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Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Meeting in Flames

3rd POV:

This is the second time where he, quiet recently at that, controlled two active bodies. One at school (Bell) and one here (Nexus). He REALLY did not like controlling multiple active bodies as that made him feel weird. Alas he could and would not stop his investigation for his friend and student over that.

As Raezen he found out everything about Scott and narrowed his search down.

Although he doubted he would find anything he still went to visit Scotts previous orphanage.

''Nexus!? What are you doing here? Do you intend to donate something for the children? Or do you wish to adopt one? If that is the case I have to disappoint you. We need your real identity for that. Without it I can't allow you to adopt one for security reasons. I hope you understand,'' the secretary at the entrance informed him when he entered the building.

''No, I'm not here for either of these things. I have stumbled upon something of concern and fear that one of your charges is in danger. It is vital that I understand who I should and should not suspect,'' Nexus explained.

As Raezen he could find out much, but only what was in the digital space. He could also use cameras to read documents, but that was rather unreliable since rarely was anyone dumb enough to leave documents near them.

He already checked their minds for any traps. Commands that will be triggered when certain key words or actions will be taken. Luckily he didn't need to read someones memory to do that. And thus he did not go against his principles, but if they refused to cooperate he would do what must be done.

''Oh. That doesn't sound good. Who do you want to investigate?,'' the secretary got ready to type in the name into the computer.

''It is Scott Summers,'' Nexus told her.

''Scott Summers,'' she slowly said typing in the name,''Ah yes, here. He was adopted by Charles Xavier.

That was some news, but not entirely unsurprising what with him taken in lost strays. Nexus did read in his mind that he considers most of his students his children.

''Yes, one of your previous charges. But I was hoping to speak with someone that knew Summers. I meant, I wanted to know more about his life here, not where he currently is,'' Nexus clarified.

''Oooh. You should have led with that. In that case I can not help you as personal information like this is not input into the system. What I can do iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis (*she types a little into the computer*) try to see if those who spent much time with Scott Summers want to talk to you. There are still two people working here, that were here during Scott Summers stay,'' the secretary told him.

''That would be optimal, please. Can I talk to them now?,'' Nexus asked her.

''One moment please,'' the secretary picked up the phone and began typing in a few numbers. Nexus patiently waited for her to be done.

''Yes, they are willing to talk to you. Just go down that hallway till you hit the end and then turn left. Take the second door and you will arrive at break room for the workers,'' the secretary pointed at one of the hallways.

Nexus nodded and wished her a good day.

A few moments later he knocked at the door and was let in.

There were several workers in the break room and while most looked at him curiously only two gestured him to come forward.

''Hello, I'm Miss Grubber and this is Mr.Whitehill,'' the elderly women introduced themselves as Nexus shook both their hands. The other person was a middle aged man.

''Thank you for taking the time out of your day. This won't take long I promise. Could you tell me everything about Scott Summers?,'' Nexus quickly got to the point not wantingto waste their time.

''Oh, that poor child. I remember when he came in. Both his parents died in a car crash accident when he was very young. He was pretty shaken up, understandably so. He was an well behaved and adorable child,'' Miss Grubber affectionately recounted.

''Till he grew up. Then the problems started,'' Mr.Whitehill pointed out.

''Yes, unfortunately. He developed a rare eye condition that forced him to wear bandages for a while. He wasn't blind, but his eyesight got very sensitive. The doctors couldn't even examine him as he refused to open his eyes, so painful was his condition. Naturally the bandages made him quiet different from the other charges and then the bullying started and he retaliated. Often unsuccessfully as he was blind then,'' Miss Grubber recounted.

''Yes, children can be quiet cruel,'' Nexus commented.

''You have the right of it. It is something I had to come to the realization quickly when I started working here,'' Mr.Whitehill scoffed and crossed his arms,''By the time I joined Summers was here for a few years already. I found his situation pitiful and tried helping him here and there, but there are many kids here and I couldn't always be there for him. A year or so after I joined a man came that had interest in Summers. Claimed he heard of the situation and wanted to see if the glasses he prepared where the right ones for his condition,'' the man took over the tale.

''A good samaritan, that man. God must bless that man and give him good fortune for his virtue,'' the woman declared happily and gestured a cross with her hand. Nexus starred at the necklace around her neck and then repressed a sneer.

He had no problem with faith. Religion however was another matter. No one was THAT kind and yet religion blinded her to that fact.

''Yes, I'm sure. Either way, the glasses where the right kind for his condition and Scott could now see again. That did not mean the bullying stopped however,'' the man quickly mover on from what the woman said.

''Let me guess. The bullying increased as he was still different, but now no longer had your protections since he was not disabled anymore,'' Nexus summarized. After all, the children already made up their minds that Scott was weird and not part of them.

''HA! You seem to understand children well. Yes, that is exactly what happened,'' Mr.Whitehill chuckled.

''That is no laughing matter,'' Miss Grubber reprimanded sternly,''Scott got more and more into fighting with his bullies and ...weird things started happening. Things melted around him inexplicably and there was damages to the walls. And soon enough the children started calling him demon. Many workers started leaving too, by then.''

The woman clutched her necklace tightly.

''The man came back again...,'' Mr.Whitehill began.

''The same man that gave Summers his glasses?,'' Nexus interrupted for he wanted to have that clarity.

''Yes, that same man. He offered to give Scott counseling sessions for his aggressive behavior. And for the better part of the next year he did. Until Charles Xavier came by, had a talk with Scott and then adopted him three years back,'' the man finished.

''I see. That man, did he ever display a desire to adopt Scott?,'' Nexus asked, causing the man to smile approvingly at him for asking the right questions.

''No. He didn't, now did he? It is fascinating how much interest that man had in Scott, for he certainly was not the only troubled child here,'' Mr.Whitehill mirthfully answered feeling validated for the thoughts he had since then.

''The man must have been busy. People should help each other, but maybe he had no more help to give besides that and so he decided to give help to the one that needed it the most. I hope that wherever Scott is, he is better off now,'' the woman said. 

Both men ignored her.

''That man, does he have a name?,'' Nexus asked him.

''Yes. Introduced himself as Nathan Essex, Nathanial ... Nathaniel Essex. I don't quiet remember what exactly his name was anymore. Something Essex. I won't forget such a peculiar sounding name anytime soon,'' Mr.Whitehill replied.

''Did he give you some sort of business card? If he was a therapist or psychologist or something of the sort, he should have one and most likely given it out,'' Nexus asked him.

''No. Nothing of the sort. He only ever gave his contact to Scott and they resolved setting up the counseling sessions between themselves,'' the man replied.

''I see. You have given me much to investigate. Thank you,'' Nexus shook their hands after saying that.

''Look. I have had my suspicions for a while too. I wish you good luck, whatever you are investigating. Hopefully it is not too late for Summers. Or better yet, both of us are wrong about our suspicions about that man,'' Mr.Whitehill whispered to Nexus. Nexus subtly nodded his head, although he did not share in the mans hope being better informed then him.

''Nexus, can I just thank you for all the help you have given to everyone? I wish more people like you existed in the world. The world would be better off then,'' Miss Grubber shook his hand a little longer and smiled at him approvingly when she said that. Unlike the Avengers he was far more active, not just stopping worldly threats, but also giving people help under natural disasters and many more.

''...I help where I can,'' he replied diplomatically. Even if he was not impressed with her fervor about religion, she seemed a good soul. Certainly she did not declare Scott a demon or think less of him for being 'unnatural'. Even Whitehill seemed to have the same stance as him about her, else he would have been far more rude to her or more hostile, even if he would have hidden it.

After saying their goodbyes Nexus stepped outside.

Something Essex, huh?

He most likely had his man. And it seemed to fit the characteristics he attributed to Jeans kidnappers.

Paranoid.

For why else, would Essex go so out of his way to avoid leaving too many trails behind and ways to contact him?

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Before completely beginning to search for Essex he made a quick stop at Xavier mansion. Not that he announced his presence, choosing wishing to be completely undetected. He could not risk entering Scotts mind. He was the closest in proximity with Essex and for a long time for that matter.

Who knows how many compulsions and traps where in his mind. Nexus did not want to risk it and frankly he doubted that Scott knew anything useful that he did not already know himself.

So no, Nexus left him alone and just went through his phone with technomancy to find out Nathaniel Essex phone number.

At least now he had a proper name.

Since he was already here, he also snuck about and investigated the defensive mechanism, viewed the camera recordings and investigated Jeans room as well.

Nothing yielded results.

---

Nexus searched for all the therapists practitioners in the radius of 50 kilometers away from the mansion as Raezen. 

Then he extended his search to 100 km.

Then 200 km.

And finally, even if he knew it would probably not yield results he extended the search to 500 km.

There was no therapist practitioner far and wide going by the name of Nathaniel Essex.

Nor did tracking the phone number back yield any results. It was thrown in the New Jersey river.

Did Scott never verify if Essex was an actual licensed therapists? Or the workers at the orphanage for that matter? Then again Essex never gave them a business card and anything he did show them, if at all, was probably forged. 

Most people don't double check, if something looks real enough even if they have suspicions like Whitehill did.

Great. Now all his trails are cold again.

It was no longer a matter of high probability. He absolutely had his man, for why else would Essex disappear like that.

So let's summarize. Essex, if that is his name, needed to interfere. Scott (probably) regularly visited Essex for he trusted him since his childhood and shared his worries with him. Scott was heartbroken that Jean would not give him a chance. If his love was genuine, which Nexus doubted, or merely a product of compulsions, either way he would go to Essex for guidance.

Essex cloned Jean for he needed her to get together with Scott. Or for Scott to get together with Jean. That could also be possible. Unlike Jean, Scott was no telepath and had no protections against them, so he was the one Essex needed to make contact with.

And after interfering so blatantly the paranoid fuck fled, just in case his deception gets unearthed. Or he had no reason to stick around for he succeeded in his goal. Either reasons could work.

The picture gets clearer, but he was still missing to many puzzle pieces.

Nexus clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Once he rescues her ass, he is gonna talk off her ear for not remembering the wisdom he shared in their very first lesson. Essex probably snuck and drugged her/ knocked her out with his powers in the middle of the night. Or his team, since that is still a possibility.

A telepath could easily avoid such a scenario if they trained themselves to unconsciously filter out poison. There is a reason in his past life every fantasy fan considered telepathy the most powerful ability and he never disagreed with that.

If she still didn't learn her lesson, then she was a lost cause and Nexus would not bother with her again.

That said. All his leads are exhausted. Unless...

Nexus thought for a few minutes about everything carefully again, just in case he overlooked something. Finally he clicked his tongue.

No, he hit a dead end in his investigations. He had no more lead to follow.

He sighed in frustration. Time for some deus ex shenanigans then.

---

Essex smiled to himself in satisfaction in one of his secret underground HQs.

This interference is not what he would have preferred, but alas he was not about to let near a century worth of efforts to create the ultimate mutant go to waste, because of a subjects sentimentalities.

While he regrets the necessity to get rid of his fake identity as Nathaniel Essex, as that would lose him access to Scott Summers, it was outweight by the other necessity of Scott and Jean getting together.

Alas, such an interference could risk unwanted attention.

Tch. If only he could have influenced Jean as he had influenced Scott then he wouldn't have had to take the recent actions. But he did pick her for her sheer psionic abilities. Even with the fool director having made his job easier by sealing away most of her powers she was still strong enough, even drugged unconscious, to give him trouble with reading her memories.

But of course, he managed it anyway even if it took a bit of time.

And he also gave Jeans clone compulsions to get together with Scott. While he would have preferred the original, with his abilities being able to create a perfect clone of Jean, it made no difference. He was even nice enough to recreate the sealing of her powers in that clone so that the fool director would not suspect anything. Not that the fool director was going to be able to undo the barriers anyway, as he saw in Jeans memories that he could only enter with permission. In other words Jean and thus 'Jean' was now a more powerful telepath then the fool director.

It did vex him however that for some reason, despite having made a perfect clone 'Jean' was weaker then Jean. He could tell.

Now, all he needed to do was wait till the two subjects produced their off spring. Then he can not only copy their off springs X-Gene and add it to his arsenal as he did with so many others, but also use the beyond Omega Mutant to kill HIM.

In the meantime, while he would patiently wait, he would investigate why 'Jean' was weaker despite being a perfect clone, by studying Jean.

He also planned on finding a way to get his hands on Nexus. From Jeans memories he saw that Nexus was completely immune to telepathy. There were no barriers, just... an emptiness... a void devoid of any thinking. They also dulled telepathy a bit when near enough. His other abilities did not interest him much, but his telepathic defenses did. It could only be a boon against HIM. 

But more importantly he still needed to find who that person was that enveloped the entire earth in their energy. He tried tracing it back, but it only lead him to Mars and no further and then the trail ended. Afterwards he quickly switched bases and moved everything just in case. Only for him to switch bases again after 'The Day it Rained Fire' the earth was bathed in that energy again. Again the trail ended on Mars.

From the evidence it was someone powerful. But why they wasted their time on ants like the HYDRA he knew not. He still did not want to risk confrontation till he knew more about them, but so far he did not manage to make much progress on that front.

With Scott and Summers now being together and his plan having succeeded, even with some interference, he now had plenty of time, so he best get to work.

One day HE would wake and could possibly force him back into blind obeisance. But he would not take that risk and thus he will prepare.

Essex pulled out a chair and moved it to sit near Jeans unconscious body that was lying on the medical bed and was plugged to the IV. He needed to be careful when investigating Jeans powers. If he was not careful he could trigger something that wakes her up despite the drugs keeping her unconscious.

Essex was about to enter her mind when one of his contingencies triggered.

Death.

What? Memories from a different life came to him thanks to the Moira Engine. He would experience death in just a minute. Sudden, unprompted and absolutely.

How? HOW? HOW? 

Essex' eyes moved around the room quickly. He felt nothing. There IS nothing. What did he do wrong, what did he miss that prompted such a sudden turn of events? Essex' eyes settled on Jean.

Her? He was so careful. There was NO trace left behind for anyone to follow. Even the fool director with his precious Cerebro would not find them here.

Less then a minute now. He could move fast, but not fast enough to transport everything to one of his other bases. Jean and some of the most important items here. He needed to settle for that and make that sacrifice.

Death.

Another set of memories. Just as sudden and absolute. Terror began gripping Essex. He knew his powers and yet to die so defenseless against this opponent?

Where they specifically after him or after Jean? Was he nothing but an obstacle to be discarded like an after thought by this mysterious entity? 

Fine. he must have blundered somewhere when abducting Jean and must have left some sort of trail behind despite being so sure that he left no traces behind.

Then he would leave a small part of himself here to observe and inform himself of who his enemy was. His interference must be puni...

Death.

...

...

...

He was Mr.Sinister. He has lived for centuries. He has manipulated events from the shadow since he was a man grown. He has shaken himself off from HIS control. He stands at the pinnacle of the food chain. Whoever this being was going to be, they have made a grave enemy. Fine. He can have Jean. He would even add a nice gift for her rescuer alongside her. What need did he have for her anymore now that he had 'Jean'.

Death.

...

Death x17.

...

Death x232.

...

Death x1746.

...

Death x109.593.

The deaths would not stop flashing before his eyes. Much as he would have loved to give this interloper a gift in an act of pettiness, it seemed that would anger them enough that they would truly set their sights on him, instead of her.

Mr.Sinister ground his teeth against each other in anger and frustration. Total defeat? It has been ... quiet... a while since he has experienced that feeling. He could not even claim to know who killed him, since he was killed off so quickly.

He will remember this day. And he will have his revenge, in this life or the next.

Mr.Sinister quickly grabbed the most important documents and fled his base, with 20 seconds left to spare.

---

Nexus stepped through the portal into a deep underground base. He clicked his tongue when he sent out his AoE detection energy, this time much smaller, and found out that only Jean was present in the base.

That was maybe on him, he wasted some time in getting rid of his energy.

And this time around it also proved a little harder to bathe the earth in his energy with the fine energy strings. The scope off the area threw him a little off as he was unfamiliar with it. Not that he will repeat that mistake as he was now familiar with the scope, but still. That was his failing.

Those were weaknesses he needed to work on.

He checked if there were any traps or something. Worst case scenario he turns back time in an area. Much more feasible then turning back time on the entire universe. Or he could also pluck Jeans soul and put it back into her body. Granted forcing him to do so would have pissed him off very much.

Nexus' small annoyance turned into amusement.

At least now he had his confirmation on one of his suspicion. He looked for Jean and he looked for Essex too, just in case. He didn't find Essex, maybe because that was a fake name to begin with and her kidnapper did not consider himself as Essex. Such things mattered in a search.

But upon finding Jean, he checked her immediate surroundings and found one person. A Mr.Sinister. Perhaps he should have spent more time and read that persons mind more then just finding his name. But his first priority was Jeans well being, everything else was secondary. And then he spent some small time getting rid of his energy before coming here.

It is not like he couldn't hunt him down after ensuring Jeans well being completely. Nexus had his name now.

Still. Nexus' assumed that Mr.Sinister was powerful and yet he fled. No traps. No nothing.

It said a lot about his character.

A cockroach.

Terrified of the true powers in the world and yet still desiring to have a say and dared scheme with whatever powers he DID have. In a way Nexus respected that. That man was not complacent, unlike many others. But he would still die and Nexus looked forward to hunting him down.

But he digressed. First, Jeans well being.

...

...

...

Then again he was never one to pass by an opportunity, when it presented itself. Jean was unconscious, but safe. Maybe he could spare some time to go trough the documents and confirm most, or some, of his suspicions and reasonable deductions.

And since she was already unconscious and so defenseless - God that sounded so wrong in retrospect - he could investigate for himself if Jean was truly host to something that enhanced her telepathic abilities beyond those of 'Jean'.

Chances were high that he was right, as there was no other reasonable conclusion that he could make. But who knew? Maybe he was wrong. The investigation will prove his suspicion once and for all.

Doing it now, would also grant him the bonus of avoiding any pesky questions of how he had telepathy. And maybe, this something that Jean hosted was the answer to her problems, the reason why she couldn't completely control her telepathy.

If that was the case he would subtly nudge her in the right direction to help her.

See? He wasn't going to take complete advantage of her without letting Jean benefit from his investigations too.

Nexus winced. He was making it sound worse and worse in his head. He needed to chose more appropriate words.

He shook his head. 

Well.

Time to get to work then. Nexus approached some of the papers on the table.

...Fool director...sealed her power.

...The Grey family line must be observed. ...Great potential for powerful mutant off spring.

...Possible altercation and interference needed to help things along.

...Summers displayed great potential for energy source.

Hmm. There were clearly some documents missing, but for Nexus that was as good a confirmation as any. Sinister wanted Scott and Jean to make a baby. Possibly to have some one without psionic powers and infinite energy. Only question now was, for what? Well... he could always rip out the answers when he hunted him down.

...Trauma unforeseen. Compulsion on Jean not advisable...

Nexus narrowed his eyes behind his mask. That was the only document on this. One paper. Maybe Mr.Sinister did not write more or he took the rest with him and forgot this one.

So Scott was definitely under compulsion then. His close proximity to Essex in an isolated environment like a therapy room, must have been a boon for Mr.Sinister. And while it was not exactly a confirmation, Nexus could reasonable conclude with certainty that it was Sinister that messed with the Greys minds.

So far he seemed to have hit the nail with every one of his assumptions and reasonable deductions.

Still, Nexus continued to search and then search some more. He waded through the few documents on the table and yet he could not find any mention or assumption that Jean was host to something.

Either Sinister took those documents with him or he didn't know. So it was never about what was possibly inside of Jean, but more about her psionic abilities.

Nexus turned to look at Jean who was sleeping on the medical bed.

He was now certainly more knowledgeable then before. But there remained yet one more mystery.

Nexus crossed his arms and began tapping his bicep.

So, Sinister did not suspect that there was something inside Jean. Which meant he was going in completely blind.

Hmmmmm.

Wouldn't be the first time he went somewhere blind. At least this time he had powers to afford relying on luck as little as possible.

Nexus walked a few steps and sat on the chair near Jean. He needed to be careful when investigating. Just because she was unconscious did not mean she would stay unconscious if he messed too much with her head. It was a delicate matter.

Nexus closed his eyes and focused on gently entering her mind while continuing to watch out with his energy strings, just in case someone attacked them.

He looked for quiet a while, slowly making his way trough her mind. He left her memories mostly alone, not wanting or needing to invade her privacy. He only checked on the night of her abduction to see if she was at all aware of what happened or if she was caught completely unaware. It seems she was caught completely unaware while she was sleeping.

Nexus gave a mental sigh. He hoped the others did not make her mistake and took his first lesson to heart about being constantly on guard. But who was he kidding? Nexus remembered being young himself.

No matter, he will make the lesson stick next time.

He did spot Jean in her unconsciousness at some point during his investigation.

But aside fro that, it seems that there was nothing else here. That did not make him conclude his investigation however, since he still had one more place to investigate.

Nexus turned in one direction in the mindscape and began walking. It did not take long till he arrive at the barriers that held back most of Jeans power.

The question now was, how to move past them?

He could undo them, but from what he knew from Xaviers memories, he also sealed her memories of the incident behind this barrier. He could undo the barrier, but that could trigger a violent reaction as Jean (who was never given the chance to process her trauma) could have a violent reaction.

Ans since she was the more powerful telepath between the two of them, she could possibly harm him.

But if he snuck past the barrier and left it intact then he could be possibly trapped with whatever Jean hosted in her mind. And if he needed to flee then he probably had to destroy the barriers anyway, which brought him back to his previous point.

Either way he did not want to harm Jean or fight in her mindscape a possibly hostile entity.

Should he take the risk? Or should he retreat and help Jean confront her trauma? The latter would probably weaken her barriers a little. But then when would he have the opportunity to look into her mind again?

Hmm. Although... maybe she was not host to anything at all. If she was a host and that entity had agency and was the one that boosted her powers making her more powerful then Xavier, then the entity could have easily undone the barriers itself and established contact with Jean. Since it didn't, it probably meant that the entity had Jeans well being in mind.

Or maybe... she was no host to any entity at all. Maybe she was like him with his void aspect. Sure he hasn't managed to tap into it yet, but his powers were wholly his own. Maybe she was like him, just unaware about her powers since Xavier sealed most of them, in a moment of weakness and inexperience.

All assumptions sounded possible and reasonable.

Nexus clicked his tongue.

Should he take the gamble and the risk?

Damn it. He was always too curious for his own good sometimes.

Nexus gently touched the barrier and wiggled his mind through the barrier.

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Fire.

Fire as far as the eye could see.

Not destructive, but...warm. Inviting.

''I dream that we are a dear to each other. I keep waking to find that we are strangers.''

Nexus moved his attention to the place the voice originated from.

There.

He could barely see it. Among the countless flames, barely the shape of a figure could be made out.

No. That was inaccurate. The figure was getting more pronounced.

For now, he ignored the sentence that was said and questions that it arose in him.

''Hello, there. I come in peace. I merely wished to investigate to assure myself of Jeans well being,'' Nexus told the being politely.

''That is not the complete truth. You have always been too curious for your own good, sometimes. Or reckless. Many don't see it or mistake it for courage. You have no fear of death. It is as if you seek it sometimes,'' the being wistfully said.

By now, Nexus could make a shape out more clearly. It was a flaming majestic bird towering over him. Was it feminine? It certainly sounded feminine.

Nexus had even more questions now, but he could feel it's/ her power. Priorities. Dialogue. Establishing a peaceful relationship.

''I surmise then, that you and Jean are two different entities. May I know your name? My name is Nexus,'' Nexus introduced himself. She wasn't exactly right in her assumption, but neither was she wrong. Did she meet many of his variants? She sounded as if she knew him, maybe even knew his real name.

The figure was silent for a while.

''I waited for a LONG time,'' the voice took on a desperate tremble, before becoming firmer and more demanding.

''I won't wait anymore,'' she declared. Nexus...did not like her voice. It sounded sinister, but for a moment.

The bird shrunk just a little and floated down towards him. Now she was only twice the size of his body. Nexus tensed when she approached him, but he did not retaliate not wanting to risk an fight in Jeans mind. Certainly he won't be the one starting one.

The bird gently used her wings to hug Nexus and pulled him towards her, she forced his head to rest on her chest.

''You don't know me yet. But you will. For now a name will do. I am Phoenix. And you are my lovely Bell. How I missed you, my beloved,'' Phoenix revealed with passionate fervor.

Nexus stiffened in her embrace. She ignored his theatrics as she nuzzled her head behind his neck.

What?

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...

What the Fuck?!

(A.N.: 5508 words. I know. I know. The shortest chapter I have written in quiet a while, but that is just because the rest does not thematically fit with this chapter, soooo yeah a bit of a cliffhanger there.

I will also write for the first time in the 1st POV so that is also a reason it won't fit with this chapter.

One other thing. I feel it has become a little confusing who is the more powerful telepath and so on. I feel that I have left enough clues behind without outright stating it, but I will do it here, just in case it got too confusing or I have failed to provide sufficient clues.

-Xavier

-Mr.Sininster

-Jean; 'Jean'

-Nexus/Bell

-Jean with The Phoenix/The Phoenix.

So, yeah. Sorry for such a short chapter. BUT still more then 5k words, just as I have said. Hope you enjoyed reading it anyway, even if it was so short. Cheers.)

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