Cyclops: Fear No Gods

Recruiting the Beast and Iceman

Chapter XXXV - Trust

Amelia wasn't certain about the precise nature of Charles' relationship with Logan, they didn't seem like the type to ever get along with one another. They were two people from what she could only assume were two completely different worlds and yet, Charles seemed to trust Logan more than he trusted anyone else she had known.

She wasn't sure if he could be trusted.

Then again, Amelia rarely was trusting of others.

It was how she was raised, what she was taught and what she learned from the various experiences she had gone through during the course of her life. Trust was something that she learned was a prized commodity, something given only to those who had proved they were deserving of it.

Just because Charles trusted Logan, did not mean she trusted him.

However, Amelia was scared of what the future could hold.

The incident in New York and most recently, the ambush on the train, already Scott was making waves and putting himself in harm's way. He had overcome both despite all the odds seemingly being against him, but how long that would remain the case, she did not know.

As a result, despite not trusting Logan, Amelia knew he could prove instrumental in ensuring Scott didn't get in over his head. Scott also knew that, but the problem was that Scott was letting personal bias stop him. So, that left the task of getting Logan on their side to her and Amelia couldn't help but feel cautious.

Knocking on the door, Amelia waited, listening to the grumble of the man inside as he opened it up roughly. "What?" He asked gruffly, leaning against the wall in nothing more than a tank top and some ragged jeans.

"I came to apologise for what happened earlier." Amelia ignored his gruffness though. "Scott is not usually like that, he's just had bad experiences in the past and he let them influence him more than they should have. So, I wanted to apologise for that."

Logan paused only slightly, eyes noticeably trailing down her body. "You're apologising?" He said slowly. "Not the kid?"

Amelia ignored his wandering eyes. "I thought it best to avoid anything further happening." She wasn't certain that Logan, who was clearly a man who did nothing subtle would say or do something to piss off Scott. Usually, Amelia wouldn't be worried by that, but considering Scott's earlier actions she was worried that he might usually retaliate.

"Whatever." Logan scoffed. "I've dealt with difficult and cocky little shits like him plenty of times, he's nothing new."

"That's why I'd like you to help us." Amelia continued. "We've already been attacked once and Scott and I are both certain it might happen again. But he's determined to speak with Hank, I can't dissuade him. So, while I'm not asking you to help convince Hank or anything like that, I'd like to ask that you help us should we be attacked."

It was a lot to ask considering Logan had initially been asked to come to make sure that Scott returned after their three days, now two were up. But he seemed experienced and strong, Amelia would feel much better if someone like him was watching Scott's back in a fight.

"The kid won't need my help." Logan rolled his eyes. "Guys like him get a bad reputation, but they're some of the most dangerous guys you'll ever meet in a fight."

"What?" Amelia asked, confused as to what he was talking about.

"That kid, he's experienced. Don't know where or who trained him. But those eyes of his, they're the type you only get by not just seeing shit, but actually taking part in it." It was the thing that stood out to Logan the most when seeing Scott. "But guys like him, they don't ever enter a fight unless they're certain they can win. It's why they get a reputation for being cowards, traitors and all that shit. But if they're fighting, then it often means they're confident in winning."

They were the type of guys Logan hated fighting the most.

Cherry pickers.

They weren't afraid to abandon a mission if things became too much and in his experience, they often left comrades behind. However, they were some of the most dangerous fighters to go against because they had prepared for every scenario and nothing rarely caught them off-guard. But what made them even more dangerous is when they were backed into a corner, and forced to fight an unwinnable fight, they didn't just give up.

The one thing they hated more than anything was being forced to fight an unwinnable fight and they made sure whoever forced them into that position, paid for it dearly. They fought without care for their own safety, almost like highly intelligent, wild animals.

How a kid like that had that presence around him or those eyes, Logan did not know, but he already didn't like the kid.

Yet Amelia's worries, in his eyes, were uncessary.

"Even so, I ask that you help Scott should he ever get attacked." Amelia pleaded.

---

"He's good," Amelia noted as she and Scott watched the game unfold before them. The stadium was packed with cheering fans as they watched the two teams play against one another, but the star of the show was one young man in particular.

The young man charged down the field and in that last moment, leapt into the air, large hands outstretched and catching the ball in a spectacular fashion. Cheers became a roaring echo as the atmosphere became electrified, the winning touchdown being scored to close out the game once and for all.

Scott hummed, Amelia only able to catch it as she watched Scott staring out at the field in thought. "He is." He had incredible athleticism, that was definitely a good thing to see. 'It's one thing I won't have to force Hank into training. He's already used to it, different to Warren or Bobby who was always more laid back when it came to training.'

"...but you'd barely be able to tell he's a Mutant." A voice drifted down, both Scott and Amelia looking to see a group of younger men chatting away, following the rest of the crowd as they left the stadium.

"Are we even sure he is a Mutant?" Another one said.

"Of course he is, did you see the size of his hands? That's unnatural, they shouldn't allow freaks like that to play." However, that was clear to hear before they disappeared, voices getting drowned out in the cacophony of sound.

It was something that made both of them frown.

"Come on, let's go," Amelia said, getting to her feet. "He'll be celebrating with his team so we can wait till tomorrow."

Nodding his head, Scott rose to his feet, having yet to find any sign of the Conquistador. 'Perhaps he's not here.' Scott wondered to himself as he and Amelia began making their way down the stairs. 'It could be too early or maybe, he doesn't exist at all?'

It was a possibility, one that Scott had considered.

But as they reached the bottom, beginning to exit out into the car park, Scott noticed a group of men in the crowd. They were dressed fancily, almost like fans dressed up as knights to support their team. However, this armour was real and by the way, they moved, it was clear to see that supporting the team of Dunffee was not their goal.

'So, he is here.' Scott thought to himself, pleased to know that some things had not changed.

It made things easier that way.

---

Leaning against the wall, Scott took a deep breath, hood pulled up as he hid in the shadows looking out onto the empty streets. It was well into the early hours of Saturday morning, this being their last and final day before they had to return home.

It was now or never.

Thankfully, as the front door of the only house on the street with lights on opened, out stepped Hank who stumbled slightly. "Finally." Amelia muttered, a little irritated at having waited for so long, far from used to stakeout like these.

For Scott, though this was his first, it was by no means difficult thanks in part to the experiences provided by Cyclops. However, compared to his journey with Alex through Iowa, this was nothing. On that journey, Scott often went without sleep for days and only the bare minimum to eat. That had been incredibly difficult, the only thing keeping him going being his own stubbornness.

Compared to that, a stakeout of this amount was quite easy.

"We follow him." Scott said, knowing full well that the Conquistador was around and would target Hank on this night. It had happened last time in Cyclops' memories and while Hank had been able to avoid getting captured, the same could not be said for Hank's family. Unfortunately, Scott did not know where Hank lived, it was something Cyclops' memories had not provided.

But that was fine.

Conquistador was aiming to capture Hank and turn him into a weapon for his own goal, the bog-standard world conquest schtick. Keeping Hank's parents alive and as hostages were the way Conquistador intended to force Hank into servitude.

That meant they would be safe.

"We're not meeting with him?" Amelia wondered.

Scott shook his head. "We follow him, finding out where he lives and then later on today, go meet with him." A lie, but Scott didn't really have a way of explaining how he knew that armed men were going to attack him. Luckily for Scott, he was quite skilled at bending the truth, outright lying was never the most effective form of hiding the truth, one must always mix an element of truth in order to make the lie believable.

"You're cutting it close, Scott." Amelia replied, thinking about the dwindling amount of time they had left.

Scott nodded his head, pulling up his face mask as he and Amelia followed Hank from a distance. "I know." The three of them were the only ones out this early on in the night and therefore, keeping track of him was simple. Hank was also inebriated and therefore, not fully aware of everything around him, they could, if they wanted to, get closer. However, Scott did not want to risk that at this moment in time, it was a needless risk to take. "But we still have enough time."

If things played out as Scott imagined then meeting Hank would be coming a lot sooner. Not only that, but the events that unfold might actually help convince Hank to join the X-Men much easier.

Yet, Scott couldn't help but feel a little off by how things were unfolding.

The memories were showing him enough to help Hank but not completely avoid the circumstances that led to the battle with Conquistador. If these memories were to really help him change the future, then surely every little bit of information should be of massive help. Yet, not only did the memories come randomly and out of chronological order, certain bits of information were omitted.

It was like he was being shown enough to get the job done.

Or in this case, shows just enough to help Hank while also being put in his good graces, making convincing him much easier.

Scott didn't like that one bit.

'If Cyclops did this on purpose, then he's manipulating me into manipulating others.' Scott thought to himself, frowning deeply. 'But he's also testing me. Trying to see if I have the ability to still succeed even with gaps in the information I have.'

He really didn't like it.

So, another chapter is done and I hope you all enjoyed it. Anyway, if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.