Void's Story

“Jonathan, I’d like to ask if you’d allow me to touch your head."

Jonathan's jaw dropped as the sentence rang out, the words like bullets ripping through his mind and leaving only pain and fear in their wake. He could only stare at Vincent in disbelief, knowing without a doubt that V was well aware about the repercussions of skin contact with this cursed man.

"What?" He managed to splutter out after staring dumbly at Vincent's face for a long moment.

"I won’t read your mind but I will telepathically scan your X-gene. There is a method to my madness."

'There had bloody better be!' Jonathan thought with anger, panic and confusion all mixed together in one dangerous concoction.

How could he be so stupid?! This was all that Jonathan could think currently in this moment. How could he be so reckless about his own safety? His own life? Jonathan did trust Vincent, a lot more than he trust others - though Memory would always be the most trusted person in his life, but now he was really having difficulty maintaining this loyalty and faith in the one who he previously admired for his expert control and strength.

Jonathan would give almost anything just to have half of his control, enough at least to not kill anyone upon contact. It had been so long since he had last felt the warmth of another's skin against his. So long since he had last been intimate with another, fearing that he would end up being the worst thing to happen to them in their life. For what was worse than death at the hands of the one you loved, whether it was an accident or not?

"Have you ever heard of the mutant known as the Phoenix?"

Being pulled from his thoughts, Jonathan tried to think back to anything that he had heard about. In the end it was Memory who answered.

"We've heard a little but only the rumours that go around school. Not enough to give you an accurate retelling." Her honey sweet voice was amplified just right in the enclosed space making her appear louder than she was, but not overly so. Just enough to get the message across and sooth the savage pain in Jonathan's mind.

"She was once a student under my father known as Jean Grey. She was a superior high level telekinetic. My father Professor X had to place restraints on her abilities because her X-gene had a mentality of its own. It was practically indomitable. I fear your X-gene may have a mentality of its own as well."

"What?!" The half siblings shouted simultaneously, Memory leaping from her seat and Jonathan pushing himself from the wall. Their eyes met, Jonathan's placid hazel eyes showing her terror while her own chocolate brown eyes reflected worry and panic into his. Memory's gaze snapped back to Vincent, locking eyes with him. Her stern voice cut through the tension in the air.

"Is he in any danger?"

"It’s most likely not as strong as that of the Phoenix but it could serve as a clue to fixing your problem nonetheless."

Vincent spoke more to Jonathan than M, which was a little bit annoying for her but right now there was more important things to worry about.

Jonathan bit his lip, absent-mindedly caressing the scar on his right palm with his left index finger, a nervous tendency of his.

"I don't want to hurt you..."

"Don’t worry, I can protect myself from falling into a dream state.”

The siblings looked to each other one more time, having yet another silent conversation in the small space between them. Finally they both nodded and J inhaled deeply.

"Do it."

Jonathan pressed back against the wall as Vincent started forwards, going further and further into the painted surface trying desperately to reduce any chance of him pulling away. The distance between them was covered in seconds and the two stood only inches apart. A pressure on Jonathan's gloved hand made him look down quickly only to see his sister clutching it tight, a look of determination painting on her quirky features which didn't quite seem to match her in this situation.

Jonathan looked up only to see two hands closing in on his head. A chilly feeling spread from his temples as the ice cold fingers of Vincent's hands touched J's temples. Both brother and sister, and no doubt V himself, held their breathe, praying to whoever was watching over them (both atheists) that this worked.

It did.

Well, it did to a degree. The fight against his power was clear on Vincent's face form the second that skin touched skin, but he wasn't stopping.

J closed his eyes and allowed the telepath to search through his mind.

It was only moments later that a barely audible voice started to speak, slightly distorted at first. As the words replayed it made more sense and Jonathan gasped loudly, the cold, malicious voice that was growing in volume with every word echoing in his mind.

“I will never doubt the power or dreamers. I will never allow them to awaken from their fears. I will use the power of dreamers to make my worst nightmare everyone else's!”

Jonathan's eyes shot open as the connection was broken with a separation of skin from skin, Vincent pulling back immediately and breathing heavily, the sound matching Jonathan's own breaths.

“My suspicions were correct… this will require your authority to suppress.”

"Am I safe with this? How can I be even nearly safe with this?! There's a voice inside my head saying it wants to kill everyone!"

Running his long fingers through his hair and pacing slowly, Memory's watching form eyeing him from where she had been standing before. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Vincent.

"What do we need to do?"