The Farmer and The Shepherd

Posted on Fri Apr 11th, 2025 @ 5:12pm by Charles Xavier & Jean Grey

6,479 words; about a 32 minute read

Mission: Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: Bronx Veterans Hospital
Timeline: December 16th, 1990

“I swear you picked the biggest, nicest car you own for this trip…” Jean murmured to the Professor as she sat up straight to peer over the nose of Xavier’s 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur LWB before cautiously merging into the gridlocked traffic that welcomed them into the city limits of New York City. “…Just to stress me out enough to take my mind off of everything that’s happened lately.”

Professor Xavier smirked at Jean’s mumbling. “I believe the owner’s manual classifies it as a ‘road boat’.” His mirth wasn’t enough to chuckle but it was present. The steering wheel was big enough in her small hands that it brought to mind the massive wheels which helmed the Age of Sail. That mental image was amusing enough that he shared it with Jean, though not before she had merged safely.

~It could always be worse~ Although Xavier’s face hid his chuckle, his inner muse could not.

~* ‘Bobby could be offkey singing along to the radio in the backseat.’ *~ Jean joined in with a slight chuckle. She hadn’t been laughing much as of late and it felt good to be happy at least for a moment.

~* ‘I know there are several reasons why you asked me to join you on this trip today but I do appreciate getting out of the house for a bit.’ *~ Thoughts and feelings flowed so freely between Jean and Xavier that she had always been able to tell him so much without having to say anything at all.

Together, Scott and Jean had mourned the loss of a child all while facing the personal demons that had reared their ugly heads during the events at Muir and Genosha. But they had slain them together, like the partners they were, and now Xavier could feel that desire to move forward inside of Jean.

~* ‘It’s time.’ *~ Was all she said and Xavier got a glimpse into the future Jean was trying to build with Scott.

The declaration gave Xavier pause while he considered his own response. He could withhold his impression and opinion from Jean if he so chose, but she wanted to know them.

~I would ask if you were certain~ Xavier led with conventional wisdom before giving way to his inner burst of joy. ~But that would be a question to which I already know the answer~

Xavier opened his heart and let his feelings flow in a private celebration between just the two of them. ~Present circumstances are not how I imagined, but that is nevertheless what I always wanted for the two of you~

~* ‘I don’t know what the future holds for us but I’m hopeful.’ *~ Jean couldn’t help but smile from their shared feelings and the excitement they carried. ~* ‘I have a doctor’s appointment in a few days and if everything checks out…’ *~ She didn’t finish the sentence but Xavier felt that want inside of Jean, to carry and love a child, to create a family with Scott, to become a mother.

~* ‘As with everything between Scott and I, it takes tragedy to push us forward and take that next step.’ *~ Jean laughed a little at herself and the way milestones occurred in her life. ~* ‘We’re both ready and the timing is right. X-Factor is growing but so is the help we’re receiving. I don’t think we’ll ever completely stop wearing the uniform but we definitely have a lot more freedom in our lives that we can afford to do this for ourselves.’ *~

Jean looked down at her hands on the large steering wheel, her hands firmly placed at ten and two. The green diamond on her left ring finger caught the winter sun and gleamed in it. The sight made her heart swell with such radiant love and she felt gratitude for all the good things in her life. But there was one person to give credit to, the man sitting next to her who had saved her and healed her, who had given her the strength to then save herself and others. ~* ‘Thank you, Charles, for everything you’ve done for me and given me.’ *~

Such gratitude and honor made Charles feel humbled. He let out a sigh that carried with it the meekness that always accompanied his talks with his students.

~I merely showed you the way, Jean~ His thoughts turned directly to the Graymalkin family heirloom that she wore on her finger. ~Everything you have been given? It was earned. Every bit of it~

The Professor began to grow emotional and wiped his eyes dry. ~If I had the honor of facilitating you getting the happiness you deserve, then it was my genuine pleasure to do so~

Even though Jean’s hands remained on the wheel as she drove, Xavier felt her embrace. A telepathic touch that was best described as a hug. She loved the Professor like a father and in these quiet moments together they connected like the self-made family they were.

Speaking of getting just desserts, Xavier's thoughts turned towards their destination and the one who waited there. Dark memories flashed over the surface of his mind before he could snatch them and stuff them back down in the vault he kept them.

“Thank you for coming with me,” Charles said aloud. It was a sentiment he wished to express apart from the painful recollections which inspired it. “It's never been easy… seeing him.”

“I understand.” Jean transitioned to verbal communication along with him. Despite Xavier’s barriers and want for privacy Jean picked up on the stray thoughts and emotions that passed through him of a childhood that still hurt to remember. “I don’t think any of us are particularly fond of seeing Cain, he’s not a person I care for either but he’s still a person… so he requires our care.”

It wasn’t for Cain’s benefit they were going to see him, but Xavier still nodded in agreement. They could still offer compassion even if it wasn’t the main objective.

She paused for a moment in one of those moments of silence for contemplation that Xavier was so fond of. Jean always picked up on more than the Professor willingly shared but the fact that she was kind and selective with the information she gleaned was a true testament to her moral compass. “He’s not doing well since his separation from the gem, is he?”

“No, he is not,” Charles confirmed with a glum shake of his head. “Where medicine ends and mystical energies begin is a consideration well beyond the purview of my studies. There are forces at work in this universe that I simply do not understand. The circumstances surrounding my stepbrother’s metamorphosis into the Juggernaut is among them.” He sighed in conflicted feelings ranging from empathy to relief, which in turn spurred guilt at being glad in another’s suffering. “That the world has a blissful reprieve from his rampaging is a complex scenario for me, both morally and emotionally. I am not eager to see him in person.”

~Or to delve into his embittered psyche once again~ The thought came unbidden, flowing between their connection. As a fellow telepath, Jean was not one for sugarcoating. She knew the intricacies and dark corners of people’s minds nearly as well as Charles did himself. There was nothing to be gained by deflection or denial of what would be plain for her to see as the nose on his face.

~* ‘I will stay with you’ *~ Jean had her own directives once they entered the Juggernaut’s mind but she couldn’t deny the need to provide Xavier with moral support when facing such a personal adversary.

~* ‘You don’t have to be alone with him.’*~ She knew how Cain had incessantly bullied him in his mother’s family home. The relentless abuse turned the mansion into a prison at times. ~* ‘His darkness cannot hurt us, not when he’s a shell of man waiting to die.’ *~

Her words were harsh on the surface but they were a reminder to the compassion that Cain deserved. Without his connection to the gem, he was wasting away in a hospice bed. “After the wedding and our honeymoon I can keep checking in on him, at least on a weekly basis.”

Jean waited at the red light for her turn into the Bronx Veterans Hospital. The massive building served as a chapel, hospital, research center and nursing home. It was in the palliative care center of the nursing home that Xavier had placed Cain Marko, far away from the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that turned him into the Juggernaut.

“Is there anything else I should know before we head inside?” Jean asked as she used both hands to turn the oversized Rolls-Royce steering wheel into the parking garage.

Xavier’s gaze softened as they approached the VA hospital's entrance. The looming structure seemed to echo memories he couldn’t escape, as if each brick and pane bore witness to the brutal bond he shared with his stepbrother.

“Thank you, Jean," he said again, his tone hushed. "Your support in this is… deeply appreciated. And yes,” he continued, his fingers tracing the polished wood of his wheelchair’s armrest, “there is something you should know.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts, and glanced at her. “Cain is… complex. His rage, his pain—it’s as if they’ve been woven into his very soul. His connection to the Gem of Cyttorak has left him scarred in ways neither the mind nor the body can easily mend. Since losing that power, he has been lost… perhaps even more than we realize.”

Xavier looked away, his voice dropping to a murmur. “He’s a man at war, Jean, but not with any enemy we can face. This is a battle he’s waged alone—against himself, against the demons of his own past.”

He paused at the hospital doors, taking a deep breath. "In that bed, he is no longer the Juggernaut, no longer the impenetrable force that terrorized the world. He’s simply… Cain Marko. I fear what will happen when we find ourselves in his mind today. There’s a darkness there that neither of us can fully comprehend.”

They entered the hospital, the scent of antiseptics and faint sounds of medical equipment filling the air even in the reception area. “But, I also have hope,” he added with a small, sad smile. “Hope that maybe, within his broken spirit, there remains something that can reach beyond Cyttorak’s curse. A piece of him that still remembers what it was to be human, if only faintly.”

A nurse approached them as they entered, her face softening when she recognized Xavier. She was a familiar presence during his visits, her professionalism tempered with the compassion required in this ward.

"Dr. Xavier, Ms. Grey," she greeted them with a respectful nod. "Thank you for coming. I’ll take you to Cain Marko’s room."

They followed her through a long corridor bathed in soft, muted lighting and the assorted sounds of medical equipment in the background. The nurse’s voice dropped as they walked, as if to keep the unsettling news from echoing too far down the halls.

“There’s been no change, I’m afraid,” she said, glancing back at them. “Mr. Marko remains unresponsive. He shows signs of life, but… it’s more like he’s trapped. He doesn’t respond to stimuli, and even the typical involuntary responses are muted. I’d almost call it… hibernation, if that makes sense.”

Xavier nodded solemnly. “Yes, that… fits. Thank you for your care and vigilance.”

“Of course, Doctor,” she said kindly, before gesturing toward a door at the end of the hall. “He’s in here. I’ll leave you two alone, but if you need anything, just ring.”

As she slipped away, Xavier took a deep breath, his hand lightly brushing the wall beside him, feeling the solidness, the realness of it. There were moments like these when his confidence wavered, when he questioned what he was even doing there. If there was a possibility that Cain held a secret to unlocking Connor’s potential, though, then Charles would explore it.

With a glance toward Jean, who gave him a steadying nod, Xavier entered the room.

Cain lay motionless in the bed, his form almost unrecognizable from the towering figure that once stormed the mansion gates as the Juggernaut. His massive frame had shrunk, muscle wasting away to a shell of what it had been. IVs trailed into his arms, and his breathing was shallow and assisted by the tube down his throat and ventilator by his bed, his breath barely stirring the sheets draped over him.

Jean remained silent as she took in the sight of Cain, he was a ghost of a man now. A body that was wasting away as it waited for the mind to return. Dying was so much harder than death, even when viewing someone like the Juggernaut. She sat down in the chair next to Cain’s bed and patiently waited for the Professor to steady and ready himself for what they were about to do.

Xavier approached the bed, reaching out with both his hand and his mind. He placed a hand on Cain’s shoulder, feeling the cold, frail form beneath his touch.

“Hello, Cain,” he murmured softly. “It’s been some time, hasn’t it?”

There was no response, just as was expected.

“You never did care for my concern,” Charles went on to say. “It was as if my compassion only fueled the fire of your hatred. And there was a sordid satisfaction every time I bested you, as if you forcing my hand was the ultimate victory beyond any martial one.”

Despite the emotional confessions, Cain just laid there. Xavier steadied himself with another breath. “It’s time, Jean.”

Eyes closed and mind extended, Xavier reached out with his thoughts and found Jean easily. She was like sunshine cutting through the clouds, impossible to miss and eminently encouraging in her psychic presence. ~Prepare yourself. Descending into a comatose mind can be… jarring~

Jean nodded her head in agreement as she too shut her eyes and focused her mind on both Charles and Cain. Xavier was impossible to miss, his telepathic signature felt like the sky to Jean, vast and endless, his psyche had no boundaries.

Cain however was a pit of darkness, his mind lacked the conscious activity of a waking person and the subconscious mind that was present felt unnerving. It didn’t feel like peaceful sleep but rather a hopeless, deep well that was filled with shadows and bathed in dark crimson light.

~* ‘It is eerily still on the surface level.’ *~ Jean commented as they began to explore the more superficial layers of Cain’s mind. ~* ‘This is as far as I have ever been in his psyche and when he was the Juggernaut, even this space was filled with noise and rage.’ *~

~Believe me, it gets worse~

With each layer they moved through, Cain's mind revealed more of its haunting, buried memories. No longer fueled by anger and impulsivity, it now lay vacant but uneasy, holding them both in a stillness that felt more like containment than peace.

Xavier shaped the psychic landscape between them into the family mansion, its sprawling, shadowy hallways familiar yet distorted by years of trauma. They walked side-by-side through the front door into the echoing foyer, where distant memories loomed like shadows in the corners of every room.

“Welcome to a house of ghosts,” Xavier murmured, his voice low and steady, casting a brief glance at Jean. His tone was almost self-deprecating in recognition of the childhood torment that had left him haunted to this day.

They entered a memory without prompting. In the center of the room stood two boys: a young Charles, smaller but defiant, faced off against a looming, teenage Cain, who was clutching an object with taunting malice.

Cain dangled the microscope, an instrument that had once belonged to Charles' late father, just above Charles' head. A cruel smile twisted his young face as he held it high, relishing the hurt flickering across Charles’s expression.

“You want it back, Chuckles?” Cain sneered, his voice thick with disdain, leaning just enough to put the microscope out of reach. “Face it—even this thing can’t find a trace of your dead dad. Maybe I oughta’ just throw it in the trash right where you belong! Or I could bury it so your old man can have it back!”

The young Charles bristled, eyes flashing, fists clenched at his sides as he fought to keep his emotions at bay. Watching his own memory, present Xavier felt an old fire reignite—a righteous fury simmering beneath his usually composed exterior. For a brief moment, his astral form flickered, and flames licked the edges of his aura, a physical manifestation of anger that he fought to control. With a steadying breath, he reasserted himself, forcing the fire back and replacing it with a cool, steady resolve.

He turned to Jean. “Be on guard, Jean. His subconscious is already aware of our presence. He may be comatose, but he is far from passive. In a mind like Cain's, that awareness could turn hostile quickly. It’s like he’s trapped himself in a cycle of these memories.”

The memory wavered slightly, as though responding to his insight, and then distorted, pulling back like a rubber band stretched to the edge of tension. The young Cain sneered one last time before fading into shadow, his laughter still ringing faintly as the image dissolved.

Xavier straightened, recovering his composure. His mind is responding defensively as well. “We need to remain vigilant. These memories may be all that’s left of his conscious grasp on his twisted identity. This place is both his prison and his sanctuary.”

As they moved forward, the hall twisted, opening into a scene that seemed half memory, half constructed reality. Framed by shadows, Xavier and Jean could make out fragments of other moments—torn books, cracked mirrors, and a faint, oppressive presence echoing with a familiar taunt, “You can’t hide from me, Chuckles.”

Another vision of Xavier as a child filled the scene. This time he was dressed in black and crying by the fire, a copy of a funeral program in his hands. Charles was small and broken in this memory, his grief an ocean of sorrow that Jean still felt in present time.

“Little baby Chuckles misses his dead mommy.” The now massive Cain said with a laugh as he mocked Xavier’s tears. “Your mother was a whore who merely wanted to be fucked so my dad gave it to her like the pathetic slut she was.”

Cain reached out and grabbed Xavier by his collar and lifted him off the ground with ruthless strength. “You’re an orphan now, Chuckles, and since you can’t man up and face the facts, maybe we should just put you out of your misery like a dog.”

He began to laugh as Xavier thrashed and fought against Cain’s hold but it was no use. Cain was more than doubled in size compared to Charles and he stood no chance of fending him off.

“Or maybe I should just drown you like the mewing little kitten that you are.” Cain seemed to like that idea, it made his lips curl into a sinister smile. With heavy feet and meaty fists, Cain dragged Charles to the nearest bathroom.

This moment was already hard to watch, but the impending act of violence made Jean gasp in horror. She covered her open mouth with her hand as she attempted to silence herself, their reactions of anger and horror were exactly what Cain wanted to see.

The memory of Cain and Charles continued with Cain opening the lid of the toilet and forcing Xavier’s head into its waters. The young version of Charles fought and thrashed against the porcelain bowl, his feet slipping on the tile floor beneath him.

Cain merely laughed at the indignant distress that he caused Charles and only when his thrashing in the water began to slow and weaken did Cain dare to show a shred of self-preserving mercy. He pulled Charles out of the toilet bowl and dropped him on to the bathroom room floor leaving him to gasp and choke for much needed air.

Charles had been right, this was much harder to endure than she had anticipated. She wanted to cry and scream and fight for that broken child as he was subjected to such cruelty. Jean reached out for the Professor as torture in the memory reached is apex, while physical touch in astral form was different it still helped convey her feeling of solidarity with Xavier.

~* ‘Remember why we’re here.’ *~ Jean said to Charles but the reminder was more for herself than for him. ~* ‘This is the past and it is gone, it is not the present or the future.’ *~

Such deeply telepathic communication snapped Charles out of his flashback and returned him to the moment. He shook for a bit, even in his psychic projection within Cain’s mind, until he resolved to move forward.

The hallway twisted into a grim, unnatural darkness that led Xavier and Jean deeper, and the shadows thickened with each step. They emerged in a cold, crimson-lit cavern of the subconscious—a stark and hollow place, where reality and Cain’s psyche blended together with sinister clarity.

There they found, slouched on a jagged throne of bones and stone, an emaciated figure. The Juggernaut’s armor clung to his wasted frame, oversized and grotesque. His skull-like face bore no sign of the man he once was; it was as if he had transformed into a demonic avatar in flesh as well as in spirit. Empty eyes glinted with a cruel, taunting light as they fixed on Xavier and Jean.

"Well, well…" the figure rasped, his voice a hollow echo. “Look who’s come to visit. Come to gloat, Charles? Or did you come to finally put me out of my misery?” A hoarse, ratcheting cackle came out of his desiccated lips.

Jean tensed beside Xavier, but he gave a subtle shake of his head. He met Cain’s—or rather, this Cyttorak-possessed semblance of Cain’s—gaze with a calm that masked the disturbing revelation churning within him.

“Why are you still here, Cain?” Xavier asked, his tone neutral, as if in casual conversation. “Why haven’t you regained consciousness?”

The skeletal figure’s mouth twisted into a sick grin. “Because I am held fast, Charles. Given over, body and soul, to Cyttorak’s will. I am his avatar, his force on Earth—meant to conquer, to crush.” His voice grew softer, darker. “But I am nothing without the Crimson Gem. It is the only conduit for his power, and without it…” He held up a bony, gloved hand, flexing skeletal fingers as if marveling at his own decay. “…without it, I am bound to wither, trapped in a prison of flesh, until death claims me. Unless, of course, another avatar is chosen.”

Xavier steeled himself and asked the question that weighed on his mind. “To what end, Cain?”

There was a silence before an eruption of force—a searing wave of raw, primordial energy surged from the figure. It crashed into Xavier’s mind, almost unbearable in its intensity, and Jean gasped as she, too, felt the overwhelming force through their connection. It was pure, unadulterated desire—an ancient hunger, a drive to conquer, to subdue, to bend all things to its indomitable will. Cyttorak’s mind was pushing Cain’s fragile psyche to its very limit, stretching it like a taut string ready to snap.

The force grew even stronger, and Xavier could feel Cain’s presence faltering, drowning in this crimson tide of pure, consuming rage. It took every ounce of willpower for Xavier to keep his mind steady, and he sensed Jean beside him, doing the same.

The withered avatar grinned, his hollow sockets burning with a fierce, feverish light. “Do you feel it, Charles? The endless hunger. The boundless power. To dominate, to make all things kneel…”

Xavier met that empty gaze, his own mind reeling. “This… this is not strength, Cain. It’s a prison. You are nothing but a vessel, held in a grip that won’t release you even as it lets you rot away.”

The skeletal Cain leaned forward, the armor clanking, a spark of humanity flaring through his words. “But that’s where you’re wrong, Charles. I chose this. I chose to wield that power, to never be the weak one again.” His eyes narrowed, taunting. “I’m free. Freer than you’ll ever be.”

Xavier’s eyes darkened with both pity and horror. He looked over at Jean, his resolve hardening.

Jean’s gaze remained fixed on Cain and the pulsating force that was Cyttorak. While the Professor had challenged him in conversation, Jean was slipping through the deeper layers of Cyttorak searching for its origin. And then she found it, a harsh and beautiful realm of scarlet deserts and ruby volcanoes pouring rust-colored ash into the sky. A world known as the Crimson Cosmos was laid out before her. Jean dared to reach out and touch it in a brief glimpse into the dimension.

The sensation made her gasp as Jean’s fingertips barely grazed the Crimson Cosmos and she felt that same crushing energy as when Connor pulled them from the Astral Plane.

As Jean’s mind brushed against the Crimson Cosmos, it was as if a dam had broken. She staggered, her psychic presence buffeted by a relentless tide of unbridled power, a force so vast and ancient it dwarfed even the darkest realms she’d ever encountered in the Astral Plane. She could feel Cyttorak's awareness snap to her like a predator catching the scent of prey. His fury flared as he sensed her connection to Connor in particular.

“Insolence!” a voice thundered from within Cain, reverberating through the entire memory-scape, deep and resonant, echoing with the full rage of the Crimson Conqueror. The skeletal figure, now fully engulfed in Cyttorak’s presence, lunged forward, his gaze locked onto Jean with a fiery intensity that seemed to pierce her very soul. The memory twisted, and the mansion around them warped, walls melting into an eerie, blood-red glow that pulsed in rhythm with Cyttorak's wrath like the beating of an angry heart.

A terrible force struck Xavier and Jean, each of them paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure bearing down on their minds. The Conqueror was trying to drag them into his realm, the Crimson Cosmos, where he could claim their minds and spirits as his own, just as he had Cain’s. The dimension stretched before them, drawing closer with each second—a vortex of endless scarlet sand and jagged crystal, pulling them in with the weight of a thousand lifetimes of conquest.

“I shall claim you both,” Cyttorak's voice thundered, his will indomitable and his hunger terrifying. “You will know my power, my thralls, forever bound to me!”

Xavier’s vision blurred, his mind reeling from the sheer force of Cyttorak’s intent. He felt himself slipping, as though a part of him was already being torn from his own mind, caught in the pull toward the Crimson Cosmos. But amidst the terror, he could sense Jean’s presence, like a single point of light in the dark.

~Jean!~ Xavier’s thought was urgent, a call through the chaos. ~Hold on. We have to pull back, now!~

Jean recalled what she had done when Connor had brought them to this place. Her thoughts returned to Scott and that connection she held with him. And just as like it had done before, her tether to him and his psyche guided her back home.

~* ‘With me.’ *~ Jean held onto Xavier and in a wink of cosmic brilliance snapped back to their bodies, free of Cyttorak and Cain.

Sitting up straight as if jolted awake from a bad dream, Jean gasped from the whiplash that their rapid extraction had created. “Are you alright?” she asked while looking over at the Professor.

“Yes,” Charles said, knuckling his eyes for a moment as he returned to himself. “Yes, I believe so.” When he was able to focus, he stared down at Cain with a mixed look of horror and pity. “I have contended with forces beyond this world… extraterrestrial lifeforms, astral entities… yet those tales to astonish pale in comparison to what we just encountered.” When his eyes met Jean’s, there was a genuine terror there. “This universe is vast, perhaps far too vast for us to grasp the full measure of cosmic beings. As grievous as the thought that Cain is given over so thoroughly to this Cyttorak may be, I have grave concern that Connor seems to be on his radar.”

“I did not feel Cyttorak in Connor’s mind; it was more about that place than that being.” Jean ran her fingers through her hair as she considered what Xavier was saying. “But if Cain dies… then I worry about what Cyttorak will do.”

“You aren’t saying…” Charles trailed off, looking at the comatose Cain and opted to complete his thought in private.

~You don’t mean to return the Gem to Cain, do you?~ It was a horrifying thought, a nearly unconscionable one, in fact, second only to the thought of putting Connor in the crosshairs of that thing, that heinous entity that had turned Cain into the Juggernaut. ~I suppose the day may come that there is little choice. Pray that day never comes, for there is no choice clear to me that I would not regret one way or another~

~* ‘I don’t know if that’s what I am proposing but it is something to consider in order to ensure Connor’s safety.’ *~ Jean huffed out a heavy breath as she considered the options, ~* ‘I would much rather face the Juggernaut once more than subject Connor to Cyttorak.’ *~ She shook her head as she continued to think about what it all meant. ~* ‘There is no denying the connection, the Crimson Cosmos was the same place that I felt in both Cain and Connor’s minds.’ *~

~There is additional context that you should know~ Xavier closed his eyes and summoned the composite memories of the Juggernaut’s most recent attack on the X-Mansion garnered from the minds of the X-Men who had fought him. Cain had served as the mercenary vanguard for the Purifier battalion. Despite being caught off guard, the Alternate Class had done well in repelling the assault.

///
Bliss looked around and put the pulsing gem into a stray bucket. The dry voice protested as she crumpled the metal bucket around it. She could hear the muffled voice trying to convince her of her error.

She held onto the bucket by the handle and began to walk to Connor.

"Hey, we need to hide this somewhere safe, preferably somewhere deep and inaccessible."

"WHAT IS IT?" Connor signed before accepting it. As soon as he touched the metal, though, his mind flashed a stark crimson that rippled like a tesseract in his mind's eye. Both eyes rolled back for a moment while unspeakable things flowed through his mind on a subliminal level.

"I would rather die." The words came out of Connor's mouth as fluently as any native English speaker, though perhaps with a muddled and indistinct Gaelic twist. His hands dropped the metal onto the ground, at which point his eyes rolled back forward, though his pupils were dilated and out of focus. "WHAT WAS THAT?" said his speech-generating device. "IT WAS WEIRD. I DID NOT LIKE IT."

Bliss picked up the crumpled bucket to avoid risking anyone else. She kissed Connor's cheek tenderly.
"Bad juju, sweetheart. But you spoke normally for a moment. Are you ok, Connor?"

Connor nodded, then started signing for his device to speak out. "I FELT OUT OF MY BODY LIKE I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE OR POSSIBLY EVERYWHERE AT ONCE. SOMETHING WANTED TO TRADE MY BODY FOR SOMETHING I CANNOT REMEMBER. ALL I WANTED WAS TO SEE YOU AGAIN."

Bliss listened, nodding with his words. She knew something of the choice that he made.

"Thank you for making a good choice."

She leaned in and kissed him softly.
///

Xavier let the composite memory fade to black from there. After giving Jean a moment to contemplate the brief exchange, he put forward his theory. ~It would seem that our young Connor declined an offer to become the new Juggernaut, but he does not remember the details of the situation. If nothing else, it would appear this Cyttorak does not take well to rejection~

What remained unexpressed was Xavier’s concern that there was more to it. His eyes probed Jean’s while he allowed her to process that additional scenario to which she had not been privy. If there was more to it, he would allow her to suggest it. Otherwise there was no sense in conjuring trouble where there was none.

Jean remained silent for a long moment as she considered everything they knew about Connor. These discoveries only created more questions and she knew Xavier couldn’t answer them. The Professor saw the trail of her thoughts and how one question led to another in her mind, eventually this reflection turned inward and to her own unknowns.
~* ‘Have you ever felt anything like that in my own mind? Do you feel the connection in me, to that bird of fire and rage? Or am I imagining that ancient voice that calls to me?’ *~

~You are not imagining it~ Xavier frowned. ~While we have vague references to the Phoenix Force from antiquity, each reference presumes the reader is fully versed on the subject and makes no effort to elucidate beyond what we already deduced. Between the revelations from Latveria and those of today, I am beginning to miss the days when the Brotherhood posed the largest threat to a peaceful future~ He paused for a moment before continuing. ~I did place the Phoenix on the list of topics for Kurt’s continued research. If it was the reason you were abducted, then it could also tie into Wanda. However, just as electromagnetism, gravity, and the strong and weak nuclear forces tie the universe together, I would wager these cosmic forces interplay in similar ways. Perhaps he could do with an update as well. We never know which upturned stone will reveal a key to this mystery~

~* ‘Cosmic forces’ *~ Jean repeated the words with a touch of disdain. ~* ‘I never asked for such things.’ *~ She glanced down at the shriveled shell of Cain in the bed between them, he had wanted what Cyttorak offered him and he held onto with such ferocity that it would be his demise. ~* ‘I don’t want the things that men like Cain seek and I don’t think Connor does either.’ *~

Xavier’s expression softened as he absorbed Jean’s thoughts. He could feel the weight of her apprehension mingled with her quiet resolve. He reached out to her mind, offering a steadying presence.

~I know you never asked for this, Jean. Not every soul is given the choice to bear such a burden, and few possess the strength to carry it. But perhaps that is why it chose you. You do not seek power, and in that lies your strength—the rare ability to hold power without letting it hold you~

He glanced back at Cain, whose skeletal form looked so fragile, yet whose spirit had once housed a malice that few could match. ~Cain sought to fill the void within himself with force and domination, believing he could silence his pain through brute strength. But the void was never one that power could fill—it was a wound that needed healing, not conquering~

Xavier’s mind turned to Connor as he continued, a flicker of admiration warming his tone. ~Connor, like you, has some glimpse of the vastness of what lies beyond, yet he remains tethered to his compassion and his search for meaning rather than control. It is that very restraint, that willingness to question rather than dominate, that makes him resilient in the face of powers beyond comprehension~

He smiled softly, allowing a brief moment of levity. ~And if there is anyone capable of standing firm against whatever trials these ‘cosmic forces’ may bring, it’s you. In the end, Jean, these forces may call, but it is always your choice to answer~

Speaking aloud, unconcerned with what Cain or his liege lord might overhear, Xavier allowed his gaze returned to her, filled with a trust that reached deeper than words. "You don’t have to walk this path alone. We can seek understanding together.”

Jean got up from her chair and made her way over to Xavier, she hugged him and he felt some of the worry leaving her thoughts. “You have always tried to ease my burdens and help me find peace. Ever since I was a child you have given me the strength and direction I have needed to overcome my dark and overwhelming thoughts. We will always support one another.”

She stood up straight and looked down at Cain. Seeing him and entering his mind were painful tasks for the Professor and she was happy to assist him during this unbearable task. “I meant what I said in the car, after our wedding and honeymoon I can stop by and visit him. I think it’s good to actually see him and check in on him.”

While Charles didn’t relish the thought of Jean wasting her time on a lost soul like his stepbrother, neither could he truly banish the hope of winning his childhood nemesis over. If anyone could breach Cain’s impenetrable walls, it was her.

“Very well,” Charles said with a sage nod. “Perhaps you will prevail where I have not.” Casting one last look at Cain, there was a moment of forlorn weight that held Charles’ breath in his chest. When he finally released it, he also let go of the growing tension that had been mounting there. “Let’s go. We’ve done what we came to do.” Before he wheeled himself toward the door, he expressed one last sentiment. “Thank you again, Jean.”

While Jean didn’t feel the need for Xavier to provide any type of gratitude, she graciously nodded her head in response. “You’re welcome, Professor.”

RSS Feed