Dimensional Warrior
Chapter 19
Gaia appeared in a white sterile room.
Her feet touched down on a white tile floor. With inhuman grace, she moved towards the only occupied bed in the room passing by four others on either side of her.
Looking down at the occupant, she saw that a skeleton outlined in a sea-green light lay on the bed's white sheets.
Moats of dark green power sat where each one of the skeletons organs would be, pulsing like a heartbeat.
She placed a hand on top of the skull, "OhHarry…"
At her touch, the moats of dark green light flared as one. Thin streamers of power began to shoot out from each moat of light crossing and merging to form pulsing organs. Once the organs were formed, they released more threads forming nerve and muscle. Within moments, skin regenerated and Harry lay on the table whole again.
Gaia stepped back; her eyes wide as she scanned Harry's form.
"What happened?"
Shimmering, she faded away as hurried footsteps approach the far end of the room.
A door hissed open.
Jean Grey rushed into the room, her long red hair flowing behind her, strands of it falling over her pale skin as she stopped before the table.
Two days ago, she had sensed a psychic explosion from the American branch of alchemical solutions.
When she arrived, she saw Harry breaking apart into chips of sea-green energy.
At first, she panicked when he completely disappeared, but relaxed slightly when the chips began to reform his body piece by piece, starting with the toenail of his big toe.
Grabbing the pieces that were reforming, they brought him back to the Xavier Institute where he was being watched over by Hank McCoy.
The blue-furred cat mutant walked into the room, his yellow eyes scanning the completely regenerated body of Harry John Howlett.
"Fascinating."
Ignoring his lack of concern for her son, Jean glanced over her shoulder, pink light filling her eyes, "What can you tell me, Hank?"
"Through studying the blood sample, he left the last time he was here, and the mental scans recorded by Cerebro, I was able to discover that he is constantly evolving."
"Evolving?"
"Changing, adapting to overcome what he is experiencing. Whatever caused him to end up in this state pushed his body beyond its limits, forcing whatever cosmic power he generates to push him to the next level in his evolution."
"Cosmic entity," Jean questioned, "images of a giant Firebird flashing through her mind."
As if reading her mind, Hank shook his head, his yellow eyes never leaving Harry. "While the energy he produces is similar in psychic nature, it is not the Phoenix."
Jean moved forward, running her fingers through his dark red hair, "So, what do we do?"
Hank raised his broad blue-furred shoulders, "For now all we can do is wait."
Moving her hand from his hair to his forehead, she closed her eyes, a pink outline tracing her body.
After a moment, the outline spread out to encompass Harry's body.
"His mind," Jean began slowly, "is still connected to his body, but it is elsewhere." Opening her eyes, she leaned down placing a kiss on his forehead. With her lips hovering above his face, she whispered. "Come back to us, and know that your family is waiting when you return."
For a moment, she just stood there, until Hank cleared his throat.
"We might as well leave him to rest, we can't do anything."
Jean glared at him but eventually straightened. Together, they moved out of the room.
Once they were gone, Gaia moved from the corner.
Stopping before the bed, she stared at Harry.
Rich brown eyes focused on the spots where she sensed her power. What the mutant Hank McCoy said was interesting, but to her, the fact that Harry's body absorbed residual energy from their time working interested her more.
Stretching forth her left hand, she trailed it up and down Harry's body.
Her power that shone within his skeleton when she arrived was gone, used to reforge his body.
"Come back soon, Harry."
Taking a single step back, she vanished.
–XX –
Opening his eyes, Harry found himself staring at a pale blue sky. White clouds drifted across it, covering his body in shadow.
Pressing his hand beneath him, blades of grass bent underneath his touch.
The clouds moved, and warm sunlight bathed his skin.
A gravel path appeared beneath his feet, rocks crunching underneath the souls of his shoes.
Slipping his hands into the pockets of his black slacks, he began walking.
The wind pulled at his button-down shirt.
As he walked, a lake came into view.
Four Jade rocks sat around the lake, curving to look like fingers.
"Where am I?" He asked becoming level with the lake.
The ground shook and a massive gazebo burst from the ground, rocks cascading off its curves.
Dust swirled around, merging with the gazebo and transforming the curved railing into curved wooden walls.
The gazebo grew taller, topping out at four stories.
Standing in the shadows of the large structure, Harry stared up at the green flag dancing at the top of the structure, "Well, that's something."
Moving forward, lanterns flickered to life, revealing the gazebos curved interior.
Long shadows danced across the books filling the shelves, curling around the railing of the spiral staircase that led to the upper floors.
Red velvet high backed chairs made a small circle off in one corner.
A small wooden table set in the center of the chairs, a pitcher of water and glasses glimmered in the light of the lamps.
"Hello, Harry."
A woman glided down the spiral staircase, her wavy red hair cascading down her back, her green eyes staring into his.
A thin white gown covered her curvaceous frame.
Slender fingers glided down the curved rail.
"Who are you?"
The woman cocked her head to the side, causing her hair to fall in a crimson curtain and revealing a slightly pointed ear.
"I suppose it has been a long time since we last met," her eyes filled with sea-green light.
An aura spread out from her body, and she lifted into the air, her toes pointed down to the steps.
"Sage," he breathed.
The woman smiled, the aura around her faded, and she gently touched down on the stairs.
Descending the stairs, she slipped one arm through his and guided him over to one of the plush chairs. Once they were seated, Harry cleared his throat, "Where are we?"
Sage raised an eyebrow, "I think that would be obvious, we are in the Sage force."
Harry gestured around him, "I know I was only here for a few moments when this energy was first created, but it didn't look like this."
"As you have grown so has the Sage force."
"So, what am I doing here?"
Sage leaned forward, taking one of his hands in hers, "When you touched the mind of Brainiac, the mind of an Elder of the universe, it pushed chores to its limits and beyond. The Sage force is evolving your body again."
Releasing his hand, she rose to her feet and began pacing back and forth.
"Over the years you have forced your Psionic energy to create spell circles for varying effects. Unknowingly, making things more difficult on yourself and limiting the power of your mind."
"What do you mean?"
"Our universe was unique in many ways, but it did share characteristics with others of the multi-verse. In almost every multi-verse, there was an uber-powerful child. This universe in particular has two. Nathaniel Summers, and Franklin Richards."
"I've heard of Nathaniel, Jean has been trying to get me to meet him, Rachel, and Nate Grey, but I've held off. If I'm honest with myself, it bothers me that other versions of me do not exist throughout the multi-verse."
"They do, but you are the only version that is the child of Jean Grey and James Howlett. At least as of right now. Other versions of you are called, Harry Odinson, Harry Potter, Harry Isley, and Harry John Grey. That last one is the closest mirror to you in the multi-verse at present."
Sage shook her head, "We're getting off-topic. My point is that you were our universe is Nathaniel summers. Potentially, you could be more powerful than your brothers because of your divine heritage, but you need to learn how."
Harry's mind was reeling, there were other versions of him in the multi-verse. What were their lives like? what were their abilities? what have they done? What kind of people were they? Did they still have their parents? These questions and more filled his mind and were gone in a moment.
He shook his head. While it would be nice to meet his counterparts. In the end, what they did in their universes didn't matter, what he did with his life is what mattered. He cannot focus on what could've been.
"So, how do I reach my full potential?"
That's easy, you need a teacher, Sage gestured to the door of the gazebo.
A man strode into the room.
5'10" tall with long brown hair with a white stripe running through it, and a beard that had a white stripe in the middle. Loose white robes were draped over his body and open in the center revealing a muscular chest with the X gene insignia over his heart.
Yellow Psionic energy shone from his left eye.
Harry rose to his feet, a hand automatically stretching forth, "Nate Grey I assume?"
Nate grasped his wrist, "It's good to meet you, brother," he looked around him, "In the future, this place could become a respite for those psychics who tire of the corporeal plane. To be able to share their knowledge and experiences with future psychics what a gift."
"I would like that," Sage said from her seated position.
Harry looked at Sage, "How would that be possible?"
"Our unique energies are forming another plane of existence. Those with Psionic gifts will eventually be connected on a subconscious level. Adding a bit of themselves to our world."
Harry's stomach clenched, and a chill ran down his spine. To think that other psychics may influence even a small portion of this plane's power made him nervous. What kind of damage could they do?
Nate placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry brother, now come," he began guiding him out of the room, "let me show you your true potential and help you become who you're truly meant to be."
–XX –
In the void of space set a blue and green planet, a planet of Skrulls on the outer limit of their territory.
It slowly rotated.
As it slowly completed its journey around its star, a jagged white tear opened above the planet and a large silver sphere descended from the tear.
Inside the sphere, Brainiac the collector of worlds, an Elder of the universe sat on a simple blocky throne. His fingers gripped the arms of his throne, and his red eyes flared with power.
Cables descended from the ceiling, plugging into the three circles that formed a triangle on his forehead.
Red energy crawled up the cables, lighting up small gaps along its length.
"Harry John Howlett, I hope you're prepared for war."
A white vortex opened in space as thousands of humanoids rose from the planet below. Suddenly, the vortex expanded, encompassing Brainiac's ship and the people slowly gathering around it. Within the blink of an eye, they were gone.
–XX –
Inside the infirmary of the Xavier Institute, the body of Harry John Howlett floated off its bed and slowly folded in on itself, disappearing in a sea-green light.