The mutant girl was saved, in a way. She was now an ordinary person.
But there was no ruling out the possibility that her mutant abilities might awaken again. Sean had taken her powers, not her X-Gene.
So in theory, she might activate her X powers again.
But that sort of thing... was beyond Sean's control.
He didn't want to tamper with her genes. No one knew how losing her X-Gene might affect the little girl.
He couldn't help wondering: every X power had a corresponding X-Gene, so how did the Black Ledger engrave a new X power into an existing X-Gene? Or... how did it create an X-Gene in an ordinary person who didn't have one? After all, a small portion of people had no X-Gene.
Sean glanced at Wendy, who was still crying, and little Kelly, who was trying to comfort her mother, then left the treatment room.
The moment he stepped out, he saw Storm, Ororo, and Phoenix, Jean, walking side by side into the clinic.
As the saying went, enemies were bound to meet. Sean could hardly believe the X-Men had come knocking the day after he returned to New York.
Phoenix, Jean, greeted him coolly. "Hello, Dr. White."
Storm glared at him and got straight to the point. "We're looking for a little girl! She should be here!"
With that attitude... Sean couldn't be bothered with her. He nodded to Phoenix and walked back to his office.
The crying from the treatment room caught the two women's attention.
They went in and saw a mother and daughter locked in each other's arms, crying.
"Is this the child?"
Storm looked at Phoenix questioningly.
The situation the Professor had described earlier didn't match what they were seeing.
The reason Phoenix, Jean, had come was to use her telekinesis to ensure the little girl's safety.
But from the looks of it... there was nothing wrong with the child.
Phoenix used her psychic powers to look through the memories of the mother and daughter. Her expression changed dramatically.
"What's wrong?"
"Sean White!"
"?"
"He took her X power!"
Storm was startled! This was no joke!
"Jean~ you mean he took it..."
"Yes, you heard me right."
"But..."
Storm's face turned pale in an instant.
Mutant powers were the foundation of their lives. Ororo couldn't imagine what would happen if the X-Men lost their X powers!
"We have to tell the Professor!"
Storm was flustered. She owed Sean, after all. Couldn't he take her X power whenever he wanted?
"You go back and tell the Professor. I need to talk to White."
"Jean~"
"Don't worry."
Storm hesitated, but ultimately did as Phoenix asked and returned to the Xavier Institute alone.
Sean was waiting in his office. The mother and daughter never came; instead, Phoenix, Jean Grey, arrived first.
"Dr. White, I think we need to talk!"
Phoenix skipped the small talk and got right to the point.
"Hmm~ Talk about what? Surely not a date?"
"..."
Phoenix was speechless. Could Sean White not be serious for once? A date? What kind of strange idea was that?
"Did you take that little girl's X power?"
"Sure did~"
Sean admitted it readily.
"You... how did you do it?"
"It was a transaction, that's all."
He made it sound easy, but Phoenix found nothing easy about it.
A transaction?
The name White's Black Ledger flashed through Phoenix's mind, making her break out in goosebumps.
That ledger gave her an intensely evil feeling. Stripping mutants of their X powers! What could be more wicked?
"Do you know what kind of storm your so-called transaction could unleash among mutants?" Phoenix asked gravely.
Sean glanced at her and grinned.
"If not for you, who would know?"
Sean had hit the nail on the head.
If Phoenix hadn't used her psychic powers to probe the mother and daughter's memories, and if the Professor hadn't told them about the mutant girl here, how could they have known Sean had taken the child's X power?
But it had already happened. Keeping it secret now... would be harder than ever.
Sean didn't believe Storm would only tell the Professor.
"But... your power is too evil!" Phoenix said coldly, without a hint of concern that she was the one who had exposed the secret.
Sean wasn't particularly clever, but he was perceptive enough to sense Phoenix's hostility toward him.
It wasn't quite murderous intent, but she certainly had no good intentions.
Here we go~
The X-Men's old habit of looking down on everyone had surfaced again~
Sean thought of the phrase, "I'm doing this for your own good!"
It was pure authoritarianism: all about what I think, not what you think!
My power is dangerous? My power is evil?
Jean Grey, Jean Grey, you haven't figured out which one of us is dangerous!
"You might want to talk to Charles before you say that to me."
Sean's expression darkened as he replied to Phoenix without a trace of emotion.
"The Professor will understand how I feel."
(⊙o⊙)...
What did she mean by that?
Sean was a little confused~
It wasn't until every object in the room began floating about at random that he understood~
This woman was planning to attack him. Whether she meant to imprison or control him, he couldn't tolerate it~
Phoenix's powers were psychic abilities and telekinesis. They were all in her head, so if... she had a stroke, would it cut off her powers?
The answer was ninety-nine percent yes.
But Sean didn't dare do that. He was afraid it would let the Dark Phoenix out. That woman was truly terrifying; she could carve a chunk out of Manhattan with a single storm.
There was only one clumsy way to deal with her.
But before making a move, Sean decided to try one more time.
"Jean Grey, don't you think you've become rather impulsive?"
"Impulsive? No! I'm perfectly clear-headed!" Phoenix flatly rejected Sean's claim.
Tsk~ This was bad~
The Dark Phoenix had probably already emerged in part. Otherwise, this woman wouldn't be so violent.
Just as Sean was about to charge and close the distance between himself and Phoenix, a figure darted through the doorway. Five gleaming silver-white claws were aimed at Phoenix's head...
If that swipe landed, even the Dark Phoenix would be done for!
Sean had no time to stop her, and no intention of doing so.
As long as Phoenix didn't wish to die, it was difficult to get close to her.
The one who had rushed in was Deathstrike, Yuriko Oyama. This female assistant, who had been upstairs the whole time, was pretty reliable. She knew to attack when danger struck.
Very impressive.
Yuriko was still in midair, but Phoenix's telekinesis had frozen her there.
Then Yuriko took a tremendous hit and went flying, smashing a huge hole in the office wall.
"Ah!" Linda Carter screamed. She was just an ordinary person and had never seen anything like this. Americans might have plenty of experience with violence, but when someone smashed through your desk right in front of you... you had to scream to show your appreciation.
Phoenix hadn't hit Yuriko too hard. Even if she had, it wouldn't have mattered. Yuriko was even tougher than Sean.
After landing and regaining her balance, Yuriko charged again.
All this had happened in the span of two blinks.
Sean joined the fight, but he wasn't very fast, and he wasn't strong~
Phoenix's telekinesis easily seized him and spread him out in midair like a starfish.
Sean really ought to thank her for not arranging him like a prince.
An immense telekinetic force squeezed him from all sides. The pressure was tremendous. If Sean had been an ordinary person, his guts might already have been squeezed out.
Phoenix stared at him, murder in her eyes~
Did this woman really want to kill him?
For a moment, Sean couldn't figure out why.
The reason was actually quite simple: White's Black Ledger had terrified the Dark Phoenix!
Yuriko accelerated, then accelerated again! At top speed, she lunged at Phoenix. Using the momentum of her Adamantium skeleton's weight, she withstood a telekinetic strike from Phoenix and managed to get close!
Both claws shot toward Phoenix's chest!
Phoenix marshaled a huge amount of telekinetic force and pinned Yuriko's hands in midair, but she couldn't quite hold Yuriko's entire body still.
Using the momentum of her weight, Yuriko broke through Phoenix's telekinetic hold with her legs. One foot landed squarely in Phoenix's stomach!
"Bang!"
Jean flew straight into the wall!
The fight was over in the space of a few blinks.
Sean couldn't help reflecting that combat strength wasn't just about powers. Talent and experience mattered too~
If Phoenix, Jean, had enough experience, Yuriko wouldn't have been able to use her weight to catch her off guard and win.
The first thing Sean did after landing was tell Linda Carter to leave the room. As for Ava Ellis? The female demon had vanished. Who knew where she was hiding, ready to ambush Phoenix?
Given Ava Ellis's age, she had an absurd amount of combat experience. Ambushing a rookie like Phoenix would be child's play.
Phoenix, Jean Grey, seemed to have passed out.
A faintly black power radiated from her body. It was so powerful that it made one's heart quail~
The Dark Phoenix had awakened!!
The one thing Sean had dreaded most had happened!
The power to control every particle was no joke! The Dark Phoenix could disintegrate Sean in an instant. Even if his debtors took on his injuries, it wouldn't help; all of them would be disintegrated along with him!
This was such a raw deal~
The other debtors? If they all died, so be it!
But Vanessa was a debtor now too! And... well, Elektra was one as well!
They really had become bound together in life and death!
This was no longer a matter of choosing between "playing it safe" and "going all in." Now it was a matter of life and death!
Just as Sean was about to give her a terminal illness, he suddenly realized that Jean Grey had entered into an actual debt relationship with him!
She must have damaged some of his property!
What a delightful surprise!
Why hesitate? He dumped every illness related to the brain on Jean Grey all at once, whether she was the Red Phoenix or the Dark Phoenix!
Brain damage! A stroke! Brain atrophy!... He threw every ailment he could think of at her!
He refused to believe it. So what if she had the Phoenix Force? Did that mean the Phoenix Force made her immune to disease?
Under the onslaught of so many illnesses, even the Dark Phoenix temporarily lost control of her body and collapsed to the ground!
Yuriko sprang into action at once. Ten claws stabbed toward the Phoenix's chest and head. That strike was sure to finish her off for good!
I've been wondering where the Phoenix Force would go if the Dark Phoenix died.
Who could guess where this debt came from?
A 3,000-word chapter, and the diligent tree is still working hard!
Readers, toss me a vote!!~
Before you continue