Brand New Isekai (Jean Grey Self Insert)

[Koyori]

Really hoping she doesn't actually just give that away after all those lines of her envying Spider-man's physical abilities and the bit about lamenting her lack of strength. Plus, a psychic with Brute powers is amazing, looking at you Emma. I also just think that she would fit with a super serum, she doesn't hesitate to use her full strength but also pulls her punches when she feels she can. She might not be Captain America's standards, but as an actual user if the powers I think she'd fit pretty well.

More likely though it seems like she's saving it for someone else, I won't say anything about her not having already used it despite being in danger seeing as there were a bunch of possible side effects depending on which serum it is. It would feel weird if she just passed it off onto the first person that's vaguely a good person, so there's probably someone specific she's planning on giving it to, I'm guessing to study rather than use because I can't think of anyone specifically in need of those powers.

 

[Skyfyre]

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Thank you to my 50 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, and bob my Ace Tier patreons! Your support means so much to me.

Sara Grey POV

My little sister blinked, somehow surprised by the sheer shock and awe that we had. Possibly literally, what with her being able to read our emotions and all. I hid the tiny sliver of jealousy that bubbled up at that thought far down, where she'd have no chance of seeing it; most days, even I couldn't notice it.

"When did you get that?" I asked, giving her a bit of direction and wanting to confirm my suspicions.

I saw her thinking, not literally, but in the way that one's eyes move about one's face when they're thinking, the way Jean would bite the inside of her cheek. All the little tells of hers I knew well. "After the Blip," she settled on, telling me - us, really - the truth.

"Directly after," I said, not a question but a confirmation. "All that time you told mom and I that you were 'holding off on using your powers' and 'being good'-"

"I said that I was 'not going to do anything that would reveal me,'" she corrected. "And well, I was being good. I mean, I stole it from Nazis and criminals, that's something good."

Ned was the one to ask what was on all our minds. "Stealing a super soldier serum was you 'being good'? Man, I'd hate to see you be bad." We all laughed a little at that, the mood not quite as tense. Ned Leeds, the one who hacked into Damage Control systems and found me. He seems like a good guy, if a bit overeager at times. Even if he hadn't rescued me, which I'd be forever grateful for, I liked the fact that he never seemed scared of me or Jean just because of our powers.

"Could be fun, if the people she was being bad to were anything like Metzger," Michelle-Jones commented in a manner that was likely far less joking than it sounded. She'd helped go through the files too and was still furious about what she'd seen. 'MJ' wasn't as trusting of us as her friend, but I didn't take it personally; from what I knew, she was just less trusting in general. Her (former?) boyfriend revealing he kept the truth from her for over two years probably didn't help that.

"So, why go to all that trouble to steal it and then not take it yourself? I know you like to be fit," I said lightly, not demanding to know why she apparently offered it to Spider-Man and not for me, despite having sat on that miracle drug for months before we got separated at least.

"I do, and the thought was tempting… but the potential downsides far outweighed it." At our curious expressions, she explained. "The Super Soldier Serum is said to make you 'more of yourself,' which while hard to parse, is what seemingly made Steve Rogers such a paragon, the Red Skull into a literal monster as well as a figurative one… and led to John Walker killing people who had surrendered because of buried anger. Having mood swings like that could be really bad for a psychic, and that's even if it worked perfectly with our Enhanced DNA, which I don't think is likely. That serum is carefully balanced for a different genetic structure than our own."

Johann Schmidt was awful and I've seen the old photos of what he turned into. What would that thing do to me? I blanched at the thought before letting the conversation turn to lighter topics. Even then, I felt a bit hurt. Jeanie does it for good reason, or what she thinks is 'good reason' but she still shuts me out, still hides things from me. What will it take for her to trust me? I'm not like mom!

As if spurred by that thought I found myself saying, "I wonder what mom will think when she finds out you were using your powers even more than I was back then."

The comment was joking and meant to be funny, but Jean wasn't laughing. Instead, she said seriously, "About mom…"

***

Arranging a trip out took two days. The police wanted us heavily guarded 'for our own protection, and since this was a spot that Damage Control was thought to have been in the past, they (technically) had reason to worry. It gets old, constantly hearing them pat themselves on the back for their 'good work' capturing Damage Control agents, but at the same time claiming it's far too dangerous to let us out.

Jean had far less problems than I did being forced to spend most of our time in the safe house each day, but on the other hand, that hadn't been her existence for the past two months either. Maybe she'd feel differently then.

I pushed down the bitter thought - it wasn't me. She's the one who told me I didn't have to let my anger define me. That it was a part of me, but I could choose which aspects of me I wished to let reign. Jean had mentioned that once early on in the Blip, while we sat on the set of swings in our backyard, which were just coming into view as the van pulled in by our old house.

For a second, I almost didn't recognize it. There was one broken window on the side that hadn't been there before, and the blackberry bush was different - like it had been half hacked off then the project was abandoned, with the other half left to grow voraciously. Jeanie always loved picking blackberries, she'd collect all of them every summer and drag me out to pick more once our bush had been picked clean.

The rest of the house was the same, just not matching my memories. The chipped, more grey than white picket fence didn't match my memory of the pristine, new, fence, but it hadn't been like that since I was a little kid. Same with the back porch, no longer looking smooth and well sanded, but mouldy and full of splinters, with trash piled on top of it blocking the path.

We hopped out of the van after the plainclothes had determined the area was secure. Please, I could have done it better. The cops didn't seem to know how to deal with us, not trusting our powers over their training but hesitant and flinching around us. My sister pretended not to notice, but I knew her too well to think she hadn't seen their reactions and prepared to deal with any problems that might arise from them.

When we got to the front door I fumbled around in my bag for my keys, but Jean just gently pushed it open with a finger, the old door creaking open, revealing the shattered lock. Inside there was slightly more signs of a scuffle, the couch in the living room shoved slightly to the side, and a photo (one of the few left of us as a whole family, with little baby Jean, me as a toddler, and dad still around, standing in a park with mom) moved to a different place on the wall. Jean telekinetically shifted it over slightly to show the bullet hole that had been concealed.

"Wasn't able to find any other signs of mom, and the investigation of Damage Control didn't show any sign of her, so she either ran or…" Jean finished awkwardly, grabbing some letters from the floor where they'd been shoved through the mail slot. Mostly they seemed to be bills for late payments.

"Do you think… they'll find her… body?" I asked, unsure of why I was so tentative. I didn't like mom, we always argued. I wasn't the golden child like Jeanie. As we talked, I wandered into the kitchen, which was mostly untouched. The fruit bowl was mouldy, but other than that, the place looked decent, as if mom could come bustling in at any moment.

On the fridge I saw photos of the three of us on our vacation to the Grand Canyon before the Blip, making silly faces. Jean's report card from back then was still stuck on with a magnet, straight A's, with mine nowhere to be seen. It's not even like I was ever a bad student; I got C+s and Bs for most subjects, even the occasional A. But I'm not a genius like Jean.

"I doubt it. Damage Control had a bunch of experiments they were working on, including a disintegrator. The prototype was too bulky and slow to charge to use in a fight, but the files included mention of it for 'waste disposal' and while they didn't come outright and say it, a lot of their operations coincide with the disintegrator being used. People like us might have been seen as tools to use, but people like mom weren't even recorded in their files."

Damn Damage Control. Damn Metzger. Prison is too good for him, he should be burning in hell. The man's trial was still ongoing, and while the case against him appeared airtight, I still worried every time I saw him that somehow he'd weasel out of it, and one day I'd wake up to find myself strapped to a chair and hear his calm, too friendly voice as he forced me to use my powers again and aga-

"Hmm, these bills are adding up and we don't really use the house. Maybe we should sell it and get an apartment?" She glanced up to see my shocked face and, misinterpreting the reasoning, quickly amended, "Or we could stay here. It would take a bit more work to hang out with MJ and Ned and all, but we could make it work too. Or just discuss this later, no need to rush into things."

She sounds so… calm about it all. How can she be so in control all the time now? That wasn't to say Jean was fine with what Damage Control had done; disdain dripped off her words. But there was no fire to them either, any anger long since burned out. Maybe that's it, she just sounds calm cause she's suspected this for a while.

I remembered when I needed to be the 'big sister,' the one in charge, the one she could rely on. But did I ever really need to, or was that just a role Jean let me play to act like things would be okay when everything was chaotic? She did things like this back then too, she just acted quieter about it. If there was one thing my imprisonment had changed, it was Jean's willingness to appear more decisive.

My own tumultuous emotions weren't settling down at all, being here in this house that felt far too empty, so I walked outside to the backyard. There was a tree in the back with a set of swings. No treehouse, though we'd always talked about it. But dad left us and mom wasn't as handy and money was tighter. Not that she told us that, not to start, coming up with other excuses and distractions instead.

Sitting on the swings, I said, "I'm kinda amazed that we were able to keep the house through the Blip and all."

"They had a program for that, under the one world government. You remember how Miss Donovan looked over those forms each time she came to visit?" I nodded and Jean continued. "Some of them covered the house, got us the basics dealt with. Actually would have covered us for a few more years, but all those benefits were cut off after everyone came back."

"After the United States government came back," I said derisively. "Why did we have things go back? Things felt better then."

Jean made a see-sawing motion with her hand. "Eeh, there were benefits and downsides. More than just so many people being lost affecting communication and shipping, the unified government was beginning to get a bit… controlling."

I cocked my head to the side and she continued. "A lot of the measures for 'rebuilding' started to take a bit of a suppressive attitude. Military and police groups were formed to stop dissent of any kind, fearing 'societal destabilization,' even when it fell under the general rules of protected speech. We couldn't get much news of that though because they took control of most news stations and the internet as well. Sure, things ran smoothly enough considering the global disaster and there wasn't much discrimination or issues like that, but the government was becoming increasingly totalitarian."

Huh, I hadn't noticed. Then again, Social Studies was always one of the classes that I got closer to a C+ than a B. Jean did great with it, though she'd almost always have notes attached to her report cards with notes of being 'argumentative' in class, as she'd challenge the proscribed view in the textbooks. Might be good to look into that stuff more myself, maybe I could have seen Damage Control coming. Then again, maybe not.

"You never seemed worried about it. Did you know the Blip would end?" I asked bluntly. My sister had said she'd seen 'glimpses' of the future when she got her powers before, but she kept things vague.

Today, she admitted the truth. "Yeah, I knew it would end in five years. Or was pretty sure at least; we could have been in an alternate timeline of sorts, but things lined up a bit too well for that to be likely."

"Huh." After a minute I added, "But not about Damage Control?" She's said she didn't but-

"I didn't. I promise," Jean stressed, staring me straight in the eyes. "My sight is limited around us." She joined me on the swings, kicking back and forth. Just around the corner of the house I could see one of the police officers looking out, giving us some privacy but still keeping nearby in case any threats popped up. At least these guys don't seem too bad.

Jean seemed sincere about this. While she'd been hiding stuff from me (enough to steal a whole vial of super soldier serum), I didn't believe she was tricking me here. "Are you sure mom sold me out?"

She blinked in surprise and I did too. I didn't plan on asking her that, but… I need to know. Jean frowned, thinking it over, before eventually shaking her head. "I'm not certain, it's just a possibility."

"A possibility, or likely?" I pressed, and my little sister wavered.

"... Likely. You used your powers more than me, but you weren't that obvious about it, and we kept the power usage to a minimum after she kicked me out. There was nothing in the files to suggest they had detection methods before catching you - those came after they were able to study your powers and are still pretty limited. The kind of attack at the park would likely take more than suspicions and rumors."

"Which would have meant someone to tell them. And mom was the only one that could. Damn it. Damn it!" I shouted, letting the tears I'd held back fall freely from my eyes. "How could she hate us so much, to sell us out like that?"

My question was rhetorical, and while not an answer, Jean did have a clarification. "Given that the agents only knew to go after you that day, I think she must not have told them about me."

"Why? She kicked you-" I stopped myself, but Jean wasn't upset.

"I think that's exactly it. She felt guilty about what she did, so when she started to realize these government agents were bad news, even perhaps just subconsciously, she didn't reveal my powers. She probably felt guilty about a lot."

I scoffed. "Not exactly making up for all the stuff she did just to you, and certainly not to me."

"Oh, certainly not. Guilt isn't the most rational of emotions and mom wasn't the most rational of people," Jean said, not bothering to defend our mother now that she was gone. Jean played the peacemaker between us so many times, constantly asking me to 'see things from [mom's] point of view' and the like. It was all very reasonable, which made it hard to argue with, but I wonder how much of it was done because she really believed in it and how much was just to try and keep our crumbling family together.

"What would you do, if you were in her shoes?" What would my little sister do, if she felt guilty about something?

Jean paused, frowning for a minute, before saying, "More. I'd do more. To reach out to us, to protect us."

"Even if it's not enough? What if it's never enough?"

"Even then. Especially then. It might not be enough to undo your mistakes, but just giving up on making things better… that feels like failing all over again. And even something that doesn't feel like enough at the moment might make all the difference down the line. Like-"

"Like how mom covered for you, which left you free so you could then find Spider-Man and save me," I interrupted, following her train of thought. She gave me a sheepish look and I grinned back. You're not quite as subtle as you think you are, little sis.

I still wasn't sure about how I felt about mom yet. There was still a swirl of emotions in my gut, but the feelings weren't bubbling over any more. They were calmer, and for now, I'd take it.

***

On the ride back to the safehouse, my sister dozed off, leaning against my arm in the back seat. She'd spent the past few nights busy, compiling notes, furiously researching in her journal. She was trying to be discreet about it, but I was pretty sure I knew what she was looking into; becoming a superhero. And not just because I caught a peak of her sketching costumes in one of those journals.

Jean had always loved - no, been fascinated - by superheroes as a kid. Studying how they worked, from their powers to how the Avengers were financed and operated. She's wanted to be a super hero from day one. Even before we got our powers.

Glancing over at her unassuming form, I recalled that day. The first day she used her powers, whether she knew it or not. A day that would be burned into my mind forever…

***

The world had gone mad, people screaming, the other kids in the park going crazy. People were disintegrating before our very eyes, turning to dust and fading into the air. I latched onto my sister, my first instinct to keep her safe. Even as I did so, I felt my grip weaken and saw a spiral of dust coming from beneath me. From me.

Jean saw it too, and before I could say anything, before I could do anything, she shouted, "NO!" Her eyes glowed, not green but scarlet and golden, and despite being much shorter than me, despite me staring down at her eyes, I felt in that moment as if she was towering above me. So high up I could crane my neck as far back as I could and never reach the true height she was standing at.

A flash of light and it was all gone. The strange sensation and color of her eyes… all completely disappeared. Any hint of dust or weakness was gone from me too, as if the idea I had ever been caught up in this tragedy was just a dream.

***

I didn't have the time to look into it back then, with everything in chaos and people calling for help, but I was certain now that somehow, my little sister had done what the Avengers had failed to do, and stopped a part of Thanos' Snap. A tiny part, infinitesimally small, but still. Somehow she did it. I don't know if she knows how, or even realizes what she did that day. I'll never forget it though.

Being a superhero for real, not just pretending like little kids, sounded really risky to me. There'd be guns, and aliens, and monsters, and a whole world of craziness. I wasn't sure about it for me. For my little sister, though? Jean Grey is going to change the whole world, I know it.

Spoiler: A/N:

This was an interesting one. Since we have next to no character for Sara, I was forced to make up a lot of this wholesale. Including the part about Sara getting her powers from Jean/The Phoenix. That is very headcanony on my part, but I like it as an idea to explain how similar their powers are (but also why Jean was able to break free of the restraints when pushed by Bill, but Sara could only send out a message).

I've also added a new cover image I commissioned, to celebrate the first brand new chapter of this ongoing story! I've posted a larger version of it down below as well. Let me know what you think of it here or on the Discord. And if you want to read more and have a bit of money to toss my way, I have a Patreon, subscribers to it get early access to the next two chapters of this story, and the next ten for Like No One Ever Was, my Pokemon SI story. Thank you, and I hope you're having a good day.

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Large Image

 

[readsalot]

Jean saw it too, and before I could say anything, before I could do anything, she shouted, "NO!" Her eyes glowed, not green but scarlet and golden, and despite being much shorter than me, despite me staring down at her eyes, I felt in that moment as if she was towering above me. So high up I could crane my neck as far back as I could and never reach the true height she was standing at.

A flash of light and it was all gone. The strange sensation and color of her eyes… all completely disappeared. Any hint of dust or weakness was gone from me too, as if the idea I had ever been caught up in this tragedy was just a dream.

***

I didn't have the time to look into it back then, with everything in chaos and people calling for help, but I was certain now that somehow, my little sister had done what the Avengers had failed to do, and stopped a part of Thanos' Snap. A tiny part, infinitesimally small, but still. Somehow she did it. I don't know if she knows how, or even realizes what she did that day. I'll never forget it though.

Being a superhero for real, not just pretending like little kids, sounded really risky to me. There'd be guns, and aliens, and monsters, and a whole world of craziness. I wasn't sure about it for me. For my little sister, though? Jean Grey is going to change the whole world, I know it.

Click to shrink...

Damn so Jean when Super Phoenix ‍ And prevented Sarah's from being Blip'd
She is super OP Plz no Nerf.

 

[bambache]

Oh dang!
That last bit firmly lodged the X-Men theme song in my head!

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tb-8y_0U35s

 

[Lillie Jones]

Absolute Cinema
10/10.
Continue on
Cheers!

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

Thank you to my 56 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, and bob my Ace Tier patreons! Your support means so much to me.

Ned Leeds POV

"Sooo… How did you get your powers?" I asked Spider-Man. No, 'Peter Parker.' My best friend. I wasn't sure which sounded crazier - the fact that I knew who Spider-Man was or that we had been so close before.

"A spider bite. No, the spider can't bite you too, it's dead. Sorry," he said with a knowing grin, anticipating my next question.

"I aksed you that before?" I guessed and Peter nodded. "Sorry, that must be pretty annoying-"

"No no no! It's fine. Great," he insisted, grinning even more broadly. Perhaps a touch manically, but maybe that was just how he smiled? I didn't know. "You can ask me anything, I'd be happy to tell you all of it again. Both of you," he added, glancing over at MJ in the corner. She studiously ignored him. Or ignored him while studying - it was hard to tell how much attention she was actually paying to her schoolwork right now.

Though from the upside down text book, I'm gonna say not so much. We were in our dorm room, Peter visiting us freely now. Without the costume, he could walk in now without making a scene. No one even gave him a second glance. Man, I was so off in who I thought it was.

"Hey, I had a theory about who you were - totally not for creepy reasons, just wanted to know - but anyways it was completely off and I'm wondering if I messed up because I didn't know enough or if the spell was stopping me from figuring it out."

"That… is actually something I don't know. Maybe it's something you could ask Doctor Strange. We haven't really talked since… The Spell." Before he could say anything else, his phone beeped and he flipped it open. "Sorry, there's a robbery taking place on Fifth and Main. I gotta go. But here's my contact info, message me any time!" He shouted, running out the door.

I stood there flabbergasted before running out. "Thank you! I promise I won't abuse this power!" I shouted back, ignoring all the strange looks people in the halls were giving me. Back in the dorm room MJ was giving me a look. "What?"

***

Ned: "Hw many times cn ur web shooters shoot before reloading?"

Peter: "Depends on the type of web shots I'm using. 50 per shooter for standard web lines, as low as twenty if they're all really voluminous shots, like the web burst shots. Usually I'm getting about 45 to 30 shots, depending on how much trouble I run into."

***

Ned: "Do you hve favorite avenger?"

Peter: "Iron Man, obvs."

Ned: "Totes same. Did he for real mentor you?"

Peter: "Kinda. He was there to give me an encouraging pep talk or two, but he didn't train me personally that much. He had a lot on his plate and then… I wish I'd gotten to know him better."

Ned: "That's rough buddy."

Peter: "Nah, it's cool. He helped me a lot with his tech. And did I mention he actually saved my life waaaay back, before I got powers, at the Stark Expo."

Ned: "The one with all the exploding robots?! That's so crazy!!!"

***

Ned: "Hw high can u jump?"

Peter: "Let's find out"
Video attached

***

Ned: "Suit chafe?"

Peter: "Baby powder."
Peter: "Now at least, nanite suit adapted to avoid chafing."

***

Ned: "Wht was spice like?"
Ned: "*Space"

Peter: "Bit busy. Ttyl"
Peter: "Sorry, just had to deal with some thugs that got their hands on some gravity cannons. I hate those ajdladioja"
Peter: "Okay now all of them are dealt with. No more baggy pants to slip out of and grab their guns again."

Ned: "You gt shot b a dude in his undrwear?!?"

Peter: "I wish - apparently this criminal decided to go au natural."

Ned: "X) X) X)"
Ned: "I'm legit dying bro. That's gtta be hte craziest thing to happen to u, right?"

Peter: "For today? Yeah, craziest stuff today. Not even top ten overall."

Ned: "Whoa. Including suprvillains?"

Peter: "... Maybe top five then. Still doesn't beat the cake heist. Who steals forty cakes? Though that wouldn't have been so bad without a wedding rehearsal and LARPers we ran into too."

Peter: "Hey, what decides if someone's a supervillain or not?"

Ned: "I dunno. Cool name, flashy costume, powers or tech?"

Peter: "I see. Like these guys with their gravity guns don't count, they're just a bunch of dudes with advanced tech. But one guy had a shock gauntlet (hurt like heck) and called himself 'the Shocker' but no costume or anything. Does he count?"

Ned: "U fought a guy called 'The Shocker'? Heck yeah that count! How'd yu beat him?"

Peter: "Actually needed your help with that one. He knocked my web-shooters away and was wailing on me till you grabbed them and stuck his gauntlet."



I put the phone down for a moment in shock before shrieking with joy. This drew MJ's attention, she rushed around the corner looking for signs of danger before relaxing. She's more paranoid than before. More worried something bad is going to show up here. "Oh. Just more spider talk?"

"Yeah, and get this; I helped save Spider-Man's life! Or at least, helped him beat a bad guy. Not just as the 'guy in the chair' but actually fighting a super-villain! Can you believe it?"

"Can I believe that Peter wiped your mind of a precious moment? Yes," she said flatly, turning to head back to her room.

"Hey, c'mon," I tried, following her. "Peter means well, he just wanted to protect-"

"Just assumed we couldn't take care of ourselves," she interrupted, spinning around. There was rare anger in her voice, but it concealed an even rarer pain. "Do you realize how condescending that is?"

"It wasn't like that - no really!" I added as she crossed her arms.

"You're just putting him on a pedestal because he's Spider-Man. That's why you waste all that time texting him, acting like he's incredible just because he's a super hero," she spat out. I had heard her make some pretty scathing speeches in our time together at college, but most of those had been directed towards government officials or law enforcement officers. Probably shouldn't tell her about the system I've been working on with Peter, to let him hack all the cameras around the city and run facial recognition software through them with E.V..

It might not be the most ethical thing, the constant government surveillance, but they were doing it anyway and I trusted Peter with it a lot more than I did anyone else. Because of that, I took a moment to pause, thinking it over, rather than immediately responding to MJ's angry accusation. It hurt a little, but I know it's just because she's hurting so much.

"Look, was it wrong of him to keep all of that from us? Totally, I 100% agree, and I think he knows it too. He's trying to make it up to us, to be our fri- to be close to us." It's obvious he wants to be more than that with MJ and she… I don't know how she feels about him, don't think she even knows what she's feeling right now. "I'm happy because, well because he's my friend, MJ."

That was more true than I could put into words. MJ and I had only become friends towards the very end of high school (an event that had always seemed vague to me before but now made perfect sense), so I had assumed that my entire life, I'd just been the friendless nerd throughout school. Now, I knew I'd always had a best bud, someone I could build Legos with (the Emperor Palpatine minifigure I thought I'd lost on his desk proof of our eternal friendship). Someone I could truly count on and who could count on me.

MJ softened a little, slumping down on her bed. "He still needed Jean to push him to do that. It's so condescending of him to act like we can't be trusted to decide for ourselves! And what happens the next time something dangerous happens, and he tries to push us out of his life again? Nothing's changed for him to treat us like we're capable now."

"Jean's got that super soldier serum, why don't we ask her for it?"

MJ gave me a flat look. "She was just saying that to push Peter to talk to us for whatever reason of her own. Now that he has, she's not just going to give us one of the most valuable substances on the planet-"

***

"Sure," the teenage girl said, passing a flabbergasted MJ the case.

"Do you know how much that's worth?" I asked and Jean gave me a sardonic grin.

"Yup. One bullet to the brain," she said, miming a gun to her head with her fingers. MJ couldn't help but crack a smile at the display.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" I tried, but she waved me off.

"Nah, it's my fault. I knew what I was getting into." Then Jean paused, "Well, perhaps I didn't think it through quite as much as I should have before taking it. The serum is ironically too valuable and as such anyone I could sell it to would just try to have me killed for it instead. Plus, as I said, Srara and I can't use it so it might as well go to someone who can."

Jean walked away from the doorway, inviting us into the apartment that she and her sister were in. I'd already gone over it with her and hacked the surveillance systems so the girls could loop them with ease, and for a safehouse, it was pretty comfortable. I settled down into a seat on the couch while MJ stood, staring at the case in her hands.

The telepath settled in behind her desk and various computer and t.v. screens, absorbing information about New York and the world at a rapid rate. "So, how have you guys been?" She asked casually while still scrolling and jotting down information.

"Uhh, we can leave if you're busy," I offered, but Jean shook her head.

"It's no problem; literally. The same mental schism I use to control someone else but still control my own body lets me multitask exceptionally well. I appear to be at about 98% effectiveness in both tasks. When I'm not busy controlling another person, at least."

"That's so cool!" It really was, even if it was also kinda creepy how easily she could control people completely. I tried to never let that show though, since I knew she and especially Sara could be very sensitive about that kind of stuff. They didn't get to choose what their powers are, and it's pretty easy since they are just so cool too.

MJ asked, "You said that this would make me 'more of myself?' How do I know if that's a good thing?"

That got Jean to pause for a moment, thinking deeply on the question before she went back to looking stuff up. "That's a tough question, though the fact that you're thinking of it is a good sign. Steve Rogers set a high bar, but I don't think even he was perfect. What he was, was willing to try hard, and you don't strike me as a quitter."

My friend didn't look convinced. "I've had negative thoughts, and I heard about John Walker killing people who had surrendered…"

"John is hardly perfect, a lot of anger issues with that guy, but that doesn't mean you'll be the same as him, even if you have angry thoughts." Jean glanced up, looking MJ in the eyes. "I know things have been rough for you right now, you can take some time to think about it."

I'm not sure if I'd be able to wait, if it had been offered to me. It would have been nice but I totally get that she wouldn't want- Jean whipped her head around to face me. Oh crap, she heard my thoughts!

"I didn't hear your thoughts," Jean defended, somewhat unconvincingly. "I did feel your emotions however and it seemed like you felt a little left out or maybe hurt, and I'm sorry about not clarifying earlier. Just been busy," she nodded her head up at a t.v. screen behind us showing Metzger's trial.

Jean continued, "I didn't offer it to you because you have latent mystical powers. During the Spell incident you opened up a portal with Doctor Strange's sling ring without any training, so I thought if you wanted some cool ability, you might learn sorcery. What?" She added after a minute when I had stopped, before I shrieked:

"I can be a wizard?! That's so cool!!"

Jean chuckled. "Technicaly, I think anyone can be a wizard, if they train at it. You'd likely have a natural aptitude, for portals at least."

"What else is there to being a wizard?" MJ asked before I could, surprising me. When I glanced over at her, she shrugged, slightly defensively. I don't know why she gets worried other people would care that she's into certain things, and especially not this! Wizards are super cool!

"Artifacts? The 'sling rings' are a common one, sorta like brass knuckles and they help the sorcerers - sorry forgot to mention that they usually go by sorcerer, not wizard. Not sure if it makes a difference to the magic users. Witch seems to be specific to certain titles? Maybe. Anyways, where was I? Oh right, artifacts," Jean continued, throwing details at us rapid fire. Doctor Stephen Strange has a semi-sentient cloak of levitation, he's used the Time Stone, though that isn't magic specific, I don't think. Probably a bunch of others I'm not remembering at the moment. But yeah, the artifacts help, but aside from talent and training, there's not much else, as far as I know. I'm not the most knowledgeable in the multiverse about magic. If you want to know more, you should go to the Sanctum Santorum and ask the Sorcerer Supreme yourselves."

"How long will that trip take? We don't have months to trek up a mountain to some ancient temple to 'learn the mystic arts,'" MJ said, though her argument sounded weak. As if she was just trying to say that because she felt someone should argue against it, not like the point mattered. Which is odd because actually a good point; I can't tell my Lola I dropped out of school to become a wizard!

"That's Kamar-Taj, which thankfully there should be a constant portal to in the Sanctum Santorum, down on 177A Bleecker Street, in Greenwich village. Or if not a constant portal then at least a sorcerer who can open one up for you." Jean texted us the address before and said sympathetically, "It will likely take some time to master your skills. Not sure if you'll be able to juggle that with your schoolwork and life with that. Again though, I'm not the master of the mystic arts, you should talk to Dr. Strange. Or is it Wong right now? One of the two, they've bounced the position back and forth."

We paused, trying to take it all in and Jean frowned for a moment. "Sorry, I know that's a lot to take in all at once."

"No no- I mean, it is a lot, but I'm totally up for it. Learning about magic is great!" Ugh, I'm not saying the words well enough. Yes it's great,' but it's so much more than that. It feels like a whole new world has opened up since I met her. Since I re-met Peter.

"Still, I should be more understanding." Jean frowned again, this time the expression was directed at herself. She tries too hard to be mature. Looks too small for that desk she's in, organizing spreadsheets for… something. "How have you been? How's uh school?"

"Pretty good/Bad" myself and MJ answered at the same time. "Classes have been tough," MJ muttered, as if that was the cause, and not the effect of her mood. Still, as we exchanged small talk with the teenaged telepath, she seemed to relax a little.

Right before we left, MJ asked Jean, "Are you sure I should have this?" She held up the case.

"I'm certain," Jean answered without hesitation. "When I came to you for help, you helped me, without question."

"I think I had plenty of questions back then. Still do now," MJ responded quickly and Jean laughed.

"Questions about the situation, but not if you would help me. Not a lot of people would behave like that."

"Ned helped the most," MJ mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. "I just called the police and sent the files when we were done."

Jean turned to me, bowing. "And I'm very grateful to you too. Sorry I don't have another super soldier serum to give you."

I waved her off. "Eeh, I might have dropped a few pounds before college but I don't think I exactly cut the super soldier physique, you know?" I could imagine it though, me being faster than a speeding car, strong enough to lift a helicopter. That would be pretty cool, even if it's never going to happen.

"Neither did Steve Rogers before he got his shot. But whether it's the serum, or magic, or giving you access to advanced technology or whatever, I'll trust the two of you, because you're good people." Jean's voice was perfectly sincere as she said the most praise and trust that I'd ever heard anyone have for me before.

"Wow, umm thanks. Talk to you later." We walked out, and MJ slipped the serum case into her bag, looking contemplative.

"Let's go talk to Dr. Strange," she declared as we hit the ground floor, marching off to the Sanctum Santorum.

"N-now?"

***

"For a 'Sanctum Santorum, doesn't this look a little… pedestrian?" MJ asked rhetorically with a wave of her hand at the building in front of us. It was certainly large, and impressive in its own, old-fashioned kind of way, but hardly screamed 'magical lair.'

"Maybe it's more magical on the inside?" I offered. "The outside is just a- a camouflage, like a Tardis!" Walking up, I tentatively knocked on the door. When there was no response, I turned the handle and walked inside.

The Sanctum Santorum screamed 'old money' with everything from its layout to the decor. The foyer was dominated by the large staircase leading up to the open air second level. The floor was tiled and spotless, just like the suits of armor and portraits that hung on the walls. I suspected magic was involved, until I saw a bored man sweeping to the side. He gave us a mildly curious look before shrugging and going back to his job.

"Uh, hello? We'd like to talk to Doctor Strange," MJ said, walking towards the man only to stop suddenly as colors swirled in the air before us, coalescing into the form of a stern man in blue robes, a red cape, and salt-and-pepper hair.

"Who seeks Stephen Strange?" He demanded in the third person.

"Um I do, Mister Strange. Wait, sorry Doctor Mister- I mean Doctor Strange-" I stumbled over my own words before MJ spoke up.

"We're friends of Spider-Man, did you forget that too with your big spell?"

Doctor Strange's face went oddly blank for a moment before twisting with disdain at her words. "I did, but I left special instructions after that fiasco to never trust that childish web slinger again, instructions that I believe pass onto you. Begone," he declared imperiously.

"But we've found out a bit more about what happened then and apparently I have a gift for magic and I just wanted to ask-" I began but he waved his hand dismissively.

"And you think that makes you a sorcerer? I started with little talent, ruined hands, and no knowledge of the mystic arts, and I became Sorcerer Supreme. Mastering the mystic arts is a journey of transformation, one I doubt you are ready for," he said with a sneer.

"I- I could- I mean I just wanted t-to-" I stuttered, feeling like he'd taken a metaphorical hammer to shatter my self confidence. What was I thinking? That I, Ned Leeds, could just swagger up Doctor Strange of all people and demand he teach me? Stupid. Foolish. Worthless.

"Begone, I said!" He demanded again, clearly having no patience to put up with me any longer.

I knew I should have left then, but I couldn't even muster up the energy for that, so I just stood there. Peter told us that we were 'crushed' when we hadn't been able to get into any of our colleges when his identity had been revealed. Did it feel as bad as this? A glance over at MJ saw she was affected by his words too, but where it left me slumped down, she was trembling with rage.

"Hey, you might be some big shot in the magical world but that doesn't give you the right to act like a jerk! Just take your head out of your ass for five minutes and listen to him!"

"Did you not hear me? I said begone! Leave this place."

"Huh?" MJ and I said at the same time, tilting our heads to the side to look at him. "Are you alright dude? Are you having a stroke?"

"He's not even there," a new voice said and I turned to watch a girl in yellow enter the sanctum from a glowing blue, star-shaped rift in reality. She was wearing a faded denim jacket with American flag stars and stripes pattern and a small pride pin over her heart. She had brown hair and looked to be about Jean's age.

She stepped down the stairs, the portal in reality closing behind her. With a wave of her hand, Doctor Strange melted into a puddle of multicolored sludge that soon turned brown to match the tiled floor, seeping into the patterns.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I said while MJ looked impressed.

"It's just an illusion, don't worry. Not a particularly smart one either, which is why he was falling into a loop there," they mystery girl explained.

"Can't you make smarter ones with magic?" MJ asked and the girl gave a back-and-forth motion with her hands.

"Eeh, you could, but then you get instances like the 'Great Suds Incident' and well… It's easier to rely on hired help for basic tasks. Keep up the good work, Gary," She shouted, tossing the cleaning man a thumbs up. He just grunted in response. Then she turned back to us.

"I got a few extra minutes to pick up the bat eyes since I didn't need to walk all the way around to the stable portal so what did you need Doctor Strange for?"

Taking a deep breath, I tried again. "So, I lost my memories because of a memory wiping spell that Strange cast-"

"Oof, the Runes of Kof-Kol?" She said and I nodded my head.

"I think? That sounds like what Peter said, but-"

"Sorry, but I can't fix that. I've only heard about that spell; the masters don't like us messing with things that dangerous. I don't think even Strange could undo it, even if he were in this dimension right now."

"He's in a different dimension? Cool! But uh, that's not actually what I wanted. It doesn't really matter since the one person who does remember has been able to tell us everything-"

"I'd say it very much does still matter," MJ muttered, but I continued.

"I found out that during a time I forgot that I managed to use his sling ring and open a portal and that I might be really good at it and could maybe try to become a wizard?" I said finishing off the last part quickly, as if someone would step in and stop (and laugh at me) if I didn't do this fast enough.

The girl looked at me slightly disbelievingly. "No way. Those things are so finicky to use. Prove it," she demanded, reaching for her left hand and staring at it for a moment. Dropping it, she said, "I keep on forgetting the darn thing."

"How did you make a portal then?" MJ asked, staring at her suspiciously. The young girl just grinned broadly.

"I'm just that awesome! Unfortunately this awesome girl has to go and pick up some supplies for Kamar-Taj so I can't help you. Strange probably won't be back for a bit. If you want to train and become a sorcerer I suggest going to Kamar-Taj the old fashioned way."

"And where's that?" I asked tentatively.

"Kathmandu Nepal," she said, beginning to walk off.

MJ asked, frustratedly, "Isn't there anyone else we can ask? Why don't you just portal us there?"

The sorceress stopped, offering us a sympathetic look. "The Sanctum masters are off in their sanctums in London and Hong Kong, and they might just tell you to hit the road too. As for me… I feel for you, and the wards didn't trigger any hostile intent when you entered, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have some dark intention towards Kamar-Taj, so I'm not just going to let you in and potentially put people at risk."

"We might be fine with the sanctum of the sorcerers but not the school for them? That sounds kinda convoluted," I pointed out and she shrugged.

"Welcome to magic," she said with a chuckle, walking to another room off to the side. There was a slight 'whoosh' of air from there and a blue glow that faded soon after.

I tried to keep the disappointment from my face, but MJ showed no such restraint. "I hate magic."

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad. Seems pretty cool, if you're the one using it."

"Yeah, there's probably rules and limits and all sorts of things that make it better but I just don't know any of that. Feels like I don't know anything these days." She turned and marched out, and I shuffled after her.

***

I spent the next few days going through my schoolwork, while also wondering how much it would matter. Do I want to be a sorcerer? I mean, I think so. Having supernatural powers sounds cool, of course it does, but I kinda like my life here. Plus, I still don't know what I'd tell my Lola. "Hey MJ, what do you think I should- MJ?" I questioned, knocking on the door to her room and watching as it swung open. She wasn't in, but I did see a letter on her desk with my name on it, beside the case that held the super soldier serum.

Walking in, I opened it and began reading.

'Ned, I'm going off to Kamar-Taj. Finding out my memories were messed with makes me want to figure out how to never let that happen again, and that seems to be the place to learn magic. Plus, I need some space, from Peter and all of that. Don't feel bad about it or feel you need to not hang out with him. I know you like the guy and if you've forgiven him, that's fine, but I need some time.

And you let things like that go because you're a good guy. A better, kinder person than I am. Maybe Jean's right and it would be fine for me to take the serum. That I could handle any side effects and wouldn't do anything bad with it. But you could do great things with this, and I know you wanted it.

Take care,

MJ'

Spoiler: A/N:

And we leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger to be resolved next time! Apologies for that, but this felt like a good place to leave things off. Next time we'll explore MJ's side of things and get her thoughts on what's been going on.

This might feel like a bit of a surprise considering what Jean's plans/assumptions were, but much like her, I eventually realized that this wouldn't work out. Ned's a far more open character and one I realized would work better with the super soldier serum, which brings out your inner qualities. MJ also wouldn't be the kind to want to stick around right beside Peter after what he did, even if she's feeling a bit more conflicted about that because the news was broken much better here than it was in Brand New Day. Let me know what you thought down below or on on the Discord. And if you want to read more and have a bit of money to toss my way, I have a Patreon, subscribers to it get early access to the next two chapters of this story, and the next ten for Like No One Ever Was, my Pokemon SI story. Thank you, and I hope you're having a good day.

 

[bambache]

That's about right, sticking around the same city as the people who were quick on the draw to erase memories sounds sketchy.

 

[readsalot]

Take care,

MJ'

Click to shrink...

Yeah I'm thinking it's better for Ned to take it, he can become a super awesome with it.
If MJ takes it, with her current headspace…. Yeah bad times inbound if she did.

Also makes sense in her PoV to want defence against that, you never know if she gets her memories back she may warm up to Peter again.

 

[Spearow]

Hope he gets a power lifter muscular round body and not a runner or swimmers build after the serum.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Absolute Cinema
10/10
Continue on
Cheers!