AN: Hello true believers! I am happy to bring you the newest chapter in Excelsior: My Marvel Academia! This chapter was a whole lot of fun to write and I hope you guys enjoy it.
Eternal thanks to my lovely beta annbe11! She's the one who helps turn my ramblings into full-on stories. If anyone here is a fan of magical shenanigans, courtly politics, and TIGERS, please be sure to give her new story Rajah's Curse some love. It's a great story that needs a bunch more views.
The Man in the High Tower
Midtown Middle School, The Burbs
Friday had finally come and Peter felt like he was about to crawl out of his own skin. Minutes felt like hours and the lessons seemed to take an eternity to end. He could barely focus on his work and his foot was anxiously tapping all day.
Today was when he started his job at Stark Tower and started learning how to be a hero like Iron Man. He had barely gotten a wink of sleep the previous night but that didn't seem to matter. He was absolutely hyper.
Peter was in English, the last class of the day, and Mr. Gladlee was currently waxing poetically about a random passage of The Great Gatsby that struck an emotional chord with him and only him. All the students were gazing blankly ahead with a thousand-yard stare or had given up all pretense and were napping at their desks. Meanwhile, Peter's mind was going absolutely crazy. In fact, his thoughts were so chaotic that Ned had to actually shake him when class was over and it was once again only the two of them left in the room.
"Sorry, Ned," Peter said, shoving his things into his backpack. "I've just got a lot on my mind right now."
"I don't blame you, Pete," Ned said, a blinding smile on his face. "You're about to enter the inner sanctum of Iron Man, the god-emperor of super geniuses! It's just… badass!"
"Yeah, I know," said Peter, smiling like a loon. It still felt like a dream, even though he knew for a fact it wasn't. He and Aunt May had received a huge folder in the mail that was chock full of disclaimers, payroll forms, and NDAs that Peter had to sign. Going through it all had taken the better part of three hours - Aunt May was nothing if not thorough in her paperwork - but everything was all signed, sealed, and express mailed back to Stark Tower.
"You think you're ready for this, Pete?" Ned asked as they both stopped by their lockers to drop off their textbooks. The hallways weren't quite emptying yet and there were quite a few students still milling around. "I mean, this is huge. Like, changing-your-life huge."
"I really hope so," said Peter.
"You know your stuff, right? In case he gives you a test or something? Man, how crazy would it be to get this job with him and then flunk out on the first day because of a pop quiz? What a bummer."
"Really not helping, Ned," said Peter, trying to contain the sudden roiling in his stomach.
"Right. Sorry, man."
What if he actually does give me some kind of test, though? What if he makes me try to fix something I don't know anything about? What if he-
Peter's thoughts were jarringly interrupted when he received a hard kick to the backside. It sent him sprawling onto the floor and caused his glasses to fly off. His groans of pain were drowned out by two bursts of laughter from behind him.
"Man, that one's gotta be at least ten points!"
"Ten? That was a six, tops."
Peter recognized the voices of Flash's two football minions. They had apparently decided to have their own fun since Flash hadn't so much as approached Peter within the last few days.
Peter blindly groped around on the floor in front of him. He needed to find his glasses as soon as possible. The last thing he needed today was a stomped pair of glasses. Peter was beginning to panic a little when a blurry person knelt down in front of him.
"Got 'em for you, Pete," said Ned. Peter grabbed the glasses in his outstretched hand and quickly put them back on, breathing a sigh of relief when the world was finally back in focus.
The two minions were laughing as they walked down the halls, giving one another a high five before looking back at him.
"Make sure you stay out of our way, Parker!" one of them jeered.
"Yeah, silly me for walking down a hall," Peter muttered as Ned helped him to his feet.
"They're not worth it, Pete," Ned said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "They're certainly not going to Stark Tower, are they?"
"I guess not," Pete admitted as they continued their way through the halls.
"Oh dude, imagine if you could get us tickets to the Stark Expo!" Ned said excitedly. Peter laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"I think I'm gonna hold off on asking that until I know if he'll say yes or not," he explained.
The Stark Expo was an annual event where scientists and companies from all over America came together to show the public some of the projects they were working on. The only greater concentration of scientific genius in the world was the floating city of I-Island.
The next Expo was coming up in a few weeks. Ned had wanted to go to one his entire life and Peter wanted to go to one that didn't immediately turn into a robot battleground. The downside to the Expo was the price and sheer rarity of the tickets. After the members of the corporate and science communities purchased their passes early, there was barely any left for the public to scramble for.
As they got closer to the front doors of the school, Ned asked "How do you think you're getting to Empire City?"
"I'm… I'm not really sure," said Peter. "Mr. Stark just said that someone would pick me up."
"What if he shows up to take you in some sort of sick sports car?" Ned asked. Then his mouth dropped open and he started frantically swatting at Peter's shoulder. "Dude! What if he picks you up in his Iron Man suit and flies you there?!"
"That would be terrifying," Peter said with a shudder. He was not fond of heights.
However, Peter's transportation worries proved to be unfounded. As he and Ned stepped out of the front doors, he immediately noticed a shining black limousine parked on the curb. A red-haired woman stood in front of it, wearing a dark suit and holding a sign with the words 'Peter Parker' printed in large font. The car and driver were both getting a lot of attention from the departing students, but none were venturing too close.
"This is so crazy," Ned said with an immense smile on his face.
Peter was only able to nod mutely. For all of his excitement over the course of the day, he suddenly found he was unable to move his legs.
"Pete, c'mon," Ned said, insistently tapping Peter's shoulders. "She's waiting for you, dude." Peter swallowed and managed to nod.
"Y-yeah, okay. Yeah, let's go."
The two of them walked toward the driver. Peter could hear the whispers as they passed a few groups of students, but he kept his attention firmly on the woman holding his name. When the two of them got close enough, she looked at him and gave him a smile.
"You must be Peter," she said with a Scottish accent. "My name is Friday. The boss sent me to take you to Stark Tower."
"Uh, hi Friday," stuttered Peter. "I-It's nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out toward her. Friday's face did not change much, but he could see her move back away from his hand.
"I'm sorry, Peter," she said. "I'm not really one for handshakes. Shall we get going?"
At her words, the back door of the limo opened on its own with a light hiss. Peter heard Ned make a little whimper sound and he didn't blame him. It was really cool. Peter swallowed and turned to Ned.
"I guess we'll talk later?" he said.
"Absolutely," said Ned as the two of them went through their special handshake. "I need you to tell me what Nerd Paradise looks like." Peter laughed and nodded.
"You bet, Ned."
With a final wave, Ned turned and headed off before Peter stepped into the back of the limo. He reached out to close the door, but his eyes caught a familiar figure in the shadow of the school. Flash Thompson was leaning against the wall, his eyes locked on Peter. His arms were crossed over his chest and his expression was difficult to read, but it was most definitely hostile. Peter only kept eye contact for a moment before lowering his eyes and closing the door. He really didn't want to be thinking about Flash today.
Friday walked around the front of the car as the driver side door also opened of its own accord. She climbed in and the car's open door swung itself shut as the driver settled into her seat.
"Please make sure to buckle up," she said helpfully. Peter did so, his awestruck eyes still darting around this luxurious car. The impossibly comfy seats, the tinted windows, the wall-mounted TV, the station at the front with power cables for any kind of phone or electronic device one could imagine, and…
"Is that a mini-fridge? In the car?" Peter asked in surprise.
"Ah yes," said Friday as she turned on the car and shifted into drive. "The boss remembered it was there a few minutes after I left to come get you. He wanted me to tell you, and I quote, 'feel free to take anything you want, but don't touch the orange soda'. Trust me, he'll know if you do."
"Yes, ma'am," Peter said with a nod, opening the mini-fridge with excitement. It had two shelves, with the top shelf featuring a wide array of soda in glass bottles while the bottom shelf exclusively holding multiple bottles of orange soda with an Italian label. Peter looked over his options for a moment before picking a bottle of Mountain Dew. As he took a sip, his eyes turned to the windows as he watched the streets of The Burbs go by for a few blocks. "Hey, can I ask a question?" Peter asked, turning to look at his driver. When he looked to the front of the car, he almost dropped his soda. His eyes widened and his jaw hung open.
The driver was gone.
She was just… gone.
Peter blinked, but the driver seat remained empty, which was very strange considering that the car was currently pulling off a left turn through a traffic intersection. Peter began to breathe faster, feeling panic seeping into his body. He swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry throat and opened his mouth hesitantly.
"He...hello?"
"Hello, Peter," said a voice that came through the car's speakers, making Peter jump in surprise. The TV on the wall came to life, showing a blue image of the woman Peter had just been having a conversation with. She smiled at him but looked a little sheepish. "Sorry if I gave you a panic there. Had to divert some runtimes to one of the boss's requests and keeping that hologram going eats up a lot more processing power than you would think."
"Wh-what?" stammered Peter, his mind spinning. The image of the woman winced, but shook her head and gave him a comforting smile.
"Right, sorry. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is FRIDAY. I'm Tony Stark's virtual assistant and the AI Manager of Stark Tower. I apologize for the deception, but the boss wants the details of your employment to be known to as few people as possible. He decided to send me to pick you up personally, and it wouldn't be good to have an empty car picking you up from school."
Peter couldn't speak for several long moments. He was just dumbly staring at the screen with the AI's face on it, mind whirling a mile a minute. After he didn't speak for some time, the image of FRIDAY cocked her head curiously.
"Peter? Are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah," said Peter, jolting back to reality and shaking his head. "Sorry, I was just kinda… well, blown away." Peter looked around the back seat of the car again as a thought occurred to him and he lifted his hands away from the seat. "So, um, are you… in the car? Are you the car?"
There was another moment of silence before FRIDAY suddenly let out a snort of laughter.
"No, Peter. Nothing like that. This car is designed so that I can remotely interface with it and control it. My main servers are located in Stark Tower with a backup server installed in the boss's armor."
"That's… really, really cool," Peter said with a smile.
The two of them proceeded to chat through the whole trip through The Burbs, over the bridge, and into Empire City. As they made their way through the Upper East Side, Peter spent most of his attention staring out the window, looking up at the towering buildings above. Peter even saw some pro-heroes on patrol for the day. They waved to onlookers, signed a few autographs, and he even saw a woman with prehensile hair gently lower a cat out of a tree.
That could actually be me someday. I have a chance now.
As they passed a luxurious apartment building, Peter was finally able to see it.
Stark Tower.
They were now only a few blocks away and getting ever closer. The skyscraper lorded above the others around it, shining in the sun like a beacon. It was a testament to the accomplishments of Tony Stark as well as a reminder to everyone that this was the city that Iron Man resided in.
Peter couldn't help another tingle of nerves go down his spine when FRIDAY pulled onto a downward ramp at the side of the building, moving into an underground parking garage. The garage was already filled with a vast array of cars and Peter was wondering if they'd be able to find a space, but FRIDAY drove the car past all of the lanes of parking. The path ended in a blank concrete wall, but the car continued moving straight toward it with no signs of stopping. Peter was about to ask what exactly FRIDAY was doing when the entire wall suddenly flickered and faded, revealing an extended and better-lit parking.
"It's a combination of kinetic field generators and holographic imaging," FRIDAY explained as the wall sprang back into place right behind them. "The boss likes to keep his own spots separate from everyone else, despite the fact he doesn't do much driving these days. Still, he needed a place to store his collection."
Peter stared at the vast array of expensive sports cars that took most of this little parking area. Ferraris, Bentleys, and a bunch of other brands that Peter didn't even recognize. He swore that he even saw a type of racecar that hadn't been in production in almost a hundred years.
FRIDAY maneuvered the car until it idled in front of a steel set of elevator doors. Peter shouldered his backpack, but the car door did not open.
"One last thing, Peter," said FRIDAY. A little panel set into the wall beneath the TV screen flipped open and a dark red card with a blue Stark logo was extended out of it. "This is your passkey. Please try not to lose it. It gives you access to Stark's private areas of the tower. If you want to go elsewhere in the tower, you'll need the boss to go with you. We'd like to avoid that happening, though. Having a middle school student walking around with an exclusive pass might raise a few too many eyebrows.
Peter had to agree with her as he took the card and slipped it into his pocket.
"Do I scan it in the elevator?" he asked.
"Yes. This is Tony's elevator and it will take you right to the workshop. He'll meet you there."
Peter swallowed again and stepped out of the car after the door opened for him.
"Thank you for driving me here, FRIDAY," he said to the screen with a smile that he desperately wanted to be hopeful.
"No problem at all, Peter," FRIDAY said with a smile. "If you ever have a problem, feel free to ask me anytime. I'm pretty much everywhere in the Tower, after all. I hope you have a good first day." The image of FRIDAY winked at him before turning off.
Peter shut the car door and pushed the button to call for the elevator, his heart already hammering in his ears. He anxiously shifted from foot to foot as he waited for the elevator to arrive, which to his surprise only took a few moments. He stepped inside and turned to the array of buttons with a card reader above them. He swiped his card like he'd been told and pressed the button marked W. The elevator gave only a slight tremble before it smoothly rose, ascending what felt like the top of the tower. Peter took another breath, trying to relax and calm his racing thoughts.
Focus, Peter. You can't afford to make a bad impression right now. Be knowledgeable, be helpful, and for the love of God do not geek out when you see him. You'll look like an idiot.
When the elevator doors finally opened, Peter was sure he had been transported directly to heaven. Everywhere he looked, there were holographic data screens, racks of tools, and more pieces of scientific equipment than he had ever seen before. There was a station for mixing chemicals, at least four highly advanced 3D printers, a station for welding, a station for metal shaping, and-
Peter actually needed to stare at the ground for a moment before he overwhelmed himself.
The centerpiece of the room, of course, was the Iron Man suit itself. It stood on a platform against the wall, where manipulator arms from the ceiling poked and prodded at it, repairing dents in the suit and cleaning traces of grime from the finish. Peter just found himself staring at the suit with a ridiculous smile on his face but was curious to see that its left arm was missing.
"That you, kid?" said a voice from behind a rack of machine parts. Peter swallowed in sudden nervousness before moving around the rack.
"Y-yes, it's me," he answered. "T-thank you for having me, M-mr. St-"
He stopped as he finally got a good look at Tony Stark. The man was sitting at a workbench with tools and takeout containers scattered about him. The missing arm of the Iron Man suit was wrapped around one limb while the other hand was exploring the inside of the gauntlet's palm with a pair of tweezers. He was dressed in a smudged t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Like earlier in the week, Peter was struck by Tony Stark's appearance. His face was sunken and gaunt. His skin looked gray. Peter also noticed was that Tony Stark was thin. Sick thin. Tony's scar-covered skin clung so tight to his skeleton that he almost seemed like a scarecrow. Or a corpse. Altogether, he seemed like a man who should be in the hospital, not flying around the city in a suit of armor.
Then Peter realized noticed was that Tony was already wearing some type of suit. His arms and legs were strapped into some sort of braces that extended all the way up his limbs and under his clothes. Pistons moved with his arms as he continued to tinker with the gauntlet currently on his arm. They were incredibly well-designed, with padded clamps around his extremities and a full range of movement that didn't seem to hamper him as he tinkered with the gauntlet and idly kicked one of his legs. Ideas swirled in Peter's head; guesses that this exo-skeleton might be to support his body's movements, considering that his muscles had clearly atrophied.
Tony finally looked up at him and he and Peter locked eyes before Tony gave a small snort of laughter before turning back to his gauntlet.
"Yeah, I probably don't look like much of a 'Number One Hero' right now, do I?" he said ruefully. "I think you can finally guess why I don't do public appearances anymore."
"Mr. Stark…" breathed Peter, struggling to reconcile what he knew about Iron Man with what he was seeing in front of him. "How…?"
"Years of saving the world, kid," he said. Tony let out a sigh before putting down his tool and flexing the fingers of the gauntlet. "Still not quite right," he muttered to himself.
He ran his hand over the gauntlet and seemed to pinch it between his thumb and forefinger before pulling his free hand upward. To Peter's surprise, a blue image of the gauntlet rose into the air, dragged along by his two pinched fingers. It was an exact copy of the gauntlet still on Tony's arm, but Peter could see through this holographic image, even making out the joints in the fingers and the concealed missile launcher above the wrist. Tony flicked at the hologram, spinning it in place until the palm of the holographic hand was floating in front of him. He gave the image another flick, making the whole thing bigger, and then started pulling individual plates and pieces off until the inner structure was laid bare. Tony leaned forward and stroked his chin in thought.
Tony Stark: Quirk - Blueprint.
At will, Tony can create a three-dimensional holographic blueprint of any piece of technology he touches. This image can be altered and even saved for later use, helping with the designing and tweaking of new devices. This combined with his dizzying intelligence allows him to analyze and understand any piece of tech he finds in the field.
Peter stared as Tony flicked away at pieces of the hologram-gauntlet and made occasional hums of thought.
"That's gotta be one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Peter said with a big nerdy grin on his face.
"Really?" asked Tony, looking at him from the corner of his eye. He smirked. "You're easily impressed." He turned his focus back to the hologram and rotated it a touch to the left. "Ah-ha!" he said victoriously. "That piston is out of alignment." In a flash, he had picked up his tweezers, opened one of the panels on the gauntlet, and made the necessary adjustment. Now the gauntlet seemed to meet his standards when he flexed his fingers. "Must have jolted it when I punched that stone guy in the face earlier today," he said idly as the gauntlet began to shrink and compress toward his wrist. Peter wasn't entirely sure if Tony was talking to Peter or to himself. When the gauntlet had finished contracting it jumped off of Tony's wrist and flew to the station where the rest of the armor sat, where it unfolded again and took its rightful place on the left shoulder of the suit.
Peter watched it fly across the lab, but when he looked back, he was surprised to find Tony staring at him intensely. Peter immediately ran a check on everything he had done since entering the lab, trying to remember if he had touched anything or stood somewhere that was marked otherwise. Coming up blank, he gave Tony a nervous smile.
"Uh, hello... Mr. Stark…" Peter said nervously. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No," Tony said, shaking his head. "Just trying to see if I recognize you."
"Recognize me?" Peter said, wondering if Tony had somehow forgotten him entirely during his tinkering.
"Mm-hm," Tony said with a nod. "When we spoke earlier this week, you said we had met before. I was trying to remember where, but I'm getting nothing."
"Oh," Peter said with a nod. He nervously adjusted his grip on the straps of his backpack before answering. "That's no problem. It was a while ago and I'd be surprised if you remember."
"Well, I don't even really remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so...," Tony said with a shrug.
"Leftover orange chicken mixed with scrambled eggs," said FRIDAY's voice from the ceiling above.
"Thank you, FRIDAY," said Tony, rolling his eyes.
"Well, it was during the attack at the Stark Expo," said Peter. "Ten years ago."
"...Ah," said Tony, but there was a faraway look in his eyes. "Sorry, kid. That was… a real tough year for me." The man was lost in thought for a few more moments before he seemed to shake himself back to the present. "Anyway, follow me," he said, standing up from his stool and beckoning Peter. Tony led him around a bank of computers to a surprisingly clean desk with two office chairs in front of it. Tony took one of them and waved for the boy to sit in the other. Peter nodded and took the chair, dropping his bag to the floor as he sat. "Now then, Let's get you ready to go to SLA."
Hearing those words sent a brand-new spark of excitement through Peter's heart. One which was immediately followed by a thick cloud of nerves and doubt. All day he had been practically bouncing with excitement about being here, but now that he was sitting in the Tower there was nothing to distract him from the sizable undertaking he was facing.
I want to hear him say it. Just one more time.
"Do you still think I can be a hero, Mr. Stark? Even without a Quirk?"
"Sure," Tony said, scratching his bicep. "It's gonna be tough, but I don't think being Quirkless will stop you if you've got the proper tools and know-how. Not to mention an awesome mentor. I mean, people without legs run marathons all the time, right?" He gave Peter a shrug.
Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I'll take it.
"Okay," Peter said with a nod. "What do you think we should start with?"
"Well, kid," said Tony, leaning forward to focus on Peter, "if you're going into the hero business, do you know what the first thing you have to consider is?"
"Um…" said Peter, thinking hard. "Costume design? How to… how to use your powers?"
"Wrong," said Tony. "The number one thing to consider is branding."
Peter blinked.
"Branding?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Look kid, as a pro hero you've gotta have something that you can do better than anybody else. It's your MO, your specialty, the thing that makes you unique. It's what your entire hero career is gonna be built around." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the Iron Man suit. "For me, it's the suit. I designed it. I built it. I made sure that no one else can make one like it. That's one of the many things that makes me Iron Man. What we need to do for you is find out what your foundation is going to be." Tony leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers behind his head. "The thing is that I can't exactly give you an Iron Man suit for the entrance exam. Any technology you use has to be either vital to the safe use of your Quirk or made personally by you and we really don't have enough time to teach you to make a functioning suit. So, to that end, let's talk about this glue stuff of yours. Is what you had earlier the final product or just a prototype?"
"Prototype," Peter answered, scratching the back of his head. "My dad was working on a couple of patents before he… Well anyway one of them was this idea for a molecular adhesive, but he never finished the formula. I've been trying to pick up where he left off, but it's slow going."
"And what you have now is goop," Tony said with a nod. "Well, once we've got that stuff figured out and you know how to use it, I think you have a chance at getting into the hero program." He trailed off before Peter saw a glint of mischief in his eye. "One day everyone will know the name of Paste Pot Pete."
Peter stared at Tony for a long time, unable to really comprehend the words he had just said.
"There is no way I'm ever picking that name," Peter said with a shake of his head. "Uh, sir. Mr. Stark."
"Eh, we'll workshop it," Tony said with a shrug. "Tell me more about this formula."
"Okay," Peter said with a nod as he stood from his chair. His eyes darted around the room before landing on a glass dry erase board on wheels. "One second," he said, jogging across the room before dragging the board back with him. He uncapped a red marker and began jotting down letters, measurements, and all the other necessary bits of information. He had been staring at the experimental formula for this compound since he had first been able to read, so he had no problem writing it down from memory. He drew a box around the original notes and then added his own adjustments to the area outside the box. When he was done, he stood aside and faced Tony. "Here's everything I got so far," he explained. "What do you think, Mr. Stark?"
Tony stood up and tapped his chin as his eyes took in the full measure of Peter's scribblings. As he studied it, his mouth curved into a small smile. When he turned from the board, he gave Peter a confident smirk.
"Better than I expected," he said. "Ready to do some science, kid?"
"Breathe, Jean. Make sure you breathe. Slowly in. Slowly out. Just focus on the world around you. Put yourself into a relaxed mindset."
Jean nodded and tried to follow the Professor's instructions. She was wrapped in a jacket as she sat on the wooden bench, eyes closed, and tried to put herself at ease. The chilly winter wind came through the campus gardens, rustling the branches above and making her hair tickle the back of her neck. Jean breathed in and out slowly, desperately trying not to time her breath to her nervous, racing heart. Her guts roiled, but she was determined to swallow her fears and push through. It was the best way forward.
I need to become a hero. I need to keep up so I can be with Scott.
"Do you think you're ready, Jean?" Professor Xavier asked. His chair was hovering next to where she sat on the bench. Jean took a few more breaths before giving him a nod before she had the chance to try and talk herself out of it.
"I think so," she said.
"Then let's begin," the Professor said, taking her hand. "I need you to turn your focus inward. Pull yourself into your own mind, into your center. Feel the barriers that separate you from the outside world."
Jean focused on her breathing and followed along with the Professor's instructions. The more she focused inward, the more she had an overall feeling of peace. Eventually, she felt she was ready.
Jean's eyes opened and she found herself standing in a void. In every direction was a murky gray wall. She let herself float over to get a closer look. Up close, the barrier had the consistency of a wet sand castle and Jean could see parts of it trying to escape and float away. In the past, she had exerted control over this barrier, willing it to stay together and hold fast. She almost did just that out of habit, but stopped herself.
She was not going to hide from her power anymore. She was going to move forward.
From a million miles away in the physical world, Jean heard a voice calling to her.
"Are you there, Jean?" the Professor asked.
"I'm there," Jean answered, putting additional effort into her words so that she spoke them in the physical world as well.
"Then I will help you clear the barrier," the Professor responded. Immediately, it was if a floodlight had activated just on the other side of that wall. Streaks of light pierced through the barrier like the sun's rays through a cloud bank. Jean swallowed, but held her trembling had toward the wall.
"Crumble…" she said quietly.
The wall before her began to fall to pieces, allowing more of the Professor's light in.
"Crumble."
The barrier was now falling apart in chunks, its pieces disappearing from existence in an instant. More rays of light came through. Jean's breath caught in her throat when she heard whispers coming from the other side of the barrier. She almost stopped what she was doing right then and there. The mere thought of experiencing that Noise again was enough to send shivers down her spine, but she just gritted her teeth and continued. She needed to do this.
"Crumble!" she yelled.
The entire barrier shattered.
Professor Frost is so freaking hot did we have homework yesterday why is she staring at me like that I sure hope they aren't serving chicken again wow that guy is tall I don't think Alex will be missing his wallet Jean why hasn't mom called me back we are gonna get in so much trouble for this the square root of nine thousand and oh my god shut up the minute we get back I'm out she hates me I know she does how could he even think that I really need to get this shower cleaned Jean, please listen to my voice alpha bitch whether she knows it or not Jean, can you hear me when is this lesson going to be over
Jean could feel the tears pouring down her face as she clamped her hands over her ears, desperate for some relief from the avalanche of Noise. That, however, did nothing to quell the flood of voices all going off directly into her brain.
What is the deal with Scott what does he see in her she's always whining and crying about how bad she's had it we need to get back to the point I was trying to make the pyramids of Egypt were made for I wonder where Tippy-Toe went my arm is falling asleep several hundred years of evolution it's not that it's that she's being a total hypocrite that makes no sense and goes against pre-established taaaaaake onnnnnn meeeeee why do those guys have to be such Jean you have to focus on me who do they think I am their own personal ice machine yes Felicia I see you trying to take that wow his costume is just hideous
It was too much.
Too much…
Too much…
does anyone give a crap about where's Jeff he's supposed to show me his report oh God please let her say yes why does Dad have to call me right now my brain is made of pudding oh man I love this song who does he think he is Captain America this is the most boring report I've ever done in my life can I hide this in my pocket I just know they're planning my birthday at JEAN!
The sudden shout made Jean aware of a new presence in her mind. A pair of hands gently cupped her face and tried to pull her up.
"Jean, I need you to focus on me. I'm trying to help you. Remember what we talked about all those years ago. Your mind is filled with many doors. Doors can be closed."
"I can't…" she whimpered. "I can't…"
"You can, Jean. Open your eyes."
With a herculean amount of effort, Jean managed to open her eyes. She had curled herself into a ball and the Professor was kneeling in front of her, holding her face in his hands and giving her his most comforting look. The two of them were in the middle of a swirling tornado made of open doorways. The Noise was pouring out of them, an unstoppable avalanche of voices that threatened to completely overwhelm her.
"You can do this, Jean," the Professor said. "This is your mind. You control what happens here. Just close a door."
Jean blinked tears from her eyes before pulling herself to a more upright position. The swirling storm of doors continued to spin around her, but her eyes managed to latch onto one door in particular. With focus, the door stopped spinning.
I can't believe this is happening to me. I was so sure the report was due on Monday, not today! I've barely started it! How am I going to-
With a thought, the door closed and vanished.
It was equivalent to a single drop in a water bucket, but it was enough to give Jean hope. One after another, she focused on doors and closed them. And one after another, the voices were silenced. It could have either taken a few minutes or a few days, but eventually all the doors had been banished. All around Jean and the Professor was an empty white void.
And silence. Wonderful, blessed silence.
AN: Fun fact, there are 7 story-relevant thoughts in that big psychic storm that Jean experienced. Can you find them all?
I'm gonna try and get one more chapter of Excelsior out as soon as I can, and it's one I know that a lot of people here are going to like. You might even say that people could just... sink their teeth into it.
See you next time, guys. Please leave a review and have a great day.