Annandale-on-Hudson, New York (100 kilometres north of New York City), in a house on Annandale Road (local time: noon hour)…
"Please, Charles…stop beating around the bush! Is Jean dead or alive?!" John Grey demanded.
Charles Xavier shuddered before he shook his head, feeling all the years of his long life come down on him like the weight of the whole world on Atlas' shoulders. "I really wish I can answer that question, John. All I can tell you is what Sybill overheard Infinity say when she stopped Phoenix from destroying the D'Bari star."
"That the person you believed was your daughter…was not your daughter, Master Teacher Grey," Oracle — who, like the other members of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, had dressed down in Terran-pattern civilians when they were invited by the X-Men to come visit the Grey family at their home as well as disguised themselves so as to be seen as normal Terrans to any onlookers — then added. "And has not been such since the X-Men's battle with Stephen Lang eighteen of your months ago. She…"
"Then what is she, Sybill?" Elaine Grey then wondered, her eyes tearing.
"We don't know, Matriarch Grey," Kallark stated. Despite his disguise field making him look Earth-normal human, his having the equivalent of a Mohawk haircut had caused people to stare at him. Atop that, a few women had given him very appraising looks — in spite of his disguise, one COULDN'T mask his powerful physique! — as they had walked to the Grey home. "But we do have legends of previous times the Phoenix Force has bonded with a mortal."
"And none of them match to what happened to your daughter," Kran Tosh — he was Titan of the Guard — stated as he gave his hosts very sympathetic looks.
"So no matter what, you're saying that Jean would have become Phoenix. But somehow, the bonding…failed?" Jean's elder sister Sara then concluded.
A nod. "We believe so, Lady Sara. As to where the Lady Jean is…"
"Possibly — if she is still alive — she may have been preserved in some way," Xavier mused as he nodded his thanks to the Borrimite warrior. "But where?"
"Only Infinity could tell us," Ororo Munroe concluded. "But how does one contact her?"
A sigh. "She is not a mutant, Ororo," Xavier stated. "After that incident with Moira's poor son, I tried to scan for her to learn more about her. Both with my own powers and with Cerebro. I never found her with Cerebro…"
"She's a mutate, then," Scott Summers stated, using the common term for those who gained metahuman powers thanks to some freak accident, such as what befell the four people who were now the Fantastic Four. "No active X-gene, but…"
"Still gifted with the power of a god," Kurt Wagner — seated beside Glei Rain of the planet Sumrak, who served the Imperial Guard as Nightside — said. "And if she was able to take down Jean…" The former circus acrobat shuddered. "Well…"
"It is alright to think of her as Jean Grey, Kurt," Glei stated as she smiled at him. "This is a tremendous shock for all of you. It is hard to absorb."
A sigh. "Danke, Frau Rain," the German-born teleporter stated before he gazed on his friends. "We should be concerned none the less, mein freunde. A woman with the power of a literal god…and even if she seems a very nice person…"
"Such a power could easily go out of control, you mean," Xavier stated.
"Ja."
"That is a LIE!"
People gazed on Vril Rokk, who was shuddering with outrage. "Enough, Vril!" Kran snapped. "Even if they don't understand the Infinite One's ways, they have a right to be concerned! Don't snap at them like that!" As Vril ducked his fellow Borrimite's scolding, the gentle giant of the Imperial Guard — even at "normal" size, he could look Pyotr Rasputin in the eye — then smiled at his hosts. "Please forgive him."
"No offense was taken, young man," Jean's father stated. "I can tell Mister Rokk seems to look upon Infinity as some very benign force. Perhaps if you can explain that belief to us, we can better understand how we can approach her…" A pained look then crossed his face. "And get Jean back…" he whispered as his wife hugged him.
Vril smiled. "I, too, pray that the Lady Jean will be returned to your hearth whole and complete, Master Teacher Grey." A sigh. "The Lady Infinity is a god in all the classical sense of one…save for one difference. She — or he, depending on incarnation — understands that for all beginnings, there must be an ending. In other words, she — or he, again depending on incarnation — restricts herself…by allowing herself or himself to finally die when their natural life ends."
Silence.
"She REINCARNATES?!" Ororo gasped.
"Yes, Lady Ororo, she does! This current version, I believe, is the twenty-sixth such Infinity to arise since Yiziba's Dawn of Power two of your millennia ago." Vril began to pace before the fireplace as he warmed up to his subject. "Such has always been the way amongst the Children of the Forge, my friends. To live and possess great power…but to always understand that life is finite and that the Gifts the Forge grant MUST be returned back to the Forge on their passing from this life. Thus, the memories and knowledge of previous incarnations of each 'line' — which is denoted by a 'battle-name' such as 'Infinity' — can be preserved to be bestowed on the next generation."
"Incredible," Xavier breathed out. "I assume your planet is in a similar situation."
"Yes, Lord Consort," Vril stated, making the elderly telepath blush on addressing him by such a title. "While we are not all metas on Borrim, there are those who have the right genetic makeup to bear metahuman 'gifts' like ALL born on Yiziba possess. I am not the first Smasher even if I am the first to serve the Imperium of the Shi'ar." He waved to himself as his own cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "There are others."
"Instant combat training and memories of past experiences," Scott concluded. "A virtual living database of knowledge, all at one's beck and call."
"And the powers to back it up," Logan snarled from nearby.
Vril gazed on the former Canadian secret service agent in amusement as one of his own teammates, Arn Karth of Nooz — or "Fang" — squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "You fancied the Lady Jean, did you not, Master Logan?"
A nod. "Yeah. I won't make a secret outta that. I always hated the fact that you had her heart, Slim." Logan gazed on Scott in emphasis. "But no matter what, Jean's one of us. And she's in trouble. And the only way to get her back is Infinity!"
"Whom we do not know and have no idea of contacting," Pyotr stated as he shook his head. "Bože moj, what would have happened, comrades…?"
"Petey?" Logan asked.
"What would have happened if Comrade Infinity did NOT interfere when she did?"
The others shuddered. "I do not ever wish to think of such a thing," Xavier stated…and then he perked. "What on Earth…?" he said as he looked at the front door.
Sybill also was gazing in that direction. "I sense her, Lord Consort. A machine…but with the heart of a woman. I would suspect her to be a cyborg…"
"But she feels almost like Jean!" Xavier stated.
"WHAT?!"
That was Logan, who had bolted to his feet. "Logan!" Ororo called out.
"They turned her into a freakin' CYBORG, 'Roro!" the Canadian snarled.
"MASTER LOGAN, STOP!"
He jolted before glaring at Sybill. "That one means no harm…but you have faced her before," the Shabsaiite telepath stated. "In the incident before the Phoenix assumed mortal form. She knows you are here…and she is afraid."
Hearing that, Logan growled as his claws deployed. "I gutted that thing!"
"Yes, she's the X-Sentinel replica of Jean created by Stephen Lang…but she means no harm, Logan," Xavier added. "She knows you're here, but…" He concentrated before he paled. "Oh, my word…Lang, what on Earth did you DO?!"
"What, Charles?!" Scott demanded.
A sigh. «Come in, Anne. None will harm you,» he telepathically bade. "She was sent here by Infinity, Scott. She will take us all to Jean."
The X-Men and the Imperial Guard blinked, and then Logan — after sheathing his claws — moved to open the door…before he gaped. "Holy…!"
"LOGAN!"
A red-haired typhoon slammed into him, nearly knocking him onto his back as a kiss that could suck the breath out of Superman himself landed on his lips! As the others gaped at this living replica of Jean Grey — in her old uniform as Marvel Girl — KISSING the sometimes-feral native of Alberta, Xavier and Sybill exchanged a look. «I know the Sentinels have been used against those such as yourself, but have they ever acted like THAT?» the younger telepath asked as she gazed in amusement at the visiting android.
«Not to my experience,» Xavier replied.
"Oh, Logan…the one who deactivated me…"
People turned to see the android replica of Jean Grey literally MOULD herself over the shorter Canadian-born hunter. "Hey, darlin'…what the freakin' hell…?" Logan sputtered as he felt the hard points of her nipples — and could SMELL her arousal from between her legs; Fuck! How fuckin' human did that idiot Lang make her?! Is she based on the Life Model Decoys?! he thought — press into his chest.
"The one who prevented me from killing people…"
"Oh, Goddess…" Ororo gasped.
"She's crying…!" Kurt whispered.
"Logan…" the android Jean then mewed.
"Um…y-y-yeah…?" Logan sputtered.
"Promise me you'll deactivate me again if I am made to hurt someone…"
The Canadian blinked, and then he sighed. "Yeah, darlin', s-s-sure…"
As he hugged her — in a way, fulfilling a private fantasy of his — his mind (as Xavier and Sybill could both sense) thundered with VERY dark thoughts.
God or no god, I'm gonna KILL that airheaded, space-case kid for doin' this to me…!
Minutes later…
"WHAT happened to Jean?!"
A sigh. "When the radiation overwhelmed her defences at last, the sentience of the Phoenix Force came to Jean at the moment she was about to permanently go off-line," the android Marvel Girl — she called herself "Anne Grey," using Jean's middle name as her given one — reported, and then she smiled as Elaine handed her a handkerchief so she could wipe her face. Her other hand was gripping Logan's; the Canadian was trying NOT to blush at the closeness this modified Life Model Decoy — which Anne had confessed she was despite her former Sentinel-based programming — was showing to him. "From what Mistress Ayumu could ascertain from Jean's memory banks, the Phoenix Force came to her. To bond with her…and help repair her physical damage…"
"Bad?" a pale Scott asked.
"It…distressed the Mistress very much, Scott," Anne answered.
The others winced. Despite the Infinite One's power, they all knew she was a TEENAGER at heart. To force her to see a body ravaged by RADIATION POISONING was a horrid thing. "A horrible way to face death…" Kallark breathed out.
"She sacrificed herself to save her comrades, Kallark! One could NEVER ask more than that from ANY warrior!" Yatin Mazz snapped at her leader, her eyes swimming with tears.
"I will NEVER question that, Yatin," the praetor of the Guard calmly stated. "But to literally suffer as your body dies around you…" A shake of the head.
"Jean can be healed, can she?" Sara asked.
A nod. "Yes. Her body WAS healing when Mistress found her at the bottom of Jamaica Bay where the shuttle crashed…but if it is allowed to heal naturally, it will be MONTHS before she could be restored to full function, Sara."
"Oh, Mein Gott…" Kurt moaned.
"But there is a faster way to do this."
"What's the catch?" Logan hissed out.
Anne sighed. "She must become Yizibajohei."
Silence.
"What's the difference?" John asked.
"Effectively little, Father," Anne answered, making the elder Grey blush on hearing this android address him as that. "The Mistress controls a pocket dimension that was created by her first incarnation. It is euphemistically called 'the Doll House.' Within it, synthetic humanoids — synthezoids, in other words — with the ability to be genetically 'upgraded' to organic normal for a native of Yiziba are stored. This place was created by the First Master to ensure those children on Yiziba who suffered a catastrophic failure of their body functions before they could receive their own Gift of metahuman powers would be spared from being permanently taken off-line…"
"To be literally reborn," Xavier finished. "How ironic."
A nod. "Yes, Professor. In that, the second issue facing Jean is also resolved."
"What do you mean, Lady Anne?" Xyst Zharon asked.
"The interest of the Phoenix Force in Jean," the android answered. "I realise that there are many from your home galaxy that fear and loathe the concept of the Phoenix Force bonding with a mortal agent…but this is a force that will not be denied. In Jean Grey, it has found the PERFECT host. Jean's very genetic structure had attracted the Force's attention for months before the incident involving myself and the other X-Sentinels put her into a situation where she tried to call out to any deity or other force to aid her in ensuring her friends survived. That was because…"
"Of the Majestor D'Ken's interest in the Nexus of All Realities," Sybill stated.
"Yes. Because of that — even if the Force has been humbled before the First Child of the Forge — it will CONTINUE to seek Jean out to bond with her. By having Jean — and myself — become Yizibajohei, the Force gains what it desires twice over…"
"But by both becoming Children of the Forge, both you and the Lady Jean will still live mortal lives," Kran stated. "The Phoenix will live — and DIE! — as one of the Children of the Forge! And thus…" He sighed. "Not become like Galactus."
"That bad?" Elaine asked.
"Aye, Matriarch Grey," the size-changer stated. "Legends say that previous hosts of the Phoenix were extraordinarily long-lived in comparison to others of their home races. Because of that — and because of the sliver of what you would call 'humanity' still within each of their hearts — the ending of those lives were often very violent. In this case, the Infinite One will FORCE the Phoenix to adhere to the ways of the Children of the Forge. To live life to the fullest…but to know that one day, it will end. And hopefully not in the fires and passions of battle."
The other Guardsmen — even Xyst, who was the most passionate in OPPOSING the idea of Jean Grey living AS the avatar of the Phoenix Force — slowly nodded. "To be on the cusp of true godhood. True omnipotence," Xavier stated. "How many have we faced — both our groups — who have longed to seize that?" A chuckle. "How ironic…"
"Why do you say that, Charles?" John asked.
"As I said earlier, John, I did try to probe young Ayumu's mind. Especially during the incident with Kevin MacTaggert," the founder of the X-Men stated. "While she often looked my way and mentally told me to 'not be so rude' in probing her thoughts, I did get a good sense of the sheer SCALE of her power. And yet, there was something else."
"What did you sense, Professor?" Ororo asked.
"That she is tempted quite frequently by her potential," Xavier stated. "Yet unlike so many others I know of — especially those like the being that we all thought WAS Jean — Kasuga Ayumu REJECTS it constantly and consistently! What 'god' would do THAT?!"
"Indeed," Kallark breathed out. "So, Lady Anne, what now?"
A smile. "We go to the Doll House."
"Do we got to play with the kid's Barbie dolls…HEY!"
That was Anne slapping Logan across the back of the head. "Logan, do not be rude!"
The Canadian grumbled as we now…
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