Captain George Stacy reviewed the documents that Officer Bradshaw had brought to his attention. Standing beside Bradshaw was Officer Gomez, his tumultuous partner, who tried to conceal her disappointment, but her displeasure was clearly 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 doesn't belong to him. At least not completely," Bradshaw reported, standing at attention. "After further testing from our forensics team, it does seem like at least half of the blood belonged to him. This leads me to believe that he may have been involved in some sort of fight. Even so, there hasn't been any missing person reports or any bodies found where those joggers found Wyatt. I don't believe the kid attacked or killed anyone. He didn't seem the type and he didn't have any injuries from a confrontation that would have caused that much blood loss. But there was something else the guys from the lab found… odd. When they were running more tests to try and determine if the blood on Wyatt's shirt matched anyone within our system, the blood suddenly… evaporated."
"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 my brother! Even if there is a one percent chance that thing didn't kill anyone, which I doubt, 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. "And he didn't assault us. We managed to escape our cruiser after opening the windows."
"Fine... he's a freak," Gomez retorted.
"Damnit, Gomez. We don't even know if he has the X-gene! He could be a regular kid!" Bradshaw said in exasperation. Gomez growled and was about to respond when George slammed his hand on the table.
"Enough," George interrupted, placing Wyatt's file on the desk.
Within it, he found a record of Wyatt's past transgressions, mostly repeat minor offenses and an arrest for stealing from a convenience store. There was even a copy of the note Wyatt had left we he had runaway from his group home. Absolving his care takers from any wrongdoing of child neglect. "Even if we haven't yet found a victim or a body to connect with the blood found over Wyatt's shirt, the kid 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 it has not been proven that Wyatt hadn't harmed anyone as of yet, he still used his apparent abilities to transform city property and escaped police custody. Both of which brought heavy consequences.
As a father, George understood that Wyatt was likely facing a challenging period in his life. However, the law must be upheld, and it was his duty as Captain to enforce it.
Even so, George hoped that his officers, especially Officer Gomez, would act with professionalism and not mistreat Wyatt should they ever find and detain him.
George knew tha 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. He was more than aware at the slowly increasing hate crimes being committed by those few who awaken the X-gene. A matter that George took with the utmost seriousness when it came to punishing such individuals who thought they could get away with attacking innocent people, mutants or not.
However, he alone couldn't stop the growing swell of hatred and ignorance against mutants. This was all due to that one incident that had been proven an accident by officials, but twisted into an act of violence by the media who had deep prejudices against mutants.
"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 by altering their atomic makeup."
"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 couldn't help but wonder if he could create something as advanced as the jet itself using his abilities.
I need a deeper look. Wyatt thought.
Wyatt closed his eyes and placed a steadying hand at the base of his chair, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingertips as he gathered his thoughts. With intense focus, he began to release pulses of his power, sending them cascading outward like ripples in a pond into the jet. 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.
Wyatt had created his pulse skill when he had struggled to create the various appliances for his underground home using his pure knowledge. It had come to him on the spur of the moment. Why couldn't he just scan an object or item and memorize how it's composition worked? And now that he was on the X-jet, it was the exact same as when he had scanned a refrigerator. Just on a larger scale. With each successive pulse, he absorbed more of the jets knowledge, creating the ship's complex architecture into something he could comprehend and manipulate—a mental blueprint.
I see… 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 using my powers. I can't create ones and zeros. Wyatt thought as he stored the X-Jet's blueprint away in his mind.
"What are you doing?" Kitty asked from across the aisle. Her eyes going over Wyatt's boyish appearance.
He's pretty cute, Kitty thought, taking in his features.
"Oh, I was just scanning the jet's molecular and structural makeup," Wyatt said as if describing the weather.
"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." Wyatt said.
As the X-Jet descended, Wyatt looked around the expansive property of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. 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 with a mechanical whirl. Slowly but efficiently, the courtyard slid back to reveal a landing pad deep underground. Logan expertly piloted the jet down into the hole for a smooth landing. Once the jet was parked, the courtyard above them 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. Chuck 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 there. 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. Wyatt Wilkins," Wyatt said as he held out a hand. Despite his excitement at meeting the X-Men, he was nervous that Charles's incredible abilities 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 discuss." Charles said.
Charles moved their conversation to his office, only bringing along Ororo and Logan. Leaving out the rest of the young 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. Ignoring Scott's words to respect their professors privacy.
"It's crazy to believe that this mansion was made to be a school for mutants," 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.
"I hope you don't mind me asking. But why? Why did you set up this school?" Wyatt asked, playing up the role of an oblivious newcomer. At the same time, he wanted to understand what kind of man this version of Charles Xavier was.
"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 was meaning to ask… why do some people think that mutants are these scary and dangerous individuals to run away from? The other day, when a few thugs tried to rob me. They ended up freaking 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 suspicious 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." He added, the memories of him living on the streets and trying to gain a place in the gangs that ultimately got him killed played in his mind.
"Hmm…" Charles hummed cryptically before nodding. Despite not peering into Wyatt's mind, he sensed that Wyatt was being truthful. "You see, Wyatt. The existence of Mutants had been 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 out buying groceries, 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 had accidentally unleashed dozens of these energy orbs into the store. Now larger and 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 get to her when she first awakened to her mutation; that tragedy could have been avoided." Charles added.
"Chuck. That wasn't on you," Logan said with a sigh. "It's impossible to keep up with every emerging mutant."
"That… that's terrible," Wyatt uttered. His mind scrambled to find any information about the event. He found nothing. He cursed his younger self 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 the information of Sasha's abilities 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 so well 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 any more disasters like the one at Staten Island. But it gets worse from there. Not too long ago, the government created a response team to apprehend mutants. The MRD, The Mutant Response Division. They take anyone they discover with the X-gene, regardless of whether or not their abilities have shown up yet," Logan said with a growl.
"Wait… you're telling me that they're taking Mutants away? Like, they're just kidnapping people off the street?!" Wyatt's eyes were wide at the revelation. "They can't do that… that's not right!"
"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 school is so important. Here, we keep young mutants safe and help them learn how to control their abilities. Outside of the government's reach. My 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'll 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. He had no real reason to refuse his offer.
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." Wyatt said after debating the offer.
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."
"Yeah, 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 in my mind is stopping me," Wyatt said as he held the side of his head. Turning to Charles, Wyatt gained an idea. An idea he didn't completely think through.
I'd be unstoppable if I could get Charles to help remove whatever is blocking me from using my full power! Wyatt thought with excitement as he imagined himself being able to transform life itself.
"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, Chuck. 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. While he was excited at the prospect of being able to manipulate life, he could understand where Logan was coming from. "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... why is it that Adamantium is covering your skeleton?"