[early 1965]
She was running, racing through the fallen leaves of the oaks and maples, the elms and paw paws, rushing by as her burning legs picked up speed. Her breath came in sharp pants, visualized by the white mist it created in the cold autumn air. Her naked skin was continually scratched and gashed by sharp branches and hidden briars as her fiery hair seemed to catch every piece of loose vegetation it passed.
Her heart pounded, and not just from the unexpected exercise. She thought she's lost her pursuers a while back, but was afraid just in case. However, she was still getting tired, not being used to such exertion and she feared falling back enough for them to catch up to her.
Her body burst through a line of dense trees and suddenly she was falling. The trees had blocked sight of a cliff which she plummeted disgracefully over. She stretched her arms out in a futile and involuntary attempt to save herself and slow her descent. Along with the loud howl of the wind, she heard a piercing scream fill her ears, vaguely recognized as her own.
She was about to hit the green grass below when everything went black.
Jean Grey woke with a gasp, her body jumping forward a bit. She yelped with pain when she hit her nose on the ceiling and grunted when she hit the stone hard cot they mercifully called a bed. Tears filled her eyes from the pain in her nose as warm blood began to flow slowly down her face.
The room was light through the small window she was given in her cell and by the amount of it, she guessed it was about eight o'clock in the morning, just in time for her to wake. The door swung open suddenly and a blonde nurse stepped into the room, gasped at the bloody scene Jean was sure she provided, and stepped back out again a moment later, her rapidly retreating footsteps echoing down the minimum security hallway.
Jean squeezed her eyes shut and her tears this time were from shame and anger. Mostly anger.
She would be put back with increased security for this, she was sure. It wasn't her damned fault though! They just couldn't understand that!
A sob escaped her lips which she clamped closed in response, ignoring the salty taste of her blood and tears on her mouth. Jean didn't want to hear these voices or make things levitate! They just...did.
She didn't want to be the family freak and disgrace. She was just born that way!
The doors opened again, except instead of the nurse Jean couldn't remember the name of, in her place stood Dr. Ezekiel Fina and two hefty security guys, one holding a straightjacket. Dr. Fina kneeled down in front of Jean, took her chin in his hand, despite her efforts to move away, and said, "You need to go to the infirmary. Will you be a good girl so I don't have to get forceful?"
She nodded and stood slowly, continuing to cry softly.
"We have a new medical doctor today, Jean. Dr. Oliver retired, so in his place is Dr. Elizabeth Green. I'm sure you'll get along wonderfully," her head psychiatrist explain with a cheer in his voice as fake as the hair on top of his head. She silently debated whether the degrees and certifications hanging in his office were real.
She was lead from her pale pink cell to a stark white hallway with blinding artificial lights and badly patterned carpet where they walked for a bit, made a couple of turns she barely registered, before opening a wooden door. The frosted glass on it had read in newly labeled black lettering 'Dr. Elizabeth A. Green, M.D.'.
"Dr. Green? This is Jean Grey."
Dr. Green was not what Jean had been expecting. Most of...well, all of, the doctors she had seen, whether since she had been here or before her admission, were frigid, stone-faced know-it-alls who would diagnose her with a disease at least ten letters long and prescribe her a boat load of pastel colored pills to keep her under control (all of which her family thankfully refused to endorse).
However, Dr. Green was a kind faced middle aged woman with bottled brown hair and sweet eyes the same shade, "Hello, Miss Grey. Please, come in."
She motioned to a seat, her eyes fixed on Jean as she replied over her shoulder, "You three can leave."
The men hesitated, looking at each other for a moment before Dr. Fina spoke, "Um, Dr. Green? You do realize what you're doing, right?"
Another tear fell down Jean's left cheek at his reply. None of them had any idea what they were doing anymore than she, but their empty, misunderstanding words hurt her.
"Yes, I believe I do. This is a girl who has made significant progress from what I can see in her file and had a small accident this morning. Nothing to worry about as far as I can tell, so why don't you leave me to my patient and be on your way?" she asked, though the tone of her question left no room for debate.
Obediently, though reluctantly, the three men backed out and shut the door.
"Are you going to analyze me?" Jean asked with a bit of heat in her tone.
Dr. Green laughed, "Dear, I'm a doctor and a very curious one at that. I analyze everyone."
For some reason, Jean relaxed a bit at her words and her tone became less threatening, "I've broken my nose before. It doesn't take that long to fix."
"No, but with the accident, they decided to let us get on with the appointment they had scheduled for this afternoon. Now we can talked until 10:30," she said with a smile.
"But first you'll fix my nose?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course!" her eyebrows narrowed a bit. "Does that not happen here?"
"It does, but I was just wondering," she lied.
The doctor's eyes widened a bit as she spotted the bad lie, but she ignored it and continued to move about in order to fix her nose. It took about ten minutes with Jean's constant flinching.
Dr. Green smiled, "You don't have much of a tolerance for pain, do you?"
Jean shrugged.
Dr. Green sat in a desk chair opposite Jean, who was still seated in hers. She picked up the young girl's file and began to leaf through it, "Like I told those men, you've made remarkable progress here, whether they let you know it or not."
"How?" she asked, genuinely interested. It wasn't often she got to hear much about her condition, other than to slam whatever claims she had about hearing voices and levitating objects. Even as she sat there, Jean could hear the buzz of voices begin to build again. She quickly slammed a self-made mental wall down on them and silence was bliss.
"Catatonia is nasty and you had a particularly severe case, keeping you catatonic for almost three years. When you did come out, it wasn't for long and you were always screaming about voices and levitating things. It's remarkable that you managed to come out at all, not to mention with an extreme level of apparent sanity and intelligence, especially for a seventeen year old."
Jean cocked her head, "Did you just say I was sane?"
"I did," Dr. Green removed her glasses and set them on the desk. "I have a confession to make, Jean."
She stiffened and Dr. Green waved her hand with a smile, "Oh, nothing like that, dear. Actually, my confession has to do knowing what is wrong with you, or rather, what is right with you. You see, Jean, you are a mutant."
"...huh?" So much for intelligence.
"You are a mutant. You know about genetics, yes? (Jean nodded) Well, there is an extra gene in some people called an X-gene. That gene has existed for a long time in many people, but grew in numbers and still laid dormant. Now, they are beginning to emerge. X-genes usually activate one of three ways. 1.) They are born activated. 2.) A tragic or otherwise scarring event, like what happened with Annie, could draw a dormant gene out or manifest it early. 3.) Puberty will take care of it and it will manifest with it is ready during that already difficult stage. Keep in mind, that it doesn't activate in everyone and most people will not every manifest."
"So these voices...they're part of a...mutation?" Jean tested the word.
"Yes. More specifically I believe you are telepathic and a telekinetic, a powerful one if I'm not mistaken."
"What are-"
"Telepathy is essentially the ability to read people's minds and telekinesis is the ability to move and manipulate matter with your mind, though you obviously know it's a bit more complicated than that," Dr. Green winked.
Jean's green eyes widened, "So these voices were actually voices of people! Just inside their heads?!"
"Precisely. Miss Grey, you are a perfectly healthy young woman, though I have to confess once more that telepaths have a sort of affinity for insanity, so you must be careful! Other than that, some morals would do you well in learning as well as simple control, to which I have a friend who can help you and-"
"NO!" she screamed. Lowering her voice for fear of attracting the attention of security, she continued, "No! I don't want help, I don't need it! I just want to...get out!"
"What will you do if you get out, Jean?"
Jean's eyes filled with tears as she thought of the terrible things that had happened within these sterile walls, "Run."
Dr. Green wanted to ask more, but she knew the truths behind this facility, having been told such by her telepathic friend when she was sent here. Regardless, she made up her mind then, "Where would you run to?"
"North...but I'll see where the roads take me. I just want to be free, Dr. Green!"
"I'll help you. My friend will probably roast me, but you're in no state of mind to be forced to go anywhere and I'll be damned if I let you stay here. I have a bag ready for you. Are you sure you want to run?"
Hope blossomed in her chest, "Positive. Thank you, Dr. Green."
"You're welcome. Good luck, Jean Grey. Oh, and please, Dr. Green was just an alias. Call me Moira."
Jean smiled, "Goodbye Moira."
Five minutes later, she walked out of Redwood Psychiatric Hospital dressed in actual clothing and, running down the street, she laughed. Though it was spring, not autumn, and she was running down the road and not the forest, Jean was escaping and she couldn't be more happy.
This is obviously, as stated in the description, a huge AU overhaul. It will get crazy, but will also fit in with the 'X-Men' (2000) storyline...eventually. I seriously have no idea which corner of my brain these psychotic AU's like to come from, but hell, if the comic-verses can pull this crap, I sure as hell can.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. There will be more to come so please review and follow! Thank you!