Phasing into a New Life: The Evolution of an Ability

The metal fragment in the concrete crack was trembling slightly, at exactly the same frequency as the fragment in Ye Mo's palm. Blue light flickered, almost as though it were breathing.

He crouched without a word and pressed the fragment in his hand against it.

Click.

The instant the two pieces of metal touched, an electric current shot through his fingertips into his brain. His vision abruptly went black, and his knees weakened, nearly sending him to the ground. A ringing exploded in his ears, then stopped short. In its place came a voice he had not heard in a long time, so calm it practically begged for a punch:

[Dual-point synchronized activation detected. Gene fusion authorization unlocked: attempt to combine "Healing Factor (Wade)" and "Molecular Phasing (Shadowcat)"?]

Ye Mo clenched his back teeth, veins throbbing at his temples.

"Yes."

The instant the word left his mouth, it felt as though someone were drilling into his brain with a power drill. A hot current surged up his spine to the crown of his head, followed by tearing agony-as though two hands had seized opposite ends of his nerves and violently pulled them apart.

He dug all ten fingers into the ground, packing dirt beneath his nails. His body shook like an electric scooter about to fall apart, but his hands still pressed down hard on the two pieces of metal. He dared not loosen his grip in the slightest.

"Don't crap out on me... not now..."

Deep within his consciousness, a spiral tower slowly emerged, its second floor quietly lighting up. A mass of dark red energy collided violently with a translucent ripple, burst apart, re-formed, and burst apart again. Every collision made his temples pound. Warm liquid seeped from his nose.

Emma Frost leaned against the wall, her voice weak. "What... happened to you?"

"Nothing." His throat tightened. "Someone's just using my brain as an internet café computer."

She tried to raise a hand to steady him, but had barely pushed herself up before sliding back down. Blood seeped from the wound on her shoulder again, tinged blue-green.

"The toxin's spreading," she said. "I can't hold on much longer."

"I know." Ye Mo wiped away his nosebleed and looked up at the wall. "But we have to get through there."

"Wall Phasing?" She frowned. "Are you Shadowcat?"

"I'm about to be."

He drew a deep breath, stood, and walked up to the wall. He pressed his right hand against the concrete and closed his eyes.

The system notification sounded again:

[Activating Regenerative Phasing... tissue disassembly rate 47%... reassembly delayed... warning: risk of cellular disintegration rising]

The next second, his right arm began turning transparent, his skin flickering like a television picture with poor reception. Before he could phase all the way through, agony struck-a gash suddenly split open across his left shoulder, and blood gushed out.

"Fuck!"

He staggered backward and dropped to one knee, clamping his left hand around his neck to force himself to stay conscious.

"No... the timing's wrong... the healing can't keep up with the disassembly..."

Panting heavily, he stared at the slowly healing wound on his arm. Blood was still flowing, but the gash was indeed closing. That meant the healing mechanism was working, just a beat too slow.

"Then... speed it up."

He gritted his teeth and silently commanded, Activate the regeneration module at full power!

It felt as though his insides had been set ablaze. Blood surged faster, and his heart rate suddenly skyrocketed. Every torn muscle repaired itself at a speed almost too fast to see. He charged at the wall again, thrusting out both hands this time.

His body sank into the concrete bit by bit, as though sinking into thick mud. With every inch he advanced, his flesh tore apart, then rapidly healed. His ears filled with the strange sounds of flesh being crushed and reassembled-gurgling, crackling, ripping...

Emma Frost watched his back, her pupils contracting slightly.

Three seconds later, he tumbled out the other side of the wall, hit the ground, rolled halfway over, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"It worked..."

He turned back and reached out. "Can you still move?"

Emma Frost did not answer. She simply used all her strength to place her hand in his. Ye Mo hauled her up and hoisted her onto his back.

"Hang on tight. No promises I'll look that cool the second time."

He turned to face the wall again, took a deep breath, and charged into it.

This time went much more smoothly. His body merged into the wall like rippling water, without the slightest resistance or any more tearing. Seven seconds later, the two of them tumbled out the other side, landing on an abandoned platform covered in railway tracks.

Cold wind blew from deep within the tunnel, carrying the smells of mildew and rust.

Ye Mo lay on the ground and coughed a few times, then felt his nostrils. Good, no bleeding. But blood was seeping from every pore on his body, soaking a large patch of his clothes. Looking down, he saw a hole in the knee of his work pants. The flesh beneath was torn open and healing at a visible speed.

"This thing... really takes years off your life."

He struggled to his feet and gently laid Emma Frost on a bench in the corner. Her face was deathly pale, her breathing faint, her eyes half-open. She was close to unconsciousness.

"Hang in there," he said. "Let me deal with our tail."

He tore off his last clean T-shirt, wrapped the two metal fragments in it, and jammed them hard into a crack in the ground.

"The pursuers were using this to track your White Queen. Now the signal's cut off." He wiped the blood from his face. "They'll have to start looking again."

Emma Frost's lips moved slightly, her voice barely audible. "The ability... you just used... wasn't simply Wall Phasing."

"Of course not." He sat down against the wall and rubbed his temples. "It takes me apart and repairs me at the same time. Dying and living at once. I've already got a name for it-Regenerative Phasing."

"Sounds... like some kind of fitness class."

"A premium, custom-made one." He grinned, then bared his teeth in pain. "Hurts like hell."

He closed his eyes and looked inward. A silver pathway extended along his spine, running from his brainstem straight to his tailbone like a freshly welded wire. He knew it was the sign that the Gene Spiral Tower's second floor had taken shape.

He had the ability now, but the price was steep.

The system had yet to sound another notification. It was probably exhausted too.

He took off his glasses and wiped the blood from the lenses with the hem of his shirt. An emergency light flickered, illuminating the tiny split at the corner of his mouth.

"Next time I phase through a wall..." he murmured, "I need to pick a softer one."

Emma Frost suddenly caught his wrist. Her grip was not strong, but it was tight.

"Don't... leave me behind."

"Hm?" He turned to look at her.

Her eyes had already closed, but her fingers still hooked around his cuff.

Ye Mo froze for two seconds, then gently patted the back of her hand.

"I keep my word."

"If you die, who's going to owe me a hot pot dinner?"

He put his glasses back on and looked into the depths of the tunnel. The darkness was thick as ink. Only a red light flickered faintly in the distance, as though some equipment were still running.

He braced himself against the wall and stood, moving his arms and legs. Though his whole body hurt as if he had been run over by a truck, he could still walk.

Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly felt a chill against his chest.

Looking down, he saw a hole in his hoodie. A translucent pattern had appeared on his skin and was slowly fading.

He paused.

It was an afterimage left by phasing through the wall.

Before he could react, an extremely faint beep came from behind him.

It sounded like an electronic device powering on.

He whipped his head around.

At the end of the platform, the red indicator light on a dust-covered surveillance camera lit up.