Emma gasped and sat up in bed, holding her head in both hands. Scott sat up with her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"What is it?" he asked.
She closed her eyes and breathed out.
"I'm feeling a psychic shock," she said, "Painful…sharp…like…"
Her voice hesitated and Scott wondered what she was thinking.
"Like when I found you," she said, "Only…a little more intense. God, it feels like someone crashed cymbals together in my head."
"Wait," he asked, "Like when you found me? Is it in the same place or-"
Emma waved a hand.
"No…it's in Scotland," Emma said.
"Scotland?" Scott asked, making a face.
Her blue eyes flickered over him as though taking a picture in her mind. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering why she was looking at him so intensely.
"Muir Island," she said, "Of course, you know that makes a lot of sense…now that the option is on the table…"
"Now that what option is on the table?" he asked.
Although he loved Emma she could be frustrating when she talked to herself, especially if he wanted an answer. Sometimes he wondered if Emma did it because she was holding counsel with herself, that she needed things said because so much was in her head. In the past he had simply waited. However, this had to do with him.
"Nothing," Emma said.
"Emma," he said, "Don't lie to me."
"I'm a liar," said Emma, turning away, "It's in my nature."
"Not to me," he said firmly.
He caught her wrist.
"You've never lied to me."
Emma looked back. Her blue eyes were fixed in that same camera-like way. Her shoulders were tense and he was reminded of the way she was when he first met her. An awkward feeling started in his chest and he let the hand move from her wrist to her chin. She stared back at him, unflinching, before allowing her head to fall back onto her pillow.
"Scott, we'll go there," she said, her voice mechanical, "We can find out then."
"And if no one's there?" he asked.
"Oh, trust me, someone will be there," Emma said, her voice still flat, "You'll get your answers."
"And so will you," he said.
A blank look came over her face like she had no idea what he was talking about. Comprehension dawned as Scott realized that she'd forgotten she was keeping him for answers. Something twinged deep inside his chest as Emma shrugged impassively, her eyes still on the ceiling.
"We'll leave tomorrow morning," she said, "I hate saying goodbye early in the morning."
He shook his head.
"I'm not going to leave you Emma," Scott said.
Her expression softened. She reached up and put a finger on his lips before drawing herself up to meet him. Scott moaned into the kiss as her hands went down his back. Instinctively he pulled her closer, losing himself. It would only occur to him, hours later, that she had never agreed with him.
"I want you all to listen closely," David said, "Because I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to repeat this."
He lay on a hospital bed, his hair soaked with sweat. An IV had been tacked into him, for what purpose he didn't know. His headache was gone and his eyes were back to normal but he still felt weak. David's mother had insisted that he stay in the hospital wing. If only what he had could be cured with plenty of rest.
The X-Force stood around him, as well as his aunt and Erik. Amanda was there too. She'd been trying to see what had happened, Kurt had told her to send out an emergency call out after all. When she'd seen that Kurt was hurt and David had to be carried to a hospital bed she had stayed, helping with the IV's and bandages.
Erik and Mystique were another matter. He felt uncomfortable with them there. It had only been two days previous when he had cursed his aunt for hurting his cousin. David had never recovered from the undercurrent of hate he felt for Erik though, despite the fact that he hadn't caused his father's death. Not that that mattered now.
They needed to be there though. He'd had Erik fetched and Mystique had already been there to repair the damage he'd done to her. David had ached as he'd seen that Kurt and Moira had to be bandaged too. Any attempts at apology had been turned aside. They knew he hadn't been in control, but he knew that he should have been.
"Most of you are familiar with my powers," he said, "Telepathy, telekinesis. That sort of thing. But…most of you also know what happened when I was a child."
He took a deep breath. He hated going into details about his experience, even when he had to. The fact that he was doing this in front of old enemies didn't help.
"When I killed those terrorists in self-defense my father says that I acted as a vacuum, sucking their…souls I suppose…into myself," he said, "Which is where they've been ever since. They're easily cageable though; they haven't actively bothered me in a long time."
"Then what happened tonight?" asked Lorna.
He sighed and pushed his head back into his pillow.
"The fight at Alcatraz," he said, "I was remote viewing Jean to see what was happening. I hurt too much to leave…too much psionic energy…"
David bit his lip.
"We've never tested exactly why I took those terrorists into my head," he said, "Probably because my father didn't want any chance of repetition. Yes, that must have been it. But…because we all thought it was a freak accident…we never really thought it would happen again."
He looked over at his mother. Her bandaged arm was tucked close to her chest and her expression was sad. David wished that there was some way to explain what happened without her being there, without having to hurt her any more than she'd already been hurt. She deserved to know though; she would be the one most affected. He just wished he didn't have to announce it in such a public way.
"When I'm near someone psychically and they die," David said slowly, "I take them into myself. I remember feeling this incredibly pain…I was falling…Kurt had to hold me up…"
David didn't miss the odd look that Erik gave Kurt. He probably knew that he was the son of his former lover. Again, it didn't matter.
"You think you took Jean into you?" asked Alex, his face shocked.
"No…no…I wouldn't be so worried if that was what I thought," David said, "I wouldn't have minded taking Jean into my head."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"So what do you think happened?"
"I know what happened," said David, "It told me."
There was a pause.
"You mean ze Phoenix?" Kurt asked.
He nodded.
"Told me when I still thought I could do something," he said, "Which was why…why I…"
"Vhy you tried to kill yourself," Kurt said quietly.
David nodded.
"I was so scared; I thought…never mind," said David, "I can assure you I won't do it again. There's no…immediate need…"
"Immediate?" Moira asked sharply.
He sighed.
"That's not what I meant," he said, "Well, it was, but…please listen for a few minutes. There's so much I have to tell you all."
His mother leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed sharply on him.
"Jean was at war with herself," David said, "She was host to a great power…a mad power that consumed and burned. She didn't want it. She was fighting it and it was her…but at the same time it wasn't really her."
"And?" Alex said.
"And she let go when she died," said David, "To make things simpler let's just say she had a split personality disorder. It's not true, but it's the easiest way to explain. The personality that dies with the body was Jean. But…the Phoenix...when the body was dying it came to me. I think I was fighting it subconsciously on some level, which is why it took so long to manifest. I ignored so many signs…partially because it was influencing my mind and, well, partially because I'm stubborn."
There were scattered chuckles around the room. David gave a weak smile.
"But…I've got it under control. For a few days at least."
"And when those days run out?" Mystique said.
He fixed a calculating gaze on the woman who had been his father's sister. He could see her now; soft features and blonde hair.
"I won't be able to stop it," he said.
A deep silence took over the room. Sean shook his head.
"That's not good enough," he said.
"It's all I can do," David said.
"And what are we supposed to do when those days run out?" demanded Sean, "Put you under like some sick pet? Do what Logan did for Jean? Sorry David, but no."
He threw out a hand. David was slightly surprised by the reaction; Sean had always been the level-headed one. To see him lose it like he was was shocking to the extreme.
"Kurt wouldn't let you kill yourself," he said, "I'm sure even if you had had time to explain he wouldn't have. None of us would have. And I'm not going to sit back here and wait for the time I have to help kill a kid I was there at the delivery for!"
Although Sean was the only one speaking David could see a similar sentiment reflected in the eyes of the others. It was touching to see his family that way; although he didn't look at Erik or Mystique. Still, he hoped that it wouldn't play out like Sean had described. There were other ways, ways he had been thinking hard about.
"You won't have to," David said, "I thought it was the only option, and it was, when I was trying to prevent freeing it. I thought I couldn't take it back in. But now…"
He swallowed.
"It'd still be dangerous," he said, "But I'm not Jean. The Phoenix was with her from birth; connected. For me it was grafted to me, forcing its way in unlike the terrorists where it happened naturally. It's the fact that I was young enough for them to weave themselves in. But, as I said, the Phoenix is different. I think that, if we go in there and isolate it we could psionically blast it out, if we had enough power."
"From the expression on your face I'm assuming you know where we can get that from," Doug said.
"I do actually," David smiled, "We use Cerebro Mark II. I'd need some help to isolate the Phoenix in my mind though-"
"What I don't understand," Erik said, his voice low, "is why we have to isolate it in the first place."
Alex gave him an angry look but David tilted his head. He'd expected him to say something sooner or later.
"I know a few things about telepaths," said Erik, "As long as you hold your own mind steady then we could probably destroy anything alien to you."
"We," muttered Alex.
Lorna glared at her husband but said nothing. David took the opportunity to jump in.
"Yes…we could do that," he said, "But…there are complications if we do it that way."
"Such as?" asked Erik.
David's tongue felt like lead. He wished he didn't have to say this out loud to so many people. It would be better if it could be whispered to just a few. What he was about to say was going to cause much pain, and even more hope. If that hope was dashed then he knew his mother might not be able to take it. Still, it had to be said.
"Jean…wasn't the only one I was near who died recently," he said softly, "I…can't let them be harmed because there was…another…and…I heard them for the first time today, helping me…somewhere just out of reach…"
"What do you mean?" asked Hank.
"I was there with them and…when it happened there was this sensation of pulling," David said, "And I…I wanted to…"
All around him everyone looked at him with confusion. All of them except Moira. Her eyes shone with tears. She understood even if no one else did yet, the sadness on her face told him that. He knew he was the same; his eyes and throat burned fiercely. It was so hard to acknowledge it, so hard to believe it, but he knew it was true.
"David," said Rahne, "Who else do you have in your head?"
Swallowing one last time he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"My father," he whispered.
