It happened before Jean was able to do anything about it. Before she could say anything. Before she could stop it, the words came out;
'I am fire! And life incarnate!'
No. This was all wrong. And Jean was absolutely helpless.
'Now and forever - I am Phoenix!'
'Nathan?'
Hope's voice. Full of fear and trepidation. She herself had been a host of the Phoenix Force. Jean knew Hope was well aware of the great power the Phoenix Force had.
'Hope.'
Nathan's voice. It sounded exactly the same - gravelly and kind of metallic - and yet completely different.
'Nathan,' said Jean. 'Why? Why did you do this?'
'I simply did what needed to be done,' Nathan said, his voice eerily calm.
'You didn't need to do this, Nathan!' Hope said. She reached behind her for her cape. Her father was now Phoenix. She needed something comforting in the midst of all this chaos.
Nathan cocked his head slightly, the expression on his face unchanging. Emotionless. 'But I had to.'
'We don't know how it's going to affect your Techno-Organic Virus,' said Jean.
'If there was any other choice, Jean, I would have taken it.'
Jean looked at Nathan. Floating in the air. Great wings of fire behind him, fire burning in his eyes. Metal on his arm and neck quickly receding. 'You're my son. I love you more than I can ever express. But you don't know what you've done here - you've opened Pandora's Box!
'I am aware what I did.'
'You took on the Phoenix Force!' said Hope. 'Nathan, you can't be the host!'
'The Phoenix Force ismy gift,' said Jean. 'It's not yours - it was never supposed to be yours!'
'It is now,' said Nathan. 'I simply did what I had to, to fulfil my destiny to defeat Apocalypse.'