The X-men strive every day to protect a world that hates and fears them. While the entire world hates mutants, there are also mutants with influence and power strong enough to buy the trust of even the strongest of leaders.

These very mutants are members of the Inner Circle – a branch of the Hellfire Club. The Inner Circle consists of power telepaths and telekinetics, but they're never satisfied enough. They want the world.

As a result, the Inner Circle members used Emma Frost – an old friend of Warren Worthington III's – to contact the X-men and invite them to a gala for the Hellfire Club. While it was seemingly used to reunite long lost twin sisters Madelyne Pryor and Jean Grey, the true agenda was revealed during a ceremony to try and extract a cosmic power known as the Phoenix Force from Jean.

However, the Phoenix Force didn't take well to others using its power for greed. As a result, Jean became one with it and is going by the alias of "Dark Phoenix," and is in a battle to fight for her soul as she struggles for control.

Now, the X-men must turn to Emma for answers, hoping that she's their last chance to save their friend.

Issue 79: The Phoenix Saga Part 6

Hellfire Manor – Ritual Chamber

"I can't fucking believe this!" shouted Sebastian Shaw as he paced the floors of the ritual chambers. "First, the damned ritual fails, and then those two bitches escape!" He turned to glare angrily at Selene. "Selene, you and Regan assured me that this ritual would be a success. Where did it fail?"

An hour after the disastrous ceremony to conquer the powers of the Phoenix, the Inner Circle all awoke from their unconscious states of mind. For Sebastian Shaw, he could still hardly dare to believe that not only had they lost their chance at taking control over the Phoenix, but Emma Frost and Madelyne Pryor, two of their most powerful telepaths, had managed to escape.

Now, as they stood in the destroyed ritual chamber in Hellfire Manor, the Inner Circle stood around, trying to figure out exactly what had gone wrong during the ceremony. They knew power like that of the Phoenix Force was one that was unlimited. Now, not only did it have Jean Grey under its enraged control, but Jean was nowhere to be found. She'd flown off somewhere into the heavens. There was no telling what she would do.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" countered Regan Wyngarde, rolling her eyes. "It was like Madelyne said. There were forces that we were seeking to control, but did not understand how to control! And now, for all we know, Emma and Madelyne are with the X-men. Additionally, the Phoenix Force is out there, and we do not even know where it is! As long as it has its hold on Jean Grey, it has the power to do God only knows what!"

"She's more correct than you know," Selene said. "But that doesn't mean we should not find some way to get the Phoenix Force back to us. Jean Grey is wielding a power beyond anyone's understanding. For all we know, she could be above the omega-class scale of mutant power!"

"I for one concur!" said Shinobi Shaw with a glare on his face. He turned to look at Selene, Regan and Jason. "The three of you better find a way to bring Jean Grey back here, otherwise –!"

"Shinobi, do you honestly think we did not train ourselves enough to conquer the powers of the Phoenix Force?" Regan asked coldly, finishing Shinobi's thoughts.

"Get out of my head, Regan!" Shinobi snapped.

"Look, standing around blaming each other isn't going to fix anything!" Olivia Pryor said angrily. "Not only do we have to retrieve the Phoenix, we must retrieve Emma and Madelyne. Those two are class-five telepaths, and you've seen how Madelyne reacted when she learned of our operation. Imagine what could end up happening if she learns the truth about her past and what she and her sister did!"

"We will not allow that to happen, my love," David Pryor said calmly to his wife. "Between you, me, Regan, Jason, and Selene, you are looking at some of the most powerful telepaths in the world. We will be able to harness the powers of the Phoenix Force, and I can guarantee you we will get Madelyne and Emma back to us. After all, Sebastian, you still have leverage over her, your majesty."

"Of course, I still do, my Red King," Sebastian said calmly. "Now, just do whatever is necessary to bring Jean Grey, Madelyne and Emma back here, so we can complete this ritual, and have the power that we are destined for!"

"Yes, your excellency," Jason Wyngarde said calmly.

X-Corporation Tower – Holding Cells

"Do you honestly believe that she is still the Emma you knew, Warren?" asked Cecilia as they stood outside the power-dampening cell they were keeping Emma Frost in. After arriving home at X-Corporation Tower, the X-men decided it would be best to keep Emma in confinement, just in case. Tony and Forge had installed power-inhibitor prison cells in the basement in case. It was Madelyne, Professor Xavier, Tony, Forge, Logan, Warren and Cecilia.

"Believe me, Dr. Reyes; Emma's always been cold. She was never the one to speak about her feelings. But I know her. I know that she wouldn't do something like this to someone else willingly," Warren said.

"How can you be so sure about that, bub?" Logan hissed.

"Because the last time Emma and I saw each other, we were both living like street rats together in abandoned apartment complexes and office buildings. We had to rely on each other. The last night we were together, we were heading back to a place we were staying in when these thugs got the jump on us. They started beating on us, but Emma managed to get away because I'd told her at the time to run like hell. I'd ended up in the hospital and that was how Mr. Stark and the professor found me," Warren explained. "Believe me when I say when I told Emma to abandon me and protect herself, she seemed to feel such guilt. Whatever conditioning the Inner Circle tried putting her through, they were most likely looking to strip her of any humility she'd had when I'd last encountered her."

"And I would say that they succeeded," Madelyne said bitterly. She was nursing a sprained wrist and her arms were covered in bruises from the fight. Her cheek had a bandage on it where she'd been bleeding from the slap, and it was already starting to throb and bruise. She was currently wearing some of Jean's clothing Scott had given her after she'd had a shower. "I trusted her, and she stabbed me in the back," she added.

"Then you don't know her like I do, or at least I thought I did," said Warren. Turning to Forge, he asked, "Are you sure that this cell can hold her?"

"It has psychic dampeners, Warren. Tony and I took the precaution of installing these cells here in case of situations like this," said Forge.

"You can never be too prepared," Tony quipped.

"Let's just hear Emma out, and we will see what she knows," Professor Xavier reasoned.

Madelyne huffed, keeping her arms wrapped protectively across her chest. She still felt so much anger over the situation. Not only had her adoptive parents and Emma betrayed her, but they had also screwed around with her twin sister. Her adoptive family had lied to her face since she was twelve. Plus, she was pretty sure that they lied to her about much more than their intentions with her sister.

As the X-men, Madelyne and Tony all stood there, Emma slowly began to stir inside her cell. Madelyne felt satisfied to at least see bruises on her. But Madelyne felt Emma deserved a lot worse than a few cuts and bruises, although it would have to suffice. Emma was so uptight about her appearance of perfection.

As Emma came to consciousness, she noticed where she was. She was still wearing the dark cloak the Inner Circle had placed on her before the ceremony had begun. When she realized she was in a power-inhibitor prison cell, she shot up off the floor instantaneously.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded angrily.

"Now you know how it feels to be locked in a cage," snarled Logan, a dark glare on his face. "We just decided to return the favor!"

"Em," Warren said softly to her, hoping to reach her as he put his arm up in front of Logan. "Emma, I'm upset, but I find it really hard to be pissed off at you right now. I just want to know why you went through with it."

"Why do you care?" Emma spat, though Warren looked past the cold exterior. He could tell that Emma had a legitimate reason for going along with what the Inner Circle had planned.

"Because I know you," Warren said. "You and I were something to each other years ago. You know what we were to each other, okay? I truly did love you; you were the sister I never had. I knew you in those three months we had to survive together better than you knew yourself. I know that you never do something unless you have a really good reason for it."

Emma was silent at that. Warren did know her. But he didn't know how life with the Inner Circle had changed her. For the years she'd been involved with the Inner Circle and Sebastian Shaw, they had stripped her of her humanity, of feeling human emotions like pain and remorse. Even Madelyne, one of the closest people to her, didn't know what she'd done when she'd first joined.

"Warren, it's like I told you. I had no choice," she said.

"There's always a choice," Professor Xavier told her softly. He could sense conflicted emotions in Emma. She seemed confused and hurt, even though she was trying her best to hold it all in. She was trying to close herself off from feeling anything. But Warren and the professor could see through it. All they saw was a woman in pain.

"No, you do not understand that I had no other choice!" Emma insisted.

"Why?" Madelyne demanded. "You had a decision to at least warn me, to have my back! You've got about as much loyalty as my adoptive parents had towards me, Emma," she added coldly.

"Madelyne," Warren said.

"I deserved that," Emma said quietly.

"Why would you say that?" Warren asked her.

"Why wouldn't she say that? It's the truth," Tony said heatedly.

"Mr. Stark, no, you're not the one to lecture about loyalty. Afterall, you were the one that sent Jean out on that mission into outer space, which caused her powers to go haywire in the first place!" Warren said angrily, casting his boss a glare. "You did it to be up President Kelly's ass and to please him! And now look at the mess that we're in! Why didn't you listen to me when I questioned whether or not it was a good idea to send Jean out there?"

Tony fell silent at that, swallowing as he looked down at the floor. The fact that Warren blamed him for Jean's current condition stung. But at the same time, Tony knew he deserved Warren's anger.

'He's right,' Tony thought. 'We're partially in this mess because I sent Jean out there. I put her in danger because I was too arrogant and stubborn. Once again, just like with the Savage Land, I allowed my arrogance and pride to get in the way, and I made the wrong decision!'

'Tony, do not be so hard on yourself, son . . . its partially my fault, too,' Xavier projected to him.

Warren turned his attention back to Emma. He knew that even though he didn't understand what was going on with the professor, he needed to try and at least reach his old friend.

"Emma," he said, still not giving up. "Tell Madelyne and I the truth. You owe us both that much. How did you end up joining the Inner Circle? How did you allow yourself to get into this mess? Because I can tell that you didn't want to be part of the equation as to why Jean is out of control right now."

Emma let out a sigh. The fact that Warren was willing to forgive her and hear her out did not surprise her. He had such a good heart. It was part of the many reasons why Emma formed a friendship with him in the first place. But Emma wondered if Warren would feel the same way about her if he heard of the things she'd done as White Queen of the Inner Circle.

"Alright," she said quietly. "It happened shortly after you and I separated and went on different paths. I'd been by myself for a solid two months when Sebastian Shaw had found me. I was living in an abandoned building not far from Shaw Enterprises, and I was using my telepathic powers to steal food for me to eat. One day, Sebastian Shaw found me on a street corner being chased by a group of thugs. He saw me holding my own and he figured that I'd be worthy of joining the Inner Circle. He was very persuasive. Just the idea of being part of something elite such as that appealed to me greatly. You know I was brought up to live that kind of lifestyle; not live out on the streets."

"You and I were both always superficial, Emma. It doesn't surprise me that being part of something that can enhance your vanity and ambition would appeal to you," Warren told her.

"Shaw trained me on my telepathic abilities to make my powers better. He saw potential in me because he believes I am an omega-level telepath. I would say that I agree, because Shaw only wants the best of the best in the Inner Circle. He won't settle for less. Part of him training me to go up in ranks as the White Queen was me undergoing various procedures. You notice I no longer have the Morlocks branding on my face anymore. That was one of the first plastic surgeries Shaw had me undergo. Not that I cared though. Anything to enhance my appearance, I was more than willing to do it. Face lifts, breast augmentations, lip injections, Botox; rhinoplasty. You name it, I had it done.

"Shaw coached me to be successful at interrogation; it was often what he'd had me do. As members of the Inner Circle, we were trained to defraud even the most influential politicians and drug cartels and mafias. But anything to rise to the top, I was willing to do it. I was filled with desire to live the life of the highest class in society, because I felt that I was destined for that. It was either that, or living out on the streets. Eventually, I'd earned enough money to go to college, and I graduated early with a teaching degree, as well as a master's degree in business. However, one day, as I was preparing to open my academy in Boston, Shaw pulled me aside. He was more than willing to do whatever it took to keep me tied to the Inner Circle. So, he revealed he'd played a sneaky little trick on me."

"What did he do?" Logan asked, suddenly interested in hearing what Emma had to say.

Emma paused, and reached into her cloak that she was wearing. She pulled out the photograph that was there. Warren, Madelyne, Logan, Cecilia, Forge, Tony and the professor took in the picture, which had an image of five girls, who looked no older than fourteen years old. They all looked exactly like Emma, cold expressions, blonde hair and blue eyes, and they seemed to be wearing Catholic school uniforms.

"Emma, what are we looking at here?" Cecilia asked.

"Their names are Esme, Celeste, Phoebe, Mindee, and Sophie," Emma explained. "Genetically speaking, you could call them my clones. Biologically speaking, they are my daughters. You see, the day I decided to leave so I could open my academy, Shaw revealed to me that during one of my plastic surgeries, he'd had a doctor remove five of my eggs. As a result, he took them and he cloned me into the form of five teenage girls, whom he planned to use as his ultimate weapon. I do not know who he was working with at the time who could have the resources to do such a thing. Somehow, he'd managed to not only clone them. He'd managed to age them faster, implant them with sophisticated intelligence, gave them each their own personalities, and my telepathic abilities. Apparently, these five girls share a hive mind, which together makes them all the more powerful than I am. Shaw even came up with a name for them, too: the Stepford Cuckoos."

"Are you shitting me?" Logan asked.

"I didn't pick the name," Emma scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "If I did, I would have come up with something much more original than that."

"I know you're capable of much more creativity than that. You had the quickest wit out of the both of us when we were out on the streets together," Warren said.

"Anyways, ever since then, Shaw managed to keep that as his leverage over me. He knew if he gave me something to care about other than myself, he'd have me under control. But I was sneaky about leaving. Those five girls gave me something to care about. They're my daughters whether I like it or not. I'd felt the responsibility to keep them out of Shaw's control. I'd found my girls in one of Shaw's labs, and I snuck all five of them out of there just as I was opening my academy. They were truly my first students. But everything came back when Shaw called me nearly a week ago," Emma elaborated.

"I think I know what happened after that," whispered Madelyne.

"He called me and Maddie down to the ritual chambers to share with us the news of the Inner Circle "finding" Jean. But I did not believe for one second that they were just looking to reunite Madelyne with her sister. That was when Shaw told me the tale of the Phoenix Force, and how he planned to harness that power for the benefit of the Hellfire Club. He told me to make a phone call to you Warren to invite you to the party that took place tonight. When I was about to refuse, that was when he showed me the picture of my girls again. Just looking into his eyes, I knew that if I refused, Shaw would burn my school to the ground and kill every student there, including my daughters," Emma finished saying.

Everyone stood there in silence, taking in what Emma had just said. Madelyne could sense Emma's sincerity in her tone as she told the story. She could tell that Emma wasn't just making it up to gain sympathy. Emma was never one to look for pity. Warren knew this just as well.

"So that's why you did this?" Warren surmised, still taking in the picture of Emma's five daughters.

A single tear made its way from Emma's eye as she nodded her head. "Believe me, I wanted no part in it. But once Shaw told me he was going to involve my students and my daughters who were made from my flesh and blood, I knew I could not back out. I knew I could not avoid it. Additionally, I was especially angry when I'd realized about you, Madelyne."

"What are you talking about?" Madelyne asked seriously.

"Shaw hinted to me that Selene and your adoptive parents might have altered some of your memories. It's just something I am assuming. I cannot tell for sure," Emma explained.

Logan stood there in silence. He wanted nothing more than to scream out to the world that Professor Xavier had placed mental blocks on Jean's memories of the car accident that killed her parents. He could only assume that Madelyne had similar blocks placed on her mind by her adoptive family.

'Chuck!' Logan growled, projecting towards the professor. 'Ya owe everyone the truth about Jeannie and Madelyne. If you don't tell 'em, Scottie especially, I will!'

The professor sat there quietly. He knew Logan had a point. Charles felt that if he kept this secret from his X-men, especially his adoptive son, then he would be no better than the Inner Circle who lied to Madelyne for so long. He noticed Cecilia giving him an inquisitive look. Bowing his head, Charles once again felt the shame he'd felt when Logan had told him how wrong he'd been to alter Jean's memories.

'I'm so sorry, Jean,' he thought as he sat there.

Scott's Room

'Jean . . . Jean, if you can hear me baby, give me a sign,' Scott thought as he stood on the balcony overlooking his bedroom.

Scott stared up at the night sky, his tears threatening to spill as he thought back to what had happened at Hellfire Manor. Feeling his girlfriend in so much pain had been too much for the young man to bear. It was worse than when they had been held hostage by William Stryker. Tonight, it was different. There was something different. Somehow, he'd felt everything Jean had felt. He'd felt a burning pain in his head that had been so severe it had caused him to kneel over in agony. He couldn't bear it.

Jean being his first love, Scott couldn't help but feel as though, in some capacity, he'd let her down. But he also had a feeling that Professor Xavier knew more than he was letting on. He couldn't help but have his suspicions that somehow, the professor had been hiding something from Jean. The members of the Inner Circle indicated that Madelyne had something similar happen to her.

'Come on, Red. Answer me, please. I-I love you. I love you so much, it hurts. Please, baby . . . just . . . just come back. Please,' Scott continued to think.

Hearing knocking at his bedroom door, he turned his head to see Logan. He knew that out of all members of the X-men, Logan was taking it as hard as Scott was. It probably had something to do with the fact that Jean was like a daughter to him.

"How you holdin' up, kid? Ya know you should be getting yer rest, too," Logan said gruffly.

"Like I am going to be getting any sleep tonight," Scott said. "Is anyone else asleep?"

"They've all given up. I checked the rooms; no one's in any of 'em," Logan said.

"How's Madelyne doing?" Scott asked.

"As well as can be. The kid had a lot happen in the past few hours," Logan said. "Anyways, I came here ta tell ya that Chuck wants to see ya. He needs to speak with you about somethin' regarding Jeannie."

Scott let out a sigh. "Why do I feel he knows more than he is letting on?" he asked rhetorically as he proceeded to walk out of his bedroom.

"Look kid, I know yer goin' through hell right now. This ain't easy on me either. You and Jeannie were the first two students I taught," Logan said.

Scott breathed out a sigh. "No, Logan, you don't entirely get it. What Jean and I have . . . it's much deeper than just some quick hook-up that is convenient for the two of us. I can't explain what it is we've got, but all I know is, I love her more than anything. All I know is, I would die for her if necessary."

"Are you one-hundred percent sure about that, bub?" Logan asked in a serious tone.

"Logan, you do not get it," Scott said. "With Jean, it's different. She's much more than just some girl I fell in love with. She's been my best friend since we were both seventeen and we thought society essentially gave up on us and stopped caring. I don't know how to describe what we have, but for whatever reason, when I was in the ritual chamber in Hellfire Manor, I'd felt the pain that she was in. All I'd felt was burning agony when the ritual was happening. I don't know how it is possible, but all I know is, I love her more than life itself. She's my everything."

"Look, kid, I trust ya. I know that no matter what, you'll make the right decisions," Logan said softly, leaning a hand on Scott's shoulder. He wasn't good with words and rarely showed affection, but Scott and Jean would always have a soft spot in his heart.

As they walked towards the professor's office, Logan and Scott made their separate ways. Scott paused outside the professor's office, hesitant about going inside. Knocking on the door, he entered.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.

"Yes, Scott, please come in," the professor said softly.

Scott entered his father-figure's office, shutting the door and taking a seat on one of the sofas in the room. The professor moved from behind his desk to sit across from his surrogate son. That was when Scott noticed Madelyne in the room, too.

"Professor, why do you want the two of us here?" Scott asked. "What's going on with Jean? How is this going to get fixed?"

"Scott, before we do anything here, I must tell you the truth, son," the professor said.

"The truth about what? What does this have to do with me?" Madelyne asked.

"Because, Madelyne, you must know the truth, too. I owe you both that much," Charles whispered. "Scott, this is something I haven't told anyone, except for Logan days ago. And this has got more to do with the Phoenix Force than you think. Scott, it was when I'd first met Jean one year ago when I took you two into my custody. Her recollections of the car accident that killed your parents, Madelyne, had been so traumatic. I was surprised to see that she was still conscious, considering everything that was happening with her.

"Between the crazed thoughts of the people in the mental asylum, and her recollections, I feared that she would never recover. Before signing the adoption papers to make Jean my legal ward, I-I blocked away certain memories of her past. She was not dealing well with the grief. The memories I'd picked up on when reading her mind were . . . unspeakable. Based on what I'd seen when reading her mind, I saw that she and you, Madelyne, were partially responsible for killing your parents."

"What?" Madelyne asked. Although she was still feeling angry, she was willing to hear Charles out. She could sense Xavier's sincerity. She could sense he'd genuinely wanted to help her sister. He hadn't wanted to use her as a weapon.

"The drunk driver was part of that equation Madelyne. But it was you and Jean developing your telekinesis at five years old, and it caused you both to crash your parents' car into the drunk driver's car. You both caused the car to flip over, and you were responsible for killing your parents. You and Jean were displaying signs of omega-class mutation at age five. You two couldn't have controlled it on your own even if you made the attempt to.

"I knew when I met Jean, she couldn't handle her grief. I honestly felt I was protecting her. And the Phoenix Force, somehow, always felt a kinship with her. I am assuming the Phoenix protected her from dying from the mental trauma. That was why she had been in a coma for three years. And the energy she was hit with in space only completed the manifestation of the Phoenix Force inside her." Charles found he had to stop speaking, as his voice was wavering. Tears were threatening to come to his eyes as he spoke.

Scott and Madelyne took in what Xavier was saying. From what Madelyne gathered, she sensed that Charles had only altered and blocked Jean's memories to protect her sister. It was a far cry from what her adoptive family had done to her, which was to enhance her abilities to turn her into a non-empathetic weapon. If he did not care, he would have allowed Jean to suffer.

Scott could hear the guilt in his father-figure's tone. He knew that Charles would never do something if he did not have a good reason behind it. Charles had taken him and Jean in when society seemingly gave up on them. Scott took a deep breath before selecting his next choice of words.

"Professor, I know you do not do anything without having a good reason behind it. Jean would often tell me that if you hadn't blocked her powers, she felt she would have gone insane. She always was in fear of hurting somebody. I find it really hard to be mad at you for trying to protect her, especially after our encounter with William Stryker," Scott said.

"But Scott, what I've done . . . I'd lied to her about her powers. I'd lied to her about her past."

"No, professor. I know what you're thinking. Do not compare yourself to Madelyne's adoptive family. I know that you wouldn't have done something to intentionally put Jean in danger," Scott said. "Blaming yourself for her condition isn't going to do us any good. We need to focus on finding her and saving her."

"But how do we do that?" Madelyne asked, the tears welling in her eyes. "Because Professor, if you had blocked Jean's recollections, who is to say the Inner Circle hadn't done the same to me? What if I'd found out about Jean being in the X-men one year ago? What if my parents decided to erase that memory to prevent me from knowing about my sister?"

"That's a possibility, Madelyne. But as far as your first question, we must find a way to track Jean and find a trace of her somewhere," Xavier said.

"And how would we do that?"

"With Emma's help," Warren announced, coming into the room with Emma Frost behind him. "While in Hellfire Manor, Beast and I managed to take some of those M'Krann Crystal shards. Professor, I was hoping that you, Tony, Beast and Carly would be able to try and analyze it. It could be the key to us bringing Jean back to us." He placed the M'Krann shards onto the table. Madelyne observed the obscene, magenta-colored pieces of the crystal. How the Inner Circle had managed to get such a source of power, she did not understand.

"Emma, did Shaw ever tell you how he got his hands on this?" she asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, he didn't."

"Typical," Madelyne spat. "He's a rat and scum, and his son takes after him just the same."

Cerebro Chamber

"Alright, Chuck, how's this gonna work?" Logan asked as he, Emma, Warren, Hank, Carly, Madelyne, Cecilia and Scott stood in Cerebro with the professor.

"We use the shards of the M'Krann Crystal," said Emma.

"Are you crazy, Emma?" Madelyne demanded. "Selene laid her hand on that, Jean nearly burnt her to a crisp! Who's to say that us screwing around with whatever this thing is won't drive the Phoenix into a homicidal rage?"

"We're not going to be using it the way that you think, Madelyne," Charles explained. "We will be simply using the shards of the M'Krann Crystal to learn more about what the Phoenix is. We will also be using them to reach out to her, too, wherever she is."

"Are we sure this is even going to work?" asked Cecilia, worried about the safety of her surrogate daughter. "Because God forbid something happens –"

"Dr. Reyes, we've got to try something. Wherever Jean is out there, we need to see if we can track her. If these crystal shards are the key to that, we have got to do it," Scott insisted.

"Yer crazy, Cyke," Logan said with a shake of his head.

"Crazy in love with my sister," Madelyne said with a sigh. Eyeing the M'Krann shards and then Cerebro, Madelyne had an idea. "Professor," she said. "You said only telepaths can use Cerebro, right?"

"Yes," Charles said.

"If we've got to reach my sister, I'll do it," Madelyne decided.

"Are you sure about this?" Hank asked in a serious tone.

"Yeah, have you used anything like Cerebro?" Carly asked.

"Not exactly," Madelyne said. "But don't try to talk me out of it. I've made up my mind, it's decided."

"She's right. You can't talk her out of anything," Emma said as she watched Madelyne take a seat at Cerebro.

"She's either very brave, or very stupid," Warren breathed out.

Madelyne took hold of the shards of the M'Krann Crystal as she placed the Cerebro helmet onto her head. Breathing out a sigh, she turned the computer on. Upon turning on the device, Madelyne felt a rush coming over her. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

Hearing so many thoughts all at once was overwhelming to the young psychic. Luckily, the Inner Circle's training was proving to be more useful than she ever thought it could be. She began to focus her mind, clutching the fragments of the M'Krann Crystal.

'C'mon Jean . . . where are you?' she thought as she began to feel sensations she'd never experienced. She could see images flashing through her mind of fire . . . destruction . . . chaos . . . passion . . . anger. Madelyne clamped her eyes shut as she tried to focus, gathering as much as she could as she continued looking for her sister.

Deep Space

"AT LAST . . . I AM FREE!" said the corrupted Phoenix as she soared through the depths of space, going through galaxy upon galaxy while using Jean Grey as her host.

To the corrupted Phoenix Force, it was scenic. Stars seemed to tremble as she soared through the cold depths of deep space. With Jean Grey as her vessel, the Phoenix was experiencing mortal feelings and emotions she'd never felt before in her lifetime. Her hunger was finally being fed after years of needing to wait for the worthy mortal soul to wield her power. As the Phoenix flew at a speed unlike anything ever seen before, starts trembled as the Phoenix absorbed their heat.

But in the middle of all this chaos, Jean Grey – the mortal vessel who was her medium – was in a state of confusion, pain and suffering all her own. Feeling such power surge through her mind and body was too much for the young woman to bear. It felt ten times worse than when she'd been in the mental asylum, but there was a side of it that shockingly felt good. All her locked away recollections of pain and suffering she'd endured were rolling through her mind, only adding to her confusion and anguish. She desperately wanted to get into control, but she couldn't.

"No . . . stop, please! I-I can't take this . . . it's too much!" Jean moaned as the tears threatened to come to her eyes. She wanted to sob and scream. She was scared out of her mind. In her chaotic state, she'd nearly hurt the man that she loved. She attacked her friends, her family.

"There's no use fighting me Jean. You cannot deny your destiny and what it is of which you crave."

"I – I don't know what I want!" Jean cried out. "Why me? What makes me so different? I didn't want any of this to happen to me! I – I can't remember what I –!"

"Who you are as a mere mortal is not important. What you are is far more important than a mere, pathetic human being. You have got the power to have whatever it is that you desire. You can make it so that the car accident that killed your mother and father never existed. You can reunite your family forever. You create and abolish whatever you please with the snap of your fingers."

"I can't . . . I'm Jean Grey. I'm Jean Grey," Jean kept sobbing as she struggled to remember who she was.

"No, there cannot be anymore Jean. There can only be Phoenix!"

"Leave me alone!" Jean begged.

Suddenly, that was when Jean and the Phoenix could hear something else. It was a voice that sounded like Jean's identical twin sister, Madelyne Pryor.

'Jean . . . Jean if you can hear me, it's me, it's Maddie,' Madelyne was telling her.

"Maddie?" Jean asked. "I'm scared . . . I'm so scared. What's happening to me?"

'I-I'm sensing your torment; I feel your pain. Please, come home we can help you . . . I love you, Jean. We all love you. And you love us. You love Scott. Nothing will ever change that,' Madelyne said.

"Love? I do not understand what "love" is."

"Maddie," Jean breathed, the tears falling from her eyes. "Maddie, I don't know what I am anymore."

'Please, just let me help you. I know what you're going through, Jean. I know what it's like to feel out of control. Just trust me. Please just come home. We all need you. Scott needs you . . .'

"Home," Jean breathed out. "I must go home . . ."

"Yes . . . the shards of my Crystal are calling me. My hunger cannot be quenched here. We must go wherever home is."

"Yes . . ."

As the Phoenix Force passed through the solar system, on a Shi'ar alien pod not far away, D'Ken and his close ally, Talos, stood in the cockpit, watching the scene before their eyes.

"I see that the Phoenix Force has found a new, worthy host," whispered D'Ken.

"Indeed," said Skrull King Talos. "And the fact that it happens to be a mutant, quite the surprise if I do say so myself."

"I should report this to the Imperial Guard. We must figure out where that creature is going, and who is the vessel of it. It could ultimately lead to us completing our goal," D'Ken said.

Cerebro Room

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" the pained cries of Madelyne Jennifer Pryor filled the air of the Cerebro room as she clutched the sides of her head. Tears streamed down her face as Logan, Scott, the professor and the others backed away.

Madelyne's head felt as though it were about to split open from the amount of pressure there was on it. Her head – particularly behind her eyes – was filled with a horrible, burning sensation, as if it were set on fire. Gasping in pain, she desperately tried to focus her mind as she tried to hold onto the telepathic link she had with her sister. Outright crying, Madelyne could feel her knees starting to tremble as she struggled to stay upright.

"What the hell is happening?" Carly yelled as she watched the Cerebro computer being surrounded by combustion, electricity sparking off the panels.

Emma made the attempt to read Madelyne's mind. "What she's sensing right now, it's no picnic."

"Yeah, no shit! We all pretty much figured that!" Warren yelled as they all watched Madelyne kneel over in pain, gasping for air and her entire body shaking. An overwhelming sensation filled her mind as her head hurt terribly. She could feel it was spinning as she let out a moan.

"Madelyne, are you alright? Answer me," Scott whispered, kneeling next to her as he touched her shoulder.

"I-I know where Jean is going," Madelyne groaned, tears continuing down her face. "She's – She's going back home."

"No need to elaborate further. I know exactly where she's going," Scott said.

"You do?" Hank asked.

"She's going back to her childhood hometown," Scott explained.

Up next: The Phoenix Saga Part 7