THE FUTURE LIES WITHIN
Chapter 2: More Dreams and a Date “I believe that the only way Jean was able to survive what happened at the lake was due to a transformation her body went through. She was in a dormant state, with no apparent form until today, when she found herself on grassy area just next to Alkali Lake. I know that all of you will want to see her for yourselves, but I ask that you wait and give she and Scott time to talk, and time for her to rest.” Logan still flirted with her but he knew that her choice was Scott, even though he knew that, he still couldn’t help to look at her when she walked into a room, if only to bother Scott. Max looked at her with a glint of suspicion in his eyes. “I thought I told you last night that I wouldn’t be in,” he said. Heidi remembered that and wasn’t sure what to say.
As soon as she walked in the door of her Apartment, Heidi tossed her purse onto a nearby chair, then walked over to the couch and sat down. She leaned forward resting her head in her hands, thankful to be home. Today had not gone well for the young woman, and she was frustrated with how she handled herself as a result of various problems. The first sign of a bad day was more flowers waiting for her on her desk, with the same note from an admirer. Heidi knew who it was and wanted to report him, but then thought better of it. Max was a powerful man, and she knew that telling anyone about his flirtations would be pointless. The second bad part of her day was the meeting. The committee couldn’t agree on the plans, and now she had work to bring home with her. It was times like these when she really wished she had someone who loved her, and who she loved back; someone she could talk to who would understand her.
“Get a grip,” she muttered to herself as she sat up. Heidi walked into her kitchen and put on a pan of water to boil. To the right of the stove she opened a cabinet and pulled out a box of spaghetti noodles, and a jar of spaghetti sauce. After pouring oil into the pan of water, she got out a glass and filled it with water then returned to the living room, and got started on her homework.
Later that night as she slept, Heidi found herself dreaming. There was smoke everywhere and yelling. Heidi coughed and tried to see through the smoke. A few feet ahead of her she saw some Giant form, taller than a man, and it wasn’t anything human. She saw lightning fly from someplace and heard someone screaming. Heidi woke up with a start, and put her hand over her chest to still her beating heart. Something was wrong, something was very wrong but she couldn’t figure out what. For several minutes she tried going back to sleep, but when she could not, she got up and walked into the living room.
As she sat in a tan Easy Chair, Heidi tried to think about who could be having this affect on her. Was Anna in danger, but what was the creature she saw in her dreams, and where had she been? Confused, Heidi rubbed her temples with her fingers as she began to feel the onset of a headache.
When morning arrived, Heidi called work telling them she was feeling poorly, and would not be able to go in. She had not been able to go back to sleep, and she could not stop thinking about both of her dreams. As she thought about it, she realized that they were connected in some way which she couldn’t piece together. Heidi desperately wanted to know what was going on, but had no idea where to begin. Tired of thinking about what her dreams could mean, Heidi turned on the TV and flipped the Channel to a station that played old time movies. They always made her relax, and not even a half hour into the movie she fell asleep in her Easy Chair.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the woods beyond the Mansion, where the students were attending their classes, a woman wearing tattered clothing made her way toward the large structure. Jean Grey remembered saving the Plane at Alkali Lake, but there was little else she could remember. She had gone through a great change, and in that time her body remained dormant, under the icy waters of the Lake until she immerged earlier that morning. Somehow she had managed to get from there to where she was now, but she couldn’t remember that part either. All she knew was that the man she loved, and the children she cared about lay just ahead, and all she wanted to do was get home to them.
It had never happened like this before. The students of Professor Xavier’s class had been listening to him talk about the structural DNA of a human body when he suddenly stopped talking. He seemed to get a far away look in his eyes and then they were dismissed. With almost an hour of free time on their hands, most of the students went outside to the Basket ball court, and to the picnic area to enjoy some free time before the rest of their classes resumed.
With his students out of class the professor guided his chair through the halls of the mansion to the back, and as he rolled out onto the balcony he saw Jean emerge from the woods. Everyone else was busy, and though he knew they would all be anxious to know what had happened to her, the Professor wanted to talk to her first, to see what she knew about the changes that he could already sense in her.
Later in the Professor’s office, after changing into her cloths, Jean tried to remember what had happened. She was confused, and frustrated that her memories were not there as she needed them to be. “I woke up this morning on the shore of the lake surrounded by grass where the snow in that area melted away. Professor why can I not remember?” she asked feeling like she was in a dream.
“I don’t think there is a way for me to answer that for you unless I can see,” he said as he wheeled over to where she was sitting. When she was relaxed he placed his hands on either side of her head and shut his eyes. He was taken back to just after the plane took off and saw the water wash over her body sending it to the bottom of the lake where she appeared to be dead. Suddenly there was a light burst so bright that even in his entranced state Charles had to focus on something else. When he looked back her body was gone, and yet he could still see under water. He went forward in time to this day when another flash occurred, then he saw her on shore as she had described.
When he opened his eyes he smiled at her. “Tell me how you feel,” he said.
Jean shut her eyes, again clearing her mind, suddenly realizing that she was hearing Scott’s voice even though he was several rooms away from her. She could also hear Logan talking to Kurt about his first few weeks at the mansion. When she opened her eyes she somehow felt refreshed. “I can hear all of them,” she said, realizing that she had control over her telepathy in a way that had never been.
“Jean I think you may have evolved. I since great change in you, and I think you may find there is more than just control over your Telepathic abilities. Why don’t you rest now,” he said.
“I should find Scott,” she replied, but he shook his head.
“I need to talk to him first. You see the rest of our family doesn’t know you survived the flood, and I want the two of you to have time to yourselves before the rest of them find out you have returned,” he said. When she agreed to go to the room she and Scott shared, the Professor made his way toward the Garage to talk to him, and then he would hold a meeting for all of them in the Library.
Before the Lake, and after the events at the Statue of Liberty, Jean had no control over her powers. Now she lay in bed listening to only the sounds she wanted to hear; those within the walls that held her. Her senses heightened and she sat up a moment before Scott came into the room. Before she was fully standing he was at her side and when they hugged she never wanted him to let her go. “I’m so sorry,” she said, remembering the way she had shut him out before the lake.
“I thought I lost you,” Scott said as he pulled away; then took her lips in a demanding kiss. All Scott knew was that the woman he loved was home, and that he would never let her go again. When they fell onto the bed they began to rip at one another’s cloths, needing to feel the closeness that only their loving could bring.
While Scott and Jean spent private time in their room, everyone gathered in the Library, not knowing why a meeting had been called. Everyone was talking until Logan’s voice, heard over all them, got their attention. The room fell silent and everyone looked at Professor Xavier.
“I have gathered all of you here to tell you about Jean’s return to us.”
The room erupted into chatter until Logan once again got them quiet, then he asked, “What do you mean her return, she died remember?” He felt like he was in a dream, and when the Professor began to speak not one student or adult made a move.
Everyone had questions, but the professor didn’t have the answers, at least none that he could share with them. When they left the room, only one person remained, and that was Logan.
“Did you know?” he asked.
“I sensed something that day, but only a glimpse of her being. From that time until now I did not know if she was alive or dead.” He watched Logan leave, and headed back to his office to try and help Jean piece together what changes she had gone through.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, Heidi finished the final draft of the board meeting report for Max. Her report included the Schematics of the building they had approved during her meeting, and she was looking forward to the weekend which was almost upon her. Deciding to pay him an unexpected visit like he had several times that week, Heidi left her office and when she got on the Elevator she pushed the button numbered 100. It was not often that she ever went up to his floor, and when she arrived at his office, his secretary informed her that he was in a very important meeting.
“What meeting, it wasn’t on the schedule,” Heidi said wondering what he was up too.
“I don’t know what meeting, but I will be happy to let Max have those,” Judy said as she held out her hand for the report folder.
Heidi held on to the folder, and was about to tell Judy where she could put it, when Max beeped in telling Judy to bring all of them Coffee. Heidi turned and headed back to the elevator, walking slowly until Judy disappeared around the other side of the long hallway. Sure she would be tied up, Heidi ran to the door, knowing that if she were caught she could lose her job. She pressed her ear against the solid oak door and only heard a few words. One word that caught her attention was Mutant; another was something that sounded like Centennial. Hearing chairs move from within Heidi made a quick exit to the Elevator and disappeared within before she could be seen.
Back in her own office she sat at her desk deep in thought. What would Max want to do with the Mutants, and what was the meaning of Centennial within the context of their meeting? Something wasn’t right and it didn’t take her Clairvoyance to tell her that.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jean woke up and found Scott packing their things. “Scott what are you doing?” she asked keeping the covers over her naked body.
He stopped what he was doing and walked over to her side of the bed and knelt down. “I spoke with the professor and I know everyone is anxious to see you, but we need more time to be alone, I need that Jean. I want to take you to our favorite get away, just for the night,” he said hoping she would agree with him.
Jean remembered the time before her transformation, and what she hadn’t shared with Scott about her losing control of her powers. They had a second chance and truthfully she wasn’t ready to face everyone just yet. “I want us to go there too,” she said smiling at him. She got out of bed and pulled on a robe before helping him pack what was left. They were going a little north of where they were now to a camp site they loved to visit, and she was looking forward to being with him.
A few minutes later the two of them emerged from their room and as they walked down the hall they ran into Logan. He smiled at her, and Jean smiled back.
Logan looked at Scott and before he walked on he said, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Scott took Jean’s hand aware of Logan’s past interest in his fiancé, but was confident that her love and loyalty was to him.
Jean merely shook her head holding a bit tighter to Scott’s hand and they continued on to the garage, both surprised not to run into anyone else. “I think we owe the professor our thanks when we return,” Jean said, knowing that he had something to do with keeping everyone away.
Scott stopped their journey long enough to kiss Jean. “Right now all I want to do is get you away from here,” he said. They kissed again and made their way to the Firebird, both ready for some much needed time together.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At her computer Heidi looked up Centennial to see if there was any meaning other than the common one. There wasn’t anything she didn’t already know, and it just didn’t fit in with any Mutant activities she was aware of. As she was shutting down her computer in preparation to go home, her door opened, and Heidi wasn’t surprised to see Max.
“I’m heading to Alfalfas for a bite to eat, care to join me?” he asked.
Heidi was about to say “no”, and then she thought better of that. If she was going to find out what he was up too, she was going to have to push aside her dislike of him and take his offer, if only to find out why he was interested in the Mutants. “I guess maybe I should so you won’t feel the obligation to keep asking me,” she said gathering her things.
Max stood at the door surprised she was actually going to come with him, and pleased that she was finally going to do things his way. He wasn’t used to being turned down, and didn’t like it when a woman told him “no”, for any reason. When Heidi was ready, Max led the way, knowing that if he made a wrong move she would likely change her mind. Outside his Limo waited and he opened the door for her, letting her in first before he joined her.
The Limo was fancy. Inside there was plenty of space and two televisions, one against the driver’s seat, and one against the seat Max was sitting in across from Heidi.
“May I pour you a glass of wine?” he asked. When Heidi looked at Max and nodded her head, he got a glass out of a small cabinet built in under his seat. He reached beside it and opened a small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Merlot. After getting it uncorked he poured both of them a glass of wine, and then handed Heidi hers.
“This must be expensive,” Heidi said ready to get rid of the silence which surrounded them as they sipped their wine.
Max chuckled. “Not when you have spent the majority of your adult life making the right financial decisions, and investments. So what do you think of this?” he asked. He was interested in her thoughts.
Heidi wasn’t going to sugar coat her answer for him, and began. “I think if I had the money that you must have, I would spend it on things other than expensive cars. Look at the world around you, there are people starving not five blocks from where we are. If I had the money I would invest it in them, not something as frivolous as this,” she said as she touched the black leather seat she was sitting in for emphasis.
Her answer didn’t surprise him, and he smiled at her. “If I gave my money for their salvation how do you think they would use it? The drunkards would have a life time supply to support their habit, and there would still be ignorant women having more children so that they can remain on welfare and not work.” The car stopped, and Max got out and turned around. He offered his hand and when Heidi took it he helped her out of the car. “However to prove a point I will give my driver a night off, and use public transportation for a night. Winston you may go now.” Max shut the door; then he and his date went into the elegant little café.
Once they were seated at their table, Max seemed to get over being annoyed at her, and talked about his childhood until their meal arrived. “Judy told me you came by with the report, and I wasn’t planning on having a meeting, but something rather important has come up,” he said as he cut up a piece of asparagus and put it in his mouth.
Heidi was just finishing her salad, and set her fork down over the plate so that the server would know she was finished. She wanted to ask him what his meeting was about, but didn’t want him to feel like she was spying on him. “She was insistent on not letting me in to see you,” Heidi said acting as though she were annoyed, which, in truth, she had been.
Max looked at his beautiful date. “You never visit me and if I would have known you were going to do so, I would have told her to come and get me,” he said before eating the last bite of his salad. He too put his fork across the elegant china plate. “So what do you think?” he asked in reference to the Restaurant. Before Heidi could answer his question, Max’s cell phone beeped, and he excused himself before turning away from her to take the call.
Heidi tried to tune in but his voice was muffled. She thought she heard him say that money didn’t matter. When he hung up she pretended to be looking at a couple at the next table having lively conversation.
“I’m sorry about that, now what do you think?” he asked folding his hands in front of him on the table.
“I like it here,” she admitted. It was the truth. She had never been here until today, and aside from his company she was enjoying the meal.
Max was pleased. Heidi didn’t seem as tense as she had been in the Limousine, and he hoped that after tonight they could see more of one another. The rest of their meal arrived and after they ate Max took Heidi back to her apartment by means of a Taxi.
On the way back to her apartment, Max made a call and when they arrived in front of her building, Heidi wasn’t surprised to see his Limo waiting for him.
“I live on Staunton Island, and I’m not found of letting people I don’t know take me to my house,” he said lamely.
Heidi knew that he had taken a big step in riding in a Taxi, and a small part of her admired him for that. She let him walk her to the door and before he let go of her hand he held it to his lips and brushed a kiss over her hand.
Max was standing over her looking at her with a smirk. Heidi felt great sadness, as well as anger as he gloated to her, “I told you I always get what I want,” she heard him say. Heidi opened her eyes and found the TV in front of her filled with fuzz. She had fallen asleep watching a movie about Pirates and a Curse, and as she slept she had that dream. Max wasn’t the man he seemed to be, and Heidi felt angry that she had even admired him earlier that evening. He was a complex scheming man, but to what he as scheming she did not know. All she did know was that there was great danger surrounding her, and possibly all Mutants.
Going over to her computer Heidi hooked it up to her Cable Modem, and turned it on. She pulled up a search engine and typed in the word Mutant. In a moment she found pages full of listings, and scanned briefly through a few of them. As she did that she tried to think back to the news. A few months ago there had been an incident at Liberty Island with a Mutant, and then a few weeks ago something that caused her head, and the rest of the human population’s, to feel like it was going to explode. Her search wasn’t bringing up anything, and then she remembered the Mutant Registration Act Congress had been trying to pass just before the events of Liberty and Ellis Island. When Heidi typed that in, she only found a few names, the name of Senator Kelley, a few names she didn’t know, and then one that caught her eye.
“Dr Jean Grey lobbied for the senate not to pass the bill claiming that such an act would be unjust…”
From there Heidi did another search on Jean Grey and found out that she was a teacher at a school for gifted students in upstate New York. Jotting down a few notes, Heidi put them in a drawer at her desk and locked them away. Right now she needed to find out what Max was up too, then she would try and found out where that school was and find a way to let them know that something big was about to take place.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Having Jean home brought an end to the sadness which had enveloped the Mansion. Each day that passed brought new discoveries of her powers, and a new closeness with Scott that hadn’t been there before.
Today she was meeting with Jake, and when he arrived at her class she could tell without even looking at him that he as upset about something. Jake was one of the youngest Mutants attending their school. He had been found an hour away wondering around a shopping mall where he had been abandoned. “Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?” Jean said using her Telepathy
Jake looked at her then down at his feet. He closed his eyes and squinted as he tried to focus on sending his words to her. At first there was nothing; then she responded to what he had just thought to her.
“You might start by telling them how you feel when they don’t include you,” Jean thought as she smiled at him.
Jake didn’t have to open his eyes to know she as smiling at him. In some way or another he felt that she was. Feeling better they ended their mental conversation, and started on the other part of his training, which was to control his temper, so that when he was angry books and other items didn’t go flying across the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Two weeks had gone by since Heidi had started seeing Max, and since that time her evenings were full. Every night they went to dinner, and then to some sort of event, either a play or a movie. Max stopped seeing her in her office, and told her that he wouldn’t make her uncomfortable by doing that. If Heidi wasn’t Clairvoyant, she might be fooled into believing he was a good man, but she knew that he was not, and knew she had to watch her step around him.
Tonight she waited for twenty minutes before he finally arrived at her apartment to get her. Heidi made a point of not wearing outfits that made her look too flattering, and most of the time she wore a long skirt and a blouse, usually darker colors, which she preferred. When he finally arrived he made his apologies, and helped her into his Limo.
“Do I get to know why my date wasn’t on time?” Heidi asked, not expecting him to be truthful.
Max looked at her before he said, “How do you feel about the mutant population?”
Heidi had just taken a sip of wine, and nearly choked on it, when he asked her that question. Keeping a careful rain on her emotions, she managed to swallow it before she looked at him. “To be truthful I don’t know a whole lot about them,” she said. She knew more about them now than she had, but she wasn’t going to let him know that.
“So you don’t think that the little episode of a few months ago had anything to do with them?” he asked getting right to the point. He had to know that she didn’t like them, or else he would simply stop seeing her.
“I can’t explain that, and I don’t think there is enough evidence to support your statement Max. I see you don’t like them,” she said as she took another drink of wine.
“Not particularly, and if I had my way we would be rid of all of them,” he said before he changed the subject.
Since she had begun to see Max, Heidi had a dream almost every night about some wooded area. This night was no different, with the exception of the lack of smoke and cries. She found herself being held against someone’s body. Her back was to her assailant, and she could feel that this man was well built. He wouldn’t let her go, and for some reason she didn’t feel frightened by that. Her dream faded, replaced by mundane images which didn’t hold meaning for her, but did allow her to get the rest she needed.
The next day, to her luck, Max was going to be away from the office. Heidi worked all morning on her usual stack of schematics, and reports, and by lunch she was itching to go up to his office and find out what he was up too.
On his private floor, Heidi was pleased to find Judy away, and estimated that she likely had less than an hour to do some searching. Peeping under the door, Heidi made sure he wasn’t there; then she tried the door and found it open. His office was lit only by the light coming in from the Windows. Heidi went straight to his desk, and began to look for a locked drawer, which she found relatively fast. Praying that she could remember how to pick a lock, something she had learned from her great uncle, she took a paper clip from his desk, bent it, and began to work at the lock. Ten minutes later it was evident that it wasn’t going to budge. Heidi felt frustrated, and began to look around at his desk. It was in order, and nothing looked any bit suspicious. As she was about to leave, Heidi noticed something sticking out of a folder and quickly opened it. There was a memo about sending money to the Sentinel Fund. Realizing that she was running out of time Heidi shut the book, and made it back to the elevator without anyone knowing she was there. She breathed in a sigh of relief when the car arrived, though when the door opened she found herself facing Max.
“I was just hoping you would be getting back early. Well my lunch is over,” she hurried into the car and when the door shut Heidi silently cursed under her breath. Now he would suspect she was up to something, though Heidi hoped he would buy her story. When she got back to her office, she did a search on Sentinel Fund and didn’t come up with anything.
That night when she arrived home, and was getting ready for her date with Max, he called her telling her that he had a meeting to attend, and that he was going to have to break their date. Heidi tried to judge the tone of his voice to see if he sounded suspicious of her, but it was difficult to tell. When they hung up, she changed into her nightshirt and went to bed. Something was about to happen, and she needed to find this Jean Gray before all hell broke loose.
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