"You've got to be kidding." Mikael whispered to himself as he skipped through different channels. Many of them speaking about Stark Industries new weapon testing. Others covered Osborn Industries' deals and stock prices as well as different cases of destruction caused by mutants. He slumped back in his bed and leaned his head back against the head board.
"Great, out of one fire and into another." Mikael pinched the bridge of his nose as his mind started to cycle through information and memories.
'Hopefully going by the fact that Stark looks like Robert Downey Jr this world of mine is closer to the cinematic universe. The fact that mutants are known to the public doesn't likely means things are going to be different from the mcu but I'm not 100% on how much as of yet. Not sure what else might be different but I should probably just assume there's more I'm not aware of.' Mikael crossed his arms as he considered his options before he let out an exasperated sigh.
"Okay, don't know if this works here but I sure hope so." Taking a deep breath he crossed his legs on the bed and laid his hands atop his knees. He let his thoughts slip by as opened himself as he breathing fell into a calm rhythm. With each breath, against his expectations, he could feel the air tremble around him. A warm breeze filled his room as it wrapped around him before it pulsed once as sorrow washed over him. It pulsed again, pain. And again, anger then joy, relief, happiness. Constant waves of emotions washed over him again and again. His eyes snapped open as his breathing hitched.
"Well damn. That's a lot more uncomfortable than I remember." Mikael whispered as he gasped for breath before he smiled. "Lack of control aside, I'm glad I still have it. Thank the stars the Force is still with me. But I should probably get this back under control before it causes trouble." He said as he closed his eyes before falling back into a light meditation.
As Mikael set to work on getting his power under control once more in the peaceful confines of his hospital room, the same could not be said for several other individuals elsewhere. As at the same instant that Mikael had opened himself up, simultaneously a bald man in a wheelchair froze in place, a robed bald woman turned her head towards the wall of her room and an armored grey haired man with an eyepatch jolted in his chair.
"What was that? It felt like when Jean awakened all over again."
"That's intriguing. Things have...changed."
"Heimdall! Did you see anything just now!? Nothing? How strange."
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Unaware of the effect he had on those individuals, Mikael continued his meditation of his bed. His focus on building his mental walls against the waves of emotions from outside that threatened to wash over and drown him until they finally became little more than soft ripples brushing against his mind. His eyes opened slowly as he contemplated his situation.
'As glad as I am to not be powerless here. This feels different, I feel different. It's like everything is more sensitive. More vivid, more intense, more powerful, limitless even. Like a vergence, a nexus.' Mikael turned his hand and an apple floated over into his open palm. He slowly applied slight pressure and watched as the apple shriveled and turn to dust that simply evaporated into the warm breeze around him.
'Did the thought bomb do this? I feel like I'm capable of far more than I ever was.' His mind refocused onto the news report he heard earlier. 'I have a couple of months to train before Stark gets kidnapped and a couple more before he returns and with him the rest of the cinematic universes chaos. And that's not taking into account everything else that could happen in between.'
"First things first, I need to get out of this place. I never want to be in another hospital room, ever." Mikael said to himself as he turned his focus onto his body using the force to check for any lingering injuries of which he fortunately found none. Before he do anything else however he caught the sound of familiar footsteps approaching his room.
"Mikael, we brought food!" He heard his father's voice call out as the door opened into his room letting his father and mother walk in carry a lunchbox and a grocery bag filled with snacks and drinks.
"Thanks guys, but when can I leave?" Mikael asked as he took the lunchbox and starting to pull items out of it. "Banana pudding oh I've missed you."
"We asked the doctor and she said that she'll give you a quick exam and if there's nothing wrong then you should be free to come home in a couple of days at the latest." Thomas answered as he opened a bag of chips.
"Great then let's get her to do the exam now. I wanna get out of here." Mikael replied as he set aside the now empty cup of pudding before pulling out a chicken sandwich from the bag and continued eating.
"We know sweetie but we need to be sure nothing's wrong. You did get struck by lightning and that normally leaves some damage." Sarah responded as she watched her son eat.
"I'm fine mom, I promise. I just don't want to spend more time here than I need to." Mikael said in between bites of his meal. He continued to speak with his parents over the next hour before he convinced them to go home for the night. Once they left he settled himself back on his bed and began to meditate.
Over the next two days Mikael spent the time he had alone in between the physical exams reigning in his heightened attunement. By the time he was finally released from the hospital he could sense the emotions and even the surface thoughts of everyone within what he estimated to be a one block radius and growing without being blinded by all of the various and conflicting feelings and thoughts. The drive home he stayed silent as he sorted through the information that passed through his mind like the busy street he was now sitting in. The voices of his parents talking to each other drowned out by the thoughts of all the surrounding people. Until he heard a series of voices from the edges of his perception.
'Help, someone please. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't stop.' A host of voices called out within his mind. Unwilling, angry, scared and helpless voices. Mikael snapped his head in their direction and there down the block sitting underneath an umbrella at a table outside a small Italian restaurant was a well dressed man in a purple suit surrounded a group of smiling people that seemed to speaking with him. But even at this distance he could sense their abnormality, smiles forced, the slight tremble of their hands and then his eyes narrowed as a name came to his mind.
'Kilgrave.'