Beyond Evolution

Number Two - Seeing Clearly

First Published: March 2002
Stars: Cyclops
Writer: Devin Grayson
Art and Colors: Udon, Long Vo, Charles Park and Saka of Studio XD
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Associate Editor: Brian Smith
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Pages: 23

For more information about this comic, including scans of the first four pages visit Toon Zone!

Summary

In a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska, a young man is brought in. As he’s trashing wildly around him on the stretcher, the paramedics tell the doctor he’s a kid from the orphanage, and that he’s complaining about a sharp burning in his eyes. As the doctor tries to remove the kid’s bandage from his eyes to check him over, the kid struggles against it and tells him not to do it. As he does, a bright red flash cuts right through the roof of the hospital.

Cut to two days later, and the professor offers the head of the hospital a check to cover the costs of repairing the hospital. The head tells the Professor that luckily there weren’t any victims in the incident. As they proceed to the kid’s room, the Professor is told he was the only survivor of a plane crash which claimed the lives of both his parents and his younger brother, and that he had been in the orphanage ever since. He goes on to say that the Professor won’t have any trouble arranging custody, as nobody wants the young kid… as everybody’s afraid of him. Shocked by this news, Xavier introduces himself to Scott. When he tells Scott he wants to help him, Scott reacts enthusiastically.

Later on the same day, and an optician is making a Ruby Quartz visor for Scott. But while he wants to make it, he doesn’t want to present it to Scott, even though the Professor tells him it’s important, because Scott needs to experience human kindness. When the optician objects, the professor slightly ‘convinces’ him – with a little help of Wolverine…

So, when the optician hands Scott the visors the next morning (while fearing for his life: if they don’t work…), Scott is finally able to see again. Later on, at the admissions, Scott is signing himself out. The nurse is slightly nervous, and when Scott thanks her for all of her help, she needs a little ‘convincing’ (by the Professor) to return compliments.

But when the Professor brings Scott to the Blackbird, he gets some flash-backs to his plane-crash and runs away. The Professor stops him using his telepathic powers, excusing himself for not having thought about Scotts fear for flying. Scott hesitates for a moment then he concludes he can’t avoid flying forever. As the Blackbird takes off, the Professor tells Scott he wanted him at the Institute from the first moment he became aware of him.

Later on, in the Institute, the Professor shows Scott his room, and his new uniform, explaining him he needs it to protect his identity as an X-men while working on the team. As he leaves him to unpack, he tells him that Logan will bring him to the local school so he can be registered there.

Not that long later, we see Logan and Scott driving in the Cobra (Logan’s driving.) Scott is bombarding Logan with a lot of questions about the X-Men, but discovers he has failed to make a (good) impression on him. As they pass a bank, Logan tells him to avoid it: as a do-gooder, getting near a bank would almost certainly lead to involvement in a robbery, according to Logan. Suddenly he stops: he’s seen something suspicious near an armored car. As he gets out, Scott asks to join him. Reluctantly, Logan agrees. When they rush to the armored car, they find a robbery is indeed taking place. One of the robbers shoots Logan, but he isn’t hit that bad (and he heals quick). As the robbery turns foul, one of the gangsters tries to take a kid hostage, but Scott blasts the robber before he has the chance to take the kid hostage. But as Scott tries to return the kid to her mother, a crowd of onlookers turns against him, calling him a freak. Scott tries to reassure them, but he gets hit in the face. As the onlookers move away, Logan looks at Scott in a whole other way.

While driving back to the Institute, Logan asks him whether he’s alright. Scott tells him he is, and that he understands the onlookers were freaked – but that it’s bound to get better. When Logan asks him about what’d happen if it didn’t get better, Scott replies they should keep on trying.

Later on that evening, Logan tells the Professor he was wrong about Scott, and that he’s good. The Professor tells him he’s telling the wrong person, but it turns out Scott had heard everything. Logan tells Scott he should let it go out of his head.

Scott tells the Professor he appreciates his help, but that he shouldn’t try to make people be nice to him. The Professor apologizes for manipulating the staff at the hospital and tells him that, though it wasn’t his style, he found it effective; as he was afraid Scott would have become embittered if people continued to shun him. Scott tells him that isn’t his style. The Professor responds he should have had more thrust in Scott, and that he will apologize to the hospital staff.

Cut to the Grey-household. Mr. & Mrs. Grey rush to the bedroom of their elder daughter, to find she’s having a power-surge, causing various objects to float through it…

Summary written by Nikko for -