Luna station shook again... violently this time. Lucas almost stumbled, but Jean caught him. Grunting a bare minimum of a thanks, the Black King and Queen continued towards the escape shuttle that Lucas had specifically left out of the plan he'd given to the other members of the Circle. Ah well, with Jean at his side, he could rebuild. No one was more powerful than the two of them, anyway.
"Wait... I need to stay," said Jean suddenly. Lucas lifted his head, glancing at her in surprise. Escape was only a few feet away.
"What? What on earth are you talking about?" he asked in exasperation. What on earth had Mastermind done to that beautiful mind and fiery temper he loved so much. She was such a shell of when he'd last seen her at McFadden castle. And now she wanted to stay? Was she out of her mind?
"I have to stay... he's here... the bond..." she murmured incoherently.
Lucas cursed, grabbing her bare arm. However, to his shock, she looked up at him darkly, and he felt himself get telekinetically slammed against the bulkhead. Damn it, that hurt!
"I have to stay," she said, her voice echoing strangely. Then, to Lucas's further astonishment, her black skin-tight suit shimmered. It seemed to glow like fire for a moment, then it was replaced... replaced by that damnable X-Man uniform Jean wore. The new one. Her eyes blinked, her face contorted as if she was struggling against herself.
"You're coming with me now!" said Lucas, making a psionic-barrage on Jean. He'd knock her out, take her with him. When they were alone, he'd be able to fix the damage Mastermind had obviously caused.
All his life, he'd been powerful. Whatever he'd wanted, he got. Be it by force or manipulation, with his powers or his charm. He'd claimed control of the Circle when he was only nineteen, and destroyed anyone or thing in his way. In some ways he was more of a child than his Ian alter-ego, but nothing had ever been able to stop him or teach him to behave properly.
He was about to receive a very harsh awakening.
Jean's eyes locked with his, and behind them he saw pure, unbridled power. They glowed like flame, and her heard echo in the back of his mind the cry of a great bird of prey. Before she struck, he saw a glimpse into her mind, and realized what Mastermind had done. He'd doomed them all. He'd unleashed something dark inside of Jean Grey.
Lucas barely had time to scream as waves of psionic fire washed over his body, reducing him to nothing in seconds and blasting away his consciousness to the Astral plane, forever severing the link that bound him to reality and leaving him to helplessly drift in the void. As the fire washed away from Lucas and banished him to oblivion, his body underwent a peculiar transformation. Gone was the goatee and sideburns, replaced by a swept back blonde hair. Gone was the gothic clothes, replaced by casual khaki pants and a ripped white t-shirt. And gone was the look of arrogance and darkness, now there was replaced an almost child-like innocence, touched upon faintly by inner strength. Lucas was gone... and now only David remained.
To find yourself trapped in your own mind for the past three years was a horrible fate, but David was now very much afraid as he beheld the being before him. The powerful Jean Grey in all her glory, her hair waving in an unseen breeze, fire practically pouring from her eyes.
"You should leave, David," she said, her voice surprisingly soft. David remembered that voice. From McFadden castle, where she'd tried to rescue him. He relaxed marginally. "This is not for your eyes," she added. Then, with a back wave of her hand, she telekinetically lifted David off the ground and tossed him none-too-gently into the escape shuttle. Another few telekinetic acts and the doors sealed shut, the shuttle launched, its destination pre-set for Scotland. David's home.
Jean then knew, she was all alone on the station. And she could not fight it anymore.
She fell, clutching her head. It hurt, the power... it was too intense for any mortal to wield. A shimmering light encased her form, as she cried out. The station began to collapsed, crushing in on itself, tearing apart as it painfully re-entered Earth's orbit. Jean screamed, one final time... and the power overtook her. A bright wave of fire lashed out, destroying the Luna station as the Phoenix awoke. And Jean Grey was re-born... as the Phoenix. She stretched out her wings of pure fire and gave a triumphant cry.
All the power of the cosmos at her fingertips... all hers.
But the Phoenix sensed something was wrong. And so it spread its great fiery wings and graceful as a dove arched through space as easily as the sky, turning and diving back down towards Earth. Towards the small city of Bayville, NY. Towards the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.
One last thing it had to do.
The Blackbird had just settled into the landing bay beneath the mansion, as Cyclops and the other X-Men began to take care of the technicians. Most of them weren't in too bad shape, and without the Circle present, those asleep had already started to wake up on their own. Professor X was keeping a close eye on their guest, Emma Frost, and ensuring she was not using her powers to wreak anymore havoc. She didn't seem interesting in such, however. She was being surprisingly docile.
The other teams had started to come back by now, of course. The New Recruits had arrived from their mission in the Morlock tunnels, and the adults had returned from Russia in a beat-up but still working XM-Velocity. Said they'd had to make a 'drop off' somewhere in the Antarctic. Nobody pressed them for details. X23 had already managed to return. She'd pulled Logan aside for a private word with him, and told him what had happened. Logan didn't say a word... just pulled her into a much-needed hug.
Scott sat in the living room, watching the TV. Watching the new reports of the Luna station as it burned up in orbit. How nothing could've survived such an explosion that followed.
"She must've made it out alive," said Rogue, trying to comfort the X-Men's field leader. She wasn't doing a very good job.
But the joyous reunions were cut short as the Mansion itself seemed to shudder, and storm clouds filled the sky. Everyone glanced expectantly at Storm, but she shook her head. It was not her doing.
X-Men made their way outside, almost universally stopping right on the patio before the grassy field. Before them stood a spectacle that amazed even them.
It was Jean, but it wasn't. This Jean was something else. Her hair had grown, longer and thicker until it seemed like a lion's mane that stretched down all the way to her feet in long, tapered tip. Her green eyes had turned entirely green and pupil-less, and seemed to glow with an inner fire. Her uniform was the same, but the markings of the distinct 'X' were gone, replaced by golden birds on fields of red. A similar gold bird stretched across her chest where a previously upside triangle had once rested. In the place of her belt there now was wrapped a golden sash that waved in the breeze. And this was to say nothing of the fiery bird that seemed to have engulfed Jean's body in waves of fire. When she moved, it did. In essence, it was her, and she it.
"I... AM... PHOENIX," she said, her voice resonating with pure power.
None of the X-Men knew what to do. They were shocked, stunned, amazed, and horrified. Many could not find words to express what they were feeling. Only one, who wheeled himself up behind his students, could find a phrase.
"Oh my God..." murmured Professor Xavier.
It had come to pass. What he'd seen in the mind of Apocalypse had come to pass. There was no denying it any longer. All he'd done, all he'd worked for to prevent this had failed. Now, it seemed, the future was written in stone. Now, it seemed, they had only one option.
To battle a friend who had become the most bitter of enemies.
Phoenix dropped down in front of Cyclops, who watched her with a mixture of fear and wonder. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. Even for him, a man who shot optic blasts from his eyes, who lived a girl who walked through walls and a demon and a werewolf, a man who'd saved the world on at least one or two occasions, his entire perception of reality had been thrown off by Jean's sudden transformation.
"PHOENIX HAS COME ONLY TO SEE YOU, SCOTT SUMMERS," she intoned, her voice resonating. "THE OTHERS ARE OF NO CONSEQUENCE."
"What... Jean what're you talking about?" he asked, glancing at the others gathered on the patio and the grass, watching from a respectful distance the exchange between Phoenix and Cyclops.
"PHOENIX DEMANDS YOU SEVER THE LINK. AND FREE HER," said the Phoenix, spreading out her wings in what could've only been described as a casual stretch. Sever the link? What was she talking about?
"Wait... the link... the link you and I share?" he asked. Was that even possible? The link was forged from love... she couldn't... he couldn't... he could never stop loving her.
"SEVER THE LINK. YOUR LOVE BINDS THE PHOENIX TO THIS WORLD. FREE HER, SO SHE MIGHT JOURNEY FREELY THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE."
"Jean... no... I can't..."
"DO NOT CALL US THAT!" shouted the Phoenix, lashing out with one of her hands. Though it fell short of Cyclops's body, the telekinetic backlash that accompanied it did not, slapping him full across the face and nearly sending him reeling. Nightcrawler barely managed to catch him in time.
"SEVER THE LINK!" shouted the Phoenix angrily. More angry than any of the X-Men had ever seen Jean act before.
"I won't!" shouted Cyclops. "Jean, stop this, something is wrong with you... let the Professor help...!"
Cyclops's words were cut off as the Phoenix stretched out a hand to her side, her murderous green orbs still locked on Cyclops's visor. With a flick of her hand, Multiple and Berzerker were suddenly lifted up by outstretched flames, shaped like a great bird's claw, held in the air. She made it very clear, with the talon pressed against their torso's, they would die in an instant should she so choose.
"SEVER THE LINK... OR THESE ONES DIE," she intoned.
"Not on my watch!" roared Wolverine, lunging at Phoenix with claws extended. With barely an iota of her true power, she backhanded him with a flaming wing, sending him hurtling through the air as if he'd been launched from a catapult. Wolverine soared up and through the air, his uniform singed, his body burnt, and he barely felt it as his body impacted against the Bay from which they city drew its name. With adamantium laced bones, unconscious, he'd sink to the bottom and drown in a few moments.
None of the X-Men could do anything to save him, though. They were riveted to the life-or-death situation before them. No others had made a move yet against the Phoenix, fearing a similar fate. Or worse, that she would go through with her threat and impale Berzerker and Multiple.
Cyclops broke the dreadful silence.
"Jean..."
"PHOENIX," replied the redheaded woman. She did not raise her voice, but it seemed to radiate pure power, nearly knocking Cyclops off his feet again. He continued on, ignoring her.
"... I love you. I've always loved you. I should've told you that from the day we met, but I was too scared. That link we forged... it's a symbol of that love. I can never break it... because I can never stop loving you," he said simply, his voice shaking only a little.
More importantly, his words seemed to have been reaching the Phoenix. Her arm dropped slightly, and with it Berzerker and Multiple, and one eyebrow was quirked up in a confused expression.
"If you want the link severed," said Cyclops again. "Do it yourself."
A long pause came, a moment that stretched out for what seemed like forever, as Jean's eyes reverted to their normal forest hue, the pupils reappearing.
"Scott...?" she asked, almost too softly to be heard. He heard her though. "I... ENOUGH OF THIS," she growled, her eyes again blazing like emerald suns. She gestured with her hand, sending Multiple and Berzerker flying through the air. Berzerker was only barely caught by Nightcrawler's quick intervention, and Multiple found himself slamming hard on the ground, then almost buried by a small pile of clones. Fortunately, with little more than a bruise on his head. All of their heads.
"SEVER THE LINK!" shouted Phoenix, launching herself up into the air once more. Narrowing her eyes, she allowed twin bolts of fire to launched forth from her eyes, barreling down at the other X-Men present. They scattered, seeking shelter behind the few statues and chairs that littered the patio and the grassy field. Boom-Boom ducked down behind Magma, who shielded her with her own fiery powers. Colossus moved quickly to protect Professor X, using his steel body as a shield.
"DO IT OR I SHALL DESTROY YOU ALL!" shouted the Phoenix, hovering in mid-air, her expression dark, her arms folded under her bosom as she waited for them to respond.
"X-Men, take her down!" shouted Cyclops. "But remember, Jean Grey is up there too! She's fighting this... let's see if we can't give her hand!"
So it was that the X-Men turned to take down their greatest foe. One of their own. With a power that rivaled that of Apocalypse, the first mutant, the Phoenix swatted aside her enemies with her power. Iceman's attacks melted, leaving the Boston boy helpless. Lightning, plasma, fireballs, time-bombs, nothing could penetrate the telekinetic shield the Phoenix had erected. Cannonball bounced off and was swatted aside, sent hurtling into the wall of the Xavier Institute and nearly straight out into mid-day traffic. Ineffective were the attacks of Sunspot, Beast and Colossus, who could not reach the Phoenix up in the sky. X23 was swatted away before her claws could come close to even marring Jean's skin, let alone doing her serious damage. Storm tried to use a whirlwind to force the Phoenix to fall to the ground... she was repelled by her own winds, turned back upon her. Nothing could stop the cosmic power of this one redheaded being.
"You know normally I try to look on the bright side of things," remarked Nightcrawler as he watched Colossus and Beast get painfully repelled and slam hard into the ground. "But I'm just not seeing one here."
Floating nearby, Rogue nodded grimly. She'd already been swatted away by the power of the Phoenix, and wasn't anxious for a repeat. "Any ideas, oh fearless leader?" she said, swooping down to where Cyclops was watching helplessly as his friends got beaten by his beloved Jean. The whole situation screamed wrongness to him, yet for once he did not know what to do.
Then, suddenly, crystal clarity... an idea came to him.
"Rogue... do you think you can handle that power up there?" he asked suddenly, turning to face the southern belle. She just blinked in surprise, glancing up and then back at him like he was nuts.
"Are you insane?"
"Just drain off a little of it... like the last time her powers went haywire," he said. "Rogue, I would never ask under any other circumstances, but... but that's Jean up there... I can't..."
She smiled. "Think you can talk her down again...?" she asked lightly.
He smiled back.
Damnation this is boring, though the Phoenix, grabbing X23 and tossing her away again as she sprung at her, barely paying any attention to the dark-haired girl with the claws as she slammed through a window and into the mansion. She wanted to explore the universe. Damnit, just sever the link already and she'd go. Why go through such pain and suffering?
Because they care about me, answered the other part of her mind. The lighter half. The part that was not the Phoenix, but Jean Grey.
They'll care less when they're dead, replied the darker half. The fiery aura around her blazed more brightly now. It was time to end this.
Suddenly a body was behind her, and it latched on tight, ignoring the flames that would've burned the flash of any normal mortal. A pale hand clamped onto the Phoenix's face, and Rogue screamed. She was overwhelmed. It was so much power, a veritable waterfall, it made her drain of Jean so long ago seem like a drop of water in comparison. Overwhelmed, her body nearly succumbed, and she was hurled through the air to slam back-first into a tree trunk, shattering the tree and rendering herself unconscious.
However, the Phoenix's powers, such as they were, were indeed weakened by the attack. Her aura blazed down to less awesome levels, then utterly vanished. She dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. Her eyes still blazed like emerald suns, however. She was far from defeated.
Cyclops started to step forward, his mouth open, but he stopped when a hand was laid on his shoulder.
"No Scott... this is my task. I will handle everything," said Professor X, as he wheeled his chair past Cyclops and towards Jean. Barely paying any attention to the scathing glare she gave him, he pressed one hand to his own temple, and the other to hers.
And then the world slipped away from him...
"You would challenge me here, Xavier?" hissed the Phoenix. "On the battlefield of the mind, where my power is strongest?"
"You do not own this mind, Phoenix. This mind belongs to Jean Grey," stated Professor Xavier with grim certainty. Here, in the mind, his astral projection could walk, and so it was he found himself slowly approaching the fiery-eyed woman before him.
"I am Jean Grey. And she is the Phoenix," replied the red-headed woman, grinning at him. She clearly had no fear at all for the worlds most powerful telepath. And with good reason... her powers were stronger than his.
"You are no more Jean Grey than Onslaught is me," replied Professor Xavier, referring to his own darker self, safely sealed away inside of him. All telepaths had them, all mutants had a dark side that was temptation to misuse their powers, to wreak havoc instead of use them responsibly. "You are a darkness, a perversion. You have Jean Grey's power but not her spirit and soul. And to preserve those, I will cast you back into the darkness that created you, just as I did before."
"I was weaker then," intoned the Phoenix, spreading out her fiery wings. "You were fortunate because I was still in the fledgling stage. How will you beat me now, when I am stronger?"
"I will find a way," he replied.
Then they clashed. A psychic battle being what it was, strength and physical power did not mean as much as imagination and willpower. Both of which both combatants had in great abundance. But the Phoenix had all the untapped powers of the Jean Grey at her command, a girl at the apex of her powers, while Charles Xavier had passed beyond such long ago. Thus it was that Professor X quickly found himself losing and, as the power of the Phoenix only continued to grow, the situation became more dire. Not just for Jean, but for himself.
"Jean!" he called out. "I can seal her away but I need your help!"
Thus it was that Jean Grey finally emerged. She had laid dormant, her true self hidden by the machinations of Mastermind, who had unwittingly awoken the Phoenix and brought her into the Circle, creating a temporary bind that had held her until Lucas had shattered it. Now Jean Grey came forth, and her mind merged with the Professor's. With her additional power backing him, he overwhelmed the Phoenix...
... and the dark side of Jean Grey was engulfed by the stone landscape of her mind, sealed away in a statue of herself, face locked in a perpetual scream of defiance. The fire faded, and the link broke. Jean and Charles regarded one another for a moment.
"Thank you Jean," he said, his exhaustion apparent. "I could not have won had not you helped me."
"I should be thanking you," she replied. "You saved me."
He shook his head gently. "No... you saved yourself. Go to the others... they'll need you now... more than ever."
With that, the link was gently broken, and Professor X vanished from Jean's mind.
Professor X's hands dropped down, as he slumped backwards in his chair, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Before him, Jean blinked her eyes. Her uniform was restored, and her aura had dissipated completely. She was herself again. And there... Scott. Jean flung herself into Scott's arms, burying her head into his chest as she cried. Sobbed like a lost little girl. The storm clouds above broke, and sunshine poured down mercifully upon the Xavier Institute. She had been restored to them...
... but at what cost had victory come?
Author's Notes:
Phoenix realizes she's manipulated and smacks someone around? In the comics it was Mastermind, here it's Lucas. And now the re-emergence of David as the core personality, because in essence Jean just saved him by banishing Lucas to the Astral plane. Oh, he might be back, but then again he might not, Astral planes tricky that way. For those unfamiliar, Onslaught is Professor Xavier's dark side, much like Phoenix is Jean's. He created it by accident when he used a psionic blast against Magneto. Professor X and Jean's fight against the Dark Phoenix? Again, comic history in the making. Dark Phoenix saga, specifically. This chapter, somebody died. Next chapter, you find out who. Now taking last minute bets. Who bit the big one, come on you all think you know, but maybe you don't! Ah, and a warning to all whom continue to read this and who have read my previous stories. Any glimpses of the future you've seen before? flashes a red light in your eyes Never happened. Prepare for something better. Dun-dun-dun.
Todd fan: Awww, but Scott's such a lovable character. Just as good as Todd and Forge. Ah well, here you go hands back Todd and Forge to you. Oh, and if Storm gives you any trouble, send her my way. And yes, someone dies. Some just did, actually.
Nessie6: Need I remind you the name of the show is X-Men Evolution? X-Men, not Brotherhood! They'll show up next chapter, but they are not involved in the main storyline. So tough.
ViciousAssassin: Yeah I know, but when does Mesmero bother with physical combat if it can be avoided? No Lucas didn't know about Bobby, he was doing your typical super-villain rant. Little bit of both to get rid of Mastermind and be alone with his Queen's. Plus, Emma is smart and manipulative, but on the whole she isn't very powerful as she might seem. And yeah, Jean has no real feelings for Lucas, its all brain-washing and memory erasing. I am trying to make Emma appear, well, at least a tiny bit sympathetic. But she really should've seen that coming. Well, did you enjoy what you saw? Still think it's the Professor? Last chance to change your mind before next chapter rolls around and you find out.
X00001: Possibly, but Cyclops is a good, level-headed leader, and usually does the right thing in any situation. He doesn't let his emotions get in the way, like, oh let's say… Logan. Besides, he's a better person than the sort to just leave Emma there to die.
Lyranfan: Visions of a certain re-entry? Involving Jean at the helm with a re-entering orbit Blackbird? TAS, no doubt. Don't worry, I'd like to think I did a better job than that, considering I wasn't working with the Li'landra, the Shi'ar, or the M'kran crystal.
Risty: Deadly weapons indeed. I had that planned more or less from the beginning, to have the Circle crumble. They always seem to do that, in any incarnation you find them. And yeah, wanted to give Iceman a chance to shine. Emma makes anything look good, but even she can get knocked down a peg or two. Not like she didn't deserve it.
Star-of-chaos: Not a big fan of sea food myself, but whatever. Oh come on, give Cyke some credit, he tries to be nice to the bad guys when he thinks he's got the upper hand. Check-mate, I believe the expression is. Nah, but Mesmero'll have enough trouble finding all that vibranium he lost, and Lucas, well… as you can see, he has his own problems to deal with right now.
Comet-hime: Oh I think it was fitting… lots of X-Men villains typically escape to start up some new evil plan and come back for more later. Violent Rogue is indeed hot, just like violent Diana. Ladies kickin' ass. Torn indeed… duty vs. love. Remind you of anyone we know and love? I know I speak for most of the readers here when we say we can't wait for your new artwork.
Rogue14: I try to be unpredictable in my stories, yet have them make sense. You can't argue that Emma didn't deserve that. All I can say is poor Scott. Women seem to be nothing but trouble for him. Just like Kurt.
Oceanbang: I live to please. Glad you enjoyed the sibling squabble. I always do have some of the best fight scenes with one on one battles. Especially with opponents of equal and similar abilities.
UniversalAnimeGirl: You know I did think of that, and I realized that method is imperfect because it still knocked the three to their knees. The headbands prevent any sort of attack, like Magneto's helmet (at least, mental… not physical). Plus I wanted to establish Lucas as more of a threat than the other members of the Circle. The meteors (except Lockheed's) hit the moon, the station sent people to pick 'em up and hold 'em on Luna, and were about to send 'em down to earth when the Circle attacked. Yeah, Bobby definitely needs to disobey more orders. That or people need to give him better ones. As for Jean becoming Phoenix, above no doubt cleared up your questions. Her mind was in chaos. I was exaggerating Colossus's weight. You'll see what'll happen to Emma, I just hope no one kills me for it. I know what the uniforms look like, I saw them on the Beyond Evo site where I work. No, there are going to be sixteen chapters total. Three after this one, chronicling events after the death of someone.
Princess Myra: Well plenty more long chapters to come, as you'll no doubt see. Glad you enjoyed Bobby's time as a hero. Hope you enjoy next chapter, when you find out exactly who died. You may think you know who, but you don't. And yeah, poor Scott.