[2009 – October]
Exerting force through my mind, the ethereal barrier that already enveloped the unconscious boy and had forced him into a deep dreamless sleep caused him to levitate in the air before me.
Reaching out with my left hand, I lightly tapped on the boy's head, sealing not only his mutant power through an unbreakable ethereal shield but also part of his memories, especially those about me.
He would not remember his experiences in the laboratory, nor that he had ever possessed the ability to nullify the gifts of other mutants. He wouldn't even remember being called 'Leech'.
From this moment on, he would be Jimmy.
Still, I didn't just take away his gift, I also imparted him with part of my strength, granting him invulnerability through the ethereal shield that sealed his power. It would protect him from 'harm', no matter the kind.
I did this in an attempt to balance out the karma that I had now created between myself and the small boy. I also hoped that he would still be able to find his own path eventually, even if did not intend to ever interfere with it again.
In the end, his ability to cancel the powers of others had turned into him being invulnerable to other mutant abilities. And I didn't give him strength or speed, just the ability to protect himself.
What he would do with this gift, I did not know. Fate was already a convoluted concept as it stood, so I did not waste time speculating about this child's future.
My thoughts shifted as I mentally sent Jimmy to his destination, the space around him fluctuating violently as the ethereal barrier exerted force on it and the boy vanished from my sight.
Sighing quietly, I knew that this was only the first and easiest part of what I had planned.
Forcing open a gateway into the Darkforce Dimension, I disappeared with a burst of darkness before reappearing in the upper atmosphere a moment later. I stood in the air, the terrifying cold of this height unable to affect me as I gazed down at Earth.
Raising my right hand, I summoned an invisible shield, my eyes turning into deep pools of pure darkness, a terrifying demonic aura rippling around my form as I drew on the strength of the Darkforce Dimension without hesitation.
My thoughts moved as I imprinted my intent into the ethereal shield in my palm, the force of my will and presence nearly shattering the space around me due to their intensity.
"[Erasure].", I ordered calmly and turned my palm forwards.
My mental strength poured forth like a raging tsunami as the invisible and incorporeal shield in my palm grew to a celestial size and washed over Earth without hesitation.
And from one moment to another, 'Leech' stopped existing.
…
Dr. Kavita Rao was proud of what she had achieved as a woman in the scientific community.
It had not been easier, of course, but the endless hours that she had put into her work while neglecting her personal life had still been worth it from her perspective.
Still, in her eyes, being one of the greatest minds in the field of genetics and medicine was not only an honor but also a heavy responsibility.
Due to this she was determined to synthesize the 'vaccine' and 'cure mutantkind', which she firmly believed would be a meritorious service to all of mankind. Though it was Leech's existence that turned this seemingly impossible task into a goal that could truly be met.
Nevertheless, she also knew that it would be her glory once the 'vaccine' had been completed.
Her reputation in her field would be second to none and she undoubtedly would not have to worry about any future funding ever again as soon as she succeeded, which filled her with even greater fervor for her work.
Walking towards the small room in which Leech resided since it was time to draw some more blood, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as the light in her dimmed, confusion filling her mind.
" … Where was I going?", Rao couldn't help but question herself, her carefully manicured brows furrowing.
Taking up her tablet, she unhesitatingly opened a personal file with a schedule since she had a habit of planning the tasks of the day beforehand, doing so every morning. It was exactly this strict and organized manner in which she worked that had led her to excellence.
" 3.30 pm: Draw more blood samples from test subject ' ' … ", she read out loud, muttering under her breath as an appalled look appeared in her eyes, "W-what is test subject ' ' … ?"
Becoming a bit frantic as she could not even recall having written that note, nor would she ever be unspecific enough to leave out the subject's name for an obvious placeholder like ' '.
She quickly tried to search the subject files for the one that she accessed most often but the only result was the file of an imprisoned mutant that she had only come into contact with once.
In fact, there were no other subject files besides those prisoners in the small databank of the tablet.
Shivers ran through her form as a chill crawled up her spine, Rao recalled that the origin of the project that she had been working on for over a year now was a very special mutant, but she suddenly failed to remember any details about this mutant, which made inexplicable fear rise in her heart.
She didn't even know the mutant's name, nor could she recall his or her looks!
Unspeakable terror gripped her heart as she ran back to her lab to search for any documentation that might give her the answers that had seemingly vanished from her mind.
But it was a fruitless attempt as she found nothing on the secure servers while even her assistants could not remember any details about this test subject. Even worse, all the stored samples of blood were empty while the labels on the vials were blank as if something had erased proof of his very existence.
With a blank look in her eyes, Rao sat numbly in her office chair, knowing that all her research had turned to smoke and ashes without any rhyme or reason, while uncontrollable fear burrowed deeper and deeper into her heart.
…
Deep in thought about the coming conflict between his old friend and himself, which seemed inevitable given the stark difference between their ideals, Charles pondered the best course of action.
He knew that he could not let Eric find the boy called 'Lee- …
He could not let Eric find the nameless child as he clearly planned to eliminate it to protect mutantkind from its ability, which he saw as a source of disaster.
As such, Charles was inclined to inform his contacts in Washington about Eric's intentions since that was the only hope to find the child before his old friend did.
He naturally planned to try and convince Emme to use her considerable resources and connection for the same purpose but even Charles could not guess the intentions of his former student and how she might act in this case.
Emma might not have Eric's unbelievable strength but she was without a doubt more dangerous than him, given her far-reaching connections and terrifying hidden schemes. With the addition of her younger brother's protection, even Charles was fearful of what she might have planned.
Sighing quietly, he knew that the current 'peace' would soon be broken and what awaited them was a storm that might doom them all.
Suddenly a soft knock reached his ears, which led him to turn towards the open doors of his reading room, in which he regularly taught the children under his care.
"Professor?", Ororo asked with open concern, having appeared before him.
"I'm fine, Ororo.", Charles voiced out with a light smile and a wave of his hand in an attempt to banish her worries while focusing on the present again, "Is there something you need from me?"
A hesitant look in her eyes, his student, fortunately, decided to let the matter of her worries rest as she nodded and parted her lips, a light frown on her otherwise flawless face: "Logan found a boy near the woods of the school grounds. He is currently still unconscious and Hank is already taking care of him."
"A boy?", Charles asked in surprise, not understanding how a child could have intruded on the school grounds without being found out by the security system that Hank had personally developed and set up.
"Yes.", Ororo confirmed with a doubtful look as she added, "There was a black metal bracelet around his wrist with an inscription that read 'Jimmy'. It might be his name."