Epic X-Men #4: Rivals
“Okay, Jean. Deep breath”, Jean told herself before ringing the bell.
It didn’t take long before a woman in an apron came to the door. Upon seeing Jean, a big smile took her face.
“As I live and breath, Jean Grey!”, she exclaimed before pulling Jean into a tight hug. “How are ya doing, lass? Have ya eaten anything since ya left? Oh, for heaven sake, where is my head? Come in, come in! It’s been too long since I last saw ya.”
”Hello”, Jean said uncertainly, as she tried to go through her memory as to who this woman was.
”You know, dear, the last time I saw ye, you were just a wee lass about yay high. And oh, you were so precious, but look at ya now! All grown, almost a full adult woman. So pretty, too“, the woman said as she continued to gush over Jean.
As the lady led Jean to the kitchen to open the fridge, it finally hit Jean.
”Moira!”, Jean says suddenly before hugging the woman from behind. This reaction garnered a laugh from Moira.
“Oh, so I’m that forgettable, aren’t I, lass”, Moira says.
”Well, no, but....”, Jean tries to explain, though it seemed rather futile at this point. She was caught.
”Don’t look so serious, lass. I’m only pullin' your leg. What will ya have? Orange juice? Grape juice? Cider? Lemonade? We got all kinds of choices and not enough people in this house to enjoy them”, Moira says.
She seemed like such a firecracker moving about the kitchen as she had what smelled like....potatoes and scrambled egg? Had Jean not already eaten, she probably would have taken Moira up on her offer of food. She was a little parched though, but she was more anxious to get to Uncle Charles.
”Just a water bottle would be nice, Moira. Thank you for your offer though”, Jean says appreciatively.
”Tis’ no trouble. Just holler if ya need something and I will be happy to provide. By the way, lass, if you wish to see Charles, he should be in his study. I can show you where if ya like?”, Moira offers.
Before Jean can offer though, the voice of the headmaster of this school rings on both of their heads.
”Thank you, Moira, but that is quite alright. I will give Jean the direction to my office”, Xavier’s voice echoes.
”Well, nevermind, I suppose. Off ya go then, lass. Like I said, though, don’t be afraid to give a holler if ya need me”, Moira says kindly.
”Thank you, Moira. I will”, Jean says before trailing out of the kitchen water in hand. The mansion was quite a sight to behold from the inside as it was the outside.
From the kitchen to the hall, Jean passes a sitting area into another hallway that led to a library with books that lined up on every wall. In the middle of the wall to her right was the door she recognized as the way to Charles Xavier‘s study. Despite knowing this man for so long, this meeting felt more different than all the other times she spent with him. This time, he would be more than a mentor. He would be her teacher and judge. He would make or break her based on how she performed as his student. She had no doubt he wouldn’t play favorites, but how would this dynamic affect how he viewed her? She never was a bad student, but who knows how tough he was or what he taught. Finally, waving away the anxiety that caused her worry, she knocked on the door and waited for her cue to enter.
”Come in, Jean.”
Opening the door, Jean found Charles at the desk writing on some document of sorts before looking up at her with a welcoming smile. Taking a moment to look around before closing the door, she saw on both sides were windows that gave Charles views of both the back and front yards, giving her an idea that even if he hadn’t used his telepathy, he would have seen her pull up to the front. In back of the man were a wall of books and art pieces. Whether they were for show or something for Xavier to read in convenient reach was a mystery to Jean. To Xavier’s left was a globe, which added to the whole intellectual feel of the place. Or perhaps he would use it in his teachings? Who knows, Jean thought to herself. Taking a seat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk, Charles begins to explain what his plan was for her to do while she stayed here.
”Welcome to the Xavier Institute, Jean. It is a wonderful feeling to have you here. I truly hope you will find this place to be as much of a home as your own, but if you do feel like you need to visit, or perhaps permanently go back, home, that is perfectly fine. I do ask you though to at the very least wait a few months for the whole situation to blow over, that way I can ensure your safe return to your family. Now, let’s move onto the real reason for you being here”, Xavier says excitedly as he pulls a folder from his desk.
”Um, Uncle Charles, I want to say that I appreciate this opportunity you are giving me and for your hand in keeping my family out of harms way for what I have done”, Jean says somberly as she turns her eyes down to her lap.
With a sigh, Xavier puts the folder on his desk and begins in a gentle voice to the young adolescent.
”Jean, I know yesterday was quite hard on you. When I locked away your telepathy all those years ago, I was aiming for a goal where you would have been able to learn to use your telekinesis and then deal with your telepathy when you were ready. I had not anticipated that your powers would grow to a point where the shields would start to weaken. And if I had not put so much focus on trying to get this school opened up and actually made an arrangement to visit you at any point, I probably could have caught it. It was an error on my part and I am truly sorry, Jean”, he says to her earnestly. Before Jean could argue, he continues, “Still, with you here, that can be rectified immediately. The goal of my school will be for you to learn to control your powers as you fill your brain with knowledge of how this world around you works. And unlike before, we will tackle the issue of your telepathy together with mastering your telekinesis, as I should have done a little earlier.”
”How do you plan on doing that, Uncle Charles?”, Jean asks curiously.
”I will tell you, but first I'd like to make a simple request of you, Jean. As my new student, I would have a reputation to start building with my students, starting with their respect. To that end, I‘d like you to be a model example and call me Professor Xavier, or Professor X. Or simply Professor, if you so choose”, he explains.
With an amused expression, Jean answers affirmatively to her mentor.
”Oohhh, I see. Okay, you have my word, Professor.”
After hearing the way it sounded, his expression told Jean that maybe coming from her wasn’t as good of an idea as he had previously thought, which made it all the funnier to her.
“Okay, you have done quite well, Jean. Of course, that title could be reserved purely for in front of the students. If it makes you more comfortable to stick with Uncle Charlie when we are in private, I would not be opposed”, Charles offers to her.
Typical dad-syndrome, trying to hold onto the memory of their little girls. Welp, too bad. He was now deemed the Professor.
“Sorry, Professor, but if I am going to remember to use it, I ought to get a head-start on calling you by your proper title. Right?”, Jean says with as much seriousness as she could muster, so as not to tip him off that she wanted to tease him so.
”Ahem, right. That makes perfect sense”, Charles said, looking a little more disappointed than Jean expected. Maybe on occasion, she would throw one Uncle Charles in to lighten his mood. “Anyways, as for how we will go about your telepathy, it would seem that the barriers still exist, but they have weakened to the point where you now have limited access to your telepathy. I have no doubt that if you tried hard enough, you could still read good number of minds without tiring, comparable to how I was when I was your age, after I had a lot of practice, no less. Still, the limits are there and they seem to hold the brunt of your powers. Yet, as you grow further, so will your telepathy, which will result in them completely shattering those shields that kept them at bay for so long. My hope is that by the point where they do, you will be a seasoned enough psychic to cope with their full-range of abilities. So, I will schedule from here on out a time for you to practice in learning to control and use your telepathy properly with Emma’s or my guidance.”
“Who is Emma?”, Jean asks. As if on cue, the door opens to reveal a blonde who held an expression of pure superiority.
“That would be me, darling”, the girl who was apparently called Emma spoke with what seemed to be an british accent.
”Jean, I’d like you to meet Emma Frost. She is my first official student to the Xavier Institute. Emma, this is Jean Grey, my first unofficial student prior to opening my school”, Xavier says to the two girls.
“Hello, Emma. It is a pleasure to meet you. Professor, tells me you are a telepath, like me”, Jean says with a hand out in formal greeting.
Looking down at the hand, Emma then smirks and takes her own hand and puts it up to her temple. With a slight hue of blue light emanating from Emma’s head, Jean hears Emma’s voice ring loudly in her own head.
“Trust me, dearie. I am not quite like you. I am so much more practiced, as you can very well see”, Jean heard as she felt a bit of pain throb with every word Emma spoke. Not as well-seasoned as you think, Jean grumpily thinks to herself. Or perhaps Emma fully intended to mark her point with the pain in every word? With that haughty outlook Emma wore proudly with that smirk, Jean would not be surprised if that was her full intent, which did not help with Jean’s growing irritation at the blonde bimbo.
How easily it would be to throw the slut across the room against the wall. It would be no harder than the flick of a risk, a gesture of her hand, a simple thought of who and where. As marvelous as that idea sounded, Jean felt it better to not be expelled on the first day, so she let it go.
Turning to Xavier, Jean found a weird look that resembled something along the lines of pride on his face to Jean.
“Yes, now that we have all introduced ourselves, I believe it's time I show Jean to her quarters. Would you like to accompany us in Jean’s tour of the house, Emma?”, Xavier asks pointedly to the young telepath.
Emma looked upwards that made it seem as if she were truly thinking about the option. Before she answered, she turned her attention to Jean and gave a smile. A smile that deceptively hid mischief behind it from what Jean could feel with her empathic abilities. Or perhaps Emma purposely was projecting that kind of atmosphere with her powers?
This whole telepathic thing was too confusing to follow for a beginner like Jean. She hoped it would make more sense after a lesson or two from Charles, and not Emma. She shuddered at the thought spending time alone in a room with that cold-hearted witch, with nothing but Jean’s thoughts on full display for Emma to siphon through all she liked until she was bored. Dear god, was Emma looking through all of Jean’s deepest darkest secrets now.
With a chuckle, Emma answers the Professor finally, “No, thank you, Charles. I am afraid I was only taking a break from the rather difficult assignment you handed out for today. Just as well, too, since I managed to make myself a new friend today. Isn’t that right, Jeannie?”, Emma said looking to Jean.
Putting on a her best smile, that Jean was sure seemed forced to the outsider perspective, Jean answered, “Of course. Cannot wait to get to know you better, Emma!”
”Likewise. I will see you around, sooner or later.”
”Yes, good luck with your studies, Miss Frost. Remember that if you have anything you need help with, Cerebro can assist you if neither me or Moira are available”, Charles reminds the young woman as she heads to the class across the library from Xavier’s study.
”Sure”, was all Emma answered before closing the door behind her.
”Cerebro?”, Jean asked Charles.
“I will explain about that later. For now, let’s get you situated”, Charles declares as he led the way back to the hallway from the library. Through the entryway from the resting area to an elevator behind the stairs, Charles led Jean upstairs to where she would be staying from now on.
“So....Emma seemed....interesting“, Jean offered.
“Quite. I know she comes off rather strongly, but there is a very bright girl under all the sass you just witnessed, with what I predict to be a promising future. She just needs someone to take chance on her is all. Granted, neither me or Moira will plan on making things easy for her and neither should you, Jean”, Xavier says.
”Are you saying I shouldn’t let Emma get away with her behavior?”, Jean asked hopeful to not having to deal with that issue.
“Actually, I want you to approach her as you see fit, WITH respect mind you. I see no reason to not attempt to keep things civil, but I know Emma is not easy to get along with. It’s not my place to say why, but let’s just say she could use a stable situation, with people who will be real with her. She hates it when people hide things from her, which has made her adapting to the no reading other people’s thoughts without permission rule quite the bumpy ride when she first arrived”, Xavier reminisces to Jean.
“So, you still stick with that rule incredibly closely?”, Jean asks, remembering the first time she asked Xavier what number she was thinking, in which he made show of asking her whether she was giving permission to read her mind as a lesson of courtesy and politeness.
”Of course. It’s my number one rule I set for myself when I was a lot younger. Only out of necessity do I allow myself to delve further than usual into someone’s psyche. Information is power, Jean, and the mind that holds that information is incredibly fragile. Seldom should any telepath seek to dominate a mind in such a way if there is a better alternative”, Xavier lectures further.
”So, why allow Emma to use her powers willy-nilly?”, Jean asked thoughtfully as she played back her encounter with Emma.
”Who ever said I did? Granted, I allowed Emma to use her powers to skim the surface thoughts of an individual. The kind that any telepath hears passively on a day-to-day basis, anyways. She finds those thoughts boring, but she takes what she could get. Still, I never allow her to dig too deep like she did before coming to my school. Unfortunately, because of her prior situation, it has served to feed her mistrust. So, I hoped to use my actions consistently In line with my surface thoughts to display that not everyone has an ulterior motive behind their kind gestures. Same with Moira, whom has a lot more patience and a much firmer hand than I when it comes to Emma”, Charles says chuckling to himself at the thought.
“Really?”, Jean asks surprised at the thought of the easy-to-get-along Moira being cross.
“Oh, yes. There have been times where things got more tense than I would have liked, but it wasn’t all bad. I remember one time when Emma gave a snarky remark about Moira’s bum, Moira responded with turning on the radio and dancing like nobodies business. Emma absolutely hated the song and was feeling second-hand embarrassment for Moira, but Moira kept up the dancing until the song was over. Laughing at Emma’s misery had gave off such an aura of pure joy that not even Emma could resist forming a simple smile. Moira further teased Emma after seeing the smile Emma tried to hide”, Charles said looking towards a spot as if it were showing him the exact memory he recalled.
”Wow. That’s quite an amazing story, Professor”, Jean said as she pictured the scenario in her head.
”Yes. I hope to get to a place where Emma can outgrow that mistrust and see that she has no need to be on constant guard to survive. It will take time and an amount of patience that would try the most seasoned of teachers, but I would take that risk for any one of my children, in which as far as I am concerned at this point, both you and Emma very well are”, Xavier remarks seriously to Jean.
“So, is this it?”, Jean asks when they stop in front of a random door in the hallway. Walking into the room, Jean marvels at the space where it already furnished with her own bed a dresser, a vanity, and a rather generous size closet. Jean then flops onto the bed as Xavier explains his plans.
”Yes, this is where you will stay for the duration that you are here. Your neighbors are Emma across from you and Moira next door closest towards me. I plan for this wing to be more of girl’s dormitories and the boy’s to be on the other side of the house. For now though, it is merely you and Emma”, Xavier explains.
“Any restrooms?”, Jean asks.
”Yes, of course. Just down the hall, second door to the right from here”, Xavier directs with his arm outstretched the very way he spoke of. “Feel free to take time to explore a little more of this mansion as you wish to. Classes for you start tomorrow.” With that final word, Xavier turns and leaves Jean’s room. Looking up at her ceiling, Jean takes in her surroundings and repeats to herself that she will be fine here.
**********************
*The following day*
“Wonderful, Jean. Your precision with the way you maneuver your telekinesis has improved quite a bit since the last lesson. Not only that, but I saw the way you handled lifting me in my chair at your house. Quite impressive”, Xavier praises as Jean kept focus on maneuvering the chairs and tables inside the class room. From outsider, it would look like random furniture flying across the room in such a haphazard fashion, but to Jean, it was a formation of controlled chaos as directed by Xavier.
”Very good, Jean. Now, I want you to set everything back, just as you saw it previously”, Xavier directed in a way test if Jean, being a telepath, has an eidetic memory as a result of her enhanced mental functions. An interesting pattern Xavier had noticed when dealing with Emma was that her memory recall was incredibly accurate, rivaling his own accuracy to a degree. Now, it was Jean’s turn. Moira notes to Xavier that yesterday, Jean had trouble recalling who Moira was, but Xavier knew that Jean was rather young at the time. With Moira not visiting her as often as Xavier did, it was a wonder how Jean recalled Moira at all. Now, looking at her follow directions, Xavier could safely confirm his theory with Jean’s successfully putting things as they were before.
”Excellent! You get full credit for this success. From what it seems, you have full expert control over your telekinesis at the basic level. Moving objects you see large and small....this next test will take away one of your senses though, your eyesight”, Xavier suddenly says thinking of a new exercise.
”How do I know what I am doing when I can’t see, Professor?”, Jean asks as she puts on the blindfold Xavier hands to her.
”First, Jean I want you pick up the water in front of you and drink from it with just your hands. Not telekinesis necessary”, Xavier tells her. When she performs the task, he gives her a question. “Now, how do you know that you were just drinking from a bottle of water?”
”Uh... I know because I set it there to begin with?“, Jean says as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.
“True, but tell me how you knew that what you held and drank was a bottle of water”, Xavier asks.
”I felt it in my hand and I tasted the water”, Jean answers still not seeing where he was going with it.
”Correct. I remember back when you were little that you had told me that you could kind of feel an object you affect with your telekinesis. Is it still true, now?”, he asks the confused girl.
“Yes. I think it is somewhat like....when I am touching the flat surface of the desk with my palm. I can feel the firmness of the material that makes up the very desk. The difference though is that I can’t get a good idea on the temperature with my telekinesis that I could with my own hand”, Jean states.
”Very interesting. That may actually be a strength for you. I will test that out someday, but for now, I would like for you to perform this next test. I am setting three different shapes on the desk. With your telekinesis, I want you to pick one of them up”, Xavier tells her as he sets the wooden shapes on the table.
They go about this exercise for a little longer as Jean follows the instructions and answers the appropriate questions correctly. Soon, Jean goes from hesitantly lifting each shape to lifting multiple shapes and stacking them according to how the professor wanted her to. As she does, Xavier takes further notes to study for himself and share with Moira later on about the new discoveries that he sees from Jean.
**************************
*A week since Jean’s enrollment*
“Jean. I am afraid I have a meeting to go to and I cannot make it to our scheduled training”, Xavier says apologetically to Jean, who was working on an assignment just before he walked in.
”It's okay, Professor. I think I will use the time to get ahead on my assignments”, Jean says positively in an effort to mollify him.
”It please me to hear you take your studies seriously, Jean, but one of my top-most priorities with you is getting you to learn to control your telepathy at a manageable level before they are released full-force. Yet, this meeting is incredibly too important to cancel and it seems they are too stiff-necked to bother with a reschedule”, Xavier thinks aloud to himself and Jean.
“Perhaps, it’s time that I start to tutor Jean, Professor”, Emma pipes up suddenly from the seat next to Jean.
”You are offering to help, Jean?......Jean, how much progress have you gotten on the lessons of blocking another psychic? Have you....”, Xavier trails off. Jean knew he wanted to ask if Emma had been causing trouble in trying to invade her head. Ever since that lesson, Jean’s defenses have been mostly successful at blocking Emma, though it would seem that Emma didn’t really try all too hard though. Jean would mostly feel Emma’s presence skimming her thoughts before disappearing entirely.
”So far, they have held when I needed them, Professor”, Jean answers as truthfully as she could.
”Hm, alright. I suppose it’s fine then. Emma you will be tutoring Jean on the use of her powers. For Jean’s assignment, I want to see that Jean has learned to fully communicate with only her mind’s voice. Remember that her success or failure will affect your grade as much as it will her own, so I advise you take advantage of this opportunity”, Charles warns. “Moira will cover your math and science classes today and Cerebro will further handle your English language and geography lessons.”
”Yes, Professor”, Jean affirms before he leaves. When both young women hear the front door close from the empty hall, Jean suddenly gains a sense of trepidation as she watches the young blonde size her up with a critical eye.
“So, you have yet to master basic communication? I suppose it can’t be helped. Maybe once you get the hang of it, I can teach something that is actually fun”, Emma remarks as she takes her chair and sits in front of Jean the way Charles did for her. “Okay, Grey. Talking with your mind is really simple. All you need to do is listen for the thoughts of your subject. Look for my mind now, dear.”
With a roll of her eyes at the patronizing tone, Jean focuses her mind to find Emma’s thoughts. Getting a sense for thoughts and feelings that seemed all-around pessimistic. She supposed it fitted Charles description of Emma’s problems with new people.
“Good. Now just keep your focus on me and think of something you want to say. Don’t say it aloud. Just think at me”, Emma said with her own thoughts.
”....What’s your problem with me?”, Jean thinks before stopping the train of thought. Emma’s bored frown turned into an amused smile after that remark. Still untrained, Jean had forgotten that with their mind’s connected, her every thought would be on display until she broke the connection or learned to screen certain areas of her mind.
“Very good. Small tip, though, if you want to hide some things without breaking the connection, you better produce a screen of some kind in your head to catch the thoughts that could be sent to the other person. Use your imagination on what it would be that catches those nasty little thoughts“, Emma said aloud. “Lesson over. You can get back to whatever you were doing before.”
“That’s it?“, Jean asks.
”Yes. Communicating with another person using your thoughts is possibly the second easiest learning tool a telepath has, after actually reading individual thoughts. It's incredible simple and the perfect way Charles can give me something to do that he knows I won’t screw up”, Emma says bitterly. “The only further application would involve expanding your range. The Professor should have already taught you that lesson in his reading minds 101. Look for the thoughts of the right person and think at them. It’s that simple!”
”Oh”, was all Jean uttered. After it was explained, it sounded incredibly simple. It probably was to someone who had something of a month to practice with a teacher and two of whatever she could figure out on her own. “Well, what else could you teach me?”
”I can teach you loads of things, but that would all depend on you. Until then, I am gonna stay here bored out of my mind”, Emma says with an exaggerated sigh.
“Alright....do you know how Charles found out about you?”, Jean asks in an effort to change the subject. little would she know that the question was more related to her powers than she had thought previously.
”Same way he found you, I suppose. Cerebro”, Emma answered without looking up from her nail filing work.
“Cerebro? You mean the training program that gives us lectures?”, Jean asks suddenly perplexed at the answer. That answer caught Emma’s full attention.
”That’s right! He hadn't told you just yet, did he? Hmmmmm......”, Emma said thoughtfully in debate of whether to reveal the secret Charles kept from Jean just the same as he did Emma prior.
**********************
*In Cerebro*
Jean marveled at the giant room that Emma had led her to. It was all she could do, after maybe breaking down from the insanity of this place. An underground base filled with so much technological stuff that not even the richest people seem to have access to? And now, she comes to find out that Charles has had a machine that could track any and every known mutant to walk the planet? It was all so cool and so ridiculous sounding.
“When you are ready to use Cerebro, Charles will get the eye-scanner to work for you as it does for me”, Emma explains as she walked over to the console.
”You have used this thing?”, Jean asked, not seeing Emma willingly wear something so goofy.
”Yeah. It was pretty cool, I gotta say. I could feel so many minds and it makes me feel bigger than everything that existed through my telepathy”, Emma describes as she recalls the sensations. “I was there, you know, when your friend was ran over. Through Cerebro, I saw it all happen.”
Jean turned to Emma ready to shut down any attempt Emma would make to tease her about it, but what she found wasn’t mockery. It was a look of sympathy.
”You know it wasn’t your fault, don’t you?”, she asked Jean, in which Jean couldn’t look at her face anymore.
Turning from Emma, Jean answers, “I know”. Jean didn’t fully believe that just yet, but maybe one day, she would.
“Well, I suppose that is enough of the painful stuff. Watch closely because you don’t want to miss this“, she tells Jean as she puts the helmet on and activates Cerebro. The room then dims and Jean could feel Emma’s presence expand as a holographic image of a globe appears in the center of the room in front of Emma. She could then hear Emma in her telling her not to speak too loudly since this would require the utmost concentration and a wrong move could cause serious harm to an individual.
Jean watched as the globe slowly spun with different colored red and white lights scattered upon its face.
“The white lights you see are the humans that inhabit this planet, that is why there are so many of them, but the red is us. Mutants. With Cerebro, I can see each and every one of them all over the planet”, Emma said as Jean hung onto every word she uttered about this. After about a minute, Emma shuts down Cerebro and takes the helmet off.
”What did you find, Emma?”, Jean asks curiously.
”Nothing out of the ordinary. Charles says that the purpose of this place is to find mutants who could be interested or have need for training in the learning of their powers. You would think it would apply to everyone, but not every mutant has their powers activated. Then there are those who don’t wish to join his school, so we have to be picky about our choices”, Emma explains further.
“Why did you join, Emma?”, Jean asks.
”.......He didn’t tell you?”, Emma asked back.
”No. He mentioned you had a hard time prior, but he said it wasn’t his place to speak of such things”, Jean said, recalling her conversation with him a week ago. It’s for the most part why, despite Emma’s comments, Jean had mostly succeeded in staying peaceful with her interactions with Emma, as much as it truly annoyed her.
”....I don’t think I am ready to talk about that part of my life, just yet....”, Emma simply said before quieting, again.
”I want a turn”, Jean suddenly says as she takes the headgear from Emma and puts on the Cerebro helmet for herself. “Okay, so how does this thing turn on, again?”
”Jean, you haven’t exactly been trained long enough to have a good grasp on your powers. I don’t think you are ready to start using the machine, just ye-“
Before Emma could finish her thought, Jean presses a button that resulted in a resounding whir of the machine as it came to life. Lights dimming, Jean suddenly didn’t feel like herself, but as a part of a multitude. It was as overwhelming and as invigorating....and painful. Too painful!
”So many thoughts. Everywhere I look, I can see someone’s memory. Emma! What do I do?!”, Jean frantically asks.
”God sake, Jean, I am turning this off”, Emma announces before she is hit with a psychic wave.
”No! I can do this! Just tell me what to do!”, Jean yells as she practices the exercises Xavier told her.
”Gah! Calm down, for Christ sake! If it were any more powerful, you could have fried my brain. I am gonna keep my psi shields up and I am shutting Cerebro down!”, Emma declares as she gets back up and heads over to the console.
”Wait, please, I-.....I think....I just found something...”, Jean utters as her expression morphed from distress to sudden interest. “It feels.....familiar....”
”Whatever, I am turning it off”, Emma says as she starts changing settings that power the room down, so that Jean doesn’t feel light-headed from the sudden drop in power. “Do you realize how much trouble we could be in if they were to know that I let you use this machine?”
”Great trouble.”
Xavier‘s word echoes in the chamber as he is suddenly in front of the exit to Cerebro with arms crossed in a disapproving manner.
“I-I didn’t- oh whatever. You wouldn’t believe me anyways”, Emma exclaims with arms crossed in indignation.
“I understand your intent, Emma. Though I don’t praise the choice and wished you would have let me handle the displaying of Cerebro when Jean was ready, I won’t fault you for Jean’s actions. Still, I think it’s time you start asking permission to use Cerebro, so that Moira doesn’t become alarmed the second you start it up. Am I understood, Miss Frost”, Xavier asks.
”Crystal clear”, Emma says walking out of the room, annoyed at the outcome.
“As for you“, Xavier begins, “Though it wasn’t a good idea on Emma’s part to bring you here, you should have listened to her when she told you it wasn’t a good idea to turn on and use it untrained. Cerebro is not a toy. It is a powerful machine that extends your powers to greater levels than you know what to do with”, Xavier explains after Emma left.
“How did you find out?”, Jean asks suddenly curious as to how Xavier knew after leaving.
“It’s a machine that expands your telepathic power. With powers as sensitive as mine, I could know the second you turn it on that Cerebro’s main function is active. It is that powerful and if you were not careful enough, you could have hurt far more than yourself. You could have hurt Emma, Moira, and any innocents happening to be nearby. If the machine were turned up to total range, everyone on this planet could have been hurt”, Xavier revealed.
“Really?”, Jean asks as she turns back to the console and helmet with realization as to what could easily have happened.
”Indeed. You are not to use Cerebro until you have shown me that you have at least basic understanding of how your telepathy works and how to keep it under control. Then I will help you learn to use it correctly. As it is right now, you have yet to display some of the simplest techniques to me. I implore you Jean, please be patient”, Charles says. Seeing her looking down ashamed of herself, he goes to her and proceeds guiding her chin gently to meet his eyes. “You will learn to control your powers, and if you so wish, I will teach you to use Cerebro one day. For now, you must take more time learning your powers before I could even consider putting you on Cerebro.”
”Yes, sir”, she agreed disappointedly.
“That is all I ask of you, child. I suppose I will have to cancel the meeting and reschedule. Perhaps I can use an illness for an excuse or something“, he ends.
”Professor? Can I ask you one thing?”, Jean says before he could exit the room.
”What is it, child?”
”Could you look at what I found on Cerebro? I think it’s a mutant who needs your help”, Jean says turning back to Cerebro.
”What makes you say that?”, Charles asks, curious as to how she managed such a conclusion without knowing what she was doing on the machine.
”Because the person I sensed while on Cerebro was Scott. He is a mutant, Uncle Charlie. And he needs our help, immediately!”
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