Chasing The Dragon (Part One)

For as aggressive and out-of-character as Jay had been when David and I found him, he was completely docile for the trip back to Xavier's. He didn't speak to anyone on the flight, and as excited as the former New Mutants were about having him back in the fold, so to speak, they could also tell that something had happened that had affected him deeply.

That 'something', thankfully, wasn't blamed on the beating I had to give him to get him to chill out. Mostly because no one had seen it, and also because we had a sample of whatever had leaked out of his head after he'd gone down.

Once we arrived, Jay was tucked away into the infirmary, while the green goo was taken straight to Dr. McCoy, and I gave my report to Cyclops and Frost.

The lot of them got together after a few hours and called me in for the sake of a first-person reference point.

I was excited, because my first suspicion involved someone I wasn't particularly fond of, and I was chomping at the bit for a chance to be rid of one of my headaches.

I went up to the containment case that had whatever consisted of Quentin Quire in it and wrapped my arms around it, prepared to lift it and remove it from the room.

"Bellamy, what are you doing?" Cyclops asked when he caught me in the act.

I froze and quickly thought of an excuse, "Uh... putting Quire in the brig?"

Yes. And by the 'brig', I meant down our plumbing somewhere. There had to have been a better place than down the toilet, because I didn't want to clog anything up with him.

"Why?" Cyclops asked.

I furrowed my brow in confusion, "You're saying that he didn't do anything to Jay to make him go nuts?"

Miss Frost seemed amused at my attempt to dispose of what was ostensibly a student, "Quentin can only affect someone's mind. He can't enhance their bodies. That by itself disqualifies him from being responsible."

I let go of the containment case and backed away, "So, the green stuff isn't Quire," There went my first theory. Granted, it was weak theory, but still, "…And I was looking for an excuse to pour him down the sink. Well, what was Jay on then?"

Dr. McCoy shook his head in the negative, "Mister Guthrie wasn't on drugs either."

Damn it. There went my second theory then. It was a good thing my job wasn't to be a detective.

I wasn't the only one who was displeased with all the speculation. Mister Summers crossed his arms at two different theories being shot down, "So, what are you telling us, Henry?"

It was what we'd all come together for, after all.

Dr. McCoy puttered over to a sample of the goo that he'd been analyzing under a microscope, "I've taken a look at the substance that came out of poor Jay's ear. It's... fascinating, really. It's inorganic material, but it's built with cells, designed to interact with living nervous tissue."

Something about the way he said that didn't sit well with me, "'Interact,' as in?"

Instead of answering directly, Dr. McCoy asked me another question, "What did you experience, Bellamy?"

I'd already given them all the long and short of it, but had no problems doing it again, "He tried to kill me a bunch of times, and he was a lot mouthier than I was used to him being," I recanted succinctly, "Prodigy says he was a lot stronger than he was supposed to be too. Where'd this stuff come from?"

Emma cleared her throat and spoke up on the matter, "I took the liberty of reading young Joshua's mind to determine the series of events that led us here," She didn't seem pleased by what she'd found, "When he fled the school, he went southwest. He was intercepted mid-flight and pursued into the wilderness."

"By what?"

"That... is where things get fuzzy, I'm afraid," Emma admitted with a frown, "There are small glimpses... but there were restraints, machines, needles..." She shook her head, perturbed at finding herself at a loss. Still, she couldn't read what Jay didn't have to offer in his head, "He was given this substance by someone. That much is for certain."

XxX

The greatest way to find out more information was to get it from the source directly. Even if Miss Frost had gone through Jay's head, I still had to talk to him myself.

Even if he had attacked me... even if his mistakes had resulted in people dying... even if I wanted him as far away from my friends as possible... I still owed it to him as a person to speak to him like one. I'd had some pretty monumental fuck-ups as well.

He was still in the medical bay, so that was where I went. On the way, I called a friend for backup. Hisako met me there and waited outside as a lookout while I headed in. My timing was fortunate, because Jay didn't have his brother Sam, or either of his sisters who went to the school there with him. I'd have to make our talk quick before one of them returned and stonewalled me. After all, Sam knew I wasn't Jay's biggest fan.

I was able to slip into his room where I found him dressed in patient garb, just sitting in his bed, staring at his hands. I cleared my throat to get his attention and he nearly jumped to the ceiling in surprise.

"Uh... hey, Jay," I greeted, not knowing exactly how to broach things gently.

He seemed mortified to see me, "Bellamy, what are you doing here?"

I leaned against the wall by the door. Not only did I not want to startle him by getting any closer, but I also didn't really trust that he wouldn't lash out again, "Well, I kind of need your help," I admitted, "That stuff that came out of you, we're going to try and find out where it came from."

Dejected, his eyes sank to the floor, "Oh. I see."

That wasn't the answer I was looking for. When a guy told you your friends were going to go after something dangerous like that, you showed some kind of concern or interest.

"We don't have a lot to go off of here," I said, probing further, "Anything you can tell us to help."

Jay shook his head, looking conflicted for a moment before letting out a sigh. Eventually, he decided to say something, "That stuff... it got in my head. It kept telling me things," He explained, "Told me things like how I didn't deserve what happened to me. Didn't deserve to be where I am. That things should have been better. That I could make things better."

I just stood back and listened. From the sound of his voice, he seemed to be looking back fondly at the feeling.

"It talked to me in my own head, Bel," Jay continued, "Sounded just like me. Told me that I could be perfect."

I heard him out, and my mouth subsequently moved before my brain could fully debate the merits of blurting my thoughts out, "You want more, don't you?"

He didn't answer. The silence, however, spoke volumes. I wasn't going to get anything worthwhile remaining there, so I gave him a nod of acknowledgment before heading out. As I left, Hisako smoothly fell into step with me as we headed back towards the upper levels of the school. She had been able to listen in to my talk with Jay, and knew everything I did by that point.

Hisako side-eyed me as we stood together in the elevator taking us up, "So, now what?"

"Now?" I said, "Now I need a team. You in?"

I was met with a smirk and a nudge, "Of course. Now you need to fill the rest of the spots."