Chapter Text
Two men are waiting at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Quiet Council's meeting room. One of them, Scott Summers A.K.A. Cyclops, is pacing from one wall to another , while the other man, Alex Summers A.K.A Havok, sits on the stairs and stares at the ground. He isn't as restless as his older brother Scott, although he must admit that he is nervous, too. Alex and Scott are nervous because today the Quiet Council will decide their family's fate. Today is the day which will decide the fate of the youngest Summers brother, Gabriel Summers A.K.A. Vulcan. Gabriel is one of the famous omega mutants with vast powers. He has used these powers many times; most times with ill intentions during his time as the Emperor of the Shi'ar Empire. Krakoa forgave him for his crimes, and his family accepted him into their midst despite all. The Summers Clan believed that Vulcan's violent ways were a thing of the past, although he returned with severe traumas. They were wrong; Vulcan recently tried to reclaim his Empire and almost caused an intergalactic war. He was barely stopped by the Brotherhood of Arakko. Today, the Quiet Council decides how Krakoa will deal with Vulcan. His older brothers have no vote in this council. They are merely here to listen to the debate.
"Emma says that the Professor and Hope have arrived, so they'll start now," Scott informs his younger brother. He is linked with Emma Frost, who promised to give telepathic live updates about the upcoming debate. She also promised to grant them access if things should go bad so they could chime in to defend their little brother.
"Can you tell her that I also want to know what's happening? I'm here, too, you know," Alex complains. His wish is granted only a few seconds later.
"I would never dare to exclude you, Alexander, darling," Emma replies telepathically. One thought later, the brothers find themselves standing in the middle of the council as astral ghosts. Of course, Emma is shielding them from the other psychics on the Council so that the surprise momentum won't be destroyed. Spying on Council meetings is also not welcome.
The council is fully staffed today. After a short greeting and revision of today's agenda, Charles Xavier begins the meeting. The Vulcan topic is first on the agenda. "Dear members," Xavier starts "As you can see we once again have to talk about the mutant called Vulcan. He has recently attacked several diplomats of intergalactic empires and has caused an uproar on Arakko. We have to thank the intervention of our brothers on Arakko under the leadership of Storm for stopping him in time."
Nightcrawler smiles at Storm, who only nods once. A gesture of ' you're welcome' .
"Did anyone die? If yes, off to the Pit with him. Easy," Shaw blurts out.
Both Scott and Alex look at Shaw in disbelief before they return to the Professor.
"Unfortunately, it's not so easy," Xavier continues, " a lot of things are involved in this case. We have many aspects to consider." He stretches his hand out as an invitation before he announces the arrival of special guests. Two figures step through the back door; Sunspot and Deathbird.
"Deathbird's here and that means the Shi'ar are involved. This can't be good," Scott mumbles, "get ready. We definitely have to play lawyer today."
"Wait, maybe that's a good thing. Deathbird used to love Gabe. Maybe she will defend him," Alex replies.
Scott looks at him sceptically.
"On behalf of the Shi'ar Empire, we have Deathbird who will speak for the Empress," Xavier explains.
"But this is a Krakoan matter, isn't it?" Hope asks. She isn't very familiar with the Vulcan case even if it involves her great-uncle.
"It is not entirely a Krakoan matter, Hope. The Shi'ar are also greatly affected, so it seemed reasonable to invite them to discuss Vulcan with us. Please tell us about the Shi'ar stance, Deathbird."
Deathbird takes centre stage. She scans her surroundings quickly before she speaks, "Thank you, Charles. Empress Xandra sends her greetings. She cannot be here because her schedule requires her to attend other important meetings. I have been briefed and tasked to communicate the stance of the Empress in the cause of Vulcan." His name lies heavy on Deathbird's tongue , yet she continues, "As rumours spread through the Empire about the return of the former Emperor Vulcan, the Shi'ar wanted to capture him and put him on trial for his numerous crimes against the Shi'ar. But you intervened. In exchange for Vulcan's freedom, Krakoa has promised us that you will keep him contained and prevent him from ever entering the intergalactic stage again. This promise was broken. Therefore, the Shi'ar Empire claims Vulcan for itself and wants to put him on trial under Shi'ar law."
Mystique smirks, "Out of curiosity, what do you accuse him of?"
Deathbird turns to her, "Theft, prison break, conspiracy, damage of property, murder of many degrees, usurping, destruction on planetary scale and genocide."
"Genocide?!" Kate blurts out. Other faces match her shock.
"Not direct genocide. His actions have caused genocides in three cases."
While Kate mouths the word 'wow', her table mate Shaw puts his thoughts into words, "If I had a dollar for every time a person with the last name Summers caused a genocide I could cover my humble abode with gold and still could walk around with a cape made out of dollar notes."
"Please stay on the topic," Xavier berates, "Was this all, Deathbird?"
"Yes, this is what the high council and the Empress have decided."
"Have you found him guilty? What would the penalty be for such crimes," Emma wants to know.
"The Empress wants to put Vulcan on trial first. If he is found guilty the penalty would be death of course." Deathbird crosses her arms and looks around. She sees astonished faces and among them a few smirks. "I assume that this penalty is not the Krakoan way and you all would argue against it."
"Yes, we would," a voice proclaims. It's Scott's voice. He has heard enough and decided to intervene before the Shi'ar take his little brother away. Alex follows him but with less determination in his steps. "We don't believe in the death penalty anymore. But we believe in second chances. Gabriel should be given a second chance."
The Professor is visibly confused about how Cyclops and Havok could know about what they were discussing but decides to not question it now. He looks at Emma once before he speaks, "Cyclops is right. Krakoan laws do not include the death penalty."
"They also don't include extradition," Alex adds, "So Vulcan is off limits for the Shi'ar!" Alex crosses his arms and stares at Deathbird with the most intimidating gaze he can manage to pull off.
Normally, Deathbird wouldn't tolerate such sass directed at her, especially not from an Earther like Havok, but she's following a plan. So, she lets him play the tough guy role and keeps a neutral face.
"This is right, too," Charles explains.
Storm interrupts him, "Maybe we should reconsider and hand Vulcan over to the Shi'ar. It would be a gesture of fairness and trust."
"Really, Ororo? Trust? Fairness? Is handling a mentally ill man to his certain death really fair," Scott almost shouts.
"Who said that it will be his certain death," Storm counters.
"It will be his certain death," Deathbird explains.
"The Shi'ar are an honourable society that can ensure a fair trial."
"Yes, we are, Storm. The trial will be fair, I can assure you. Still, every Shi'ar court would conclude that Vulcan is guilty based on the gravity of his crimes. There is evidence."
"Fair trial sounds good to me," Shaw adds, "What could be wrong about that? As a gesture of goodwill, we could give him a Krakoan lawyer. We surely have a lawyer here."
"We don't have a Shi'ar lawyer here, though, Shaw," Alex snaps, "or do we?"
"No, we do not," Xavier confirms.
"I am not a lawyer, but I have a certain expertise and I can tell you this; a convict of Vulcan's calibre will not be faced with mercy for being insane. His insanity would even make the judge's decision easier to have him executed." Deathbird checks the Council's faces once more. Everyone seems to be conflicted now.
"There you go. You will send Gabriel straight to his death if you decide to hand him over. We can't do that. Gabriel has issues, yes, and he freaked out, yes, but he can be fixed. He still has good in him. He can be fixed." Scott is almost pleading with the Council. The option of trying to fix Gabriel's shattered mind wasn't even on the agenda today as it seems. It was either deliver him to the Shi'ar or send him to the Pit.
"But how can we fix him, Scott? Haven't you tried?" Storm is conflicted like the others, her voice suggests that, but she favours the option to hand her former opponent over as it seems.
"We tried to fix him. We made some progress even, but all of this was undone by Abigail Brand. Cable confirmed it. She has manipulated him to attack the representatives. It was all a scheme of hers." Scott explains.
"Can you prove this?" Deathbird asks, "Do you have evidence of Brand's scheme?"
Scott wants to speak up but gets interrupted by Sunspot who pulls out a memory crystal. He activates it and a hologram pops up that shows a flowchart. "This is the plan that Brand wanted to fulfil. Thankfully, Cable and Whizkid were able to uncover it and share it with the Brotherhood of Arakko in time. Manipulating Vulcan and causing a war through him was a major plot point. He didn't know what was done to him."
Everyone studies the hologram thoroughly. Deathbird skims it. "Well, if you can prove that Vulcan hasn't violated the agreement voluntarily, things might turn out differently."
"Really," Hope chimes in, "what would the penalty be if we sent him in with that then?"
"Still death," Deathbird replies, "Remember that he would not be on trial for agreement violation, but for his other crimes. It would be in your interest to prove that the agreement was not violated. This is your only chance to keep Vulcan on Krakoa."
"The question is if we still want him here," Exodus adds.
"Yeah," Alex adds, "we can try again to mend his mind and undo what Brand and these Progenitors have programmed him to do. We have very talented telepaths on this island. In fact, Cable has volunteered to help this time. It also makes sense since Gabriel is already constantly under his watch."
"Yes, and Gabriel trusts Cable." Scott looks in Charles' direction. Trust is very important , and everyone knows, and the Summers don't trust Xavier with Gabriel's mind anymore.
"What could Cable do to help him?" Hope throws in.
Now, as one of the heads of S.W.O.R.D., Cable has negotiated with the Arakki thoroughly to claim his uncle. With Storm's and Sunspot's good words, he could relocate the Mysterium cocoon that served as Vulcan's prison to the station. Ever since he has been placed safely in his little chamber. They were not allowed to open the cocoon entirely, due to safety concerns. Still, Cable managed to drill a tiny hole in it. The hole is the pathway to communicate with Vulcan via telepathy. So far, Cable managed to establish a calm contact.
"Cable is one of the most skilled telepaths we have. He has also seen what was done to Gabriel at the World Farm. The thing with these Progenitors. There is a good chance that he can undo it." Scott analyses the crowd. The Council members look at each other. "Please consider it."
"Even if it can be 'undone' and Vulcan won't be a threat to Krakoa anymore, he still tried to kill Empress Xandra. We can't pretend that he didn't," Kate explains, "and there's also more stuff to be unravelled, correct? How do we deal with that?"
Deathbird put her hands on her hips, reprimanding, "Listen, Krakoans. You're making this matter more complicated than it needs to be. Don't you remember that you have faced a similar case in the past?"
Everyone exchanges a confused look with their neighbour. Scott and Alex are especially confused . They try to make sense of Deathbird's statement via Emma's telepathic link.
"Alex, I don't like this statement. She's planning something and knowing Deathbird, it's something vicious."
"Yeah, got the same feeling. It's like... she's trying to... defend Gabe. Am I getting it right?"
Emma silences the telepathic chatter quickly, "You are right, Alexander. I tried to take a little glimpse into her head, but she's got shields. Nonetheless, I scanned your memories of her and it seems she had it bad for your little brother once. I wouldn't be surprised if this flame was still ablaze."
"You did what?" Before Alex can form another thought, Emma closes the connection and he's forced to listen to Deathbird's continued argument.
"That red-headed woman possessed by the Phoenix... what was her name? She was accused of actual genocide against the Shi'ar. If my information is correct she is still among you, Krakoans. We tried to put her on trial many times, but each time the X-Men did everything in their power to save her from conviction. And you succeeded even. Just for your information, she is still wanted by our authorities. Our Empress knows how valuable she is to you and your planet, so she lets the Phoenix woman be. With Vulcan on the other hand, she knows that you do not love him as much as you love the woman, so she is pushing harder to get him. To get a little justice, you know. If you showed a similar effort for him as you did for the Phoenix woman, the Empress might reconsider her course and we might renegotiate his case. This plus proving that Vulcan was manipulated, like your Phoenix host, could work very well in your favour. It's your decision, Krakoans. The Empress will respect it."
"Will she really do that? Will the Shi'ar accept it if we decide to keep Vulcan on Krakoa?" Charles is almost smiling.
Deathbird shrugs, "Do we have another choice, Charles?"
"I guess not."
Scott exchanges looks with Emma, "Okay, the Shi'ar are surprisingly nice today. Please tell me that you can read her intentions despite her psi-blockers."
"Isn't it obvious to you that she's obviously playing with us by mentioning the Phoenix Jean and her troubled story with the Shi'ar? She doesn't want us to deliver Vulcan to them. Deathbird has been arguing in his favour despite openly mentioning it. She played all the cards to convince us to keep him. The question is... what is her motivation? I think that she is doing it out of nostalgia."
Alex nudges his older brother slightly, "Emma is right! Holy… she still has feelings for Gabe! She wants to save him!"
"Feelings? Really?"
"Yes, Scott! They used to be married. Technically, they still are. They got separated by apparent death and not by a divorce."
"As previously mentioned, I can't scan your sister-in-law because she's shielded from my telepathy. So, let's assume that this is the reason."
Scott's gaze wanders between Emma and Alex, "Deathbird doesn't seem to miss her husband much. I don't know if she's acting out of love here. She's an evil one, don't forget."
"Whatever it is, Scott, she is subliminally trying to convince the council to keep him. So, don't say anything against her. In fact, stay silent for a few moments. Deathbird has convinced us to keep Vulcan."
The attention is on Charles as he calmly places his hands on the table. "We have been presented the Shi'ar stance on this matter. Vulcan's immediate family has also stated their opinion. Deathbird has informed us about the consequences that Vulcan will have to face if we decide to give him to the Shi'ar. Cyclops and Havok have presented us with an idea which is, well, more Krakoan and means that we keep Vulcan among us as well as try to give him therapy. Are there any questions or arguments left?"
Mystique raises her hand, "Destiny, how high are the chances that Cable manages to tame that guy?"
"Is this necessary, Mystique?" Scott adds. His addressee just shrugs and smirks. Typical, he thinks.
Destiny moves her head in Deathbird's direction. A purple film covers her golden mask now. "Vulcan will not be tamed by Cable."
"Then Shi'ar Empire it is," Shaw mumbles. Exodus nods.
Alex points at Destiny. A bold of blue energy travels through his suit. "Wait, how accurate are Destiny's predictions? Last time, I heard..."
Mystique jumps up from her chair to defend her wife, "Nobody cares about you heard, Havok! Destiny knows well!"
"Calm down," Destiny chimes in, "You all need to learn to listen more carefully. I said, 'Vulcan will not be tamed by Cable'. I did not say that he would launch another attack or worse."
"Then... what else do you see, Destiny," Charles is almost whispering. Like everyone else in the room, he awaits her answer with great curiosity.
Destiny remains silent for a few more seconds before she speaks, "Vulcan's flame will never be extinguished. Never. It will be tamed. Controlled. Like it has been before. The one who has done it before has given birth to the key. The one true key."
Scott and Alex exchange a look, not knowing if it is a good prophecy. They look at Deathbird. Her preying gaze is glued on Destiny like she is just a few moments away from attacking her.
Charles is the first one to speak up, "The key word here is 'controlled' , isn't it? Destiny's prophecy has made my decision easier. I vote to keep Vulcan on Krakoa and proceed with Cyclops' and Havok's plan to employ Cable with the task of monitoring his therapy. Who is in favour?"
The arms go up one by one. Some council members are still a little hesitant. Vulcan is staying on Krakoa.
Deathbird's face is expressionless. "So, you voted to not hand him over. I will inform the Empress about this. Thank you for your time." With this said, she nods once and leaves the room. Sunspot does the same and follows her.
Scott nods once as Deathbird passes him. Somehow, he feels that she is also pleased with this outcome. Maybe Emma and Alex are right and Deathbird might still care about her former husband somehow. Either way, this (and Destiny's mysterious prophecy) is a topic for another day. Today was a victory for the Summers brothers and Scott is content.