Of Mind and Magic
Chapter 14
Harry opened his eyes, finding himself staring at the smooth metal floor. He closed his eyes, trying to soothe away the ringing in his ears and the pounding in his head. Focusing on the knowledge he gained from the book of Asclepius, he pushed his energy into his ears and head, tension draining from his shoulders as the pain faded away.
Opening his eyes, he scanned his surroundings.
He was in a small room with smooth metal walls. Lights were mounted into recesses in the ceiling covered over by metal screens. A table made from smooth metal was bolted to the floor in the center of the room. Metal chairs sat on either side of the table, a thick chain attached to one leg.
Pushing himself up to his feet, Harry felt the weight around his neck for the first time. Raising a hand, his fingers glided across a metal collar.
Well that's useless, focusing a bit of will into the collar, it fell into metal dust. Wiping the dust from his shirt, he sat down in the chair interlacing his fingers.
He wanted more information about how the Orange Hulk came to our universe. Only his most powerful memories were available to him during their fight, maybe the people that captured him could shed some light on the situation.
His ice blue eyes flicked to a black half sphere mounted in the corner of the room, "I'm waiting."
–XX –
Maria Hill stood on the other side of Fury's desk in his office.
The office was a semi-large room with a large wraparound desk facing the only door. Red carpet covered the floor. The walls were lined with filing cabinets and bookshelves. In this digital age, Fury always felt more comfortable with paper, since paper couldn't be hacked.
What do you want to do sir? Maria asked after hearing the boy's statement.
Fury turned to stare out the large window that took up the wall behind his desk. A clear blue sky drifted by outside. "What did our scientists say about him?"
"His DNA is unlike anything we've ever seen before. It seems to still be changing. His brain waves operate in a way different from most of the telepaths or other psychics we've seen."
"What is the most known comparison?"
"Energy based beings."
Fury ran a hand over his bald head. Spinning around, his single Brown eye locked with Maria's lighter brown, "Go see if you can find out why he was there in that street and where the people in that SUV went."
"Any particular reason you want me to go sir, I mean I am second-in-command, there are other interrogators, ones that specialize in that field, sir."
One corner of fury's mouth curled upwards, "I thought that would've been obvious Hill, you are a beautiful woman, he's a teenage boy."
Hill's lips twisted in distaste, but she nodded, "I'll see what I can find out sir."
"I knew you would Lieutenant."
Turning on her heel, Maria strode towards the door.
"Oh and Hill."
Maria paused before the door, glancing over her shoulder, she waited.
Fury spoke, never taking his eyes off the computer screen sitting at the corner of his desk, "Just so you know I am activating the venom protocol, we don't need an unknown of unknown intent and power escaping until we know how to deal with him."
Again Maria nodded, tension settling between her shoulder blades.
The venom protocol was a protocol where a room of the facility, or the entire facility itself depending on the situation would be pumped with noxious gas that would kill anyone within seconds. In this situation, it would be interrogation room four, where their newest resident was being held.
"Yes sir."
–XX –
Harry looked up as the door to his room hissed open.
A woman in a grey formfitting bodysuit strode into the room, white holsters bouncing on her wide hips. A dagger poked out of a white sheath strapped to her mid-thigh, easily within arm's reach.
Placing a pale slender hand on the back of the chair directly in front of him, she pulled it out just enough to sit down. Light brown eyes scanned his figure. The light danced in her short dark hair. Bright red lips parted as she opened her mouth to speak.
Harry looked into her eyes, information flooding him from the passive probe joining them together. She was second-in-command of an organization titled Shield, Also known as, Strategic, Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.
"So Mr.," Maria began.
"You can call me Hadrian."
"Hadrian…?"
"Hadrian will do just fine for now, I don't think were close enough for me to give you my last name, Ms. Hill."
Maria started at the use of her last name. She hadn't given it when she entered the room. Interlacing her fingers in front of her, she leaned forward, following fury's directions by giving him a look at her cleavage down her jumpsuit, but the redhead didn't react, he kept his gaze firmly on her eyes.
Despite this, she pushed forward, "Why were you in the city?"
"I was helping some friends meet up with family."
"Friends?"
"They're not relative to this conversation."
"Mr. Hadrian, I don't think you realize how much trouble you're in."
"I think I do. A shadow organization abducts me after I stop an Orange monster."
Images of the orange Hulk surrounded by a ring of Shield agents flash through Maria's mind. The orange Hulk allowed the group to plant thick manacles around his muscled wrist.
'Interesting, he surrendered, but why?'
"That brings me to my next question, why did you intervene when the orange Hulk landed?"
"People were hurt, somewhere dead, children were afraid," Maria raised an eyebrow at that last statement, but Harry ignored it, "it seemed like the right thing to do."
"My question is how did the Hulk end up over a city in the first place?"
More images flashed through Maria's mind. This time of the orange Hulk busting out of the side of a large aircraft, papers of some kind clutched in his hands.
Interest piqued, Harry focused on the papers, shifting through her mind to see what she knew. Part of them were incomplete plans of some device, others were the location of an organization called AIM.
'So the orange Hulk allowed himself to be captured to gain those schematics and the location of the AIM base. The question is how did he know they were here?'
Maria shook her head, "That is what we're still trying to figure out. So if I understand you correctly, you helped because it was the right thing to do?"
"That's right."
"That's very noble of you."
"Not really, I've been in situations like that before. I wouldn't wish it on the innocent."
Harry leaned back in his chair, "Well as fun is this conversation has been Ms. Hill, I think it's time for me to go. Oh, and by the way is beautiful as you are, I'm not your typical teenager." Clapping his hands, the redhead disappeared in a flash of luminescent blue light.
"Sh…"
–XX –
Appearing in the center of the driveway, Harry swayed on the spot, his hands searching his body for any missing pieces. He released a breath when he found himself whole. He didn't know if it would work, using the Kinney's minds as an anchoring point for teleportation.
Stepping forward he took in his surroundings, he was in the center of a large plot of land. Trees and circled the land adding to its beauty, and also hiding what happened here from public view. A large Victorian-style mansion covered in white stone sat at the end of the driveway, casting its large shadow on the asphalt as he approached the front entrance.
A fountain set off to his left, the stone angel in its center held a bowl that overflowed and filled the pool below.
Curved double doors slammed inward.
People poured out, forming a semicircle around him.
Harry cocked his head to the side, wind sweeping through his crimson locks like fingers, well, this is an interesting welcome. He took in each member of the group.
The oddest of the group was a male with catlike features covered in dark blue fur. He stood at 5'11", his broad frame packed with muscle, his slitted yellow eyes looking at Harry with curiosity. His thick muscular arms were crossed over his chest, but Harry could make out the tips of claws poking beneath his arm.
A woman of African descent stood beside him, her long white hair adding to her exotic beauty as it trailed down her 5'11" frame. Unlike her furred companion who only wore spandex, she wore a black formfitting suit that hugged her curves. Her blue eyes stared at him as something with in her pulled at his control of the elements.
"How did you get here bub?"
This man was short and stocky. Hair covered his 5'3" frame. A flash of pronounced canines appeared every time he spoke. Dark mutton chops curved his jaw leading up to a large hairstyle that ended in triangular points on either side of his head. However, the oddest thing about him was the three metal claws protruding from his knuckles.
Harry inclined his head, "Mr. Howlett. Can I assume that Laura, and the rest the Kinney's have made it here safe?"
Howlett's nostrils flared as he inhaled, a faint spark of recognition appearing in his eyes, "I'll be asking the questions here! Now who are you?"
Releasing a breath, Harry reached out with his mind, only to find his telepathic ability being blocked. Not wanting to fight people who specialized in taking down powerful mutants unless he had to, he turned back to Howlett, "My name is Hadrian John Grey."
"Harry," a voice behind him whispered.
Harry's attention snapped to the last person in the group.
She was 5'6" with healthy pale skin framed by familiar red hair. Emerald eyes searched him, but her hands rested on the leg of her red and blue formfitting bodysuit.
Harry could instantly tell this was where the psychic block originated from. He took a step forward, the rest of the group around him tensing, but Jean's willowy frame stayed relaxed.
"It's good to finally meet you Aunt Jean. Although, I do wish it could have been under less suspicious circumstances."
Jean moved forward, defined muscle appearing beneath her suit, "As do I Harry. Where have you been, I looked for you after I received news of your mother's death, but I couldn't find you," she raised a hand, stopping just before she touched his face.
"Jean," the white haired beauty began, "Do you know this young man?"
Jean scanned the group, "I do Ororo, this is Hadrian John Grey, son of John grey Junior and Lily Evans Grey. He is my nephew."
The blue haired man spoke up next, "I wasn't aware you had another brother named John, Jean?"
"John's history is a bit different. He arrived in my backyard through a portal when he was eight years old. Ironically enough, it was the day Charles came to visit my parents. With his help, we were able to discern that John came from an alternate universe and that he was actually a male version of me."
"With no way to get him home, and since we were the same age my parents adopted him as my twin brother. Charles used his abilities to implant the right memories in the right people, and no one ever knew the difference."
"He actually came to the Institute for a while, but after graduating from college, he wanted to get away from America's persecution of mutants, so he moved to England," she glanced at Harry, "where he met Hadrian's mother."
Tears began to pool in her eyes, "We kept in contact throughout the years, his powers grew to rival mine. He was even picking up messages from the Phoenix before I was, but after meeting Lily, they moved to a magical quarter which hid him from the Phoenix."
A smile curled her lips and tears ran down her cheeks, "He contacted me when Hadrian was born. He told me about his boy who could use his powers straight out of the womb."
The group's eyebrows rose.
"Unfortunately before we could meet up again, he was murdered while working a case in London. I didn't have much contact with Hadrian after that," her gaze swept over her friends, the closest thing she had to family until now. "As you know around that time things kind of snowballed."
The group nodded.
Harry dabbed at the burning in his eyes. "Sounds like there's a story there."
Jean laughed lightly, but there was little humor in it. "That is for another time, right now we need to get you inside and check you over. The Kinney's mentioned you fought some kind of Orange Hulk."
"I'm…"
"I'll be the judge of that," Jean wrapped a hand around his.
They both froze, their eyes shining. Harry's a luminescent blue, Jean's a dark pink.
–XX –
Jean floated in a clear blue sky above a circular maze. Bronze automatons marched through the maze. A variety of different animals ran across the grassy landscape beyond it, while others paused at the rivers cutting through the land to drink. "Where am I?"
"You are in my mind, the question is why?"
Jean turned to find Harry floating towards her the hem of his light blue T-shirt flapping in a breeze that sent her hair dancing, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans, "Harry, this is your mind?"
"Yes."
When Harry was less than a foot away, a translucent green bubble surrounded them.
Eyes flashing a luminescent blue, Harry's power coalesced in his right hand. He drew his arm back, only for Jean to grab his wrist.
"Wait, this is your father's power."
Harry's eyes widened, the power coalescing around his hand fading away, "Dad's power?"
The sphere floated upwards, beyond the clear blue sky and into the darkness beyond. They stared down from high above at the streamers of power that represented Harry psychic and magical abilities. From within the rivers a red jewel that had always kept a portion of the energies apart floated forward, shifting into human form.
As it did, the psychic and magical energies merged together fully, and Harry felt his mind broaden, the ways of the forge he had learned from the book of Hephaestus were open to him, he could now sense the electrical impulses inside machines. It would be the easiest thing in the world to reach out and manipulate them.
The humanoid red jewel began to shift, becoming softer and taking on a rainbow of colors. Familiar features began to appear as flesh tones blossomed out of the humanoids face like miniature explosions.
Before long John Grey floated before them, his beige trench coat billowing in a nonexistent breeze, revealing the white button-down shirt hidden beneath.
His detectives shield stood out proudly from its place pinned to the belt of his jeans. He raised a hand, the Golden wedding ring on his finger twinkling in the starlight around them.
"Hello son, hello sister," he said, his green eyes twinkling.
"Dad? Is that really you?"
"John?" Jean asked her voice breaking.
"Yes, it's me, when you were born I placed a mental block on your power until you were mature enough to handle the full extent of your abilities. Unfortunately, I died before I could remove the block, luckily Jean has the same psychic signature I do, so when you touched her hand, her psychic energies remove the block." a smile showing white teeth spread across his face, "I have to say I may only be an imprint of the real John Grey, but I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become."
"How powerful am I that you had to place a block on me?"
"You will learn that shortly, I just hope it's enough for the troubles ahead."
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, the world around them began to shimmer.