Xavier explains to Jean: "As you have no doubt just experienced, Leech's mutation grants him the ability to temporarily cancel-out the X-genes of those in his vicinity. Recently -and thankfully, as it is how I found him- he's been experimenting with the breadth of this field. He, and I, have every confidence he can maintain it within this space."
Jean looks around, and it does seem as though the measurements of the Danger Room are within Leech's capabilities: no longer aquatic-looking and reliant on his tank, Walley is leaning over the side of it, comfortably -or comfortably enough- breathing oxygen as he observes this new boy; the other more animal-looking mutants have also reverted to their pre-mutation looks, which they're finding odd; Colbur and Bobby's hands and forearms are back to flesh; Ball Lightning Kid is standing with Storm as they cautiously remove their current-cancelling gloves.
Scott has been woken by the conversation and reactions around him. His own indicative of suddenly coming to attention of something, or the absence of something.
Xavier concludes: "This should grant you and Hank the rest of the time you'll need. And may I suggest you each take some of it outside of the lab to start. A couple hours' break shouldn't be out of the question now."
We next see Xavier in the control room, where Storm is adjusting the simulation.
Storm: "It's strange being in there and not feeling the charge of my powers. Almost stranger feeling their sudden return."
Xavier: "Yes. For me it's is though someone placed the TV on mute, then to have the volume return at an uncomfortable level."
There's been another shuffling in the room - a spot has now been demarcated specifically for Leech in the centre, just to be sure his powers are distributed evenly. No one seems to mind having to readjust their placements in this case.
Cyclops spends much of the following day -Leech's first full one, and what would've been Cyclops' final- getting the first decent rest he's physically been able to since the dizziness started.
He wakes while Jean is in the room collecting more blood samples, to monitor what's happening with the virus while their mutations have been rendered inactive. She collects his.
Scott had still had the compress on his eyes beneath his mask, and now removes it; keeping his eyes closed until he replaces his mask. His gaze then sets where Alex's bed had been. "6 days..."
Jean also looks across before she touches him in a consoling -and another- way...it could've been them both.
Scott brings his hand to hers. The breath he next draws has a shudder to it.
Jean eyes him.
Though she knows, it's not readily apparent he's crying given how his eyes remain unseen. "You don't have to keep them hidden, now."
Scott brings his hand to the side of his ruby quartz mask, yet hesitates.
Jean: "I'm sure you've felt the difference," she reassures.
Even still, Scott makes sure he's looking down at himself as he slips off his mask, his eyes kept closed as well, before he cautiously opens them.
No optic beams.
Instead we can see his blue eyes, teary from thoughts of the person who's missing from the space he's set his gaze back on.
He then looks to Jean, eyes meeting hers.
In spite of the surrounding circumstances, Scott seems to gain a modicum of pleasure in being able to do this directly.
But then he blinks, and wipes at his eyes. He squints at Jean, brow furrowing as he then turns his gaze further out across the room.
Jean's gaze follows his before reverting to him: "What is it?"
"I can't see as well as I could."
Jean expresses concern.
In the absence of the ones they had been dealing with, others as well are realizing different issues; Walley's breathing is more on the asthmatic side, something that couldn't be said pre-exposure to the mist; Ball Lightning Kid has started experiencing partial (non-convulsive) seizures, primarily affecting their hands. Others' new dealings are more psychological; uncomfortable not feeling their powers, or looking "normal"; anxiety about over-active mutations giving way to anxiety over their mutations not coming back, despite reassurances that Leech cannot cause a permanent "turning-off" of X-genes.
The second full day in to his arrival, yet another adjustment is made to the sim, stopping it several feet from the door; that space and the door itself looking as it does when no simulation is taking place. Leech's power fills the room, but this is a reminder for everyone inside- more absolutely than before, they must not leave this room.
The deactivating of the X-genes has not arrested the virus, which still progresses invisibly; walking out the door would mean the instant end for those who have already gone past their final count.
-a reminder to those who trust too much how well they're feeling now, and to the few who are "flight risks", seeming uncomfortable staying in Leech's presence.
Others, however, are hanging out; getting to know Leech beyond what he's doing for them.
Our trio of Rogue, Bobby and Colbur are among this latter set.
While the boys are talking, Rogue's mind has wandered; considering her still-gloved hands.
Bobby -who is no longer wearing the gloves Beast fashioned for him- notices: "Why don't you take them off?"
Colbur has traded his stress for his more familiar, easy attitude: "If you're shy about holding hands for the first time in," he shrugs, "however long, you can practice with me." He grins.
Rogue manages a smile. "Thanks, but ah don't think so."
Bobby: "What's wrong?"
She sighs through her nose. "Ah dunno'. Ah'm just not sure."
Colbur is sympathetic: "Your professors' powers get leeched in here, too." He cracks another smile, "you're cool, but I doubt your powers are stronger than theirs. I'm sure Leech has got 'em covered just the same." At this he turns his smile to the younger boy, who returns it before observing Rogue.
Bobby: "Exactly. I mean, just look at Cyclops," he looks from one way to the other, "and Beast."
Colbur: "Wait a second -that's who that is?!"
He looks over at the "real (Hank) McCoy", not the least bit blue and beastly, and presently talking to a woman in School sweats with raven-coloured hair.
"Who's that he's talking to? I don't recognize her, either."
Bobby: "Yeah, I don't know her." He reverts attention to Rogue, "anyway, if Leech has them covered-"
Leech's smile is replaced by a bit of concerned curiosity as Rogue's reluctance remains.
"It's not that. Ah'm just not ready, okay?"
Bobby is surprised, but backs off: "Yeah, okay."
Colbur just shrugs, as the woman Beast had been talking to happens now to walk past; she'd overheard his comment before. "The name is Raven," she clears up, barely pausing in her stride, though casting a glance at them all; perhaps a longer one at Rogue.
Colbur's gaze follows her as she continues on, his expressions like yeah...that clears it right up for him..
The third day, Jean is in the Control Room checking everyone's vitals via the monitors.
She also looks through the glass wall at Scott who, standing without any of his typical ruby quartz eye coverings -though he holds his glasses in his hand- is looking out across the room at the others gathered there.
This scene is familiar to us, and seems to discomfit Jean.
We see Scott replacing his glasses while Jean moves on.
Now that he's feeling better, Scott gets to know some of the room and checks in with his fellow, affected teammates.
Bobby: "You've got your glasses back on?"
"If I'm being honest it's strange to have them off, and I shouldn't adjust to it," he states seriously.
"Back up and around already, eh," a gruff voice says from behind.
Scott turns to answer Logan: "Well I'm feeling much better relatively speaking." "Yeah, good," he looks past Scott to Bobby and especially Rogue, "how about you? You're doing good?" She nods, adding: "A think we're all feeling better enough, but lahk we've still got something goin' on."
While they talk, Scott has noticed and moved on to a pensive looking Colbur, who holds in his hand a particular rock as he stands near where his mentor had been.
"You seemed to leave an impression on Alex," Scott acknowledges.
"He left an impression on me."
Scott looks like he would've liked more time to know that Alex..and maybe he had.
Jean's back in the lab, hardly properly back into work at her station when her attention is drawn to Beast's. Her hirsute lab partner having made an utterance of success.
He explains: "When Jaclyn came to check on the wellbeing of her sister the other day, a notion began percolating in my mind -don't ask me how I arrived at it. There were multiple junctions. Suffice it to say, the solution we've been seeking has been found. All it took is the inclusion of some genetic material from an unaffected relative and -you may see for yourself."
He shifts aside so Jean can peer at a sample.
While she does so, Beast goes on: "I was able to test my hypothesis thanks to a couple of the relatives currently living in our Danger Room with their affected kin. Plus one other."
Jean: "The virus is completely gone. Hank, this is remarkable-"
"Yes, that's exactly what I said to myself."
Jean, attention on the results more than Hank at the moment, reverts to a more serious, thoughtful disposition: "-hopefully we can synthesize some equivalent for those whose relatives are unknown, or gone..."
"If, by that last part, you're thinking of Scott, there's no need. His cure sample is right over there." He points.
Jean looks from it to him: "What material did you use? You said the relative had to be unaffected."
"You may recall how, during Scott and Alex's scuffle in the Danger Room last year, some blood was shed. Intrigued by their inability to damage each other with their powers, I may've collected some of Alex's blood for genetic study. His plasma was still viable -his blood plasma, of course." And so the cure process begins..... they inject Scott first and monitor him for a few days. When he develops no adverse affects worth mentioning and the virus is shown to be lessening in follow-up blood work, they start on the others they've already been able to create cures for.
All seems well.
Meetings are made with relatives of the others to procure material needed for most of the remaining cures. Everyone who's already received a dose continue to be observed.
At one point, while Storm is checking in with those who had depended on her powers before to keep theirs in check, Walley's Mother speaks up: "I never thanked you before for returning the water to my son's tank."
Storm smiles. "Don't mention it."
"Have cures been able to be made for everyone else?"
"We're still working on a few."
She eyes her son's occupation with Ball Lightning Kid before indicating for Storm to step aside with her a moment, and adds in a lower tone of voice: "you know I don't think any of Walley's other relatives would've given for him." She nearly has tears in her eyes, "after his mutation became apparent...they didn't even want me to have anything to do with him."
Storm matches the lower tone of voice as she answers honestly: "A couple of the relatives we contacted did hesitate, suspicious we were trying to inject some mutant serum into them than try and save the lives of their mutant kin. We managed to bring them to a place of sense."
Nearby, Colbur observes the continued interaction, seeming to have overheard the conversation as well. Meanwhile, Rogue and Bobby are having one of their own.
Rogue: "What Cyclops said, that's wah ah don't wanna' touch you, Bobby. Ah mean," she looks down, a shy smile briefly crosses her face, "ah do, it's just..."
"I get it."
Rogue looks up, "Really?"
"Yeah." He caresses her arm, "no problem."
Young Male Voice: "Bobby?"
Bobby turns, then gets up at the surprise of seeing his younger brother: "Ronnie!"
Ronnie looks around uncertainly like he's uncomfortable; from being here or because maybe he feels he shouldn't be. "Uh, the guy with the tail told me you'd be in here."
"What are you doing here?"
"I, uh...I wanted you to know, I'm the one who gave blood for your cure."
Bobby is surprised -as is Rogue.
"Have you gotten it, yet?"
"No, they're still working on mine. It'll be soon."
"That's good." Ronnie doesn't seem sure what else to say.
Bobby breaks the silence, "thanks man."
"Yeah well, I still don't know about all this..mutant stuff, why you'd want it-" Rogue and Bobby exchange a look, "-but...I mean, you're my brother still." He shrugs. "I don't want you to," another shrug, "whatever would happen."
After taking this in, Bobby holds out his hand.
The brothers go from a handshake into a brief hug.
From across the room, Scott observes this stiff, yet still brotherly interaction.
It's night, we see Colbur laying awake into the morning. . . He sits restlessly over the side of his cot, leg soon bouncing up and down outside of his consciousness. In another moment he's up, but just kind of pacing.
Bobby is stirred awake by all the moment: "What's up, Rockman?"
Colbur doesn't answer right away.
Then he stops. And kind of smirks. "We don't need to be here."
Rogue, woken up from what seems like scarce sleep she's been getting, stares at him with bleary eyes: "What?"
"Yeah-" he turns to them, "haven't we all been feeling great since Leech came in?"
Rogue and Bobby look to each other. Is it just the early morning, or is Colbur not making sense?
He goes on: "-yeah, I bet we don't even need the cure! I mean it fed off our mutations, right?! And we haven't had them all this time now since Leech. So the virus has probably been starved right out."
Another exchange of glance before Rogue points out: "The tests show it's still in our blood, Colbur."
"Yeah. Everyone does need the cure."
Colbur waves his hand as though sweeping that line of thought away: "Isn't that how our bodies get immune to some stuff? A little bit stays. It doesn't mean anything- just so we remember it so it's never any problem any more. Once you're good you're good. And I'm feeling good!"
Now he starts walking purposefully away -towards the door.
Bobby turns: "Wait! What are you doing?"
Rogue gets up first.
She catches up with him but Colbur shrugs her hand off his shoulder, not breaking stride, not dividing attention.
The automatic door opens -
Rogue -and Bobby- both pull him back.
Colbur forcibly pushes them off -
-Bobby all out grabs him
Rogue: "Bobby! Watch out!"
They're close to both going out -Colbur's gone a step, his leg instantly turning to rock-
By now the commotion has woken other people, including Scott -he gets up as quickly as he registers what's going on.
Rogue: "Leech! Wake up!" -but a domino effect has already started taking place; the weight of Colbur's rockified appendage tipping his weight, causing more of him to get outside Leech's present field -more to become rock -more to tip his weight-
--"NO!" Scott pulls Bobby off--but can't get an adequate grip on Colbur to pull him back--
they both go down, out the door
-Colbur's entire body turning to rock while we see as Scott breaks his own fall, that there's a sudden flash behind his ruby quartz eyemask; the safe return of his optic blasts.
As fast as he's realized what's needed, Leech projects his X-cancelling field further--
-but Colbur remains rockified.
Bobby: "Leech?!"
"I'm doing it!" coming closer to the door, he goes so far as to extend his hands towards Colbur in further concentration, "I'm doing it, I'm sure! It's not working!"
Watching Colbur, Scott's hand is at the side of his own eyes, his expression one of confusion. Then something seems to catch his attention, almost too brief to count it --sounds back inside the room redirect his attention there.
Half the occupants have reacted as though -for a fraction of a second- something's suddenly shocked them. Bobby falls, having nearly passed out.
-Scott recognizes what just happened. He moves to Leech in a steady yet measured way, trying not to seem like he's coming down on the boy, and places first one hand then both on Leech's shoulders: "Leech stop- Concentrate on the room -only the room, exactly like before." Leech draws a breath, closing his eyes as he settles, and the tension of the room along with him.
Scott looks past Leech to survey this; while to some degree or another, everyone's catching their breath, they seem largely alright; many having moved instinctively closer to Leech.
"Good," Scott now strides from Leech over to Ball Lightning Kid, who's the only one still kneeling on the floor, hand against their heart. "Are you okay?"
"I-I-I think so. ."
Flower Shop Boy, Walley and his mother, come to be with Ball Lightning Kid.
Scott rises. Confident the security of the room's been restored, he returns to the door, a look cast at Colbur before Scott leaves to alert someone. Rogue and Bobby, meanwhile, can't take their attention away from the statue of Alex's former charge, their friend..
..his last expression ossified; if he had wanted to stop once he'd started, he'd had no choice, and Colbur was resigned to that.