I woke up to Alloy humming. Not singing. Humming. Which was weird enough to make me crack an eye open.
"Vitals are stable-ish," he reported, floating above me. "Though your cells are still screaming like they just pulled an all-nighter."
I groaned, every nerve buzzing. My skin practically vibrated with leftover energy. "Feels like I swallowed a car battery."
"You didn't," Alloy said, "but you may as well have. Your TURBO output's up thirty percent since yesterday."
"Is that good?"
"Not unless you like spontaneous combustion."
Great.
The door creaked, and Jean stepped inside with that calm expression of hers. "How are you feeling?"
"Like a reactor with no off switch."
She sat on the edge of the chair beside my bed. "That's why you need to focus inward. Not just on what you can do, but how to shape it. Professor's been teaching me… maybe I can help you too."
Before I could answer, the door opened again. Laura leaned against the frame, silent as ever. Her eyes flicked from Jean to me, then back to Jean, before she muttered: "He's not dead. Good."
Then she stayed. Watching.
I sighed. "Do I have an audience now?"
Later, Xavier summoned me. This time not to a training yard, but a meditation hall. Sunlight spilled through tall windows. His cane tapped as he paced.
"Your greatest weapon — and your greatest weakness — is your mind's lack of structure," he said.
I raised a brow. "You mean the mind palace thing?"
A faint smile tugged his lips. "Crude, but effective. You must refine it. Build not just walls, but… channels. Gates. A place where your instincts and power cannot run wild."
I closed my eyes, trying again. Inside my head, the fortress re-formed — larger, stronger, with conduits channeling the wild currents of energy. For a moment, it worked. The buzzing stilled.
Then it spiked. My aura flared violently, turquoise light filling the hall. Jean staggered. Xavier winced. Laura had her claws halfway out.
And then—
A hand touched my shoulder. Bare.
I froze, realizing who it belonged to. Rogue.
Her green eyes widened as the surge flowed into her instead of frying me alive. Normally, her touch left people gasping, drained. But with me, it was different. My excess energy bled into her — stabilizing me, while giving her a radiant turquoise glow.
"Sugar," she breathed, steadying herself. "You've got enough juice in you to power the whole dang state of Texas."
The wild pulsing in my chest quieted. For the first time, I didn't feel like I was about to explode.
Deadpool Commentary Break
"AND IN COMES ROGUE, THE ENERGY VAMPIRE WITH A HEART OF GOLD!" "Look at that form, folks — she siphons, she stabilizes, and she sparkles! Ten outta ten, no notes." "Jake, buddy, you're basically a walking nuclear buffet. Hope you like being her favorite snack."
When Rogue finally pulled her hand back, I realized I was breathing easy. No static. No surges. Just… calm.
Jean's brows knitted in surprise. "She balanced you."
"More like bled off the excess," Rogue corrected with a faint smirk. "Guess I'm your circuit breaker now, darlin'."
Xavier's voice carried approval. "Indeed. Your unique physiology creates equilibrium. Together, you may have found a way to keep Jake safe — and everyone else as well."
I sat back, stunned. For once, I wasn't a ticking bomb. And all it took was someone who usually had to fear touching others.
"Guess that makes us partners," I said.
Rogue grinned. "Guess it does."
And for the first time since I came to Horizon, I felt hope.