The X-men of X-Corporation strive to save a world that hates them. This mission to free the world of such hatred includes taking more than a few risks and making sacrifices, even if it means putting their lives on the line.

Just recently, Jean Grey has become a symbolism of such sacrifice when she stayed behind during a mission to outer space, where the X-men were tasked to help save a team of scientists sent out there by SHIELD. When Jean stayed behind, however, she got hit by a strange, cosmic force that should have killed her. Yet somehow, she's alive.

Now, while the X-men wait to hear about what happened to their friend, they fear for her wellbeing. What does this mean for the Marvel Girl of the X-men?

Issue 75: The Phoenix Saga Part 2

X-Corporation Tower – Outside the Medical Laboratory

Over the course of the next few hours, the X-men were outside the medical labs of X-Corp, waiting for news on Jean.

After the trip to space from hell, the Avengers and X-men members made their way back home after dropping the scientists off at SHIELD. Jean was currently being scanned by Hank, Bruce, Cecilia and the professor, while Scott was on the phone with Jean's older brother, Roger.

"Is she going to be okay? That's all I ask to know," Roger Grey said on the other line.

"We do not know for sure. We're not even sure what happened out there," Scott said. "But it's typical of Jean to think of her teammates before herself. She's selfless to a fault."

"I should've figured. She was always very stubborn. My mom was the same way; loving and charitable, to the point where you're begging her to just take five minutes to do something more for herself. She was the kind of mom who would drop everything for you. If you were sick, even if it were on her birthday, or Mother's Day, it didn't matter. All she worried about was taking care of everyone. She came secondary. It appears Jean has taken those traits from my mother," Roger said.

"She really did," Scott said, closing his eyes.

"Well, I am glad that the spirit of my mother lives in her," Roger said.

"She's the best," Scott said. "She really is. She embodies everything love is."

"Just keep me updated on her condition, Scott. Take good care of her."

"If we find out anything new, I'll let you know. And don't worry; I'll take care of her. I always do," Scott said, hanging up the phone as Tony, Bruce, the professor, Cecilia and Hank came out of the medical labs, all looking exhausted.

"How is she?" Warren asked in a serious tone, a slight glare on his face as he looked at Tony.

"Stable . . . she'll be alright," said Bruce. "But best I can tell, whatever energy Jean was hit with, it wasn't radiation poisoning like Hank had originally thought. Whatever it was, it's changed her. Yes, her scans are all normal, but they're too normal. Whatever hit her made her stronger. I feel something is not right, but she's literally off the charts."

"Well what was it? What happened to her?" Ororo demanded, her worry increasing. Just watching what had happened to Jean had scared her deeply.

"We cannot say we know one-hundred percent, but we promise you that we will get to the bottom of this," Professor Xavier said. "You can see her now."

"Thank you, Professor," said Scott as he walked into the convalescence room where Jean was sleeping peacefully.

Before joining the others in the convalescence room, Warren pulled Tony aside, a bitter expression on his face.

"Tony, what the hell were you thinking?" he asked angrily, his voice hushed.

"I did what I had to do to make sure that the rescue was a success," Tony said softly.

"Whatever happened to her, it's a miracle Jean survived. Nick Fury called while she was being examined; he was about to send his condolences. She should be dead," Warren said, balling his hands in fists at his side. "She's lying in there right now, because you sent her out there! You knew she would act on impulse and put us first! She was so worried about one of us getting hurt, she didn't think of herself and what would happen to her."

"Warren, I did what was asked of me," Tony argued. "I care about your guys' safety as much as you do."

"Are you sure about that?" Warren asked, angry. "She's a kid! She may legally be an adult, but she's still a kid. Tony, you're sending us out there to make sacrifices. For what? To boost your ego? What do you want? Some sort of medal from President Kelly, who just short of a year ago was looking to make us register under the government?"

"It sure sounds better than you kids being hunted," Tony retorted.

"When was the last time you made a sacrifice play? Huh? You may have created those Iron Man and War Machine suits, but you better stop pretending to be a hero. Jean's lucky that she's alive right now. That's exactly what it was, Tony: luck!" Warren snapped.

With that, Warren turned on his heel and went into the convalescence room in the medical lab to visit Jean. Walking into the room, he could see everyone else surrounding Jean's hospital bed.

Her face was still drawn and pale, but at least the veins in her face were no longer as prominent as they had been on the jet. She was tucked up to her chest with blankets. She was wearing headgear which was monitoring her cerebral patterns, and was being fed fluids through an IV. Warren could see on the monitor that while Jean's cerebral patterns appeared normal, there seemed to be something else going on. Whatever energy had hit her on the spacecraft, it had changed her. Into what, Warren did not know. All he knew was that Jean should not have survived something like that.

Jean had been changed out of her X-men uniform and into her pajamas, thanks to Cecilia. Although Warren was mad at Tony for putting Jean at risk, he settled for being comforted by the fact that Jean was asleep, and that she was in a peaceful sleep. He would take that. That would be enough for him, for now, especially as he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

"She got lucky," Remy said quietly.

"Yeah," Scott said from where he sat with Kitty and Bobby behind him. He was holding her hand in his, running a hand along the side of her face.

"Ah take it you're not goin' anywhere tonight?" asked Anna-Marie as she stood close to Remy.

"No, I'm staying here with her. You guys go; get your rest," Scott insisted, shooing them out of the room. Before they could all leave the infirmary, they could see Jean stirring in bed, groaning slightly as her eyelids began to flutter.

"Mmmh," Jean groaned out as she noticed Scott's hand in hers. The others moved closer as they watched her weakly attempting to awaken.

For Jean, her head was still pounding painfully, but at least she was not hearing hundreds of voices in her head like she had been on the plane. She still had a feeling of residual nausea in her stomach as her head moved in the direction of Scott. The bright lights of the infirmary felt as though they were stabbing her behind her eyes, which added to the aching in her head. She could feel Scott stroking her hair, and she could feel someone moving to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy, Jean," Ororo whispered.

"Ro . . ." Jean moaned as she heard her best friend moving to stand closer to her.

She clenched her eyes shut a little tighter against the bright lights stabbing against her eyelids. Hank moved to turn the lights down in the infirmary, knowing that was causing her a lot of discomfort. Once the lights were turned down to allow Jean's sensitive eyes to adjust, she allowed her eyelids to open. Staring up with blurred vision, she could see she was lying in the medical bay with the X-men members all surrounding her hospital bed, looking worried.

"How are you feeling?" Kitty asked.

"Like . . . like I got hit with a truck, and then set on fire," Jean groaned, swallowing down her nausea.

"Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, she lives," Bobby managed to joke.

Jean laughed weakly, managing a smile towards Bobby as she felt him rubbing her leg. Faintly, she balled her hand which had the IV in it into a fist as Bobby reached forward to gently bump his own against hers. If she was able to laugh at one of Bobby's comments, it was a sign she was going to be okay.

"You had us so scared there," Warren scolded her as he and Logan moved to stand closer to the bed. "Never do that again, you hear me?"

"Someone had to do it," Jean groaned as she felt Scott kissing her forehead.

Remy and Anna-Marie brushed their fingers through her hair soothingly while Logan patted her knee gently. "Next time, give us a heads up before attempting at heroics, kid," Logan suggested.

"I'll try." Jean managed another weak smile toward her teammates before continuing to talk. "The mission came first. I wasn't about to allow you guys to be at risk, and I know you'd do the same for me, if the roles were reversed," she breathed out. "I love you guys so much," she added, her eyes closing. Before she could fade again into unconsciousness, she could hear the others one last time.

"We love you," Cecilia whispered.

"We love you," she could hear Hank telling her. The last thing she felt was Scott giving her hand a gentle squeeze, before she fell back asleep.

The Cerebro Chamber – One Hour Later

"Chuck, what I saw happen to 'er, it wasn't anything normal," said Logan as he followed Professor Xavier into the Cerebro room.

"I understand your concerns and worries, Logan," Professor Xavier said quietly. "I for one am worried about Jean, too. But I fear that there was nothing we could have done to prevent this from happening to her. She made her choice tonight."

"Tony shoulda kept the kid away," Logan said. "Chuck, were you in Cerebro monitoring us?"

"Indeed, old friend," Charles said quietly as he went over to the Cerebro computer. "What I felt in Cerebro when I was connected to Jean's mind, it consisted of emotions that I've never felt from her before. I felt her pain, but I also felt this . . . rage. I do not know what it means. But I intend on finding out."

As Logan took in those words the professor was saying, he could not help but feel as though something was off.

"Charles, did you do somethin'?" Logan asked quietly.

"I had to keep her stable," Charles said.

"What did you do?" Logan asked, his facial expression darkening slightly. He had a feeling as to where this was going. He wanted the professor to say it out loud, however.

"Logan . . . what you do not understand is Jean's memories of the car accident that killed her mother and her father, they were so traumatizing. I was shocked when I found her in Morrison, conscious, because the memory of that accident was purely terrible," Charles whispered, closing his eyes as he felt the guilt coming over him. "Jean . . . her powers, she believes they manifested after the accident. But, that's not the case. She and her identical twin, Madelyne, were developing their telekinetic powers at the time of the accident. They caused the car to crash into the car the drunk driver was in. I can only assume their telekinesis had manifested, because their minds were triggered for them to try and defend themselves in some capacity. When I met Jean, I'd altered her memories of the accident slightly, so that she did not have to deal with the grief of being responsible for killing her parents."

"Chuck, are you crazy?!" Logan asked angrily, unsheathing his claws.

"Logan you do not understand. I-I had to help her cope. I had to help her get into control," Charles said.

"Whenever you cage the beast, it's just gonna try and find a way out!" Logan growled. "You know what happened to me! You know my memories are fucked up because I was brainwashed for God knows how long. How could you do this to 'er?"

"Logan, please, I know what you got put through during your time with Weapon X. When I met you, when Alpha Flight found you, you were filled with nothing but rage. Your mind was warped beyond recognition. But Jean . . . there was no way she would be able to cope with the idea of killing her family. As a child, she had more power than she could ever imagine. When I met her, I was protecting her," Charles insisted.

"You can't protect her from feelin' pain, Chuck," Logan said softly, his tone harsh. "Jeannie, she sees everything. She feels everything. She's still a kid, sure, but she ain't the little nine-year-old wakin' in a hospital anymore. She needs to learn to cope. She needs to learn to deal with pain. She won't be able to do that if you're prodding around her mind screwin' with her memories!"

Logan proceeded to walk out of Cerebro, and the moment he was outside, punched the wall, leaving an indentation. He clenched his jaw angrily. Hearing that Professor Xavier had altered Jean's memories like that was too much for him to take. He still had nightmares about his time in Weapon X. He did not have half his memories. The last thing he wanted was for his little Jeannie – one of his first students, his daughter – to experience anything like that.

Meanwhile, Charles Xavier felt the guilt for his actions. But he couldn't help but justify why he did it.

'I protected her,' he thought. 'I had to keep Jean stable . . . I-I don't want her to feel pain.' He felt the tears starting to fill up in his eyes. 'She felt so much pain, so much suffering at the hands of William Stryker. She had to feel Scott being tortured, me being tortured. I don't want her to have to feel grief for killing her parents. God Jean, I am sorry. I am so sorry, my child.'

Convalescence Room – The Next Day

The first thing he heard when he woke up the next day was a soft moan coming from Jean. Rousing from his sleep, Scott Summers straightened in his chair, keeping her hand in his.

"Dr. Reyes! She's waking up," Scott called out to Cecilia.

Cecilia came into the room, an exhausted expression on her face as Jean's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the bright lights of the infirmary. Shockingly enough, she didn't feel nauseated, her head was no longer hurting, and she was no longer hearing hundreds of voices in her mind. Cecilia went over to check her vitals.

"Well, blood pressure's normal, brain activity is normal, breathing is normal . . . you're perfect," Cecilia said.

"I'm sensing a "but" there," Jean said softly.

"Whatever happened up there, I sense that it made you stronger," Cecilia said, turning to face Jean. "You're literally off the charts."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked. "Doctor Banner referred to it that way last night."

"I'm not sure, but Jean, it looks like you are good to go," Cecilia said with a smile.

"Thanks, Doctor Reyes," Jean said, returning the smile.

"Why don't you say we grab our breakfast to go, and we go on a walk through the park?" Scott asked her. "I'm sure Warren, Rogue, Remy and Ororo wouldn't mind joining us."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jean said as Cecilia left the room.

"Though seriously, how are you feeling?" Scott asked as he watched Jean get up from the bed, stretching out her limbs before she reached over for the change of clothes that had been brought down to the medical labs the previous night for her to change into.

"I feel . . . great. I feel better than great; like I'm at the top of the world. I feel like everything is just turned up," Jean said with a smile as she got dressed.

"Good, I'm glad," Scott said with a smile.

"Are you a little intimidated, baby?" Jean asked with a small, flirtatious grin as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Constantly," Scott told her, his smile growing wider as Jean leaned in and kissed him in a way that felt intoxicating before she returned to getting dressed. However, Scott couldn't help but really look at her.

She looked normal, and healthy. It was almost too good to be true. She should have been dead due to what had happened on the mission. The fact that she was alive was a twist of fate none of the X-men had expected.

"What's wrong?" Jean whispered, reading Scott's feelings of worry and concern for her and her wellbeing. She rubbed her hand against his neck after getting her jeans on. "Scott, I can read your mind just tell me."

Scott hesitated before saying what he knew needed to be said. "Last night, God Jean, you had me so scared," Scott whispered, pulling her towards him once she'd changed into her t-shirt, jeans, heavy sweatshirt, and boots. "You really, really scared me. I was so worried that I was going to lose you."

"I was scared, too," Jean declared. "But you don't have to be afraid, Scott. I came back to you. You know I'll always come back to you."

The two leaned in and shared a soft, yet deep, kiss before leaving the infirmary together. Walking down to the kitchens, they each grabbed a muffin and to-go cups filled with coffee, before heading out to Central Park. Remy, Anna-Marie, Ororo and Warren were about to enter the kitchen when they saw Jean up and about.

"Walk with us?" Jean asked.

The others nodded and proceeded to join them on their walk toward Central Park. The cool breeze of mid-March made everything feel so much more peaceful as they took in the sights of what was around them. Breathing in the clean, crisp air, Jean closed her eyes for a moment before she was broken from it by Anna-Marie.

"So, Jean, how are ya feelin' this mornin' sugah?" the Southern mutant asked her.

"Surprisingly enough, I feel fine," Jean admitted. "I feel better than great, really."

"But Jean, what was that the other night?" asked Warren in a serious tone. "It was almost as though you were surrounded by fire. At first, we thought it might have been radiation poisoning due to that solar flare. But I know that that wasn't the case at all."

"I do not know, Warren," Jean mused. "Though it was strange. I'd felt this powerful combustion surrounding me. It was pure energy just flowing through me. It felt as though I could grab the moon and crush it with my hands. And for some reason, I'd heard this voice speaking in my head. I've only heard it in my nightmares at night, the ones with all the fire."

"Do you think your nightmares and what happened to you yesterday could be connected, somehow?" Ororo surmised in worry.

"Honestly, Ro, I don't know," Jean said with a shake of her head as she leaned into Scott's touch. She felt him pressing a kiss to her forehead lovingly.

"Look, as long as you're alright, that's all that matters at this point," Warren said. "But honestly? Last night, when we retrieved you, I wanted to kill Tony over it. I'd asked him if sending you on the mission was a good idea. But he insisted on it. He seems to forget a lot of things."

"Like what?" Remy asked.

"Like the fact that we are nothing more than kids," Warren pointed out, kicking a rock. "Though I guess I should be happy he did not suggest sending Kitty or Bobby on the mission. If he did that, I'd wring his neck. And I do not care if I am on his paycheck."

Everyone took in what Warren was saying. Many seemed to forget the X-men were a team that consisted of young teenagers and people in their early to mid-twenties. Of course, it was easy to see them as a team of superheroes in uniform, like they were a group of soldiers. But in reality, they all were still nothing more than kids. What started out as a company to help secure their futures turned into them becoming a team of soldiers to privatize world peace. The weight of it all rested on their shoulders.

"I guess you're right, Warren," Scott said as he stroked Jean's hair.

As the six friends continued to walk through the park, they could not help but think over what Warren had said moments ago. However, that was when Warren's cell phone rang in his pocket. Pulling it out, he could see it was an unknown number that he was unfamiliar with. But the number did say it was coming from Westchester. Curious, he picked up the line.

"Hello?" he said into the phone.

"Why hello, Warren. It's been a while," said a calming, soft, sultry voice on the other line. It was a familiar voice he knew all too well, but hadn't heard in quite a few years.

"Wait – Emma? Emma Frost?" he asked in surprise. "Emma, how did you get my number? Why are you calling me? It's been seven years."

"I've got my resources, darling. You know I've got my ways," Emma Frost said. Her voice still sounded as tranquil as Warren remembered. It sounded musical . . . like the ringing of a soft bell.

"I can imagine," Warren said, still getting over the shock of hearing from his old friend. "Why are you calling? Like I said, it's been seven years since we've last encountered each other. After what happened to me –"

"I apologize about that," Emma said.

"Wow, I get an apology? I must be special," Warren quipped. Emma Frost was never one to be too apologetic about many things.

"I'm calling because your fame and recognition has brought you some attention from the Hellfire Club," Emma replied, getting to the point. "The president of our little organization is interested. You know only the wealthiest and most powerful can become members, dear."

"I have heard," Warren said with a small smile. "I can only imagine that that is where you went. You always had big ambitions of being a business woman."

"Indeed. How would you feel about going out to an event for the Hellfire Club, next Friday night? I can promise you it's going to be quite the lavish affair. Oh, and if you wish, you may bring the X-men with you, too," Emma replied softly.

"You know I cannot turn down any favors, especially for an old friend," Warren told her. "We cannot allow our past to make things awkward for the rest of our lives. We need to rencounter one another eventually. What time does it start?"

"Seven . . . oh, and it's a black-tie affair, so make sure you wear your best suit," Emma told him.

"You can count on it," Warren grinned.

"Nevertheless, I do have to say this . . . about the last time we left off," stated Emma.

"Emma, you shouldn't blame yourself. I've forgiven you," Warren responded. "I made the choice to let you flee. I wasn't about to let you get hurt."

"You took a beating for me," Emma replied.

"I did what I had to do to make sure you were okay," Warren said. "Anyways, I'll see you soon."

"Ta-ta, Warren," Emma said.

"Goodbye," he replied, hanging up.

"Who was that on the phone?" Anna-Marie asked.

"Let's just say, quite the opportunity just arose for us. My old friend, Emma Frost, has told me that our activities as the X-men have garnered some attention from a group she's part of called the Hellfire Club. My parents are members of it. And since I am of age, I can officially join," Warren explained.

"Wait, wait, you mentioned you were friends with someone named Emma when you were living with the Morlocks. Would this be her?" asked Scott.

"The very same, Scott," Warren said with a small grin as his memory drifted back to one of his many times with Emma Frost . . .

32nd Street – Seven Years Ago

For the past year, one would think that Warren Worthington III's life would be a lonely one. Being thrown out of his mother and father's home and sent to live on the streets proved to be difficult on the sixteen-year-old. However, life with the Morlocks proved to Warren that somehow, there were still people that were halfway decent enough to help. One of these people was his good friend, Emma Frost.

Emma, much like him, came from crappy family circumstances. She had been born to a wealthy family up in Boston, Massachusetts, and like Warren, had been born with a diamond-encrusted spoon in her mouth. But her mutation was what had caused her to be on the run.

Emma, much like her mutation, was a diamond. Not only could she transform her body into a diamond-hard shell, she also had the gift of reading people's minds. However, her ability of telepathy manifested after sensing the suicide of her older brother, Christian, who had died of a drug overdose. Emma's mutation had so much scared her that at the age of thirteen, she'd ran away from home and fled to the streets of Boston. That was where she had met the Boston Morlocks, who had helped her travel underground to the Manhattan sewers where she had taken refuge with two other female mutants, Domino and Skids.

Even though she'd gotten the Morlock's "M" branded on her face, she still looked stunning. Her Champaign-toned hair, ice-blue eyes and rosy complexion made her quite attractive. But for Warren, Emma was like a sister to him.

The pair walked through 32nd in Manhattan, keeping their heads low as they tried to look for some way to steal some food to bring back to the run-down apartment that they were living in. Both having fled the Morlocks, they knew they couldn't go back. Emma's reasons for leaving had been cryptic. In fact, she never gave a solid reason for leaving, unlike Warren.

Keeping their heads low, Warren tightened his trench around his body in an effort to cover up his wings. Emma was using her telepathy to manipulate people into giving them some cash so they could at least buy some hotdogs.

"Emma, you might wanna cool it down with that. We've got enough cash to sustain us for a few days," Warren told her quietly as they approached a hotdog vendor nearby.

"Warren, allow me to be the one thieving, darling. I make far less noise than you do," Emma said in her usual sarcastic, cold voice Warren had grown accustomed to.

"Once again, you just cannot seem to help but make comments," he whispered, rolling his eyes.

Emma nudged his ribs, though a smirk was on her lips. She always had the habit and talent of being a tease, of having a very dark sense of humor. But for Warren, she truly was the best friend that he could ever have. Emma had a way of keeping him out of the darkness due to their kindred spirits.

Once they purchased their hotdogs, Emma and Warren made their way back to their run-down home. For the past month or so, they'd been living together in the crappy apartment. They used newspapers, old rugs and boxes as makeshift beds. There wasn't much the pair could do. All they knew was that they needed to stick together.

As they walked back towards their place they'd been staying in, both Emma and Warren could not help but feel as though they were being followed. Luckily, that was where Emma's telepathic talents came in handy.

'I'm sensing seven men behind us – thugs . . . I think they somehow know we're mutants! Run!' Emma warned him.

Warren nodded, and both friends proceeded to take off running like hell. However, the street thugs were still close behind them. They took off down a back alleyway, running as fast as their legs could take them. But before they knew it, the thugs caught up to them, shoving them both to the ground.

"Well what do you two muties think you're doing?" asked one of them, who was wearing a bright, red bandana.

"How's about you screw off, you old sod? We don't want any trouble!" Emma snapped wittingly.

"Naw, you've been askin' for trouble, blondie. We know what the two of ya punks do, using your freaky powers to steal! Why don't ya two go back to the freakshow? We don't allow animals around here in our neck of the woods. Right, Paulie?" asked another thug wearing a black bandana.

"Right," said the leader in the red bandana, Paulie. He proceeded to aim a punch at Emma, but luckily, the young woman put up her diamond shell around her body to defend herself. The man Paulie screamed in pain.

"Fuckin' bitch!" he yelled, before he moved onto Warren. He ripped Warren's trench off to reveal his wings. "Oh shit! The guy's a bird! Well, you know what they say about snowbirds; they don't fly!"

That was when the thugs proceeded to beat the crap out of Warren, kicking him in his wings and his ribs. The teen screamed out in pain as he felt one of them punching him in the face. He turned to face Emma, who was dashing up to her feat.

"Emma – get outta here!" he yelled out to her.

"No, no Warren I am not leaving you!" she cried.

"Go, go save yourself!" Warren demanded. "Run!"

Emma cast Warren a terrified look before running off. He was willing to take a beating for her to protect her from harm.

Warren felt the muggers kicking him in the head, the chest, the stomach and his wings. He tasted blood in his mouth. As Warren continued to get the crap kicked out of him, he could hear someone over his head.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" the voice yelled.

"Get away from him!" another shouted.

At this point, Warren was disoriented and delirious with pain as he spit blood out of his mouth. The thugs proceeded to back off as he heard someone above him calling 9-1-1 for the police and an ambulance.

"N-No . . . no coverage!" he coughed out.

"We will make sure you're covered," one of his rescuers said as they leaned near him, a hand on his shoulder.

Warren shook his head. He didn't want to accept help. He didn't want anyone's pity. But looking into the eyes of one of his saviors, he could see the sincerity was there. As he closed his eyes in defeat, Warren knew that he had to surrender.

Up next: The Phoenix Saga Part 3