Chapter 113: The Return
23rd February 2006, New York City
“Perhaps I do know who you are, perhaps I don’t. It shouldn’t matter either way. You are who you are, just as I am who I am. Who you were previously is not more important than who you are now. Appreciate what you have for you will find only pain and sorrows if remember.”
The man looked at me and unsealed his metal claws, “Please, you’re the only lead I got.”
I sigh, and with a snap of my finger, Logan’s claws retract. “Farewell, James Howlett.”
I turn around and leave, with my apprentice following me. They do not attempt to stop me.
(Jean Grey POV)
Jean Grey watched as her history teacher slash mass murderer slash avatar of Death, walked away from the mansion, leaving everyone uncomfortable and quite confused with what just happened. What she just experienced was so contradictory to her personality that the redhead was seriously starting to doubt if it actually was Ms. Sayre that came and defeated the Juggernaut.
This was a woman who had frightened Jean to the core, whose tales terrified even the bravest sorcerers to their cores. It was a being who has walked in blood and death for as long as man was able to record history. For as long as their civilization existed, the Morrigan was there to punish the wicked, destroy evil, with extreme prejudice. She went by many names, each more infamous than the previous, from Wadjet, to Medusa, to Hecate, to Morganna. Each of these personas has shaken the world, destroyed civilizations, and now, the redhead watched as one of the most terrifying that ever walked on the surface of the Earth, wear a silly T-Shirt and act like a ditsy idiot.
Evan, bless him, expressed her thoughts in a single sentence, “What the fuck just happened?”
Even as their teacher, Ms. Sayre was the epitome of professionalism. She was strict but fair, she could be kind but didn’t accept any disrespect. She had no qualms in failing any student that she feels doesn’t deserve to pass. There were no second chances with her. Seeing their normally stoic and strict teacher acting like this must have also confused her former teammates. That and probably her actually defeating the fearsome Juggernaut in seconds.
Was it some sort of scheme to get them to underestimate her? The redhead knew that the Morrigan was rather fond of misdirection, preferring to confuse and fool her opponents rather than directly fight them. She read of her exploits during her time as the sorcerer supreme. Dr. Strange was somewhat hesitant in giving her the books about her fellow avatar, and she could understand why. The amount of death and destruction that the immortal had caused was so understated, it wasn’t even funny. That woman had quite literally shaped the world as she saw fit. She committed so many genocides, destroyed cities, and the scariest part is that nothing could stop her. Not even the strongest wards could stop the avatar of death of claiming your life if she wishes so.
But the worst thing was that she wasn’t alone. She had brought her newest Apprentice, Wanda. The redhead repressed her envy at the girl’s position. That could have been her, but Jean was still happy where she was.
Ms. Sayre’s apprentice was in very impressive, with some sort of telekinesis that was actually able to harm the Juggernaut, unlike her that was barely able to slow him down. Would she be as strong if she had accepted Ms. Sayre’s offer of tutelage? Not that it matters now; she made her choice.
But what was interesting was the Professor and Pietro’s history with Wanda. She didn’t understand why the telepath was so adamant in locking her up. He wasn’t even as forceful when it came to her situation. She had to understand more about the person who most probably would end up as her rival, “Professor, who was she?”
She hadn’t had a proper conversation with the Professor ever since she left the mansion. Mostly because she would have lashed out at him in the beginning, but also because he made her uncomfortable. What? You can’t blame her. The guy played with her mind as if it was a toy and almost destroyed her personality. It was a miracle she hadn’t snapped and killed him.
And while she had dealt with a lot of her anger, she still couldn’t forgive him. She understood his position, she really did, a child being able to influence an entire city with just her telepathy was a very scary thing. No matter how innocent a child was, they could accidentally brainwash people by just throwing a tantrum. But the man had breached her trust. She trusted him, and he smiled that kind smile of his while he watched her destroy herself even further. And he did nothing!
Anyway, the man seemed surprised the fact that she spoke to him, “I believe that this was your teacher Ms. Sayre.”
He was trying to get a rise out of her. Jean took a deep breath, “I mean the girl, Wanda. Did you know her?”
Before he could speak, Pietro was the one that answered, “Wanda is… Well, she is my twin sister. Wanda Maximoff. She was very powerful but had almost no control and she wasn’t alright in the head, you know. Almost accidentally killed me one time and Dad decided to leave her at a place where she wouldn’t hurt anyone. No idea how she got out, though.”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Huh, didn’t see that one coming. What was this, a soap opera? It was kinda funny, like one of those evil twin stories on TV. Wait a minute, didn’t the Professor say something about her being in the Vault, the same place where they held the Juggernaut? What they hell? That guy was a mass murderer and he was at the same place as a teenager who just was not be able to control her powers?
The Professor continued, “I was assigned as her councilor during her time in detainment. She has a lot of anger, especially directed at her father for his betrayal. But she’s also quite angry at the world, at anything that she could be angry at. I was surprised that she remained so calm during her time here. She was particularly vocal about her opinion of me the last time we spoke. Though, with her powers and attitude, it is worrying that she was able to get out. I sent a message to the warden who had no recollection of ever seeing the girl. As much as it saddens me to say, we cannot bring her back to the facility, we have no ground to do so.”
Jean suppressed a snort at this, the Morrigan had played a prank on the Professor. The redhead had no idea how she was able to pull it off, but all documents physical and digital about Wanda’s condition and powers had disappeared, including people’s memories of them. The Professor looked like a deranged idiot every time he asked about her.
Jean looked at Logan. She had never seen him shaken like this. Ever. Even during the fight against Apocalypse, at the face of certain defeat, he still held his head high and looked at Death in the eyes with that cocky smile on his face. Now, he looked pale, somewhat disturbed. The usual confidence that he held was gone. He spoke, “Chuck, I need answers. I’m going after her.”
Before he could get up, Dr. Mcoy interjected, “Logan, I believe she has already given us what we need. I looked up the name James Howlett. He was a member of the Howling Commandos, Captain America’s team during World War two. But that’s not the interesting part. Take a look at his picture.” He turned around his tablet he usually has with him, in case he needs to look up something.
Inside was the picture of a team in black and white. In front was a man wearing a tacky uniform riddled with stars and stripes. He was holding a circular shield with a giant star in the middle. It was Captain America, every idiot who lived in this country would recognize him.
But when Dr. McCoy zoomed in on one of the faces in the background, they found him. It was an exact replica of Logan, who was wearing a military uniform and smoked his usual cigar. What the hell?
Logan muttered, “That’s me. How the hell did she know that this was me? What about that other name, Stricker? She said that he’s the one who made me lose my memories.”
Dr. McCoy tapped on the tablet for a minute and afterwards he spoke. “The only person I found that looks even remotely interesting is William Stryker, a Sergeant in the American Military. Most of his file is severely classified. But he was part of something called the Weapon X program. No further description. Almost everything public is somehow redacted. Logan, are you sure you want to pursue this? Ms. Sayre said that it wouldn’t change anything and that you won’t like what you find.”
Logan just grunted and left the room. No one dared to stop him; they wouldn’t risk being stabbed because he’s emotional. The man had his issues, and had always hoped for a lead on his previous life, before losing his memories.
Back to the Wanda situation, Jean still had questions. Wait a minute, the Professor knew that she wasn’t guilty and yet approved of sending her to what sounds like a glorified prison for people with powers, “Professor, why was she imprisoned anyway. Did she do anything bad, other than not being able to control her powers? Ms. Sayre said about her being in the Vault. Isn’t that where the Juggernaut was being held?”
The professor sighed in exasperation and Jean had the suspicion that he wished to just remove everyone’s memories of this using his telepathy. “Yes, Both Cain and Wanda were both held in the same facility. But that was because it was the only place that could contain both their powers. As for why, you have to understand that young Wanda’s abilities are a mystery. She was able to use multiple powers. We believe that her powers stem from some sort of reality manipulation. I couldn’t simply let someone with obvious mental issues and with no control over her powers, especially ones like this, to live among people. She could have hurt or even killed a lot of people and the mental damage that this would cause could overwhelm her psyche even more so. Even then, I was asked by her father to not let her out unless she has a good control over her powers. You have to understand, she wasn’t admitted as a prisoner but as a patient.”
That made sense, somewhat. But Jean felt a twinge of guilt at thought. Wanda’s situation was eerily similar to hers. They were both feared for their powers and were imprisoned because of it. Wanda was locked up inside a genuine prison and Jean inside her own head. Is this what the Professor would have done to her as well? Would she be in prison if she wasn’t able to control her powers properly? Whatever respect she ever held for the man disappeared. Charles Xavier was a coward that always chooses the easy way out.
Dr. Strange once told her that often in life, one must choose between what is right and what is easy. Neither are the correct choice, or the wrong on either. Either way, you have to live with the consequences. Charles Xavier will always choose the easy path. Always.
Would he do the same if one of her friends was in danger? Would he just abandon them in their time of need? Who will be the next one in prison? Would he send Rogue away just because she still can’t control her powers? The redhead wouldn’t let him do it. They were her friends, as annoying as that may be. And she would stomach time with Scott Summer just to make sure they would be safe.
Adding in the mass murdering powered brother, Charles Xavier had secrets. Too many secrets, in fact. Secrets that could bite them in the ass, like the day before. Without Wanda and Ms. Sayre, they would have been crushed. So, Jean made a decision. She didn’t like it, but it was the only way to keep her family safe. She was going back to the X-men. It was to protect them from the threats from outside and from within. She was still going to be training under Dr. Strange and she was going to ask him to up her training. Plus, it would be nice to be part of a team again.
“Professor, I would like to return to the X-men.”
She was going to protect her family no matter what.