Captain George Stacy reviewed the documents that Officer Bradshaw had brought to his attention. Standing beside him was Officer Gomez, who tried to conceal her disappointment, but her displeasure was evident.
"The evidence from the lab is clear, Captain Stacy. The blood on the shirt that Wyatt Wilkins was wearing when he was brought to the hospital all belongs to him," Bradshaw reported, standing at attention. "I don't believe the kid attacked or killed anyone. Still, the lab technicians mentioned that with as much blood as the kid lost, he should have died."
"That's because that thing is a mutant," Gomez interjected disdainfully. "It probably has some healing powers or something. Don't tell me you've forgotten what its kind did to Samuel! Even if it didn't attack anyone, it still assaulted us and destroyed city property. It needs to be brought in."
"His name is Wyatt Wilkins, Officer Gomez. He's a person, a citizen of New York, not an 'it.' And he's just a kid," Bradshaw replied, frowning at his partner.
"Fine... he's a freak," Gomez retorted.
"Damnit, Gomez. We don't even know if he has the X-gene yet! He could be a regular kid!" Bradshaw said in exasperation.
"Enough," George interrupted, placing Wyatt's file on the desk.
Within it, he found a record of Wyatt's past transgressions, mostly minor offenses and an arrest for stealing from a convenience store. All of which took place after Wyatt had run away from his group home and never returned. "Even if the blood on his shirt was his own, Wyatt still fled from the police and used his abilities to damage city property. He needs to be brought in and questioned."
Bradshaw frowned but nodded in agreement. Gomez appeared pleased with their police captain's decision. With their orders clear, they left George's office to continue their daily duties.
Once his subordinates were gone, George sighed and opened the folder again. His eyes fell upon Wyatt's photo, age, and the mention of his deceased parents, who had been gunned down in front of him when he was a child.
"Fifteen years old... just a year older than my Gwen," he said with a weary sigh.
While Wyatt may not have harmed anyone directly, he still used his apparent abilities to damage city property and evade the authorities.
As a father, George understood that Wyatt was likely facing a challenging period in his life. However, the law must be upheld, and it is essential to enforce it.
George hoped that his officers would not be rough with Wyatt should they ever find and detain him.
Prejudice against mutants was growing every day as more people accepted the sensationalized stories perpetuated by the media, which painted all mutants as inherently dangerous and to be feared.
All due to one incident that had been an accident.
"Watch yourself, kid," George muttered before moving on to his next order of business.
••o••o••o••
Wyatt struggled to contain his excitement as he rode in the X-Men's Blackbird.
This is so cool! He thought, gripping the seatbelt straps.
"So, what's your deal? Is flying all you can do?" Evan asked Wyatt from the seat beside him. His question caught the attention of the rest of the team.
"Not exactly. My abilities are… complicated," Wyatt replied, considering how to describe his powers without going into too much detail. "Simply put, I can transform one thing into another."
"Wow! That sounds cool!" Kurt grinned and teleported next to Wyatt. "Can you show us?"
"Kurt, we talked about using your powers while the X-Jet is flying," Scott frowned at the blue Mutant, only for Kurt to wave him off.
"It's fine, it's fine!"
"Sure, I can show you." As Wyatt was about to demonstrate his powers, Logan's gruff voice interrupted him.
"No powers while we're in the air. Save it until we get to the school. We don't want to have an accident a thousand feet in the air," Logan said in a no-nonsense tone. Beside him, Ororo nodded in agreement.
"Logan is right. We'll have plenty of time to see what Wyatt can do once we land. Be patient," she added.
Kurt sighed in disappointment at their teacher's words. Wyatt chuckled lightly as Kurt returned to his seat.
Looking around the X-Jet, Wyatt took in its molecular makeup. He couldn't help but wonder if he could create something as advanced as the jet itself.
I need a deeper look.
Wyatt closed his eyes, grounding himself in the familiar hum of the ship around him. He placed a steadying hand at the base of his chair, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingertips as he gathered his thoughts. With deliberate focus, he began to release pulses of his power, sending them cascading outward like ripples in a pond. Each pulse reverberated through the jet's structure, much like an MRI scan maps the intricate details of the human body.
As the waves of energy flowed from him, they painted a vivid picture in his mind—a detailed analysis of the ship's construction and composition. He could almost see the layers of metal and composite materials woven together, the structural integrity of the frame, and the precision of the engineering that had gone into its design.
It reminded him of the intimate ways he had scanned and understood the various appliances he had meticulously crafted for his underground home. Just on a larger scale. With each successive pulse, he absorbed more knowledge, transforming the ship's complex architecture into something he could comprehend and manipulate—a mental blueprint.
So that's how I would make it. Still, if I ever tried to recreate it, it would take a significant amount of energy and time. It's super intricate. Not to mention, I can't necessarily create its inner programming. Wyatt thought as he stored the X-Jet's blueprint away in his mind.
"What are you doing?" Kitty asked from across the aisle. She leaned in and smiled at him, blinking in surprise at his focused expression.
He's pretty cute, Kitty thought, taking in his features.
"Oh, I was just scanning your jet's molecular and structural makeup," Wyatt said nonchalantly.
"You… can do that?" Rogue asked, intrigued.
"More importantly, why would you do that?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"I can do that and more," Wyatt replied with a shameless grin. "Why, you ask? I was curious if I could make my own X-Jet."
"…what?"
••o••o••o••
"I take it this Charles Xavier guy is pretty rich."
As the X-Jet descended, Wyatt looked around the expansive property of the Xavier Institute. Large plots of land with immaculately well-maintained grass and greenery surrounded a massive mansion in the center. Behind the mansion was an equally impressive pool.
Has it been blown up yet? Wyatt thought with a chuckle as he recalled the several times the mansion below them had been blown up in the Fox X-Men movies.
"What gave you that idea? Was it the giant mansion or the miles of land?" Kitty joked as she leaned over Wyatt as he looked out one of the jet's windows.
Down below, the mansion's front courtyard began to shift and move. Slowly but efficiently, the courtyard slid back to reveal a landing pad deep underground. Logan expertly piloted the jet down into a smooth landing. Once they landed, the courtyard returned to its original position.
"That was awesome," Wyatt said as everyone undid their seatbelts and stepped out of the jet.
Once outside, Wyatt looked around the X-Men's hanger bay with awe.
"I know, right? It's epic." Kurt grinned and patted Wyatt's shoulder.
"Come on. Charles is waiting." Logan said as he guided Wyatt through the mansion's underground level.
It didn't take long for them to reach the main level of the mansion, but before Logan could lead Wyatt to Charles's office, they came upon the man waiting for them in the mansion's front lobby.
"Hello. I am Professor Charles Xavier. The founder of this fine institution. I'm happy you accepted our invitation to come here to meet with me." Charles said with a friendly smile as he moved forward on his chair.
"It's nice to meet you, Professor. I'm Wyatt Wilkins," Wyatt said as he held out a hand. Despite his excitement at meeting the X-Men, he was nervous that Charles would pick up on his thoughts. He hoped the man wasn't poking inside his brain.
Seeing Wyatt's outstretched hand in greeting, Charles chuckled and grasped it.
"It's nice to meet you, Wyatt. We have much to talk about." Charles said.
Charles moved their conversation to his office, only bringing along Ororo and Logan. Leaving out the rest of X-Men. Much to their disappointment. Even so, after the doors to his office closed, Kurt, Evan, and Kitty pressed their ears against the doors to try and listen into the conversation.
"It's crazy to believe everybody in this mansion is a mutant," Wyatt said as he sat in one of the office chairs. Charles took his place behind his desk while Ororo sat beside Wyatt. With his mask removed, Logan remained standing. His arms crossed while leaning against a wall.
"A good question to ask is why? Why did you set up this institution?" Wyatt asked, playing up the role of an oblivious newcomer.
"My dream, Wyatt, is to create a world where humans and mutants can live together peacefully. To accomplish this, we have to help our fellow mutants gain control over their emerging abilities and mutations. Not to mention to help them better understand themselves and their place in the world. That's why I created my institution." Charles said with a proud smile.
"The Professor's work has helped several other mutants to understand themselves. If it weren't for him, they risked losing control of their abilities and exposing themselves. Right now, that's a dangerous position for any mutant to find themselves in." Ororo said sadly.
"I meant to ask… why do l people think mutants are these scary and dangerous individuals to run away from? The other day, when a few thugs tried to rob me, they freaked out when I used my powers to stop them. They thought I was going to kill them." Wyatt asked.
"You haven't heard? Aren't you from the city?" Logan said with a frown. "I find that a little hard to believe."
"Until two weeks ago, I was completely normal. No powers. No nothing. I didn't have any interest in looking into mutants. Heck, I still thought that mutants were made-up stories by the media," Wyatt said. "I also had my own problems to focus on. So I didn't have time to worry about anything else other than how I would get through the day."
"Hmm…" Charles hummed cryptically before nodding. "You see, Wyatt. The existence of Mutants was a well-kept secret. That was until two years ago when the tragedy of Sasha Connor occurred."
"Who's Sasha Conner?" Wyatt asked.
"Sasha Conner… was a young 12-year-old girl who lived in Staten Island. She had recently discovered her mutant abilities, which allowed her to create small orbs of light that resembled tiny fireflies. At first, these orbs seemed harmless. However, one day, while she and her father were grocery shopping, Sasha's powers became unstable. The small harmless balls of light suddenly grew to twenty times their original size," Charles sighed briefly, his eyes half-lidded.
"Before she realized what was happening, she unleashed dozens of these energy orbs into the store. Now more powerful, the glowing spheres scorched and obliterated everything in their path, including everyone present in the grocery store, along with Sasha and her father. My only regret is that I didn't find her when she first awakened to her mutation; that tragedy could have been avoided." Charles added.
"Charles. That wasn't on you." Logan said with a sigh.
"That… that's terrible," Wyatt uttered. His mind scrambled to find any information about the event. He found nothing. He cursed himself for not caring about anything else but himself. "But… how did everyone find out she was a mutant?"
"Sasha's mother, in her deteriorating mental state, provided all this information to someone she believed was a reporter acting in good faith. Along with her testimony and the surviving video footage from the grocery store, the reporter delved deeper into Sasha's medical history and discovered the presence of the X-gene in her autopsy. He then sold the story to the highest bidder, and the existence of Mutants was brought to light." Ororo continued,
"At first, this news wasn't taken seriously. However, as several doctors began conducting further tests on various patients to disprove the X-gene's existence, they ultimately found evidence that it was real. Though rare, the X-gene did exist, and when those same patients began to exhibit their abilities or mutations around puberty, the truth became undeniable. It didn't take long for them to release their findings, and the existence of Mutants was now apparent for everyone to see."
"I don't get it. If the existence of Mutants is now known, why aren't there more cases of mutants running around? Why aren't they on TV? Shouldn't they be all over the news?" Wyatt asked. "Look at Tony Stark! He's been Iron Man for a few weeks, and he's all over the news!"
"You can thank the government for keeping everything related to mutants under strict control. They want to avoid more disasters like the one at Staten Island. It gets worse from there. They're taking anyone they discover with the X-gene, regardless of whether or not their abilities have shown up yet," Logan said with a growl.
"You're telling me that they're taking Mutants away? Like, they're just kidnapping them off the street?!" Wyatt's eyes were wide at the revelation. "They can't do that!… Can they?"
"Unfortunately, they are. And they have full authorization to do so. Using Cerebro, the very same device I used to find you, I've detected several Mutants concentrated in a secret high-security compound. For what purposes those young mutants are being brought there, we're not sure," Charles said, his face tight with regret and anger. "We try our best to find any emerging Mutant and bring them here, where it's safe. But we're not always successful."
"That's…" Wyatt didn't know what to say. He had just received a plethora of information regarding the world he now inhabited. This wasn't just the MCU anymore. It was so much more. "That's wrong."
"It is. It's why this institution is so important. Here, we keep young mutants safe and help them learn how to control their abilities. Outside of the government's reach. Our agreement with the President ensures that. And one day, I hope we can show the world that Mutants and humans can coexist peacefully," Charles said with hope. Rolling around his desk, he held out a hand to Wyatt. "This can be your home as well, Wyatt. You can be safe here with us. We can help teach you to gain control over your abilities."
Wyatt blinked and looked down at Charles's extended hand.
"I…" Wyatt found it hard to refuse Charles's offer, especially after hearing about everything that was happening. Wyatt knew he would become an even bigger target if Charles was telling the truth about the situation.
Even so, he had just come upon a newfound freedom he never had before. Did he really want to join a new group home, no matter how exciting it would be to live with the X-Men, after having left his most recent one?
"I'm sorry, Professor… I can't."
Raising his hands, Wyatt took a deep breath and clenched them into fists. "For several years, my life's been one long struggle. It wasn't until I awakened to these powers that I started to actually feel… free! I can do anything!"
To prove his point, Wyatt waved his hands, and the walls of the room were transformed into solid gold, emerald, diamond, and silver, surprising Charles, Logan, and Ororo. "Anything I can imagine, I can create. I have limitless potential! And if anyone thinks they can come around to try and take my freedom away from me… then they're gonna be sorely disappointed."
Charles looked around at the changing room with awe until his surroundings returned to normal. It was as if his office was never altered to begin with. "I believed you were only capable of creating energy constructs and flight. But you're also capable of altering matter itself. Extraordinary."
"Yup! My powers deepen my understanding of the world and its atomic and molecular makeup. With that knowledge, I move a few molecules here and there, and bam! I can change anything into whatever I want! Well… anything but living sentient creatures." Wyatt said more calmly as he scratched his chin. "At least, not yet. I think."
"You gotta be kidding me," Logan said as he touched one of the walls.
"You believe you can also alter living creatures?" Ororo said in amazement. If what Wyatt said was true, then Charles was right. The boy had the potential to be an Omega-level Mutant. Especially as he grows older and more powerful.
"I'm pretty sure I can. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to. I can see the molecules that make up the human body. I just can't move them like everything else. I think something's stopping me. Something in my mind." Wyatt said as he held the side of his head. Turning to Charles, Wyatt gained an idea.
I'd be unstoppable if I could get Charles to help remove whatever is blocking me from using my full power! He thought.
"You believe you have some sort of mental block? If you don't mind, I can look within and see what the issue could be. You see, my mutant abilities grant me the power of a telepath." Charles said, much to Wyatt's delight.
"Hold on, Charles. That may not be a good idea. Changing the walls to gold is one thing. But being able to change a person into Swiss cheese is something entirely different." Logan said as he stepped up to his long-time friend. "I don't think anyone should have that type of power. Especially not some kid who's still going through puberty."
"Hey," Wyatt said in mock indignation.
"Logan!" Ororo stepped forward to grab Logan's arm. "That's not your decision to make."
"No, I get it," Wyatt said with a small smile. "Knowing someone had that level of power is pretty scary." Turning to Logan, Wyatt had an idea. He squinted his eyes and made a show of examining the long-lived man. "By the way, Mr. Logan. Is that Adamantium covering your skeleton?"