Template:Featured Articles/26-2019

Moment of Awesome - Scott Summers/Cyclops: Scott's been asked this question many times before, but in the wake of M-Day, he makes sure Monica Rambeau knows what she's asking for. The girl had obviously thought about it, that much was clear but...more and more Scott was finding that eagerness wasn't always enough for the X-men, "You're certainly smart enough and capable enough to join the team," he allowed nodding at her, "and you can take orders," Nica had arrived at the mansion already well accustomed to that, "but are you ready for everything else that comes with it? Would you leave a friend behind to complete a mission, would you stay behind yourself?" Scott glanced down, his voice falling slightly, "We've been remarkably lucky, but putting on that uniform, don't get me wrong, it's a death sentence. One day we're all going to put ourselves in a situation we can't survive, I've seen friends stand in front of their deaths, people who never asked for it giving everything to lie broken in the dirt. Are you ready for me to go to your father, to tell him that was your fate, or tell someone else's parents that's what happened to their kid?" Nica glanced off over the pool and beyond that, the green of the mansion's grounds. Her hand moved up to pull a set of dog tags from under her shirt. "My mom died serving her country when I was just a kid. Dad gave me these so that I'd always have something of hers with me, and every time I take them off at night or put them on again in the morning, I think of her. I wish more than anything that she was still with us but..." She looked back at Scott. "I'm proud of who she was, what she did. I know this isn't a game or a chance to be a hero. I know it's dangerous and there's a good chance that I could be killed or watch someone I care about being killed. But if my life can mean that others can go on living and not be afraid, then it's worth it." She smiled gently at Scott. "I already talked to Dad about this. He'd rather I just did all the normal college student stuff and left the fight to others, but he understands. And he'd be a giant hypocrite if he said otherwise, being in the Marines." "Parents can be...irrational when it comes to their children, or those they see as their children," Scott allowed with a nod. "What your dad's going through, well to be honest that 's what we're all going through to one extent or another every time we see any of you stepping out into danger." The man gestured back at the mansion, "We want to protect you, I remember that you all felt we were coddling you a little and not telling you everything, because honestly we aren't. No-one wants to expose kids to the horrors of a situation, and at time I feel like I have am mansion of kids...oh god I'm turning into Charles." The man gave a laugh before inclining his head at Nica, "Don't be to hard on your dad ok? He's just trying to do what's best for you, and to protect you from the world. We should all be so lucky to have someone who wants to do that for us." "Oh, I know. And I appreciate it, having someone look out for me. But as much as Dad might grumble - and he has - he knows that I'm serious about this. He knows he can't protect me forever, not unless he's going to lock me up for the rest of my life. And it's the same here, at the mansion. This place... it's a haven away from all the bullshit out there. But to keep it that way, to give everyone the chance to have that, well, some of us need to step up." She met his gaze squarely. "And that's what I'm doing. Stepping up." It was honestly a better reasoning than Scott had had when he started this adventure, fighting Magneto and the Brotherhood was really something that Charles had wanted, and that Scott has just fallen into doing. It had been what had been expected, and so he'd done it, and everything that had happened since then had simply been a continuation of that. The newest recruits, Nica, and Tandy before her they all seemed to believe in the dream, to want to step up for idealistic reasons. It wasn't anything physical that made Scott feel old, even now there were few people at the mansion who could hope to beat him, but that idealism, the ability to believe so strongly in a dream, that got to him. Still..."Well, I can't argue with that. As long as your dad is happy to sign off on you joining then I see no reason to stand in your way." The man straightened, a easy smile resting on his lips as he held out a hand, "Welcome to the X-Men, Nica.