Reconvention Of War
Fandom: X-Men movie verse
Pairing: Erik/Charles
Rating: PG
Series/Sequel: Lost Past nine.
Disclaimers: They aren't mine. You know that. I'm just borrowing them.
Thanks:ERIKA and NADJA, who have put up with me and very sporadic entries of
all my work. Also, Hayate, who has made such beautiful pictures.
Summary:The court reconvenes and new questions must be asked.
Warnings:Abuse, adult themes.
It was Monday. Two weeks had passed since the judge had declared recess, and an intensive study of the creature known as WMM-311276 to be made.
What a joke.
Erik checked through his papers and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Scott may not mean a lot to him, but Charles loved him, he had saved Charles' sanity when he was teetering on a knife's edge.
For that, Erik would care for the boy.
He sat in the area where the accused would sit in a criminal trial, shackled, blindfolded and rocking. He kept making a low keening sound, and occasionally moved his hands out, mumbling things that couldn't be heard from this far away.
Charles looked up at Scott, then over to Erik, tears brimming in those bloodshot and dark ringed eyes.
"All rise for Judge Kevin Sullivan."
Everyone stood, except Charles, naturally, and the Judge wandered in and and sat down. "Right, you've had two weeks to do whatever you wanted and research and such. Defence, your case."
"Defence are still pleading lack of sentience and full intelligence."
"Plaintiff?"
"We stand by our accusation that the imprisonment of Scott Summers is enslavement and, further more, we accuse the defence of abuse and neglect."
"Right, here we go. Plaintiff, if you would make your case."
"Your honour, the defence typically go first." Copenhagen called over.
"I don't care. You went first and put forward a pretty weak case. I want Mr Summers up here for questioning."
The guards manhandled Scott down. Logan jumped up, snarling, but a glance from Charles had him seated again.
Copenhagen walked over to Scott. "WMM-311276. Do you understand me?"
Scott nodded, pressing himself back into the corner of the witness stand.
"Now, how do you feel?"
Scott's mouth twisted into a snarl and he threw himself forwards, security hauling him backwards and into the chair. Copenhagen smoothed off his immaculate jacket. "WMM-311276, I asked you a question."
Scott turned his head around. "Dark gone?"
Copenhagen looked surprised. "What?"
"Wolv, want dark gone. Dark bad."
Logan stood up, but security were already by him, pushing him back into his seat. Erik stood up. "Your honour, I want the blindfold removed. Mr Summers is scared and blind, and in unfamiliar surroundings. He has been isolated for two weeks. What harm can it do?"
"Objection! Subject has dangerous optic blasts that are a threat to everyone in this court room."
"Objection! Supposition. No one has even been attacked by the subject with those blasts, and he lived with people for ten years without incident."
"Sustained, defence. I don't want him to attack anyone, and he has already shown himself to be quite capable of that.
"No! Dark bad! Light! Wolv, light!" Scott tried to pull himself free from the chair, sobbing lightly. "Dark, always dark, no dark! No dark, light!"
Sullivan watched silently. "Who's this Wolv?"
Logan stood up. "Me."
"Come down here and calm him down. I don't want him injuring himself trying to get free."
"Objection! Subject could be coerced."
"Overruled. I don't want any injuries in this court. Mr Logan, come down here and calm him down."
Logan walked out the front and lay a hand on Scott's. "Slim? Ya listen ter me. The visor has ter stay, I'm sorry 'bout that, but we're here. No one's gonna harm ya, not while I'm here. Remember, I promised ya that."
Scott nodded slowly. "Jackson here?"
"Yeah, he's here."
"Jackson bad. Been four times, always bad, dark again. No more shocks, Wolv. Please?"
Every pair of eyes turned to the defence table. Jackson glanced around and looked at Copenhagen, who adjusted his perfect tie.
"Mr Jackson, perhaps you would care to explain what Mr Summers means by those words?"
"I would have no idea. He spends hours talking to himself, not completely understandable. He makes wild accusations and then forgets about them."
"Bullshit!" Logan roared. "You been puttin' him through shock treatment, like ya did me!"
He froze. Where had that come from?
"Have you remembered something, Logan?" Charles asked quietly.
"Yeah. I remember them takin' me down for shock treatment. It hurt like all hell, and that bastard was there," he pointed at Jackson, "holding the switch. He laughed and told me that I was going to learn how to behave. I just snarled, and he got mad, and said if I didn't behave he'd hurt one o' the others. One o' the boys."
Jackson was going bright red. Erik stood up. "Your honour, I would like to question Mr Jackson."
Sullivan nodded. "I would like to have you question him as well. Mr Logan, since you seem to have a calming influence, would you please accompany Mr Summers back up to the dock."
Logan nodded and lay his hand on Scott's shoulder, softly whispering to him as they went back to the dock. Jackson stood up and moved to the witness chair.
Erik smiled, and Charles had to force himself not to smile as well. He knew that look, and it didn't bode well for the other man. "Mr Jackson, or would you rather doctor?"
"Either, Mr Lensherr."
"Very well. Mr Jackson, you were the researcher in charge of Mr Summers during his captivity?"
"Objection. Supposition."
"The question is not if Mr Summers was held captive, but if that captivity was a form of enslavement. At no point have the defence denied keeping him restrained or captive."
"Objection overruled. Continue."
"You were the researcher who tended him?"
"Yes."
"You were also his medical officer, correct?"
"Yes."
"Why was Mr Summers given shock treatment and kept blinded by the current device he is wearing?"
"He is violent, irrational and dangerous. Electroshock therapy is an old form of treatment."
"Yes, old and cruel and proven to be good only in destroying the sane."
"Objection."
"Case has been proven that shock therapy is damaging and ineffective."
"Objection overruled. Continue."
"He was submitted to shock treatment previously?"
"During his first stay, yes."
"But not since then?"
"No, absolutely not."
"Your honour, I wish to call Mr Summers back down here as evidence."
"Go ahead."
Logan guided Scott down to near Erik, who lay his hands on Scott shoulders. "Scott, listen to me. It's Erik Lensherr. I want you to show the court the marks."
Scott nodded and Logan helped him undo the shirt he wore, exposing pale skin with angry red circles where shock pads had been applied. Erik nodded slowly. "The doctor who examined Mr Summers said that this mark was made by excessive electrical current through a stick pad. That must have been over two weeks ago, unless the defence have managed to get inside his room with a shock treatment machine. This means these marks are two weeks old."
The court gasped and Sullivan banged his gavel. "Quiet in court."
Erik turned back to Jackson. "So, Mr Jackson, would call this a reasonable amount of force?"
"Yes. The subject was violent and attempted to kill a guard."
"Very well. I would now like to ask you about an interesting little device we found in Mr Summers' neck. It releases chemicals, and electro shock stimulation, that causes the patient to behave in a violent and aggressive manner. It was placed in Mr Summers after the doctor examined him."
"Impossible. I have not seen him for two weeks."
"Scott. Please tell the court how many times Mr Jackson visited."
"Four. Three, first week. Bring dark, bring pain, say must be bad, to be good. Not want bad, bad mean shock, bad mean dark, but he say bad. I say no, no bad. Shot, neck," he pointed to the side of his throat, "and then dark again."
"He's lying!" Jackson cried out, even as Copenhagen was yelling, "Objection, unreliable witness."
Erik smiled, that shark smile. "Doesn't lying require intelligence and sentience? Only the self aware, and highly intelligent can lie. Therefore, either you or he is lying. If he is lying, he must be intelligent, and therefore we demand he be released and compensated for the years of suffering. If not, you broke the court order and tortured him, which, under the cruelty to animals act, means that any creature you held in your possession is to be removed. So which is it, Jackson?"
Jackson looked down. Logan grinned to himself and smirked at Copenhagen across the courtroom. Magneto had backed the mongrel into a corner. Either way, Scott was out and home free.
"Mr Jackson, answer the question. Which of you is lying?"
"Your honour, defence wishes to convene in chambers."
"Alright, Mr Copenhagen. I want both counsels, Mr Jackson and Mr Xavier in my chambers, now. Also, bring Mr Summers down."
Sullivan moved down into his chambers. Erik waited for Charles to pull off his brake before he gestured to Raven to move him into the chambers.
Logan carefully guided Scott down the stairs and into the room, seating him as far from Jackson as was possible, then taking up a defensive position behind the young man.
Sullivan glared around. "Well, Copenhagen, what do you want?"
Copenhagen glanced at Jackson. "We move to have charges dropped and the case dismissed. In return, we will forget that we were ever here, and that we ever knew of a subject called WMM-311276."
"Unacceptable. We want compensation, medical history and background. And we want regulations of some kind enforced to protect other mutants."
"No. Mo stuck. Mo need free. Mind, bad Jackson, mind. Think. Can think, do think. Jackson kill Kurt, want kill, Mo, Mo mind bad, go bad, too long, Jackson."
Everyone turned to look at Scott, who had turned his face up towards Logan. "Light?"
Sullivan nodded. "Get him to promise that no one will be harmed, and you can take that thing off. I'm not so sure that he is the monster the defence have been painting for us."
Logan snapped out a blade and cut the straps off, easing the black visor off the gaunt face. "Keep yer eyes shut till the lights are down, 'kay, bub?"
Slow nod. Logan dimmed the lights and closed the curtains. "Okay."
Scott opened his eyes. The irises glowed red, swirling fire moving and flicking over his eyes. He looked over at Charles and a huge smile graced his thin features.
"Charles!" He threw himself towards Charles, wrapping his arms tightly around the older man. Charles was crying, quietly, as he clutched onto his son, stroking the soft hair, brushing his mind gently with reassuring thoughts and feelings. Scott was crying as well, his hand holding Charles' tightly.
Sullivan looked up at Copenhagen. "Are you trying to tell me that the boy has no sentience? He has feelings, he has the ability to think of future and abstract concepts. He sat here calling for some to help him see, and you dare to tell me that he has no mind?"
Sullivan stood up. "Out in court, now."
They all moved silently out to the court room. Sullivan sat down and banged the gavel. "This court has reached a decision. Scott Summers, formerly known as WMM-311276, is a sentient being in his own right, and therefore cannot be held against his will any longer."
The stands burst into cheers and applause. Sullivan banged the gavel. "However,"
Everything fell silent, as the dark mood descended again.
"Mr Summers, is also confused, and has had his mind tampered with. He is incapable of caring for himself at present and is not fully aware of his actions and their consequences. As such, as a Justice of the Law, I am assigning a legal guardian to Mr Summers, until such time as he is deemed mentally competent. Professor Charles Xavier, as his adoptive father, I am reinstating your legal capacity as guardian. The World United Countries Defence Organization will be forced to hand over all recorded history and notes on Mr Summers."
The stands burst back into life, with wild cheering and whooping. Sullivan let it pass this time, waiting for a while until it quieted down slightly.
"Furthermore, by the power vested in me by the state, I am charging Dr Jackson with enslavement, abuse, neglect and whatever else we can cook up that's appropriate. I want full medicals done on everyone in that facility, and I want them on my desk yesterday. Mr Summers, you will be compensated with a sum of four million dollars. You are a free man."
Logan turned to stare at Scott and grabbed him, swinging him around in circles, hugging him tightly. "Ya free! Ya fuckin' free."
He continued to dance Scott around until Jean and Ororo barreled into them, and the four of them stood there hugging one another, tears rolling over cheeks and mixing as they held on tight.
Charles smiled, tears glistening on his cheeks, and he held onto Erik's hand. "Thank you, Erik. Thank you so much. This means more than anything."
Erik knelt down and nodded. "It is a start."
Charles leant forwards and brushed a kiss against Erik's cheek. "Come back with us, just for tonight. We're going to be celebrating."
"I don't think I am welcome there, Charles. Me nor Raven."
"Rubbish. You saved one of us, you will always be welcome."
Erik turned to glance at Raven, who merely shrugged and continued to pack their papers and books. He nodded. "Very well, Charles. We would be honoured to stay with you."
They were in the car, driving back to the mansion. Logan sat in the back with Scott and Rogue, and who had latched onto her teacher and refused to let go, scared that he would go again.
Scott turned to look at Logan over Rogue's head. His eyes were still hard to read, even without the glasses, but Logan found them a comfort. "Thank you."
"What for, slim?"
"Help. Always helped. Bitten, scratched, still helped."
Logan reached up and brushed the back of his hand over Scott's gaunt cheek. "We need ter fill ya out a bit."
Scott caught the hand and kissed it. "Thank you."
"Ya said that."
"Say again. Thank you."
"Stop thankin' me, bub, it's makin' me blush."
Rogue stirred slightly. "Keep doin' it, Mr Summers."
Logan snickered. "Don't encourage him."
Rogue grinned and stretched out. "We stopped."
"I know."
"Will Mr Summers ever teach again?" She whispered to him.
"I hope so, kid."
Scott pushed the door and frowned, confused. Logan watched him, sadness filling his gaze. "Handle, Scott. Ya hafta use the handle."
"Yes." Scott nodded and frowned again. He pushed the handles and ran his fingers over it, eyes sinking shut. He grabbed it and pulled it open, the door swinging outwards. He smiled. "Little time, brain tell body what do."
Logan grinned. "You'll be okay, bub."
Rogue climbed out, carefully guiding Scott up towards the mansion. Logan chewed his cigar slowly. "I hope you will be, anyway."
The End