13 Thoughts

Amelia was scared.

Not only for herself but for the young boy that she had grown to care for.

She was scared that someday, the actions of others would impact her massively and now she worried that Alex would be swept up in it also. Yet, ironically, the very people she was scared of causing such an event to come about, were her partner and Alex's own brother; Charles and Scott.

The dreams Charles had were good ones, Amelia admired him for believing that humanity and Mutants could live in a world of peaceful coexistence. A naive, but admirable dream all the same. If that was all they were though, Amelia would have no problems with them, but she knew to Charles that they weren't simply dreams.

It was his goal.

No matter how long it took, Charles would continue to work towards creating that dream world a reality. He intended to gather together a group of like-minded Mutants and even humans to help him bring that goal to fruition. Amelia was scared of what he could do with such a team, the chaos and hardship he and those connected to Charles would have to endure before such a thing ever came to life.

If it ever did that was.

Amelia wasn't so certain.

Her, more realistic view of the Mutant crisis was simple, they had to hide. To hide who they were until the world became more accepting of them or till Mutants were the only ones left. No matter how long that might take, hiding was the only option. A stark difference to Charles's belief in embracing their difference and striving to show the world that they were not evil monsters.

Yet, while their relationship had been strained since Alex and Scott arrived, things had begun to patch themselves together. The distance that had formed together began to close up once more as they cared for the two young boys. Or more specifically, cared for Alex.

However, Scott was a different story altogether and that was what scared her the most.

The way he acted wasn't normal.

He was calm, calculated and mature beyond his years. When he wasn't at school, Scott was training extensively. Practising various martial arts, going through set katas and moves, training them into his body's muscle memory. Pushing himself to limits as he raced around the private land of the mansion, or in the gym. Scott was training himself for conflict, and Amelia recognised it instantly.

She had seen the news reports on his conflict in Iowa.

She had also observed the chess matches between him and Charles.

Amelia had seen the strategical mind that Scott possessed and it scared her. The determination that drove him to train with such intensity combined with that strategical mind made his limits much higher than anyone else's. That scared her more than anything, she was scared of what was to come when Scott was finally unleashed upon the world with a team at his back. Scott and Charles were working together, Amelia knew that much and she had pieced together very easily that Scott was the first to be recruited into the team Charles was putting together.

It couldn't have been a worse outcome.

For Charles it was perfect, he gained precisely what he was looking for. Determined, dedicated, experienced, skilled and powerful. A figurehead and a leader for his new team to rally behind. But now that it had begun, Amelia knew that it would only continue to develop until Charles finally started making waves.

When he did, the Mutants of the world would face the backlash.

Not just her, but also Alex.

However, what she feared most was that Alex would sign up also.

That he would buy into Charles' and his brother's delusions and join the team, forcing himself into a life he wasn't prepared for. The world was a vast place with many dangers around every corner, they had only faced a small amount and they were by no means prepared for what the world was really like.

Least of all Alex.

She didn't want anything to happen to him.

But as she watched Alex join his brother for the last leg of his run, she knew that stopping Alex from going down the same path as his brother would not be easy. It would have to start with Scott himself, he was the only person that could get Alex to go down a different path.

But Scott had been distant and cold to her from the moment that she met.

Not that Amelia had made things any easier either.

Both had avoided each other as best as they could, Alex the only reason the two had any form of interaction at all. Even then, it was strained and aloof, but Amelia would have to change that if she wanted to make sure Alex wouldn't be swept up in the war to come.

She had no doubt that it would erupt into war eventually.

Human history showed things like these always did.

-X- Line Break -X-

"Can I ask you something, Professor?" Scott asked, moving his pawn piece forward as the chess match between them started once more.

"By all means, Scott, ask away," Charles answered, his response speedy, but calculated as he moved his own pawn piece forward.

"Have you considered any other members for the X-Men?" He wondered, trying to gauge what other differences there were in this world to the ones in his memories. The location of the mansion was different, but what else was as well? Perhaps the original members of the First Class?

"I have considered a few, but have yet to approach them with an offer."

Scott nodded his head. "Who are they?"

"Curious?"

"Naturally. Check." Charles blinked, looking down at the board, only to frown when he saw that he was in did in check. He considered where to go next, seeing only one real option that would allow him to avoid being put in check immediately afterwards. However, he knew that this was a trap set up by Scott.

A conundrum.

But Charles rolled the dice and made a gamble, choosing instead to move headlong into the trap. "I have encountered two Mutants. A young woman your age that possesses telepathy and telekinetic powers." Instantly, Scott thought of Jean. "The other, a boy with wings."

'So, Jean and Warren.' Scott thought to himself, not making a move straightaway, appearing to think upon the next move to make. In fact, Scott was instead thinking about his next move to make in the real world. 'That is similar to Cyclops' memories. I'll have to check the internet for any signs of the Avenging Angel. As for Jean, if this follows a similar route to the memories, then she will join on her own as a means to better control her powers.'

He was excited at the prospect of meeting the two, but more importantly, he was excited to see Jean. The memories of her painted a clear picture of the bond and love Cyclops and Jean had held for each other. Even if the world and the powers that be had not made it easy for them. Scott was curious to see if the Jean of this world was anything like the Jean in Cyclops' memories.

As for Warren, he was one of Cyclops' oldest friends and trusted allies. They had their disagreements, but the two had always had each other's back when shit hit the fan. He was one of the few people that had stuck by Cyclops' side the longest against the Last Foe. Even giving his life to save Cyclops'.

Much like with Jean, Scott was excited to see whether Warren was like he remembered in Cyclops' memories or if he was completely different.

But as Scott told himself, he would treat them like strangers.

He would rather not go into a meeting with them and believe he knew everything about them thanks to Cyclops' memories only to learn that things were completely different. The information Scott gained from the memories he would keep to one side, but prepared to use should enough signs point to them being accurate. However, they would not be his opening move.

"Have I finally managed to stump you?" Charles joked, having seen Scott deep in thought.

"Sorry." He apologised quickly, Scott riding his head off those thoughts and focusing on the moment, moving his pieces quickly, wiping the little smile off Charles' face instantly. "I was simply focused upon what you told me."

Charles chuckled, hardly upset about being beaten once more so handily; he had become used to it by this point. "No need to apologise," Charles told him. "Instead, let me ask you something."

Scott looked at him, raising a brow in questioning.

"How would you organise your team with them two?" It was a test, that much Scott could tell instantly.

"It depends on the limits of their abilities," Scott replied. "If flight is all the boy can do then he would be best used as a scout and providing ariel intel. Though with proper training, he could be effective in a hit and run, and other gorilla tactics during combat. Swooping in and causing the enemy to fall into disarray and distract them allowing me to land the decisive blow."

That was the way Cyclops had mostly used Warren, though often situations didn't allow for that to be solely the case.

"And the telepath?"

"This is why I said it depends on their abilities and their limits. How powerful of a telepath is she, same with her telekinesis? How much can she move and in what ways can she use her telekinesis? Those factors are important in what role she would play."

"If she was weak in both aspects, what then?" Charles asked.

"Support. I'd use her telepathy as a means to map all enemy locations, corresponding it with the winged Mutant, to launch a decisive ambush using his hit-and-run tactics with my Optic Blasts to end the fight before it began." Charles nodded his head, impressed by the speedy observations. "But if she was incredibly powerful in both aspects. I would avoid getting close altogether and have her render weak-willed enemies unconscious before they could react. I would also use her as a heavy hitter, taking advantage of her powerful telekinetic abilities."

"That's it?" Charles wondered.

Scott shook his head. "There are many ways to use a telepath and a telekinetic. But again, it all depends on the extent of their abilities, the desired outcome of the battle and the factors around us. The position of each member can change depending on them, but those are the most basic roles expected of them. However, they would need to be flexible and adaptive to the demands of the fight."

"...Very impressive," Charles murmured. "I would have been impressed with just the basic observations. But you actually went in-depth and even acknowledged the need for flexibility in one's roles to be the best way to work as a team. This isn't the first time you've thought of this, is it?"

"With those people? Yes." Scott lied, he had been thinking about these things for a long time, before even meeting Charles. "However, no, you are right, I have been thinking about these things for a while. I knew from the incident in Iowa with Jack Winters that I couldn't do this alone, there is a clear limit for those that do so. If I want to create a world in which Alex doesn't have to fight for his rights to live a normal life. Where he doesn't have to live his life hiding who he is, then I need allies to make that come true."

"And do you think you could do it with just those two?"

Scott shook his head. "No." His response was firm and left no room for argument. "It would be impossible, but that doesn't mean I couldn't get off to a good start." That's precisely what Scott was going to do and that all started with recruiting them while avoiding the mistakes of the younger Cyclops.

That was especially important for what happened between him, Bobby and Warren. Cyclops had been brash, headstrong and far too prideful. The first meeting between the three of them had led to a fight, just as the first meeting between him and Bobby had resulted in the same outcome.

But Scott would not let that happen this time.

He would make the First Class of the X-Men more cohesive and more skilled than it had ever been. This was the best time to do it because the foes they faced were weaker and less dangerous. They were the types of enemies they could afford to make mistakes against in order to learn from them.

The same could not be said for the foes that would come later on.

The world had developed so rapidly and grown so out of control that eventually, even the tiniest mistake would be costly. Scott knew that if he wanted to succeed, then it all began with the first members of the X-Men and grew out from there. He was not here to be their friend, he was here to make sure they could survive, that they could succeed.

Even if they hated him for his actions, that was fine.

Ultimately, Scott was their leader.