Phoenix!

A couple of days had passed and things had mostly returned to normal. Maxim was still keeping track of the other Widows undercover, but with nothing much happening, he had entered a rather monotonous routine.

He spent most of his time managing the businesses he had created which were bringing in revenue. Both OverWatch and Genshin Impact were far ahead of the times, and had completely taken over the gaming world.

They'd swept all the game awards, both were bringing in billions.

Tiktok was also massively successful, and Maxim had also manipulated the algorithm, making sure to rewrite the narrative and make sure the general public were firmly on the side of superheroes.

Clips of Iron Man and Captain America saving people would go viral basically every day, carefully edited and released to increase public trust in Superheroes.

Currently, he was in the command centre, the glow of the console reflected in his eyes as he read up on the updates on the five rescued test subjects.

Using his resources, they had all been healed and were now just resting. Two of them had already waken up, and were currently adapting and going through therapy, while the other three were still just asleep.

He skimmed over the latest reports on the two who had woken up. Julia and Mason were the names they have given, and they were already responding to speech therapy and light physical training.

Their strength, stability, and psionic compatibility were under daily observation. The other three remained sedated, their vitals slowly stabilizing after trauma Maxim didn't care to revisit.

~DING~DING!~

Suddenly, his phone chimed with a notification.

Maxim didn't need to look. A.N.G.E.L's tone modulation alone told him it wasn't routine. He turned his head, gaze narrowing as the screen on his desk lit up.

Incoming Call: ORORO MUNROE

That alone caused him to sit upright.

Storm rarely contacted him directly, especially not through private lines. She was disciplined, cautious, and never the type to stir a storm unless it was already overhead.

He tapped the green icon.

"Ororo," he greeted calmly.

"Maxim." Her voice was tight, obviously showing signs of the complicated situation, "I wouldn't be calling unless it was serious."

"I figured as much. What's happened?" He asked.

"It's Jean." Her voice dropped lower, "Her powers are… escalating. Rapidly. Beyond anything Charles or I have seen in years."

He leaned forward, all earlier apathy forgotten, "How rapidly?"

"She can't sleep. Even after trying to limit her powers to the maximum, she's hearing thoughts from all over Madripoor. Yesterday, she caused multiple blackouts across the estate without realizing it. The local weather patterns changed with her mood. I had to calm her before she accidentally caused a wind shear across the coast."

Maxim's brows furrowed. He didn't speak for a moment. 

This wasn't just her powers going haywire, it was to the point she could accidentally destroy large chunk of a major city without even realizing.

"It's getting worse over time, I thnk she's afraid and that's somehow accelerating the situation. And we're afraid that if this continues, there won't be a way to keep it quiet."

Maxim thought for a while, standing up and moving to the elevator that would take him up to his main penthouse suite.

"I assume she's still in the Mansion?"

"Yes. Logan's with her now, but… even he's starting to keep his distance. Just trying to get closer to her and he can feel her powers beginning to unintentionally dominate his mind." Storm said.

If the Phoenix was truly awakening, Logan had every reason to keep his claws sheathed. It hadn't ended well in the comics at least.

"Bring her to the estate. Quietly. I'll have everything prepared. No alarms, no guards. Just you and her."

"I didn't want to cause a ruckus," Ororo repeated softly.

"You won't," he said as he stepped into the elevator, "Not unless it's too late."

"I trust you, Maxim."

The call ended, and he stood alone in the rising platform. His expression was unreadable.

But deep beneath the surface of his thoughts, the Mind Stone whispered.

Phoenix Force!

Maxim had read enough comics and watched enough Youtube videos to know that the Phoenix Force was a big player in the Marvel Universe.

It could effortlessly burn civilizations, create and undo galaxies. Jean was the most perfect host, which also meant she'd assimilate the full power of the Phoenix Force, so Maxim needed to make sure she was able to control it.

Even at this point, Maxim would only be able to match the Phoenix Force due to his Doomsday Template, which meant he would always adapt after death.

Even then, he'd need to die a-lot of times before he could actually match a fully powered Phoenix Force.

With the Phoenix Force fully awakening, Maxim needed to make sure Jean was in control, or else he'd be swept up in a Dark Phoenix situation.

***

TWO HOURS LATER!

The high-vaulted guest wing of the estate had been cleared, reconfigured, and secured under Maxim's personal shielding systems. Psi-dampening walls coated in telepathic stabilizers pulsed gently. A.N.G.E.L had turned off all surveillance, no digital eyes or ears. Only analog safety. Trust.

Maxim stood by the floor-length windows, watching the sun dip below Madripoor's skyline. The last beams shimmered gold over the bay as the airlock quietly hissed open behind him.

He didn't turn around.

"I didn't think I'd see you again so soon," he said.

"I didn't think I'd have to ask for your help again so soon," Ororo answered.

Jean followed behind her, head low, arms folded across her chest. She looked exhausted. Her red hair was barely tamed, eyes dull.

However beneath the surface, Maxim could already feel it, the Mind Stone pulsed intensely as it sensed it.

It as as if he was staring directly into the core of the sun through a veil of silk, an unimaginable amount of power bubbling up within Jean, a power she had no clue how to control.

"Jean," he said softly, stepping toward her.

She didn't lift her head, "I didn't want to come."

"But you came," he answered gently.

"Because if I lose control," she said, voice barely audible, "I don't want to hurt them. The others."

"You won't," Maxim assured her. "Not here. Not while I'm standing."

She finally looked up, and for just a moment, the gold shimmered in her irises.

Not gold from exhaustion.

Gold from flame.

From rebirth.

He felt it again, the Phoenix stirring behind her thoughts.

Watching him. Judging him. He narrowed his eyes, letting a ripple of his own power surface. The power of Doomsday, the power of Astra and the Power of the Mind Stone rippling outwards.

He couldn't afford to look like a weakling, the only way to solve this situation was to make sure the Phoenix Force realizes he would be a beneficial presence, whilst also not coming across as weak.

The Doomsday template was his trump card.

Jean blinked rapidly, startled as she felt Maxim's consciousness feeling out her own boundaries. Her powers almost instinctively flared, but Maxim was easily able to calm them using his own powers.

"You felt it." Jean said shocked. Not even Professor X was able to truly engage with her in any way. 

One morning she just woke up and felt like there was a massive ocean of power within her being held back by a dam, and as time went on the dam was slowly cracking.

"I know what's happening to you." Maxim said, and Jean's eyes immediately grew, "What is it?" she asked.

"It has something to do with an entity called the Phoenix Force!"

***

Thanks for reading. Updates are more consistent. 

Also make sure to check out my Original Novel: Sign In To The Body Of Chaos At the Start.

https://www.webnovel.com/book/23069098605880805