Not long afterward, Xavier takes a tour of SynerGene Corp.
He and Jean exchange an acknowledging smile when they come to the department where she works, but Xavier keeps his attention on his guide.
At its conclusion back down on the first floor; Xavier: "What you have here is remarkable, Ms. Najhood. I will certainly keep your job placement program in mind for my students when it comes time for them to find work."
"Thank you, Professor Xavier. It was my privilege to show you around."
He gives a nod. "I sincerely wish you the best in your continuing endeavours."
But at the turn of the next day, new developments are of a different kind. . . In the afternoon, we see Jean just about to take her extended lunch break to meet with Scott and Xack, her lab coat removed and glasses placed in one pocket, when a nervous Saara enters from another door, calling Jean to pause her.
Jean turns around, noticing at once something is amiss: "What's wrong?"
In Saara's hands are several sheets of paper. She hesitates a moment. "It's. . ." -she abruptly lowers one of her hands into her own coat pocket, and makes herself speak in a leveler tone. "Something's come up in the daily report. I need you to-" being closest, she moves to retrieve Jean's glasses "-take a look at his."
She presents the items to Jean, exuding uncertainty anew.
Jean eyes her before accepting the papers and prescription lenses. She doesn't get far when she begins massaging her forehead, her eyes blurring over. . . .
"Jean. . ?" Saara removes her hand from where she'd returned it to her pocket, and takes gentle hold of Jean; who makes a sudden sound.
Jean: "What's. . .going. . .I don't underst--"
Cut-To
Scott at the park with Xack.
"Hun-gee, Da-da."
"Mommy's running late, isn't she?" he surveys the park for Jean but it seems she isn't arriving.
Taking Xack back to the car, Scott settles him in his car seat with a spillproof container of cereal, then gets into the driver's seat and presses the button on the dash to access his cellphone.
He places a call and waits, but no one picks up.
He tries again with a different number. Same result.
Scott looks at the clock, then makes the decision to head to SynerGene.
As he comes up on the lot, Scott can see Jean's vehicle is still outside. Curiously there are far fewer others than there should be.
He drives past the protesting line and in through the gate, parking in the stall adjacent to Jean's.
From here it's obvious she isn't in her vehicle. Scott tries to call again. . .nothing. Something definitely isn't seeming right to him. . .He considers his options. He can't leave Xack in the car.
Before getting out to get his son, Scott opens a hidden, second glove compartment below the standard one. Inside is a spare V3 Visor.
Grabbing it and closing the compartment, he goes outside before swapping the eyewear, then moves to get something else, this time from Xack's bag in the back.
Xack watches all this with curiosity.
Scott slips a pair of baby sunglasses on him; the style identical to Scott's including polarized lenses, though not made from ruby quartz, and the frames blue with a diagonal yellow stripe.
Scott then takes his son out of the car, keeping him in his arms.
"Momm-ma."
"Yes, we're going to see what's keeping her."
Scott proceeds in vigilantly.
Meanwhile, one of the protestors makes another update video:
"We just saw someone go in with a baby in their backseat! We're watching for them to come out. Who knows what freak experiments they're doing in there? We're waiting."
Other Protestor: "Jeeze, if he comes out without that kid, I'm calling the police."
We see Scott come into reception, then we're observing him on a monitor. Even without seeing his eyes it's clear he's assessing his surroundings; no one behind the desk, an unusual amount of security personnel. . . . We hear the voice of someone watching the monitor; a familiar, self-assured voice: "He's already catching on. Rush him now." We hear the last bit through a private communication device.
Scott doesn't, but he's already caught on to what's up- he prepares to fight --when he gets his own private communication: 'No- Scott! Get out!'
But they've already closed in- including behind him from outside, blocking his exits.
The confrontation gets underway. Under normal circumstances Cyclops would have it,
but his maneuverability is affected by having Xack with him.
One of the guards whips out a truncheon, marked with a Trask Industries logo.
With all the knowledge of a man who knows how to take a blow, Scott turns so Xack is completely shielded by Scott's own body.
However, the impact rattles him, and in an unexpected way. . .He discharges a calculated trick shot to go back on the offensive, but the power is not what it should be.
The next time he tries, there's no power at all.
. . . .blackness. . . .
we hear Cyclops' voice in an echo-y way; a memory, "The best life we can give him is one he's prepared for."
The lights go up in a training area; basic, not the Danger Room, and it's a younger Cyclops we see; not the adult whose voice we just heard.
A flashback to a training session early in the X-Man's tenure. Xavier rolls in. "Are you ready, Cyclops?"
Young Cyclops turns. "Yes. Though none of the others seem to be."
None of the others are even here.
"That would be because this training session is exclusively for you.
In a moment I would like you to remove your visor."
Young Cyclops is paused by this, but then he reasons:
"You want me to try controlling them myself. . ."
"No. Though I still believe it could be possible one day. But the fact that you are yet unable to is a weakness that can be exploited. We are here today to counter that. If I may first have your permission to fabricate a scenario in your mind."
Though Young Cyclops still seems nervous around the trial, he's sure on one thing. "I trust you, Professor."
"I know how fearful it makes you that you could hurt those you care for."
Through Xavier's psychic suggestion, Young Cyclops is made to perceive civilians and the other X-Men around him; Jean Grey positioned directly in front.
"Today, we will seek to wrest control from your fear. Please, remove your visor. Do not open your eyes. Listen and respond. . . ."
And in the following darkness, amidst echoes of that session, we hear rather present voices. "Should we've kept his visor?" "The gatekeepers hit him with a Trask Truncheon. He's neutralized." "Not forever." "For long enough. 'The boss' wanted him this way for what he called 'second inspection'." "Where's Perish? At least if-"
"If I'd wanted Perish here, she would be.
I desire him in peak condition for the extraction."
The room's been kept dark. For all it appears, the building's lost power. . . . --then, like a cliché interrogation dialed up to 11, it snaps on --the speaker and all others erupting in sounds of pain as their optic nerves are assaulted by the sudden influx of light-- "NO! It's her!-- she must be disposed of! --You resubdue him!" the main voice commands as measures of Cyclops brain activity reveals he's waking--
--and the assured voice of Xavier from the past, mixes with the urging, weakened voice of Jean Grey, now: "'Now, Scott- open your eyes-!-'"
VKK KZ ZHOOOOM!!!!!
Outside we see the protestors still waiting in anticipation for someone to come out, the one making video updates having turned their cellphone camera on the building itself. It catches the optic blast as it erupts through the roof.
"WHOA! Did you SEE that?!" -they can't seem to decide if they want to record their own reaction, that of their fellow protestors, or keep it trained on the building for more- "Did you see it?! We do NOT know what's going on!"
The protestors are blind to the answer, as Cyclops is blind to his circumstance aside from what he was able to glimpse when he'd opened his eyes- not taking any chances as the not-so-distant cries of his son mix with the closer sounds of combat as he fights --a desperate X-Man asserting himself confidently.
All who rushed him in reception are not present here --they should've been.
He manages to take down his assailants with a combination of his blind combat training and piecemeal information garnered from brief blasts at a close, controllable range.
The blasts, following the roof-shattering first, are once again not as strong as they ought to be; the space once again in partial darkness as that power failed, too. In short time Cyclops is the last one standing, and gets a hold of his breath to get auditory direction of where his son is --the room is close, the sound unmuffled; no door.
There are two other voices, one he's disturbed to recognize, the other urging something get done fast, done to Xack, before Cyclops --arrives at the doorway.
He can tell they're in about the middle of the space, right by his son, and tensely he trains his closed eyes exactly at the head level of the one he's met.
Saara Najhood speaks before he does: "I'm sorry, Mr. Summers- Scott! I insisted only I would handle Xack --he hasn't been hurt, he's just scared-!"
"So then give my son back to me."
Xack turns at his Dad's voice, at once familiar and not like he's heard before.
Guard: "Think you're in a position to make demands? You don't know the position your kid's in." This voice moves. For all Cyclops knows to some lever of a device trained on his son.
Saara: "No- Believe me, he's-"
Guard: "Just prick the damn ki--Where is he?!"
"What-?"
Cyclops tenses further, straining to make sense of what he can't see -there are some smaller sounds he catches amidst the arguing. .
. .before he feels a welcoming pressure wrapping around his leg.
With relief Cyclops bends down, holding his son protectively before getting back to business-
Guard: "Oh $*^%!"
He should've stayed quiet.
Then maybe he could've stayed standing.
Closing his eyes again to the threatening red beams, Cyclops trains them once again in Saara's direction with a fresh demand: "Tell me where Jean is or you also won't be walking out of here."
"I-I can't- I!"
"Where is she?!" he manages to keep his voice level for the sake of Xack.
"I'm telling you I don't-" her voice breaks, "I didn't mean- not for any of this-"
But in the midst of Saara's pleas, Scott seems suddenly detached from his present situation. His face taking on a look as though something's just shocked him emotionally.
Saara pauses, reading it a second, before- "I'm sorry! -I'm just sorry."
He can hear she's actually leaving out some other door, and for whatever reason he lets her go. Xack is who matters, and as the sound of a jet engine grows in his ears, Scott fiercely lays a kiss on his son's head; trying to force out whatever just ran through his.