Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragonball Z characters or anything in
that universe. I also do not own any of the Marvel Universe characters. I
do not profit in any way from this story.
The Prince and the Phoenix - Chapter 2
On the other side of the planet.
Charles Xavier and a select group of his X-men sat huddled together in the observation room adjoining the Danger Room, the highly specialized training center the X-men used to hone their abilities. On the screen in front of them were the latest energy readings taken from the mutant currently completing the course set in there. At first, the readings remained where he expected them to be. However, the more intense the training session became, the more the readings began to wildly fluctuate. In a final tremendous burst of light and power, the entire Danger Room went completely dark.
Completely dark, that is, except for the fading fire halo around the woman known as Jean Grey.
"What does all of this mean, Professor?!" Scott Summers, the mutant known as Cyclops, practically bellowed at Professor Xavier. As the emergency room lights flickered on, the young man was desperately looking at the wreckage below for any sign of the woman he loved.
Charles was sitting with his head bowed and the bridge of nose pinched tightly between his thumb and index finger. His eyes remained tightly closed as he answered. "Scott, you know the answer to that as well as I do. Jean has found a way to tap into her cosmic abilities and reemerge as the Phoenix. When she felt threatened by the foes in the Danger Room, Jean used that innate power to defeat them."
The wheelchair bound man sighed heavily before continuing. "I've been sensing the growing power in her for quite some time, but I wasn't concerned until this afternoon when the firebird took form around her." He held up a hand, stopping the demanding questions before they could start. "And I know what your next question will be. What will we do now that Phoenix has been reborn, so to speak? When dealing with the enormous force that is the Phoenix, we can really only do one thing."
"What's that, Professor?" Scott asked with a look of anguish in his eyes.
"Pray she doesn't become too powerful we can't stop her."
***
One moment, Jean was fighting harder than she ever had in the Danger Room against the ever-advancing drones. The next, the room was bathed in total darkness. As climbed free from a mess of twisted wire and metal, she knew she should feel exhausted, but in reality she actually felt more refreshed, more alive than she had in months, or even years. When the emergency lights came on, however, she stood shocked at the amount of destruction she saw around her.
"Did I do all this?" She asked aloud.
A thin tweedy voice over a very badly damaged intercom said, "Jean, are you all right? How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, better actually. Now someone up there better answer me. Did I do all of this damage?" She tried to peer up in the grayed out room above her, but could see nothing.
"Jean, listen to me. Do you remember what just happened? Think very carefully."
Jean picked her way through the rubble towards the exit. As she pried open the latch, she answered, "I have no clue what just happened. I want to know if something in the Danger Room's equipment went haywire and blew up or if I am responsible for all of this. Now, stop playing games and just answer me."
She made her way up to the observation room before Professor X could reply. But when the doors opened and she saw the pale, frightened faces of her teammates and friends, she knew the answer was far more horrible than she could ever have imagined.
The Prince and the Phoenix - Chapter 2
On the other side of the planet.
Charles Xavier and a select group of his X-men sat huddled together in the observation room adjoining the Danger Room, the highly specialized training center the X-men used to hone their abilities. On the screen in front of them were the latest energy readings taken from the mutant currently completing the course set in there. At first, the readings remained where he expected them to be. However, the more intense the training session became, the more the readings began to wildly fluctuate. In a final tremendous burst of light and power, the entire Danger Room went completely dark.
Completely dark, that is, except for the fading fire halo around the woman known as Jean Grey.
"What does all of this mean, Professor?!" Scott Summers, the mutant known as Cyclops, practically bellowed at Professor Xavier. As the emergency room lights flickered on, the young man was desperately looking at the wreckage below for any sign of the woman he loved.
Charles was sitting with his head bowed and the bridge of nose pinched tightly between his thumb and index finger. His eyes remained tightly closed as he answered. "Scott, you know the answer to that as well as I do. Jean has found a way to tap into her cosmic abilities and reemerge as the Phoenix. When she felt threatened by the foes in the Danger Room, Jean used that innate power to defeat them."
The wheelchair bound man sighed heavily before continuing. "I've been sensing the growing power in her for quite some time, but I wasn't concerned until this afternoon when the firebird took form around her." He held up a hand, stopping the demanding questions before they could start. "And I know what your next question will be. What will we do now that Phoenix has been reborn, so to speak? When dealing with the enormous force that is the Phoenix, we can really only do one thing."
"What's that, Professor?" Scott asked with a look of anguish in his eyes.
"Pray she doesn't become too powerful we can't stop her."
***
One moment, Jean was fighting harder than she ever had in the Danger Room against the ever-advancing drones. The next, the room was bathed in total darkness. As climbed free from a mess of twisted wire and metal, she knew she should feel exhausted, but in reality she actually felt more refreshed, more alive than she had in months, or even years. When the emergency lights came on, however, she stood shocked at the amount of destruction she saw around her.
"Did I do all this?" She asked aloud.
A thin tweedy voice over a very badly damaged intercom said, "Jean, are you all right? How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, better actually. Now someone up there better answer me. Did I do all of this damage?" She tried to peer up in the grayed out room above her, but could see nothing.
"Jean, listen to me. Do you remember what just happened? Think very carefully."
Jean picked her way through the rubble towards the exit. As she pried open the latch, she answered, "I have no clue what just happened. I want to know if something in the Danger Room's equipment went haywire and blew up or if I am responsible for all of this. Now, stop playing games and just answer me."
She made her way up to the observation room before Professor X could reply. But when the doors opened and she saw the pale, frightened faces of her teammates and friends, she knew the answer was far more horrible than she could ever have imagined.