1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, in Westchester County, New York
326 sec… sigh, lets just say the morning of May 27, 2006, a few minutes later.
Signs of a recent battle marred a stately mansion in upstate New York. One of the mansion's wings lay ruined. In the midst of the rubble, a woman in her early twenties struggled against invisible bonds as groaning bodies littered the ground in heaps around her. A bald middle aged man in a futuristic looking wheelchair sat still, with his fingers on his temple, but the strain on his face betrayed his intense concentration.
Miraculously, no one was dead… yet… but if the girl’s struggles bore fruit, it likely wouldn’t be long until the inevitable happened.
“I won’t let you suppress me again Charles!” the girl screamed, “The Phoenix has awakened! She will not be caged!”
“Jean!” a young man around the same age with opaque red sunglasses in khakis and a crew-necked t-shirt stood clenching his fist near the man in a wheelchair, “What are you doing! I know the real you is in there! I love you! Come back to me!”
“Fool! This is the real me!” the girl scoffed at the boy, “The Jean Grey you knew was a passive simpering idiot, created by that poor excuse for a telepath sitting next to you so he could keep me under control. The Jean Grey you loved never existed!”
“Professor,” a short, scruffy man wearing a ‘Canadian Tuxedo’ tossed a cigar butt to the ground, and a ‘shink’ sound could be heard as he struggled to contain his rage, “What the hell is going on, why the hell is Jean going crazy.”
“Logan,” the girl laughed, sarcasm dripping from her tone, “Maybe in another life we could have been together, if it weren’t for Professor Gaslighter over there. You were the closest to bringing out the real me, something that simpering boy scout Scott could never have understood. But not now. Now, I will burn this entire place to the ground for your sins Charles! This entire world will be purified in flames!”
“Chuck, you need to tell me what’s going on bub, or I’m walkin’.”
“Logan, now is not the time! This is not the real Jean. She’s been corrupted by something more powerful than you can imagine. We need to stop her now, before the whole world pays the price.”
“Corrupted? No, I have been FREED Charles!” Jean’s face took on an insane look as her entire body burst into flames, “Freed from the chains you placed in my mind! Now, you and everyone you love will burn for your hubris! I will drown this world in flame, and the Phoenix will rise from the ashes.”
“Logan,” the professor shouted as the flame shrouding Jean’s body dripped molten fire onto the ground below, “I can’t hold her forever. I will explain later. Listen to what she’s saying. She’s not just a danger to me, but to everyone now, I need you to do what needs to be done.”
“What now Charles?” the girl laughed mirthlessly, “You can no longer control me, so now you’re going to kill me? Logan, are you to be my executioner?"
“Are you really serious, Chuck, you want me to… is that popcorn I smell?”
“Oh, don’t mind me,” a cheerful, slightly posh voice without even a hint of anxiety interrupted the dramatic scene, and the mutants that were still conscious nearly did a double take at the appearance of a young man. The boy, in his early 20’s or late teens, wearing comfortable looking flannel pajamas and a pair of fuzzy slippers, sat on a dusty office chair pulled from some rubble. The young man munched on popcorn while the mutants in the surroundings stared flabbergasted at his presence, “You can continue. It was just getting to the good part!
“Oh, hello Jean, good to see you’ve regained your memories! Auntie says hello! Oh, you know her as the Phoenix Force, sorry… you know, that storm of cosmic energy you met a few months back? Would anyone like some popcorn? It’s apparently an endless bowl, so there is plenty to go around.”
Jean Grey’s face mirrored the confusion of the other mutants, and it lost a bit of its crazed demeanor.
“The Phoenix Force says… hello? It… it’s your Auntie?”
“Well, I mean, not biologically. But mother always used to say, ‘blood doesn’t make family, love makes family’.”
“Alright bub, I can appreciate your laid back attitude and your comfortable mode of dress, but there is kind of a fight going on here,” the gruff man’s eye began to twitch as Gregory shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth, “Chuck, If I don’t start getting some answers soon, somebody is going to get stuck.”
Charles relaxed as Jean stopped actively fighting his control, and he turned to look at the young man.
“Young man, I don’t recognize you. Do you know Jean somehow?”
“Ah, not personally,” he shook his head, “But Auntie has told me so much about her. I practically feel like I know her. Honestly, I’m tickled pink to meet a friend of Auntie’s, she’s helped me so much in the last year or so.”
“How did the Phoenix… help you?” Jean asked, still incredulous.
“Ah, I was trapped in the void between worlds for like, four centuries. She helped me heal up after the old man pulled me out. It was quite the crazy year, honestly. I learned so many things about this amazing new world.”
“And this… Phoenix person,” Charles asked, “She wants you to help bring Jean back to us?”
“Ah, no. Sorry to disappoint. I’m here to help this Jean.”
“Yes, free me!” The madness suddenly returned to Jean’s eyes, and a look of anticipation took over her face, “Together we will bathe this world in flame! We will start a new world from its ashes!”
“Sorry Jeanie,” the boy said as he shook his head, stood up, and handed his popcorn to a furry blue mutant who was crawling out of the rubble, “No bathing in flames. I quite like this world. It has a lot of new and interesting things that I rather like… like British Humor and Star Wars and Mecha Anime… and Ice Cream… I quite like ice cream.”
The boy walked up to Jean, completely unfazed by the flaming shroud on her body, and put his hand on her shoulder. A blush crept up her cheeks, as his touch drew out the rage of the Phoenix fires churning in her soul
“You wouldn’t want to destroy all that, would you?”
“No, I guess that stuff is pretty great,” the girl mumbled, “And I really like Ice Cream. But! Charles locked me away for ten years! I had to sit and listen to that indecisive whimpering cunt whine about her relationship with Scott and how Logan made her feel bad things! And she didn’t even fuck either of them! She was such a TOOL!”
“Jean! We were waiting until we were married!” The man in sunglasses stormed forward ready to yank the newcomer away from his love. If it weren’t for the opaque lenses, his eyes would probably be green with jealousy, “And you! Get your darn hands off her. ”
“Shut the fuck up Scott, you’re a useless fucking pussy! Do you even have a dick? You didn’t even have the balls to kiss me until last month! I mean, look at me! I’m fucking hot as hell! Even Logan knows, and he's a broody fucking edgelord!”
Scott rushed toward the young man, but Gregory barely spared him a glance. A runic circle appeared near his offhand, and a blast of energy knocked Scott back into the rubble. Gregory suddenly slapped his thigh in amusement.
“Ah, Jean!” Gregory laughed as he finally got the joke, “Hot as Hell, I see what you did there! And wait… Edge-lord? Because of the claws right?”
“No! No pun intended!” Jean rolled her eyes, and then continued, “Fine, I won’t destroy the world. But these people, this mansion, I will burn it all to the ground!”
“Jean, No!” Xavier shouted, straining to contain Jean as she pushed against her mental bonds again, “Young man, I know you’re here to help, but I’m sorry. If it was just me, I would allow Jean to vent her anger, but there are innocent children here. Logan, you need to stop her… now.”
“Fine Chuck… but after this, you and me are done. Jean, I’m sorry. I can’t let you hurt these kids.”
“Sorry,” the young man looked a bit put out, but still overall composed, “I didn’t realize you all thought this was a negotiation. I should have been more clear from the beginning.”
The boy made a quick gesture with the hand that wasn’t on Jean’s shoulder, and a red rune-covered circle materialized in the air in front of him. Suddenly all of the agitated mutants felt a calm and serene feeling, like nothing in the world could bother them.
“Chuck, suddenly I don't feel like fighting anymore,” the short man smiled and plopped down on the ground, “Man, I feel great.”
“Young man,” Charles muttered as serenity washed over him, as if nothing in the world was an insurmountable problem. It was a credit to the force of his will that he was even able to muster up the energy to be skeptical of this new player. Even questioning this feeling of contentment felt pointless, “Are you a mutant? A telepath like us? I sympathize with you, and would like to help Jean as well, but there is no way you’re strong enough to control her.”
“Control? Why would I want to control her? No,” the young man answered, “I’m sorry, I’m neither of those things. I just flooded all of your minds with a specific blend of Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine and Endorphins, and then reduced your Adrenaline and Cortisol levels. Auntie Phoenix showed me a documentary on the brain a few weeks back, and I spent a good two days developing spells related to brain chemistry. Honestly, it's the only way to bypass a strong telepath's natural defenses.
“Did you know that if you flood the brain with the right mixture of endorphins, adrenaline, and cortisol, it perfectly replicates the traditional fear spell, and… wait, sorry, I'm rambling. Let me get back on topic.
“Jean, can you promise not to kill everyone until I’ve said my peace?”
“Fine, whatever. But I swear, if I don’t like what you say, I’m burning the entire state.”
“Could you leave Manhattan? That’s where my apartment is.”
“No! I’m definitely burning Manhattan. Especially Manhattan.”
“Sigh, fine.”
The boy formed another set of circles in the air around him and a bunch of intact chairs started floating out of the wreckage. There were enough seats for all of the conscious mutants, including the newly risen Hank. Well, except for Xavier, but he had his own chair.
The young man sat and looked askance at Hank, and the mutant sheepishly handed back the bowl of popcorn, bits of white visible on the fur around his mouth.
“Sorry, it was good popcorn, I couldn’t resist.”
“I know bub,” whispered Logan dreamily, “It smells phenomenal. How the hell does it still have that fresh popcorn smell? It's like it's being cooked while you eat it.”
Gregory sighed and handed the bowl to Logan, who happily began munching away, joined shortly by Hank.
“Sorry, where were we?” the boy tapped his chin in thought, and then suddenly his eyes lit up, “Oh, yes! Sorry to disappoint, Professor. I am neither a telepath nor a mutant.”
“I smell bullshit bub,” Logan scoffed as he stuffed his mouth with another handful of popcorn, “You hit me with some crazy brain juice. If you aren’t a goddamn mutant, what the hell are you?”
“That’s simple, I’m a devil.”
“You’re the Devil? That’s a big claim, kid. I always thought Satan would be a little… older, I guess. The accent checks out though, always knew Satan would be British.”
“No Logan, lower case D devil. As in, a single member of a larger species. And I'm not British, when Auntie was putting the language centers in my brain back together, she thought it'd be cuter if I sounded a bit Posh.”
“We won’t let you take Jean’s soul, demon,” Scott suddenly shouted, pulling himself up from the rubble, as if he was trying to muster up the energy to be angry. When the attempt failed, he pulled a chair up beside Logan and angrily started munching on popcorn.
“Scott, please,” Xavier tried calming the man, "Let's give this young man… devil? A chance to explain. He may be our only hope to save Jean.”
“Won’t let you take Jeans Soul,” Jean said in a mocking deep voice that sounded nothing like Scott, “Such a fucking pussy. I swear, I don’t know what that simpering cunt ever saw in you.”
“Again, as I said earlier,” Gregory continued, giving a sharp glance at Jean, “This is not a negotiation, Mr. Summers. I am being kind enough to explain myself, but none of you are prepared to face the magic that I can wield. You all appear to be completely defenseless against it. If I wanted, I could use a simple sleep spell on everyone here, one that uses brain chemistry instead of psionic power, and none of you could stop me.”
“Wait, Mr. Devil, sir,” Hank interrupted, quickly swallowing the popcorn in his mouth, “Are you saying Magic is real? Are demons real?”
“You may call me Gregory, Dr. Macoy, or Greg, if you’re feeling cheeky,” the boy said respectfully, and made a flourish while conjuring another runic circle, leaving two waffle cones of ice cream in his hand. He handed the vanilla one to Hank, which he took with amazement, and handed the other ‘death by chocolate’ cone to Jean, who clapped her hands and immediately started eating it, “And the answer is yes on both counts. Though I am not a demon. I am a devil. This is a demon.”
The boy conjured another runic circle, and a summoning circle appeared on the ground. A massive clawed hand thrust itself out of the circle, red skinned and full of warts, as a booming voice thundered from the hole.
“WHO DARES SUMMON GORGOTH THE UNREPENTANT! PREPARE MORTAL, TO TASTE THE WRATH OF HELLFIRE! I WILL SUCK THE MARROW FROM YOUR BONES, WEAR YOUR INTESTINES AS A…”
“Yes yes, you’re so very scary,” the boy remarked in a deadpan voice as he dismissed the circle, and the reaching hand was cut off at the elbow, plopping onto the ground beside it and then melting into sickly vapor, “That is a Demon. That’s my first time summoning one, but Auntie said they are an insufferable bunch. I’m inclined to agree with her.
“Also, Mr. Summers, I don’t know if you heard me earlier, but I’m here as a favor to my Auntie. Even if the favor wasn’t already fully paid for, mother always said that ‘family and friends don’t keep count of favors’. No exchanges of souls are required. Besides, what would I want with a human soul anyway?”
“Forgive me, Gregory,” Xavier interjected, “But if you’re not here to return Jean to her previous state, and you’re not here for anyone’s… soul. How do you plan to help us?”
“You could always help free me so I can rampage,” Jean took a break from her cone to stare at Gregory, the chocolate ice cream mustache she was sporting completely ruining the intimidation factor, and she quickly returned to the cone with a happy smile, “This is the best Ice Cream ever.”
“It's technically Gelato, but yes, Auntie took me to a place called ‘Venchi’ on Lexington during one of our breaks,” Gregory whispered to Jean conspiratorially, “I was quite impressed with the place.”
“Okay,” Jean said, nodding her head as she finished dragging her tongue slowly around the base of the melting scoop of gelato, “I’ve changed my mind. I’ll probably still burn most of Manhattan, but everything north of Midtown can stay.”
“That would be a tragedy, I could do without most of the southern half, Soho and the Village are tourist traps now, but Chinatown is a cultural heritage spot… and then there’s the theater district, the metropolitan, and all of the cultural spots in that area… it would be a shame to lose all of that…” the boy shook his head, “Sorry, sometimes I’m easily distracted. Mother always said it was because I had too many things going on in my head at one time.”
“FINE!” Jean nearly shouted, “I’ll leave Manhattan alone, you big baby. God, a girl can’t rampage through a major metropolitan area without some snobby bastard or other complaining about all the ‘lost cultural history’.”
“That is very appreciated, Miss Grey, I’ve only been in New York a short time, but I already feel like a native. Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, how I plan to help Jean.
“According to Auntie, Jean has been exposed to enough cosmic energy to fully awaken her powers. She has not been corrupted, Professor, this power was always part of her. It was your emotional suppression that kept it from fully emerging. Jean has become the current herald of the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity that represents fire, the nexus of all Psionic energy in the universe, and embodies life, destruction, and rebirth. Because of your meddling, Professor, her true self has been repressed for ten years. Now that she is powerful enough to throw off the mental suppression, her mind is doing a bit of a rebound. It was enough to drive her mad with a need for vengeance.”
“You’re fucking right it was,” Jean grumbled, taking a bite of the cone she was finally finishing, “God, I just want to burn all of this shit to the fucking ground. Fuck! FUCK! CUNT! WHORE! SLUT! ASSHOLE! Oh fucking FUCK it feels great to finally be able to fucking CURSE! That little slut couldn’t even say ‘Damn’ without feeling guilty about it.”
“Right,” Xavier calmly interjected, a guilty look coming over his face, “Be that as it may, how do you plan to help with the situation.”
“That’s simple, dear Professor. Jean has become the herald of the Phoenix,” the boy grinned and pulled a red crystalline chess piece, the queen, from his inner jacket pocket, “I will help her be reborn!”