44: Chapter 44 Jean Grey

"We came to find you because you are the smartest person we know," Mary Jane explained. "We figured that since you hang out with the Fantastic Four so often, you'd be better at handling this kind of thing."

Peter nodded and looked at the girl, who was clutching her head with muffled groans, trembling in pain.

Just then, he saw the candlestick on the table opposite slowly float into the air.

Telekinesis?

Is she a Mutant?

She is.

Wait.

"Mary Jane, what is her full name?" Peter's voice carried a hint of imperceptible dread.

"Jean Grey, I think," Mary Jane replied.

"Holy crap."

Peter's eyes widened abruptly, and he looked at the girl again: red hair, sexy, green eyes.

This is fucking Jean Grey!

In his house!

And it looks like her powers just awakened!

Now?!

He absolutely cannot let her read his mind; that would be a disaster! She would know everything! He must stop her, but how? Knock her out? That would lead to even more problems he couldn't possibly explain away. He must stop her power from erupting at the source!

He began to run his brain at high speed.

Telepathy should be transmitted through some kind of psychic wavelength, right? Like microwaves? He needs to lock her brainwaves inside her head, but how?

"Peter! Are you going to save her or not?!" Liz Allan shouted anxiously.

"Of course. Help her to the chair." Peter pointed to the recliner.

The girls scrambled to help Jean sit down, then took a few steps back.

Magneto has a special helmet that can block Charles Xavier from reading his mind... Aluminum! Those weirdos online who wear tinfoil hats claiming they can block mind-reading must have a point, right?!

He rushed into the kitchen to rummage through the cabinets, grabbed a roll of aluminum foil, tore off a large sheet, and crumpled it into a metallic surface.

Then he rushed back to the living room.

"What are you doing with that?" Mary Jane asked, stunned.

"Like this." Peter pressed the foil onto Jean's head, wrapping her entire head tightly.

Jean's brow gradually smoothed out, her eyelids fluttered, and her breathing slowly steadied. She raised her head: "Th... thank you."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief: "You're welcome."

Jean's gaze shifted downward, and suddenly her face flushed bright red.

Peter was stunned: "Jean? Are you okay? Why is your face so red?"

"Because a handsome guy who is shirtless and hasn't buttoned his pants is standing in front of her, staring at her," Felicia added dryly.

Peter looked down; it had been too chaotic, and he had forgotten to put on a shirt.

He gave a dry laugh: "Uh, sorry." He quickly buttoned his pants and put on his shirt.

"Damn it, I was just getting into it," Liz Allan muttered.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, Allan, he's mine," Felicia declared, asserting her claim.

Peter turned back to Jean: "Are you okay? Can you still read what we're thinking?"

Jean and the girls' expressions changed.

"What... what do you mean?" Jean's voice trembled. "Read... read what we're thinking?"

"Yes, those voices you heard," Peter nodded. "That's what we were thinking. Jean, you are a psychic."

"What?!" Jean cried out.

"What?!" Liz Allan, Mary Jane, and Felicia were all completely bewildered.

"That's right." Peter nodded, then clicked his tongue. "But... where are you from, anyway? How did you end up here?"

"Peter, what do you mean? She goes to our school!" Mary Jane said anxiously.

"She goes to my school?" Peter was stunned. "I've never seen her."

"Ye... yes, this happens often," Jean lowered her head. "People always subconsciously ignore me."

This isn't right.

Peter quickly flipped through Peter's memories. Sure enough, in their freshman year, Jean and he had been in a few classes together, but later she took other classes, and Peter had never initiated a conversation with her. Thanks a lot, Peter, thanks for this shut-in social anxiety persona.

But it was still very strange. The Jean Grey in his memory was always... cheerful, confident, and proud. Perhaps it's because she's still too young. She was at most 1.5 meters tall, her shoulders hunched, looking like a frightened little bird, completely unlike that future image of a phoenix spreading its wings.

Peter sighed: "Sorry Jean, I've always been pretty clumsy when it comes to social interaction."

"Can we get back to the psychic topic first?!" Liz Allan cried out, near a breakdown. "I'm freaking out right now!"

"Yeah, Tiger, what does psychic mean?" Felicia also asked.

"It means exactly what it sounds like. She can read minds and use telekinesis." Peter shrugged. "Either that, or she has a cosmic-level power inside her, in which case, at least in this dimension, no one can help her."

"Wait... so she is... a Mutant?" Liz Allan's voice was clearly filled with fear, and the whole room was instantly permeated with the sour scent of lemons, the smell of fear.

"I'm a Mutant?" Jean was also trembling.

"Yes, you are." Peter nodded. "And so am I."

"What?!" Mary Jane and Liz Allan froze simultaneously, and Jean's eyes widened even further.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Felicia warned him in a low voice.

"It's okay, Kitten, I know what I'm doing." Peter reassured her and continued, "I'm a Mutant; my brain has mutated, which is why I'm much smarter than the average person. Felicia is a Mutant too; her hair is naturally near-silver. Mary Jane is a Mutant too. Actually, all redheads are Mutants."

"Peter, what are you talking about?" Mary Jane was confused.

"I'm saying that everyone has a little bit of mutation, more or less. It's just that Jean's mutation is a bit... intense." Peter hated the general public's discrimination against Mutants, and he wouldn't let Jean face that alone. "Jean, you are a Mutant, but that doesn't mean you aren't human. Do you understand?"

Jean stared at him blankly, then slowly nodded: "U... understand."

"Very good." Peter's expression relaxed, and he smiled. "Alright... let's try out your powers."

"W... what?" Jean thought she had misheard.

"That telekinesis of yours, I want to see what level you can reach!" Peter grinned, then stopped himself. "No, wait, I'd better make you a proper suppressor first. You can't go around the World wearing aluminum foil. Hmm... follow me."

He beckoned, and the five girls followed him to the Underground Room, which was his old laboratory.

It had been slightly upgraded: better computers replaced the old ones, some scientific equipment was added, and some Spider-Man gear was hidden under the floor tiles. However, he rarely worked here anymore.

Peter sat down at the workbench and immediately started tinkering with something that could help Jean control her powers.

"Is this your laboratory?" Jean looked around, eyes full of surprise.

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you had a laboratory downstairs, Tiger." Felicia's tone sounded a bit disappointed.

"I haven't used this place in a long time, Kitten; since I got the Baxter Building, I don't come back much."

"You really work for the Fantastic Four?! That's so cool!" Jean's eyes lit up.

"Thanks." Peter smiled.

"Wow, you're a nerd even at home." Liz Allan snorted and plopped down onto the spare bed in the Underground Room.

"What else did you expect? Peter is just a nerd." Mary Jane laughed out loud.

"Pe... Peter, do you think you can figure out what's wrong with me?" Jean asked cautiously.

"I'm not entirely sure either, Jean." Peter didn't stop working; he took out a headband and began arranging insulated wires on it. "The fact that you can move things with your mind means your brain is able to interact with the physical World in some way. I don't know the specific principle, but it must be related to some kind of energy wave, because only in the form of a wave can your ability make sense on a physical level."

"So what are you going to do?" Felicia asked.

Peter smiled: "Wait and see."

The girls waited obediently for fifteen minutes. The item was finished.

Peter stood up, picked up the headband wrapped in wires with a small battery attached, and handed it over: "Here, put it on and try. This should help you suppress your powers so they don't go out of control."

Jean swallowed and took the headband, looking at Peter: "Wi... will this work?"

"I haven't tried it, so I'm not sure. Let's give it a try first." Peter reached out and took the tinfoil hat off her head.

Jean closed her eyes tightly in pain and quickly put on the headband.

Her tense nerves relaxed bit by bit.

"I... it seems to be working." She finally said.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I really can't believe it, how could she be a Mutant? She looks so... normal." Liz Allan was still dazed.

"Anyone could be a Mutant, Liz. You could be too."

Liz Allan was stunned: "What? For real?!"

"Yes. Some people have something called the X-gene in their bodies, which can grant them Mutant abilities. It usually triggers an awakening after puberty." Peter clicked his tongue. "This really is a fascinating area of research. Humanity is evolving in such an astonishing way."

"Damn." Felicia whistled, turned her head to stare at Jean, and narrowed her eyes, "Don't you dare try to read my mind."