August 19, 1992

"Look at what they did!"

Sinister threw a vial at the wall, shattering it. He liked to pride himself on being a man who didn't lose his temper often, but this was too much.

"They almost broke it!" he said.

There was a muffled curse from the table. Sinister double-checked the restraints. Once he was satisfied he began welding the metal pieces back into shape. They were bent and twisted every which way.

"I didn't expect anything less from a Summers really," he said, "But...well, I didn't think it was metallic enough. I suppose I should just add that to my list of interesting things that family can do."

He finished manipulating the different joints and turned away. He sighed and sank into a chair, his hands folded in his lap. It was going to take more time before the other wing was ready. The young Summers had really done a number on it.

"Like I said, I should have expected it," he said, "It just makes Maximilian more interesting. Of course, Luna's the real prize."

He looked over at the shattered vial. He sighed and grabbed a broom to sweep it up.

"But it was just a test run," Sinister said, "I am getting a little impatient now. As I said before, all of those years were illuminating, but really."

He dumped the glass into a nearby trash can.

"I want to try the others," he said, "While some of the specimens are perfect, the Neyaphem won't work. We'll still need him, but he won't work. Not like that."

He returned to the specimen on the table. Defiant eyes glared back up at him and Sinister chuckled to himself. He pulled out a small remote and turned up the dial. The defiant eyes turned glassy. He'd need it to be sedated before he continued work.

"Which means that we'll need a replacement," he said, reaching for the welding tools, "I trust that a specimen will present itself. The X-men and the Brotherhood are the most unique of all the so-called heroes."

He began working on the other wing.

"There's no shortage of choices," he said.


David looked over at Remy. He had just finished bandaging some of Piotr's cuts, since Remy had decent first aide skills. Piotr hadn't held anything back in the fight, and as a result he'd been cut up pretty badly.

John had the worst of it though. Jean was just finishing setting up his arm. It was going to need an X-ray later, and possibly a surgery. They didn't have the equipment to do anything like that though. It was doubtful when they would again.

David shook his head and continued setting up one of the tents. Now that the cabin was out, the tents in the Blackbird were the best the of shelter that any of them had. Several of the other X-men were on patrol at the moment, making sure that the students were safe.

From across the way he saw Scott enter the camp. For a moment he thought that Scott was going to go talk to Jean, but instead he began heading for David. David watched him warily as he finished tying up the tent post.

"David?" Scott asked.

"Yeah?" David said.

He wished he could muster up more irritation at the man. He had disregarded him after everything that had happened at the square. However, he knew they were under a lot of stress. He also knew that Angel had died, and what Max had said as a result.

"I want to ask you to keep an eye on something for me," Scott said.

David raised his eyebrows.

"Don't look so surprised," Scott said.

David decided not to comment on that.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"I want you to help make sure Max and Luna don't spend too much time with Magneto," Scott said, "Especially Max. He's upset and angry, and that's not a good thing."

David crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why are you asking me this?" he said.

"Well, I know you know about Lorna and her...parentage," Scott said, "And...well, I know you know why I want them separate. It's the same reason why I'm trying to make sure that Kurt and Mystique don't spend too much time together."

David nodded, but his question still wasn't answered.

"Why are you asking me?" he said.

Scott sighed.

"You think I don't trust you, don't you?" Scott said.

David didn't say anything.

"Listen, David," Scott said, "It's not like that."

They're scared of us.

"It's never been like that," Scott said, "When we...when I talked to your father, told him that I didn't think you would fit on the team, it wasn't because I thought that you were going to haul off and do something dangerous."

"You were just trying to protect me," David said, "I know. It took a long time for me to figure it out, but I did."

"It was serious though," Scott said.

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, David, your reaction times were off," Scott said, "All you ever need to be to get yourself killed in these situations is a few seconds off. Tonight, more than anything, showed that."

His voice became gloomy.

"But in the simulations you were showing, randomly, that your reaction times were off, Scott said, "We thought that...the voices might be distracting you. It was too much of a liability for the team. We tried to explain that to you but..."

"I wouldn't listen," David finished, "I remember."

He closed his eyes. His memory of that day was a little blurred. The word 'unstable' had stayed in his head: little else had.

"You were both trying to do what was best for me," David said.

Scott gave him a helpless shrug.

"Maybe we didn't communicate it that well," Scott said, "Because you came away thinking something we didn't want you to. More than one thing."

David saw Scott clear his throat.

"I trust you," he said, "I know you're the one in control. You're steadfast, and it's obvious that you've kept up with your training, even though you didn't have any hope of being an X-man. You fought hard in the square, and I won't forget that. I also trust your judgment because, more than any of the others, you're an adult."

He gestured to the rest.

"We have children here, and we have teenagers," he said, "Unlike your brother, and Sharon, you really know what it is to come back from the edge. You triumphed over it, and you're standing here now."

He smiled.

"And that's why I'm trusting you," Scott said,

David closed his eyes again. He could feel a deep knot of tension unfurl within him, something he hadn't even known he'd had.

"I'll keep an eye on it," David said.

Scott nodded and turned away.

"But don't count Kurt and Sharon out," David said, "There's more to them than you think."

"I don't doubt it," Scott said, not looking back.

David cracked his neck, still feeling that knot of tension unfurling. He looked further across the camp. Sharon was on the other side with his brother and Amanda. He could see the three of them talking. It looked welcoming over there, almost as though there was some normality in the situation.

He began to walk over, but paused by the tent where Max and Luna were. The siblings had disappeared inside at the first opportunity, not saying anything to anyone. Whatever had killed their aunt had obviously been aiming for them, and it appeared that it hadn't been human.

Finally, mutants are back to killing mutants. Leaves less for the rest of us, but it's certainly entertaining.

Shut up, David thought.

He crossed his arms and looked at the tent thoughtfully. Max wasn't related to him, and they didn't know each other well. He'd felt some sympathy when he'd heard that Lorna had advised him to think about joining the X-men. It made sense, and he'd hoped that Max would take her advice.

That night had been rough for him. Max was a child really, one that had just seen his heroes fail and, as a result, his aunt had died. David had heard that his mother was missing in action. While Lorna would be found again if there was anything to find, Angel would never come back. The failure of an idol had left irreparable damage. David knew what that felt like.

He also knew the bitterness that could cause, the years lost, and the ultimate regret that came with it. David didn't want to discuss things, Scott hadn't made him promise to make sure Max wasn't angry, but something inside him urged him on.

He cursed himself and cleared his throat.

"Max?" he asked.

"What?"

The voice was sharp, but quiet. David winced.

"It's David," David said, "I think we need to talk."

"Not interested."

"I know," David said, "How's your sister?"

It was the only thing he could think to say. He knew that, even in his darkest times, he had cared about Kurt. Max must still care about his sister, and he might want to answer a question about her.

Max fell silent for a moment, and David wondered if he should just leave and be done with it.

"She's sleeping," Max said, "So, physically, I guess she's okay. She did see the mutilated corpse of her aunt though."

"I heard," David said, "I'm sorry."

There was another pause.

"What are you doing here?" Max said.

David sat down outside the tent.

"You asked me once why I wasn't an X-man," David said, "Well, the reason is that, when I was twelve, I got into a sticky situation. To protect myself and my brother, I invaded the minds of three gunmen. I killed them all."

He was surprised at how easy the words came out.

You murdered us!

"I accidentally took them into my mind though," David said, "They're still there, saying horrible things, trying to drive me insane on occasion. They messed up my reaction times so badly that it would be too dangerous for me to join the X-men."

Max didn't say anything. David sighed and looked at his hands.

"I blamed my father for not letting me be what I'd wanted to be since I was young," he said, "I blamed him for the voices in my head too, for not saving me and my brother sooner. He'd done what he could, tried his hardest, but he hadn't succeeded. And I hated him for that for a long time."

David looked down at the small scar on his hand where, when he was a child, he'd pledged himself as Kurt's blood brother. The night in the hotel at Boston seemed so long ago, the night when he'd realized that he didn't need to be angry any more.

"But I forgot that, even though we're strong, even though we have different abilities, we're all still human," David said, "We make mistakes, and the world isn't ours to control. We can't be everywhere. I'm at peace with my father now. He knows that and..."

He bit the inside of his cheek. They still didn't know where his parents were.

"I don't know where he is right now," David said, "But he knows I don't hate him anymore. He knows I love him. And...more than that...I know we can be proud of each other."

There was a long silence. David wondered if anything he'd said had sunk in. He got up and looked hard at the tent.

"I don't want to blame him," Max whispered.

Max's voice was choked, and David supposed he was crying.

"I didn't want to blame my father either," David said, "But we're human too. We make the same mistakes."

"Right, right," Max said.

David waited, knowing that, for good or ill, their conversation was about to end.

"Thanks," Max said.

It was his dismissal, and David knew it. He understood.

"Any time," David said.

He put his hands in his pockets and walked away.