Professor Xavier placed his hands gently on Jean's forehead and his mind carefully slipping into hers. Previously, a powerful barrier had blocked him from entering her subconscious, but now, there was an opening—one he couldn't ignore.
What he saw inside shook him. Fragnts of mories, so buried deep, others distorted. And then, sothing even more shocking.
He pulled back and his eyes widening slightly as he exited her mind.
Scott who had been pacing near Jean's bed, imdiately turned to him. "Professor, what's happening to her? Is she okay?"
Xavier let out a heavy sigh, the weight of knowledge pressing down on him. Before he could answer, Hank McCoy entered the d bay. "Charles, I ca as soon as I finished with helping the students who lost consciousness. What's going on?" Hank asked with concern.
Xavier took a deep breath and turned to him. "Hank, I need you to conduct a full dical examination on Jean."
Hank nodded and imdiately getting to work. anwhile, Ororo Munroe entered the room.
Xavier looked at her. "Ororo, please close the door. What I'm about to tell you must remain between us."
She hesitated but did as he asked, locking the door behind her.
Scott narrowed his eyes. "What's this about, Professor?"
Xavier's expression was grim. "What I'm about to tell you is sothing that only three people in the world have known until now."
Ororo and Hank exchanged a look of confusion, but Scott's face darkened as if he had an idea that this conversation will be important.
"Do you all rember how Jean lost control of her powers when she was young?" Xavier asked.
They nodded, though Scott remained silent.
Xavier continued, "And how, later she flew into space, absorbing a powerful cosmic force, and to protect us all from annihilation, she flew back to space to release that cosmic power?"
Scott's jaw tightened. "Professor... where are you going with this?"
Xavier hesitated before speaking the words that would change everything. "The Jean Grey we knew died that day."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Scott clenched his fists. "That's a lie."
"I wish it were," Xavier said somberly. "But it's the truth."
Hank adjusted his glasses, "Charles, if Jean died that day... then who have we been with all these years?"
Xavier exhaled deeply. "The Jean you know... is a clone."
Ororo took a step back and her eyes widened. "That's impossible."
Scott's breathing beca erratic. "No. No, that can't be. I—" He looked at Jean who is lying unconscious in the bed. "I've been with her. She's Jean. She has to be."
Xavier continued with his voice firm but sympathetic. "This Jean was recreated through an experint... a project ant to clone and manipulate mutant DNA. When she erged, I altered the mories of those closest to her—including you, Scott—so that she could live a normal life, free from the burden of what had happened."
Ororo was the first to regain her composure. "And you're telling us this now? Why?"
Xavier's face was grim. "Because the real Jean Grey is returning. That's what her ssage ant. The true Phoenix is about to awaken, and the host is about to reveal herself."
Scott shook his head violently. "No. This is wrong. Jean is right here. She's real. I love her. It can't be. She's—" His voice cracked as doubt began to creep in.
Ororo turned to him, "Scott... I know this is very difficult for you but you need to think this very carefully, do you love her for who she is? Or do you love her because she's Jean?"
Scott swallowed hard and his thoughts spiraling. He wanted to say that it didn't matter, that clone or not, she was still the woman he loved. But deep down, sothing inside him wavered. If this Jean wasn't truly Jean Grey, then what did that an for their relationship? For everything they had shared?
Had he been in love with Jean... or just the idea of her?
Hank was equally unsettled. "Jean deserves to know the truth," he said. "She has a right to it."
Xavier nodded solemnly. "She does. And she will."
The air in the room grew heavier as the weight of the revelation settled over them.
Scott stood, his fists clenched. "And what if the original Jean doesn't like sharing her life with a clone? What if she tries to... take over?"
Charles's expression was grim. "That's a possibility we'll have to prepare for. But for now, we need to focus on protecting this Jean. She's one of us, and we won't abandon her."
The others nodded, though the tension in the room was palpable.
Scott finally spoke, "So... what happens now?"
Xavier looked at Jean, his expression unreadable. "Now, we prepare. Because the Phoenix is coming."
Scott remained standing there long after the conversation had ended and his thoughts are tangled.
If the real Jean Grey was returning... then who had he been loving all this ti?
.....
A few days had passed since the shocking revelation about Jean, and while life at the mansion seed to return to normal, Ethan could tell that not everyone had truly moved on.
During their training session, Storm seed distracted, her usual sharpness dulled by whatever thoughts plagued her mind. Her movents were slower, her reactions delayed—sothing uncharacteristic of her. Ethan noticed it imdiately but chose not to address it just yet. Instead, she assigned him a sparring match with Colossus, known by his real na, Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin.
anwhile, Logan was busy training Anna in other danger room, making sure she could properly handle the abilities she had absorbed from him.
Now, standing in the training arena, Ethan faced Piotr, who was fully armored in his organic steel form, his towering presence even more imposing up close.
"Alright, Ethan," Piotr said with a slight smirk. "Let's see if you can handle a real fight."
Ethan cracked his knuckles. "You're gonna have to hit first."
Without warning, Colossus lunged forward, throwing a massive punch aid straight at Ethan's gut.
Instead of dodging, Ethan planted his feet and let the punch land squarely against his chest. The impact sent a shockwave through the room.
Piotr wasn't just strong—he was trained. Unlike most powerhouses who relied on brute force, he had skill and technique behind every move.
Ethan's bones reinforced themselves, his skin hardened, and his strength is already close to Piotr but now surged to match his.
Piotr raised an eyebrow. "You're still standing?"
Ethan exhaled, "Not bad. My turn."
He ducked under Piotr's next strike, countering with a powerful right hook to his ribs. Piotr staggered slightly and his eyes widening in surprise.
Ethan grinned. 'Good.'
He charged forward, weaving between Piotr's heavy swings. At first, the sheer difference in their strength was noticeable—Colossus slightly outclassed him physically. But then, Ethan's adaptation kicked in. With every exchange, his movents beca sharper, his blows heavier.
He countered a punch by driving his knee into Piotr's stomach, making the giant stumble back. Then, in one swift motion, he wrapped an arm around Piotr's torso, lifted him off the ground, and slamd him down with enough force to shake the entire floor.
Piotr grunted as he hit the floor, montarily stunned.
Storm, who had been watching the match with her arms crossed, snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Ethan dominating Colossus. But sothing still weighed on her mind—Professor Xavier's decision to erase their mories about Jean.
Did he really need to do that? she wondered.
Back in the fight, Piotr tried to get up, but Ethan wasn't about to give him a chance. He clenched his fist, and without thinking, a surge of electricity crackled to life around it.
Lightning danced across his fingers, and with one final punch to Piotr's chest, Ethan sent him flying back across the training ground. The sound of thunder echoed through the room as Colossus crashed into the far wall.
Silence filled the space.
Storm's eyes widened as she saw the residual electricity crackling over Ethan's skin. She quickly approached him.
"What was that?" she asked.
Ethan looked down at his hands, the lightning still arcing between his fingers. He hadn't even realized what he'd done. But then, sothing clicked.
Evolution absorption.
He rembered one of his abilities—his body, when exposed to another power long enough, could adapt and develop similar traits.
Storm narrowed her eyes. "You... gained new powers?"
Ethan scratched the back of his head. "I think so?"
Storm looked over at Colossus, who was slowly getting up and shaking off the impact. She turned back to Ethan. "We need to test this."
Colossus, despite his defeat, chuckled and gave Ethan a nod. "You fight well, my friend. We must do this again soti."
Ethan grinned. "Looking forward to it, big guy."
With that, Colossus waved and left the training room, leaving Ethan alone with Storm.
She crossed her arms. "Alright. Show what you can do."
Ethan took a deep breath and focused. Imdiately, his eyes began to glow white—just like Storm's when she wielded her full power. Dark clouds gathered above, lightning crackling in the air as he effortlessly summoned a storm around himself.
Storm's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You've mastered this fast." Then narrowed her eyes, "It seems to be similar to my own power."
"I too think so, and I can feel my body, mind, and soul adapting to it," Ethan said while floating slightly off the ground as static energy surged through him. "It's like... I've always had this power, but now I can control it."
Storm wasn't fully convinced yet. "Then let's put it to the test."
She activated the Danger Room's simulation. Within seconds, the environnt shifted, and thirty towering Sentinel models erged from the floor with their robotic eyes glowing ominously.
Ethan smirked as he hovered higher with lightning coiling around him. "This... is gonna be fun."
Storm stepped back, watching as Ethan unleashed his power. A bolt of lightning struck one of the Sentinels, frying its circuits instantly. The other machines opened fire, but the wind around Ethan intensified, forming a barrier that deflected their attacks.
With a flick of his wrist, dark clouds filled the room, obscuring visibility for the Sentinels. Ethan flew through the storm, dodging lasers and retaliating with bolts of electricity that shattered their tallic fras.
He was faster. Stronger. The storm itself responded to his will.
Storm watched in awe. "I think he didn't get new powers... he's evolving his own powers. But why is his new power similar to my own."
As Ethan tore through the last of the Sentinels, he landed on the ground, his body still crackling with energy. He took a deep breath, letting the storm dissipate.
He turned to Storm. "So... how'd I do?"
Storm smirked. "Not bad. But let's see how well you do against next."
"Bring it on."
....
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