Welcome everyone to the newest chapter of Plumber Among Marvels. I'm sorry it's taken a while to get this out been dealing with personal stuff but not gonna make bunch of excuses here.
Anyway I will say this is not quite the chapter I was hoping to get out, wanted to add in some training and meeting with Mystique but I was taking too long to get this out already and didn't want to make anyone wait longer than I had.
More thanks to Kamen Rider Arashi who reads over my word vomit and listens to the insane stuff bouncing in my head like Flubber on acid.
Also a new shoutout to Mace sheperd and CRUDEN. Both had some good ideas to share and CRUDEN has been a good source to go to over comic-book knowledge with. Helped me get some solid ideas for future events. Thanks you two!
Hope you enjoy the work and I'll stop blabbering now. ON WITH THE CHAPTER!
The morning after Ben's debut as a teacher in the Institute, Charles steered his chair into his study with a fresh cup of coffee and high hopes for this newly dawning Sunday. He was all prepared to finish that bit of paperwork left and perhaps enjoy a simple day with his students…until he noticed the special indicator on his desk was blinking. This indicator was a signal that the Danger Room was in active mode. A quick reach with his telepathy found it was not Logan as he had expected, the Canadian native was midway through his morning run around the grounds' perimeter. Ororo's electrified mind he found in her greenhouse tending the many plants kept there, and the students were just rousing from their slumber.
This left him with only one option and he was not surprised to find the strange defenses of Benjamin Tennyson greeting him on the astral plane. Frowning, the professor reached out to his intercom to hail the control room. "Mr. Tennyson?"
There was a brief pause as a wave of startled energy passed through the mind of the man in question before a click was heard. The computer before him flickered to life, showing a haggard image staring back at him. "Charles?" Ben's voice was rough, and there were bags under his eyes. Speaking of, those bright green orbs were faded in the video feed, as if the fire within had dimmed in some way. The brunette rubbed his eyes, barely stifling a yawn. "I thought you'd gone to bed did you need something?"
The frown deepened, changing from curious to concerned. "I did go to bed Mr. Tennyson…twelve hours ago. It's eight in the morning. Have you been down there all night?"
Ben stared for a moment, as if unable to comprehend what he had just been told and looked at his watch only to shake his head and look off to the side. Charles assumed it was to check the digital display near the console, though the fact he had looked at the Omnitrix which he had owned for years to find the time was telling him a great deal about how tired the young man was, and it was most certainly worrying. "Ben," he made sure to add the concerned note to his words. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
Ben waved a hand as if the question were a fly buzzing in his face. "Forget that right now, it's a good thing you called I was planning to show you some stuff tomo—er—I mean today. Can you come down?"
"…I will be there shortly."
He was met by the sleepless teacher at the doors for the Danger Room but was unable to get a word in before a hand was raised to stop such things. "Spare the lecture, I've pulled all-nighters before it's no big deal every once in a while. Now, are you going to let me show you what I've cooked up?" They stared at each other, eyes locked and seeming to challenge who was the most stubborn here. Sadly, Charles knew he would not get Ben to open up to him so easily unless he was willing to…force the issue. Something he was not yet willing to do, and that made the decision for him. He nodded towards the door, following the young man into the room beyond.
The sight that greeted him made the bald man wonder for a moment if Reed Richards had paid a visit. Several holograms of machines in various stages of completion hovered weightlessly around them and each of them seemed intriguing. One in particular caught his eye, the separate pieces of it resembling a dome structure when completed and this dome seemed to close around a hospital bed. Ben seemed to notice his scrutiny of the device plan because it was the first one he led him toward.
"During my first summer using the Omnitrix I was hit with a blast of radiation. I was fine, in fact better than fine because the energy spike actually provided a jolt to what my grandmother Verdona, and her race, calls the Spark—" he lifted one hand, wiggling his fingers around which arcs of blue lightning danced to show what he meant "—but the watch took it as an attack and began a self-destruct sequence to keep it from being taken and replicated or misused. It also sent out a signal, so the creator could know about the tampering and imminent explosion, so he could investigate if he wished. Tetrax, an alien I had run into before and gotten some tips on how I used my alien forms, also received the signal and came to help find that inventor."
"During the trip he placed me in this large dome which was built to examine and scan whatever was inside. It helped us look at the Omnitrix without trying to undo the DNA bonding that keeps it secured to my wrist and risk setting it off. Later, after the whole fiasco was over and done with, I asked him about what else that thing can do. From scanning for medical problems to searching for bombs if you can fit something in that dome it can break down all the components inside. It's great for finding toxins and stuff like that too, making it ideal for hospitals since there's no x-rays or such and it's non-invasive." Ben waved to the laptop where it was still on the podium. "He gave me schematics for it and I used a couple of my branier aliens to improve on it."
Charles was dumbstruck. "Mr. Tennyson…Ben…this device could revolutionize the medical world completely." Scanning and finding the issue, documenting the way the body worked from a new perspective, not to mention the human brain of which he could personally admit to being fascinated with thanks to his own powers and experiences. But what he was thinking of now was an even bigger incentive to have such a thing, it could help with finding out how a mutant's powers could work and then better help them learn to control it. The faces of Rogue and Scott hovered in his minds' eye, along with another he wished to help.
"I have a list of components for building it if you're willing to buy them. But I'll admit my abilities lean toward mechanics, so you'll need someone with actual medical knowledge to go over the information and be able to interpret it." Ben ushered Charles along to the next image. "I'll also need them to take a look at the components here, because this one is going to be a major draw when it's complete."
At first, he didn't really see anything extraordinary about what he was seeing. It resembled the leather chaps he'd seen on motorcyclists or bull riders except it came with attached boots of some kind. A quick order to the room's software had the image rotating and that was when Charles saw that it was a cutaway, showing the inside instead of just a full image. A series of what he could only guess were sensors and braces of thin metal, hinged joints to move with the legs, some kind of small power circuit with an attached box at the waist…his eyes widened, and his head spun to look at Ben so quickly it had the young man expecting to hear a snap.
He nodded. "I guess you recognized it. Yup, this thing is made to help paralyzed individuals move again." He waved to an image nearby, this one resembling a pair of sleeves one would wear across their shoulders. "That's the one for those with paralyzed arms. The braces in both of them won't hold a full body's weight because they're designed to help the legs not make them useless." He grinned broadly, holding out his arms as if presenting these ideas on a stage before a crowd of thousands. "I mean to get attention fast Charles. The Viridescent Plasma will be my steps into the energy race and these will bring medical minds teaming to my side. And it's only the beginning. There are so many things the science of my reality can bring to this world, but it comes with a price." A frown replaced the grin for a moment before he shook it off. "Oh I made some additions to the room's code. Just a few extra scenarios I want to run the kids through. You wanna seem it now?"
A sudden groaning rumble, like that of a beast at the bottom of some great chasm, rang out before Xavier could answer. Both looked to its source, Ben's stomach, it seemed, was tired of being deprived of nutrition.
"I believe you have other responsibilities to take care of first Ben," Xavier casually noted, not giving comment to the obvious red beginning to spread across the young man's features. "Come, Ororo should have started preparing breakfast. You can feed that monster hiding in your belly and then we'll have our discussion with the other teachers regarding how we shall go about the education of our students."
Ben quickly agreed and moved to the laptop, saving all the design work he (and his mentors) had been working on. In the moments he was left to himself Charles let the worried frown appear again but shook off his thoughts on the matter. Instead, he let his eyes take stock of what else his new tenant was working on. His gaze first landed on what resembled a large board hovering a few feet off the ground, designed to latch onto something placed atop it. It didn't seem to have any sort of wheels or anything to help it move once attached so he didn't think it could be any sort of transport. Next to it hovered some sort of molecular formula, a combination he had never seen before. What looked like weapons, armor, even the beginnings of what could possibly be a boat or ship of some sort. All these hovered around the former soldier and he could not believe what he was seeing. And then they vanished, Charles turned to see Ben was slipping a laptop into a bag he was just now noticing hooked to the young man's belt. The face-like design was a bit odd to see a grown man using, but Charles had seen much weirder in his time so was able to just shrug it off.
Soon the two men were back on the ground floor of the institute and entered the dining room to see if Ororo would need any assistance. With a little teamwork the table was set with a large breakfast just as the first students began meandering their ways down to join them. First was Scott and judging from his walk the eyes behind his ever-present red shades would have looked bright with wakeful energy. Next came the curly haired Kitty, a little sore from the previous day's activities but still smiling and eager for the new day. She gave a cheery wave to the teachers before sitting and filling her plate.
One by one the others piled in, the din of conversation rising as new topics were shared and changed between. Eventually they managed to draw Ben into the rabble, much to the amusement of his fellow adults when he finally parted with the truth of his origins.
"You're from ANOTHER DIMENSION?!" Kitty's excited scream left the young man wondering if he would need a hearing aid in the near future.
"Technically I think the proper term is another reality but pretty much yeah." He chuckled at the flabbergasted looks all around. "If you leave your mouths open like that—" once glowing finger flicked, and a slice of sausage shot up to land in Kurt's open mouth "—something is liable to fly in thinking it's an invitation."
The students laughed as the blue boy chewed his new morsel, but it was Scott who had the next question. "You said what you can do isn't a mutation-based power. Can everyone from your reality do that?"
"Not everyone," he wagged that same finger. A moment's thought resulted in an orb of blue energy appearing at that finger's tip. "This is a power specific to an alien race in my home reality. My grandmother was a member of that race and passed it on to me. We call it…mana."
"Mana?" Kitty repeated, head tilted in question…and then her eyes snapped open as wide as physically possible. "MANA!? As in magic? Can you do magic?"
A scoff brought attention to the aspiring leader of the team, Scott Summers. "C'mon Kitty, everyone knows magic doesn't exist."
"Considering you are a teenager who can shoot lasers out of your eyes I figured you would have an open mind," they all looked to Ben whose eyes had begun to shimmer like emeralds reflecting light. "You are living in the house of a man who can speak with you telepathically, who employs teachers with abilities I have yet to see, and your fellow students are capable of various things most people would consider only possible in their imagination."
He leaned back, staring off into the distance of memory as he continued. "I have seen a man bewitch the minds of his victims, bring stone to life in combat and a woman who could do so much more when she finally got out from under his thumb. I have seen my cousin create twisters, control water and more with a few chanted words." His expression tightened, and his voice was almost too low to hear when he next spoke. "I have touched the true Excalibur and loved the woman who earned its loyalty. So the next time someone says magic how about you wait a little bit before talking about how much 'everyone' knows?"
There was a long moment as he was lost in recollection, the others staring in a strange form of awe, before Ben shook himself, coming back to the present and looking around the room. "Anyway, magic is a part of it. See, my grandmother was part of a race that called themselves Anodites. Fully matured Anodites have bodies made entirely of mana controlled by the will or mind." He tapped the side of his head. "But one of the greatest skills of these races is that they can use their mana to forge a body for themselves. Human or otherwise. That was how my grandparents met actually. My grandmother was…stranded and forced to spend some time on my Earth. She met my grandfather at a café, they shared a drink and the rest is history."
"A coupling that includes an Anodite that leads to children will have to outcomes. Either the child is born without that extra spark of mana that lets them inherit their power, or they are born completely human. My cousin began using magic long before our grandparents ever told us the truth, and mine was small. Extremely so in fact, since it was only after a blast of radiation that ignited it. It was how I survived that actually, no cancer or anything thanks to my instinctively channeling all that extra energy into the spark."
"…for now." All eyes turned to Rogue, who's black-painted lips had whispered those seemingly innocent words that had somehow been heard by all. "I asked ya yesterday if ya were human. Ya said you're 'human for now'."
Ben smiled. "I also said that's not really important at the moment. And I do believe I'm done. Charles, I'm going to be getting a little personal recharge so let me know when the meeting is alright?" A wave to the pouting Rogue and the rest later and he was walking back to his room. But he didn't go to bed, choosing instead to once again draw out Gwen's grimoire and flip it open. 'I need to have more than just the mana manipulation skills,' he decided. 'If I'm going to be prepared every trick I can have up my sleeve will be a tool to use on a battlefield.' He had already gotten an idea on building a uniform for operations and several tools he can use, having a little magic in his pocket would just be all to the better.
He was pulled from his study a couple of hours later by the brush of a mind against the outer edge of his defenses. "Ben, we are ready to begin the meeting. Would you please come to the study?"
"Sure thing Charles, I'll be right there." The book snapped closed and was stored back in the bag it came from which he had hung from his bed post. He spared a moment to wave a hand through the air before him, muttering a chain of words that resulted in a blue glow briefly shimmering across the bag, and left to join the session. Minutes later he was in the requested spot, dropping onto the small sofa in the professor's study with Ororo next to him, Logan taking a chair to the side and Charles rolling his chair into the open space left as such for just that purpose.
"Now then," he opened the discussion while folding hands in his lap. "Before we begin rearranging the schedule I believe first we should fill you in on the subjects we each preside over. I myself tutor them in the sciences with a focus primarily in Physics though I do offer tutoring in their school subjects as well."
"I teach foreign languages," Ororo said. "We want our students better able to communicate across the usual language barriers, as they may need to interact given their activities as the X-Men as they like to call themselves. Something I don't foresee you having an issue with, well at least when someone talks to you anyway." This last was said with a gentle prod at the emerald-eyed young man who chuckled good-naturedly.
Logan just grinned. "I teach Phys Ed, though I'm going to be teaching at least Rogue about mechanics, fixing vehicles and what-not. Summers has his own car, so he'll probably want in on it, we'll see about the others."
Ben nodded. "And for their, extra-curricular activities?"
"I teach martial arts as part of my classes," Logan supplied around the cigar he had resting between his teeth. The man never smoked around the kids, though what Ben didn't know was that the one time he had done so in front of Ororo he had been threatened with becoming the school's newest lightning rod, so was happily getting his fix now. "I've picked up quite a few though I prefer the hard styles. You?"
"I've learned a bit of a variety, though my training was a bit more fluid given the fact I was learning among aliens. When I'm in my normal form I prefer reactionary styles that let me subdue over killing. I was trained as part of an intergalactic police force after all."
Logan opened his mouth to make some witty—in his mind at least—comment about his little speech to the kiddies the day before but a sharp look from Charles cut him off. Right…tact. Instead he continued with the topic. "We run them on a session in the room Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the Danger Room. Teamwork exercises and individual training with their powers."
"Any weapons training?"
Charles tilted his head. "I didn't want to introduce such things into their training. It is far too easy to kill with a gun or blade and I did not want them killing unless necessary."
"There are non-lethal weapons too Charles. Tonfa, clubs, staffs. Plus tasers and similar things. We don't want them just relying on their powers, the more they do out there the more attention they'll get. If they can't use their powers for some reason or someone manages to work a way around them then they need to have a backup." He rubbed his chin, scratching at the itching skin of his baby goatee at the same time. "I'll make a few things, I've also got some ideas regarding updates for their uniforms already, but I can't really do those until I have a facility to develop the necessary materials."
"A subject for a later time I believe," Charles cut in before Ben could wander too far down that trail of thought. He had experienced that before, both himself and watching others and knew he could probably be going for quite a while if he did not head him off now. "Is there any subject of the schooling variety you can offer Ben?"
"Only if they have an interest in engineering. That's where I spent most my time when I wasn't doing the hero gig. Though I can be a big help on the powers front."
"Considering I overheard you mentioning you had a few thousand of those forms to draw from I imagine that you are the most uniquely gifted for such a role." The group shared a chuckle. "Very well, what are you wishing to do with the students in that context?"
"Tomorrow I want to start individual sessions with the group. What all they can do in the mornings, limits and such. From there we can decide on their power training. I'll use experiences from my past to build scenarios we can run through to better get them used to the kind of out there situations life can throw at them." Ben was uniquely gifted in the experience department, he'd remembered telling his family on more than one occasion it often felt like his life was becoming one of those weekly cartoons he used to watch all the time. "But back to my purpose here according to the public, could just say I'm an extra worker you brought in to counter the growing number of students and I happen to be offering a general engineering course."
"That works for me." Charles nodded and paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Very well, here is the plan I have in mind. We will keep the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday session system. The hour after returning will be spent on homework and the like followed by a workout session with Logan or Ororo before moving to the room. I want the workouts to happen on the other days as well, get them to keep the routine. Ororo will have her language lessons on Tuesdays and Logan will have the mechanics lessons on Thursdays while Ben will have the Danger Room sessions plus the times in the mornings to work on individual powers. Is everyone agreed?"
"As long as I get to bring these two in to help on the sessions I'm happy," Ben said, while the other two gave their consent for the new method. "Anything I need to know about upcoming events then?"
"Just that there is a week break from school in two weeks' time," Charles said. "I have made arrangements for the students to attend a training camp with an old associate of mine. But that is all, and I need to get back to my own work. Thank you all for coming."
Taking the polite dismissal for what it was, the trio nodded and left the room. Charles watched them leave before moving toward his desk. Once his chair was positioned behind it he reached for the phone but hesitated before dialing. The number he had in mind was one he hadn't called in a long time, the memories painful for both him and the man to whom the number belonged. But…they had agreed if one should ever need the other they would make that call regardless and so he dialed the number.
The phone rang four times before being answered. "Charles." There was no question, for that phone only had one person who knew its number.
"Hello Hank," hearing the voice of an old friend eased some of the tension from the professor and he relaxed back into his chair. "How have you been?"
"I've been well," the man's voice was strong, as strong as the man himself. "I've continued my research and I've got some new ideas for the jet I was planning to send you in a month or so. Have…have you started teaching again?"
"I have, that's actually a part of why I'm calling."
X—X
When Ben left Charles' study he moved to return to his room but stopped when he came across Scott and Kurt heading for the front door. "Hey guys, where you headed?"
"Services Mr. Tennyson," the hologram disguised teleporter replied. When he tilted his head in thought Kurt chuckled. "I am Catholic."
"Ah, well then you best be going. Preachers of any faith are usually quite good at the disappointed look if you're tardy to one of their services."
The young men chuckled and carried on while Ben watched and thought to himself. He had planned to simply mediate in his room…but it looked to be a wonderful day. 'And besides—' his feet began to carry the man toward the outside '—after a full night underground I could use a little sunshine.' He stepped out onto the front patio and continued on down the steps.
The driveway led from the gate, a paved snake that curved just perfectly to loop just before the front of the institute and continued back to the gate to allow for ease of access to drivers. Ben could smell the rich that must have been wafting off the man who first owned this house and personally felt Charles was putting it to a much greater use than its original intention.
Ben did not leave the grounds of the institute, instead he moved toward a small cobbled path that led off around the back of the large mansion. There was a garden there, empty at the moment but he could definitely imagine Ororo coming here and tending to them. That or enjoying a good book in the shade of the trees around the stone picnic table and its chairs. It was to one of these trees, an old oak that towered over its area like a king, that he walked and sat down beneath its great limbs with legs crossed.
Once comfortable his eyes closed, hands fell to rest on his knees, and he breathed deeply of the late morning air. As he had explained to the others about his home race, Anodites were capable of manipulating mana in many ways. He had not, however, gone far into the specifics of this ability. The universe was brimming with mana and his race could not only manipulate it but also absorb it. The stronger one's core grows the more they are capable of holding, and for a limited time even use the energy stored there as sustenance for a body. Many times Gwen, their grandmother and he had worked through several days on projects and learning using that same ability, although Ben himself could not go as long as the other two thanks to his smaller spark.
What he was doing now was a recharging exercise Verdona had taught them. By centering oneself and reaching out with the mana of their core it is possible for an Anodite to draw in the mana of the environment around them to stimulate the spark and replace expended energy. Each breath Ben drew in was accompanied by a rush of invisible energy seeping into the pores of his skin, recharging his core and energizing a body that had not gotten a proper night's sleep.
Time slipped by for the young man as he sat there, enjoying the feel of the world around him while letting a meager fraction of its potent energy to flow through his body. Said potency of the energy the planet produced was a bit startling to him. His own world had an abundance of the energy of course, it was a planet bustling with life after all, but the sheer potency of this Earth's magical energy was like a bonfire when he stretched out his senses. In particular in areas like the sanctum in New York where lay lines, the veins of magical energy flowing throughout the world, intersected where it was like he had stepped into a blazing furnace.
He was suddenly brought back to the present when a gentle probe from the astral plane rubbed against the edge of his gravity well defense. Taking a moment to center himself again he slowly let go of his hold on the ambient mana and allowed his senses to once again be the primary input regarding the world around him. Eyes of emerald gleam opened to find the nudge's source to be Jean Grey, or Marvel Girl if one wished to go by codename. "Can I help you?"
She didn't answer right away, merely looking him over in an obvious concern. Ben felt impatience swell and gave a frustrated sigh as he leaned back against the tree and unwound his legs from the meditating position. "Just get it out already so we can move on."
"What happened to make you give off a psychic scream like that?"
"Just a nightmare."
"The others have had nightmares before and I've never been woken up by them." Of course she wouldn't be satisfied with so vague an answer.
"A very bad nightmare," he conceded.
"But you—"
"It's a personal matter I don't plan on sharing with anyone if I can get away with it," he growled, eyes flashing as irritation caused a slight surge in his power. "I've been hired to help you survive, not share my dark past like some TV character you're supposed to sympathize with. Please respect my privacy and I'll do the same. Now either ask me about something I can help you with or let me get on with the day."
There was a flash of emotion in the paler green eyes of the redhead. A hint of anger at his sharp tone and she seemed about to lash out in a manner that reminded him of another redhead from the past, but then it cooled and passed on visibly. He felt that was a bit off but gave it no mind as she instead gave voice to a new topic. "Fine, then is there anyway you can teach me how to organize a defense of my mind like you've got?"
"I can, but do you not already have something like that?"
"I can reach out into the astral plane and the professor has been teaching me about some defenses but even his don't have the kind of effect yours does."
"Odd, what about the mind palace concept?"
"That's what he had me start on actually. But for some reason when I try to build something more complicated it's like the thoughts just—" she waved a hand as if physically grasping for the proper word to describe her problem '—they slip away, and I can't make things stick."
Ben hummed in thought, one hand rising to scratch at his chin. "Well I guess the first thing I should do is explain what my mind's defenses are and then we can go from there." He waved in invitation for her to join him on the grass which she accepted, taking up her own cross-legged position she no doubt had used when practicing with Charles. Once Ben shifted to make himself a little more comfortable, he began to explain.
"First of all my defense is a combination of mental discipline and a spell created by my grandmother's people." He raised his hands, creating an orb of mana between them. "See they, and by proxy I, can communicate telepathically with others who possess mana which most living in my universe did. Although I did some looking and it also seems to be the case here as well. The problem is that the astral plane has unsavory types as well and they can use our connection to that plane as a way into our minds. The Anodites recognized this potential weakness and developed methods to counteract it." He let the sphere die out. "Now then, when my grandmother was teaching my, us, about it she used her telepathy to pull us into her mind and give a visual aid. Would you be comfortable allowing me to do the same?"
Jean pondered the idea for a moment, something that unknowingly gained a little extra in the eyes of her teacher as she didn't just jump into someone's mind without consideration. She eventually nodded and closed her eyes, slipping into her astral form with a thought. Though she couldn't help remembering Charles' lecture on such a matter. "Technically we are entering the border of the Astral Realm," he had said. "It is a place available to all those with telepathic abilities and all minds are somewhat connected to this fringe area. This is how telepaths are capable of 'reading' the minds of others and later can learn to influence them or even simply see through their eyes. In time you may be strong enough to wander the true realm itself but I urge you to wait until I know you have the proper ability to defend yourself." His expression had gone dark at some distant memory at that point and his voice turned, angry. "There are things that exist in that realm far worse than you can imagine Jean, and they would not hesitate to take control of your body if they can suborn your mind."
Putting it out of her mind for now, Jean slipped out into that fringe area, her mental avatar taking the form of herself but clothed in her mission outfit and lacking any sort of color beyond lines denoting the changes in her suit. Before her mind's eyes the great sphere of darkness that shrouded the mind of her new teacher loomed like a gate straight to the darkest of abyss. Though now that she wasn't having any energy to reach out and touch it, only observing, she realized it only seemed large enough to match perhaps half the size of the institute. Still large, but not the planet of darkness and gravity she was given the impression of with that first brush of her mind the day he had come.
As she took in the view she noticed the area before her began to warp, as if she was looking at the surface of lake as something moved just beneath out of her sight. The roiling mass began to shrink back until it formed a large round orifice where Ben stood on open air with arms crossed and a welcoming grin. "Come on in." He floated back, giving the redhead room to follow which she did hesitantly. Once clearing the portal she looked back expecting it to close again but it was surprisingly left open. "The way my defenses are I need to leave them open if I let someone in," she looked back toward her guide who seemed like he was waiting for the question she had been about to ask. "If I close the gravity well it would crush your avatar here and that could cause a massive shock leaving you with at best a horrible migraine and at worst you could be comatose for a week while your mind recovers from what would essentially be dying."
With that happy thought he turned to lead Jean further down the dark tunnel he had carved into the thick black walls of his mind towards a light in the distance. When the tunnel ended, and she could see what awaited them on the other side, had she have been able to breath in this form the view would have stolen it away from her.
Within the dark shell was a massive structure of what appeared to be steel that definitely should not have fit within the space outlined by the view she had from the outside. It was round like a moon or planet, with a crater in a perfectly shaped cone descending into its northern hemisphere. "Impressive isn't it?" she could only nod dumbly as her eyes wandered over the structure searching for every detail she could. "Yeah, I copied it from the movie, but I just couldn't help myself. I mean the thing is just so iconic and given some of the variety in alien races in its storyline it just kinda fit with my life to well to pass up. Although I did get rid of that exhaust shaft loophole they used."
She turned away from the massive structure to look at Ben with confusion evident on her features. "Movie?"
Ben froze, meeting her confused gaze with one of mildly exaggerated horror. "You…you're telling me you don't recognize the Death Star?!"
"I've never seen anything like this before!" she exclaimed back, waving one hand wildly at the mindscape before them.
Ben couldn't find the words to describe what he felt at that moment. But it was not the time to curse the differences in time lines and realities. Thus, with a sincerely large amount of mental effort, he set that little issue on the backburner for when he could next talk to Paradox and instead turned back to the matter at hand. "Okay we'll revisit that later for now just hover there." He waved his hand and the plane bent at his command, churning and changing to the point it made Jean think she had stepped into a kaleidoscope. The gut churning swirl ended between one blink and the next and the redhead found herself standing in what she could only deduce was a throne room.
A massive and empty room of sleek metal walls and a single pathway leading from the door to a set of steps leading to a raised dais where some emperor might have sat. But instead of some futuristic throne like some part of her had been expecting, there instead sat a comfortable looking leather recliner facing a massive window through which someone could look at the space beyond the artificial planet. It turned as Ben approached, allowing him to sit and chuckle at her consternation.
"This," he waved his hand in a presenting manner "-is all the product of the method I was explaining. Once I had an image in my mind the spell was enacted to provide extra structure. We call the first image the Seed. I created this room and chair as the seed from which I grew the defenses and structure that became my Mindscape. Any questions?"
"Does the Seed need to be a room?"
"Nope, I had a friend who used his car and my cousin used her computer."
"How do you pick an image to use?"
"It needs to be something you're incredibly familiar with to some degree. The movies I talked about are among my favorites in my timeline and it was this room where all the pieces came together, and the last villain died. So I chose it as my starting point. From there I rebuilt the infamous structure filling it with defenses and a labyrinth of traps and soldiers to protect it."
He stood, and suddenly they were once again beyond the gravity well that shrouded his mind. The tunnel he had cleared to allow this brief glimpse beyond the outer layer swirling and vanishing before her mental eyes. Then Ben's astral form vanished from her sight, letting her know it was time to return to the physical world. She closed her eyes and opened them back in her own body but tried not to move too much that first few seconds. Returning to solid form after any time in the astral realm was always mildly off putting.
When she finally regained her equilibrium, she found Ben had not moved beyond simply rubbing his chin in thought as he waited for her to settle. "I may want to set this up for all the students," he said. "It's a boon to have defenses for your mind but there's also the fact it really helps you organize and gain some control of your body's energy."
"Control?" A thought came to the teen and she leaned forward. "Do you mean you could help Scott and Rogue control their powers!?"
"Whoa pump the breaks there Red," he waved his hands to stem the excitement he could feel coming off her. "That is a purely hypothetical thought right now since I've never dealt with mutations like this before. I have no idea if it'll work, just a vague maybe at best." Once he was sure the message had gotten across he leaned back, eyes once again peering into he distance. "Still, slim as it may be there is a chance it could work and there is also the fact that it could help them get a better defense whether it does or not. Still, before that I want to get the scanner I designed up and running so I can get an idea of how their mutations work and if that kind of control can be possible." He shook it off for now, lest he be lost in the possibilities. "Just work on creating a Seed image for now. I'll memorize the spell half to provide the structure and I'll let you know when I've prepared."
Jean nodded, grateful for the help, and rose to her feet. She began walking back to the mansion when another thought struck her. "Mr. Tennyson?"
"Gah! Jean, please just call me Ben if we're not having a lesson. I'm not much older than you are!"
She chuckled. "Fine then, Ben. You said this exercise helped organize your mind, right? Like memories and all that?"
"It does that, yes."
"Then can you talk to Rogue about doing this for her too please? Her mutation doesn't just absorb a person's powers, it takes their memories too."
Ben froze. "How much?"
"It depends on how long she's in contact with someone. She put her first boyfriend in a coma with a kiss and for a while couldn't separate her own thoughts from ones he had."
"Do you know where she is?"
The redhead held up a hand, silently asking him to wait while she closed her eyes. With a thought she sent out a very weak pulse from herself in all directions. Each time this pulse brushed against the mind of another there was a brief flicker of light in the darkness around her, a faint image of the person. "She's in her room doing some homework," she said upon finding the mind in question.
"Alright I'll go talk to her now then. Thanks for letting me know." The two parted ways there, one to go meet her boyfriend at the gate and the other to hopefully stop a multiple personality disorder before it could develop. Things were changing for the students in the Institute, little ripples stemming from the movements of a single man dropped into a time and Earth not his own. Small they may start as these ripples would grow with each step he and the others made until the future would become completely unrecognizable from what it could have been.
X—X
In a two-story building on nearly the opposite side of Bayville from the Xavier's family home turned school, a group of mutants went about the normal afternoon routine. After first ensuring their homework was done, their caretaker and trainer insisted her charges be more than mere dumb muscle, they performed a few workouts and moved to their respective hobbies.
The largest of the team, and their strongest member, Frederick Dukes was in the process of preparing a meal. Said meal being a mass of steaks on a grill outside. The plate was stacked with meat almost a foot high and two bottles of barbecue sauce were waiting on the reinforced table and chair prepared specifically for his…size.
Lance Alvers, more commonly known by the callsign Avalanche among his fellows, was sitting on the living room couch with guitar in hand checking its tune. His neck-length brown hair was currently tied back in a short ponytail to see the strings better and a pair of headphones rested around his neck and would be pulled up momentarily to play the music he would be strumming along with and also serving to drown out the noise made by the other person in the room.
Said fellow occupant was another teen but was dressed in clothes that appeared of better quality than his current field leader. Where the earth mover was clad in a plain black shirt and torn jeans, this silver-haired lad had chosen a light green polo shirt tucked into fresh jeans. If it weren't for his current activity one might have expected to see someone with this cocky smirk and nice clothes to be in some country club or similar environment. This activity being playing Ping-Pong…with himself. The paddle smacked against the ball, sending it bouncing to the other side where he suddenly appeared in a blur of motion to send it back only to speed to the opposite side and repeat the exchange.
The first recruit of the team, one Todd 'Toad' Tolansky, was snoring away the hours on the bed in his room.
Finally there was the teacher, principle and babysitter. To most in town she was known as Principal Raven Darkhölme, a stern educator who cracked down on bullying and insisted the students under her charge excel. To the members of the Brotherhood and those few who had either become her enemy, ally, and the even more rare close friend, she was known by a different name.
Where before she had appeared to be a thin woman with hair as dark as the feathers of the bird whose name she took, an entirely new creature sat at her desk in the house's master bedroom. Long tresses of bright burning red cascading down past her shoulders in a straight curtain. Healthy, cream colored skin shifted back to the cobalt blue she had known since birth so long ago, while her now-golden eyes stared at the small computer screen before her.
This was not her normal laptop, in fact none of the children below knew about this particular piece of technology since she kept the small hand-held device on her at all times. This was a heavily encrypted device that had been built and designed for the sole purpose of keeping contact with the man who she had come to believe in as the best hope for mutant existence. Though she had been having her doubts lately, given some behavior in recent months.
Before she could mentally go over the list, however, the screen changed, and her leader was displayed. It only showed his head and a bit of shoulders, but no features were visible. Instead all she could was the dark red helmet that had been crafted to protect his mind, some shadow fell over the opening in its front, hiding his face from view.
"Report," his voice ordered, a deep voice that held a since of authority that thrummed through her eardrums just like any time they spoke. Even through the voice synthesizer installed on the very slim chance their calls could be intercepted such natural prowess remained strong.
"Improvement in the students is continuing," she kept her tone purely business, drawing on the decades she had honed such discipline over. "Avalanche is showing progress in tactical thinking and use in his powers. Quicksilver's arrogant attitude remains a trial. Tolansky has fallen in well with the Blob, the two have shown progress in covering each other in combat."
"Issues?"
"Attempts to humble the massive ego that is Quicksilver has had…limited success." She let a scowl show. "He continues to think running fast leaves him the one always with the advantage." To be fair though, if the damn fool would cease his pointless showboating and actually take the fight seriously it would make him an incredibly valuable asset. But the massive chip in his shoulder combined with a swelled head left his personality horribly off balance.
The armored figure nodded. "I may have to intervene in that matter personally," he admitted. "A little discipline will do him well I believe." He waved it off for now. "Enough of that matter, how goes the retrieval mission Mystique?"
"I haven't found a way to breach the security," she admitted with head bowed. "Gruff as he may be Logan has always been paranoid, even more so after…what they did to him."
"I am well aware of the skills of that man. Not to mention Charles' own intellect and training has given him a rather vivid imagination when it comes to protecting his property." A gloved hand rose to stroke the shadow-covered chin. "Hmmm…but Charles' past may be the key to getting past his security in the present."
The helmet turned to look off screen. The light sounds of fingers brushing against keys and the electronic of a beeping sounded in the otherwise silent air while she waited. There was a last chime before he turned back to face her again.
"I have just sent the file of an individual who can assist you. He is…temperamental but his physical abilities will be more than a match for their defenses and cause enough of a distraction to allow you to slip in unnoticed until it some time later. I expect to hear good news upon our next discussion."
The video cut out before she could give any semblance of answer, leaving her alone in her bedroom once again. For a moment her gaze shifted to the bed and the cellphone resting next to it. A burner phone with only one number she longed to call…but she shook it off for now instead pressing the power button to her laptop. A few seconds of startup time and she was in her email. As promised a new file had appeared, a dossier on the inmate of a man locked in a maximum-security facility only known as The Vault. "Cain Marko," her full lips read aloud, as if sampling them. "Let's see what your story is."
XXXXX—And Cut—XXXXX
There we are folks the chapter is done. I know there was no heart-pumping action, but this was more a step to future events. Next chapter we'll start individual training, each student gets a morning plus perhaps a little humbling time for the Brotherhood boys too.
Some steps toward helping a few with issues get in the right direction, though while they may have a better chance to learn control they'll still need to actually practice and train for it. I'm not just gonna have Ben click his fingers, do some magic juju and their problems are over. Still gotta work for it after all.
So some filler and setup for events to come. Now there is something else I want to say.
Like a lot of people updating Marvel fics right now, I would like to take a moment to dedicate everything here to the late and great: Stan Lee.
While he is not the lone contributor his work has played a major role in child and adult fans of the Marvel franchise. I didn't really look into comics until I was in the late teens, but I still remember seeing the old cartoons and some newer ones as I got older. I know a lot of people have grown tired of the comic book movies but to see characters I've grown to love given life and every time I saw the man himself in each movie my heart warmed a little.
So Mr. Lee, I thank you and all the other creators you work with for your contribution to my life. May the halls of Valhalla and Asgard echo forever with your stories. While I have my own faith, I know not what truly lies beyond for those of us who slip free of the mortal coil, but I hope your rest is peaceful.
This Yurei King singing out y'all, may not here from me again until after Christmas so I hope the holidays treat you well. See ya next time.