Chapter 22 - Grandpa Pirate To The Rescue
James had insisted on talking to Tony and making sure Billy even wanted to be part of Scott's plan to lay low somewhere. But no one was expecting Tony to positively attach himself to James when they finally got into the same room together.
"You scared the life out of me," Tony told him in a brusque tone before he cleared his throat, gave him one more good squeeze, then stepped back, trying in vain to control his emotions. "I have your cat, by the way."
"Good," James said, smirking. "Pets are good for blood pressure or something."
Tony let out a choked laugh and tried to cover for the fact that he had to wipe something from the corner of his eye. "So, you just need to see me, or was this something else?"
"Well, I needed to tell you what's going on with me, because my being here isn't a sure thing yet," James said. "Working on it, but strictly speaking, I should be dead."
"I'm pretty sure that was Logan and K's weekend planner for about twenty years," Tony deadpanned, though he let James lead him down the hall to a quiet spot that they could sit down to chat.
"Yeah, but I may still go that way." For the most part, Tony stayed quiet as he listened to James lay out what they knew, what they didn't, what they were working toward, and what the risks were. He kept his questions short and to the point, and James did his best to answer every one, leaving Tony somber and thoughtful until James took their talk in a new direction.
"I've put a lot of thought into it," James said, looking more serious than Tony had ever seen him. "If I drop, or if I just don't wake up one morning - if Billy and Wanda and Strange can't pull it off - I think … You should look at Miles, Amadeus, Kamala, and Bruno a lot more closely to take my place."
"No," Tony said, shaking his head.
"Tony, You can't look forever for someone if I end up dead. You need a contingency plan."
"Which one?" Tony asked, making it very clear by his expression and tone that he didn't like this talk one bit. "You just gave me four options."
"No, I gave you one option: all of them. Even if I manage to live through this, I think we would be smart to get them more involved if they have any interest. And throw the net to look for more. There's no reason not to - and backups are kind of your thing anyhow."
"Kid-"
"Hey. This is the backup plan, okay?" James said. "You'd need all of them because they have different focuses. It would diversify the company in more ways than one, and you could help them direct it away from just weapons. Think about everything their work could do with you backing them up."
"Well. I guess that gives me more reason to pack them up and send them with you," Tony said, still obviously trying to play it off like they wer just talking about hypotheticals - and like he wasn't as upset as he was.
"You were doing that anyhow," James said.
Tony nodded - and produced yet another new wrist device he'd made to help monitor and alert anyone of trouble with James's continued vital signs. "We're all pulling for you, kid," Tony said as James adjusted the cuff.
"I know, and I appreciate it," James said. "And in case all this goes south and I don't get to talk to you again - love you too."
In the flurry of activity that was everyone either packing or preparing to go to war, Annie fell somewhere in the middle.
She had a bag packed, including some motion sickness tablets in case she got as sick in space as she did in a plane, but she was also waiting outside of the War Room, where Scott was deep in discussion with most of his team. The ones who were staying behind, anyway.
She didn't want to interrupt, but she also knew everything about this was time-sensitive. And so, after warring with herself for a long time, she steeled herself and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Scott called out, probably expecting another hero - though he straightened up when he saw her, and she could hear his thoughts automatically going to the possibilities of what could have gone wrong to bring her there.
She blushed red and came to sit down at the table. "I'd like to help," she said before she lost her nerve.
"I'm sure Nate-"
"No, Scott," she said, gently but firmly. "I want to help."
Scott's eyebrows shot up, and he looked toward Betsy and Warren to his left - and caught the smirk Betsy was wearing. Warren had wanted to stay behind and fight, and Betsy wanted him to go with the kids. And Scott wanted them both in space to look out for Tyler, who had honestly hardly spoken a word since coming back to himself after his second bout with the department. Tyler trusted Betsy, and he looked up to Warren. They were needed.
"You need a telepath if I'm going to be gone," Betsy said, almost immediately taking Annie's side. Not that he was surprised.
Scott let out a breath and turned toward Annie, though when he did that, he could see Hank grinning crookedly too. "Annie, you've been trying to avoid stress, remember?" he said, trying to appeal to that angle of things.
"And you think I'd be less stressed dealing with your father?"
Scott let out a strangled sound, and Hank laughed outright. "She has a point."
"Hank, you of all people-"
"I'm not asking to suit up and run into danger," Annie said, and Hank gestured her way as if to say "see?"
"Annie…"
"Tell me you couldn't use more support with these people, Scott," she said, one eyebrow raised.
"You can't volunteer to face the department, of all things, for your first mission, Annie."
"Then it's a good thing my debut was fighting Sinister," she said, holding his gaze.
"Wait a minute," Warren said, sitting up suddenly even straighter.
"Yes, I think a statement like that should not be thrown around so casually and carelessly," Hank agreed.
Scott pinched the bridge of his nose. "That wasn't… Annie… You can't count that as…"
"Of course I can," she said.
"Of course she can," Betsy said, her smirk somehow even wider. "How many people do you know who could have ever gone up against him, Scott?"
Scott narrowed his eyes at Betsy. He didn't want to diminish what Annie had done, because obviously, he loved her for her courage and heroics and knew she risked a lot to save his kids. But it was one thing to sneak up on a distracted Sinister and another to march to war.
And she was pregnant!
"I'm just offering to run communications for you," Annie said when Scott had been quiet for a good, long time. "Let me help."
Scott dragged his hand down his face. "Annie, these people are-"
"I know exactly who they are, and that's why I think you need help."
Scott opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Warren cut in with a laugh. "So, when are we getting her a uniform?"
"Really?" Scott turned a dry look his way.
"Yeah, considering we've given badges to people for much less? She's earned it."
Annie gestured wordlessly Warren's way, and Scott let out a breath.
"We need a solid way to keep you out of the line of fire. Support only."
Annie beamed and got back up. "I'll handle it. Don't worry. Y'all can get back to your world-saving," she said, and just like that, she was out again, leaving Scott still trying to figure out what had just happened.
The door was hardly closed behind Annie before Warren grinned at Scott. "I like her."
"Shut up, Warren."
For the most part, those that had been to Braddock Manor were already packed up. Well … everyone but James, but he didn't have a whole lot to pack anyhow. He wasn't going to bother Billy until Billy wanted to see him, so what little he had in the way of clothes in Genosha were sort of out of his reach.
He wasn't expecting that Rachel had his back, though - and as it turned out, they'd gone stateside without Scott's knowledge to pack up a few of their own things. Naturally, Rachel took the liberty of setting her little brother up, too. But by that time, America was a little suspicious as to why James hadn't been able to get his own stuff from Billy's room.
But the kids were starting to gather up all the same, and James found a spot a little apart from the group. Not that he expected it to stay that way.
Predictably, the new junior Avengers were grouped up together - half terrified and half excited - and entirely in awe at how bored the Summers kids looked at the promise of a space adventure.
Mia was with Forge, and the two of them had their heads together making sure that they had all they needed for some of the work they planned to do together on Tommy's prosthesis. And Tommy was sticking tightly to Billy and half blocking him from everyone else as his brother tried to get his bearings. Still.
Of course, Corsair, when he arrived, didn't pay attention to any of the kids. He was, predictably, oblivious to how dire some of the emotions were around him as he walked right past everyone to call out to Alex and Scott where they were talking, with Chris and Suzie close by.
"What's the story?" Corsair asked as Alex quietly pointed his kids toward their cousins.
Scott sighed, knowing this was going to be a miserable conversation no matter how it was framed. "We ran into some trouble with that same weapons group that gave us all the interference years ago. Most of the kids on the teams and all of my kids got picked up and worked over."
"That's putting it mildly," Alex said under his breath, rubbing his arm. He still didn't have full motion, though he was in physical therapy. .
"... and we don't have anywhere I trust to keep them out of reach while we deal with the department," Scott said. "We know they're making a play to come after them again to try and recoup their financial losses-"
"Recoup how?" Corsair said, both eyebrows raised, leaning forward in a way he usually didn't.
"They were trying to turn the kids into weapons," Scott said. "And I think they damn near bankrupted themselves in the process."
"So what are we talking about here - experimentation? They're looking to get back the tech? If they're broke, what the hell are you hiding from?"
"They're funded by the Canadian and US military, Dad," Scott said. "So they have the backup. But - yeah. They want to recover whoever they can, and barring that, they want their materials back."
Corsair scoffed at that and looked back toward the gathered group. "That's a helluva lot of kids you're sending off with me," he said.
"Some are for safekeeping and weren't picked up," Scott admitted. "Precautionary."
"Yeah, Alex told me Chris got the family genes," Corsair said, smirking. He shook his head and turned back to Scott and Alex. "Nice to be needed."
"You know the door was always open," Scott pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah." Corsair put his hands on his hips as he surveyed the group. "All three of 'em, Scott? How the hell'd that happen?"
"Multiple coordinated attacks," Scott told him. "They went for groups, mostly. Everyone was attacked at once. There wasn't a way to warn anyone."
Corsair shook his head, one foot tapping as he considered it. "You sure you don't need someone else on this? My crew can keep everyone out of reach no problem, but it sounds like you got a problem I know how to solve. Been killing slavers since you were ten, after all."
Scott sighed. "I just need these kids to live long enough for us to turn the department inside out while the kids are out of reach. We know the who, where, and when they plan to have their auction - we just need to play keepaway with them for now."
"Auction?" Corsair repeated, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone around them. "Scott, what the hell - why didn't you lead with that? Let me help, or let me blast the whole auction from the sky!"
"I thought you wanted the whole story," Scott said flatly.
"Lead with the auction, dammit. We can use the ship's canons-"
"You do that and you'll have SWORD on your tail," Scott said. "Let us handle them - you keep them safe and out of reach."
Corsair didn't look happy about it at all, but by that point, since he'd caused a bit of a scene, Annie came over, and she was pregnant enough that Corsair was distracted again. "Scott, when were you going to tell me-"
"Are you all set to look out for everyone?" Annie asked sweetly - in the tone Scott had heard her use on Sinister when she was being sharp but polite. "Is there anything I can do to help speed things along? I know it's better to get everyone off-world as fast as possible."
Corsair opened his mouth a few times and then laughed and shook his head. "No way I could turn down help. But let me handle most of it. You're-"
"Yes, I'm aware," Annie said. "I was there when it happened."
Corsair chuckled at that. "Right," he said, already redirecting to get things set up - which freed up Scott and Alex to talk to their own kids and say their quick goodbyes and see you laters.
James was a little slow to move for a few reasons - one of the main ones being that he simply didn't want to go with Corsair across the street, let alone wherever they were headed now. He was tired, and he'd heard every word of the discussion Scott and Corsair had about them. He was incredibly thankful that Scott hadn't been more specific on anyone's issues, too, because the way he was feeling right now, he might end up accidentally murdering the old man if he started in with his usual tone. But he still wasn't quite prepared when Doctor Strange fell into step with him on the way up the gangplank.
"A moment of your time, once we're inside," Strange said in a tone that made it clear this wasn't a request.
"Su-re, why not," James said under his breath, though he was half glaring at pretty much everyone around them. Once they were inside and the hatch was closing up, while most of the kids and older X-Men aboard were taking direction from a handful of Corsair's crew, James dropped his bag and gestured for Strange to follow him. The Summers kids had all spent enough time there to know where they could go and where they couldn't, after all.
When James found them a quiet room that happened to have a big window looking outside of the ship as they took off, he closed the door behind them and gestured openly. "What did I do wrong now?"
"Not a thing. You're not the source of my irritation at the moment," Strange said, glaring toward the closed door before he dropped his shoulders and turned toward James. "I'll be frank: I'm not going to go to all the effort it will take to deal with whatever Hell is trying to send our way if you don't want to be here in the first place."
"What?" James said, clearly off-balance already.
"Not a single person has asked if you wanted to be torn from Heaven to live a life tethered to something in Hell, and if you'd rather be back where you were, tell me now before I expend more magical resources on this problem." Strange shook his head. "It should be your choice. It is your soul."
It took James a moment to process what Strange was saying, and after he thought about it for a moment, he shook his head lightly. "There's no guarantee that I'd go back there, though," he said. "I was barely allowed to stay - and with all the trouble everyone is going through, I can't give up."
Strange watched him for a long time before he nodded once, sharply. "I had to ask. I know no one else has," he said.
"How would you know that?"
Strange drew his hands out to his sides in a half shrug. "The whole of your support group seems to be making decisions for you with no consultation. It's not a hard inference to draw. And your shock at my question proved me right: no one asked."
"They didn't ask because it's not just my life," James argued.
"And you've been selfless about every other situation like this, so they assume," Strange agreed. "But you are allowed to have an opinion about your own survival."
James held up one hand. "I want to stay - unless it will make everything worse for them."
Strange nodded, crossing his arms as he considered James. "I'll be honest with you: I offered what I did because I'm sure I'm already going to be dealing with Hell one way or another. Fighting death for you does complicate things, but at least we'll have something to show for it after we deal with whatever comes from that tether Billy created. So I'm glad you're willing to fight. I am."
"My father fought through Hell alone - I can handle helping with one demon or whatever it is."
Strange smirked and went for the door. "I'm sure," he agreed. "Still, do me a favor and make sure you're not alone, especially up here."
"That's going to be hard," James admitted. "But I'll see what I can do."
Strange nodded and slipped out, leaving James to chew on all he'd said - and to figure out where to go from there.
After Tommy and Billy had found a room, Billy had more or less fallen into pacing, and Tommy watched him for a long time before they both got a text from Kate inviting them to eat with everyone.
And that was totally the plan, but when Tommy saw James and Forge talking on the way to the mess hall, he redirected, let Billy go ahead of him, and looked for Mia…
There she was.
"Hey, can I borrow you?" Tommy called out.
Mia turned with a smile. "Sure! Have you checked out this ship yet? There are some crazy things. Everywhere."
"Yeah, haven't noticed. Can I talk to you?" Tommy said, glancing around for where they could talk in private.
Mia frowned. "What's wrong?"
"So much."
"Yeah, let's find somewhere," she agreed, offering him her hand. "My mom warned me not to teleport, so we have to go slow. And I really don't want to go face-first into one of the crewmen."
"Yeah, I don't know the layout well enough to speed off," Tommy agreed, gesturing for her to lead the way.
"They're pirates; we can just pick a spot we want and claim it. What are they going to do? Claim rights to it?"
Tommy chuckled at that, nodding his agreement as they walked until they did find a tucked-away spot, and he lost the slight smile.
Mia dropped down into a chair and looked up at him. "Okay, what has you looking like that?"
Tommy blew out his breath through his cheeks, ran his hand through his hair, and said, "So, what all do you know about my brother pulling James from Heaven itself?"
"Exactly that," she said. "I haven't gotten to corner anyone to get details. Why?"
Tommy started to pace. "Okay, so, the thing is, I've been convinced he was dead since the Cuckoos had their way with him, and I was right, but Billy doesn't - the world doesn't work for him the same way - that's beside the point," he said, shaking his head to start over. "It doesn't matter. That's not the point."
"It must matter if you're this upset," she pointed out.
"Yeah, we'll have a whole other conversation about how my brother skirts consequences and lives a charmed life; we'll get around to it," Tommy said, rolling his eyes. "Point is: James was dead. He was in Heaven. And he was there for months."
Mia scrunched up her nose at that. "Come again?"
"Yeah, time doesn't work the same way there. He was there long enough to move on and start dating your ex."
"Shut up."
"Mia, do I look like I'm lying to you?"
"No, but that's not … no."
Tommy went back to pacing, gesturing with both his remaining hand and the nub at the end of his other arm. "And now Billy's trying to force himself to be okay, because it's so screwed up, isn't it? James got killed and was on the other side long enough to form relationships, and now, Billy's picking up the pieces again and trying to be mature again and it's so screwed up. It's so screwed up, Mia. Billy's hardly even talking - Billy!"
"None of that makes any sense, Tommy," she said, holding the end of her tail with both hands.
"It doesn't, does it?" Tommy said, so busy ranting he didn't see that she looked smaller. "Billy's a god, basically, and of course he was gonna - and then there's futzing Noh. I gotta tell you something, Mia, if it'd been me-"
"Tommy, don't."
Tommy stopped, finally, and turned toward Mia, his eyes wide as he realized what he'd been saying - and who he'd said it to.
"I don't want to think about that, okay?" she said in a whisper.
Tommy opened and closed his mouth a few times before he swallowed and asked. "Which part? Because it's a lot."
"It is a lot," she agreed. "But you're here, and I don't … you can't."
"That was just… that's not what I meant," Tommy said, trying to backtrack. "I wasn't…" He sighed, looking away when he saw tears gathering at the bottoms of her eyes. "I was trying to say… I just meant you were my first choice, and if I'd've been the one to kick it, I don't think I'd've moved on so fast," he said, muttering the last bit almost under his breath because it sounded so stupid when he said it out loud.
Mia very nearly smiled when she heard what he'd said, but managed to keep what was left of her composure. She cleared her throat after a moment or two. "If you think James did something wrong - let him have it."
Tommy shifted back and forth a few times. "I just - you know -"
"I know what you meant," Mia said. "But Noh isn't here to defend himself or what did or didn't happen."
"Yeah, I'm… I'm sorry. It's not cool to speak ill of the dead or something," Tommy said.
"If what you say happened happened, then … I don't know," Mia said.
"I just… I remember how pissed James was when we broke up," Tommy said. "I can't believe - there's no way - with the guy you were so clearly in love with…!" He threw his hand up in frustration.
"And that's why I'm having trouble believing it," Mia said. "James never felt that way about Noh. I know that for sure."
"Yeah, that's the screwed up thing. Well, one of them, anyway," Tommy amended. "James let Billy see his memories. Telepathic siblings, you know? And James was so drowning in his own guilt that he was almost sent to purgatory to work it out for himself - except Noh flirted him into coping. Which makes it even harder to be mad. Which makes Billy crazy."
Mia lifted one eyebrow. "Okay, but that makes more sense."
"You'll have to enlighten me then, because this whole thing is stupid."
"Well, I think I'd need a seance to … you know… know for sure, but, if I had to guess, it sounds like Noh just tried to distract him enough to keep him around." She gestured with one hand. "And you haven't spent much time with James … he kinda hates himself more often than not - but he tries to make the people around him happy."
"Yeah." Tommy blew out his breath. "Well, my brother's been tattooed into less power than he's used to, so no seance, sorry."
"That's okay," Mia said. "If you're right about all that, I'd just want to slap the crap out of both of them anyhow."
"Okay, so I'm not overreacting?" Tommy looked relieved as he sank into a chair at last as well. "I'm just so pissed that my brother's hurt, you know? And you deserved to know."
"I mean, it's a lot," Mia said. "And yeah, your brother's hurt and I don't have siblings of my own? But I don't think logic matters when you're defending someone that close to you. You know?"
Tommy smiled tightly her way. "I mean, Billy means more to me than just about anybody," he said.
"And it's your duty as his brother to take care of him when he's upset like that," Mia said.
Tommy's expression fell, and he nodded, looking away from her. "Something like that."
"I don't mean it in a prince-way," she said, rolling her eyes. "James is the closest thing to a sibling I have, and you can't tell me that his response to you when we split up was logical."
"Yeah, no, I know," Tommy promised quickly. "I get that. I was just…" Tommy shrugged. "Okay, once again, this feels stupid to be mad about-"
"It's not," Mia said. "If you want to yell at him, maybe you'll feel better?"
"Yeah, I'd like to get him and Billy and Noh all at once, honestly, but if I yell at Billy, he'll fall to pieces, and I can't get to Noh, so…"
"You can't yell at Billy," Mia said with a smirk. "But do me a favor, huh? If you decide to get after James, don't hit him." She got to her feet and made her way over to squeeze his shoulder. "You'll break your hand and be miserable and mad."
"No kidding. Then I'd have zero hands," Tommy said, trying to joke for her.
"Mmhmm," Mia agreed. "And … he's helping Dad now, actually, if you decide you want to try out in person and decide from there."
"Yeah, maybe I'll catch him when they're done. I don't want to interrupt them when they're having a meeting of the minds. And I don't want to lose my temper in front of your dad."
"He had some good notes when I left," Mia said.
"Yeah." Tommy cleared his throat. "Okay. Um. Sorry to steal you from dinner and drop all that on you…"
"It's fine," she said. "And … I'll just kind of wait it out to see if James comes to me. I haven't really seen him until now, so if that's what happened, he hasn't had a chance to talk to me." She held up both hands. "I believe you. When you put all the pieces together, I believe you, but … there has to be something missing."
"Maybe," Tommy said, though he didn't sound like he believed it. He sighed and offered her his arm. "C'mon, let's at least eat before we do anything else. If I go find James now, I'll end up hitting him, and you asked me not to."
"I asked you not to break your hand," she said in a teasing tone. "Essentially."
"Right. I promise not to break my hand," Tommy said, and she laughed as they headed to the mess hall.
Everyone had come to the mess hall for dinner, and Betsy didn't even need to be telepathic to know Tyler was deeply uncomfortable. He was so concentrated on his food, like it was his mission in life, and he barely looked up for anyone.
Not that she was surprised, knowing what she did.
Angela tried to cheer him up a few times, and she could usually get some smiles, but he was obviously isolated.
What's more, Betsy could sense the panic constantly simmering below the surface of his thoughts. He was on the edge of a panic attack purely from how much he was looking over his shoulder, expecting to get grabbed at any second. No amount of reassurance could erase that he'd twice now been kidnapped and enslaved when he'd been relaxed and safe.
She caught him playing with his claws, too, just articulating them to himself, lost in thought as he watched his hands. She knew it felt good, but she somehow doubted he was doing it for the sensation.
"Penny for your thoughts," she said as she sat down next to him.
Tyler startled, glanced up, and quickly retracted his claws. "Oh, hi."
"Hi." She smiled at him and crossed her legs. "You know, I thought you'd at least be looking out the windows. It's not every day you get to go to space."
He let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, maybe later."
She sighed and leaned toward him. "It's not going to solve anything for you to sit here by yourself," she pointed out.
"Yeah, maybe," he agreed, still looking down at his hands. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."
Betsy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I just…" He took a deep breath and let it out. If I have a panic attack with people around, that's bad news.
Isolating isn't going to stop you from having a panic attack either.
Maybe not, but it mitigates damage.
Betsy frowned, though now that he'd opened his mind to her, she could see how close he really was to losing it. And funnily enough, he wasn't tipping toward the rage that Logan and now James had. Or the calculated fury K had. This was pure fear and a desire to run.
She didn't want him to think she was laughing at him or making light of the situation, so she covered her mouth to hide her smile. But now that she'd seen it… he was so much like his biological father. At least in this one thing. She'd been in both of their minds, and the pattern was the same.
Again, she wished Logan was still alive so she could tell him what she knew: that Victor Creed had never crossed the red line because he ran in panic from it as soon as it crossed his horizon.
She reached out to touch Tyler's arm. "You can't stay this tightly wound," she said. "At least let me tell you how we've got our system set up to look out for each other. Yes, even emotionally."
Tyler gave her a tired smile and didn't argue, though he kept his frame small and crossed his arms, holding his elbows to look smaller as she walked ahead of him.
Down the hall from most of the group that had joined Corsair's ship, the junior Avengers recruits had all bunked up for the duration. Miles, Bruno, and Amadeus had decided the best way to pass the time on a spaceship they weren't allowed to pilot or shoot astroids with was to have a video game tournament - which was honestly a fair take.
But they were also the ones with the best connection to Earth's internet - via a system of interconnected, dropped satellites along their path - so James had drifted his way down to their room to join them. At least for the internet connection.
He was once again starting to feel tired, but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. If he wasn't dealing with the voices that overwhelmed his senses on waking or drifting off to sleep, he was having nightmares, so rest wasn't actually something in his wheelhouse at the moment.
He didn't want to talk to anyone about those issues, either, when for one thing, it had been made clear that no one knew what to expect out of this situation - and for another thing, he was reasonably convinced that he'd destroyed what was left of his relationship with Billy. And he didn't want to interfere with Billy's focus while he awaited Wanda and Strange's decision on how to proceed.
Instead, he put his sights on the auction his dad had mentioned. He knew his way around those servers to a degree that he didn't exactly want to admit to, and he knew that on Earth, Natasha and Tony were likely volleying the attacks the department was setting up both in person and online. Wrecking their servers and mountains of digital data was the least he could do. Along with corrupting their information systems, guidance, communication … anything that could be screwed with, James was doing his best to find out who was registering to bid. He wouldn't be able to do too much with the poor connections, but he could certainly send all he could get started to Tony.
So while the guys were getting rowdy with a harmless Smash Brothers tourney, James tucked into the corner and got to work. He didn't want to go to the room he'd claimed for himself. Not yet, anyhow. Not when he was trying to hold to his promise to Billy to fight. And for now, that meant not being alone. Even if that was all he wanted while Billy was weighing out what he thought.
"It might be a little crowded," Betsy's voice rang out as she made her presence known, "but we're trying to make sure no one is alone on an intergalactic pirate ship."
Miles glanced up and did a quick double-take on seeing Tyler walk up with Betsy - but he was in the middle of a fight, so he wasn't paying attention well enough to catch the context of what was happening.
"Ah … you're welcome to jump into the game," Bruno said, though it was clear he was eyeing Tyler's sheer size just as much as Miles was.
"Drawing the line at crashing here, though," Amadeus said without even looking up. "We've already got one big guy in here. No room for two."
"And three is kind of crowded in here as it is," Miles agreed quickly - if for no other reason than he was understandably wary of Tyler after everything he'd heard and seen from the department footage and Mayday.
Betsy frowned and looked around the room. "James makes four," she pointed out. "Not three."
"I'm not staying," James said with a little wave. "Just … hanging out for now."
"Does Tommy need a roommate?" Betsy asked.
"I don't think Tommy would go for that, and besides - Tommy's staying with Billy," James replied, then realized quickly that some of the adults didn't know what was going on or not going on with him and Billy.
"Then you can use a roommate," Betsy said, smoothly brushing past that revelation so as not to embarrass anyone involved by drawing attention to it. "Neither of you should be alone."
"Oh… okay," James said, before he saw how anxious Tyler looked. "Gimmie like … two minutes to finish screwing with this, and I'll show you where I'm hiding out."
"Aren't you just in one of these bunk rooms?" Bruno asked with a frown.
"Yeah right; he was raised with the Summerses," Amadeus said with a grin. "He probably has his own room on this thing."
"Like Dad allowed us around the space pirates that regularly," James muttered as he finished his work. "No, when we were little, we only got into the Starjammer a few times for a ride, really - and we stayed with Dad. He didn't want us taking up the three-eyed alien Jolly Roger."
Once James got moving, Tyler listened politely to Betsy and James teasing back and forth, but the truth was that he was relieved not to be saddled with the youngest Avengers. He was a few years older than everyone else anyhow, and he knew that the stories of how he'd behaved under the department's thumb had gotten back to them. Even if they hadn't seen him in action, they were understandably concerned. Well .. all of them but James, who had fought him and had given him a pass nearly from the word go.
James tucked his laptop under one arm and bumped fists with Bruno and Amadeus on his way out - Miles was too distracted to do the same, and that also had Tyler a little anxious. "I'm not far from here," James told him, doing his best to ignore the strong scents coming off of Tyler. "But it's a lot quieter."
"Okay," Tyler said slowly as he fell into step with him. They passed a few crew members - all of whom acknowledged James differently than he'd seen them acknowledge him or the non-Summers kids. But Tyler wasn't expecting to see that the room James had claimed for himself looked to be originally used as some sort of conversation pit.
There were a few chairs, two couches, some end tables - or what passed for them - and a view of the stars that positively beat anything he'd seen in the sleeping quarters.
"Take whichever couch you prefer," James said as he set his laptop down. "They're both about the same, and this will be a good spot to hunker down, you know?" He sat down and scrubbed one hand over his face as he waited for Tyler to make a call and try to relax.
Tyler took a few moments to consider where he was, the room they were in, and who he was with before he arbitrarily chose 'his' couch and sank into it. "It's funny," he said after a long moment. "Betsy was just telling me I needed to sit down and enjoy the view."
"Then I guess you're in the right place," James replied. "Not sure about you, but after all that crap, I'm in a weird headspace. I don't know what you've been told about my mess - or what's just family knowledge - but a lot more time passed for me than everyone else. So … I kinda keep forgetting it wasn't that long for everyone."
"Yeah, I can't relate to that part, but I get the weird headspace," Tyler agreed, once more playing with his claws as he stared out the window. "I'm aware, sometimes, of what happens when I get hijacked," he said. "And they weren't doing as many memory wipes this time when they knew I couldn't fight 'em. Kinda jealous of the kids who got to sleep through it all, even if I know it jacked up their bodies and they had telepaths probing the whole time. Kinda jealous you got time to process it all, too."
James didn't know it, but that was the most Tyler had said to anyone at all about what had happened - and only because he knew if he had a panic attack around James, it probably wasn't going to leave any long-lasting still remembered the sound Tommy's leg had made when it broke. He was worried about what happened if he did that to someone else. He hadn't processed any of it. And what's worse was the years he spent under the department's thumb before felt like they were flooding his memories all over again.
And he'd been avoiding Doctor Hale. The guy didn't need to be around him if he lost it.
"Well … I was only partly conscious when they bonded my skeleton with adamantium and ran all their tests. I was awake when Tommy tried to escape, but I couldn't do anything to help him, and I was too worn-out and in shock to be useful … 'time to process' wasn't really worth it when you factor in that I died to get that time," James said.
"Yeah, too high a cost, fair," Tyler agreed. He looked out the window. "I heard a rumor about that." He smirked and looked down at his claws. "I'm half hoping we'll get a fight I can sink these into. Better than slicing open someone who doesn't deserve it, and I'm itching for a fight."
"Ah … yeah, I'm not sure what the rumor says, but …" James watched him for a long moment. "You know … if you need a sparring partner, the offer's still open. Don't know when they'd let us get back into a real fight."
"Honestly might take you up on it," Tyler said, a smile tugging at his expression before he schooled it.
"Provided I'm still around," James said as an afterthought - because he wanted to be fair about it.
"Yeah." Tyler let out a breath. "Probably not a good idea anyway. For me. For you for other reasons, probably."
"No, it's a good idea," James said, still in a reasonable tone. "You can't break me, so …"
"Just worried about the damage I could do if I let loose and you drop dead again in the middle of it," Tyler told him frankly.
"Well, I don't mean now," James said as he shook his head. "I mean if Strange and Billy can manage to straighten this out with a scenario where I'm still alive." He leaned forward. "Only way you could kick my ass is if I dropped dead on my own in the middle of it."
"Oh, it's like that?" Tyler said, smirking.
James broke into a smile. "You bet your big ugly ass it is."
"Now you're just being hurtful," Tyler said, though he was grinning as he leaned back.
"Not yet, no," James replied, kicking his feet up. "Seriously. Let the cape wearers do what they do, and you know I'm happy to blow off some steam with you."
"Yeah. Just gotta practice stopping, not gonna lie. Part of why I don't want to be on a team, you know?" Tyler gestured broadly.
"So don't be on a team," James said easily. "You don't have to do anything like that if you don't want to."
"Jan literally has my uniform designed, and I don't know how long medical school can deter her as an excuse."
"Jan's had Annie's uniform for her for years. Don't let her bug you," James advised. "She does that for everyone. She's probably designing one for the baby."
"Oh, I know she's designing one for the baby," Tyler said.
"And the medical thing? Way more useful than the hero thing."
"I hope so," Tyler said.
"It totally is," James said. "And you're going to be great. Ignore the Aunt Jan pressures."
"Yeah, I'll work on that." Tyler was quiet for a moment. "You remember the bonding?" he asked after a moment.
"Yes," James said with a nod.
"Yeah. Same with the neural controls. Yours was probably worse, though," he said, wincing badly.
"Well it still hurts," James admitted.
"I get that," Tyler agreed. "Mine hurt until it was out, too, but you can't take yours out."
"It'll fade eventually," James said confidently. "I just … the phantom pain thing is a big problem. Hurts for a long time after I get shot, too. All healed up, but the nerves still get mad."
"Yeah, no kidding," Tyler agreed. He chuckled under his breath. "It's nice to have someone who gets that."
"Your support group for that is woefully small," James said heavily. "Sorry 'bout your luck."
"Yeah, Captain Rogers seemed shocked when I brought it up to him. He heals, but not… you know."
"Cap … it's different for him," James said, but had to tease. "He's kinda spoiled, I think. That's what I was told, anyhow."
"Yeah, that's what I'm getting too," Tyler agreed.
"He was so offended that they were drawing blood and just … leaving him there," James said. "Like the weirdo wanted more attention or something."
Tyler snorted. "Yeah, he was the VIP over there. Overheard a few of them geeking out, actually. Which was weird."
"Must have been," James said with a laugh. "How I ended up on his cell block in my birthday suit beat to crap and back while he got just a little blood draw … makes no sense." He let the sentiment fall for a moment, then drew in a sharp breath and opened his mouth to say something, hesitating for just a second before he spoke up. "I … took one of the telepaths with me. Sort of. I think … she might have been the same one that was nastier with you than the other four. Sounded like she had a thing against feral mutations."
Tyler let out a low growl that they both felt more than heard. "Yeah, I remember her. Good riddance."
"Well … my brother dropped some with a psychic bomb … and Sinister killed their bodies so they couldn't bounce back - if it was even possible. So … whichever ones I didn't get? They did."
Tyler nodded, bared his teeth, and snorted a soft laugh. "You remember when Emma was in everyone's heads? I just assumed all telepaths felt like that for the longest time; I almost didn't notice her crawl in mine."
"Do not let my siblings hear that," James laughed.
"Yeah, honestly, Betsy helping was such a relief I can't even describe it to you. You're lucky to have your brother and sister; they actually have boundaries and they're…" He trailed off, looking for the right way to describe it.
"They have a warmth," James said. "And Betsy's like water. But they all have trouble with me if I don't let them in. You got that too?"
"Yeah, they had to break a lot in there when I was sixteen," Tyler said.
"So … when you had to sit down with the shrink and they asked where the bad ladies touched you, it was your brain. Nice. Should have made it simple for them."
"Yeah, you'd think." Tyler looked down at his hands; the claws were still out. "Any tips on how to avoid Doc Hale, actually?"
"I frustrate him to tears," James said.
"Yeah, I tried warning him that I'm an inch away from snapping, and he was like 'well, that's what I'm trying to fix.' I don't think he gets it."
"I can tell him to back down," James said. "He's only really seen you as you, not … on edge."
"Yeah, it's…" Tyler blew out his breath and looked toward James to meet his gaze. "I never used these before they grabbed me, and I don't really use them now. Or I didn't. You know why?"
James considered him before he shook his head 'no'.
"I remember a lot from the years I wasn't in control. I wasn't driving, but I was doing all of it. It's muscle memory. The only way I've ever used my powers has been when they were driving me like I was my sperm donor. When I'm not holding back, that's where the muscle memory goes."
James thought about it and finally started nodding his head. "So … alright. If I tell you some of what happened with me, can you not spread it around? Because I think I might have something to help you."
"Scout's honor," Tyler said.
"Alright. So. I spent what to me amounted to several months with my parents," James said. "And my dad taught me some meditation stuff because I was in a flat-out panic attack almost right from the start. I don't know if muscle memory will cover it for me … because, well … I was dead, but … I know the principles, and they did help me."
"That… would be great, actually," Tyler said. "And if it doesn't work and relaxing too much makes me slip, hey, you can kick my trash ten ways to Sunday, right?"
"Mmhmm," James said. "And seeing as you can't break anything on me now, you might just end up breaking your hand if you hit me too hard."
"There ya go. Deterrence." Tyler flashed James a grin that showed his canines. "Okay, show me what you've got."
