Time After Time: Aha, a Moment of Discovery

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Jean and Ben discuss his predicament and come to the realization of what might be causing his wife's illness.



Jean had shooed Angel out again with a promise that, if she wanted, she could come back and talk with Ben later, then turned to her patient with a smile. "So, Mr. Russel. Feeling any better?"

"Physically or emotionally?" Ben responded, glancing around the room. "Being yanked through the substructure of parallel universes tends to be a bit jarring, even with the protective dimensional armor I invented. The first time I went through, I came out in a dead universe, frostbitten and nearly blind. An Earth that had killed off every living thing, probably centuries ago. I had enough time to scavenge and create the suit before the next shift came. The universe has a sense of greater mathematics, you see. It's a self-solving equation that rejects unwanted variables. The trick, Doctor, is keeping up with the math. I'm a little thirsty."

"Yes, I imagine that would be more than a bit difficult to deal with," Jean agreed, collecting his glass and refilling it with water before handing it to him. "I've always been glad not to end up in any pocket dimensions accidentally. Your blood tests look fine, other than the dehydration."

"Thank you," Ben replied as he drank the glass of water slowly. "Angelica tells me that this is a school for those with genetic mutations. Tell me, doctor, are all these mutations as... beneficial as hers?"

"All?" Jean repeated, cocking her head, intrigued by the idea of a world without mutants, in a purely academic sense. "No; there is a great deal of variety and, as with all genetic variables, you have failed mutations, and ones which are only moderately successful or stable. Some of them, while being stable, also have significant drawbacks. But the vast majority are successful, yes."

"And if there is a mutation that is harmful, one that is more of a curse, or a disease... is there a way to repair or reverse it?"

"Sometimes," Jean said. "It's usually rather complicated, both scientifically and politically, and tailoring them to specific mutations adds to the difficulty. Inhibitors and similar technologies make up a charged topic of discussion. I take it this has to do with the reason you came hurtling through dimensional barriers? Your wife..."

Ben nodded his head. "We'd been married for almost four years when the symptoms started to manifest. Neural degeneration, the body just stops processing nerve signals and eventually the brain just shuts down. Our best geneticists haven't found a cure, only that the disease is linked to a specific set of genes. They've started testing for it, but all that can do is give people an early warning. Their very DNA is what kills them."

He shook his head, looking down at his hands, and then up at Jean. "Except that here, as it seems, instead of my wife dying of an incurable disease, she's sixteen years old and can generate flame. And apparently, fly." He smiled at the thought. "I've seen so much and I can barely wrap my brain around it. But seeing her again, happy, so alive..."

"Angel is what we call an energy projector, and unlike some of the more uniform mutations there's not really a blanket inhibitor for that sort of power. It always has to be tailored to the individual source and type of power. It would be entirely possible for us to create something that would work on Angel, but given that your Angel is not a manifested mutant, as we think of them, I don't know if it would work. No power for it to interrupt." Jean paused, crossing her arms over her chest as she considered. "But... I think there may yet be a solution. A young man who works here, Forge, has a mutation that basically allows for the invention of anything, or near enough to. He once created a machine which, if not itself what you need, would probably be a good jumping off point."

"Truly astounding," Ben replied, nodding in agreement. "I've come so far to save her, and I'm very thankful for any help you and yours can provide, Doctor."

"If you're up to it, I'll go see if he's got time to talk with you now. Somehow," she added with a smile, "I get the feeling you don't much want to wait."

Ben just smiled inscrutably. "Thank you, Doctor. If I've learned one thing, it's the value of time. There's never enough, you know."

"Yes. That's a feeling I've more than passing familiarity with," Jean agreed, nodding, although she didn't elaborate. "Stay here and rest, I'll go find Forge."