WICKEDLY GOOD

Tell me about it – I spent weeks trying to find a dress for this thing and now I’m really regretting not going with the red. My skin is really washed out in this blue and I’m bloated – and – and… oh my god, panic central Andi. Everyone here is so pretty.

Clary-- take a breath with me. In, two, three-- out, two three.

Making my own emotional decisions is considered a roadblock, so they’ve taught me. I’m not burdened by things like a guilty conscience or personal connections, I’m not weak. I find it a gratuitous favor.

Being burdened with feelings like guilt, sadness, happiness-- having connections with those around you doesn’t make you weak. It makes you alive.

Placed in the wrong hands, SHIELD is merely one bad day away from turning into the Brotherhood. You aren’t working for them, doctor. They’re using you.

There really isn’t much of SHIELD left to use me, Mr. Lehnsherr. SHIELD isn’t a dominant power as it once was.

“I…” Carol paused and bit back on her feelings. Despite how Fury had help relieve her struggles, Carol still found it hard wiping out her programming. Clearing her throat; “Who’s running S.H.I.E.L.D now?”

Andi’s lips pulled taut at the woman’s question. Ever since Fury had died-- no one really took his place, especially after the Hydra agents showed their true colors; they all dwindled-- struggling to stay afloat after being hit. “SHIELD is far and few in between, just a few agents who stayed loyal remain, but it’s mostly up to the senior-most agents. I think the most leader like is probably Agent Romanoff, but she’s been doing missions with the Avengers-- and so has the other senior most agent, Agent Barton.”

It’s a simple technique even without abilities. Do you think I wouldn’t overhear information straight from the horse’s mouth while in the Brotherhood especially when it concerns other mutants? You shouldn’t be wasting your time at SHIELD.

“It does make me a bad person because that’s what I am.” Alexander clenched his teeth as he replied with a hiss, raising slightly from his seat to lean forward, “ You can’t imagine the things I’ve done to other people of our kind, Andi. What Camille made me do at her mercy. I was her fucking toy to play with and she always guaranteed I fought the most heinous rounds that left the other guy laying in a pool of his own blood or nothing left at all.” Sometimes, Alex thought Cami made certain he won his battles so she wouldn’t have to replace him so soon. Many would say it’s a blessing he had the help, he just knew it as a curse. “When we were freed, I knew my job was to make my life and that of my brother’s as normal as possible. I found a way to make ends meet, put food on the table, tried connecting with Scott…look where the optimism left me. I pushed the anger aside, hell, I buried it, and I knew I was a fucking ticking time bomb. You can go and suggest any mumbo jumbo yoga zen shit if you want, but I know the truth. I can’t let go of this anger.” Alex’s gaze hardened, “I’m acting on it. Towards Camille, towards Jack, and I won’t stop until the Brotherhood burns. I’ll take absolute pleasure in every single second of it.”

Her lips pressed firmly together as the boy spoke, never moving-- not even to bring her drink to her lips in case she broke him out of whatever he was feeling. Andi was finding more about him in that moment than she knew in general. She knew that he was abused-- him and his brother, heavily, by their own kind, but hearing it straight from his mouth made things hurt that much more for her. “Alex, no,” Andi said firmly, leaning forward to the boy-- her bright blue eyes never wavering from his face, “I’ve seen plenty of bad people, plenty of people who deserve that title that don’t think they do-- but you, Alexander, are not.” A small smile lifted the corners of her lips-- god, she just wanted to do everything she could to help him. No one could go through the things that he went through whole in the end. She barely met the younger Summers, but from she gleaned from Bruce-- both of the boys just needed someone looking out for them. “I understand the need to fight them, to gain back the things they stole from you and your brother, but you can’t do that when you can barely contain your anger,” Andi paused, her lips pursing slightly before she continued. She was about to press on boundaries that she really shouldn’t as a mutant, but it was something had worked for her in the past. Something to try. “I can’t stop you from going after them, and I know you won’t listen even if I told you no, but this anger-- it will get you killed. Yoga won’t help you, Alex, but perhaps I can.” She leaned forward again, her eyes shining with sincerity, “I don’t know the things they did to you-- I don’t know every sordid detail, but with me you have every choice. You can tell me no.” She took a small breath. “Remember when I told you that my mentor put a block on my abilities? I can do something like that for you-- something small that you won’t even know is there. Something to help you tame your anger so you can think through clearly; your anger will be there still, just... less-- more manageable until you can have it taken down again.”

From what I hear, you don’t need astuteness to get into your patient’s head.

‘Getting into your patient’s head’ sounds rather invasive if you ask me. I go no further into their minds than what they desperately want me to hear-- curious how you know this, however.

It’s what they would want me to do. They tell me I should hate the avengers, feel the desire to kill them, and so it shall be.

It’s easy to be told how to feel-- safer sometimes; everyone looks to be told what to do with their life, where to go. However, hating someone because it was told to you? You don’t find that strange?

Does it sound like I’m hesitating making a promise like that? No. I don’t do empty threats.

I wasn’t asking if you would hesitate, I was asking if you really wanted to do that. You.

I am an astute man.

Then again, you’re an astute woman, doctor.

It’s what I’ve always been taught.

Is that what you really think, though? That you would ‘skewer’ them?

No, but the typical implicating factor for said clumsiness means distracting thoughts. An observation I’ve found.

That’s very astute of you.

“Think of it this way, it could’ve been worse than a spilled drink. You could’ve been carrying around the world’s most expensive thing and then you’d be in some trouble. Though, thanks for sparing me from the embarrassment.” As much as he appreciated the playfulness of their conversation and having that taste of normalcy, Alex couldn’t avoid the reason why he tracked down Doctor Devereaux for much longer. He was finally beginning to grow comfortable with the woman and dare he say, started to trust her. Walking over to the table she indicated, he slid in the seat across from Andi and released a breath. “I wouldn’t exactly say I’m okay, no.” Alex placed his hands on the table’s surface, threading his fingers together, “I’ve had trouble holding down a job for months now. I’m, um, getting into these fights I can’t stop myself from. Every little thing sets me off and I feel…” How did he feel? “I’m disgusted, but I’m enjoying it. And I don’t know if that’s the Brotherhood talking or if that’s part of who I am.”

Her words died in her throat, her hands closing around her cup as she listened to Alex’s words. Alexander’s abilities may be otherworldly and mutant, but the signs were all the same in her eyes-- it was like he was battling a sort of addiction. “I think it’s a little of both, Alex, as much as I hate to admit that-- but I don’t want you to think that this makes you a bad person,” she said as she leaned forward, her light eyes trained softly on him, “this rage is a part of you now since the Brotherhood put it there. Imagine if you replace the Brotherhood with cigarettes and your anger with nicotine. Your need for your anger is such as it is because you went from fighting for your life to a complete stand still. Your body craves it-- for someone who’s been through what you have, it’s almost normal for you to be going through this. You ‘quit’ basically cold turkey. It’ll take longer for your body and mind to realize that you don’t need to hold onto the anger you have than it would for most people.”

Old friend. Where is he?

I see...

Where’s Fury?

Fury-- wait, how do you know him?

‘The Avengers save the day yet again.’ How I’d love to skewer them all.

And why do you feel like that?