Sober

Professor X was waiting for us in the sub-basement when we got off the jet.

"I'm glad to see you are all safe and sound, but I am not expecting much good news." He said

"We failed. No, I failed... You warned us, but I was no match for Magneto." Scott confirmed

"So I was right... Tell me, how did it go?" The professor looked somewhat concerned

"When my squad was dropped off at Stark Enterprises, we formed a perimeter around the building. After a couple hours with no sign of trouble, I received a mental distress call from Jean. She said all of The Brotherhood except Mystique was attacking her location, and they even had a new recruit. I sent Kurt and Kitty to go help them, but not long after, we had trouble of our own. Magneto appeared with Quicksilver, somehow jamming our comms too. Since we couldn't reach Jean, we struggled to keep up with them. Eventually Magneto pinned us both to a metal wall in a way that I couldn't get us out, and they finished their business like we weren't even there."

"I see... It can't be helped, we all make mistakes Scott. What's important is that we learn from them. What would you do differently with this experience?" He nodded sagely

"I wouldn't sacrifice half of our squad so carelessly, and I would try to secure communication better."

"Excellent, that's just what I was thinking. What about your team, Jean? What happened at the lab?"

"It went well, to an extent. The Brotherhood appeared with... Wanda in tow, so I tried to call for backup from Scott. Radio wasn't working, so I used my telepathy. Eventually Connor noticed something in Wanda's eyes, and I scanned her mind, detecting something overall wrong in her mind suppressing her will. He used his powers on her and she collapsed, causing a chain reaction where the rest of The Brotherhood went on the back foot. Unfortunately they somehow ALL managed to escape, so we took Wanda here to help her."

"Very interesting, how did they escape?"

"We don't know. From our point of view, Quicksilver picked up his teammates and ran off, but we think the Quicksilver we fought was actually Mystique, since the real one had to be with Magneto. That, and the fact that Blob just disappeared inexplicably, leaves us without a real explantation." I provided

"Curious indeed." He turned to Wanda "I'm Professor Charles Xavier and I believe I can help you regain control of your mind, if you'd let me."

"No! Not again! I'm not letting anyone mess with my head ever again! I can't, I won't, not after what he did!" Wanda burst out

"Whoa, easy, no one's forcing you to do anything. You said I could help you, what's changed?" I asked

"That's different! I don't trust him with my mind. I'm sorry, but I can't do it."

"That's quite alright, Wanda." Charles said, pausing for a moment in thought. "What if Connor here could help you, aid you in the removal of or otherwise recovery from this conditioning? Would that be alright?"

"...Yes, I think so." She eventually responded

"Would you mind waiting for a short while? There's a few things I need to explain to Connor first."

"No, I– I guess not.."

"Thank you for you patience Wanda. Rogue, if you would house her in your room for the time being, that would be much appreciated. That will be all for this debriefing. Jean, Connor, please stay for a moment."

As most of the X-Men split up to go do their own things, I had an extracurricular lesson to attend.

"How extensive will this explanation be, exactly?"

"As much as possible, but probably less than ideal. Jean, do pay attention as well, as this will be important knowledge for you going forward. First, I should ask; is her mutant ability dangerous or volatile?"

"Not excessively from what I've seen, but that's very little to be fair. Mostly she just threw energy bolts that were definitely weaker than Scott's optic blasts, but she did lash out at a teammate with a powerful energy burst. I'm betting she could do a lot more, but is limited by her focus or something similar, so she isn't very powerful right now." I answered

"Thank you, now on to the lesson. Principle number one; be careful. I'm sure you already know this, but it cannot be overstressed. The mind is a delicate, delicate thing, and you must be cautious to leave everything in its place. Principle number two; be gentle. You must understand that any 'influence' or ' power' over someone's mind is at the discretion of them and their subconscious. You are to guide them along the route to a healthy life, not **** them onto it. Principle number three; less is more. Typically, the less meddling you do, the better. The simple solution is often the better solution. Principle number four; be respectful. Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean no one else can. Principle number five; don't overstay your welcome. You do what is required of you, and nothing more. That's all for the general advice, but before we get more specific, I'd like for you to repeat the five principles back to me."

"Okay, uh... Be careful, be respectful, don't overstay your welcome, less is more, uh... I don't remember the last one, sorry."

"Be gentle. We are careful, gentle, minimal, respectful, and timely. Remember these principles always. Now when it comes to mental influences, there are a few types, which all require different methods to combat. Putting aside classical and operant conditioning, let's focus on **** mental conditioning first. For example: 'When a happens, do b' or 'When you feel x, y should happen.' When someone is under this kind of control, all you have to do is break the associations. Direct mind control usually has to be cut off at the source or directly overwhelmed, so we're lucky we aren't dealing with that here. We're likely dealing with a mental cage. This type of control forces someone to act in a particular way, or think certain thoughts, that they otherwise wouldn't. It can be hard to break, but you only need to get rid of the cage to stop it. Lastly for now is brainwashing, the most difficult type of control to remove. Typically accomplished not only through superhuman abilities, but traditional and technological means. Due to the immense repetition involved, brainwashing is usually very ingrained. You have to delve deep into the subject's mind and slowly reverse it. That's everything, are you ready?"

"Honestly? Not really, I need a minute to prepare myself for something this important." I responded

"Take all the time you need, just let me know when you begin." He said as he left the room

"Sooo... are you worried that you can't do it?" Jean asked me

"Yes, of course I am. I told Wanda that I'd do whatever I could to help her, but I was kinda winging it until now. I haven't actually used my powers to help someone in any meaningful way, especially not without ulterior motives. Now I have to help restore someone's mind after they've been manipulated, pretty much what I've been doing. It's just a lot, you know?"

"I understand this is a big step up for you, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You helped me come out of my shell, you gave Rogue the chance to touch someone again, you saved us all out in the field, you've done plenty of good. I know you can do this. I don't know this girl personally, but I'm sure she'll appreciate what you're doing for her."

She is right about all that, I guess I have **** but to do my best.

"That's the spirit!"

We went to Professor Xavier's study, and I told him I was headed to Rogue's. As I walked down the hall to her room, my hand felt heavy. I pulled my fist to her door and knocked upon the wood.

"Connor? You here for Wanda?" Rogue asked as she opened the door

"Yeah, we should go to– actually, this might take a while, we ought to stay in your room."

"Oh, do you want some privacy?"

"Yes, thanks."

Rogue walked off with a nod. I slowly opened the door...