronger than before, considering he now knew that he was with people that he could trust for once.

"It never does at first," Hank said. He maneuvered himself forward so that he could kneel by the teen, reaching his hand forward. Scott's hand brushed against Hank's.

"Is that fur?" asked Scott, curiosity in his tone more than anything else.

"Yes. It is part of my mutation, Scott. My father worked at a nuclear plant and I was exposed to radiation as a boy. It permanently changed my genetics that were already X-factor positive to begin with," Hank explained.

Jean took in the sight before her. For some reason, she felt some strange yet strong connection with this boy. She could pick up on his thoughts . . . images of a plane crash, of Scott waking in a hospital and destroying the roof after waking from a coma. She walked closer to him, feeling the need to be close. Scott seemed to sense Jean coming over to him.

"Who is this?" Scott started asking.

"This is Jean Grey," Xavier said. "She's like me. Telepathic but also telekinetic; we picked her up on the way here to get you. If you give me and Hank a chance, we can help you, Scott."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Jean said. She had a slight smile on her face as she extended her hand forward to shake Scott's. The teen returned the gesture, and he felt a rush of warmth coming over him as he touched Jean's hand. In fact, when he touched Jean's hand to shake it, he seemed to actually calm at the physical contact.

"So what do you say, Scott? Would you give me the honor of helping you?" Xavier asked quietly.

Scott nodded instantly. As long as he was away from this place, he did not care. The fact that somebody was actually willing to take him and be his caretaker, it meant more to him than he thought it would have.

"Yes, thank you," Scott said the gratefulness in his tone evident, sounding a little bit breathless. "Though, when we get to wherever it is we're going . . . I'll need to call my brother first thing; he'll want to hear about this. He'll be glad to hear it, you know?"

"Absolutely, Scott," Xavier said.

Jean felt a pang of sadness and maybe a little bit of envy hit her chest. She hadn't spoken to her siblings in years since she'd been separated from them, but, then she realized that she had nothing to be jealous of. Scott was in the same boat as her; he'd lost both his parents in a terrible accident, too. She felt selfish in a way for resenting the fact that Scott still had a relationship with his younger sibling. It reminded Jean of what she yearned to have with her own siblings, especially her identical twin sister Madelyne. However, she also knew that Scott's situation was nothing to envy at all. They both came from unfortunate circumstances . . . there was definitely a kindred spirit forming between the two of them.

"Alright then. Let's get going," Hank said. He and Jean helped Scott off the bed while Xavier went off to deal with signing the paperwork and applications for adoption. As Scott held onto Jean's hand, he felt a surge of comfort filling him. Jean seemed equally relaxed as she gave his hand a squeeze, a small smile on her face. It took over an hour for Xavier to sign his name on all the necessary applications. However, once he was done, he, Hank and Jean guided Scott outside to the Blackbird.

"Alright Scott, we'll make our way over to the jet," said Xavier as he led the way.

"Wait-What?" Scott asked the fear evident in his voice despite him trying his hardest to hide it and put up a tough front. "Planes?" The last time he'd been on an airplane, it hadn't ended well at all. He could still remember the smell of something burning, the plane catching on fire as it suddenly became harder to breathe.

"I'm sorry Scott, I should have figured you'd have a fear of flying," said Xavier.

"No, I'll be okay . . . I can't keep avoiding it forever," said Scott, though he still had his reservations about boarding an airplane. He swallowed hard to try and pull himself together. He knew that he would ultimately have to board an airplane in his life again, and that he could not keep himself from doing so for the rest of his life. "I need to board a plane eventually, sir."

"Scott, it's alright," Jean whispered. She squeezed his hand to reassure him. Scott calmed considerably.

"Jean's right, Scott. There's nothing to fear. You'll be perfectly safe, son," Xavier said softly.

Scott took a deep breath to calm down. Jean squeezed his hand a bit harder as she guided them to their seats. While Scott still seemed apprehensive, he didn't appear to be as jumpy as he did when it was first mentioned he'd be boarding a plane for the first time in years. In fact, with Jean, he looked comfortable. Hank proceeded to get the jet into the air and on autopilot before he went over to where Scott and Jean were sitting so that he could check the boy over with an external look. Hank gently pressed against Scott's ribs to feel for broken bones; luckily, nothing was broken. He was undernourished and dehydrated, much like Jean. Other than that, he was alright and was going to be just fine. Suddenly, that was the moment a video message came in from Tony, who was calling them from X-Corporation Tower.

"Hey, McCoy, old man, did you pick the kids up?" Tony asked on the video feed.

"Yes, Mr. Stark, we are on our way home," Xavier said.

"Great to know. Also, Hank, Dr. MacTaggart is flying in from Muir Island. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" Tony asked.

"Uh, yes, Tony; she knows her way around," said Hank as he continued to give Scott an external examination. He proceeded to speak to Friday. "Friday, tell Moira to prep the medical bays; Scott and Jean are going to need the full treatment."

"Consider it done, Mr. McCoy," Friday said.

Scott turned his head towards Jean, almost as if to look at her even though he could not see. Jean smiled despite knowing Scott's vision was shrouded by the bandage surrounding his eyes. They could still hardly believe that after years of being outcast from society, of being treated like freaks, that they were finally going to be in a place where they were accepted. They were finally going to have a home, something that they hadn't had in years. It made them both feel a strong sense of relief and security as they continued gripping onto each other's hands tightly, as if they were afraid of letting go. It was a sight that Hank and Xavier couldn't take their eyes off of as they sat up front in the cockpit, flying the plane back towards X-Corporation Tower to get Scott and Jean medical attention for any injuries that they had. The two teens were leaning against each other, Jean's eyes closing on their own accord as she allowed herself to rest. Her mind was exhausted after years of needing to hear others' thoughts inside her head and thinking that she was crazy. For once, she felt as though she wasn't crazy. She felt almost human for a change. As Hank and Xavier continued looking at them, they could sense something between the two kids . . . they didn't know exactly what it was, but those two were definitely forming some kind of connection.

X-Corporation Tower – Warren's Room

Many would think that being the son of a billionaire was a dream come true . . . everyone looked at it from the perspective of thinking that everything was perfect. But, for Warren Worthington III, he truly felt like the exception to this.

The young, twenty-two-year-old college senior truly felt lucky that he was having the chance at a career with X-Corporation. However, the fact was, he was the disgraced son of Warren Worthington, Jr. and Katherine Worthington, who would never accept him for his mutation. Warren's mutation, as far as he knew, wasn't anything bad. In fact, having wings was probably something that most kids dreamed of. But, his parents had decided to disown him and make an attempt at creating a "cure" for mutants. The whole thought of his parents betraying their own blood like that disgusted him deeply. However, he also knew that as long as he was with X-Corporation, Tony Stark and Charles Xavier, he had a chance at a future.

Warren being in his senior year at Pace University in Manhattan meant that he was one year closer to getting a business degree, which meant that he was one more year away from being a huge asset to the company. While Warren wasn't the brightest when it came to sciences, he knew he was brilliant with math and finances.

Warren stretched his back out, allowing his huge, white, feathery wings to stretch out as well. One benefit to living in X-Corporation Tower was that he could roam free with his wings exposed, something he hadn't been ever able to do when living with his mother and father. That was one of the many great things about being with X-Corporation. For once, Warren was free from persecution.

That was the moment Pepper came into the room with Tony.

"Hey, War," said Tony.

"What is it Tony? I'm up to my neck with school work here. Pace doesn't just hand out degrees to people, you know?" Warren said.

"We just came to tell you that two of our newest recruits are arriving and that you should be out here greeting them," said Pepper.

"Who are the recruits?" asked Warren as he got up from his desk, abandoning his mathematics homework.

"Scott Summers and Jean Grey, both are seventeen. Unfortunately, they do not come from the best of circumstances, something that I am sure you can sympathize with," said Pepper as she handed Warren the files on Jean and Scott which were digitally on an iPad. When Warren got a good look at the kind of lives that these kids had up until the age of seventeen, he had the sensation of feeling sick to his stomach. When Pepper said that Scott and Jean came from not the greatest of circumstances, she wasn't kidding at all.

"Yeah, yeah, you weren't kidding when you said it, Miss Potts," said Warren. "These two, they've been put through so much. I mean, you'd have to blind to not be able to put yourself in their shoes. I'm just lucky that it was just my parents disowning me and cutting me off from the family name when they learned I was a mutant."

"Yeah, I know," said Tony. He felt a wave of sympathy for both Scott and Jean, Jean especially, who had to feel her parents dying when her powers had manifested. They could only hope that those kids were not past helping.

That was the moment a private plane landed down on the landing strip, and it opened up to reveal Moira MacTaggart as well as Tony's bodyguard and chauffeur, Harold "Happy" Hogan.

"Mr. Stark," said Happy as he passed them with Moira.

"Happy, Moira, glad you both are here," Tony said.

"Likewise, lad," Moira said as she went off to the medical labs to set up. "Besides, after this, I have to head back to Muir Island and get back to Sean, David and Rahne."

"Of course, Doc," Tony said, nodding curtly at Moira. Moira had been a huge asset to X-Corporation. She had at one point been Xavier's wife and together, they had a son named David Kevin Xavier who started experiencing his psionic mutant abilities at birth. Xavier had been blackmailed into divorcing Moira by a man named Joseph MacTaggart who wanted Moira for himself, however, Moira ended up divorcing Joseph when he became highly abusive towards her and David. David had a multitude of psionic abilities which included telepathy, telekinesis, energy and matter manipulation, body consumption and reality warping and suffered from dissociative identity disorder. David's multiple personalities that lived inside his mind along with his ability of warping reality made him certifiably dangerous. That meant David needing to go through intense therapies that Moira and her fiancé Sean Cassidy administered to him, but, Professor Xavier was involved with every single parenting decision and he and Moira had a very healthy relationship for a divorced couple. It was unconventional, but, it was their way of making it clear to their son that their divorce had nothing to do with him, and that they were going to continue with being a family no matter what case there may be. That meant Xavier coming to Muir Island at least once to twice a week and being the father that David needed him to be. In a way, David was more lucky than most, because not only did he have his biological parents, but, he also had an adoptive sister in Rahne Sinclair and a loving step-father-figure in Sean Cassidy. It was definitely a case of two people making the best out of a horrible circumstance.

Shortly after Moira made her way to the medical labs to set up her equipment, the Blackbird landed in the hanger. Tony beat Xavier to the punch by entering the plane to greet them.

"I take it you were successful?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Mr. Stark, we can assure you of that," said Hank as he got up out of the pilot's chair. Tony caught sighting of Scott and Jean from the corner of his eye. They were both very skinny and looked as though they hadn't had a decent meal in years. Jean's clothes were fitting too big on her, which was to be expected given they belonged to Warren's girlfriend Candy who was generous enough to lend them. The sight of them made Tony feel discomfort, considering he had been in their situation, though their situation was worse than his. They had been used, manipulated and given false hope for years. Tony could see also from the corner of his eye that Scott had scars on his wrists . . . he knew the signs of somebody making the attempt to kill themselves, and it was clear to him that Scott had attempted suicide on more than one occasion. Tony, before having started becoming addicted to alcohol, had contemplated suicide on more than one occasion especially after the deaths of his parents. Part of why Tony had started heavily drinking especially in college was because he'd needed a coping mechanism at the time . . . it was a time where he was struggling with low self-esteem especially after the deaths of his mother and father, because his father had never once said he'd loved him. In fact, when Tony had been in middle school, his father had shipped him off to boarding school and didn't show him any affection whatsoever. In many ways, Professor Xavier was a better father than Tony's own father.

"Moira's in the med lab, Xavier," Tony said, keeping his tone as quiet as he could. "Besides I think as soon as we get Scott and Jean settled in we should get them acquainted with Warren and Forge."

Xavier nodded in agreement. "Yes, indeed," he said as he turned his head to look at Scott and Jean. They both appeared to be asleep in their seats, Jean's head on Scott's chest and their fingers inches away from each other, as though they'd fallen asleep holding hands to reassure each other that they were not alone. Both teens were exhausted after years of not being able to get a decent level of sleep. Jean had dark, purple shadows underneath her eyes and she was very pale. As Tony exited the plane, Scott and Jean stirred in their seats, starting to awaken as Xavier maneuvered his wheelchair to be closer to them. He could sense their anxiety even though they knew that they were in a place that was safe for once.

"Scott . . . Jean?" the professor said as he came closer to them.

Jean opened her eyes. "Yeah?" she asked.

"We're home now, alright?" Xavier said quietly. "I just want to take you both to the medical labs here. My ex-wife Moira is here to tend to you both and give you a physical."

Scott shook his head, his dread flooding him. He had a phobia of hospitals ever since he'd destroyed the hospital roof upon waking from a coma after the plane accident that killed his mom and dad. Jean had been forced underneath electric shock therapies by doctors in the mental hospital. How did they know that this woman wasn't going to treat them any differently than how they'd been treated all their lives? Jean tensed up, flinching hard at the mention of the word "physical".

"It's okay," Xavier told them. He leaned a hand on Scott's knee, patting it sympathetically. "Moira will go slow and she won't be anything less than gentle. Trust me. She understands."

Jean was still quiet as a mouse and tense, biting her lower lip which was cracked and bleeding from dehydration. "H-How do we know she won't t-try and . . . and . . .?" she started to ask, her voice shaking.

"Jean, I can assure you Moira won't take advantage of you. Believe me. She's remarkable. In fact, she took in a mutant of her own as her legal ward, a twelve-year-old named Rahne Sinclair who has been where you are," the professor tried to assure them as Warren entered the plane, his wings fully exposed. He walked over to them, giving his wings a slight flap.

"Hey, Professor," Warren said. Jean looked up to see the blonde, billionaire-playboy, winged mutant walking over to them. Warren could see her nervousness and apprehension as he came over to kneel in front of her and Scott. "Let me talk to them, please."

Xavier nodded and proceeded to give Jean, Warren and Scott some privacy. He figured that if anything, Warren would be the next best thing. He knew what it was like to feel out of control from his own mutation.

"Hey," Warren said quietly. "It's okay . . ."

"Who are you?" Scott asked; his guard back up to try and hide his fear behind a stoic front. However, Warren could see right through it. You'd have to be crazy to not be apprehensive or nervous in a situation like this: being in an unfamiliar environment and being told you were about to be examined by a doctor you'd never met.

"My name's Warren. Listen, I know you two are scared out of your minds, okay? I get it. We live in a world where there are people with superpowers . . . okay? We're mutants. And I have wings on my back, feathered wings, none of this makes sense. Nothing in our lives makes any sense at all," Warren told them. "You think that there is no way to even attempt understanding any of it. Trust me when I say that there is a way. Just give Dr. MacTaggart a shot. She can help you further. I get the fact that you were used; you were manipulated all your lives into believing nothing would ever get better. I would know because my parents, they hate the fact that I am a mutant and they cut me off from the family because I wouldn't accept taking a "cure" to remove my wings permanently. So I understand what it's like to be treated like you're a mistake, like you don't matter. But you do matter."

Both Jean and Scott took in what Warren was saying, digesting his words. The way he spoke to them, he spoke to them like they were human. It was something that they hadn't had the luxury of having for nearly ten years. It meant more to Scott and Jean than words could describe.

"I'm saying this because, Dr. MacTaggart, the professor, Hank; these are people that genuinely want to help you," Warren said. "For us, mutants, that's a very rare thing. There are not that many people out there that care about people like they do. They truly do have your best interests at heart and they'll never take advantage of you when you're at your weakest. It's going to be okay."

"Okay," Jean whispered.

Up next: Second Chances