[Plot] Heart of the Cards

[Will Stanton]

Will had already started down the hill, towards the jetty.

"Don't worry about me, Robbie; if you want to stick with your friends, go right ahead. I'll keep."

[Samantha McManus]

"Alright, we'll... well, we'll see you on the other side."

[Robin Stanton]

"Well if it's up to me..." she says and tilts back on her feet and rolls down the hill on her heelies till she catches up to Will.

"Keep schmeep, yeah?"

[Will Stanton]

"Let's just get out of here," Will muttered under his breath. "Before anyone changes their minds."

[Robin Stanton]

"You're genuinely worried they might, aren't you?" Robin asks, sounding concerned.

[Will Stanton]

"Let's just say I'm finding it difficult to trust, at the moment," he said, acknowledging the elephant in the room.

[Robin Stanton]

"That sucks. I think they meant well, but I get it. They left you here to be locked up. That... wouldn't have happened back home."

[Will Stanton]

"The thing that gets me," Will continued, "is that, you know. We have facilities back home. Secure cells for lock-up; labs for research; mutant experts. We have all of that, easily accessible. But instead, they went out of their way to leave me on this God-forsaken rock, and left. This is where we send our villains; the people who have caused so much damage and pain that we can't justify keeping them in our own cells. And then, also, me. Apparently."

[Robin Stanton]

"It's a mutant research clinic. Or at least it's supposed to be. Maybe a bit too much sentiment spilled over from the prison... That Doctor was a douche."

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, you have no idea. I could go into a whole thing, there -- but it's in the past. One can only hope."

[Robin Stanton]

"Was it like this back when you and Mum met? The weird authoritarian vibe everywhere? Or is that just this place?"

[Will Stanton]

"It's different, here. It really is. Both macro and micro.

We didn't have all these anti-mutant laws in place. Sure, there was discrimination and whatnot, but not on the same...scale. It's like they tweaked the dial down two or three notches. And they tweaked that dial everywhere, so even Xaviers, which was a 10 out of 10, if not better, is now...what, a seven? That's math."

[Robin Stanton]

"Math you made up. And you're right, it's not fair to expect you to do any more than to just... wait it out."

[Will Stanton]

"It sounds like there's a massive 'but' hanging on the end of that sentence."

[Robin Stanton]

"I don't think you're actually happy with that."

[Will Stanton]

"The fact that I was desperate enough to get a taste of MGH and then intentionally took an overdose your first hint?" he laughed, harshly.

[Robin Stanton]

"Very funny. I just..." she shrugs in an overly dramatic manner that has her shoulders sag way more than physiologically reasonable. "Over a decade is a long time to be stuck somewhere and there's gotta be a better way than that. You've earned a break so... guess it's up to me to make this world nice enough I won't have to explain to Mum why you came back a depressed drug addict, yeah?" she says, swaying as she walks to bump her shoulder against her dad's.

[Will Stanton]

"Over a decade? Try 60 years and counting. You do remember I spent several decades in the Antarctic, right?

Albeit, without my memories, so it's not quite the same thing, but still. It's been a long road, getting from there to here."

[Robin Stanton]

"I know. Those only count when I need to point out how much of an ancient geezer you are. Although I guess looking back on it it'd still feel like decades spend here? Point is, do not quote terrible sci-fi themes songs at me, you grumpy grandpa. Wait, no, the point is I don't want you to spend your twilight years in a world full of butts and farts. So I'ma gonna start making a list of the metaphorical asses I gotta kick to whip this place into shape. Enjinnie, look up ways to make the world a better place!" she demands, waiting for a couple seconds before throwing her head back with a groan when the lack of her Engine Assistant fails to respond for lack of her futuristic eye-piece.

"Ffffuuuuuck..." she laments her fate and reaches into her chest to pull out the ancient-ass smartphone. Which shows a whole zero bars of reception now that they're some ways away from Muir's facilities.

[Will Stanton]

"Don't worry, I'm going to stay off the MGH, but...

...I mean, it felt amazing. It was a hell of a recharge. I feel so tired and stodgy over here, all the time. Like, just the effort of moving forward feels like I'm cutting through a heavy headwind."

He paused.

"Metaphorical wind, moving, and effort, yadda yadda. Everything just takes so much more energy than it used to, just to keep going on a day-to-day basis."

[Robin Stanton]

"Wait... you mean, like, not just sick and tired and worn out? This sounds like something's not right. Maybe there's something funky going on with cross... dimensional... I dunno. Stuff! Maybe you've been here so long your body's out of... mitochondria." That's a science word, right? "Or something?"

[Will Stanton]

"Wait... you mean, like, not just sick and tired and worn out? This sounds like something's not right. Maybe there's something funky going on with cross... dimensional... I dunno. Stuff! Maybe you've been here so long your body's out of... mitochondria." That's a science word, right? "Or something?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I think I've just been...stretched too thin. Without time, space or shape to recharge. The robot tried to help 'supercharge' me, and that helped for a little bit? But only for so long."

[Robin Stanton]

"Cause you don't have all the people who love you and you haven't for a long time except when reality was collapsing and that hardly counts." she nods.

"I'm telling you, shoulda gotten a beach house. Instead you let them put you with the robot and one piece of furniture. That's bollocks and we're changing that. Step one to having a home away from home is actually having a home."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm sure Lippencott has his reasons..." Will said, trailing off for the third time in as many days when mentioning the headmaster.

[Robin Stanton]

"They always do. Doesn't mean they're good reasons. Why are you letting this guy shove you around?"

[Will Stanton]

"He has connections here -- Connections I don't have anymore.

I spoke with him, after Sam insisted that he talk to me. I told him I wasn't...wasn't sure about being an X-Man anymore, that I'd lost whatever...confidence, or whatever, that I once had. And, y'know, he listened. And he commiserated. And he had some ideas for projects I could take on -- temporary projects, that I could do in my time here before we go home.

He has connections. With, among others, the European Space Agency."

[Robin Stanton]

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait. He's planning to shoot you into space? And you agreed to this? Why? Do they already have cool space-ships here? Were you planning to go on a space adventure without taking me along!?"

[Will Stanton]

"They don't have cool spaceships here. That's kind of the point," Will said, looking down at Robin.

[Robin Stanton]

"So what, you were planning to just... fuck off into space?"

[Will Stanton]

"Wh...no! If I'm off in space, how the hell do I get back home? No, no, no. I've got to stay around here so your mother knows where to find us, right?

But, like, at the moment? The ESA doesn't have their own spaceships. They've got to hitch a ride with...well, mostly Russia at the moment. But building a reusable spacecraft is expensive...

...And beyond what I can do now. But, as Lippencott pointed out, what's the point of going back to school if I don't learn something new? He pitched this as an...opportunity. To take a detour in life, without losing my place back home. And if the space thing doesn't interest me or doesn't work out, he has other suggestions and options.

Sometimes, I feel like he's the only here who actually gets me at all."

[Robin Stanton]

"You're learning how to turn into a spaceship!? Okay, that explains the courses and why you're going along with it. That is hype! But are you sure that he gets you and isn't just, you know, taking advantage of the situation? Cause you do have time and if you're this worn out then maybe he doesn't care so much about you as he does about the project."

[Will Stanton]

"I mean, of course he's taking advantage of me. I'd like to think I'm taking advantage of him as well, though.

You've got a point about me being exhausted, but that was starting before this courseload..."

[Robin Stanton]

"That probably needs addressing before starting the Stanton Space Program, yeah? And hey, telling Lippincott you wanna slow down a tad for your own well being is gonna be a good test of his intentions."

[Will Stanton]

"Push yourself into your limits until you smash through them," Will said, in a good imitation of Lippencott's voice. "And with the MGH, I did. However briefly. But now that's gone..." he said, scratching at one arm.

[Robin Stanton]

"There's pushing yourself and there's taking mutation enhancing drugs cause you can't keep up with what's being asked of you."

[Will Stanton]

"And because it feels really good, don't forget that part," Will added, with half of a barked laugh.

[Robin Stanton]

"Gee! Thanks, Drug Dad!" she says in her best very-special-saturday-morning-cartoon voice. "For teaching me the truth about drugs."

[Will Stanton]

"It was amazing, Robbie. I think I get Legion more now, especially if Faultline was keeping him supplied.

I feel...empty now. Like I'm waiting for that Buzz again. "

[Robin Stanton]

"Pretty sure that's called withdrawal, Dad."

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, thank you, drug daughter! For teaching me the truth about withdrawl," Will said, copying Robin's tone from earlier.