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Chapter 19: Plans and Pancakes
🕑 Added 2025-08-08 05:29:17 +0000 UTCThe little café in Brooklyn was exactly the kind of place Jay had grown to love—worn wooden floors, mismatched chairs, and the perpetual smell of fresh coffee and butter. It was also the kind of place where nobody batted an eye at unusual requests, which made it perfect for his current situation.
Bobby Drake slid into the booth across from Jay and immediately did a double-take at the spread covering their small table. "Jesus, Jay, you feeding a basketball team? Your appetite still amazes me."
Jay grinned around a mouthful of his second breakfast sandwich, gesturing at the array of plates—scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit, and what appeared to be a foot-high stack of pancakes. "I burn through calories like you burn through cigars, Bobby. Powers don’t run on miracles—I need the calories to keep them firing." He paused, spearing another piece of bacon. Plus, the heavy eater drawback is coming in handy, actually. Makes the whole stuffing calories thing more natural.
Bobby shook his head in amazement as he ordered just coffee from the waitress. "Most people try to hide their weird habits. You're out here treating yours like a superpower."
"Because it practically is," Jay said, already moving on to the pancakes. "Speaking of superpowers, this morning's expedition went better than expected."
"The Xavier visit?" Bobby leaned forward, lowering his voice. "How'd it go?"
Jay gave him the highlights—the demonstration, meeting the X-Men, Rogue's power not working on him, and his dramatic exit after Xavier's telepathic probe failed. Bobby listened intently, occasionally wincing at the more audacious parts.
"So you basically walked into the most powerful psychic on the planet's house and told him to get out of your head," Bobby summarized. "Then stormed out in a huff."
"I prefer to think of it as establishing boundaries," Jay said innocently. "But yes, the line is cast. Now we wait for the bite."
Bobby took a long sip of his coffee. "You know S.H.I.E.L.D. or other organizations are probably tracking you now, right? Xavier's not exactly subtle about his connections."
"That was always going to happen. These recent meetings will just accelerate the timeline," Jay said, finishing off the last of his eggs. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Besides, we're tightening security anyway. Speaking of which—how's our other project coming along?"
Bobby's expression grew more serious. "Isaiah Bradley?"
"The one and only."
"Well, we found him alright," Bobby said, pulling out a manila folder and sliding it across the table. "Lives in Baltimore now, keeps to himself mostly. Problem is, we can't get anywhere near him."
Jay raised an eyebrow as he flipped open the folder, revealing surveillance photos and notes. "Other people watching him?"
"Government types, mostly. Nothing too on the nose, but there's definitely a rotation of people keeping tabs. Guy's a living piece of history they'd rather keep buried." Bobby tapped one of the photos showing an elderly Black man walking down a suburban street. "He's in his eighties now, but according to our research, he's still in remarkable shape for his age. The serum's still working."
Jay studied the photos intently. Isaiah Bradley—the Black Captain America, one of the forgotten heroes of the Korean War. If the stories were true, his blood contained a version of the Super Soldier Serum that was potentially even more stable than Steve Rogers'.
"I just need a blood sample," Jay said quietly. "Now with Reed's help, and if we can get access to the original Dr. Erskine files, we might be able to reverse-engineer something."
"Might be easier said than done," Bobby warned. "The man's been through hell courtesy of his own government. He's not exactly trusting of strangers, especially ones asking for blood samples."
Jay nodded, closing the folder. "We'll figure something out. Maybe approach through his grandson—Elijah Bradley. Kid's got a good heart, according to the intelligence reports."
Before Bobby could respond, Jay's phone buzzed against the table. The caller ID showed only "Unknown Number."
"Jay speaking," he answered, taking another bite of pancakes.
"Hello," said a voice that was somehow immediately familiar despite Jay never having heard it before. "My name is Xabi. I heard about your powers from this morning's incident. I... I have a problem that I think you might be able to help with."
Jay's Comic Nerd Perk activated like a lightning bolt. ForgetMeNot—the mutant whose power made him essentially invisible to everyone around him. People would forget he existed the moment they weren't directly interacting with him. Family, friends, lovers—everyone just... forgot.
Jay quickly put the phone on speaker, gesturing for Bobby to stay quiet. "What kind of problem, Xabi?"
There was a pause, as if the caller was surprised Jay hadn't immediately hung up or forgotten he was there. "I heard that you might have the ability to temporarily suppress other mutants' powers."
"That's one way to put it," Jay said carefully. "Why do you ask?"
Another pause, longer this time. When Xabi spoke again, there was a tremor in his voice. "I haven't been remembered by another human being in fifteen years. My own mother forgets I exist the moment I leave the room. My sister... God, my sister doesn't even know she has a brother anymore. Not to mention the people at Xavier's School."
Bobby's eyes widened as he began to understand what they were dealing with.
His voice cracked. "I just want someone to remember my name."
Jay felt something twist in his chest. ForgetMeNot's power was simultaneously one of the most useful and most tragic abilities in the Marvel universe. The man was the ultimate spy, the perfect infiltrator, but at the cost of complete social isolation.
"Where would you like to meet?" Jay asked gently.
"You... you're willing to try?"
"Of course I am."
There was silence on the other end, and Jay could practically hear the man crying. "Tomorrow morning? Early? I can meet you wherever you want."
"I'll text you an address," Jay said. "And Xabi? I'll remember this conversation. I promise."
After he hung up, Bobby stared at him. "That was..."
"Heartbreaking," Jay finished. "His power makes him forgettable to everyone. Completely isolated from human connection."
‘Huh. Mind Shield’s probably the only reason I still remember him,’ Jay thought.
"And you can help him?"
Jay nodded slowly. "Temporarily, at least. But Bobby... this could be huge for us too."
Bobby frowned. "How do you mean?"
"Think about it. A man who can walk into anywhere, do anything, and nobody remembers he was there afterward? That's the ultimate stealth power." Jay trailed off, his mind racing with possibilities. If I could adapt to it, even partially...
"You're thinking about trying to take his ability?"
"I'm thinking about a lot of things," Jay said, signaling for the check. "But first, I'm thinking about helping a man reconnect with his family. Everything else is secondary."
Bobby studied his face. "You mean that."
"I do." Jay pulled out his wallet, leaving enough cash to cover both their meals and a generous tip. "Powers are useful, Bobby, but they're not worth losing your humanity over."
They walked out of the café together, Jay already mentally composing the text message he'd send to Xabi with tomorrow's meeting location. The morning sun was climbing higher, and he had a meeting with Reed at the Baxter Building to prepare for.
As they parted ways, Jay's phone buzzed with a text message. He glanced at it and smiled—it was from an unknown number, just three words: "Thank you. —Xabi"
Jay quickly typed back an address for a small park in Queens, adding: "10 AM. I'll be wearing a blue jacket. And Xabi? I meant what I said about remembering."
Walking toward his car, Jay felt the weight of the morning's conversations settling on his shoulders. Isaiah Bradley represented a chance to unlock one of Marvel's most sought-after enhancements. ForgetMeNot offered both an opportunity to help someone desperately in need and potentially acquire an incredibly useful ability.
His phone buzzed again as he started his car. This time it was a text from an unknown number with a familiar area code—Westchester County.
"Hey, Mr. Jay. This is Rogue. Ah got yer number off that card you dropped. Just wanted t' thank ya for helpin' with mah elbow. Ain't used to folks touchin' me without consequences, so... it meant a lot. If you're ever back this way, maybe we could grab a coffee. Mah treat. Take care. —Marie"
Jay smiled, slipping the phone back into his pocket. Phase one of his Xavier plan was definitely complete. Phase two would begin whenever they worked up the courage to reach out officially.
