Chapter 126: Repairing the X-Gene
After the operating-room door sealed shut, only three people remained inside.
Lynn.
Magneto.
And Polaris, lying unconscious on the operating table.
Lorna's condition continued deteriorating.
Her skin had become unnaturally pale.
Dark veins stood out beneath her temples.
Every thirty to forty seconds, her body convulsed involuntarily.
Each spasm released a weak electromagnetic surge.
The operating-room lights flickered with every pulse.
Lynn adjusted the surgical lighting overhead.
The All-Seeing Eye activated automatically.
A complete diagnostic model unfolded before him.
Three major problems.
The first was the Purifier MK-II neurotoxin.
The anti-mutant compound had infiltrated her lungs and entered her central nervous system. Rather than simply poisoning tissue, it specifically targeted the communication pathways connecting the X-Gene to the cerebral cortex.
Like many anti-mutant technologies seen throughout X-Men comic history, its purpose wasn't merely to kill mutants.
It was designed to suppress mutation itself.
If left untreated, Lorna would permanently lose access to her powers.
Eventually, brain death would follow.
The second issue lay deeper.
Inside the X-Gene itself.
Lorna's genetic structure was extremely similar to Magneto's.
That much was expected.
But several key stabilizing sequences were incomplete.
The defect reduced her tolerance for magnetic-field output and forced her body to absorb enormous physiological strain whenever she used her powers.
The poison had triggered the crisis.
The genetic flaw was the real cause.
The third issue was the most dangerous.
The toxin and the unstable X-Gene were amplifying one another.
Every neurological disruption increased X-Gene instability.
Every X-Gene surge worsened the toxin's effects.
A positive-feedback loop.
The longer it continued, the faster her condition collapsed.
Lynn reviewed the situation.
Ordinarily, detoxification would come first.
Gene repair second.
That approach would kill her.
Removing the toxin would destabilize the already-fragile X-Gene.
Repairing the X-Gene first would accelerate toxin activity.
The procedures had to occur simultaneously.
"Her genetic defect is hereditary."
Lynn spoke without looking up.
Across the table, Magneto stiffened.
His injured left arm remained secured in a makeshift sling.
His remaining hand tightened around the edge of the operating table.
"I know."
Lynn glanced at him.
"You know?"
The question carried no emotion.
Only criticism.
"You knew her X-Gene was unstable."
"You knew her body couldn't tolerate prolonged combat."
"And you still sent her into the field."
Magneto's jaw tightened.
"She's my daughter."
His voice remained firm.
"She has the right to fight for mutantkind."
Lynn's expression didn't change.
"Does she also have the right to die because of genetic defects inherited from her father?"
Silence.
Magneto's hand clenched harder.
The metal table creaked faintly beneath the pressure.
But he didn't answer.
Because he couldn't.
Lynn returned his attention to the patient.
He opened a nearby cabinet.
Instead of ordinary surgical instruments, he removed a specialized set of microscale manipulation devices designed specifically for precision biological work.
Detoxification came first.
The All-Seeing Eye isolated the molecular structure of Purifier MK-II instantly.
Its operating principle was surprisingly sophisticated.
The toxin mimicked X-Gene neural signaling frequencies.
Then flooded the nervous system with false feedback.
Noise.
Static.
Interference.
The brain gradually lost the ability to communicate with mutant genetic pathways.
Ordinary medicine couldn't remove it without damaging the X-Gene itself.
Lynn didn't have that limitation.
A faint white glow appeared above his fingertips.
Extremis activated.
Not at combat levels.
Not at thousands of degrees.
Instead, a precisely regulated thermal field stabilized at approximately six hundred degrees Celsius.
Hot enough to disrupt molecular bonds.
Controlled enough to avoid damaging living tissue.
The challenge wasn't temperature.
It was accuracy.
The toxin had spread throughout the central nervous system.
Mixed among healthy neurotransmitters.
Each molecule would need to be identified individually.
Then destroyed.
One by one.
Lynn placed his hand above the back of Lorna's head.
The All-Seeing Eye supplied microscopic guidance.
Three super-intelligence systems calculated optimal pathways simultaneously.
Perfect muscular control handled execution.
Then he began.
An almost invisible thermal filament descended into the nervous system.
The beam moved through neural pathways with impossible precision.
One toxin cluster disappeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Each molecular structure was vaporized without affecting surrounding tissue.
Magneto couldn't see any of it.
From his perspective, Lynn merely stood there with a hand suspended above Lorna's head.
Yet the results were obvious.
The spasms gradually weakened.
Then became less frequent.
Five minutes later, the detoxification phase ended.
Lorna's breathing stabilized.
Color slowly returned to her face.
The neurotoxin was gone.
The genetic defect remained.
Lynn changed gloves.
Now came the difficult part.
Gene repair.
Lorna's X-Gene possessed remarkable homology with Magneto's.
The similarities were obvious.
The differences were critical.
Several stabilizing sequences were absent.
Most importantly, the genetic structures regulating safe magnetic-field output thresholds.
In practical terms, Magneto possessed biological safeguards.
Lorna did not.
Each activation of her powers resembled driving a high-performance vehicle with no brakes.
The stronger she became, the greater the danger.
Repairing those missing sequences would solve the problem.
Lynn removed an ultra-fine injector from a sealed compartment.
Inside was a specialized genetic restoration serum.
The compound had been developed using refined biological factors derived from the Immortal Divine Body.
Its purpose was simple:
Activate dormant stem-cell reserves.
Provide a template.
Trigger corrective regeneration.
The remaining question was obvious.
Where would the template come from?
Lynn looked at Magneto.
"Come here."
Magneto stepped forward.
"Extend your hand."
A brief hesitation.
Then compliance.
Lynn grasped his wrist.
The All-Seeing Eye scanned immediately.
Magneto's X-Gene appeared before him in perfect detail.
Aging had reduced expression efficiency.
But the underlying structure remained intact.
Complete.
Functional.
Exactly what he needed.
The missing sequences were isolated.
Recorded.
Cataloged.
Lynn released Magneto's wrist.
Then inserted the injector into Lorna's jugular vein.
The serum entered her bloodstream.
At the same moment, Lynn placed one hand against her spine.
A faint pulse of Asgardian bio-energy flowed into her body.
Guiding.
Directing.
Correcting.
Stem cells awakened.
Dormant biological repair mechanisms activated.
Following the template extracted from Magneto.
New genetic structures began forming.
Replacing what had always been missing.
The process lasted twenty minutes.
No complications occurred.
When it ended, the results were obvious.
Lorna's heart rate had fallen from one hundred twenty beats per minute to seventy-five.
Respiration stabilized.
Neurological activity normalized.
Most importantly—
The X-Gene signal pattern transformed.
No longer chaotic.
No longer unstable.
Balanced.
Controlled.
The newly restored genetic sequences did more than eliminate the defect.
They improved regulation.
For the first time in her life, Polaris possessed complete biological control over her mutation.
Her future potential had increased rather than decreased.
Lynn removed his gloves.
Dropped them into the disposal container.
Then stepped back.
"Surgery complete."
His tone remained casual.
"She'll regain consciousness after approximately six hours."
"Keep her away from combat."
"One week minimum."
Magneto stood beside the operating table.
Looking at his daughter.
Watching healthy color return to her face.
Several times his lips parted.
Several times he stopped himself.
The words refused to emerge.
Thank you.
For Magneto, those words were surprisingly difficult.
Lynn ignored the struggle entirely.
Instead, he looked directly at him.
"Now it's your turn."
Magneto shifted his gaze away from Lorna.
Toward Lynn.
His expression tightened slightly.
"Me?"
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