Drawn to the Lodestone Rock - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Dandelion
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 2

"He isn't aware of who he is. He doesn't have control over his powers. This is an opportunity that we cannot pass up." Xavier spoke passionately to his team of X-men. Cyclops, Phoenix, Bishop, Storm, Gambit, Angel, Psylocke, Wolverine, Iceman, Cannonball and Beast. "If we can turn Magneto into a force for good, our goal will be that much easier to achieve."

Cyclops nodded in agreement, and some of the others seemed agreeable to Xavier's speech. Some seemed hesitant. Logan had a dark look and Gambit shifted uncomfortably. Phoenix looked at the floor with a introspective look on her face. Psylocke looked between Logan and Angel, she seemed distinctly uncomfortable as well.

Xavier noted the hesitation with some concern. "Magnus will be one of us. Don't you see what an accomplishment that would be?"

"Seems to me he tried dat before." Remy leaned forward. "Seems to me it didn't work. He's his own man. He should be told about himself and helped on his way."

Xavier frowned. He wasn't used to receiving opposition from his students.

Logan nodded in agreement with Gambit. "He ain't one of us Charley. Never really was. He's got his own vision."

Xavier slammed his fist on the table. "He doesn't have it now! His mind is blank. We can help him with his power and he'll be able to see, without his past coloring his sight, the truth of our vision. This is our chance to help Magneto."

"But it's wrong!" Gambit's voice turned raw. "Look, I have my own feelings for the man. I don't care for him, but those reasons are personal. And maybe you t'ink dat dis is the right move. But you can't deny the man his past! No matter how right you t'ink it is. Seems dat he was in this helpless position before. We all got into a lot of trouble for it. Moira McTaggart almost lost her life over it. You said he remembered some t'ings. His mem'ries are gonna come back and when they do...he'll be in the same position. He was entrusted to us and we betrayed him. You can't deny him his life, he should know."

Logan nodded again. "Charley, you can't keep his past from him. They did it to me and I still ain't whole."

Xavier's face darkened. "I feel the position that I suggested is the only one available to us. Period." His chair turned and he exited the room.

The others looked at each other uncertain of what to say. Betsy cleared her throat. "I suppose I'll call Muir Isle and tell Peter that Magnus is alive and well. I know he was worried."

Ororo nodded. "Good idea Betsy. I'll come with you."

Logan stood up. "All of a sudden I want to be outside. It's gotten a little stuffy in here."

"Jean. The Professor has a point. If we could get Magneto to be on our side...think of how much more we could accomplish!" Scott was adamant. His wife was less than thrilled with Xavier's suggestion. And even less thrilled with Xavier's refusal to listen to his teams arguments against him.

As always, Xavier's own vision became colored when Magnus was involved.

"Magnus could be a great force for good Scott I agree totally." She replied. "I simply do not agree with the methods. Amazingly enough, I find myself agreeing with Remy. We can't keep his past from him. It's not right."

"Think of how much more we could accomplish without having to battle Magneto every step of the way." Scott persisted. Jean was right but he found himself in the uncomfortable position of questioning the Professor's motives.

"Yes, Scott. But at what price? The Professor suggests manipulation of the worst kind. I didn't agree with him when we took the fight to Avalon and bombarded the man with all of his darkest memories. I don't agree with hiding his life from him either. He should be allowed to make his own decisions based on his own experiences. Experiences we have no right to keep from him. No right at all. I woke up from a healing sleep to find that I was a stranger in my own life, Scott. Magnus must be feeling something similar to that. It's a terrible way to live Scott. And that man has had to deal with enough. I don't agree with him, I don't even like him. But he's still a part of our world. He's a mutant just like us and our fight is for him as well as for ourselves and all mutants. Not just the ones we deem worthy." Jean turned away from her husband. "He deserves to make his own decision. Not the one we decide he should make."

Xavier managed to keep everyone out of Magnus' room for the next few days. During that time, he spoke to Eric about his powers, the life of the mutants and what they fought for. Eric listened and thought that Xavier's dream was indeed a good one. He wondered though, why he felt so strange about it. He felt like he was viewing everything with blinders on. He should know things but he didn't and that frustrated him. His frustration made Eric a little stubborn when dealing with Xavier which in turn frustrated him.

Their sessions grew shorter. And less constructive. Sometimes, they ended up just glowering at each other. Finally, one afternoon, Xavier informed Eric that he had a conference that he needed to attend, and would be away for a period of time. The others would make sure he was comfortable.

Eric brightened considerably with this news. The room he was in was becoming confining and he was eager to see the "others." He wondered about the young man with the flashing eyes that had found him, and who was Logan? Eric was feeling better, still tired, but he did want to work on building his strength again. He needed to stretch his legs. He needed to get out from under Xavier's watchful gaze.

Finally, he had a break from the man.

Initiate: Psylocke/Bishop/Angel Danger Room Session

Danger Level: 7

Safeties: Engaged

Random Encounter Control: Manual

Security Code: *******

Voice Identification: Cyclops - Scott Summers

Security Code: Accepted

Voice Identification: Accepted

Beginning Sequence ---

"So have you looked in on Magneto?" Jean asked her husband as she sat with him in the control room of the Danger Room. Their three teammates began their training session below. Scott looked over the contol panel and made a few adjustments. "I took him breakfast." Scott offered very little, a tell-tale sign to his wife that he was troubled.

"What's the problem, husband-mine?" Her tone was light in an effort to put him at ease again.

It worked. His shoulders relaxed slightly and he offered her a smile. "Going into his room was kind of an eye-opener."

"In what way?" Her eyes moved to the training session below. Angel deftly maeuvered out of the way of Bishop's energy blast, but Psylocke was behind him and had him in her sights, psychic knife glowing.

"Well, when I went in he was nudging the heart monitor around the room with his powers. My first instinct was to think he was testing to see if the room was set up to neutralize powers to see what his situation was. I mean that's what I would do. But he was using them on such a low level I didn't think that could be it so I threw that theory out." Scott's hands moved dexterously across the console, initating holograms and obstacles into his teammates' practice session. "Then I figured he must have been practicing. Then I got a look at his face. He was bored. Magnetically pushing that little machine around was his way of amusing himself."

Jean nodded. "Small wonder. The infirmaries aren't really set up for entertaining."

"But, Jean, we usually let whoever's in there have something to keep them occupied. Books, TV, video games, whatever. But Magneto has nothing. It's like a prison in there. I told myself that maybe the Professor doesn't want him using anything like that to substitute for his memory."

"But the Professor doesn't want him to regain his memory." Jean said quietly. "Scott -- this isn't right. No matter how we feel about the man we can't very well keep him locked up."

"We keep Sabretooth locked up." Scott argued.

Jean sighed, "You know, as much as Magneto has always been our enemy, he's not like Sabretooth. He doesn't kill for the thrill. I mean, as far as I can remember he's never been about killing. He has, that's not the question. He's killed on a large scale too, but, it's just not the same." She paused, frustrated. The words weren't coming out right at all. Part of the problem, she knew, was that she was in the unusual position of defending a man she feared, a man she considered to be the antithesis of all that she believed. "Sabretooth kills because he likes to. Magneto has never been that way.

"I know," Scott put a hand on her leg and squeezed reassuringly.

End Danger Room Sequence.

Scott leaned forward to speak into the control booth intercom. "Good work everyone. Warren, you mind staying? I'd like to run a few flight sequences with you and Ororo and Sam."

Jean was still looking at her husband, a slightly dismayed look on her face. "Scott, what are we doing?"

He drummed his fingers on the control board. "This is what the Professor wants."

She could feel his resolve weakening, though. She put her hand on his arm. "Scott, how far are we willing to go for our dream?"

"All right!!" he snapped. He fiddled with the controls and his voice softened. "Take a couple of people with you and take him outside. Just don't let me see him."

Jean figured she had better play it safe. She sought out Psylocke first. Their telepathic powers combined with Psylocke's fighting skills and Jean's telekinesis would be formidable. Beast's considerable strength would be good to have along as well. <Just in case,> she thought. <After all, we don't know for sure what's wrong with him. And we have to be prepared for any aggression.>

Walking into his room, however, she saw immediately that Magnus would not be a threat.