[Plot] Heart of the Card

[Narrator]

Sam tries to reach out for something she's only ever really felt in a life-or-death situation. Knowing it's there somewhere certainly helps but it's buried deep in Will's mind and as mushy of a resistance that tends to offer, she has little experience reaching it. or drawing it closer. It'd be easier if she just tore away all the stuff around it. And with bit of a start she realizes that that's probably exactly why Cailleach has a much bigger affinity to this. This Spark as she calls it is relinquished in death. Or something to that effect. And that's how she'd truly get a good chance to try and understand the workings of it.

[Samantha McManus]

Sam lets out a frustrated grunt.

"...you know, most people consider fluorescent bulbs that explode and berate them to be... less than useful."

[Will Stanton]

"And most fluorescent bulbs aren't being actively scolded," the gas countered back. "What did you think flickering was in response to?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm saying you're rubbish as a light bulb. Maybe you need another hit to pull it off," she says, hoping the conflict and the active use of Will's newly-acquired power give her enough to latch on to.

[Will Stanton]

"Oh, like you'd do any better. Or like you know the first thing about what I can do now."

Will's tone was, at least, a little less accusatory than it was back at Muir -- not quite at full 'playful' levels, but not quite 'salt the earth and burn everything down'.

[Samantha McManus]

"Why don't you show us, then?"

[Robin Stanton]

"Are you trying to start a fight?"

[Samantha McManus]

"The thought might have crossed my mind..."

[Will Stanton]

"Show you how I can work as a light bulb? Were you, uh, not paying attention?

No surprises there," the gas quipped. "But if it's a demonstration you want..." it added, as the gas began to...expand.

[Samantha McManus]

As Will uses his power more actively, Sam tries to get a better handle on it.

[Toshiro Narumi]

As the one most at risk, Tosh backed away from the dangerous gas. Normally he'd trust Will, but right now he didn't.

[Robin Stanton]

"Needing to breathe is for chumps anyway." Robin quips, getting an affirmative beep from Acala.

[Narrator]

Sam gets a distant impression from Will's mind drawing on his power, but it's still buried under Will's numerous metaphorical bakeries and factories. And then the gas reaches her. The gas that is saturated with MGH. And suddenly everything comes into focus. Not just Will and his power but everything. If Cerebra extends her range, this cranks up the intensity. Will in the air all around her, particles suspended in a mesh of thoughts, brimming and vibrating with endless potential, in tune with something beyond from which power is not just flowing but pouring like a torrent.

It's almost blinding now that it's come into focus and much like the abstract tree being home to swarms of ravens that Cailleach showed her she can make out something. It's... a Chair. But it's a Chair in all it's quintessence. Four legs, a seat, backrest. No details, just... Perfection. Like a child's drawing of a Chair it's not representative of any specific piece of furniture, it is The Chair. It is All Chairs. It's comfy, it's too hard, it's rickety and sturdy, it is for sitting on, it is for standing precipitously to reach a cookie jar. It is Chair.


Until it's not. It is A Tool. Hammer? Wrench? Screwdriver? One of those hex-thingies? A sharp stone? A fishing rod? Yes. Again it is the core idea of a tool. It is held. It is utilized. It eases or enables tasks. It is Tool.

Until it's not. It is Vehicle. A corvette? Shitty moped? Plane? Toy Car? Yes. It is driven. It moves. It carries people and objects. It races. It crashes. It is Car.

Until it's not.

And so it keeps changing forever and ever and ever and ever in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it's a Weapon. Sometimes it's fainter and more abstract things, like magical Brooms replicating that are also soldiers marching in lockstep that are also palettes full of discreet boxes that are also a stack of playing cards. Things that echo through from even further away. From other Wills in other places.

The energy is shapeless, directionless at it's source, Sam realizes. Just a well of power that's given purpose, direction, abstract ideas, rules and function only as it coalesces around Will.

Same as it does for Robin next to her. Same as it does for Tosh behind her. Every mutant she can sense in the distant, a unique shaped vessel for the same endless source of power.

Some are erratically flaring in the distance. Haley.

Some are just a trickle but thrown open so wide that pieces are coalescing into reality. Miriam.

Some are a relatively small trickle. Victor.

Some are refined. Katarina.

Some are a pin-point hole condensing into a laser-focused beam. Nika.

Some are a blazing inferno licking at the edges of reality being wrenched open by artificial means. Will.

[Samantha McManus]

"...there," she mumbles, eyes unfocused.

She reaches out with the flock to try and pry away what's holding Will's aperture open.

[Narrator]

She knows what she's trying to accomplish. She's not sure how exactly but she can almost feel a certain level of instinct kick in. Some deep knowledge that she hopes is more Morrigan than just Cailleach putting ideas in her head. Either way it does not feel particularly comfortable. It feels like strangling the life out of someone. It feels like a sharp knife sinking into flesh. It feels like fangs tearing at a throat. It feels like Death.

But it's working. The torrent slows as she wrenches Will loose from his power and suddenly the cloud is not so coherent anymore, bits coalescing into clay and dropping to the floor and some of the rush of MGH-induced giddieness and paranoia lifting.

[Samantha McManus]

Sam stumbles, steadying herself on one of the tables as she catches her breath.

"...I don't know as I thought that was going to be easy, but I am still not bloody used to that..."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"What did you do?" Tosh asked, equal parts impressed and mystified by the psychic juju on display.

[Samantha McManus]

"I... I took it away..."

"...I think."

[Robin Stanton]

"Took what away? The MGH? Just like that? Damn, you are a McManus."

[Will Stanton]

The rest of the cloud had mostly solidified, and fell to the ground, apparently inert.

[Samantha McManus]

"Don't thank me yet," she says, finally steady on her feet.

[Robin Stanton]

"Huh..." Robin says, nudging the pool of clay with her foot. "Yeah, I think that worked a little too well. He's never been able to split himself up by himself so I guess if you take the drug away he just goes splat cause there's a whole bunch of them back in Muir. Unless they went splat too. Anybody got a number for the docs there?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Yeah. I do," Tosh answered, dialing it and putting the phone to his ear.

[Narrator]

"Dr. Cole", Dr. Cole responded when Dr. Cole answered Dr. Cole's phone.

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Yes, this is Toshiro Narumi. I'm one of the X-Men that put Will Stanton in your care. We have reason to suspect a change in his condition. Would you have someone check on him please?"

[Narrator]

"Can you be more specific? Because his condition is constantly changing. We've had to move them to a larger holding area."

[Robin Stanton]

"Did the lot of them turn into piles of clay!?" Robin shouts from behind Tosh.

[Narrator]

"It's possible, at some point, that they've been clay, but no, at this point, they're just...multiplying."

[Samantha McManus]

"...small favors, I guess."

[Robin Stanton]

"I wouldn't be so quick to be relieved, cause it sounds an awful lot like he's going Full Legion." she says dramatically.

And when that fails to produce the expected reaction she goes on. "Evil Will who could make more of itself. They're the worst. Like roaches but less annoyance and more... stabby stabby." she says, turning her arms into T1000 blades and stabbing the air.

[Samantha McManus]

"It's... going to be tricky to pull off what I did again."

"It's a little like killing him, if I'm honest."

[Robin Stanton]

"Okay, we'll call that Plan B then. Not that I think you killed him, cause this is just what normally happens when he tries to be more than one person."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Thank you, doctor. We'll be in touch if we come up with something on our end."

[Samantha McManus]

"This is going to get ugly quick."

[Robin Stanton]

"Man, I can't believe I gave a whole speech and then he just got mulched." Robin shakes her head. "Alright, to Muir then. Let's fix my Dad! Again!"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Was this a regular thing back home? If so, your mom is a saint."

[Samantha McManus]

"He's got a lot of power. That's a lot of ways to go sideways."

[Robin Stanton]

"To this extent? No. But they did break up for a while, so, you know... He's a lot."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Well then let's make sure he makes it back to her in as sane a form as possible," he said, moving to the exit, "Acala? Let's go start up the plane."