8490/Undercurrents: Below the Surface

Undercurrents: Below the Surface
Date of Scene:	23 July 2019
Location:	Security Center, X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Wolfsbane and Cyclops face off over the attack after Cypher's shooting. They find there is more to all of it than just reason. (meant to be 7/23/19)
Thanks to:	Wolfsbane
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Wolfsbane
Tinyplot:	Undercurrents

---

Cyclops has posed:
Scott is sitting in the Security Center of the X-Men base. Live feeds of the evening news are being projected on one wall. A map of Bushwick is on another with various annotated markers. The layout of Evolution is in a small window along with detailed information about the New Hope Project in Bushwick. The beginnings of an operational planning document are up in another projected window. He has a salad in front of him that he is eating from. A half-filled cup of coffee sits nearby. Right now he is reading from a tablet.

Wolfsbane has posed:
The door slides open, some quarter hour or so since Sam Guthrie was in this very room, before this very man. She saw him in passing after the time in the medlab with Doug present, but she didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She could tell. She could also follow a scent, so she knew who was in the Security Center itself.

So, when Wolfsbane arrives, in civvies this time but still that blend of human and wolf - mostly human in appearance - the Scot stands just inside the door and says, "We need tae talk." The tone is a hard one, little hint of the normally meek, timid young woman people around the place have been used to.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott looks up from his tablet and raises an eyebrow slightly when he sees the form Rahne is in. He flicks off his tablet and the projections of the news.

"Have a seat," Scott says. He gestures to the chair in front of him and leans back a bit in his own. He looks tired, or maybe more worn than tired.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Ah'll stand for noo," Wolfsbane answers, shaking her head as she paces briefly near the door. One might get the idea she can't sit still just yet, that in some way, she's prowling. In fact, she's spent a lot of her time around here over the last few months in her midform, so that alone should not be much of a surprise.

She considers Scott's body language, but only in a cursory way. Hers reveals someone filled with emotion, brimming up to the surface. "Whit's this Ah hear about ye threatening tae kick people off a team?" is how she begins.

Cyclops has posed:
"I thought I made it clear. Anybody takes further action related to Doug's shooting is suspended," Scott says with a slight frown. He pushes his tablet aside. "The group of you are compromised. Until you reign yourselves in and /think/, you are going to do more harm than good."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Then ye do something about it, an' them." Wolfsbane challenges the leader of the X-Men, pointing a finger at him as her voice raises a level.

She continues, as if what he said was what she expected to hear, something pent-up beginning to escape. "Ye know Ah just moved tae Mutant Town because Ah thought Ah needed a change in muh life, a way tae help people more directly than staying here most o' th' time an' only going oot when something called for it. Sam visited me an' asked me if Ah'd consider helping a' th' club because o' th' Hook problem, an' before Ah could even make a decision tha' gang went in an' shot Doug up. Have ye even looked in on him? Ah couldna bring muhself tae do it until today, an' he's stuck talking tae us through a screen. Whitever's going on in his body, he still may no' make it. He said he /knew/ tha' would happen if he told them nae, an' he still did it."

Staring him down from across the table, Wolfsbane is far enough from Scott that she's not in his face or anything like that, but the words are no less sharp from where she stands. "Ah said Ah was going after th' ones who shot him. Ah owed it tae Doug tae stand up for him somehow. Sam, Kurt, an' Henry volunteered tae stand wi' me. Where were ye when Ah needed some help? Just waiting for th' right time? Th' perfect moment? Tha' thing doesna exist, Scott. We had tae send a message an' they put themselves on th' line for me, for Doug."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott picks up his coffee mug and holds it in his hands.

"I have been in to see him, and I get all the updates on his condition. I'm planning to go see Doug in a bit, since he can at least talk now," Scott says and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Did you stop to consider what would happen with your particular approach?" Scott asks. He is serious, as always, and sounds as he does in training when he pulls apart a team performance. The frown is deeper, but this is CO Scott through and through. "I won't say plan, because as far as I can tell there wasn't one. Did you consider their response and how to mitigate it? Other ambush locations that didn't have civilians in it that Sam had to save from getting shot? Did it occur to you to come to the team leader to figure out as a /group/ how we should respond?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
He remains so calm, at least on the surface, while the emotions and passion in her are on full display. Hands press against the table, claws touching it. She looks down, catching herself before they press into or scratch the surface.

Wolfsbane says, "Doug asked us tae slow doon, it's true. He's finding oot things about th' suppliers, an' he's right tha' we need tae go after them mainly. Ah thought we could scare th' gang intae leaving us alone, but it didna work an' noo someone else is dead because o' it. Ah didna know him, but it hurts tha' it happened, tha' we failed." It shows she feels it, is thinking about it, but there's more beyond just that.

"Th' Sentinel thing scared me, Scott. It's been scaring me since it began. But ye told us whit we do is dangerous, an' innocents die sometimes. Ye said we have tae learn from it an' support each other, an' continue on an' get better. We do things like this. It does no' always work th' way we hope. But Doug /died/ once, trying tae keep me safe. He almost died again trying tae keep people he does no' even know safe. He might be th' biggest hero oot o' all o' us right noo, an' ye're sitting here making threats an' telling us how dumb we are for doing whit we thought was right a' th' time."

Cyclops has posed:
"I am not questioning your intelligence, Rahne. I /am/ questioning your judgement," Scott says. The muscles in his cheek tighten and loosen before he speaks again. "I wish you had listened to Doug."

Scott takes a breath.

"The Sentinel mission was a disaster. I was extremely disappointed, but I hoped the people involved would learn from it and use better judgement. Instead, we have the same thing. Provoking a predictable response from the enemy and others paying the price. This is the /exact/ same thing. Acting impulsively, without thinking one or more steps ahead," Scott says. The fingers of one hand curl tightly around the handle of his mug.

"Take a moment to think. Really think. Did what happen honour, Doug? Is it what he would have wanted?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
As emotional as Wolfsbane can be, as passioniate as she can be, she can also be quite stubborn at times. This may be one of those times.

"He had nae idea whit was going on until after it happened," she points out, and it's clear she's focusing on some deeper breathing to keep herself in check. It shows in a little more control over her accent.

"I..know our judgment was off, but we didna think they would retaliate further..obviously. We didna know how..scared, I guess, they might be o' whoever's supplying them. We canna go back an' change tha', ye know."

Running a hand through her hair quickly, she says, "I'm no' part o' a team, so ye can do whitever ye want wi' me, tell me I'm nae longer welcome here, tha' I'll never be an X-Man. I dinna much care right noo. Maybe Sam's going through some things trying tae find th' right decisions tae make, but Henry an' Kurt dinna deserve th' reaction they go'. If we're gaunae judge everyone by their worst moments, none o' us will look verra good. An' th' Sentinel mission had a bad thing happen, but it was far from a disaster."

Her chin lifts somewhat. Not so much in defiance, but in an attempt to show the inner strength she frequently forgets. "Maybe..Doug wouldna ha' wanted it tae go this way, but it did. We can all still make it right, whether tha' means I just send back word o' whit I see or something else. Whitever ye do, I'm no' gaunae stop trying tae look oot for people in Mutant Town if it's gaunae be muh new home. But promise me ye're gaunae find these people an' put a stop tae it, an' do it soon. Promise me tha'."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott gestures expansively to the displays around the room. The building plans for Evolution and the New Hope housing project near where. the fight happened. An operational planning document. A map with markers of tactical or strategic interest. He tilts his head and looks at Rahne for a long moment. With the glasses hiding his eyes complete, his expression is always so difficult to read, so easy to pass off as impassive or uncaring or whatever one projects on him. The biggest feature of his face is the rose coloured reflection of Rahne.

"Henry and Kurt are senior X-Men. They know better than to let it get personal," Scott points out. "I expect a lot from you and Sam. I expect even more from those two," Scott says. He shifts in his seat and puts his elbows on the armrests.

"You're the second person today to tell me to kick them out if I want to. I'm not sure why you and Sam jump straight to that. We need you both, always have. You both have places here..

Wolfsbane has posed:
Even from where she is, perhaps some twenty feet away from Scott, it's easy for Wolfsbane to see herself in the man's rose-colored glasses. She sees in that reflection a troubled person, conflicted, struggling with the weight of what's pressing down on her.

Which means the weight on Scott's shoulders must be multiplied further.

Eyes cut away from him, passing over the screens. She sees the apartment complex she's moved into, sees Evolution itself, and more in the area. "I've never known strategy verra well. I'm no' tha' smart," she admits, frowning whether it's true or it's her slipping back into a self-defeating attitude.

"But one thing I do know is Sam, Kurt, Henry, me, ye over there? We're no' perfect. We all make mistakes sometimes, an' tha' makes us human. It's how we deal wi' it tha' makes us who we are." She stops long enough for both of them to consider that, then she adds, "We said tha' because tha's how it came off tae us. Suspending anyone is no' th' answer. Helping us understand and helping us do better is."

Cyclops has posed:
"You're missing the point. I said anyone who acts further is suspended to get you back under control, before you do anything else you might regret or come up with a plan," Scott corrects, perhaps more sternly than he meant to. The next comes out more evenly.

"And to make you come to the rest of your team and let us help you. I don't expect perfection from any of you. I do expect good judgement, and you said it yourself; this is very personal. So you more than most need to reign that in so you can be /effective/. That is my primary concern after your safety. Feel your purpose, plan your objective. I've said it over and over in training."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane waves off the talk of missing the point, whether she is or not. There's still enough stubbornness in her that she replies to that with a brief, "Fine. Have a better plan. I get it."

It's the rest of what he says that sees her piping up again, raising a brow as some of that emotion seeps out once more. Seeps out, or bursts forth? "An' I /did/ tha'. I /asked/ for help, an' those three said they would. We had a plan we thought was fine an' it went bad afterward. Do ye think I'm no' kicking muhself over it? Do ye know how many times I replayed Doug's death in th' Danger Room, looking for different ways I could ha' prevented it? Seventeen. I found seventeen."

This is something few people know about. Scott might have heard of it.

"Aye, it was verra personal. Whit ye might as well as say from noo on if tha's whit ye really mean is naebody does anything about anything unless they come tae ye first so ye can tell them how it should be done. Ye know everything about planning an' seeing things doon th' line th' rest o' us miss, aye? Ye know all about good an' proper judgment, aye? Because ye never let people see yuir emotions because ye keep them bottled up deep in here, aye?" She smacks her chest with a hand, hard enough for the sound to reverberate around the room.

"We canna all be Scott Summers, ye know. We canna all meet yuir high standards, an' I'm sorry for tha'." She chews at her bottom lip, almost hard enought to break the skin, and that's not difficult in this form.

Cyclops has posed:
"Christ, I'm /not/ talking about what happened in Bushwick!" Scott snaps, and nearly slams his fist on to the table. He catches himself, purses his lips and takes a moment. The frustration is evident in his voice. He leans forward and puts his mug aside.

"I threatened to suspend people to deal with what will happen /next/. You went to Beast and Nightcrawler, it didn't go well. That's on them. So I said no more action, until you come to me. And if it goes bad again, that's on me, isn't? This isn't about controlling the team, this was for your protection until you cool off," Scott says, pointing a finger at Rahne. Scott exhales sharply and stands up. He waves a hand and the projections go dark. He moves to the same side of the table as Rahne, a goodly distance from her, and sits against it with his arms crossed.

He looks squarely over at Rahne. "You don't see me going through these things, because I don't bring them to you. You're 18. You're someone I'm responsible for. How I deal with losing people doesn't involve you. I've lost friends. I've screwed up and got them killed. I've sent friends to die. So you don't /get/ to turn this back on me," Scott says levelly. "This is about you."

Scott looks away toward the blank metal wall in front of him. "You can't stay in the past, Rahne. You can't fix it," Scott says more quietly. The heat is gone, replaced by something melancholy. "There's no way you can fix Doug dying. You can't do anything different. You can rage, or drink, or give up, or do whatever you want. But there's not a fucking thing you can do to change it. There just isn't."

Wolfsbane has posed:
For a moment or two, Wolfsbane reacts with the look of someone who's been slapped. Interestingly, it leads to her head tilting toward one side. Scott Summers, finally showing some emotion? Not even she is foolish enough to point that out.

"Whit I'm saying has everything tae do wi' Bushwick, though. Ye want us tae ask for help an' whether it's then or noo, I'm saying I did. I'm saying unfortunately we didna count on them doing whit they did after, an' for tha' I'm truly sorry. If there's anything I can do for Claude's family tae make up for it even in a small way, I owe tha' much tae him. I'm no' talking about running off an' inviting more violence."

She focuses again, deeper breaths so she can try to articulate what she's trying to say, what she might not be conveying well, what could be getting lost in the stubborn nature she shows clashing with Scott's measured, calculated side. "An' I'm okay wi' nae more action tha' doesna involve ye." Eyes track his every movement, following him all the way while she stays put. 19, she wants to say, for a birthday just came and went with little fanfare, but it might not bolster her cause so she leaves that aside. "I've kept a lot o' things bottled up tae, Scott. It eats a' ye. Doug dying nearly killed me, an' I'm so glad he's back. Tha's why I was ready tae bring doon th' heavens on th' ones who shot him. I understand it was a mistake an' one I'll try no' tae repeat. I learned ye canna change th' past, but as much as I..go off by muhself sometimes, I dinna give up. I still have hope in th' Dream. I'll still fight for it." She doesn't even flinch at the language. She actually swore the other day, herself!

"I'm sorry I upset ye an' let ye doon. I'm sorry I didna make better choices, an' I'll run things through ye if I find oot more, but I'm gaunae keep an eye on Mutant Town in muh own way. I'll be more careful about it," she vows.

The wolfen mutant stops short of approaching him, conflicting thoughts at war. Should she? Would he even accept it? Probably best to stay where she is and speak instead. "I know ye have much more difficult decisions tae make, an' I'm sorry we made them harder on ye. Sam can take all th' responsibility he likes, or Kurt, or Henry, but this was all because o' me." In that, in saying 'This is about you,' Scott is right.

Cyclops has posed:
"It's okay, Rahne," Scott says and sighs. He looks over at the younger woman.

"I don't need an apology for what happened, or a pound of flesh," he adds quietly. "I'm not trying to punish or shame you or say you should've done something different. I'm really not. I want you to be alright. I just... Want there to be something left of you when this is all over."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"It'll be better once we've stopped th' Hook," Wolfsbane says, and that's all she says about it after everything else.

Now, she makes the decision to come over and just briefly touch his arm with a hand. In contrast to the way she's been since Doug was shot, full of anger and aggression in search of something or someone to direct it at, to focus it on, the contact itself is as gentle as they've known her to be.

Then she backs away, turning for the door. "I'm gaunae get oot o' yuir hair noo."