Chapter 12
The alternate Scott Summers stared at his Jean before noting there was a double of her standing at her side, suddenly he realized this had to be the Jean from the alternate dimension, but then he noted a third trying to contain Essex's beast and he wondered what the hell was going on.
"Jean I am doing this to save you," he shouted.
"No, you are doing this to try and turn me into a slave to your will and to force me to conform to how you wish me to be," Jean spat as the rest of her team and doubles rushed up behind them, before charging off to help try and subdue to the beast and the few remaining guards. "You want to turn me against my own children, make me hate them and hate my husband who I love with every fiber of my being," she stated coldly as she stalked towards him with, Jean was following her unsure what to do.
"You can't love him Jean, he's nothing but an animal incapable of love," the alternate Scott shouted enraged at her words.
Scott decided to leave this to Jean's double and turned and rushed off to help in the fight against the beast, as he moved closer he could see Kurt and Kitty both attempt a rear attack only to be struck by an attack that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then he realized the thing had used its mutant speed ability to defend itself, it then turned and charged the two Logan's who rolled out the way before jumping and charging it from behind. Again it used its speed mutation to catch them head on and knock them both to the ground, just as Storm tried to fry it with a lightning bolt. Even if it roared in pain it did nothing to slow the thing down. Making a choice he raised the dial of his visor to full, something he had only done once before and even then only in practice.
"Everyone down," he ordered, gaining the creatures attention and making it turn to face him.
He raised his hand to his visor again and let out a slow calm breath before he unleashed a full blast of his power from his visor, the creature was blasted backwards through one wall behind it and straight onwards. Its roar of agony made them all shiver, shutting his power off he wondered if that was it. 'Had a single full powered blast killed the damn thing?' His question was answered when the creature stormed back through the hole, there was a smoking hole form his attack, but it was slowly healing.
"Shit," he cursed as the others all reacted and moved to attack again.
Jean watched her double stare down her former lover unsure whether to leave her to it and help the others or stay just to make sure this did not end badly. She feared her double had been pushed beyond her control and that she may make a rash choice in how she decided to end the threat Scott Summers posed to her family once and for all.
"I will deal with you later," the alternate Jean spat before suddenly the alternate Summers cried out in agony as she telepathically shut his mind down in one quick brutal and painful thrust. Summers collapsed in a heap, letting out one pitiful moan of pain before he went silent. "He'll live for now," she said to the worried Jean. "Bring our sister and children to us, we need to combine our powers to bring this creature down permanently, only together can we destroy it before it can heal itself," she ordered with a brief glance cutting off whatever Jean was going to say.
Jean nodded and reached out telepathically to Madelyne, Alexander and Rachel and ordered them to join her and her double. She winced as she noticed Logan been flung head first into some steel pipes before being flung away. The alternate Logan suffered a head-butt with such force it broke his nose and caused him to start bleeding before he was then picked up and thrown at Rogue sending them both tumbling to the floor with a heavy thud.
The two Magneto's tried to use their joint powers to secure the creature in a metal prison, but the creature vanished and then appeared behind them and smashed them both to the ground, but thankfully before it could crush them under its feet it was tackled by Gambit, Juggernaut, both Beasts and Betsy. Alexander and Rachel reached them first and while Alexander looked much better from been touched by the power of the Phoenix, Rachel looked somewhat tired and beaten from her fights with the guards who were now all down and out. Madelyne arrived with a pronounced limp, clearly having taken a bad blow from the beast. She also had a nasty cut on the side of her head.
"I take it you have a plan?" Madelyne inquired as she glanced back to see Wanda, Pietro and Kurt all be battered away with force before the two Logan's charged in again.
"We must combine our powers and summon the full power of the Phoenix just as you did to heal Madelyne," the alternate Jean replied. "Together we can destroy this beast before it can heal itself," she added confidently.
"How do you know about our combining to heal Madelyne?" Rachel asked.
"An exchange of memory when my sister woke me up," the alternate Jean responded calmly and a brief glance at Rachel who just nodded in understanding.
"Considering how our powers were amped the last time we did that I would have to agree it could work," Alexander agreed after thinking it over.
"I agree, and I suggest we do so now before that thing gets the better of our friends," Jean said as she saw both Logans been flung into an already battered wall before the beast followed that up by stomping on their chests.
They formed a small semi-circle and clasped hands, instantly they were each surrounded by the Phoenix fire until each seemed to vanish leaving only the firebird image of the Phoenix itself.
It was Xavier who took note of what was happening and he instantly realized the danger, he sent out a physic call to retreat from the creature so they would not be caught in the backlash of what was about to happen. The creature moved to follow the retreating X-Men only to stop as it was engulfed in a blast of super-heated fire.
The blast sent it flying through what remained of the front wall and boiled most of its skin of. Even as it got up and started to heal the Phoenix attacked, the creature howled as the firebird engulfed it and raised it high off the ground and began to burn hotter and hotter. Emma moaned aloud as she sensed the power output from the five full Phoenix hosts combined, she had thought it was bad enough with four, but this was even worse. Xavier felt the brunt of the power being unleashed by this unique being created by the efforts of its various hosts.
"My god, we have to stop them," Scott stammered as he backed away from the symbol of all he believed had caused his and Jean's marriage downfall.
To him Jean's transformation into a host for Phoenix had been the beginning of her long descent from the woman who had loved him and him alone to the one that loved both him and Logan. Phoenix had changed Jean far more than the others had ever realized, before Phoenix she had a set pattern of how she lived her life and it had gelled with his own. After Phoenix however she had begun to change and in his mind, changed for the worse.
"We can't One-eye, this is the only thing that will destroy it of that I am certain," Logan said as he came up on his left. "Hell even a full powered blast from your visor only put it down for a few seconds," he added as he stared at the burning Phoenix in rapt attention.
"My double is correct, combined their powers are unstoppable and can rip that thing to pieces," the alternate Logan agreed from his right, making him jump slightly as he hadn't known he was there.
"That is what I am afraid of, that kind of power is too damn much for anyone to handle. It's corruptive," Scott argued.
"Not to them, they are its chosen hosts," the alternate Logan responded with a dismissive look at Scott's concern.
Scott wanted to argue that as he well recalled Jean's corruption to the Dark Phoenix by the Hellfire Club some years ago very vividly, but he supposed in a sense Logan was correct, they had been chosen to be its host and thus must have ensured they could control the power gifted to them. The roaring of the creature rang out making them all shiver, they could only imagine just what was going on inside the almost supernova looking firestorm. Clearly they were all feeling the heat from the firebird. Some had started to sweat even after moving as far away as they could go.
"Jesus, this is insane," the alternate Lorna muttered as she watched the firebird continued to glow brighter. "How much power are we supposed to let them summon?" she asked.
"However much it takes to destroy that beast, sister," Wanda responded with an arched eyebrow as she gazed at her sister's double wondering what kind of life she had lived opposed to the one she knew Lorna had lived here in her own dimension.
"It has to have a limit," Betsy stated as she rubbed her forehead as she too began to feel the backlash from the combined power of five Phoenix hosts.
"They are Phoenix Betsy, they have no limit as for all intense and purpose their individual selves have melted away to form what is for all intent an Avatar of a god," the alternate Magneto replied as he wiped his brow.
The cry of the Phoenix suddenly rang out within the chamber making them all stare into the burning fire, a few seconds later the firebird seemed to explode outward making them all flinch and look away. When they turned back to look they were surprised to find the firebird remained although it had now dimmed, but it was the burnt out corpse of the creature below it that gained their attention.
"Is it me or is that corpse melting?" Kitty inquired in slight revulsion.
"I think you're right other me," the alternate Kitty replied, looking slightly green as she watched the chest cavity of the corpse collapse inward.
"My word, I wonder just what the Phoenix did to it?" Hank mused aloud.
"Possibly destroyed the very atoms that made up its physical makeup, or burnt out the mutant healing ability it relied on to keep it alive," his double replied while stroking his chin in thought.
"I don't care what they did as long as the damn thing is dead," Logan grunted as he lit up a cigar and started to smoke as he relaxed slightly.
His alternate self-began to sniff the air and a growl slipped out as he stalked out of the room. Most of the others wondered where the hell he was going before he returned a few minutes later carry an unconscious body over his shoulder which he all but threw on the ground near where the alternate Summers lay.
"Seems Jeannie made sure this scumbag couldn't get away," alternate Logan spat as he stared down at the man who had not only created the creature that had put his friends and family down, but also almost turned him and them into mindless slaves.
"Sinister or at least the man who in our universe is Sinister," Scott muttered as he joined the alternate Logan and stared down at the double of the man who had caused so much havoc in his own universe.
"So what do we do with them now?" Rogue asked finally after a short silence had descended over them.
"You do nothing, it is not up to you to punish them but us," a new voice stated making them all turn to find the firebird had transformed into a more human shape although one that had no recognizable features. "They are threats to our chosen hosts and their progeny, threats we cannot allow to continue to exist," the voice added.
"Now wait a damn minute Jean. I cannot allow you to murder either of them in cold blood no matter what they've done," Scott quickly argued in outrage.
"I have no intent to murder anyone Scott Summers and neither does Jean or any of her siblings or children, but steps must be taken to ensure that these men do not threaten to corrupt or kill our chosen hosts and their progeny ever again, for were they to succeed darkness would descend on the multiverse," the voice argued back making Scott and some of the others frown.
"Who are you?" Magneto inquired.
"I am Phoenix, the guardian of creation and of the M'Kraan crystal brought forth by the uniting of my chosen hosts," Phoenix answered.
"What about the two Jeans and Rachel or Alexander and Madelyne for that matter?" Xavier questioned as he moved closer. "What has become of them if you are a separate entity?" he asked.
"You concern for my hosts is unneeded Charles Xavier. I would never harm my hosts and they are here as a part of my combined personality," Phoenix answered.
Scott frowned wanting to argue about harm been done to Jean while having been host to Phoenix, but he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, this being was not someone he wanted to piss off. He watched as the humanoid figure moved closer to where his double and Essex lay. He moved in front of them and stared as hard as he could at the glowing figure.
"What do you intend to do to them to stop them being a threat if not outright murdering them?" he demanded to know.
"I don't care as long as it keeps that dickhead away from my mother and stops him threatening my sister and father as well," Alexander spat as he glared at the fallen figure of the man who had constantly harassed his family.
Scott glared at him for his comment even as the kid's sister spoke up. "I agree, I mean I don't want to see him killed, but this obsession he has with mom has to stop before he either succeeds in somehow making her turn on us and going back to him, possibly through some kind of brainwashing or mom and dad finally have enough and kill him," Lara said with a slight shiver at the thought.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Scott couldn't help to snap back.
"Back off Summers or get squashed," Juggernaut warned him with a raised first. "This isn't your dimension and no one asked for your opinion, you have no clue what your double has done throughout the years to try and enslave Jean to his will," he spat with a glare. "To make her be what he wished her to be, not how she is in reality," he added.
"The question however remains Phoenix, how will you stop them from becoming a threat again?" Emma demanded to know while moving to stand next to Scott.
"Like this," Phoenix answered and before anyone could react two fiery strands shot out and connected to the two men's heads, both screamed in pain for a few seconds before going still and unresponsive again.
Scott tried to get in the way, but was catapulted backwards as soon as he made contact with Phoenix. Emma tried to use her powers to interfere in whatever it was Phoenix was doing, but instantly screamed and grabbed her head as she felt a tremendous backlash and collapsed.
"Everyone stop, we cannot interfere no matter that we may want to, none of us can stand up to Phoenix's power," Xavier commanded as loud as he could.
"Wise counsel Charles Xavier," Phoenix pointed out. "I am not harming them, only eliminating those memories that have caused their obsession, for the one called Essex it his desire to create the perfect human and his obsession for messing with DNA," it explained. "While for Scott Summers it is his entire memory of Jean Grey, sadly I cannot leave any trace of her in his mind for to do so would risk him recovering his obsession with her," it added.
"You have no right to do that," Scott shouted as he stood back up from where he had fallen. While he was disgusted by what his double had become and done in his desire to have Jean back. He didn't believe it was right for his mind to be messed with, his memories taken by force even by an ancient being such as Phoenix.
"To protect my host and her young from your double's growing and darkening obsession I am afraid this is the only way. He will not stop otherwise unless he is either killed or he eventually decides to kill her as the only way to save her," Phoenix shot back in a tone of voice that showed it cared little for Scott's view on the matter.
"But," Scott started to say before Logan cut him off.
"Try and remember One eye that your double allied with Essex so he could reprogram Jean's mind and make her forget she even had children and had never fallen in love with my double," Logan reminded him with a slight glare which was doubled by the one on his doubles face. "He wanted to take everything that made her life worth living just so he could have her by his side again, not even caring about the agony it would cause her or her family," he added darkly.
"And that almost led to us all been reprogrammed to serves Essex and god alone knows what he would have made us do in his service," Lorna spat with her own glare directed at the unconscious Scott Summers and Essex.
Scott backed off unable to think of anything to say to either Logan or the double of Magneto's younger daughter. His double had crossed so many lines it seemed there was nothing he would not do to reclaim Jean. Even if it meant stripping her mind of her memories of her family through force, and all but making her a slave as her mind was reprogrammed only to serve him.
Emma sensed the sudden surrender of Scott to what was happening and that he knew it was pointless to try and argue for another way, she also sensed his utter disgust in what his double had allowed himself to become and a slight fear he may suffer the same fate if history repeated itself in their dimension. She didn't believe for an instant he would fall to such a fate, not that she would allow it, and she doubted the other X-Men would either. But she knew history was repeating itself anyway, she had even done what she could to aide it in getting between Scott and Jean. Now she was uncertain what to do when they returned home, keep pressing until the marriage broke and she could finally claim Scott or back off and wait and see what happens.
"It is done," Phoenix told them as it withdrew the tendrils of fire and backed off only for Essex, Summers and the guards to vanish in flashes of fire.
"Where did you send them?" Juggernaut asked in surprise.
"Elsewhere, they will wake up with no memories of what happened here not even the guards," Phoenix answered. "They will no longer pose a threat to any of you, the danger is removed," it added.
The figure of the Phoenix suddenly broke back into a bright fire causing them all to look away, they heard the cry of the Phoenix ring out once more and the whole cavern began to shake.
"Holy shit Phoenix is going to bring the whole cavern down on our heads if we don't leave now," Kurt cursed as the base shook and rocks and walls began to fall.
"OUT NOW," Xavier ordered even as Kurt grabbed him and ported out with him.
The others turned and ran for the exit tunnel, not one of them turned back as the light of the Phoenix got brighter and brighter and the cavern and the base within it shook even more. It took them only a few minutes to exit the crumbling cavern, exiting through the rent doors and back into the forest clearing. Kurt quickly took note that the guards they had subdued to get in were also gone and only the rope they had used to bind them still present.
"Phoenix is destroying the whole base by bringing the cavern down on it," Magneto mused aloud. "So as to keep anyone from discovering it and whatever secrets still lay on the computers within," he continued.
"Could have at least warned us first," Gambit muttered as Rogue leaned against him to catch her breath. The others all mostly agreed with nods, they all watched as the cavern finally gave way and collapsed, forever sealing the entrance under a ton of rock.
"What about Phoenix?" Rahne inquired as she turned to glance at the Professor.
As if to answer her question the firebird appeared before them burning brightly, before anyone could say anything the firebird pulsed before it vanished in an explosion of light. When they looked back they noted the firebird was gone leaving behind the swaying forms of the two Jean's, Madelyne, Rachel and Alexander. All five collapsed in a heap clearly tired and drained as they had been when they combined to heal Madelyne. Logan and some of the others rushed forward to check on them.
Kurt popped away back to the Blackbird and returned a few moments later with some canteens of water which he quickly handed out, it took a few minutes but slowly each of them came round.
"You okay?" Logan asked gently as he and Scott helped Jean up while the alternate Logan pulled his Jean into a quick gentle kiss.
"Tired but okay," Jean responded with a soft smile at his concern, missing the rather dark look that crossed over Scott's features before he quickly shook it off.
"Combining like that takes everything out of us," Rachel moaned as she was helped up by Hank. "It is exhilarating but extremely taxing," she told them.
"But it worked," Alexander stated as he accepted a lift up from Juggernaut which almost caused him to fall over again. "We killed the beast, destroyed it down to its very atoms so it couldn't heal," he explained with a grin.
"Not something I would want to do a lot," Madelyne cut in as she was helped up by Storm and Rogue. She rubbed her head as if she had a headache. "The power we summoned was unlike anything I have felt before, all consuming," she added.
"Yes for us were we ever to try and harness it as ourselves, but not when combined, because it is not truly us for we all become a part of Phoenix's greater consciousness," the alternate Jean stated.
"We need to get back to the mansion, we need rest and possibly a quick check up in medical to see if there were any changes from our second combining," Jean told them as she leaned against Logan without even thinking about it and almost causing him to jump as she did so.
Scott frowned even more as he took note of her action, clearly he could tell it was done by instinct as if she found more comfort in Logan than she did with him and that realization hurt. It was clear that if things didn't change or if he and Jean didn't make a cohesive effort to fix their marriage, then he could see that the end of their marriage would be measured in days and not years. Then he could not help but think about how Jean felt about what Phoenix had done to his double, something he still felt was very wrong and he had a profound feeling her feelings on this matter would play its part in what happened between them.
"Kurt, please port them all to the Blackbird," Xavier ordered as he nodded in agreement with Jean. "We will join you quickly. I think some rest and some food would not be amiss either, I doubt any of them will be up to getting us home for a day or two," he speculated as Kurt nodded and quickly ported out with Rachel.
"You are welcome to stay at the mansion Charles, even with the damage done to it I am sure there will be enough space," the alternate Magneto offered with a kind smile that shocked many of the X-Men not native to this dimension as they were not used to a nice Magneto.
"Thank you Eric, it will be much appreciated," Xavier responded as they all turned and began to head back to the Blackbird even as Kurt ported out with Jean who was the last of the wary Phoenix hosts.
"Come now what kind of host would I be if I did not offer lodgings after you crossed dimensions to save us?" the alternate Magneto responded with a chuckle, catching even his double off guard as he had not seen himself in such good spirits in some time and he noted even his children bar the alternate of his youngest daughter seemed surprised as well.
They made it back to the Blackbird within five minutes and quickly boarded and although it was a tight fit, they all managed to find a seat somewhere. Storm and Betsy took the controls and quickly raised the jet into the air.
Jean closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Logan's shoulder and quickly fell asleep, as did Rachel on Alexander's who was talking softly with the alternate Kitty. The others either settled in for a quick nap or talked softly among themselves.
Scott did his best to keep himself from glaring at Jean and Logan and instead talked with Emma ignoring anything else.