C108 Holding Back

C108 Holding Back

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——————

Peter stared at the unconscious form of Carol Danvers, his mind racing with confusion and disbelief. The Professor noticed his odd behavior, as well as the bewildered look on his face.

"Do you know her?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter broke from his shock and thought for a moment. Initially, he was going to deny knowing her, but then he decided to be truthful. "Yes, though I don’t know her personally," he admitted. "Where did you find her?"

Xavier paused, struggling to find the right words. "That's... hard to explain." He chose not to mention that Carol was a woman they had found inside a crashed spaceship, unsure if Peter would even believe him, or maybe he just didn't trust him enough to reveal the full story.

Seeing the Professor's hesitation, Peter became almost certain that Carol must have crash-landed here. ‘She had to have crashed, but where’s the ship?’

But for Peter, the pressing question was why she had crash-landed here already. If he was going by the movies, she had arrived far too early, by at least two or three years.

‘Maybe the crossover and my involvement in this universe has accelerated her arrival?’ Peter wondered.

Peter nodded. "Okay, well, let’s worry about her in a moment." He then looked over at the only teenage patient. "I’m guessing that’s Pyro? May I check him over?"

The Professor wheeled himself out of the way. "Be my guest, but once you’re done, I have some questions." He tilted his head toward Carol, clearly eager to learn more about her.

Peter nodded and walked up to the unconscious student. He placed his hand a few inches above Pyro's chest, closing his eyes as he concentrated. He used the Force to sense the boy's condition, feeling the ebb and flow of his life force. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and turned to the Professor.

"As I suspected, Rogue drained a significant amount of his life force. I’d say around a year’s worth," Peter explained.

The Professor was shocked. ‘He found out more in just a few seconds than we have since he's been in the infirmary.’

Of course, they knew Rogue drained his life force, as that’s her power, but they didn’t realize he lost an entire year of his life because of it.

"Is there anything you can do?" Xavier asked, his voice filled with hope.

Peter thought for a moment. "I can try to accelerate his recovery. He’s only like this because of the bodily shock that comes with losing so much life force. At least, I think so. Healing wasn’t exactly my strong suit back at the temple...”

‘Temple?’ Xavier thought, wondering what he meant by that. “So he’ll be okay?” He asked.

“Sure, but restoring a year’s worth of lost lifespan is impossible,” Peter said, pausing for a moment to think. “Well, actually it’s not impossible. I could theoretically do it, but the universe doesn’t give without taking, so I’d have to acquire the life force from someone or something else, and I’d rather not do that."

Xavier’s pulse quickened as he listened to Peter, “Yes, I’d rather you didn’t as well.”

“Anyway, let’s see what I can do...”

Without another word, Peter placed his hands over Pyro once more, channeling the Force to strengthen and stabilize the boy's life energy. A soft glow emanated from his palms as he worked, concentrating on rejuvenating Pyro's weakened state.

Before Xavier’s eyes, the boy's sunken cheeks filled out, and his frail limbs regained their healthy, flushed appearance. ‘Oh my god...’ The Professor watched in astonishment, deeply impressed by Peter's abilities.

The fact that Peter had achieved this through hard work, rather than being born with it, added to the marvel. That is, if what he said was true...

The Professor frowned as he glanced over at his sleeping student, “Don’t worry, he’ll be properly dealt with...”

“Good...”

"Ugh, what’s with all the racket?! Can’t you two just shut up already? I’m trying to sleep here..."

Turning to the side, both Peter and the Professor found Wolverine sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, his hair messy and a tired look on his face. He rubbed his eyes and glared at them, clearly irritated by the disturbance.

“Who are you two? And where the f*ck am I?!”

————

As Wolverine awoke, deep underground beneath Xavier’s mansion, where the remains of Carol’s ship had been moved, the once sleek and powerful craft was now a crumpled mass of metal, barely recognizable.

Amidst the wreckage, a slightly dented black box stood out, and inside it was a blinking transponder, its signal pulsing through the vast expanse of space, all the way back to the Kree homeworld of Hala.

...

..

.

On Hala, within the citadel where the Supreme Intelligence once ruled, Darth Sidious sat at his office, meticulously going over some paperwork, his plans constantly in motion.

As he worked, the door suddenly swung open and his apprentice, Darth Maul, hurried in. "Master, I have important news," he reported, his voice tense.

Sidious looked up from his work, his eyes narrowing. "What is it, Maul?"

"We’ve received a distress signal," Maul explained. "It's from your little pet's ship. It appears to have crash-landed."

Sidious's eyes flickered with annoyance. "Where is the signal coming from?"

"Wild Space, Master," Maul responded, his tone indicating the seriousness of the situation.

Sidious pondered for a moment, realizing the immense value Carol Danvers held. "She is too valuable an asset to abandon. You will take a handful of warships and find her. Wild Space is unpredictable, and we cannot afford to take chances."

Maul hesitated, a look of frustration crossing his face. "But Master, she is likely dead. Sending warships out there is a waste of resources..."

Sidious's expression darkened at the insubordination. Without warning, he held out his hand and unleashed a torrent of Sith lightning, striking Maul and sending him to his knees, shrieking in agony. “Aagghh!”

"Do not question me!" Sidious hissed, his voice filled with malice as he continued the assault, only letting up when he grew bored of Maul’s screams.

Breathing heavily, Maul struggled to regain his composure. “M-Master... I...”

Sidious glared at him. "You will do as you are told. Now go, and find her."

With a final, forceful gesture, Sidious used the Force to throw Maul out of the office, the doors slamming shut behind him with a resounding echo.

A/N: 2000 words :)