Wyatt looked out the large window of his temporary room within the Xavier Mansion, 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, such as Uru, Vibranium, and other rare materials, 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 the incredibly rare metal.
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. The only reason I was able to detect it within you was because I was able to see your biological makeup. That's as far as my powers go when it comes to interacting sentient life forms. Moving on from that, 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 a severe hindrance when his healing factor eventually fails to keep up with the long-term poisoning effects of the Adamantium. It was only thanks to that very same healing factor that he was capable of surviving for so long.
Recalling the events from the film "Logan," Wyatt explained to Logan 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. It was no issue for him to reach inside Logan's body and dematerialize the Adamantium. When Wyatt finished, he created a solid block of Adamantium, the same amount that was once inside the man, for the Logan to keep. Said block would be stored away in their basement lab.
"Why are Logan's claws still coated in Adamantium?" Ororo asked when Logan extended his claws, revealing his iconic metal 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 any negative side effects 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."
Now back to the present, Wyatt waved his hand and changed the adamantium table back to its original material. "Just when I thought this world was complicated enough, now I have to worry about the government kidnapping mutants and taking them to some super-secret facility," he said.
After Wyatt extracted the Adamantium from Logan, Charles suggested that he would explore Wyatt's mind the next day to uncover anything that might be blocking his full potential. Wyatt agreed with his decision and agreed to join Charles and the rest of the team for dinner at the man's invitation.
"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 on the other side with her hand raised ready to knock. She blushed slightly in embarrassment and quickly brought her hand down.
"Hey! I was just coming to get you. Wait a minute… where'd you get those clothes?" She asked.
"I made them. With my powers, I don't need to go out shopping. I can just create anything I want." Wyatt smiled as she led him to the dining room.
Kitty's eyes grew wide in awe, and a jealous look overtook her expression. "What?! No fair! Your powers are, like, so broken! What I wouldn't give to be able to create any outfit i could dream of! 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, I'm sure 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. There's no end to what you could do with your powers. 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 for him to create.
••o••o••o••
"Are you ready, Wyatt?" Charles asked as he looked down at Wyatt from his position on an examination bed. He and a small team were all within one of the laboratory rooms down in the basement.
Logan, Ororo, and Jean stood off to the side, observing and prepared to act in case something goes wrong.
"Go for it, Professor." Wyatt gave Charles a thumbs-up before closing his eyes. Despite his outward cheery attitude, he was a little worried over what Charles would find. Wyatt hoped that his otherworldly knowledge would be missed by the powerful telepath.
"Very well. Let's begin," Charles replied as he placed his hands over Wyatt's temples and closed his eyes. After a moment of concentration, Charles began to the process.
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 as he struggled to look through Wyatt's highly guarded mind.
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. Nothing. Charles had hoped to catch a glimpse into who Wyatt truly was to ensure the boy wasn't a potential threat, especially considering his reality-bending abilities.
"You should not be here," a booming voice replied, each word laced with power.
Suddenly, a crimson 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 red and whit energy floated before him. An aura of power radiated from the radiant figure, and his glowing white eyes stared at Charles with indifference but also a look of familiarity.
"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."I will only say this once… Do not attempt to do this again... Farewell, old friend."
"Wait! Who are you? What are you?! Why are you in Wyatt's mind?" Charles demanded as he struggled against the being's might. It didn't take him long to realize that he was no match for the figure.
The being said nothing but waved his hand.
"Gah!" Charles gasped as he was pushed out of Wyatt's mind and sent rolling back in his chair. Before he could collide with the wall, Jean caught him with her telekinesis.
"Chuck!" Logan exclaimed as he and Ororo rushed forward.
Jean looked at her mentor with concern, then glanced over at Wyatt. He was bleeding from his nose and eyes. But otherwise, he was unmoving. Panic surged within her, and she was about to rush to Wyatt's aid, her hand raised ready to offer assistance. 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 the painful fading headache he had after he woke up.
"So much for being OP right away..." Wyatt muttered to himself.
When Wyatt woke up, it became evident that Charles's attempt to remove whatever was blocking his full power had failed. While he was 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 after all. I believe you should focus on mastering your current abilities first and try to tackle this matter in a future date," 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 Charles had a good reason, but in the end, he was withholding the truth about what was blocking Wyatt's full potential. Much to Wyatt's annoyance and worry.
"Whatever. I'll figure it out myself, right? 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.
With all his business done and over with, Wyatt 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 turned 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 also offered to give Wyatt a ride back to the city, but he declined. He was excited to see just how fast he could fly through the sky.
Dressed in a biker helmet and a black leather suit to hide his identity, Wyatt looked back up to the sky in front of him and grinned. 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. For now, his current outfit would conceal his appearance as he flew back home.
Slipping his phone into his pocket, Wyatt turned toward the direction of the city and blasted off. At first, he flew at about eighty kilometers per hour, but as he grew more comfortable with flying, he pushed himself and 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.
"Sir, It's Blonsky," Sparr said between gasps. "He's awake."