Chapter 2 - Nurse James

When Scott and Sinister appeared in Sinister's lab, Scott didn't have to look far to spot James working at a computer. It was one thing to know something was happening with his middle kid and his worst nightmare, but seeing it was something else entirely.

"Dad," James said as he got to his feet and rushed over to Scott. "You okay?"

"It's all relative," Scott said, though he dropped his hands on both of James's shoulders. "This is a terrible idea, James."

"So is letting you do this alone."

"You're opening the door to him inviting you to more things like this."

James held his breath for a long moment, knowing full well that Scott didn't know how far it had already gone. "What's a better option right now?"

"Let me handle it," Scott said. "This isn't new for me. I'll be fine; I always am."

"Reverse our positions," James said. "Then what?"

Scott narrowed his eyes and worked a muscle in his jaw.

"That's what I thought."

"It's different," Scott insisted. "I'm your father."

"Yep. And you're not alone this time."

Scott let out a sound from the back of his throat. "I'd rather you were-"

"I'm not going to argue with you about this," James said sternly. "You're not going through this alone; that's all there is to it."

"You know, you're using my own lines against me, and if we were in any other situation, I'd be proud," Scott said - almost smirking.

"You should be anyhow," Sinister said from across the room.

James looked up at him with half a glare in place. "This whole thing would be easier on everyone if you quit putting your nose in private conversations." He took a hold of Scott's arm. "Come on, Dad. Take a break from him before you have flashbacks or something."

Scott smirked lightly, though it didn't last, as he came to sit down with James. "Did he tell you why I agreed?" he asked in an undertone.

"No, but I'd imagine you were agreeing under extreme duress."

"Right." He took a deep breath and let it out. "If it was just that the acolytes were making plans with an EMP or had a plan of attack, I'd have you work up something for me," he said, speaking quickly and in a hushed tone.

"You don't need more tech," James said as he rested his hand on Scott's wrist. "You just have to let me start hitting them hard enough to cave things in. It'll sort itself out."

Scott let out a scoff of a laugh but hadn't let go of James. "It's more than that," he said. "Sinister has a… a connection to Apocalypse," he said carefully.

"That sounds like the start of a very skeezy letter to Penthouse," James tried to joke.

Scott couldn't help but snort. "Sure," he said, surprised into a smile by James's take. "Really, James, if I could have picked one threat to stop that I'd actually agree to this procedure for…"

James sighed as he looked over to where Sinister was washing up in preparation. "Dad, I know about the Apocalypse connection. Essex has been off his game more and more over the summer," he admitted softly. "He's had to step back halfway through comparisons of data - and he's been handing a lot off for me to do. Like … most of it, if I'm being honest. He hasn't been pushing for me to finish my other theories, either. Not when the focus has been on this"

Scott swallowed and closed his eyes to center himself. "When he comes, it's going to be bad. And I don't know how much control I'll have of my powers, so I need you to look out for Annie."

James frowned but nodded his agreement. "You know that's the case no matter what. I'm not going to let anyone come after her."

Scott held his breath and then reached over to James to pull him into a hug, then held him at arm's lengths to look at him. "Well," he said and cleared his throat. "I'll get used to red again."

"Maybe, maybe not," James said with a bare smirk. "You know he told me that he wants to make sure you've got full power."

Scott gave James a tired smile. "Yes, well, we'll see what happens," he said.

"If you two are quite done," Sinister called out - leaving the tone in the lab entirely different than any other time Scott had been in one of his labs because he was actually willing to let them take the time to prepare - "It's time to begin."

James sighed heavily. "Come on, Dad; I'll show you where you can get changed," he said.

It was a totally different experience … prepping for surgery for Sinister was almost like what Scott had seen happen for normal surgeries. James had shown him where he could clean up and get prepared, and while he did so, Scott had to wonder how far out of his way Sinister was going to make it seem as if this was how he usually operated - and how much was being done just because Scott was cooperating for the first time ever.

Scott had just finished changing when he heard a distressingly familiar voice on the other side of the door, and he instantly switched the mode on his cybernetic vision, spotting Apocalypse along with, to Scott's surprise, Noh-Varr.

Although Scott couldn't see all of the details when he was looking through barriers with his cybernetic eyes, James and Sinister could see the dramatic change that had come over Noh because of his transformation. The most obvious thing was, of course, his outfit, which was not at all like the bright white and green he usually wore. Instead, he was almost entirely covered in black, though the outfit had red highlights that seemed to look like veins of blood spilling out across his uniform. And James could see, even if Scott couldn't, that Noh's own veins, bright blue, were visible through what little skin was showing. His hands were criss-crossed with blue, and his veins were visible at his neck and across much of his face. His eyes were lightly glowing, but with a jet black aura. And there was no trace of the easy smile that James was so accustomed to seeing.

The fact that there were already Horsemen was very bad.

"The Famine you suggested was unacceptable," Apocalypse said, walking past a visibly shocked James to loom menacingly over Sinister.

"He showed great potential," Sinister defended. "And he would have made a powerful Horseman once his powers were amplified. It fit perfectly."

"I chose someone else entirely. Someone that did not make your suggested lists." Apocalypse scoffed as he looked Sinister up and down, then turned his focus the slightest bit toward James as he spoke, studying him and trying to decipher who or what he was to Sinister. "As it stands now, I have little faith in the name you gave me for Death."

"You know that's the hardest one to choose," Sinister said. "Particularly when they must be able to lead your Horsemen as well as manage their duties. There are incredibly few possibilities."

"It is absolutely vital." Apocalypse gestured toward James without looking at him. "And while I have given you your tasks, you make excuses in favor of playing in your laboratory. This boy is not a Marauder - what makes him so special that you did not transform him as you have the others?"

"This boy is merely an assistant," Sinister said, trying to sound as if the idea of changing James that markedly was ridiculous. "He's nobody to waste your time on."

"That's not true. He's Wolverine," Noh put in. As far as Scott could see, Noh wasn't fighting anything, but he sounded almost disconnected. And when Apocalypse turned Noh's way in obvious interest, Noh seemed to stand taller. "The son of Logan and K."

Kree soldier, Scott thought like a curse. Apocalypse could do a lot redirecting the intense loyalty the Kree had.

"Inherited name only," Sinister said as he crossed the room closer to James, trying to illustrate his point. "The young group of X-Men and Avengers named him. He's not nearly as vicious as either of his parents." Scott, with his bionic eyes, could see Sinister's heartbeat ticking up as he continued. "Your Kree was smitten with him and cannot be trusted in this matter. The boy is not a viable choice." He took a few steps to stand in front of James as he made his case. "Either of his parents would have growled the moment you appeared, even before they knew who you were."

Apocalypse made a dismissive sound as he pushed Sinister aside and took a step toward James to look him over more carefully. Thoughtfully. "I can see the resemblance now. He's young. But the potential… the potential is there even from lineage alone."

"No, the potential is elsewhere," Sinister insisted, then shifted his tone as he tried to impress how he couldn't simply hand him over while simultaneously blocking Apocalypse from touching James, who looked stuck to the spot. "He's been working for me for months." Sinister staggered under Apocalypse's glare, though he stepped in front of James again and grudgingly found himself halfway agreeing with Apocalypse. "Yes … there … is some potential for other tasks, but … I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that his potential is greater elsewhere."

Apocalypse stepped closer, and James got to see for himself as Sinister's hands shook while he used himself as a shield to keep James out of Apocalypse's grasp; he was obviously under some kind of psychic assault.

"You seek to deny me?"

"Never. I'm training him to take my place when my services end," Sinister said.

"I wasn't aware you were planning to end your life's work," Apocalypse said, eyes narrowed.

"I'm not. But I can't do this forever," Sinister said.

"I will tell you when your services are no longer required."

"Of course. But even at that, it would be optimistic to believe that mere decades would be enough to train someone new. The boy's mind is where his true potential lies. He is on the precipice of unlocking doorways I thought previously nonexistent. He has the potential to predict mutations through genetics long before even a primary mutation appears. His understanding of science is where his potential lies. Relying on his mutation and muscle would be a waste that could not be recovered."

Apocalypse looked Sinister over carefully, then looked past him again at James, who was holding his breath and entirely stuck to the spot as Apocalypse sneered between them. If Apocalypse didn't trust Sinister's ability to predict paths that people would take, he could have easily taken James on the spot. And he was considering it.

Finally, slowly, Apocalypse turned on his heel to leave and snapped his fingers at Noh, pointing toward him without looking his way. "War will stay here while I retrieve the others. Should the current recommendation for Death fall short of my expectations, I will take this boy upon my return. I do not doubt his potential for your kind of work, Sinister, but he was bred for much greater things than holding your coattails," he said with no room in his tone for argument before he disappeared again.

Sinister glared for a moment before he turned toward Noh. "You may remain in my home, but you are not welcome in my lab. I have work to do."

"I don't answer to you," Noh said, his arms crossed.

James finally started to move again as he looked between where Apocalypse had disappeared and Noh, who was sneering up at Sinister, and he made his decision in a heartbeat as to where he stood in this particular disagreement. Especially when Sinister had gone so far out on a limb to show that James was more suited to stick with him than to serve Apocalypse. He had to keep up the front with Sinister, or word would be back to Apocalypse in a heartbeat. They wouldn't have a chance to resist - and they'd all be screwed.

"Get out," James growled, then reached into his pocket to pull out his keychain and snapped on a device that only Noh and James could hear, though James was being as stubborn as he knew how as he put earplugs in to dampen the noise. Noh couldn't just cover his ears to avoid the supersonic tones when his entire body was covered with a tympanic membrane.

Instantly, Noh sank to one knee, glaring venomously at James. "Fine," he said through his teeth, and James simply waited for him to stumble out the door without a word spoken.

As soon as Noh was well away from the lab, James turned the device off and took a moment to clear his own ears while Sinister secured the lab. "Can I ask a question now?" James asked, watching Sinister rush to close the lab down from anyone outside. "What the hell-"

"I do not have the luxury of time just now, my boy. I am doing everything I can to keep him from taking you to serve him as Death," Sinister said. "If you want to avoid that fate, we need to work quickly. We won't have a chance to get anything done that we need done if we don't move right now."

"He's already taking Horsemen?" Scott stepped through the door as James rushed to help Sinister lock the place down.

Sinister looked stressed as he turned toward Scott. "I didn't know he was moving this quickly. He has always preferred to take his time."

Scott gestured toward the lab. "This can wait-"

"No, it can't," Sinister said. "You heard him. He's in a rush."

"There's got to be a reason for that," Scott said, frowning James's way.

"Don't look at me; I'm not doing anything for that jackass," James said.

"You won't have a choice if he gets hold of you," Scott said. "I sure as hell didn't, and neither did your father." He shook his head and turned toward Sinister again. "He has to suspect you. There's no reason for him to rush."

"He's had it in mind to kill me for years," Sinister admitted. "He hasn't had a viable replacement for me. I was hoping that little carrot might slow him down more."

"Maybe." Scott narrowed his eyes. "Who are the others?"

"I gave him long lists for the other three positions. I've been dragging my feet on Death," Sinister admitted as he came back toward the two of them. "Those I had at the top of the lists were well away from your little team." He held Scott's gaze. "I want them to end him, not work for him."

"I can see that," Scott had to agree. He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. "Seriously, we can do this later-"

"No, we can't," Sinister said. "You'll need the beams to help. You will."

Scott swore under his breath but knew they couldn't waste any more time. "We need to warn the others-"

"I could text," James said, looking paler than usual. "If I had my phone."

"Alright. Make sure Storm knows first. She'll handle everything else."

James nodded before Sinister handed him his phone, and while James was reaching out, Sinister took a few steps closer to Scott to let him know, quietly, "James's name isn't on that list, though you and I both knew he would be the one Apocalypse would want. I was hoping to get ahead of this before he could see the boy."

Scott nodded, hating that he agreed with Sinister, though Apocalypse was one of the few things they agreed on most of the time anyway. "I saw you defend him," he said, tapping his temple with one hand as Sinister painlessly set him up with an IV on the other arm.

Sinister glanced up at him, but didn't comment in response before he turned to step back and James came forward.

"You okay?" James asked. "Relatively speaking. You look a little pale."

"We don't have time for extra anti-anxiety meds," Sinister said, drawing James' attention for a moment before Sinister sent him ahead. "Scott, you needn't worry so much. James is simply planning to keep me in line and watch the door for the alien."

Scott was sure there was more to it than that; Sinister rarely acted generously. He could be reasoned with, yes, but he only agreed to things that were already in his favor. But Scott didn't say anything, not when James looked nervous too. Instead, he kept his focus on James, giving him as reassuring a look as he could until Sinister's sedation pushed him into unconsciousness.

As soon as Scott was out, Sinister ordered James to scrub in and went into motion. For his part, James stood across from him to keep watch for his dad. He wasn't as aware of all the idiosyncrasies that went with this particular surgery, but he had helped Sinister with far more involved projects than this, enough so that he was familiar with the tools and was anticipating what object or vial or injection Sinister would want as they went through Sinister's methods to alter someone. Still, none of the usual items for experimentation were anywhere in sight. Just the cloned stem cells that James had prepared for Scott along with a few of Sinister's formulas to encourage cellular growth - and, of course, the formula James had finished shortly before Sinister and Scott had shown up.

Sinister hadn't bothered to tell Scott what the process was or what he had in mind, but James knew from working alongside him that the only way to make it work properly was to encourage regeneration from the optic nerve. And how that was facilitated, James had no plans on ever sharing with Scott. Especially since that would mean he'd have to admit to allowing Sinister access to samples from him to make a temporary - but powerful - formula for regeneration. It wouldn't last forever, but combined with the stem cells and the other drugs Sinister had lined up for Scott, it would last long enough to get him natural sight and optic blasts once again.

"It was the right call," Sinister said, drawing James out of his thoughts so he looked up at Sinister while he worked. "Without those samples that you took and prepared, the chances of this surgery being successful were far less promising. This is all but guaranteed. You did well, my boy."

"Haven't I asked you not to read my mind?" James said wearily, but that only got an unseen smile from Sinister.

"I didn't have to read your mind, James. You've been anxious about our work for weeks."

"Can you blame me?"

"No. Not with as sensitive as all of you are about such things." Sinister glanced up at James to gauge how well he was handling surgery on his primary father figure. The boy didn't realize that he hadn't argued his part in their work. His masked smirk was eradicated, however, as his migraine once again spiraled out of control. "How steady are your hands today, my boy?"

James met his gaze with a confused expression, then cautiously held up his hands parallel to the ground to show no tremor or wiggle at all.

"Excellent. I need your hands for a moment."

"What?" James stared back at him, wide-eyed. "That wasn't the plan. I'm not supposed to assist on my dad. Not like this, anyhow."

"I don't have time to argue," Sinister hissed out. "If you want this surgery to have a prayer of being successful, you must step in. Now."

It was automatic from there. James reached over and took a hold of the instruments as Sinister took a step back - looking slightly green. He never quit talking, though - and in short order, he was instructing James on what he wanted him to do while Sinister took a seat, obviously in pain.

James had no idea how much time had passed as he held his breath while he worked, occasionally marking his progress and moving forward with Sinister's instructions. When Sinister sat up again, sweaty and somehow paler than usual, James barely considered him as he kept his focus on the job at hand. Soon enough, Sinister got to his feet and came over, his hands clear of the field as he checked James' work - then instructed him on the next steps as he crossed the room and re-scrubbed.

James hadn't argued one word the whole time, and he was gritting his teeth until Sinister took over again. Then, it was his turn to feel sick when he saw the incredibly proud look Sinister was wearing aimed his direction - easy to read, even with a surgical mask on.

"Well done, my boy," Sinister said once he got back into his groove. He gave James a few moments to bounce back before he once again encouraged him to assist, and James, being James, didn't even consider saying no. Especially when it was Scott on the line.

The problem, of course, was that once Sinister started teaching, he had trouble stopping. It was an excellent trait for a teacher but very hard to cope with, considering the subject matter and the person it was applied to.

The surgery continued for a bit longer, with several opportunities for James to assist, but it wasn't until Sinister saw - and pointed out - some signs of regrowth before he began to wrap it up. James stuck with him for all of it, too. Half of his close attention was due to his concerns that Sinister might try something, but that was admittedly hard to do when Sinister kept him so involved in the procedure.

Finally, though, when Sinister was finished, he stepped back and encouraged James to do the same. "Take a moment to wash up, dear boy. You can sit with him while you wait for him to awaken."

James stepped back and waited to follow Sinister's lead - unwilling to step away from his dad until Sinister did, too. There was a long, silent span of time as James washed up, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with Sinister, replaying so much of the surgery in his head. To his immense relief, though Sinister kept an eye on him the whole time, he didn't say anything before he stepped aside to let James pull up a chair near Scott.

Scott's eyes were wrapped delicately to protect them as they regenerated, though James was sure that Sinister would be back several times in the coming … however long it took for this procedure to finish. If nothing else, curiosity would compel him to check beneath the wraps and make sure it was all going well. James didn't care to think what would happen if the procedure didn't take the first time, because he didn't think Sinister would let it go, and he didn't want to think about doing that again.

He would, though, because it was his dad, and he needed Scott to be okay.

Annie had been looking forward to Scott coming to Westchester, because she had been carrying this secret for too long already, and she was so worried something was going to go wrong. She was still so newly pregnant that she knew she wasn't supposed to be stressing this badly, but there she was.

But soon, Scott would be there and be safe, not in Genosha, not where James's protections were gone.

And everything that had happened just had her craving the rest that she was sure they'd get, even for a moment, with a homecoming somewhere he'd grown up. A home, not a nice prison.

Annie was just truly getting caught up in her own thoughts when the room filled with a red light and Wanda appeared - not in her usual, regal-looking attire, but in the much closer-fitting, slightly armored uniform that she rarely bothered to wear unless it was the direst of circumstances.

"Oh god, what happened?" Annie asked, her accent suddenly deep as she jumped straight to concern.

"Scott was perfectly fine when I saw him last," Wanda said. "But he specifically asked that I make sure that you're safe. Along with the rest of the staff here and all the kids I can move at once. Which, let's be honest - it's all of them." She waved for Annie to come closer. "We need to move quickly. I'm sure you can help get them all in one place." As she walked, she worked up a quick spell that drew Nate, Kate, David, and the rest of the young team of X-Men to them.

Annie still felt completely blindsided, but when she saw that Wanda was distracted working up her spell to transport so many people at once, she swallowed the many questions she had.

Not that Kate was going to be quiet about it. "Okay, what's happening and who do I need to shoot?" she asked as soon as she saw where she was and what Wanda was wearing.

"I'm sure we can find someone for you to shoot, dear," Wanda said. "There will likely be plenty."

"I'll take David for you," Annie offered, knowing that she couldn't contribute to the fight even if she'd wanted to, because the last thing she wanted to do was stress herself out even more. And Kate had only just started getting back on the team; Annie knew how badly she wanted to get back into being a hero.

Kate had no sooner handed off David than Wanda's spell was complete, and the group them found themselves standing in a large, metallic chamber along with the student population of Westchester, the newest Avengers, and some of the young heroes' families - for safekeeping.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Genosha," Wanda said. "This island has been fortified with magic, among other things, specifically to keep everyone who is here safe. Those that are supposed to be part of the more targeted battle already know who they are and what is going on. If you don't know, you're not expected to fight, but should you choose to, I'm sure there will be someone stupid enough to try it here." She turned toward Kate and Annie. "Do you think that covers it well enough to start with?"

"You know I love it when you go all 'I'm Queen Billy's Mom and this is how it is'," Kate said, a wide, teasing grin on her face as she bounced on her toes, clearly ready to go.

"You know what's happening," Wanda said. "Even if you don't know the details yet. To be honest, I don't either, but I'm sure it will trickle in dramatically as it usually does."

"Yeah, I'm actually supposed to be in the targeted group and I don't know the details yet," Nate said distractedly. His eyes were glowing as he was already trying to reach out and find what the story was; Sinister hadn't beamed directions into his head or anything yet.

"You'll get the details when you get there," Wanda said. "I had assumed you'd want to spend a few more minutes with your family first - but as soon as you or I know where … if you need the help, I'll get you there."

"Thanks," Nate said - and he did, in fact, take a moment to pull Kate aside. Wanda didn't know what was going on with him specifically, but she was able to see that he had on almost the exact same look Scott had been wearing when he came to confront Erik.

Wanda frowned toward the two of them and the hungry way Kate clung to him and the way he tried to drink in the moment with her. That… was worrisome. She was going to have to make sure to cast a few protective spells on him while he wasn't looking - with what magic she could spare when she was preparing the island's defenses.

And while Nate and Kate took a moment, Annie ventured out to try and get the basics while Wanda was watching the milling crowd beyond Kate and Nate. Wanda was wringing her hands, but she was taking it all in.

"I know I'm not a superhero, but I can direct a crowd. I used to teach high school," Annie offered as she bounced David. "If you want me to direct them somewhere if there's an attack or… just tell me what I can do, and I'll do it."

"To be honest, I don't know what would be best," Wanda said. "I know that my magic can hold back the worst kinds of trouble if I cast carefully - and I am." She turned toward Annie fully. "What can I do for you?"

Annie bit her lip, though she knew Wanda could see that her eyes were shining. "I don't know where Scott is," she admitted softly.

"Scott … is playing general, as I understand it," she said. "You know who the fight is against, I'm sure. It's starting."

"I figured as much," Annie said. "It's just hard not knowing…" She was glad she had David, because she could hardly resist the urge to touch her stomach. "God, he was supposed to come home today. We're supposed to be getting married soon."

"He will," Wanda said with a fierceness behind her tone. "He'll be home, and you'll be married sooner than later."

"Oh, I'm sure of that. This last year has been enough patience for a lifetime, don't you think?" Annie asked, her tone light but wavering.

Wanda smiled lightly and then stepped closer to Annie as they started to walk very slowly. "You two have been so patient. I'm glad it's finally over for you both. And I think … maybe … if you're feeling up to it … you could help direct the families of our younger heroes. You know the Khan's and the Morales family, yes?"

Annie nodded, smiling. "Yes, we've met before."

"There are spare rooms in the wing opposite of where you and Scott stayed last time you were in the palace," Wanda said.

"Say no more," Annie said, nodding to herself and glad to have a task to do - though she did pause before heading off. "And… while you're fighting, please look out for Kate. I don't like the looks those two are wearing."

"Neither do I," Wanda said, looking determined before she glanced over to see that Kate and Nate had their backs to her - so they didn't see the protective enchantment that both of them picked up. But Annie did.

"I'd ask you to wrap magic bubble wrap around the whole family, but…" Annie teased.

"It's not as funny as you'd think," Wanda teased right back.

"And yet strangely satisfying, I'd bet."

"Maybe after it's over …"

"Maybe." Annie gave her a tight smile before she headed off, balancing David on her hip as she started directing traffic with all the authority of someone who had run plenty of backyard barbecues in her life.

Scott still felt like he was floating as he came out of the sedation, though when he tried to shift and do what he always did to flex and check to make sure he was still present, he couldn't. He couldn't make a sound, either, but he was still under enough sedation that the panic he was feeling didn't yet translate to his heartbeat or anything else on the monitors.

But that meant that all he could do was listen. All he could do was feel trapped and, once again, blind, knowing that there was danger just there and he couldn't see it.

God, he had known this was going to be hard. But he hadn't considered that Sinister might let him stew in his blindness. He should have thought of it. He'd told Sinister no for so long. Of course Sinister wouldn't let that stand; he had to remind them who was really in charge.

But he could still hear James. He could hear him breathing shakily and obviously trying to stay in control of his own emotions. And, god, he hated being used against his son.

James was having trouble focusing on much of anything while he was still trying to forget all that had just happened - though he couldn't quite stop himself from mentally going through every step that had just been done in their efforts to give Scott back his natural sight. He was listening for any movement around them while his blood rushed in his ears. But that made him rely on the monitors a bit more than he wanted to.

He could hear Sinister going through the clean up that he usually left to the Marauders, oddly giving James a moment to stick with Scott. He wished he'd missed that detail, but it was hard to ignore when the Marauders were so clearly absent and it was just the three of them in Sinister's lab.

"You should likely change," Sinister said from behind where James was seated.

"I can wait," James replied, intent on sticking to Scott above all else. A glance up at his dad showed that Scott seemed to still be asleep. Vitals were steady. No one was rushing them at the moment. But the aura of Sinister seemed to loom over them darkly.

"You should be proud of yourself," Sinister said - still from across the room. "You did remarkably well."

James hedged. "You know, if we could just … not act like any of that was what you intended, that would be great."

Sinister chuckled to himself, but it didn't come across as the usual foreboding thing that Scott was used to hearing. "This procedure wouldn't have been successful without you."

"Technically, sure," James agreed. "If it works."

"You followed my instructions to the letter. It will work." As he spoke, it was clear that Sinister had made his way over to the two of them, and when he got there, he took a moment to double check Scott's vitals - and took the opportunity to reinforce his commands to be still and calm. Again, Scott was struck by how trapped he felt, not just because he couldn't move but because the panic filling his lungs had nowhere to go, and that made it worse, somehow. There was no outlet but to build up inside him.

A moment later, the sound of a chair scraping close by filled the room and it was plain that Sinister had taken a seat with James at Scott's bedside. "What part has you concerned?"

"Literally all of it," James replied, to which Sinister smirked.

"You know my methods work."

"And you know that's my Dad."

"It doesn't change the facts."

"And one of those facts is that you've screwed with him more than anyone else in the history of your work."

"I had my reasons."

James scoffed. "Being afraid that he'd kill you isn't really a reason. Especially when you said in your notes the whole reason you harassed him so much was because he could do exactly what you needed him to."

"We'll just have to disagree," Sinister said - and let it drop, though he pivoted to a near subject. "Next time-"

"No." James leaned on the word hard. "There shouldn't be a next time if your method works. And I don't want to do this again."

"Pity. As I said earlier, well done." He patted James on the shoulder and got up to leave the two of them alone. "We will discuss this further another time." The second he left, James reached over to rest his hand on Scott's arm.

Scott was still panicking and trying to move, but the command didn't lift all at once. Instead, he felt like he could move just enough to flex his fingers at first - and then, a soft moan escaped him as his heart rate finally started to jump up to match how he was feeling.

At the spike in Scott's vitals, James was on his feet - adjusting feeds and double-checking that nothing was going wrong with what little he could fiddle with. But the IV was working well, and aside from the spike in heart rate, nothing looked too far outside of what matched up with stress. "I've got you, Dad. You're not alone with him," James said with one hand on Scott's shoulder. He didn't think Scott was going to wake up that quickly, but he wanted to at least attempt to help him stay calm. "Sorry I'm not a telepath, even if I think it would suck."

Scott swallowed hard, trying to calm down because he knew James didn't deserve to think he wasn't helping. But he couldn't hold it back just yet; it was like all of the anxiety he'd been feeling while Sinister talked to James had hit him at the same time. And then, it was as if he heard the monitors announcing his slowed heart rate before he felt himself calming down.

Which was how he knew the calm that started to settle over him was artificial.

"'Mokay," Scott muttered, cursing Sinister mentally because he was coming back into control of his body as slowly as if he was actually just waking up.

"Sure you are," James said before he squeezed Scott's shoulder. "He's not around right now. It's just us."

Scott nodded tightly, reaching out to grab hold of James's hand on his shoulder as soon as he could move that much. He squeezed James's hand with a quiet, "You okay?"

"When am I not?" James asked with a false brightness.

"Same," Scott agreed, though he knew perfectly well James was lying through his teeth. And lying better than he ever had before.

"I haven't heard what the story is outside of the lab, but inside - you're doing well so far," James told him. "And if you can manage it, you should probably sleep a little on your own."

"Yeah, that's likely to happen," Scott said dryly.

"Never know," James replied before he pulled his chair closer to sit with him where Scott didn't have to let go of him.

Scott kept hold of James's hand until he felt like he had more control of his body. "Should get going soon," he said.

"Yeah, not until the drugs wear off all the way," James said.

"I'm fine," Scott said. "Probably recover better somewhere else, right?"

"Yeah, probably," James agreed. "But considering how this thing works, you're going to want to go slow so you don't have trouble. Otherwise, he'll insist on repeating it, and I really don't want to."

"I'm sorry about that too," Scott said. "I know you were more involved than you wanted to be."

"What makes you say that?" James asked, watching Scott carefully. "You needed the backup."

"I…" Scott trailed off. "I know him. I know if he wanted you to learn this, he'd make that happen."

James was quiet for a long moment. "What do you know?"

Scott matched his silence and then decided honesty was the better option. "Been awake a while, just couldn't move."

"Sorry."

"Not your idea," Scott pointed out. "Besides, sounds like he needed you, much as I hate to admit it."

"Yeah, that's been the case more often than not," James admitted.

"Knowing the players, I wish that was surprising," Scott said. He shifted. "Help me sit up?"

James didn't answer verbally; instead, he simply helped Scott upright physically and waited for him to get his bearings. "So. You … are going to end up healing a little faster than usual."

Scott held his breath, and in the exhale, he asked, "What did he do?"

"Temporary boost to get you on track, seeing as the need is imminent."

"What did he take?" Scott clarified, his tone falling fast.

"It was for you, Dad. And he didn't have to take anything. I gave it to him." James tipped his head unseen. "…Technically, I worked on it."

"God, James. If I'd known he was going to do that, I'd have let him do it months ago to save you from having to give him anything for me. I don't need these eyes that fast."

"I'm pretty sure that was always in his plan anyhow," James said in a sigh. "It's been a long year, and I don't see how this can work without … well. What I donated."

"And I'm sorry for that too," Scott said.

"No, it's fine," James promised.

"I'll take his head off the second I get my powers going," Scott swore.

"Can you do it after you take Apocalypse's head off?" James asked. "That would be super helpful. You know, in order."

"I think we can handle it without him, and I owe him a hundred times over."

"Honestly, I don't think it can be done without everyone involved," James said after a moment. "Knowing what I do, I am truly sorry, but we're going to need him."

"Yeah, I meant to ask you… I'm going to want to know what you know," Scott said.

"You'll need to be more specific," James said.

"You've read the files he had on me. From when I was a kid." Scott took a deep breath. "It's not important right now, but …"

"It might be," James said. "When you read that, I didn't know all of his shorthand. There was … so much more in depth explanation."

"I'm just… if he thought I could do what he needed … but he was so focused on me and Jean because he wanted to see Nate, not me. I've never been his key to fighting Apocalypse."

James looked over his shoulder and listened for a long moment to make sure Sinister wasn't close at hand. "Has Nate told you anything about how we've been training?" James asked. "Has he been able to?"

"He's given me most of it, yeah. Enough to know he's learning more from him than he wants to admit."

James stood up and leaned in to give Scott a hug to cover it when he shifted to whisper the rest to him. "He's freer to speak in an area where Apocalypse can't reach his mind, and so far, the only place that I know that's the case is when they were training in my head. Long story short, yes, you had the potential to wreck Apocalypse - with help. But, the creep could monitor Sinister's plans. I am not defending Essex. But, it wasn't his idea to throttle you back."

"Thro- throttle me back?" Scott let out an almost-cough of a laugh. "James, when I opened my eyes, it was a nuclear blast."

"Dad, if this works the way we engineered it, you'll be able to do more - and control it the way you should have from the start."

Scott was completely silent for long enough that he could actually feel the rest of the drugs wearing off from the surgery - though the anti-anxiety meds James had given him were still working, apparently. And he was starting to feel itchy as his eyes began healing.

"Don't touch your eyes," James warned before he slid back from the hug. "Regrowth is a bitch."

"I won't… I … what?"

"You heard me."

"I did." Scott reached up and then remembered himself and put his hands back down. "I just… you mean to tell me … since I was eleven…" He cleared his throat. "Right. How long before I can take Apocalypse's head off?"

James smirked. "Well, if I did my part right, I'd guess you'll be in fighting form sometime in the next hour or so. Longer if the boost doesn't take as easily as I think it will." He leaned in closer again. "How well can you block him out? Just because I know something he doesn't … and you're gonna want to know."

"Give me a minute. I have …" He took a deep breath and did something he hadn't done in ages - he opened the part of his mind where his memories of Jean had been, the part of his mind that no one had ever been able to touch after the Phoenix had burned out while they were connected. "Yeah. He can't get in here. What've you got?"

"You know your control issues came from scarring, right?" James asked, then waited just long enough for Scott to react before he continued. "Tyler healed that entirely."

"I didn't know - well, Jean and I suspected the plane crash had something to do with it, but it stopped mattering."

"Well, if there was even a whisper of an issue with anything like that? The boost you got today would destroy that, too. You've got double coverage. If anything at all was from an injury … your system is jacked up and changing that."

"And … god, I don't even know what that will feel like."

"I've got a set of glasses for you just in case you want them, but … I honestly don't think you'll need them."

"Yeah, I'm going to want them until I know how to control it - I don't have time to do that before this fight."

"Nate and Rachel will make sure no one sneaks into your head, okay? I've got your back physically."

"I've always known that," Scott said. And then - he yanked on James's arm and pulled him into a hug. "And I'll always have your back."

"I'm sorry I've been so distant," James said.

"I know why you were," Scott said. "There's a reason my fiance was in Westchester. We've all had to deal with the card we're dealt."

James nodded. "Oh - and just in case we have a problem?" he paused, knowing that if Scott had figured it out already, he was just going to be irritated to hear it out loud. "Your watch. If things go south, not only would that take out Sinister or his men, but that'll drop me, too."

"Define 'drop'."

"Well, I didn't design it to kill …"

"James."

"It should knock me on my ass."

Scott flexed the fingers on the hand wearing the watch a few times before he nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said at last, slowly. Then, he cleared his throat. "So. I should - can you send a message to Annie for me? Let her know I'm okay?"

"Want to use my phone?" James asked as he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Yes, thank you."