Of Mind and Magic
Chapter 19
Harry and Laura appeared over New York City floating in a translucent sphere of blue energy.
Harry stared down at the city, most buildings had the same rectangular utilitarian design, but there were a few gems in the mix. Aged brownstones or elegantly designed houses sat together in city blocks, like they were gathering together in order to protect themselves from the bland buildings around them.
Pale smoke rose into the air from passing cars, restaurants, or the few industrial factories in this part of the city, completing the light pollutions job of blotting out the stars.
As they hovered there, sounds filtered up to them, people yelling at their neighbors, car horns honking, police sirens heading to an emergency, or screams for help.
Laura winced, "It's so loud here."
"Try being a telepath."
They drifted forward, the sphere slowly shimmering around them until it became invisible.
Laura shook her head, "You make all of this looks so easy," she glanced at him, a strip of hair falling over the left side of her face, "It makes me wonder why we didn't teleport into the Baxter building," her gaze flicked over to a moderately tall building. Gold letters mounted to the top of it spelled out Baxter.
"The merger with the mother box has changed me, allowing me to use my powers easier than before. This also allows me to access Reed Richards systems with my mind and see if he is hiding anything that way we know the questions to ask."
Laura's eyebrows drew together, her lips forming a thin line, "Changed you how, is it something we need to be concerned with?"
Harry slowly shook his head, "I don't think so. I actually feel better than I have in a while. Ever since discovering that I was originally born an energy being, it's like a portion of my mind has been trying to slip away back to the freedom I must've felt when I was born, but sense merging with the mother box, I felt stronger. My mind no longer wanders."
"It's funny. I never noticed my mind wandering, until it didn't anymore."
Laura inclined her head, "That's good, but when this is all over I think we need to have either mom or Mr. McCoy look you over."
Harry glanced at her, one corner of his mouth curving upwards, "Mom?"
Laura looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks, "Sarah did raise me as much as anyone in the facility did, and Hank McCoy did a DNA test, I have just as much of her DNA as I do Logan's."
Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm glad you're starting to find happiness in your life after what you have endured."
Laura shook her head, sending her dark hair swaying, her eyes locked onto the Baxter building, "Enough of this mushy stuff, we have a job to do."
Nodding, Harry directed the sphere towards the Baxter building with a force of will. Once they were floating above it, he reached out with his mind, searching for Reed Richards and checking just how many people were in the building.
He found Reed Richards at the very top of the building, his form hunched over a table as he worked on some new project. The rest of the building's occupants were asleep, and it was the easiest thing in the world to use a bit of power to make sure they stayed that way until morning.
"Alright, were all set. No one in the building is going to interrupt us until morning, by then we should be long gone."
Laura stared at the roof of the building as they drifted downwards, her eyes hard, "So how do you want to play this?"
"I can't find anything in his mind that has him working with strange fate. Granted there are certain devices in that room that are dampening my probe."
"So what do you want to do just ask him?"
"Reed Richards is the type of man to keep secrets, but once confronted with information, he can't help but tell the truth."
Air brushed past Laura's lips as they sunk through the portal on the roof of the building, "So we're just going to ask him."
–XX –
Reed Richards slowly turned around, the light from a nearby lamp highlighting the grey around his temples. His Brown eyes scanned the room, a hand rising to brush the small beard covering his chin in thought.
The same technology as always set around the room shadows stretching between them in the night, but years of being a hero had heightened his senses. His arm elongated snatching a thin metal glove that's hem was raised from a shelf at the far end of the room. His arm retracted, bringing the glove back to him.
Slipping it on, he kept his eyes searching the room. The raised section of the glove retracted, squeezing tightly around his arm as the thinner part of the glove became like a second skin. He waved a hand. The glove released a wave of clear energy that washed through the room.
About a foot in front of him, the waves slammed into a sphere, showing him its shape, but not the occupants within. He rose to his feet, his white lab coat falling around his tall frame, "Who's there?"
The air shimmered and a tall redheaded teen appeared with a teenage girl. Both wore black, but the girl seemed to prefer leather. "Reed Richards," the redhead said, "My name is Hadrian Grey, and we need to talk."
Reed relaxed slightly, lowering his silver glove, "How can I help you?"
The dark-haired woman turned, her light blue eyes locking on the redhead, "I think you're right, I don't think he's involved. His heart rate hasn't picked up. There is no smell of fear from him."
"Involved in what? Smell of fear, what is going on?"
Harry stepped forward, "It's easier if I show you." Reaching out with his power, Harry downloaded a copy of the tail end of Mount joy's memories into Reed's mind.
Reed staggered backwards, his waist slamming into the table he had previously been working on. He raised his head, his eyes locking on the two. His analytical mind had already picked up why they were here even if he was still sorting through the information.
"I'm not involved with this Strange Fate, he straightened, but I have met other dimensional versions of myself before."
"Do you know which one we could be dealing with?"
Reed shook his head, "Not with so little information to go on."
Laura and Harry shared a look, "it's disappointing you can't be more help Mr. Richards, but at least we know you're not involved." Blue energy began swirling around them.
"Wait!"
The blue energy faded.
"I can't tell you which alternate dimensional version of myself you are looking for, but I can tell you where to find them."
"How?"
A holographic screen appeared in front of Richards, "After the multi-verse event, I realize that it would be beneficial to track other dimensional entities just in case they began causing trouble. That's what I was working on here, unfortunately that is still not ready, but all of my counterparts use technology that gave off the same signal. Even if they tried to change the signal, it will still give off a unique fingerprint that any one of us can track."
Reed pressed something on the holographic screen and then spun it to face the duo.
On the screen was a section of London that was very familiar to Harry, the redhead cocked his head to the side, "Interesting," He inclined his head, "thank you for your help Mr. Richards." In a swirl of blue energy they were gone.
–XX –
They appeared in the middle of the street.
Laura pulled away from him, "No portals anymore?"
"I told you the mother box changed me."
Laura looked around her. Before her was a long rectangular building that look like someone had torn a piece of the night sky out of the heavens and draped it across the structure. Stars twinkled in the curved dark edges of the building.
Four circular pillars were mounted at each corner of the building. Grooves cut into the pillars glowed with a pale light.
"What is this place?"
"This was where the ministry of magic was located, before part of the magical world moved to Otherworld to be safe from, mutants, aliens, and mundane politics."
Laura took in the rest of the street. Behind her, boarded up buildings with dirt and grime over the few remaining windows lined the street. A cracked streetlamp flickered in a futile battle against the darkness.
"The magical world used to be located here?"
"Would you look for magic in a place like this?"
"Fair point."
She turned back to the strange building covered in the night sky, "So what are we looking at?"
Harry shifted.
Wind blew the contents of a turned over trashcan into his path.
Ignoring the world around him, he reached out with his mind scanning the pillars and the substance that blanketed the building. "Someone has partially pulled this building out of our reality."
"And nobody noticed?"
"Doctor Strange Fate was smart. He chose a building that was imbued with years-worth of protective magic."
"If the building is surrounded by a protective magic, how can we see it."
"Two reasons, number one, Reed Richards device already showed us that the building is here, so the magic would have a hard time telling us it's not. Number two, you have a very strong will, and I am shielded by my abilities."
Beams shot out from the grooves of the pillars at the front corners of the building. They join together to create an oval-shaped opening in the air made of blinding white energy.
From out of the tear walked Orange Hulk and the woman in leather.
"Well, at least we know we've got the right place."
"You take the woman in leather. I've got the orange Hulk."
"Oh sure, you take the fun one."
Harry sprinted forward, his body becoming nothing more than a blur as it swelled with mystical Psionic power. He slammed into the orange Hulk wrapping his arms around the creature's body and carrying him over the building.
Orange Hulk roared, spittle flying past his blocky white teeth. Cupping his large manhole size hands together, he slammed his hands down on Harry's back, sending a shudder through the red haired mystical mutant's bones.
Harry coughed, a bit of bluish white blood splattering against the Hulk's chest. Despite the situation, Harry took a millisecond to stare at the blood. 'I'm going to have to look into that later.'
Spinning his body, Harry released the Hulk, throwing him through the air. As the orange monstrosity cut through the air, a blue portal opened in his path.
Before he even realized what was happening, he was through it and it was hissing close behind him.
Harry took a moment to suck in a breath through his nose then glanced upward.
High above the earth, a portal opened just barely inside the earth's upper atmosphere.
The orange Hulk fell through, screaming as ice began to build over his large arms and body.
Harry shot upwards, an aura of translucent blue energy blossoming around his body.
–XX –
With a snarl, Laura rushed forward, her long black hair flowing behind her, her light blue eyes shining in the moonlight.
The woman in leather rushed to meet her, to very familiar claws emerging from her leather covered hands. The woman in leather swiped at her body.
Laura twisted out of the way, jabbing her claws at the woman's kidney.
The woman twisted at the last second, causing the claws to graze her upper ribs.
Laura's nostrils flared as the scent of the blood hit the air. There was something familiar about it.
The woman in leather spun on her left heel, bringing her right leg around in a roundhouse kick.
Laura ducked under the incoming blow, bringing her left leg around in a kick that slammed into the woman's unguarded knee. The woman's legs buckled.
As she fell to her knees, Laura drove her right fist forward her claws poised to stab into the woman's head.
A leather clad arm came up to knock her claws off course, while a palm strike to the chest sent her stumbling back.
–XX –
As Harry neared the orange Hulk, he reached out with his mind, trying to figure out what the creature's next move was, but all he got was a wave of rage. His eyes widened as the muscled beast brought his hands together in a massive clap, sending a shockwave of air towards Harry along with shards of ice that were once covering the creature's body.
Harry thrust out his hand, a see-through blue shield appeared in front of him. However, the force of the wind still pushed him back through the air.
As the wind died down, Harry looked up, to find the orange Hulk closing the distance between them fast, his arm cocked back for a punch.
Reaching out with his mind, Harry connected with the air around the Hulk, thankful he had entered a thicker part of the atmosphere. He pulled it together, causing it to thicken around the creature, slowing his dissent.
With a few seconds to breathe, Harry stared at the creature. How is he going to beat him? Should he drop him in the sun, he shook his head, no, he's a solar based Hulk that would be liable to charge him up and make him even more of a problem.
He glanced off into the distance, on the horizon the sky was just beginning to lighten. He needed to end this fast. Day was almost here for the UK.
Orange Hulk closed the distance between them, driving his fist forward.
Disappearing in a blue flash, Harry appeared above orange Hulk, an idea forming in his mind. It wasn't fair, but then again neither was a mutated psychic fighting the Hulk.
A runic circle appeared in the orange Hulk's path of dissent, the outer rings rectangular runes burning with blue power. Curved serpent like runes with different glowing dots in and around them formed, creating an inner ring.
When it was done, the two rings rotated, forming a particular pattern with rectangular runes lining up with certain curved runes. The whole circle flared. In the center ring opened a portal, the familiar octopus shaped mouth of Shuma-Gorath filled the whole.
The orange Hulk barely had time to scream before he fell into the dimensional god's gullet. The portal snapped closed as Shuma-Gorath shifted, giving a brief glimpse of a red sky filled with dark obsidian clouds.
Releasing a breath, Harry disappeared in a blue flash, making his way back to Laura.
–XX –
Appearing in the alleyway where he left Laura, he watched the two women circle each other. Blood oozed from the numerous cuts that littered their bodies, but as he watched their wounds healed, leaving behind perfect unblemished skin.
Seeing his chance to finally find out who was behind the mask, Harry reached out with his power. Just like before runes flared along the leather armor burning with gold light.
Harry's fingers danced through the air, blue energy trailing from the tips. His new mother box enhanced mind coming up with a counter.
Pushing a circle of glowing blue angled runes forward, they flew through the air just as the woman in leather began to turn.
The runes slammed into her chest, sending golden fragments flying through the air as they shattered the runes along her armor.
Again Harry's mind dived forward, finally learning the secrets of the woman that had begun his journey.
–XX –
He found he was standing in a destroyed wasteland. The earth was reddish-brown and dry. The sky a smog grey color with brown clouds hovering in it.
Harry took a step, images rushed by him as information filled his mind.
This woman was Gabby.
Buildings rose outside the blurred images, the windows broken. Pieces of thin plywood covered the front entrances.
Hulking green monstrosities stomped across the landscape, their dark cruel laughter echoing throughout the polluted sky. With a roar, one of them drew his fist back, slamming it into one of the newly formed buildings, causing it to crumble.
The ground shifted. Black brick walls rose up around him. The ground beneath his feet wiggled as a trench rose up from the earth, dirty green water filling it in a moment.
This was where she was born.
He moved forward, voices filtering up from somewhere ahead of him, "This isn't going to work," said a feminine voice.
"It has to," a male voice replied, "We need someone to protect us from the monsters out there."
"Why does it have to be her?"
"Don't get soft on me now Kinney. You knew what was going to happen to her when we acquired X twenty-three's DNA."
"Her name was Laura."
Harry rounded a corner, finding a small circular chamber. Water ran down the walls, staining a wooden table pressed up against the far end.
Wires ran from computer equipment piled on and around the table, to a square tank with rounded ends a few feet away.
In the tank was a younger Laura.
An aged Sarah Kinney placed a wrinkled hand on the tank. Her long black hair was now a silver color, pulled back in a severe bun. She stared at the child with faded green eyes, "I'm sorry Gabby, I did not want this for you, but I don't want to die either."
A lone tear trailed down Sarah's wrinkled liver spotted cheek.
Time froze, Doctor strange fate appeared in the room in a golden Ankh, his red Cape billowing around him. Stretching out his hands, the tank flew into its component parts, freezing in midair a short distance away.
Gabby floated towards him, her eyes slowly opening.
"I have need of you, child," Doctor strange fate began in his double layered voice, "unfortunately I don't have time to train you."
Yellow light flared in Gabby's eyes, her back arched, and the world around Harry trembled.
With his own Psionic abilities, Harry could feel the changes in Gabby's mind. Somehow, Doctor strange fate was downloading the combat experience of a man named Logan Wayne directly into Gabby's mind.
If that was all, Harry may have been willing to forgive him. After all, he did take her away from this apocalyptic world and give her the skills to survive, but no, his hand curled into a fist as he felt Psionic controls that would make her obey his every command unquestioningly sink into her mind.
He flared his power, tendrils of blue energy swirling out from his body to shatter the world around him.
–XX –
Harry blinked. He was back on the street. Laura and Gabby had continued to fight while he was in her mind. Gabby was now on her knees, Laura standing above her, her claws raised.
Harry thrust out a hand, a blue outline appearing around them both, "Stop!"
Laura turned to him, rage in her eyes, "Harry, what are you?"
Harry strode forward "Laura," he reached towards Gabby's mask, "this is," he pulled it off, revealing her face, "your sister and she needs your help." Laura's eyes widened as she saw Gabby's face.
She was younger then Laura thought. Two scars ran in straight lines down her forehead and over her eyes. Her face was more round. She looked up at Laura, her blue eyes shining, filled with wonder, fear, and maybe just a little hope.
"She was created by an alternate version of your mother from your DNA in order to help survive in an apocalyptic world. Before she was even born into the world, Doctor strange fate took her. Downloaded the combat information from someone from his world into her mind and put in mental blocks so he could control her."
"I've shattered those blocks, she is now her own person, and she's going to need her family."
Gabby looked around confusion and fear shining in her blue eyes, "Where," She stuttered, "am I, what's going on?"
Laura glanced at Harry, "What do we do with her?"
Harry flicked his hand, an oval-shaped portal appearing in the air, "Take her back to the Institute, have my Aunt Jean confirm my findings and see if your family can help her."
"What about you and the mission?"
Harry glanced back at the building, "I'll finish that myself. It's more important to find out the truth about Gabby. If she really is a victim like I suspect, she needs our help."
"And if not?"
"That is for her family to decide," Harry turned, striding towards the building, a blue flash at his back announcing Gabby and Laura's journey through the portal.
Reaching the edge of the building, he shifted into his energy form. Stepping forward, he entered the fabric of the universe, heading towards his final enemy.