What to do about Magik?

Author's note: For the last oh… two'ish decades I guess, Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, A.K.A Beast has been an increasingly problematic character. Smart guy, other then the tendency to conduct experiments upon himself, which kind of negates the whole smart guy image if you think about the wisdom of such actions. But the core issue is the endless litany of stories that involve Hank doing something that everybody else just slaps there head and utter "Oh Hank…" at the utter stupidity of his actions, actions that he keeps defending because others just don't understand his brilliance (just ask him, he will expound at length, and even has graphs and a power point).

Sigh…

Which currently has resulted in Hank being in charge of X-Force which he is using as his own personal assassination squad while he also conducts lethal medical experiments upon people. An organization he is no longer in change of as he is on now on the run as a rogue element Krakoa off doing various terrorist activities. And of course The Quiet Council is doing basically nothing about that as he is a deniable agent (gee, what a great group of people); and of course not bothering to let anybody know about the new rabid beast (you know, like letting the Avengers in on that tidbit of info).

Double sigh…

Part of that is just poor writing on Marvel's part, part of it is darker in that he is being allowed to do this, which makes me wonder as to the why (Gee Xavier just has to be involved because he does have the same god complex that Beast does). Is it some dark and brilliant writing that only in hindsight will it be recognized or is it just… bad writing? Time will tell I suppose. But man, Beast fans must be horrified at what Marvel has done to him.

This is a quick story that occurred to me as I was diagramming a network (yeah my mind wandered). Takes place after X-Force 40 I suppose.

Part 79a: Sweet dreams are made of this

Beast was a slumber in his bedroom. The necessity for sleep was of annoyance to him, mostly due to the lost time, certainly it was not the dreams as he did not dwell on such trivialities or waste time trying to find meaning in random neuron firing as the mind reprocessed the daily experiences that is life. The loss of time was vexing but his prior experiments on removing sleep had not gone… well… Best to call it a work in progress. Experiments that he had also conducted upon himself, not the sleep one yet as that soufflé was not yet risen as it were. After all, true pioneers are willing to put it all on the line; he had done such in the past, admittedly with some unfortunate side effects, but extending the boundaries of science involved risks. Risks that few were willing to take, but he considered himself a stoic example of what was possible.

His bedroom being but one, not for him the massive sleeping chamber that so many of the powerful favored. No… it was but a simple room, twelve by twenty. Yes the bed was rather large, but Beast was a large man so call it an minor indulgence. Likewise the extensive security features were not paranoia, just a demonstration of his practicality. After all, is it paranoia if they really are out to get you?

Beast slept, but not all was peaceful. The other Beasts, his creations, obviously plotted against him. But being his creations, he had engineered certain blind spots in their cognitive capabilities, one of which the foolish belief that they were not being monitored, another being the desire to speak out loud any possible plots with their fellows. Thus allowing troublemakers to be readily indentified and… dealt with. Having the Wolverine clones was quite handy for such situations, but their limited mental abilities was sadly a necessity of their existence under his thralldom. Hmm, secret kill switches needed to be installed on all of his agents and underlings for unplanned situations, after all, even one of his intellect could be surprised.

He had fled Krakoa after his indiscretions were uncovered by X-Force, and his puppet Wolverine had recovered his memories. My-my Logan had been quite upset at finding himself a slave and at having been sent to kill so many numerous targets. Well, spilt milk and all that. The X-Force base, a skull like outcropping in a cliff, had walked off and entered the ocean, rather like a giant walking corpse one might say if you observed it. Beast's most recent event had been the destruction of medicines and chemo drugs on their way to England, so as to help force a dependency upon Krakoa medicines. Why, he projected only a few dozen noncombatants would suffer any long ill effects from that operation, long term effects being death but again eggs and omelets, sausage and pigs, honey and bees, pumpkins and pie.

Sleep was resented, but a necessity.

For now at least. Hmm, perhaps… he should resume the tests? But this time isolate one of the other Beasts, remove the ability to sleep from him, and see how the situation progressed. After first doing certain… modifications to the Beast that should allow him to function without sleep. Yes… that made sense. Who better after all? And… note to self, remember the kill switches. And isolation for the selected Beast as homicidal tendencies were one of the side effects last time.

Beast shall lead the way! The others would eventually come to see his point of view.

Was he not the smartest?

Was he not brilliant?

His way, the way of reason and logic was the only way. They would all come round to his perspective.

One way or another.

Perhaps that was his current dream, as he plotted and mused upon what the morrow might bring.

Or… was it something else?

Part 79b: Awoken

That's when Beast awoke.

Someone, or something, was in his room. All too often people forgot just how good his senses were. But being underestimated was an important skill, both political and situational. His hand, under a pillow, moved ever so slightly to grasp…

Um…

His hand moved… moved… Damn it! His hand was not moving. In fact nothing was moving!

"Don't bother." Spoke a voice from the darkness. A female voice tinged with traces of a Russian accent. "Sleep paralysis spell."

And so they continue to underestimate me was Beast's thought as his tongue moistened his lips before speaking the code words to activate the room's defense systems, defense category Magik.

Beast spoke nothing.

The annoying voice continued. "And… some safety magic incase you say something, or do something, to activate the obviously defensive systems. Tsk, Arch Mage here, they tend to be good at such things."

Yes… Beast was not the only person people tended to underestimate. And Beast had to admit he was guilty of that behavior, it was like… the thought of what she might be capable of was something that people just did not want to think about, not from fear or concern, just those issues were…

Were… Like a moths wings.

Wings? Beast shook his head as the thought fluttered away, well, kind of shook it in that it moved a few millimeters, he'd mentally digressed on something that was obviously of no worth.

Beast swallowed before speaking. "So they sent you to find me."

"They?"

"They. The Quiet Council, the War Captains, Logan, Xavier and any other sanctimonious busy bodies who might be in on the decision. I will admit to being surprised and somewhat disappointed in not hearing Scott's or Jean's hectoring voice. After all, did I not lecture him upon the very moral lines in the sand that I have so readily crossed?"

He had backup plans for his backup plans. He had spoken so unless he spoke the stand-down command in the next ten seconds the defensive systems would assume he was under duress and respond accordingly.

The sound of a sip and the rattle cup upon a saucer. "Nope. Decided to come take a look all on my own. To see what it looked like from the outside. The loss of empathy was her problem, resulting in solutions that that made sense only from that perspective. Your approach is more… deliberate, and you have no self loathing so no… empathy. You used to be gregarious, funny. Quite the trickster at time. Always the life of the party, but now… dull. Boring, and beyond self blind. Hmm, just why is that?"

"Outside?

Play for time. The systems would have located her and would…

Would…

Okay… way more then ten seconds had elapsed.

"Outside. Did not Darkchilde experience madness and evil from the inside, lived its progression. I.e. Inside. To observe that in another, that is outside."

"I have not fallen, the reverse in fact."

Another sip. "Naaa, just self delusion. But Hank, did you do it to yourself or did another do it? Xavier perhaps? He does so like to self justify his mental tinkering. And what you've become is so very much like Dark Beast, can't help but wonder about the root causes. Hmmm, there is a song, one Darkchilde used to play from time to time as she strove to understand what she had become."

Unseen movements and then a click as some soft lyrics play. It was Good Man Gone from the Waterboys.

I'm staring at a stranger faint in the mirror

He's looking like a ghost in human form

That used to be my head but the occupant has fled

Lord, where's the good man gone?

My eyes are like two troopers in a foxhole

I'm doing things I used to know were wrong

I've hurt all my friends and I'll do it again

Lord, where's the good man gone?

Lord, where's the good man gone?

The music stopped and her voice sang a two more lines.

Lord, where's the good man gone

And is he coming back?

A touch of anger in Beast's tone. "I am my own person, and Beast if you please."

You could almost hear her shake her head in negation. "No. You wish to hide behind being called Beast, allowing you to deny what you are doing."

"I suppose we will have to differ in that interpretation." Was Beasts dismissal of her assertion.

A change of subject by her. "Interesting setup you have here."

"My doppelgangers?"

"That and the horde of moronic homicidal wolverines. I'm sure folks with lots of letters after then name would describe many a mental condition but… to me it just looks… like another one of your solutions that nobody but you thinks is a good idea."

"I'm willing to do what must be done for Krakoa."

"Does that include being wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Wrong. Most rational people are able to entertain the concept that they can be wrong. You… appear to have lost that. Ideology without morality. The willingness to do anything for a cause is evil intent. Doing anything for the cause is evil actions. What we are not willing to do defines one's moral beliefs."

"The only thing wrong is the vision of my supposed peers."

A sigh from the darkness. "Yeah… thought that. Well enough looking at the crazy for tonight."

"So you're taking me in as it were?"

"Nope, just leaving. Suppose she'll have to participate in taking you down if so ordered and remember, she's a killer, just ask Dark Beast."

"I won't be taken alive." Was Beast's assured statement. He did have plans for those contingencies as it was inevitable that he would be hunted down. But was he not smarter then they were?

"Of course not, you're already dead. This is just what's left." Was her odd reply.

What a second, she'll? This person had never said I or me. Never had spoken in the first person.

"Who are you really, the Illyana I know would not be so…"

"Disinterested?"

"Yes."

A click and the room's lights flashed into being, revealing.

Beast.

As he once was. With that trickster's smile, holding a notepad with his left foot as his right hand wrote down notes. Like he was a doctor and Beast upon the bed was a…

Patient.

That oh so smirk of a smile as he said, in his own voice. "So… tell me about your mother."

Part 79c: Nightmares of waking

Beast, damp with sweat awoke and froze, then carefully shifted in his bed as he spoke one word.

"Lights."

Resulting in the illumination of his small sleeping domicile.

It was just him. Only Beast. An irritated sigh from him.

Another of those annoying dreams was his conclusion. Who was it this time… Ahhh… Magik, that… was a first. Usually it was Scott or Jean, sometimes Bobby or Xavier, once even Dark Beast expressing his admiration as to his actions and a few suggestions.

Perhaps it was the Russian tea he had consumed before going to bed. Well, no bother, a new day awaited.

Oh… such things he would do.

Beast sprang of out bed with a bound and made his way to the bathroom for his morning absolutions. And has he brushed his teeth, a lyric from a song sprang to mind.

Everybody want's to rule the world…