Chapter 2: The Debriefing
Logan eased into the briefing room blinking his bleary eyes against the too bright lights. His sleep had been fitful, and he was playing the price now. "Late nights and early meetings," he growled to himself as he surveyed the room. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had a restless night. Jean, Scott, and Hank all looked worse for wear. Only Rogue and Gambit looked well rested. "At least I'm not the only one who's half asleep." He poured himself a mug of black coffee and slumped unceremoniously into one of the chairs just as Charles entered with Storm.
"So," Xavior began immediately. "Tell me about our guests."
Jean and Hank looked at each other for a moment, as if trying to decide who would start. After a moment, Hank leaned forward.
"The boy, Ben Skywalker, seems to be in perfect health," he began. "The girl, Jaina Solo, on the other hand has fallen into a coma, and I have been unable to wake her." Worried expressions filtered across the faces of all in the room except the two doctors before the blue furred man continued. "However, her wounds seem to be healing at an incredible rate."
"Don't tell me we have another Wolverine on our hands," Scott grumbled and was rewarded with a warning growl from Logan.
"No, no," Hank corrected. "She is healing at easily three or four times the normal rate, but that's no where near as quick as Logan. And, judging from some of the scans I took earlier, the process seems to be purposefully directed. It's almost like she's diverted all her body's energy into repairing the damage done by her run in with the control console, focusing primarily on the swelling around her brain."
"Do you think this may be a part of her mutation?" Xavior asked.
"I would," Hank began tentatively, "but she doesn't seem to be a mutant." His answer was received with confused looks, and he continued. "Jean and I have found abnormalities in both of them, but no trace of the mutant gene. I can only think to question her when she revives."
"Any ideas about when that'll be?" Logan asked.
"If her healing continues at the rate it's currently going…sometime late this evening."
Logan nodded, willing himself to keep the sudden flood of relief he felt hidden. He had been so afraid she wouldn't wake up. He knew people woke up from comas, but for some reason that information just didn't seem real last night, not as real as the knowledge people sometimes just didn't wake up. They slept on for years, wasting away in a hospital bed, or slipped quietly into eternity when no one was looking.
"Abnormalities?" Xavior asked, pulling Logan from his reverie.
"They both looked perfectly normal," Jean began, "until we took a look at their blood and tissue samples." She punched commands into a hand held controller, and images of cells magnified many times over appeared on the screen behind her. "Their cells contain two distinct forms of mitochondria," she continued. Then, when she was met with confused stares, she explained, "They're symbiotic microbes present in all our cells. They aid in the ATP production that keeps our bodies running." Heads nodded around the table, and Jean brought up another slide. This one focused in on one of the microbes she was speaking about. "Ben and Jaina both have more than three times the normal amount of mitochondria in their cells, most of which are like this one. Although it is similar in structure, its DNA is distinctly different, and it seems to have a completely different function. The problem is, neither Hank nor I have been able to determine its function."
"However," Hank broke in. "It should be noted that the modified mitochondria we found in Jaina were flooded with neurotransmitters, where as Ben's appear to lay dormant." This piece of information was met with complete silence when the beast paused. "I'm beginning to suspect these structures may be responsible for the abilities she seems to posses."
"You mean these things are healin' her?" Rogue asked.
"I don't know," McCoy answered. "And, I can't tell without more tests."
"Do you think that's why she could sense yer sendings, Jean?" Logan asked.
"I'm not sure, Logan," she answered before turning to Xavior. "But she seems to have some knowledge of her powers, Professor. She not only felt my sendings, but she had built some strong mental shields around herself, and the child."
"This pe'tite," Gambit joined in. "De child's hers?"
"No," answered Hank. "They are related, but the connection's too small for the child to be hers. She's more likely his half sister or cousin."
"Cousin," Logan grunted. He looked up from his sudden study of the table to see the other staring at him. "She referred to herself as 'Cousin Jaina,'" he explained.
"Why would she be travlin all alone with her cousin, who's still in diapers?" Rogue asked. "Seems more like somethin' a mama'd do."
"I'm afraid that will have to wait until she wakes up," Xavior answered. Then, he turned his attention to Hank. "Let me know when she revives."