Chapter 60: Farewells

Jay walked out of the Queen's safehouse looking like a completely different person. The rumpled zombie-movie look Maria had so generously pointed out was gone, replaced by one of his backup three-piece suits—charcoal grey with pinstripes, crisp white shirt, burgundy tie that brought out his eyes.

He looked sharp. Professional. Like someone who had his shit together.

Hilarious, since he absolutely didn't.

The suit felt wrong, too formal for someone who'd been sobbing in an alley twelve hours ago. But when you're about to torch more bridges, appearances matter.

The argument with his inner circle still echoed in his head from that morning.

"This is insane," Maria had said when he'd announced his decision. "Associating with you isn't dangerous—"

"It is now," Jay had cut her off. "Doom's broadcast made sure of that. Anyone connected to me becomes a target."

"So we fight back," Max had argued, pacing like a caged tiger. "We stick together—"

"No." Jay's voice had carried finality. "On the surface, we're separate. That's how it has to be."

Linda had tried the emotional angle. "Jay, honey, you don't have to face this alone—"

"Actually, I do." He'd softened his tone then, hating himself for hurting them. "Look, I'm not cutting you off permanently. But publicly? We can't be seen together. Not until this blows over."

Tom had been the one to finally get it. "You're protecting us the only way you know how."

"Smart man."

The argument had dragged on another hour, but Jay wore them down eventually. They'd agreed to surface separation with heavy hearts and promises to stay in touch through encrypted channels.

Now, walking away from the only family he had left, the suit felt like armor he didn't deserve.

"You sure about this, Doc?" Bobby asked as they headed for the tunnel entrance. The old vet had insisted on tagging along, despite Jay's protests that this was something he needed to handle solo.

"If I'm starting over, I need to settle accounts first."

Bobby snorted. "Fancy way of saying you're gonna make more people hate you."

"Probably. But they deserve the truth."

The descent into Morlock territory felt like time travel. Steam pipes hissed their greeting, converted subway platforms stretched in every direction. But something was off. Usually when Jay visited as "The Power Broker," there was tension—mutants who'd learned to be wary of outsiders, even friendly ones.

Today, everyone was acting normal. Kids playing in corridors. Adults chatting over meals. Nobody staring or whispering or watching him with that careful wariness he'd grown used to.

Confusing as hell.

"Something's wrong," Jay muttered as they walked through the community center. "After Doom's broadcast yesterday, everyone in New York should be looking at me like I'm carrying plague."

"Maybe they don't watch the news down here?"

Before Jay could respond, Callisto emerged from the shadows with that predatory grace, hair catching the flickering overhead light, eyes fixed on him with knowing amusement.

"Surprised they're not freaking out?" she asked, reading his face perfectly. "Most of them aren't connected enough to the surface to have seen the circus. And those who do know that Power Broker and Jay the Doctor are the same person..." She shrugged. "Their opinions got managed."

"Managed?" Jay's enhanced hearing caught the implications. "Callisto, what did you—"

"Beautiful Dreamers paid me a visit after the broadcast," she said, gesturing deeper into the tunnels. "Turns out our resident telepath has opinions about narrative control."

Beautiful Dreamers appeared beside them—pale, dark-haired, eyes like deep water. Always one of the more optimistic Morlocks, but now there was steel in her gaze.

"Jay's been nothing but good for our people," she said with absolute conviction. "When I realized what Doom's words could do to our community—the panic, the fear—I made a choice. Those who knew connected Power Broker to Jay the Doctor... I adjusted their attitudes. Just those specific connections. To keep things quiet while you sort your mess."

Jay stared, processing. "Why? After knowing the truth?"

"'Cause it's you," she said firmly. "Dr. Jay—who saved Leech, gave us hope, showed us we didn't have to live like animals in the dark."

The weight of her trust hit him hard.

"I need everyone gathered," Jay said quietly. "Community center. All of them."

"Jay—" Callisto started.

"All of them. They deserve to know who they're really harboring."

But first, he had one more call to make. Jay pulled out his phone, scrolling past seventeen missed calls from Coulson to find Emma Frost's number.

"Emma? It's Jay. I need you to know—the Inner Circle's planning something. Shaw's been feeding them intel about my operations, positioning himself as the reasonable alternative when I fall. Watch your back."

Emma's voice was ice-cold when she responded. "Sebastian always was predictable. Consider it handled."

"There's more. Selene's involved. She's been—"

"Jay." Emma's tone softened slightly. "I've known about Sebastian's little games for months. The Inner Circle thinks they're playing chess while I've been playing 4D chess. But thank you for the warning."

Twenty minutes later, the community center buzzed with confused energy. Morlocks filtered in from every tunnel—families, loners, survivors, and the thriving alike. Leech sat front row, looking healthier than Jay had ever seen him, pale skin now flushed with normal circulation.

Jay stood at the makeshift podium, hands shaking as he looked out at faces that still held trust.

"Anyone here know who I am?" His voice carried clearly through the chamber.

Confused murmurs. A few tentative hands.

"You're a teacher," called Erg, whose bioelectric aura made him glow faintly. "Dr. Jay."

"A healer," said a young woman with lizard-like scales.

Jay closed his eyes, feeling the weight of deception settle on his shoulders one last time. When he opened them, his null field expanded outward thirty feet.

The effect was immediate. Powers that had been active went dormant. Physical mutations began receding. The room filled with gasps of recognition and understanding.

They'd felt this exact sensation before, in this exact place, from this exact distance.

"Power Broker," whispered Erg, recognizing the field's signature even as it suppressed her abilities.

Jay nodded, the motion feeling like lifting a mountain. "I'm Power Broker. I came here to face you properly—no masks, no secrets. You deserved better than deception."

Silence. He could see the moment each Morlock connected the dots, understanding flooding their faces with betrayal, confusion, anger, hurt.

"You've come far since I first found you down here," he continued, voice steady despite the chaos in his chest. "You built something beautiful. A real community. A real family. Keep your heads high. The world up there's changing, and you're leading that change whether they know it or not."

Silence stretched.

Then Leech stood up. "Are you leaving?"

The question hit harder than any accusation. "For a while. I have to. Being around me right now... it's dangerous."

"But you'll come back?" Too much understanding in those young eyes.

Jay's throat tightened. "I don't know, Leech. Honestly don't know."

Callisto stepped forward, mismatched eyes blazing. "You son of a bitch," she snarled, getting right in his face despite the null field suppressing her reflexes. "You took away Leech's powers without explaining yourself. Without asking. Without giving us any choice!"

"I did what was best for the kid—"

"You decided what was best! Just like you decided to manipulate us. Just like you decided to lie for weeks!"

Jay met her anger head-on. "I exposed Masque's abuse. Gave your people a way to look normal, integrate with the surface. Brought medical supplies, resources, hope—"

"All while using us as your cover story!"

"Yes." The word fell like a stone. "I used you. Lied to you. Manipulated the situation for my own ends. I'm sorry."

Beautiful Dreamers stepped forward, face pale but determined. "The money from Emma Frost arrives soon. Enough to establish legitimate community space above ground. Real integration."

"And you'll have it without me complicating things," Jay added. "Clean money, clean connections, clean future. No terrorist associations dragging you down."

The crowd processed everything in silence. Finally, Sack raised his hand. "Power Broker... Jay... same person helped Sack's friends. Brought medicine when Morlocks were sick and dying. Fought the bad people who hurt us."

His words hung in the air.

"Sack doesn't understand why names matter so much. Jay did good things. That's what Sack remembers."

Other voices joined in—quiet at first, then gaining strength. Stories of medical care, protection, someone who'd treated them like human beings when the rest of the world saw freaks and monsters.

"You idiots," Callisto said finally, but without real venom. She turned back to Jay. "This is your goodbye speech, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is."

The farewells were awkward and painful and somehow perfect—handshakes, hugs, silent nods from those still processing. Leech hugged his legs tight enough to bruise, whispering "thank you for making me normal" so quietly only Jay's enhanced hearing caught it.

Walking back through the tunnels with Bobby, Jay felt lighter and heavier simultaneously. Another bridge burned, but this time by choice, on his terms.

"You know," Bobby said as they climbed toward street level, "for a master planner, you sure like making things complicated."

Jay managed a weak laugh. "Occupational hazard."

At surface level, Jay checked his phone for the first time since the enhancement. Seventeen missed calls from Coulson, twenty-three texts, enough voicemails to fill a novel. The SHIELD agent had been trying to reach him since Doom's broadcast went live.

Jay scrolled to Coulson's contact and dialed.

"Jay?" Coulson answered before the first ring finished. "Jesus Christ, where have you been? I've been calling for—"

"I need to meet with Fury. As soon as possible."

"Jay, listen, about the broadcast—"

"Coulson." Enough authority in the name to cut through the rambling. "Set up the meeting. I'll explain everything then."

Pause. "How soon can you be in Staten Island?"

Jay looked up at the clear New York sky. "Two hours."

Time to face the music. Again.