I drove into the Xavier mansion and pulled into the garage. I got out and reached into the back seat, pulling out my duffle bag.
I told May and Ben I was going for a school trip, they didn't even bother checking with the school to make sure there was a school trip. I hate the fact I abused their trust like that, but it had to be done.
Richard had no idea I was here, which is good. The man had been awfully protective lately, something I didn't like. He needed to learn he had no say in my life.
I walked up to the main mansion doors and smiled, all in all, it would be nice to see Jean again. I walked in and immediately stopped and blinked.
"Get back here Kurt!" a brown-haired young girl with a button nose cried out as she ran at a blue fur-covered boy with a tail, three digits on his feet and hands. Oh, and he was teleporting.
"You have to catch me first!" he cried out as he disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing right before me. He leaped forward without looking and ran head first into my gut.
Honestly, it felt like nothing. He groaned as he rubbed his head and looked up, "what hit me?"
I smiled down at the shorter boy, "guten tag, my friend."
Kurt's eyes went wide, "ah!" His hands immediately reached for his watch and turned it on, causing the fur and tail to disappear, replacing his mutant form with an ordinary teenage boy, "ah, hello."
I chuckled, 'so that's why Xavier wanted the watch.' I remembered him asking for the holographic watch — guess this was why.
"Hello there, I'm Peter, would you be so kind as to tell me where I can find the professor?" I asked, looking at Kurt and the brown-haired girl, who was now right next to us.
"Ah, yeah, who are you anyway?" the girl, I realised, was Shadowcat, asked.
"An old friend," I smiled.
"The professor and the rest are having breakfast," Kurt said slowly, "we — ah, we can show you if you want."
"Cool, lead the way," I smiled.
Kitty, the brown-haired girl — not my silver-haired ex — grabbed the cellphone Kurt was holding with a huff, "and don't steal my stuff!"
"Ah! I was so close too!" Kurt grumbled as we walked into the mansion.
"So, you're the new students, huh?" I made small conversation, "what can you do?"
Kitty looked surprised, "wait, you know about our powers?"
"Your mutant powers?" They nodded. "Yeah, I know. Also, considering I didn't freak out seeing a blue dude with a tail should have made that obvious."
Kurt chuckled nervously, "haha, yeah. Professor told me to keep my disguise on, but I usually turn it off at the mansion. I wasn't expecting any guests."
"No worries, can't expect to hide forever. Besides, I didn't build that thing to serve as a crutch, it's a disguise, nothing more," I said pointing at the watch around Kurt's wrist.
"What? You built this?!" Kurt asked in surprise and joy.
"Yup, the professor asked me to."
"Thank you, thank you!" Kurt hugged me and began to jump, "it's thanks to this watch I can even talk to people! They are actually nice to me now!"
I smiled, "well I'm glad I could help. But ah, could you let me down?"
Kurt blinked, "heh, sorry," he stopped and quickly began to walk, "so are you a mutant too?"
I shrugged, "in a way."
"In a way? What do you mean in a way?" Kitty asked, very curious.
"My mutation is man-made," I shrugged, freely giving out that information, "so while I can be called a mutant, I'm not a real one like you and blue ball. By the way, what are your names?"
"Oh, I'm Katherine, but everyone just calls me Kitty," the girl smiled.
"And I'm Kurt! Kurt Wagner! At your service," the boy smiled.
"So Kurt, you're a teleporter, right?"
"Yes! I can go anywhere I have been before!" The boy was excited — guess he really liked me.
"Hm, I wonder how that works," I asked myself. In my head the scientist in me began to think a hundred miles per hour. Could he somehow have the power to bend space? No, if that's the case, why the smoke? It would be instant, no mess no fuss.
And the smoke — what is it? A by-product? The only thing I can think of is that he jumps into another dimension and then jumps out. Like in Minecraft and the Nether. How moving around in the netherworld means moving further in the real world. Hm, this warrants investigation. I wonder if —
"Ah, excuse me," Kitty asked, shaking me out of my thoughts, "are you okay?"
I blinked and turned to her, "what? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just caught up trying to figure out how Kurt's powers work."
"Really?" Kitty asked surprised, "what do you think?"
I turned to Kurt, "I think Kurt can hop through dimensions," the two teens gaped in shock, "his powers seem to come from his mutation, like a gateway. My guess? He can hop into a world smaller in scale to our own and then hop out in another place."
"That is so cool!" Kurt said with glittering eyes.
I smiled, "glad you think so, blue. Tell me, when you jump away, do you see anything? Anything at all? How does it feel?"
Kurt blinked, "ah, nothing really. I just feel like I'm moving to another place immediately. I don't see much when I disappear, only purple smoke."
"Hm, the smoke must be obscuring your sight," I thought to myself before sighing, "damn it, now I'm interested in trying to figure out your powers."
"Ah, okay..." Kitty said slowly, "anyway, here we are," she led me into the dining room where I found Jean, Scott, Logan, Storm, the Professor, a black kid with blonde-dyed hair and a girl with brown hair and a silver streak running down her side. I guessed the girl was Rogue, but I didn't know the kid. Since this was the Evolution series, could he be Spike?
"Thought I smelt you around, bub," Logan spotted me first, smirking.
"Peter!" Jean cried out as she got up and quickly jumped at me, hugging me tightly, "this is such a surprise!"
I smiled as I dropped my duffle bag and hugged her back, "it's nice to see you too, Birdie."
"Why are you here Peter? Did something happen?" Jean asked me telepathically.
"No...I just needed some time away from New York and the people there," I smiled, "hope you don't mind. The Professor said I could crash here for a few days."
Jean smiled, "of course not! Oh, this is going to be so exciting!"
I chuckled, "always bubbly." Jean stepped aside as Scott walked up to me with a forced smile, "hey Scott, nice seeing you again."
"Peter," he nodded, still a little defensive, "what are you doing here?"
"Peter here needed a few days' rest," the Professor said, "I offered him our home."
"I didn't realise this was a resort," Scott shot back. I winced — I didn't realise it would seem that way.
"Scott, that's no way to treat a friend," Charles scolded him, "he is our guest here, do you understand?"
Scott nodded, "right."
"Hm, excuse me, but can someone tell me who this is?" Kitty asked, "like seriously, I'm totally confused right now."
"This is Peter, he's my friend from before I joined the X-Men," Jean said with a smile, "when my powers first appeared, Peter was the one who taught me to control them. Heck, he did a lot more than that — he even helped me come to terms with being a mutant in the first place."
"Woah," Kitty said, looking at me now in a new light, "you helped Jean? That's so cool! Can you help me out? I'm having trouble when I go to bed! Every time I do I end up phasing through it!"
I blinked, acting time! "Phasing? What's your power?"
"Oh, right! Silly me," she pressed her hand on the table until it phased through the surface, spreading down below.
I hummed, "oh, I see...damn, that's extremely scary."
"Why is that?" Kitty asked.
"Because of what it implies," I groaned, "can I see it again?" She nodded as she did the same, keeping her hand inside the table. I touched her arm above the table, feeling it stiff, solid. No vibrations.
"Okay. I think I've got it," I nodded.
"You have?" Charles asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. If what I think is true, then your powers are very dangerous, Kathy — very dangerous indeed."
"Really? Hey, wait — my name's Kitty! Not Kathy!" Kitty cried out.
I shrugged, "I don't like cats." Jean shot me a sidelong glance but said nothing. "Anyway, your powers don't involve vibrations, meaning it's not about shifting your frequency. What you're doing is so much better. You are literally manipulating your body's quantum frequency. Very impressive."
"Okay, now I'm lost," Kathy said, scratching her head, "can you make any sense?!"
Jean chuckled, "I've been asking that since the day I met him."
I scratched my nose, "I can't be sure until I get some tech to check you out, but I'm assuming that what you're doing involves quantum physics — more specifically, quantum probability. Basically... ah, this is taking too long. Look, it's like this. Your mind can basically make your body act on a sub-molecular level. Basically, according to your body, the surface you're touching doesn't exist, so you can move across it."
The X-Men blinked. Spike spoke up, "I still don't get it."
"Honestly Peter, you just have to show off every time, don't you?" Jean raised an eyebrow, smiling.
I chuckled, "yeah. Sorry." My stomach growled loudly, "ah, with that said — any chance we can get something to eat now? I'm starving!"
"Of course, please sit," Xavier motioned to the table.
"Thanks," I nodded as I sat down near the end with Spike. Jean went back to her seat with Scott. Kurt sat next to me while Kathy sat opposite me, next to Rogue, who was currently giving me the stink eye.
"So, what's your name, grumpy?" I asked with a smirk.
"None of your business," she snapped back.
"Okay then, Grumpy," I smirked, turning to Spike, "I'm Peter, you're?"
"Evan, nice to meet you," the kid smiled, "where are you from?"
"Queens," I replied, "you?"
"Manhattan, the Bronx," Evan smiled, "where do you go to school?"
"Midtown High, you?"
"Oh, I...wait, Midtown High? Your name isn't Peter Parker, is it?!" Evan asked, sounding amazed.
I blinked, "huh, yeah, why?"
"Dude! It's you?! The Peter Parker?! The guy who's so smart you work with the Fantastic Four?!"
I blinked, "how did you know that?"
"Everyone knows that, man! It isn't every day we find out a teenager works with superheroes! Plus, did you save your school from those Hammer drones last year?! That was so cool! My friend said he saw you drive a school bus over them!"
My jaw dropped in shock, "I — I didn't think I was that famous."
"So is it true?" Rogue asked, "do you really work with the FF?"
I nodded, "yeah, well, I mean I used to but...not since the Doom incident."
"Wait, do you know Spider-Man?!" Kathy suddenly asked, getting to her feet.
I looked around. Jean and Logan were holding back laughter while Xavier and Storm just smiled. I looked at Kathy and shrugged, "kind of. He pops in once in a while, says hello. He and Johnny go out and fight crime a lot, so I don't really see him much."
Kathy's eyes started to sparkle, "oh my god, oh my god! What's he like? Is he single? Is he ugly under the mask? Does he make the webs? Does it come out of him?"
I blinked. I turned to Jean — she looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel struggling to hold back her laughter. I sighed, "I don't really know him that well. I have never seen him without the mask, but he seems nice enough."
"Where is he right now?" Rogue asked.
"What do you mean?" Kathy asked, sounding confused.
"We haven't seen Spider-Man in over two months," Rogue explained, sipping a cup of black coffee, "so is he dead or what?"
"What?! He can't be dead! He's Spider-Man!" Kathy cried out before turning to me, "right?! Right?!"
Everyone looked at me, waiting for an answer. I sighed, "he's gone. I don't know when he's coming back...if he's coming back."
"No way," Kathy slumped into her seat looking defeated. The people who knew my secret identity, however — well, they just looked worried.
"Peter, you're not thinking of...of —" Jean asked, her thoughts worried.
"Killing myself? No, but I don't know if I want to continue being Spider-Man," I replied before turning to my meal and eating quietly.
I turned to Logan, "have you spoken to Steve lately?"
Logan nodded, "we have. He's still shaken up, but he's getting better."
I nodded, remaining quiet as slowly the others began to speak. Kathy began to yell at Kurt for stealing her phone while Jean and Scott were whispering, the shades-wearing boy keeping his glare fixed on me.
"Peter, perhaps now would be an excellent time to begin," Xavier spoke up as soon as I finished.
I nodded and got up, "lead the way. I'll see the rest of you later," I waved at them, following Xavier into his office, a few doors down.
We entered a majestic room, fancy and huge. He rolled behind his desk and motioned for me to sit down before him.
"Now then, why did you ask for my help, Peter?"
I sighed, "it's difficult to explain."
"Does it involve Spider-Man?" he asked.
"Yes, but not just him," I sighed, "it's my whole life...you see, ever since Doom came...I've been afraid."
He raised an eyebrow, "afraid? Afraid of what?"
I met his eyes, "of dying. Which is funny, considering I can't die. Especially now."
"I'm sorry? I don't follow, Peter. Why do you think you can't die?"
I sighed, "did Logan and Jean tell you what happened? How Doom broke me? Leaving me inches away from death?"
Xavier nodded, "yes...when they told me they could save your life I didn't hesitate to allow them use of the Blackbird."
I nodded, "thanks for that...anyway, the process to save my life needed a little of Logan's blood to help me heal myself. But it did a lot more than that — it gave me his powers," I held up my right hand and slowly my stingers tore through my skin.
Xavier's eyes went wide as the blood-soaked black bone claws came out of my hand. I winced in pain — I was still not used to this. I showed him my hand, "I gained Logan's powers as well. All of them. Meaning..."
"You can heal from virtually any injury," Xavier concluded, looking at my stingers in surprise.
"Exactly," I drew my claws back inside. I showed Xavier my hand as the tears in my skin slowly healed up. I sighed, "so I know I can't be hurt, or at least killed. Yet...I'm afraid to put on that costume. And when I woke up from my coma, fully healed, I was angry — so angry. I wanted to get Doom back, but the moment I heard about Felicia...I don't care about him."
"Felicia is your — was your girlfriend," Xavier corrected himself.
I nodded, "yes. Jean told you about her?"
"Jean had some choice words for the woman. She was enraged at what she had done. She told me she assaulted you, yes?"
I shrugged, "yes, but it wasn't anything too bad. She just tased me...honestly, the worst part is that she didn't let me come with her."
"What do you mean?"
"She's the Black Cat, you remember her, right?"
Xavier nodded, "yes, the young woman who was with you when we went after Wyndham."
"Yeah. And remember the thief who helped us get into the blacksite?"
"Her father, if I recall correctly?"
"Yeah. Anyway, she and I had been trying to figure out a way to get him out for some time now. When suddenly she was offered help in doing just that. I told her it was a trap but...she didn't listen. When Doom attacked me, SHIELD and everyone else was put on high alert and focused all their attention on Latveria, giving Felicia the perfect chance to save her father and get away with it."
"Which she did?"
I smiled, "yup. When I found out, I wasn't mad. Honestly, I wasn't. I was impressed — she was smart. I was just so happy she wasn't in jail that I didn't care she used my injuries as an excuse to run away. And when I could, I tracked her down. Only...she was already planning on running away.
"She had to — her father was a fugitive and she didn't want him to leave her again. So she became one as well. She became a criminal...I offered to come along, I told her I would do it. But when I did...she tased me."
Xavier observed me, "you were willing to give up your entire life here in New York, your family and friends, just for her?"
I pointed at my head. Xavier quickly understood as he opened a telepathic channel. I thought out, "yes, I would. When I got these powers...I was forced to be Spider-Man. I knew I had to be a protector, try and help people when I could. And then I forced myself to be a better Peter Parker, to be as smart as I could, for my family. But Felicia...she was the only part of my life I wanted. So yes, if I could, I would have dropped everything for her."
Xavier broke the connection and sighed, "it's hard to read your thoughts, Peter. I'll admit though...it's not often I see someone who feels the world around them is a lie."
I shrugged, "it feels that way to me."
"You see yourself as three people, don't you?" Xavier hypothesised, "one part is Peter Parker, the other is Spider-Man. And this third face...you see it as your true self, don't you?"
I nodded, "yeah, that...that's pretty accurate. Scary accurate." 'Seriously, one look in my head and he figured that out? Greatest mind in the world, indeed.'
"I see...and why do you feel that is?" Xavier asked.
I groaned, "I...it's complicated. It's like this. When I got my powers I didn't want to be a hero, but I felt there was a part of me that forced me to become one. When I was Peter Parker, there was a part of me that compelled me to be the best. But now? Now I have nothing. Spider-Man is broken, dead to the world. And Peter Parker's greatest achievement — working in the Baxter building — had been blown to bits. So I find myself wondering, what the hell should I do now?"
Xavier smiled, "Peter, I think you aren't seeing the whole picture here. No one is asking you to be a hero — you do that all by yourself. People don't just do something because they have to, not unless they are forced to. You chose to be Spider-Man, you chose to be a scientist. Maybe now you must ask yourself if you are truly satisfied with who you are."
I thought it over, and found myself agreeing with the man. He didn't have the whole picture — he didn't know who I really was — but...maybe he could help me.
I looked at him, "Charles...I want you to look into my mind."
Xavier's eyes went wide, "I'm sorry?"
I stared him down, "there's...there is a part of my mind that is locked away. When Jean first acquired her powers she tried to read it but found herself unable to. I'm not sure why. But I want you to try. I want to explain to you what's going on. Please."
Xavier looked at me for a moment before sighing, "very well, Peter, if that is what you wish, I shall comply." He rolled around the table and stopped right in front of me, placing his fingers on my temples and sighing, "try to relax, you won't feel a thing."
I nodded as I closed my eyes and let go of all my worries and thoughts. Suddenly I felt something enter my head. I heard Charles's voice, "I'm inside, Peter — would you like to come in as well?"
I shrugged, "yeah, if you can."
"One moment," he replied, and suddenly my eyes began to grow heavy.
I found myself floating in a pink void, completely empty of everything. And suddenly the area below me began to grow. Slowly the pink turned inside out, and I found myself standing in a city filled with buildings I was familiar with.
It looked a little bit like New York, but a super compressed version of it. I saw the Baxter Building right next to Midtown High. I saw Avengers Tower next to a library Peter used to visit, and a hospital where he spent a month recovering from a broken arm.
"Where am I?" I thought out loud, finding my avatar doing the same. I looked down — I wasn't in my civilian clothes anymore. I was in my red and black costume.
"This is your mind, Peter," Xavier said as he suddenly appeared next to me.
"Ah!" I cried out, jumping back, "how the hell can you sneak up on me in my own head?! That's not fair!"
"I suppose it isn't," he smiled, looking around, "interesting. For you, your mind takes the form of the places you've visited — a very unique way of remembering things."
"Ah, yeah, I kind of based it around the memory palace principle, you know."
Xavier nodded, "I am aware. I must say this is certainly very thorough," he snapped his fingers and we were both up in the air, flying around my mind-city, "your detailing is excellent, very good. No surprise, though, considering your genius-level IQ."
"Thanks," I smirked. I looked around some more. Most of them were buildings from New York — a huge glass building I spotted was filled with books. That must be my main data core.
But as I passed by several buildings, I saw flashes of something through the gaps between them. I stopped and observed, and as if granting my desires, all the buildings around us began to move away. Just outside the limits of my mind-city was a tall black tower jutting out into the sky.
"I believe that's what you wish to show me," Xavier said, looking at the tall tower.
"Really? You think?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Just then a building near my right lit up like a Christmas tree. The neon sign reading 'Joke House' started flashing brightly over it. "What?"
"I believe that's where you make all your comedic quips and bad puns," Xavier smiled as he snapped his fingers, opening the building in half to reveal a comedy club inside with a packed audience and a smaller version of me inside, dressed in a tux with a charming smile.
"So I say to the girl, woman, you might be one cool cat, but all I care about is your fine puss —"
"Okay!" I cut in, snapping my fingers and closing the building, "that's enough."
Xavier smiled, "it's alright, Peter, I'm used to people's suppressed feelings coming out. Believe me, I've had it all."
I was about to reply when suddenly the tux-wearing me came running out and yelled, "it's not that! I just didn't want you to hear a crappy joke! It would ruin my reputation!"
I blinked as the small me bowed and walked back inside. I turned to Xavier, "what he said."
Xavier chuckled, "come, I believe there's a tower you wished to show me."
I nodded as I took the lead. We soon moved out of the city of my memories — or more accurately, Peter's memories — and approached the tower.
I didn't really understand why my old life's memories were in the form of a tower, especially one this...gruesome. But I knew this was the place.
I scratched the side of the tower and pressed my hand up against it. Suddenly the entire thing began to rumble and shake. Slowly a gateway opened before me into the middle of the tower. I looked inside and saw thousands upon thousands of crystal balls floating in the air. I focused on one and found a movie running inside.
"Those are memory balls," Xavier explained as he came up next to me, "they are the most basic way to store a memory. I must say when compared to your city, these are quite basic in design."
"That's because they are my memories from before I —"
KRAAAM!
A loud siren exploded outward, overpowering my voice. Xavier and I held our ears shut and waited until it stopped. When it did we looked at each other in surprise.
"Why did it do that?" I asked.
"It seems to be some kind of defence mechanism," Xavier concluded, "whatever you were about to tell me, it obviously didn't want you to."
"This must be why Jean didn't understand me the first time around," I realised, "every time I try and tell someone about my past —"
KRAAAM!
Once again, the ears rang violently. I sighed when the ringing stopped, "shit."
"This is most vexing," Xavier said before eyeing the open tower, "come, let us go inside. I wish to see what could possibly require such protection."
I nodded as I floated inside. I recognised some of the movies playing in the orbs — The Dark Knight, Avengers 2, The Amazing Spider-Man. All my memories from before, all that knowledge — it was right here.
Xavier approached, but the moment he stepped inside he began to scream, "ARGH!"
Everything turned pink once more and I suddenly found myself back in the real world.
Xavier removed his hands from my temples like they were on fire. He began to pant furiously as he looked at me in horror, "what was that?!"
I blinked, "I — I don't know."
"It felt — oh my God, it felt like nothing I have ever felt before," he gulped, "Peter, what is in your head is impossible. It's like a black hole — no telepath on Earth can break into that place. What is inside there? What are you keeping?"
"It's my memories of $#% $#%..."
Xavier blinked, "what?"
"I said it's my $%#$%2#$%," I told him what it was, but somehow he couldn't understand a word I was saying. I blinked, "okay, how is this possible?"
Xavier looked down in thoughtfulness. He looked at me and then at his hands before sighing, "I can only come to one conclusion, Peter. Whatever is in that tower, whatever you're hiding, something very powerful wants to keep it away from anyone else. It doesn't allow you to speak the words out — it makes everything you say sound like gibberish."
"So you're saying when I think I'm saying something legible, I'm actually just going ape shit?" I asked in disbelief.
Charles nodded, "yes...I'm sorry, Peter, but there's nothing I can do."
I looked at my hands. 'When I was sent here I thought it was thanks to some cosmic entity getting bored and wanting to have some fun...could that be the case? Did they design it in such a way that I can never share any form of information with anyone? Strange...then how did I tell Matt about Fisk? That's something he shouldn't know and discover on his own...does that mean there are special conditions?'
I knew one thing for sure — I needed to do more research into what I can and cannot say. I looked at Xavier. What did I know about the Evolution storyline? Oh, wait!
"You need to be wary, A#$#%..." I stopped, "fuck me!" I had meant to say, 'you need to be wary, Apocalypse is coming.' But obviously that didn't work out.
Xavier looked surprised, "what was that?"
I sighed, "I just tried to #$%#$%#, oh come on! I can't even $%#$?! Fuck me!"
Xavier was surprised, "Peter...are you alright?"
I waved his worry away, "yeah, yeah, just...I'm just trying to figure out what the limits are on this thing. Fuck me, I'm useless."
Xavier placed a hand on my shoulder, "Peter, you are anything but. Maybe...maybe I don't have the answers you seek. But I know that you do. Perhaps you should spend the rest of this weekend trying to figure out who you are, without the heroics of Spider-Man and the life of Peter Parker."
I sighed and got up, "yeah, okay. Thanks for trying, Professor — I appreciate it."
"Any time," Xavier said as I walked out and closed the door behind me. There's one lead crushed. But at least I get to stay here for two days. That's something.