Jin woke to the sensation of something cold pressing against his forehead, followed almost immediately by the sound of a machine beeping somewhere beside him. His eyes opened slowly, and for several seconds he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling without moving, his mind struggling to remember where he was and why every muscle in his body felt as though he had been thrown through a building. Then memory returned in fragments—the Endeavour, Jean, the golden wave, the impossible sensation of something ancient passing through his soul—and Jin immediately sat upright despite the violent protest from his body.
"Jean."
His voice came out hoarse, and the sudden movement made the room tilt sideways. Jin grabbed the edge of the bed before he could fall, breathing through the dizziness as his vision blurred and sharpened in rapid succession. He looked around the medical room, recognizing the academy's equipment and the familiar blue walls, but there was no Jean anywhere, and that single absence immediately mattered more to him than the pounding headache behind his eyes.
The door opened.
Hank stepped inside carrying a tablet, his expression changing the instant he saw Jin sitting upright. "You're awake," he said, moving toward the bed with considerably more urgency than his calm voice suggested, but Jin barely gave him time to reach him before asking the question that had been sitting at the front of his mind since consciousness returned.
"Where's Jean?"
Hank stopped.
That hesitation was enough.
Jin's stomach dropped.
"Where is she?"
"She's recovering," Hank answered carefully. "At least, that's what we believe."
Jin stared at him.
"What happened?"
Hank looked down at the tablet before answering. "The rescue mission was successful, but something happened afterward, and Jean's condition has been... unusual since we returned. She experienced a significant increase in her abilities, followed by an emotional episode that Charles believes may be connected to whatever energy struck the shuttle."
Jin's expression hardened.
"Where is she now?"
"She left the academy."
"Where?"
"We don't know."
Jin threw the blanket aside.
Hank immediately stepped forward. "Jin, you shouldn't—"
"Where?"
"Her family home."
Jin froze.
Hank continued, "She went to her childhood home with Scott, Charles, Raven, and the others. Charles believes she may need to confront the memories surrounding her childhood."
Jin stared at the floor.
The childhood home.
His mind immediately connected the pieces.
The space rescue.
Jean's sudden power increase.
Her emotional instability.
Her family.
The memories.
His stomach tightened.
"How long ago?"
"Several hours."
Jin's head snapped up.
"Several hours?"
"You were unconscious."
"How long?"
Hank hesitated.
"Almost a day."
Jin cursed under his breath.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.
His balance immediately betrayed him.
The room spun.
Hank caught his shoulder.
"Easy."
Jin closed his eyes and waited.
The dizziness faded after several seconds.
He opened them.
"That wasn't there before."
Hank frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Jin straightened.
Hank studied him.
"You've been experiencing neurological disturbances since the shuttle incident."
"Disturbances?"
"Dizziness, temporary loss of balance, elevated neural activity, and brief periods where you appear to lose consciousness without warning."
Jin stared at him.
"How many times?"
"Three."
He frowned.
"I don't remember three."
"That's because you were unconscious for some of them."
Jin rubbed his face.
That wasn't good.
Not even remotely good.
Because he knew exactly what had happened.
The Phoenix Force had touched him.
Even a fraction of it had touched him.
And apparently his body hadn't appreciated the experience.
His system hadn't appreciated it either.
Jin looked toward the empty space beside the bed.
For the briefest instant, the translucent interface appeared.
[M.O.T.S.]
[WARNING]
[EXTERNAL ENERGY INTERFERENCE]
Then it disappeared.
Jin blinked.
Hank noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring at the wall."
"I do that sometimes."
Hank gave him a flat look.
"You're a strange young man."
"You have no idea."
Jin moved toward the door.
Hank blocked him.
"You're not going anywhere."
"Jean might be in danger."
"Charles is with her."
"That's exactly why I'm worried."
Hank's expression tightened.
"Charles knows what he's doing."
"I know."
"Then trust him."
"I do."
Jin looked toward the hallway.
"But I trust my memory more."
Hank frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Jin didn't answer.
He couldn't.
How was he supposed to explain that he'd seen the future of this world in movies?
How was he supposed to explain that he knew Jean Grey's story?
How was he supposed to explain that the woman currently sitting in a house somewhere was about to remember something that would change everything?
He couldn't.
So instead, Jin stepped around Hank.
"I need to go."
Hank grabbed his arm.
"Jin."
Jin looked at the hand.
Then at Hank.
"Let go."
Hank hesitated.
Something in Jin's voice made him release him.
Jin walked away.
He didn't run.
He couldn't.
His body was still recovering from the Phoenix Force.
But he moved as quickly as he could.
He reached the hangar.
No aircraft.
Of course.
He stared at the empty space where the X-Jet usually sat.
"Fantastic."
He closed his eyes.
Six Eyes activated behind the fabric covering them.
The world changed.
Every structure around him became information.
Distance.
Mass.
Energy.
Motion.
The cursed energy circulating through his body.
And underneath all of it—
Something else.
A faint golden presence.
Jin's breathing stopped.
He could feel it.
Not inside himself.
Somewhere far away.
A tiny disturbance.
A pulse.
Then another.
His eyes widened.
"Jean."
The sensation vanished.
Jin opened his eyes.
He didn't hesitate.
Blue activated.
Space compressed.
His body disappeared.
The world snapped back into existence several miles away.
Jin staggered.
His shoes scraped against the pavement.
He looked around.
A road.
Trees.
A quiet neighborhood.
He had never been here before.
But he knew he was close.
He could feel it.
The golden disturbance was faint, but Six Eyes caught it.
Jin moved forward.
Then stopped.
He looked at his hand.
A faint tremor ran through his fingers.
The Phoenix Force was still inside his perception.
It wasn't merely energy.
It was something that behaved like an existence.
Something that made ordinary concepts feel inadequate.
Jin swallowed.
"Okay."
He continued walking.
The house appeared through the trees.
He recognized it immediately.
Jean's childhood home.
Jin stopped outside.
Voices came from inside.
He could hear them through the walls.
Charles.
Raven.
Scott.
Jean.
And then—
A scream.
Jin's expression changed.
He rushed toward the house.
The front door exploded outward.
Jin stopped.
Jean stepped through the smoke.
Her face was wet with tears.
Her eyes burned with something Jin had never seen before.
Behind her stood Raven.
And Raven was already wounded.
Jin's heart dropped.
"No."
Jean turned.
The air around her twisted.
Raven raised her hands.
"Jean, please."
"I remember."
Her voice trembled.
"I remember everything."
Jin knew.
This was the moment.
The memories had returned.
The accident.
Her father.
Her childhood.
The suppression.
Charles.
The Phoenix.
Everything.
Jean's power surged.
Raven was thrown backward.
"Jean!"
Scott shouted.
Jin moved.
Jean's hand extended.
A burst of energy struck Raven.
Jin activated Blue.
Space compressed.
He appeared between them.
The blast slammed into his Limitless.
The air screamed.
Jin's feet slid backward.
Raven stared at him.
"What the hell?"
"You're welcome."
Jin pushed his hand forward.
Blue pulled.
The energy around Jean distorted.
Jean staggered.
"Jin?"
He looked at her.
She looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not yet.
Terrified.
"Jean, listen to me."
"I can't."
"You can."
"I don't know what's happening."
"I do."
Jean's eyes widened.
Jin stepped closer.
"The thing that hit us in space."
Her expression changed.
"What about it?"
"It's inside you."
Jean froze.
Jin continued.
"It's the reason your powers are different."
Jean shook her head.
"No."
"Jean—"
"Get away from me."
"Listen."
"I said get away!"
Her power exploded outward.
Jin raised his hand.
Limitless caught the force.
The pressure nearly knocked him off his feet.
Raven tried to move.
Jean looked toward her.
Her expression twisted.
The Phoenix surged.
Raven froze.
"Jean."
Jean's hand lifted.
"Raven!"
Jin moved.
Blue activated.
He crossed the distance instantly.
Jean's energy struck.
Jin took the blast across his body.
Pain ripped through him.
He gritted his teeth.
"Not happening."
He grabbed Raven.
Blue pulled them away.
They crashed into the ground several meters away.
Raven coughed.
"You okay?"
"I think so."
Jin looked up.
Jean was hovering above them.
Her eyes were glowing.
Golden energy danced around her body.
Jin's stomach tightened.
This was different from the movie.
The Phoenix wasn't simply empowering her.
It was consuming her.
"Jean."
She stared at him.
"Stay away from me."
"You're going to hurt her."
"I don't want to."
"Then don't."
Jean's face twisted.
"I can't control it!"
Her power surged again.
Jin stepped forward.
Limitless spread around him.
The energy stopped.
For a second, the entire world seemed frozen.
Jean stared at him.
Jin stared back.
"You're still in there."
Her eyes softened.
Then the Phoenix surged.
Jean screamed.
Jin's head exploded with pain.
The golden energy surrounding her suddenly became visible to Six Eyes in terrifying detail.
It wasn't merely surrounding her.
It was connected to her.
Woven into her.
And something inside Jin responded.