Dr. Stasis (Revised)

California, Alameda Research Center.

This was a small private medical research institution in California, indirectly affiliated with the R&D division of the Federal United Pharmaceutical Group. It was neither famous nor obscure, the kind of place that would be hard to notice even across the entire country.

On this day, inside the laboratory, an ordinary-looking lab supervisor was carrying a stack of documents out of the lab, preparing to submit the day's experiment log.

However, the moment he stepped outside, he saw a black-haired young man in a strange uniform standing in the corridor outside the laboratory.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Stasis." Miles wore a calm smile. "You can call me Miles. I'm from the Xavier Institute. Given your level of research into mutant genes, I assume you haven't failed to hear that name..."

"Sorry, I don't know what institute you're talking about..." The man shook his head and instinctively called out, "How did you get in here? Security—"

As if seeing through his thoughts, Miles made a shushing gesture.

"Shh."

The entire world fell silent in an instant.

The humming ventilation system overhead was the first to die. Then, the low hum of the laboratory's various machines, as though their throats had been squeezed shut, stopped one after another. The nearby surveillance cameras also seemed to come alive, slowly turning toward other empty corners.

The corridor sank into darkness, with only the faint red glow of the emergency lights in the corners remaining.

Not far away, a female cleaner pushing a cart remained frozen in a bent-over position, while the water in her bucket still rippled. Elsewhere, two chatting researchers stood still. One of them still had his mouth open, his smile stiff as a wax figure.

As far as the eye could see, everyone had become lifeless statues.

Time seemed to have stopped.

Thus, in the silent world, only Miles's voice remained.

"We mean no harm. We merely need some of your help," Miles continued. "And don't worry. Everyone in this research facility is already under my control, and I've cut off all electronic communications here. No one else will know about our meeting today."

"..."

The man met Miles's gaze. A flicker of terror passed through his eyes, but he still forced himself to remain calm. "Listen, I don't know who this Dr. Stasis is that you're talking about. My name is Joseph Grey, and I graduated from California State University..."

"That is merely your disguise, Doctor," Miles said. "If you truly were as ordinary as you claim, I would have invaded your mind long ago."

As he spoke, Miles snapped his fingers behind him.

Snap.

The door at the other end of the corridor swung open, and Madeleine slowly walked in.

When dealing with a stubborn father, it was more appropriate for his daughter to persuade him herself.

The instant Madeleine saw the man, she instinctively murmured.

"...Father?"

However, the moment the man saw Madeleine, his expression changed drastically.

It was not joy, but uncontrollable terror!

"...Ugh!"

At the same time, after taking a few steps toward him, Madeleine suddenly felt a wave of dizziness strike her head again. Her eyes, which had only recently regained their clarity, were once more covered by a layer of crimson without warning!

A scorching wave of air slowly spread outward from her...

Miles froze, then his expression changed dramatically!

What was happening?

The Phoenix Force was going out of control at a time like this!

"Shit! If you don't want to die, get away from her!"

At the critical moment, the man suddenly shouted. He quickly pulled a syringe filled with dark blue liquid from his clothes and rushed forward in a single stride!

Before the destructive power within Madeleine could fully erupt, he grabbed her and viciously drove the needle into her neck, injecting the entire vial!

As the medicine took effect, the rampaging energy around Madeleine slowly settled like a flame being extinguished.

Then her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor, falling into a deep sleep.

"Whew... whew..."

The man took several heavy breaths. He turned back and looked at Miles again with an extremely complicated expression before finally sighing helplessly.

"Fine, you guessed right. I am Stasis... What do you X-Men want from me?"

"Two things."

Miles carefully helped Madeleine up as he asked, "What exactly are you and your brother Obadiah trying to do? And... how can we save Madeleine?"

Faced with Miles's questions, Dr. Stasis thought for a moment and sighed. "So you've encountered Obadiah? Not surprising. Since you are with Madeleine, he would have come looking for you sooner or later."

"You mean Obadiah's true target is Madeleine?" Miles asked.

"She is one of his targets." Dr. Stasis said, "Since you were able to bring Madeleine here, it seems you get along with her fairly well. Then... fine."

He casually took a bottle of pink solution from the lab bench, removed his glasses, and began smearing it across his face.

As he wiped, that utterly ordinary face seemed to be "washed away," transforming completely into another appearance and revealing features seventy percent similar to Obadiah Essex.

Clearly, this was Dr. Stasis's true face. On his forehead was an unusual "♣" mark.

[A club?]

"First, about Madeleine..." Dr. Stasis said slowly. "Madeleine was originally created by me as a weapon to kill Obadiah. Once she sees Obadiah's true body, the switch embedded in her genes will be triggered. It will activate her Phoenix Force to the greatest extent possible while also making her feel extreme hostility toward Obadiah, compelling her to attack him."

"But unfortunately, she is not Jean Grey herself." Dr. Stasis sighed. "Her body still cannot perfectly bear this power. So once the Phoenix Force erupts, while it grants her tremendous strength, it will also continuously consume her life energy. A few days ago at the Aegis Research Center, she should have already gone berserk once..."

"As it happened, I was not there at the time. Based on what I know of her, she should have completely lost control by then. So frankly, it surprises me that she has survived until now."

"So how do we save her?" Miles continued seriously.

"It will be difficult." Stasis answered calmly. "Once the Phoenix Force erupts, her life begins a countdown. The sedative I made can only keep her calm for a few minutes. At the shortest, one day. At most, one week. She will be completely burned to ash by the Phoenix Force. Of course, if her power erupts again, that process will be brought forward indefinitely. She may be completely consumed by the Phoenix Force the very next second."

After saying that, Dr. Stasis thought for a moment, then added, "Come to think of it, I have another suggestion. Before Madeleine truly can no longer hold on, you can send her to the Essex Corporation. At the instant before death, her Phoenix Force will strengthen to its theoretical limit, approaching Jean Grey's power level infinitely closely. In that case, you will have a strong chance of directly killing Obadiah this way."

"That sounds incredibly cold-blooded," Miles said. "To you, is Madeleine nothing more than a weapon?"

"To be precise, she is a bomb," Dr. Stasis replied.

"..." Miles looked seriously into Stasis's eyes and said in a low voice, "You really are the worst father I've ever met."

"Why would you say that?" Dr. Stasis asked in return. "Would you treat a bomb that could kill you at any moment as your daughter? Even I face a great risk of being killed when I am near her."

"..."

Miles shook his head, forcibly suppressing the urge to punch the man in front of him, then asked, "Then tell me. What is the difficult method you mentioned?"

"Are you sure you want to try it?" Dr. Stasis confirmed again.

"Yes." Miles nodded seriously.

"Fine. Then follow me." Dr. Stasis turned and walked into the laboratory.

Then, from a hidden compartment, he carefully took out a complex metal case. From within it, he removed a golden-red serum that glimmered with blazing red motes of light.

"This is... Phoenix Serum." Dr. Stasis explained slowly. "It is a special genetic serum I created through my research into Jean Grey's genes and the Phoenix Force. It can temporarily grant an ordinary person Phoenix Force compatibility, giving them the possibility of gaining the Phoenix Force."

"So we just inject Madeleine with it?" Miles asked.

"Of course not. Doing that would immediately cause the power inside her to erupt completely and burn her to ashes!" Dr. Stasis shook his head. "The effects of Phoenix Serum are merely theoretical. In reality, this serum's effectiveness is extremely limited."

"According to my research, the Phoenix Force has its own consciousness. It favors those who already possess Telepathy and whose emotions and spirits are extraordinarily intense and unique. If one cannot gain the Phoenix Force's recognition, the only result of injecting Phoenix Serum will be total consumption by its rampaging power."

"So what does this have to do with saving Madeleine?" Miles asked thoughtfully. "Are you suggesting that we create a new Phoenix Force vessel to share Madeleine's burden?"

"Exactly." Dr. Stasis nodded. "You are a psychic as well, correct? You can inject Phoenix Serum to become a new Phoenix Force vessel and accept Madeleine's Phoenix Force Mark. Then you can help her share the pressure brought by the Phoenix Force's growth. This will give her a chance to wait until the Phoenix Force within her truly finishes growing, allowing her body to adapt to that power."

"If it succeeds, you will also share a small part of Madeleine's power through the Phoenix Force Mark," Dr. Stasis said. "While it cannot compare to Madeleine's own power, it will already be sufficiently powerful compared to other mutants."

"Of course, the greater possibility is that you will not gain the Phoenix Force's recognition and will be directly consumed by its power, your consciousness annihilated."

Dr. Stasis spoke indifferently. "Even though you are already a psychic, your chance of success is still less than one in a thousand. So, are you willing to gamble?"

"Of course." Miles's expression remained calm as he accepted the Phoenix Serum without hesitation.

He vaguely had a feeling... the Phoenix Force... had probably already recognized him.

[I will save you... Madeleine.]

With that thought, Miles put away the Phoenix Serum and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he continued questioning Dr. Stasis.

"Then, the second question. Why did Madeleine begin losing control when she saw you just now?"

"That brings us to the relationship between Obadiah and me." Dr. Stasis continued, "How much do you know about Obadiah, me, and Dr. Nathaniel?"

Miles thought for a moment before answering, "As far as I know, you and Obadiah are biological brothers, while Dr. Nathaniel is your father."

"Sorry, you are only partially correct." Stasis replied. "In truth, Obadiah, the current Nathaniel, and I... are all clones of the former Dr. Nathaniel."

"...What?!" Miles exclaimed in shock. "What is going on?"

"Ah... this concerns our true family secret. Let me think about where to begin." Dr. Stasis thought for a moment, then asked Miles in return, "First, how much do you know about our father, Dr. Nathaniel's research achievements?"

"Dr. Nathaniel's research?" Miles considered it. "Metempsychosis technology, as well as the Apocalypse Plan that Obadiah proposed based on it."

"Very good. Since you understand Apocalypse and Metempsychosis, I need not waste too much time explaining that." Stasis continued. "The essence of Metempsychosis theory is the deconstruction and simulation of Apocalypse's ability to transfer consciousness."

"First, you must understand one thing. Apocalypse can accumulate abilities through repeated reincarnation. What does that prove? It proves that consciousness itself, just like the body, can carry abilities and memories! More than that, this alone proves that souls truly exist! This should have been a groundbreaking discovery worthy of being recorded in the history of biology!"

"Unfortunately, mutants were a sensitive subject in that era, so Dr. Nathaniel, whose main field was genetic soul science, did not have many academic achievements publicly known to the masses. But he did not care about that."

"Through his research into the soul, in his old age, he proposed an even further hypothesis—if a person's soul were divided and placed into different bodies to grow separately, could the originally divided soul become new, independent individuals? He believed this was highly likely, because according to his research, the soul was far more malleable than the body and possessed the ability to restore itself."

"So he conducted an experiment to divide a soul." Dr. Stasis said slowly. "And the test subject was himself."

"So..." Miles calmed his shock and instinctively guessed, "He split his soul into two parts, becoming you and Obadiah?"

"No." Stasis shook his head and raised four fingers. "Four parts."

"Four?!"

"Using his own genes as a template, Dr. Nathaniel cloned four different embryos, then divided his soul and implanted the parts into them. Because of his personal tastes, the four of us were distinguished by playing card suits, and corresponding marks were engraved into us at the genetic level." Dr. Stasis pointed to the "♣" pattern on his forehead.

"According to Dr. Nathaniel's original plan, the four of us represented his different ideals and personalities. We were..."

"The '♠' representing power, Obadiah."

"The '♣' representing technology, Stasis. That is me."

"The '♥' representing order, Ritts."

"The '♦' representing chaos, Nathaniel... himself." At this point, Dr. Stasis explained, "Yes, he transferred his original consciousness into the final clone body and began a new life under a new identity. The '♦' symbol therefore represents him. To us, diamonds are both our father... and our brother."

"Four clones..." Miles murmured as he slowly processed this astonishing fact, then asked in disbelief, "As for Ritts of the '♥,' do you mean Ritts Yor, the person who proposed Project ATHENA?!"

"Yes." Dr. Stasis nodded.

"But she is a woman!" Miles still found it hard to believe.

"Do you think changing one's sex would be a difficult issue for geneticists of Nathaniel's and our caliber?" Stasis asked in return.

"..." Miles fell silent for a moment before asking again, "Then what exactly is the relationship between the four of you?"

"As clones of Dr. Nathaniel, we hate one another. Since our birth, we have constantly fought each other. It is an instinct Dr. Nathaniel engraved into our souls."

Dr. Stasis answered, "He viewed our birth as his final experiment. This is a war between Essexes. Only the last survivor can represent the correct path, inherit everything he had, and prove that they are the true Essex!"

"More than ten years ago, Obadiah and I fought for control of the Essex Corporation. In the end, he won." Dr. Stasis said slowly. "Using the Essex Corporation's capital, Obadiah pushed forward the Apocalypse Plan, obtained the Apocalypse Body, and became the strongest among the four of us."

"To contend with Obadiah, the Artificial Apocalypse, I created Madeleine, because I believed the Phoenix Force was far more powerful than Apocalypse."

"As for Ritts, she entered the government, advanced Project ATHENA, and developed the Super Leech, intending to wipe out Obadiah and me, along with all mutants."

Dr. Stasis sighed deeply. "Unfortunately, my experiment did not fully succeed. Although Madeleine inherited the Phoenix Force, she herself was fundamentally incapable of carrying that power. She could only be used as a living bomb. Even more unfortunately, in the accident at the Aegis Research Center a few days ago, Madeleine went berserk and disappeared."

"Without Madeleine, if Obadiah and Ritts find me now, I will certainly die. That is why I concealed my identity and hid here."

"That is also why I am willing to cooperate with you X-Men. I need your help to fight Obadiah and Ritts... as well as our fourth brother."

"You mean that '♦' gentleman?" Miles asked. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Dr. Stasis shook his head, then answered, "The '♦' represents the consciousness of our father, Nathaniel Essex himself. He possesses the truly complete Metempsychosis technology. In recent years, Obadiah has been hunting him in order to obtain complete Metempsychosis, forcing him to change bodies multiple times. But he ultimately escaped. So now, no one knows where he is."

At that, Dr. Stasis added, "Theoretically, any passerby you encounter outside could be him."

[So this is the truth behind Mr. '♦,' Nathaniel Essex?]

[His consciousness cannot be destroyed. He can continuously possess bodies and become anyone in the world...]

[If such an existence were an enemy...]

Miles took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the shock in his heart before asking, "So... the Apocalypse Plan... Project ATHENA... Madeleine... At their core, were all these plans products of the struggle between you Essexes?!"

"Correct." Dr. Stasis nodded.

[Just as I thought...]

Miles took a deep breath, followed the current line of reasoning, then said slowly, "So, as a weapon against Obadiah, the reason Madeleine reacted to you as well is because, just like Obadiah, you are Nathaniel's clone. Your genes and souls are extremely similar!"

"If Madeleine is a bomb, as you say, then you are also one of the bomb's fuses!"

"Yes."

"In that case..." Miles's mind raced. "The fuse that first caused Madeleine to go berserk at the Aegis Research Center... could not have been you. You created her, so you would not make such a low-level mistake. Therefore, it could only have been... Ritts!"

"While you were away, she went to see Madeleine and caused Madeleine to lose control!" Miles continued muttering to himself. "That explains it. It had to be her... Madeleine also said she encountered a woman that day... Part of the woman from the illusion she saw under Jossen's hypnosis was based on Ritts... That was why her power lost control... Because Ritts is also one of the clones and would likewise trigger Madeleine's reaction!"

"So... the accident at the Aegis Research Center was personally planned by Ritts! This was also part of the struggle between you Essexes! She wanted to control Madeleine, but failed, so she sought help from the Xavier Institute and then drew the Essex Corporation's attention over, causing Obadiah to notice us..."

"Absolutely correct!" Stasis lightly clapped his hands.

"Then there is the final '♦,' Dr. Nathaniel himself..." Miles instinctively continued thinking. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he recalled something Madeleine had casually said before boarding the Blackbird.

"I always feel that staying at the institute is a little dangerous..."

[There is danger at the institute... danger enough to make Madeleine uneasy...]

[Could it be...]

At that moment, an utterly terrifying guess surfaced in Miles's mind!

['♦' is at the Xavier Institute?!]

Thinking of this, Miles immediately took off his X-Terminal.

"Aurora? Aurora?! Contact Charles! Now!!"

"...Aurora?!"

Aurora did not respond. The communication channel was deathly silent.

Miles froze. What was going on?

Bzzzt—!!

A piercing burst of electrical static suddenly exploded!

Beep—beep—

Clack, clack, clack...

Krrrsh...

In the next instant, every device, screen, indicator light, and control terminal in the entire laboratory seemed to have its throat seized by an invisible hand. They flickered madly on and off, plunging into chaos!

The ceiling lights brightened and dimmed erratically, dragging the shadows of the group across the walls like ghosts.

The surveillance cameras that Miles had turned away just moments ago now seemed to come alive, emitting mechanical clacking sounds as they rotated in unison.

Their crimson status lights, like pairs of emotionless eyes, locked precisely onto Stasis and Madeleine!

"What's going on?!"

Miles's eyes narrowed as his psychic power surged out like a tide, trying to seize control of the equipment again.

But in the next moment, his expression turned horrified!

He had failed.

A psychic will far stronger than his own was fighting him with the same ability!

At the same time, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

"Bzzz—!"

The coffee machine in the cafeteria suddenly spewed scorching steam, every screen in the computer room instantly turned to static, and the danger alarms in the training room began shrieking without warning!

New York.

Hundreds upon thousands of massive electronic billboards in Times Square were instantly wiped clean, replaced by flickering, bizarre patterns.

Countless tourists and citizens lingering on the streets looked up in confusion at the strange symbols covering the sky, instinctively discussing what kind of new creative advertisement this was.

Silicon Valley.

Alarms rang out through the core server rooms of every major tech giant!

The processor usage of all servers instantly soared to one hundred percent, their fans roaring as though they were about to fly apart!

"Damn it! Someone's attacking us! No—it's the whole country!"

"We can't stop them! Their computing power is limitless!"

Wall Street.

The financial trading systems completely collapsed within a second. Countless lines of code cascaded across the screens, while the shifting stock data became strings of meaningless gibberish.

The heart of the world economy suddenly stopped beating at that moment!

Alameda Research Center, laboratory.

A few drops of sweat slid down Miles's temple, but he did not notice them at all.

In the mental clash within the intangible electronic realm, that will was like an immovable mountain, weighing heavily upon his senses.

What terrified him even more was that bone-deep sense of familiarity!

This was not merely a similarity in abilities, but a resonance born from the same source—like looking into a mirror and seeing himself twisted, magnified, and made incomparably grotesque!

"This feeling... this ability just like mine..."

"There's no mistake. It's him..."

He found this place!

Miles's pupils suddenly contracted. He sharply turned his head, his gaze locking onto Dr. Stasis, the horror in his eyes nearly spilling over.

"Run!!!"

Without hesitation, he grabbed Madeleine and prepared to leave with Dr. Stasis!

But it was already too late.

"Crack..."

A crisp sound like shattering crystal rang through the air.

The corridor space before the three of them suddenly twisted and collapsed, forming a hollow void that flickered with ominous purple light.

Then, a tall, burly figure stepped out from within, the "♠" mark on his forehead especially conspicuous.

"Obadiah Apocalypse!"

The instant he appeared, all the wildly flickering equipment and all the shrieking alarms in the laboratory seemed to have had their mute buttons pressed, abruptly falling silent.

The lights went out, and the screens went black.

Absolute silence, absolute control.

This had originally been Miles's ability, but backed by Obadiah's psychic power, more terrifying than Charles's, its effect was dozens of times stronger than when Miles used it himself!

"Sizzle—!!!"

In the next instant, two scorching blood-red beams shot from Obadiah's eyes!

It was Cyclops's energy beam ability!

Miles did not even have time to react before the beams streaked precisely past him, piercing through Dr. Stasis's chest and leaving behind a hole whose edges had been charred black by the intense heat.

"Urgh."

Dr. Stasis, his chest pierced through, slowly fell with a horrified expression.

"Thud."

His corpse hit the floor with a dull sound.