Wyatt looked out the large window of his temporary room, his expression contemplative. The day's events and the new information he had encountered swirled in his mind.
He sighed and turned to the small desk in the corner of the room. With a wave of his hand, he transformed the wooden table into Adamantium—a material he had been unable to create until today.
Despite his extensive knowledge of the molecular makeup of almost everything known to humankind, Wyatt still had gaps in his understanding. It was only thanks to scanning Logan's adamantium-covered skeleton that he had learned how to create it.
When Wyatt revealed to Logan that his skeleton was coated in Adamantium, the man felt both angry and confused. Logan had always known that the material encasing his skeleton was unnatural, but he had been unaware of its origin due to his amnesia. Eager for more information, Logan pressed Wyatt for details, and so did Charles and Ororo.
"Sorry, I just know the name and composition of the material. But having that Adamantium within you is dangerous, Mr. Logan. It's a poison," Wyatt explained.
In any iteration of the X-Men, Logan's adamantium skeleton would eventually become fatal when his healing factor weakened due to the long-term poisoning effects of the Adamantium.
Recalling events from the film "Logan," Wyatt told him that he could safely remove the Adamantium from his body. This decision came with both pros and cons, which Logan weighed carefully. After consulting with Charles and Ororo, they all agreed that it was best for Logan to have the Adamantium removed.
Thanks to Wyatt's powers, the process was quick and painless. When he finished, a solid block of Adamantium lay beside Logan, which they decided to store in their basement lab.
"Why are Logan's claws still coated in Adamantium?" Ororo asked when Logan extended his claws.
"I thought I'd leave those as they are. I didn't want to strip Mr. Logan of his most dangerous weapons. But if you ever start feeling anything from them, I'll remove them," Wyatt replied, and Logan nodded in agreement.
"I feel… lighter. More agile," Logan remarked, jumping in place. A slight grin spread across his face as he felt as if he were walking on clouds. "Thanks, kid. I owe you one."
With another wave of his hand, Wyatt changed the adamantium table back to wood. "Just when I thought this world was complicated enough, now I have to worry about the government kidnapping mutants to some super-secret facility, God knows where," he said.
After Wyatt extracted the Adamantium from Logan, Charles suggested that he explore Wyatt's mind the next day to uncover anything that might be blocking his full potential. Wyatt initially wanted to argue, but Charles invited him to join him and the rest of the team for dinner.
"It's almost time," Wyatt walked over to the large mirror near an extravagantly built dresser, and a wave of light washed over him. He now stood clean and dressed in a new casual outfit. "Besides flying, this is the best part of my powers." He said with a grin.
As he opened the door, Wyatt was surprised to see Kitty standing in front of him with her hand raised. She blushed in embarrassment and quickly brought her hand down.
"Hey! I was just coming to get you! Where'd you get those clothes?" She asked.
"I made them. With my powers, I don't need to go out shopping." Wyatt smiled as she led him to the dining room.
Kitty's eyes grew in awe, and a jealous look overtook her expression. "What?! No fair! Your powers are, like, so broken! All I can do is walk through walls. It's so lame compared to yours."
"Don't say that. Your powers are awesome!" Wyatt stopped walking and smiled broadly at Kitty. "With the right training, you'll be untouchable in a fight! Just imagine it. You'll be an unstoppable force of nature that can move through the battlefield like a ghost! Don't count yourself out, Kitty."
Kitty blinked at the unexpected compliments she received. Her face erupted with a blush as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Oh… ah, thank you, Wyatt. That was nice of you to say."
"No worries. Let's go eat." Wyatt said and continued walking, leaving the teenage girl alone with her thoughts.
Once within the dining room, Wyatt joined those already present and began exchanging casual conversations with Kurt, Evan, and Rogue.
"Now that we have you, can you show us how your power works?" Kurt said with a curious smile.
"Sure. No problem." Wyatt chuckled and grabbed one of the forks on the table. In an instant, the stainless steel fork transformed into a Rubik's Cube.
"No way! How'd you do that?!" Evan asked in amazement as he grabbed the Rubik's cube and began to play with it. "It really works."
"Wow. What else can you make?" Rogue asked as she took the Rubik's cube from Evan.
"Oh, pretty much everything," Wyatt said, only to regret it once Kurt began to list off several random items.
••o••o••o••
"Are you ready, Wyatt?" Charles asked as he looked down at Wyatt from his position on an examination bed. They were in the laboratory room of the basement.
Logan, Ororo, and Jean stood off to the side, observing.
"Go for it, Professor." Wyatt gave Charles a thumbs-up before closing his eyes.
"Very well. Let's begin," Charles replied as he placed his hands over Wyatt's temples and closed his eyes. Within a second, he activated his powers.
Charles opened his eyes and blinked in confusion as he floated in an expansive space. Stars and distant galaxies filled the black expanse as he looked around with wide eyes.
"Even now... I can't peer into his mind," Charles said.
Ever since he had initially discovered Wyatt's location, thanks to Cerebro, he had tried to look within the boy's mind. However, much to his shock, he was unable to do so. A fact that left him bewildered. It felt as if Wyatt were wearing a helmet that could block his telepathic power, similar to his brother, Cain Marko. Even after Wyatt was brought to the mansion, Charles tried once again to see within Wyatt's mind. He hoped that their closer proximity would help, but unfortunately, he was met with nothing again.
It wasn't until Charles used direct physical touch that he was finally able to enter Wyatt's mind.
"What is this?" Charles pondered as he floated.
But much like in the physical world, Charles couldn't peer into Wyatt's mind. Something was blocking him.
There was nothing—no thoughts, no memories, no access. He had hoped to catch a glimpse into Wyatt's mind to ensure the boy wasn't a potential threat and had good intentions, especially considering his reality-bending abilities.
"You should not be here," a booming voice replied, each word laced with power.
Suddenly, a reddish-pink comet shot toward Charles from the depths of space. In an instant, the comet reached him, and a flash of light briefly blinded him. When he blinked and regained his vision, he gasped as a man made of pure energy floated before him. An aura of power radiated from him, and his glowing white eyes stared at Charles with indifference.
"Professor, it's good to see you again. However, you must leave this mind. He is not ready. Not yet," the powerful being stated, raising his hand. "Do not attempt to do this again. Farewell, old friend."
"Wait! Who are you? Why are you in Wyatt's mind?" Charles demanded as he struggled against the being's might, soon realizing he was no match for it.
The being said nothing but waved his hand.
"Gah!" Charles gasped as he was pushed back in his chair. Before he could collide with the wall, Jean caught him with her telekinesis.
"Charles!" Logan exclaimed as he and Ororo rushed forward.
Jean looked at her mentor with concern, then glanced at Wyatt. He was bleeding from his nose and remained still. Panic surged within her, and she was about to rush to Wyatt's aid. Before she could reach him, Charles stopped her.
"Stop, Jean! Don't touch his mind!" Charles shouted.
"What did you see, Professor?" Ororo asked.
Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a moment to regain his composure. "Something… powerful."
••o••o••o••
Floating high in the sky, Wyatt frowned as he stared out at the horizon. He closed his eyes, trying to soothe his fading headache.
"So much for being OP..." Wyatt muttered to himself.
Charles's attempt to remove whatever was blocking his full power had failed. Inside Wyatt's mind, Charles admitted he was unable to identify what was hindering Wyatt's potential.
"I'm sorry, Wyatt. There's a chance that you might not be capable of manipulating living matter. I believe you should focus on mastering your current abilities first," Charles said.
Though the older man hid it well, Wyatt could tell that Charles wasn't being entirely truthful. The man had seen something in Wyatt's mind and was keeping it to himself. Perhaps he had a good reason, but in the end, he was withholding the truth about what was blocking Wyatt's full potential.
"Whatever. I'll figure it out. Eve was able to tap into her full potential when she was dying or under intense emotional stress. Ugh. I'm not exactly eager to put myself through that," Wyatt said, glancing down at the Xavier Institute below.
He had no more reason to stick around the X-Men any longer. They had offered to help train him to gain control over his powers, but Wyatt chose to turn them down. He wanted to figure things out on his own, even if it would take much longer than it would with their guidance.
Wyatt deactivated the thrusters beneath his hands and struggled to stabilize himself using only his feet. After a few moments of wobbling in midair, he finally managed to fly without using his hands, albeit shakily. With a victorious grin, Wyatt pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few of his new contacts.
Although he hadn't been at the institution for long, Wyatt managed to make several new friends: Kitty, Evan, Kurt, and Rogue. Scott seemed suspicious of him, but he still provided his contact information. Jean had been kind to him at first, but after Charles tried to probe into his mind, her kindness turned into careful caution. Charles, Logan, and Ororo also offered him their numbers in case he ever needed help. They had suggested giving Wyatt a ride back to the city, but he declined. He was excited to see just how fast he could fly through the sky.
With nothing more to do here, Wyatt created a biker helmet and a black leather suit. Given that the government and who knows who else might be looking for mutants, he didn't want to risk exposing his identity any more than he already had.
Slipping his phone into his pocket, Wyatt turned toward the city and blasted off. At first, he flew at about eighty kilometers per hour, but as he grew more comfortable, he accelerated to three hundred kilometers per hour.
"This is amazing!" Wyatt whooped as he sliced through the sky, leaving a reddish-pink trail behind him.
••o••o••o••
Three-star General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross sat at a desk in the Strategic Operations Command Center of the Pentagon. It was the dead of night, and the only light illuminating the room came from the wall-mounted television.
A female reporter was reporting live from the edge of the Southern Polytech campus. Behind her, several dozen students and reporters were trying to catch a glimpse of the chaos unfolding on the university grounds.
"Rumors continue to swirl about a violent clash between the forces of the U.S. Army and an unknown adversary on the campus of Southern Polytech University earlier today," the reporter stated. "Authorities have renewed the long-cold hunt for fugitive government scientist David Bruce Banner."
Ross glared at the screen as a photo of Bruce Banner appeared. An angry scowl marred his face as he gripped the phone next to his ear. "For God's sake, Sam, the National Guard can't get tents to hurricane zones in time; you're telling me I've got to liaise with part-timers?"
Standing outside one of the Pentagon conference rooms, Two-Star General Samuel Greller frowned as he held his phone to his ear. "It's domestic on paper, so the Guard and FBI have to be involved."
Hearing this, Ross fumed, "FBI?! Did the Chiefs see those tapes?! Do they think that was a video game?"
"They saw them; nobody's doubting anymore…" Greller said wearily. "I thought we had our hands full handling those mutants. Now this. What's this world coming to?"
"What's the FBI going to do… pull out badges? Why don't we get the ATF involved while we're at it!" Ross exclaimed.
"It's just formalities, T. Use them for intel and then tell them to back off. The Chiefs are giving you total authority to run this operation. Make your list of what you need and get back to me."
Furious, Ross hung up the phone on Greller. He turned to look at the news just in time to see the reporter interviewing two students.
"Very few outside the military got a firsthand look at their rumored adversary. Sophomores Jack McGhee and Kevin Feige were on their way home from a hike and witnessed part of the battle. McGhee captured this on his cell phone. Can you describe what you saw?" the reporter asked.
Ross's eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the flickering television screen, where a grainy video captured the chaos unfolding before him. The hulking figure of The Hulk, Bruce Banner's formidable gamma-powered alter ego, was in the midst of a ferocious battle.
With muscles tensed and green skin glistening under the sun, The Hulk unleashed his pent-up rage, effortlessly overpowering the military personnel. Soldiers scrambled to regain control, their tactical formations collapsing as The Hulk smashed through their ranks with unyielding force, sending them flying like ragdolls. Despite their training and equipment, it was clear that they were no match for the might of this unstoppable creature.
"Dude, it was huge and green! Like how Steve Nash would look standing next to Shaq!" McGhee said with barely contained excitement.
Feige nodded and stepped in front of McGhee. "Dude, it was so big. It was like this enormous… Hulk!"
The camera then refocused on the reporter. "Further searches for the mysterious 'Hulk' were delayed by powerful thunderstorms in the Smoky Mountain National Forest."
Ross glared at the television. Seeing those video clips did nothing to lighten his mood; they only reminded him of his failures.
With a click, Major Kathleen "Kat" Sparr entered the room with wide eyes, appearing breathless.
"It's Blonsky," Sparr said between gasps. "He's awake."