Not So Plain Jane
| Not So Plain Jane | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dates run: | February 25- April 30, 2006 |
| Run By: | Cora |
| Read the logs: | Not So Plain Jane |
"I," Jane said coldly, "am not a what. As for my precious students, they can go to hell for all I care. But perhaps you're right. At the very least, I don't want them looking for me."
A would-be suitor with a mild telepathic talent bites off more than he can chew when he targets Jean Grey and instead winds up with Jane, her alter-ego.
Contents
Cast
Jean Grey, Scott Summers, David Haller, Theresa Cassidy, Bobby Drake, Jay Guthrie,
Storm, Wolverine, Cannonball, Nightcrawler
Mesmero aka Parker Mathews, Sebastian Shaw, Charles Xavier
Timing
Plot Summary
During a field trip to Washington DC, Jean was spotted by Mesmero, a mild telepath with no qualms about using his power to further his career as a politician going by the name of Parker Mathews. In the returned-from-the-dead mutant lobbyist Jean Grey, he saw a potential that outweighed his caution - intercepting her at breakfast, he used his powers to lock away her free will. Unfortunately for Mesmero, Jean wasn't the only one inside her head - Jane Smith, the alter ego she had developed under the influence of her amnesia following her near-drowning at Alkali Lake and the 'box' in which Jean had locked away all her anger, frustration and less-than-nice thoughts, finally was given the chance to become more than a nasty voice in the back of Jean's head and stepped forward, taking control of Jean's body, and, more importantly, her powers.
Deciding to use Mesmero and his connections to the Hellfire Club, Jane abandoned the field trip - and the school - by leaving a note for her fellow chaperones and following it up with a post to the staff board and a particularly brutal email to Scott, telling him to divorce her if he wanted. Her - or rather 'Jean's' - departure left a wake of confusion, concern and heartbreak, as Scott struggled to comprehend why his wife apparently suddenly hated him and her friends and students tried to deal with a second disappearance.
Over the next two months, Jane made her own connections to the Hellfire Club, happy to use her powers for her own gain and Mesmero as much a thrall as he had intended her to be. It was not all work, however, as she took time out to torment various residents of the school, former friends and students. Some were merely by accidental meeting, whilst others she targeted deliberately - particularly Scott, for whom Jane had conflicted emotions, in her own way loving him as much as she hated him. To this end, she seduced Bobby Drake and taped the act, sending the cassette to Scott. This nearly caused him to break completely, as well as almost destroying Bobby's tumultuous relationship with Terry. Jane's attraction to Scott led to a near-fatal mistake - an accidental meeting in a nightclub which resulted a particularly brutal kind of sex forced Jane to tamper with Scott's memory of the event. Logan's return from Canada further complicated things. On finding out what had happened from Scott, Logan sought out Jane and almost killed her, resulting in her needing to do some fancy talking to maintain the illusion she was still Jean Grey.
Jane's over-confidence was leading to a fall, and that came when Jay Guthrie spotted her at a gig, accompanied by Hellfire Club people. His innocent query about her new 'friends' lead to Scott going to the Club to confront her, only to be arrested for assaulting security. To his surprise, he had a visitor in the police cell - Black King of the Inner Circle, Sebastian Shaw. Unhappy with the power his potential Black Queen was amassing and the trouble her connections with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsterswould cause in the wake of Hellfire and Damnation, Shaw made a deal with Scott: remove 'Jean' from the Club, and all charges would be dropped. Reluctantly, seeing no other way to save the woman he still loved, despite her torments, Scott agreed.
Aided by Shaw's information, the X-Men infiltrated the Hellfire Club during a function. Whilst the bulk of the team - Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cannonball and Storm - took care of the guards protecting Jane, Cyclops confronted her. After a short physical fight, Scott managed to make skin contact with Jane, which allowed Charles to break the block she had put on the psychic link. Using the link, Scott entered Jane's mind, finding the true personality and aiding her to free herself. In the aftermath, Jean shredded Mesmero's mind, outraged at what had been done to her and in her name.
Upon returning to the mansion, Charles repaired the remaining damage caused by Mesmero, and Jean began the long, traumatic process of dealing with the consequences of what she had done as Jane. Fortunately, new staff member David Haller had a particularly unique perspective on her issues, and did much to aid her.
Related Links
External Links
Trivia and Meta
Trivia
As a result of these events, Jean and Scott agreed to not reinstate the psychic link until they were ready for it. This proved to be after Scott's torture, when it reinstated itself on its own.
Jane's actions continued to have repercussions even a year later, with the relationship between Bobby and Scott remaining strained at best.
Her fear of losing control and letting Jane 'out' again led Jean to take Charles' advice and go to Tibet for a period of time. The second separation nearly ended her marriage with Scott.
Meta
Plotrunner: Cora
This plot was loosely based on Marvel's original Dark Phoenix story line.
