Chapter 23
"Ade!" Jean shouted into the darkness. There was no answer, besides her own echo. Her heart thudded as she scanned the darkness, unable to anything past her nose. She didn't want to user her powers while in another person's mind, for even the slightest misstep, the smallest of misfires, could leave a person in a vegetative state.
She searched the area around her again, debating her own rule to use her powers in this landscape.
Jean's heart skipped a beat when she heard a child's scream pierce the darkness, quickly followed by a menacing laugh.
Screw it.
Digging deep within her own well power, careful to funnel it out instead of using it all at once, Jean manifested her power until it was a small ball of light. While small, it gave off enough illumination that she saw where she was.
And she was confused, for sure.
It was a large cavern, with a roof that towered far over her. Jean had to crane her neck all the way back, almost falling on her backside to try and see what was painted. It looked like a battle scene, a monster made out of fire and light battling some muscular fish-dude in a scaly loincloth. Stalagmites dripped down water from the ceiling, so it was clear that the water was what was causing the damage to the mural.
"It's Namor and the Phoenix."
Jean near about jumped out of her skin at the timid voice. She looked down and saw a preteen girl curled up in between several stalagmites that were growing out of the floor. Once her mind had stopped racing so much, she realized that this was a slightly older Ade. The girl's hair was tied back in a dirty braid, her eyes looking at her through thick lashes. Jean knelt, getting on the same level as the preteen.
"Whose Namor and Phoenix?"
The girl stood and walked around Jean, pointing at the fish dude with a clawed hand and said, "Namor's our king. He ruled over Atlantis, but it fell when Phoenix came down from the sky. He made a pact with the surface dwellers when Phoenix started to destroy the world. I'm friends with his daughter, our queen-in-waiting."
"And what's her name?"
"…..Nami."
Her ears perked up at a crackling sound, followed by a laugh that chilled Jean to the bone. Ade gasped, cowering behind the older teen as a shadow figure melted out of the darkness and lumbered towards them.
"It's Phobos."
Jean fell into a battle stance, feeling her power increase.
You know, it is almost hilarious to see you of all people protecting her, the twisted looking mutant said. After what will happen-
"Stay away from her!" Jean shot out a burst of power, shooting it towards the mutant that was stalking towards them. It hit on him straight on, but it looked like it barely even hurt him.
He kept coming.
This is MY domain now, Jean Grey!
There was a shot of power that hit her in the chest, knocking the breath out of her and sending her flying. Her tentative hold on the girl's psyche was slowly failing, and she could feel it.
"Don't leave me, Jean. Please. Don't leave me."
The scene around her was flickering in and out and Jean was hurt. She needed to go back to her own mind, her own body….but she couldn't leave the girl. With the last of her strength Jean stood, and reached deep within her. There was a power well, as of yet untouched since both her and the professor knew that it was too powerful. Too dangerous in the wrong circumstances.
This, technically, could be considered the wrong circumstances, but Jean was in a pickle.
"Stay away from Ade…" she warned.
Soon my poison will work its way through the little tun and her little pet, the mutant's words were making her madder and madder. They will succumb to their worst fears.
Laughter could be heard around her, voices echoing in the darkness, shouting words like 'freak' and 'monster'. All the voices shouted at once, almost shattering her eardrums in the crescendo pitch. But behind her, Jean heard Ade whimper.
That made her really angry.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
Everything exploded in white.