A/N: To my HP fans, yes new chapters on those are in the works. This is a story that just won't leave me alone. To readers who have read The Mate of the Phoenix, yes, this is the sequel. Be warned, updates may be slow as I Work on the HP stuff and finish my research and notes for this (which I have 24 of 32 written out). You don't have to read Mate to understand this one, but it might help. As always, thanks for the R/Rs.
Chapter 1: Jean's Nightmares
The world seemed fuzzy as eyes blinked against the bright lights. Everything seemed to be covered in a haze. Eyes opened again, only to see the world distorted through some kind of water. A tank. Some kind of tank in some kind of brightly lit lab. There were robotic arms with long sharp needles on the ends, each pointed at a downward angle. They were all the way around the edges of the tank. Sudden realization struck, then fear! Syringes! They were connected to some kind of tubing. The tubes were attached to a tank with a glass window. In each tank was a greyish-silvery semi-fluid substance that was bubbling. Suddenly, it became clear! It was some kind of molten metal! The water distorted voice of someone telling another to begin. The arms moved! The needles moved closer! Fear! Terror! Thrashing! Trapped! Restrained! Unable to move! Arms, legs, head, body held by something constricting! The needles moved ever closer! Contact! Pain! Each needle piercing skin. One above the forehead moved last. Eyes widened with horror! Closer, closer, it came! Pain seared through each stab of the needles, all the way to bone!
Jean Grey screamed, sitting up quickly. She was drenched in cold sweat. Her red hair was sticking to her face in complete disarray. Her nightdress clung to her clammy skin. Her breathing was heavy and erratic. She moved her hands over her body quickly, checking for needle holes. Finding none, she tried to slow her breathing. Just a dream! But it seemed so real! Jean thought to herself, unsure that it was just a dream. Heaving an uneven deep breath, Jean flopped back down on her pillows. She rubbed her face and eyes with her shaking hands, staring up at the ceiling. Luckily, none of the boys or Lorna had heard her scream or they would have come running into her room by now. She was also glad the Professor hadn't sensed her distress or he would have been talking to her mentally. She sighed in relief that she really didn't feel. Jean closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves enough to fall back to sleep. With one more deep breath, she drifted off again into an unnatural sleep.
Someone was roaring in pain. Eyes opened, only to see the world covered in a red tint. Soldiers with guns were running closer, firing their guns wildly. Pain! Bullets struck flesh! Anger! Rage! Suddenly, long, silver blades swiped and slashed as more bullets struck flesh. It only enraged the body more. Lunging into the middle of six more soldiers, the blades seemed to seek out the flesh on each one. Ripping! Tearing! Slashing! Slicing! KILLING! KILL! KILL! KILL THEM ALL! THREAT! HURT! PAIN! KILL THREAT!
Some kind of shock struck from behind. Fading. Black around the edge of sight. Turning to face the new threat. Army uniform. High ranking officer holding some kind of weapon. The shock happened again as he pulled a trigger. Lunge! Kill him! Enemy! Tormentor! Kill him! Shock! Pain! … Blackness…
Jean sat up again, panting heavily. No more sleep tonight! Jean told herself shaking her head. She gulped for air, trying to catch her breath. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. Four in the morning. Jean sighed, getting up. She needed a shower. Jean threw her sweat-soaked nightclothes in her hamper. She gathered her change of clothes and towel with shaking hands. Only then realizing how shaky her legs were as she walked unsteadily into her bathroom.
Jean stood under the hot spray, trying to get the images out of her head to no avail. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the scenes unfold again and again. She absently rubbed her left arm were her unusual birthmark was burning. Jean could still feel the pain of the needles piercing skin. The burning on her bones as the tanks pushed the molten metal under the skin, under the muscle. Jean shook her head. Sighing, she closed her eyes again as she looked up into the showerhead, letting the water run over her face. More images came. The tearing of flesh as bullets struck. The pain of being shot. The pain of the electric shock to the back.
Jean leaned back, her eyes flying open again. She stood panting for breath for a long minute. Soon, Jean's emotions took over. She leaned back in the shower stall, sliding down the wall to the floor. It started with just a whimper, but soon devolved into a full-blown sob. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, pulling her knees close, as she wept for a long time. Before she realized it, the water was ice cold. Finally, she pulled herself back together enough to stand, washing her face quickly. Shivering, she shut the shower off quickly before gingerly stepping out. Jean wasn't sure if these were dreams anymore. They felt too real to be dreams. She knew it wasn't her that was in that lab, but she felt connected to whoever it was. That alone worried her greatly.
Jean swallowed hard as she dressed in her uniform. She glanced at the clock, seeing it was quarter after seven. She was late! Jean slipped on her boots and ran for the door. Late or not, she needed to talk with the Professor about this. Something was going on and she was not going to get much sleep if those kinds of nightmares persisted!
XMXMXM
Jean knocked on the office door, waiting for the Professor to answer. Her thoughts were still chaotic. Images of the nightmares flashed before her eyes every time she blinked. The burning in her left arm was getting stronger. It was getting harder to ignore it. Finally, the Professor called for her to enter.
"Jean," Professor Charles Xavier greeted her with an unusually stern look and tone. "Why are you here and not in training with the others?"
"I…I had some," Jean paused as she sat down before her legs gave out. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, leaning forward. She stared at the floor, not wanting to look at the Professor. She knew with her strong emotions, he could already sense something was wrong. "I had…two…very vivid…dreams…nightmares last night."
"I can see they are bothering you, Jean," the Professor nodded. "I know it will be hard for you, but may I?"
"Yes, Professor," Jean swallowed, knowing it would easier for him to read her mind than verbalize them.
"Try to relax," he told her.
Xavier extended his mind to her, letting his gentle mental probe reassure her. Jean focused on the images that were still haunting her. They came rushing through her mind, into the psi-link with Xavier. His body recoiled visibly as the images struck him. He felt the connection between this unknown mutant and Jean. He also sensed a great power waiting for them, just out of reach, just out of sight. When he pulled his mind back, Jean was shaking, holding herself around her stomach tighter, still staring at the floor. Xavier slumped back in his wheelchair.
"My word," he breathed. "Experimentation on mutants is not unheard of, but…to this extent…"
"Were they just…just…" Jean trailed off. She couldn't finish her question. To her, to finish the question would make it all real.
"No, I don't believe they were just nightmares," Xavier told her sadly. Jean choked back a sob. That was not what she wanted to hear. "They were not centered in your subconscious as dreams would be. These were centered…for lack of a better term…in your telepathy. I'm afraid, with the connection you felt, and still feel, to this other mutant, that they were very much real."
"We have to help him!" Jean's head shot up. Her look was desperate, her need to help this mystery man was overwhelming. Xavier looked at her in surprise at her outburst. "Sorry, sir, I just…"
"It's alright, Jean," he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will help him and anyone else there."
"Thank you, Professor," swallowed Jean.
"Why don't you go lay down. I will let Scott know that you aren't feeling well," Xavier smiled. "Then I'll use Cerebro to find this mutant who needs our help."
"Thank you, Professor," Jean told him as she stood and slowly made her way to the door.
XMXMXM
Jean entered her room, tossing her mask on the nightstand with her gloves. She tiredly pulled off her boots. She laid down on top of her unmade sheets to try to get some more sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. The images still flashed in her mind every time she closed her eyes. Jean fought the tears for a few minutes, but then realized they were going to come no matter what she did. Her fear and…worry…for this unknown mutant scared her. Jean finally had to admit to herself that she was worried as the tears began to fall again. She hugged one of her pillows as she wept for him and his pain yet again. Soon exhaustion finally took over, and Jean fell into a fitful sleep.
'X-Men! Report to the briefing room, immediately! We have a mission,' the Professor telepathically called. Jean sat up quickly. 'Jean, I've found him and others.'
'I'm on my way, Professor!' Jean sent back. She pulled her boots on quickly, glancing at the clock. It was after three in the afternoon. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. She quickly ran to her bathroom, splashing a little water on her face before grabbing her mask and gloves. Jean pulled them on as she hurried to the briefing room.
As Jean entered the room, she frowned slightly for some reason, seeing that the only seat was between her boyfriend, Scott, and Bobby. It was her usual seat, but for some reason, she didn't want to sit beside her boyfriend. Although they had been together for almost three years, at eighteen Jean was still not certain if Scott was the one for her. Now, thinking about this mysterious connection she felt to this new mutant, everything about her relationship with Scott became even more complicated. Sighing quietly, she took her seat as the Professor turned his wheelchair around.
"You okay?" Scott asked quietly looking at her worriedly.
"Yeah," Jean answered distractedly. Scott frowned, not really believing her, but turned to the Alex.
"You sure?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Scott," Jean frowned at him.
Lorna gave her a strange look, but Jean just shook her head. Lorna frowned but turned her attention back to the Professor as well. Scott saw the exchange but thought it was just a girl thing. Jean caught his thoughts as he turned to face the Professor, and Jean narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. Scott could really be a jerk at times, which was just adding to her confused feelings at the moment.
"I have detected several new mutants," the Professor began. "However, this mission will be more than a little delicate and troubling as well as dangerous."
"Why is that, sir," Scott asked.
"For one thing, Cyclops, they are in a secret military installation on foreign soil," Xavier sighed. "Secondly, these mutants have been experimented on to the point of torture. We really don't know what their state of mind might be."
Lorna gasped, covering her mouth. Alex let out a low whistle with a shake of his head. Warren slapped the table looking angry. Bobby sat frozen in shock. Scott looked angry, but Jean could tell there was something under the surface that he didn't want the others to know about. Lorna looked back at with concern at Jean when she heard her swallow hard. Jean knew she was close to tears again, but waved Lorna's concerned look away. Her mind replayed all of the images from the night before in a flood of emotions that Jean barely kept in check. The Professor looked at Jean, asking her silent permission to disclose to the others some of their earlier discussion. Jean nodded with a deep breath, trusting the Professor not to reveal too much.
"I discovered this because Jean's telepathy is growing again," he told the others.
"Sorry. I thought it was something else," Scott admitted as he turned to her with a sympathetic look. Jean gave him a small smile, but as he turned back around, she gave him a frown with narrowed eyes. She didn't want his sympathy. Understanding, maybe, but not sympathy.
"Jean had…some flashes of things last night. They upset her quite a bit, hence why she wasn't in training today."
'You alright?' Lorna asked her mentally.
'Yes and no. It's hard to explain,' Jean replied to her making eye contact. Lorna nodded at her slightly in understanding.
'I'm here if you wanna talk about it,' Lorna told her. Jean nodded, thankful for having another female on the team finally.
"Now, I have loaded the coordinates into the Blackbird," Xavier continued. "Make no mistake, this is a search and rescue mission, first and foremost. Glean what you can from their records and data, but that is secondary. When you have them free, destroy the base. We cannot allow this type of thing to happen or to continue. If it does, I fear we will forever be classified as no better than sub-human for many years to come.
"Good luck, my X-Men!"