Command Decision

Posted on Mon Jul 8th, 2024 @ 12:00pm by Charles Xavier & Connor Bruin

Mission: Episode 4: The Savage ConneXion
Location: X-Mansion | Professor's Office
Timeline: September 23rd, 1990

~Professor! Professor! Professor! Professor! Professor!~

Xavier closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Apparently Connor had just discovered what he had already known for a couple of days. Aurora had taken her leave of the Mansion. By now, news of her annulled marriage would've made the rounds through the school's rumor mill, so it surprised nobody when Aurora's room stayed closed all of yesterday and the day before. What remained veiled from public knowledge that she had taken flight into town, wandering, roaming, both running away and searching for anything that would give comfort and solace.

A heavy fist began pounding on the office door. Connor didn't waste time or energy with words. He knew the Professor was aware of his thoughts. Their years of remote telepathic communication assured him of that.

The office door clicked open with a switch from the Professor's chair, allowing Connor to leap straight to the desk. His hands spread out against the edge as he leaned forward, breathing heavy from his hard sprint and gymnastics from the second floor.

~Professor, I cannot find Aurora anywhere. She is not in her room. Many of her belongings are gone and there may have been signs of a struggle. I fear she has been taken!~

~No, Connor~ Xavier turned solemn and shook his head for emphasis. ~When Aurora departed, it was of her own accord and volition~

Connor paused for a moment. ~I have failed. Scott asked me to ensure her safety and well-being. She left without my knowing, so I have clearly failed the both of them~

~May I present a different perspective?~ It was a rhetorical question, so Xavier didn't want for a reply. ~When an event unfolds precisely as it must, observing it without interference is not a failure but an understanding of the inevitable. Only in facing that acceptance will the solution present itself~

~And just what solution might that be in this instance?~ Connor was thinking too far ahead in too many trajectories for him to catch the Professor's immediate point.

~If Aurora fled in grief, then the solution lies in a comforting friend retrieving her~ Xavier smiled at Connor and detected his query before it fully formed in his mind. ~Bobby has been conducting a search since yesterday. He will stumble across her in due time, just as she completes the first step in many toward catharsis~

Connor frowned. ~Why did you send Bobby and not me? I am sworn to aid her however I can!~

~I did not send Bobby~ Xavier replied, closing his eyes to manage the heavy telepathic communication. ~He witnessed what transpired between Aurora and Scott, then took the initiative himself to search for her when she disappeared~

~But I could have—~

A sharp telepathic pulse from Xavier shut Connor down and forced him to listen. ~Aurora did not wish to be found, Connor. Not by Bobby or you or myself. The most crucial aspect of aiding another is waiting until they seek help. Until that time, we prepare. Bobby doesn't know it, but he has passed by Aurora three times and has not recognized her. She will not be found until she is ready to be seen, at least subconsciously. Discretion is always the better part of valor, and that is what is called for here and now~

Connor hung his head, acknowledging the truth in Xavier's words, though he disliked it. ~What should I do?~

Xaver quirked his mouth in a smile. ~That brings me to a matter I've been meaning to discuss with you. As you know, Cameron accepted a secret mission with Sean Cassidy. What you don't know is that he has further accepted an offer of employment with the secret agency which oversaw his mission. Coupled with Jade's defection to the Brotherhood, the team lacks leadership. I propose that you take on that role~

Fingers thrust against his eyes in shock, Connor stared down the Professor. ~Surely you jest! There is Bobby and Hank! Scott and Jean! I cannot communicate without assistive technology or a telepath. How could I inspire others to follow me when they struggle to understand me even with aids?~

One by one, Xavier shot down his objections. ~Bobby is debating on his future at the Mansion, and so I cannot place long-term plans upon him. Hank is a brilliant mind and a dear old friend, but his attentions, not to say affections, are elsewhere of late. Both of them have only scratched the surface of processing their traumatic experiences. Scott and Jean are making the best of their opportunity at a new life, committing to fight battles that most would never dare to take on in the realm of political lobbies~

Having dismissed the alternatives, Xavier prepared to speak directly to the heart of Connor's protest. ~You would not be the first member of the X-Men to excel in the face of challenges. Jean's control over her abilities took years to develop. Before you met her, she was afraid to hold a conversation for extended periods. Scott still requires his visor or sunglasses. And there is the obvious matter of my chair. You see, Connor, that our accomplishments are not measured in comparison to what others can do but rather in what we have overcome. That is the inspiration you bring to others. That is the respect you command by the simple virtue of being who you are. It is humbling indeed to find strength in your greatest weakness, but I contend that is often what separates good from evil within a person~

That was certainly a lot for him to consider. Connor was taking mental notes the entire time and putting a pin in all of the rabbit trails that were being raised in order to follow along. Once the Professor had made his conclusion, all of them were screaming for attention and contemplation.

~Your points were well made~ Connor's head bowed, but this time in contemplation, not defeat. He felt the weight of Xavier's words settle in his mind, igniting a spark of determination. ~Allow me time to give due weight and consideration to everything you have posited. That was an over abundance~

Xavier's smile broadened. ~Indeed it was. Take all the time you need, Connor. The team will need time to rest after all that has transpired, so there is no immediate urgency. Remember, however, that leadership is not about perfection but perseverance. You are more than ready for this. Just let me know whatever you decide~

~Indubitably, Professor. I will give the matter my highest priority~ Connor's mind went back to Aurora. ~Perhaps my second highest priority~

~I had no doubt, Connor~ As he delivered his final thought, Xavier favored him with a smirk. ~That is thinking like a leader~

Connor frowned at being checkmated, though he shrugged it off with hyperfocus on his main objective. ~If Aurora remains in Salem Center, then I will go there and help Bobby locate her. She should not be alone any longer~

With a nod of approval, Xavier silently dismissed the burly young man. Connor would be an unconventional choice, to be sure, but conventions were proving to be unreliable as of late. The criminal justice system was turning against mutants. Longshots that pay off big might become their only real options in the very near future. One way or another, the X-Men needed to be ready, and in order to be ready they needed a mission leader. Nobody had faith in Scott in the beginning, least of all himself.