The mature Jean Grey was composed, neither servile nor overbearing. There was a note of fatalism in her tone, but her manners held steady.
"All right. You can call me Thea. I'll keep the explanation short, because being able to communicate with the force inside you is crucial for what comes next." Thea softened her tone, letting the others listen in.
"I don't know why it's called the Phoenix Force where you come from. From what I can see, it's immensely pure and vast, beyond anything language can adequately describe."
"We have similar abilities on our side, just not at the same tier as what's inside you." She raised her left hand, White Lantern light glowing, then her right, First Lantern energy shimmering. "The power of life and the power of emotion. Mix them together, and you get the foundation of the energy inside you."
She drew a small amount from each ring and blended them into a single sphere, then gestured for Jean to feel it for herself.
Jean reached out tentatively and touched the energy sphere. Realization dawned on her face. For years she'd been clamping down on the Phoenix Force with everything she had, pouring most of her mental energy into keeping it contained.
But as for what the Phoenix Force actually was, what it was made of, she'd never examined it closely. That single contact was enough to crack the door open. "That's exactly it. Thea, you're incredible. Is this your own power?"
"Of course. But back to the point. Humans have life and emotion. Scale those concepts up, and planets have life and emotion too. On our side, there's a planet called Mogo that has its own consciousness, though she's still very young, like a child. Do you have anything like that here? A planet with self-awareness?" Thea asked, casual as small talk.
"Uh, Star-Lord, the one you've met. His father is apparently a living planet." Iron Man jumped in. If her side had one, his couldn't exactly claim otherwise. Now wasn't the time to look weak. He quietly glossed over the fact that Star-Lord's old man happened to be an evil planet.
Thea acknowledged this and continued. "The energy inside you is a step above planetary consciousness. It's the life and emotion born from your primordial universe. You have to think beyond humans, beyond planets, and imagine the entire universe as a single being. It has always been there, evolving as the universe itself evolves."
This gave pause to more than just Jean. The sharper minds in the group chewed on the idea. Imagining the entire universe as a single organism was a serious stretch. If the universe was a being, what did that make them? Microbes?
Once they'd digested the concept, Thea shifted to the main point. "Bluntly, you can't access even a ten-thousandth of that energy's potential, because it's simply too vast. But even that ten-thousandth would be enough to help us beat Krona."
"So what do I need to do? I'm willing to fight, but this power is completely beyond my control. I've tried everything..." Jean trailed off.
Thea held up two fingers. "It's actually not that complicated. You need people to share the burden of the Phoenix Force. My initial plan—"
"I'll do it! I volunteer!" Cyclops cut in before she could finish. The chance to share the burden with the woman he loved? He could die happy. At that moment, the more he looked at this interdimensional stranger, the more he liked her.
Thea tried not to roll her eyes. "My initial plan is to forge two rings. One channels emotion. The wearer needs to have deep, abundant emotion—"
Cyclops was beaming. "That's me. My emotions are famously intense, and my willpower is more than strong enough!" He was looking at Thea with pure admiration now. If the setting were less formal, he'd have sworn brotherhood with her on the spot.
Thea thought of a certain something and nearly lost it, but she kept a straight face, even managing to look pleased. "That's wonderful. The other ring channels life force. The wearer needs to have exceptionally strong vitality."
"Uh...!" Behind his visor, Cyclops's eyes were invisible, but the conflict written across the rest of his face said everything.
"Bahahaha!"
"Haha, that's killing me!"
There wasn't a hero in this circle who didn't know the history between Cyclops, Jean, and Wolverine. Strong vitality? Was there anyone alive with stronger life force than Wolverine? Iron Man and Thor burst out laughing without an ounce of shame.
Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic assumed Thea was oblivious, since Wolverine wasn't present. The two of them were doing everything in their power not to crack.
Even Professor X, the consummate peacemaker, thought of the tangled web between his three students and found himself caught between amusement and a headache.
Thea played innocent. The two people in the hot seat, Cyclops and Jean, were mortified beyond words, but this wasn't the kind of thing you aired in front of a room full of outsiders.
As for whether Deadpool could fill in instead of Wolverine, both of them silently dismissed the thought. The love triangle was messy enough without inviting the chaos agent.
"Did I say something wrong?" Thea asked, knowing full well she had.
"No, no... please continue." Cyclops had no idea who to complain to.
"If two people help share the load, you'll be able to wield the Phoenix Force for short bursts. The duration depends on how much emotion and life force the two bearers can sustain."
"The Phoenix Force, even at one ten-thousandth of its full will, is far beyond what any individual psyche can endure. The second personality you developed is a direct result of long-term mental overload. If my burden-sharing plan works, that personality should gradually be assimilated back into you." She snapped her fingers, and just like that, the group was back in Avengers HQ, as if they'd never left.
"Since Scott has volunteered for the emotion component, you'll need to find the person with the strongest life force. Ideally someone close, a friend or family member, because the three of you will share a mental link. There'll be a degree of low-level telepathy between you. If none of that is a problem, we can proceed to the next step." Thea delivered this with perfect composure.
Every Illuminati member turned to Professor X, including Black Bolt, whose expression was as odd as the rest. This was Xavier's family business; they wisely chose to spectate.
The old professor wrestled with it briefly, then made up his mind. If Jean could freely control the Phoenix Force, it would be nothing but a good thing. As for the personal dynamics between his three students, they could sort that out themselves.
He reached out to Wolverine through the telepathic channel. Meanwhile, Thea got to work on the rings.
The laws of physics differed between universes, but the ring-forging techniques the First Lantern had taught the little blue Guardians were genuinely extraordinary. The technology was so far ahead of the present that it might as well have been from another epoch.
Using rings to channel and harness emotion still seemed like science fiction, even today.
Before long, Wolverine arrived at Avengers HQ. Stocky, rough-hewn, radiating raw physicality. Storm walked in beside him, white-haired and dressed in black.
Thea finished the initial ring construction quickly. They exchanged brief introductions.