A faint, milky-white glow shimmered to life on Soren's hand as he gently placed it against Jean's back.
A strange, refined energy flowed into her, anchoring her from within.
Already gifted with immense psychic power, Jean felt her mental strength surge even higher. Under Soren's careful guidance and the triggered release of her potential, her abilities now surpassed even those of Professor X.
So long as she maintained control and continued syncing with the Cerebro enhancement system, there would be no risk.
"Let's begin." The Professor instructed. "Put on the helmet. I'll guide you step by step."
Jean nodded and lifted the Cerebro helmet, its polished metal gleaming under the room's lights. As it settled onto her head, the hum of the machine filled the chamber.
Jean felt herself being swallowed by an ocean of stars and endless darkness. The space inside the device was like a boundless universe, and Jean's consciousness, magnified by Cerebro, reached out to touch every mind on Earth, Mutant and human alike.
Images and emotions flickered through the void, some joyous, some tragic, some too alien to comprehend.
Sounds of unspoken thoughts echoed faintly, a great chorus of countless voices rising into a chaotic, unformed harmony.
Jean gasped, awestruck.
"I… I can hear them. I can see them all. Every heart, every mind…"
"Focus, Jean!"
"Empty your thoughts. Cast away the distractions. Narrow your mind."
At his instruction, Jean forced herself to calm, pulling back from the overwhelming tide.
Picture after picture, thought after thought, flashed past. Soren could feel the strain tugging at Jean's mind, the difficulty of processing such infinite information.
Even Soren felt the pressure. Billions of connections, each a pulse of life and thought, formed an incomprehensible tapestry. It made him realize just how extraordinary the Professor was and what Jean was.
Jean's face had gone pale, sweat beading on her forehead.
Her mental energy burned away rapidly in the effort. But the mysterious essence she drank began to take effect.
New waves of power swelled within her mind, restoring what was lost, keeping her afloat.
And still, Soren's hand stayed upon her back, steadily releasing more of his own energy, amplifying Jean's strength and stabilizing the chaotic Phoenix force within her, which now stirred restlessly at the edges of her mind.
"You're close, Jean. Keep going."
Jean pressed on, filtering the storm of images, seeking out the presence of Magneto and Rogue. Slowly but surely, the mental fog began to part.
Shapes took form. The lingering trace of Rogue's frightened mind and Magneto's fierce, determined thoughts stood out amidst the haze.
"Yeeeeeeeessssss!"
"I found them!"
Jean's voice echoed in the infinite void of the virtual world formed by the brainwave strengthening device.
In front of Jean, a clear vision took shape, a shimmering, almost ghostly image depicting Liberty Island, its towering statue, and the brilliant flare of energy atop the torch.
The images flickered rapidly, and then, as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished. The entire space within Cerebro fell into complete darkness.
Jean's body trembled as she tore off the helmet, her face beaded with sweat.
The reality of the control room slowly returned, the lights flickering back to their steady glow as the device powered down.
She leaned heavily into Soren's arms, chest heaving with the effort.
"I did it." Jean panted, her voice tight with urgency.
"Erik… he's going to activate his device at the United Nations summit, it's happening right now, on Liberty Island. There'll be leaders from over two hundred countries there. If his plan works… it'll spark a disaster in the world!"
The words hung in the air.
Professor X's mind racing with the implications.
"The summit… of course."
"The world's leaders gathered in one place, discussing Mutant policies, public fears, and Erik would strike there. If he exposes them to his machine, forcing them to mutate unnaturally and die…"
He trailed off. The consequences were unimaginable.
It wouldn't just be an act of terrorism, it would ignite a global panic. Humans would see all Mutants as walking weapons of mass destruction.
Centuries of fear and hatred would boil over. Mutants everywhere would be hunted, ostracized, and destroyed.
"We have to stop him." Professor X declared, his voice steeled with resolve.
"Now."
Within minutes, the X-Men were gathered. Word spread quickly, the gravity of Jean's discovery shocking many.
Storm's eyes narrowed with fury.
"We move now. No one else dies because of Magneto's madness."
"He's using Rogue to power that machine. I'm not letting him kill her." Wolverine paced like a restless wolf.
Soren, still standing with Jean, looked at them all , these warriors, bound by duty. They didn't question when he asked to join them.
If anything, they were relieved.
Liberty Island
The Blackbird roared to life, slicing through the night sky toward Liberty Island.
Cyclops manned the controls, watching the shimmering city lights ahead.
"Storm, we need cover. Erik'll see us coming a mile away in open airspace."
Storm's eyes turned a blinding white as her powers surged. Thick mist rose from the river's surface, crawling like a living thing, shrouding the island in an eerie fog. Thunder rumbled overhead as clouds gathered, streaked with flickers of lightning.
From his seat, Soren marveled.
"To command the sky itself… incredible."
The mist thickened until the Statue of Liberty appeared as a hazy, ghostly silhouette against the night sky. Its famous torch flickered oddly, a faint, pulsing glow at its apex that shouldn't have been there.
Magneto, standing on the statue's torch platform, felt the disturbance. He scowled, staring into the fog.
"They're here."
"Charles' mascots have arrived. We cannot allow them to interfere."
Behind him, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Toad nodded grimly, ready to defend the operation at any cost.
Below, the Blackbird landed in the dense fog, its form barely visible against the gloom. The X-Men quickly disembarked.
"There." Jean said, pointing toward the torch.
"That light, that's where Erik's device is. I saw it through Cerebro. He's going to activate it soon."
They could all see it now, crackling faintly with magnetic energy. The machine was already active, Rogue was likely trapped inside.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream