THERE'S SOMETHING OFF ABOUT THOSE GREYS.

The 'Danger Room' was a cathartic space, a controlled environment where they could let loose and just release everything that weighed on them. She more than most understood it's value , especially after having to endure a world that at every corner, constantly seemed determined to press as harshly as it could on them, on her to gauge if she would bend or break.

Many times she was forced to bend but now, as she faced the towering robot advancing on her, the only thoughts and desires swirling in her mind, held only interest in breaking.

Thus drawing from deep within, starting at the back of her skull she guided a surge of energy through her body, rippling it forward and weaving with her with her muscles, her will, until it poured out of her fingertips slamming within an instant into the robot like a freight train.

The expensive heap of scrap metal was sent careening into the far wall, where upon impact, it shattered like brittle glass.

Scott stood beside her, his hand steadying the red visor that stretched across his eyes. Focus narrowed in on his own opponents, which though much smaller than Jean's had been, were just as deadly.

With quick movements they darted towards him, black attire and speed reminiscent of ninjas he'd seen in movies.

Concentration set and unwavering, he felt a tingle in his eyelids and bright red light flared outwards, he pushed... pouring out more of the the beam which sliced through air and and rained on the robots, leaving behind nothing but their charred remains. Behind him, Kurt teleported in a cloud of smoke, it's color a swirling clash of purple, blue and black.

Mischievous grin stretching onto his blue tinted face the mutant reappeared above his target, tail striking forth and jamming into the robot's optics, within an instant the automaton crumbled into a heap of metal and wire, its circuits fried by the swift assault.

Settle from their high as the room cleared, the trio smiled at one another, panting as exhaustion sent into their bones but no less refreshed from the brief exercise, as they exited the Danger Room, their mentor came into view his wheelchair careening toward them and his face a mask of worry that instantly raised their own. Inquisitive gazes settling onto the man, Kurt was the first to find his voice, recovering from the brief shock that had overcome him.

"Professor?" the blue mutant asked, his German accent clipped with concern.

Xavier looked disheveled, his usual calm shattered, and eyes darting around as if searching for the right words. Jean was quick to notice the cut on his forehead and the veins in his sclera, red and pronounced, like small rivers of blood. Scott's eyes met his teammate's as he stepped forward. "What's wrong Professor?" he asked, his voice edged with apprehension.

The professor attempted to compose himself, clearing his throat with a forced smile. For a moment he still remained silent, regarding each one of them before finally he found words to speak "Your training is progressing well. I'm impressed by your teamwork and the way you're improving your control. Soon, you'll—" Unfortunately they were not the ones the trio was expecting to hear.

"Professor," quick to cut him off, her voice taut with tension, Jean moved forward "are you okay? You seem—" She paused, searching for the right word, "Spooked." Kurt supplied helpfully, earning a nod in thanks from the redhead.

Xavier hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line as if wrestling with his thoughts. "It's..." The three seemed to eagerly lean in as they waited in anticipation for him to continue his words.

"Your brother."

As if ripping off a band aid, the man finally spoke again, eyes set on Jean.

Scott and Kurt shared a glance, their brows furrowing in confusion as they glanced from their mentor to their companion, who had frozen in place.

Jean had a brother?

Since when did she have a brother?

The redhead squeezed her eyes shut, vision near blotted by slowly forming black patches, she tried to find any semblance of composure as a rush of memories she'd buried deep stirred.

Memories of him.

She hadn't seen him in eight years. Had simply refused to visit any longer because the pain was just too much to bear.

She should have been able to him, she should have been enough.

She was a telepath. He was trapped in his mind. She should have been enough, had tried to be enough worked and toiled to be, but she never was. She couldn't face him, not until she was strong, not until she could pull him from his thoughts and hear his voice again, see his smile, his eyes again.

"Jean?" Scott's voice was gentle, but it startled her and instinctively her powers reacted unleashing a pulse of telekinetic energy that sent him crashing into a wall, the professor spun backward in his wheelchair, and Kurt was pushed backward but fortunately, the blue hued boy, flipping just in time before he could make harsh contact with the floor flickered back to his original spot, quick to reorient, he caught the professor's wheelchair and steadied him.

As she crashed back to reality, the redhead blinked back tears, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "I'm so sorry," she stammered, her voice cracking. "I didn't mean to—"

"Jean, it's alright," Xavier reassured her, raising a hand to calm her. "It's my fault. I should have delivered the news differently. You reacted as anyone would. I deeply apologize."

Scott stood up, wincing slightly from the impact. "Jean, it's okay," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kurt nodded in agreement, his golden eyes filled with concern.

Jean shook her head, guilt gnawing at her insides. "I should have control over my emotions by now, over my powers. I'm supposed to be getting better." She hesitated, her voice breaking as she asked the question she feared the most. "Is he—"

"No, Jean, he's alive. He's fine," the professor assured her. "It's just that he's... well, he's awake."

Her mind went blank, her thoughts dissolving into white noise. "Awake?" she whispered, barely able to comprehend it. "What do you mean, he's awake?"

Charles nodded, his expression softening with compassion. "Yes, Jean. Your brother has regained consciousness."

Tears welled up in Jean's eyes. The room seemed to spin around her, every sound muffled, every sensation distant and surreal. Scott stood beside her, his presence a grounding force. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice growing stronger with each word. "I need to see him. Where is he?"

The professor's eyes softened. "He's here, Jean. At the Institute."

Jean's heart raced. "Here?" The excitement in her voice sparked another psychic pulse, sending a shiver through the air. She fought to contain it, trying to bring herself back to control. But the need to see her brother, to finally be there for him after so many years, overwhelmed her.

"It was decided for the benefit of everyone involved that he remain here, under our care," Xavier explained, his voice gentle yet firm.

Jean's heart skipped a beat. "For the benefit of everyone involved? What does that mean?" Her question carried an edge of fear eyes set on her professor who bit his lip before nodding, demeanor returning to it's usual calm.

"I believe it would be best if you come and see for yourself," he replied, his wheelchair turning to lead them down the corridor. Jean followed without hesitation, her heart pounding in her chest and her friends were not too far behind, the two males sharing a glance.

With haste, Xavier led them down a long, narrow hallway towards the lab also known as Hank McCoy's unofficial office and the place where the man often conducted experiments and developed theories late into the night.

Upon entering all three students noted that the lab had undergone significant modifications.

The addition of what looked to be a bomb shelter in the middle of the room being the most jarring. Jean's eyebrows furrowed at the sight and so did her companions who turned to look at the professor.

Saying nothing the man lead them forward.

Hank stood by the large window of the bunker, his gaze flickering from a notepad in his hand to whatever was happening within. His normally amiable expression was serious, brow knitted in concentration.

As the four approached, a loud boom echoed from within the bunker, causing the heavy steel walls to rattle. Eyes widening Hank instinctively took a step back as the others joined him.

"Hank," Xavier greeted, pulling the scientist from his deep musings. The man spun around adjusting his glasses as he offered the professor a nod before turning his gaze to Jean, who stood beside the professor, her hands clenched at her sides.

"Progress?" Xavier asked, his voice measured but laced with concern.

"None," Hank replied, his eyes lighting up with a mix of awe and frustration. "He's quite volatile, but his abilities are... fascinating. The energy levels he's producing are unlike anything I've ever seen. It's like trying to contain a storm in a jar."

"Yes, Cerebro has been quite... enthusiastic since his awakening," Xavier noted with a wry smile. Then he gestured for Jean to approach, his hand extending in her direction. She took a step forward, then another, each movement hesitant as if the ground beneath her might give way at any moment. Her breaths grew shallower as she peered through the window into the bunker.

Her brother sat on the edge of a small bed, unlike any other in that it was hovering a couple of feet off the ground. The room around him was a swirling vortex of energy, as if a mini-tornado blew within the shelter's reinforced walls.

She for a moment chose to ignore all that and settled instead on him.

He had changed so much since she last saw him— he was a young man now, with light copper stubble and red hair cascading down to his shoulders. His eyes were open, but his gaze was hollow, a cold emptiness that made her shiver. She had never seen that look before, more used to her brother's warm soulful eyes that held so much emotion, so much life in them.

A tear streaming down her cheek, she moved forward her hands pressing against the window's thick glass.

The moment she did, her brother's head snapped toward her, his expression void of emotion. The bunker trembled causing her to flinch and step back as suddenly, a fine network of cracks began to form across the window.

Hank's eyes widened, his voice a mix of disbelief and urgency. "Impossible," the scientist whispered, backing away slowly.

The crack grew, spreading rapidly across the glass in a web of thin fractures that threatened to burst at any moment. The energy in the room intensified, swirling with greater ferocity. "Everyone, take cover!" Hank exclaimed, his words setting off Kurt who reacting with lightning speed grabbed hold of the scientist and Scott teleporting them a safe distance away.

The pressure built and the shelter trembled with greater ferocity, any moment now it looked ready to burst.

Once more acting quickly the blue mutant flickered before Jean and Xavier holding firm onto their grasps and pulling them away just in time as the bunker's window shattered.

The glass shards as one would expect didn't fall to the floor but instead floating upwards, as if gravity were merely a suggestion that they had no intention of following.

Much to the shock of the spectators, the shards soon exploded into a cloud of butterflies, glass formed butterflies...their wings fluttering wildly as they spread through the lab, casting shimmering reflections across the room.

Their eyes soon moved to the shelter as it groaned, tearing gradually in two as if it were made of paper. Like the window's remains, the metal pieces, instead of clattering to the ground, moved upwards slamming onto the ceiling with a crash that echoed throughout the lab, sending tremors across the floor. Soon enough, everything in the lab began to shake, lights flickering as the power surged and waned.

Hank McCoy's voice wavered with fear as he called out, "Professor... What do we do?" His usual calm demeanor had given way to alarm as the lab's reinforced structures buckled under the strain of the raw power emanating from the red haired male.

"Mr. Grey!" Charles Xavier cried out, his voice firm and commanding despite the chaos. "I need you to listen to me, Mr. Grey!" But the young man seemed to be in an entirely different plane, his eyes unfocused...void.

The professor flickering through options in his head impulsively pressed his fingers to his forehead, extending his telepathy towards Isaiah, previous attempts had all been met with failure but perhaps...

He sank in, breaching just a bit to poke his head in.

He looked, and he burned.

Blood streaming from his eyes like crimson tears, the professor let out a pained scream.

An unseen force soon crashed into him and he was flung toward the wall, his wheelchair tipping over from the force. Fortunately Kurt was there in an instant, grabbing hold of Xavier and teleporting him back to safety, just as debris began to rain down from the ceiling.

"Isaiah!" Jean cried out, her voice ringing with desperation. "Brother!" Emotions raw, her words became a chorus, as if multiple voices, multiple echoes, layered over each other.

Not even seconds after her outcry volatile winds encircled her, whipping her hair and clothes and threatening to tip her over, to blow her back but she stood firm, just as they pushed she did too her gaze fixed on the redhead hovering amidst the chaos.

"Isaiah, please," she whispered, her voice breaking, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The winds seemed to hesitate at that, their intensity lessening a tiny fraction as her words reached him. His head turned slowly, his unfocused eyes meeting hers. Locked were their gazes, everything else as far as she was concerned melting away.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you, to hold you, to support you, but please, come back to me. I promise I'll spend every day of my life making it up to you."

He did not move nor say a word, the winds however had significantly calmed.

"Please!" The female Grey cried out, "I want my brother back... My other half." Gaze hopeful she met his own, her hand stretched out for him to take. "Always and forever, remember?"

The light was there, small but growing, she could see it, once blank and distant, his gaze was gradually shifting, it flickered with recognition, a spark of memory.

She latched onto it.

"It's me...It's Jean."

The pieces of the shelter clattered to the floor, the lab's lights stopped flickering, and the sense of imminent danger dissipated. Jean stepped closer, her heart aching with hope, her hands still outstretched toward her brother. "Please," she said again, her voice softer now but full of resolve. "Come back to me."

Her brother's expression softened.

"Jean..." his voice barely a whisper, but to Jean, it was like a thunderclap in her heart. She hadn't heard him speak her name in years. So many years.

Emotion pooling in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks as a surge of hope flickered in her chest, she bit her lip.

"It's me 'saiah. It's me." Slowly she began to approach him, and gradually he began to lower himself to the ground.

He opened his mouth. "Jean." and her name blared outwards in a ferocious echo that flared out a mighty shockwave, sending everyone staggering back, their hands pressed to their ears as they struggled to maintain their balance against the invisible storm.

The entire lab quaked, and even Hank, known for his strength, found it difficult to remain upright. Scott was thrown against the wall, his visors shaking loose, and Kurt teleported in a desperate attempt to avoid being swept away by the surge of energy.

But then, as quickly as it had come, the storm passed. The cognizance in Isaiah's eyes faded, and he crumbled to the ground, his body going limp.

The lab fell into an eerie silence, the tension of moments earlier replaced by the unsettling stillness.

"Isaiah!" Jean cried, rushing to her brother's side. She dropped to her knees, her hands trembling as she reached out to him, pressing him to her chest and squeezing her eyes shut.