Alex currently seems very much at ease thanks to Whisps reply. She is genuinely enjoying the conversation. For some reason her tone, facial expressions and gestures make you feel like she is really kind and friendly besides just being pretty (currently using her social butterfly power to increase presence).
"Well it isn't always nice to be able to read peoples thoughts. It is quite confronting to know exactly how people truly feel or think about you. Being the most popular girl doesn't mean you have a lot of real friends. Most of them just hanged out with me to be popular as well. I didn't have any real friends back at school. The same thing with the boys, they have some filthy thoughts at times. It was because of those filthy thoughts that..."
Alex pauses and looks at the two girl, unsure if she wants to continue. They might want to avoid me if I tell them about what really happened...
"Well it is those thoughts that make it hard to trust people and make friends. However, I did take down the previous queen bee, who was a royal b!$+~ by the way, because I knew her most humiliating secret." Alex says with a wink and a smile.
"Well I didn't see the boys as much as detected their presence, so I don't know. I could tell when you all exited the cars and entered the building as well."
"Did the boy that got hurt turn out to be all right?
And I'm sure this place has a pool, I mean it's huge! I wonder what kind of teachers we get or if the professor gives all the classes."
"Yeah, he was OK in the end. Had a few days in the hospital but nothin that didn't heal. Still, I wouldn't want to hurt anyone like that again, guess that's why we're here though. So what'd'ya reckon? Should we have a look 'round and see if we can't find the pool?" ... Jeez! better keep on her good side, and make sure I don't,... crap this is hard!
Back up in the hallway, Julia blinks at Alex's odd knowing reply before comprehension dawns on her, "Oh, a telepath. Good to know. And hello, Isabelle. I'm Julia." She follows the other two girls into the kitchen where she joins in the sandwich making which Julia goes about in a practiced way.
Bread. Mayo. Meat. Lettuce. Bread. Cut off the crust.
Julia puts away the sandwich materials once she and the other two are finished and cleans up any mess before taking a seat and joining the conversation while she eats, "I am here because the Professor approached me with an education opportunity that I could not pass up. I'm sure we've all come to this school to learn something from the Professor. Hopefully that will include control for those of us that require it." That includes not reading stray thoughts without permission. There are some things not meant to be shared... ever.
Julia slides the plate with her half-eaten sandwich away from her as she reaches up to rub at the inner corners of her eyes under her glasses as if she was dealing with an emerging headache. "The grounds are big enough that I'm sure there is a pool around somewhere. Probably in the back. Or if nothing else, there is the nearby lake. Though I doubt we'll have time for a swim, Isabelle, as Orientation is not far off. It wouldn't do to be late on the first day." Julia stands and starts to clean up her plate and either of the other two girls' plates before they head off to look for the pool.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Leaving Michael and Vincenzo behind in the elevator, Jackson ignores the girls in the kitchen and continues to walk outside. He takes a seat along the steps and observes the newcomers.
As the other students start piling in, Jackie greets them with a smile and a wave or a handshake.
Maybe this won't be too bad. Like Pops says...gotta look at the brightside. Maybe it is for the best. I might not be as "gifted" as these kids, but who knows what else could happen to me out there. What if Professor Xavier can help me like he's helping everyone else? What if he can make me better...the best?
"So any idea what your powers are Whisp? What about yours Catalyst. Prof said I am a telekinetic with telepathic powers, or vice versa. He also said that with training and exercise I could use them in all sorts of ways. Though right now I am more interested in not making things float by accident though." Alex says with a wink. "By the way if we ever want to joke around with the boys I can set up a telepathic link that we can talk to each other without using our mouths. Could be fun. Maybe I could also send my voice in their heads and act like I am the professor..."
"Ah come on Julia, where is your sense of adventure, nothing bad can come from a quick swim right? What time is it right now?"
Julia shakes her head at Alex while she cleans, "I could wish for such a benign affliction, Alex, but my own disability is not something I generally like discussing in length. Suffice to say that it falls within the realm of chemical reactions and let us leave it at that." As she finishes washing the dishes and laying them out to dry, Julia flicks her hands over the sink, causing beads of water to roll off the liquid resistant material of her gloves.
"Adventure is all and good but do remember this isn't a summer camp. We are now students at this institute. Though unlike students at a normal school where the worst trouble they can get into is throwing eggs at the freshman, playing hooky, or getting caught cheating on an exam, we might actually end up knocking down walls, severely injuring others, or any number of worse scenarios if we do not take the gravity of our situation seriously."
As they pass the kitchens, Michael catches a whiff of the girls, noticing that one of their scents is off, like they exude some sort of chemical he doesn't recognize.
That's interesting. What could that be?
Hey, I'm going to go meet the others. Want to come?
Whether Jackson or Vincenzo follows or not, Mike goes to the kitchens, stands by the door, pausing for a moment, suddenly feeling some anxiety.
C'mon, Mikey. You can do it. Go talk to them.
Swallowing, he goes inside and gives a small wave.
H-Hey, I'm Michael. Don't say anything stupid, you dolt.
Julia looks across the kitchen at the appearance of a specimen of the male persuasion. She raises a hand in greetings and a quick declaration of his presence, "Hello, Michael. I'm Julia and this is Alex and Isabelle. Are you a new student as well?"
Uhh, y-yeah, yeah.Crap, what do I say now? So, chemicals, huh? Is that why you smell? You blithering idiot! Why did you say that? I-I j-just mean that you smell of chemicals. I mean, I'm sure you don't smell to others, but you smell to me. Wait I should explain. I smell good. No I can smell well. Like a dog. Nose not fur. Heh. Crapcrapcrapcrap.
When the boy comes in Alex shines a little less and her smile dissapears.
Not going to give them more incentive, now what type of persons are they
Alex studies Michael and actively listens to his thoughts while he talks.
Hmm he seems harmless enough
A tentative smile appears on her face as she greets him.
"Nice to meet you Michael, you can relax though, we won't bite."
You can hear Alex's voice speak, but you don't see her mouth move. This is probably her telepathic powers at work.
"Please don't tell them about my powers yet. I had some bad experience with boys who were attracted to me and I want to make sure there will be no repetition."
His mind races as he starts to panic a bit. Runrunrunrun. NO! not here. You can't turn here. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Ok, you're good now. That could have been worse You may not bite, but I could. Psyforce gets a flash of what he looks like turned.
Bored with the people-watching outside, Jackson heads back into the foyer and hears Mike and Vincenzo talking to the girls in the kitchen.
Sounds like Mike's fumbling. Let's see what's going on
He leans shoulder against the doorway, arms crossed and smirks as Mike stumbles over his words.
Ha, so I step out for a few minutes and you two start chattin' up the ladies. Sly dogs.
He takes a step forward toward the girls, making note of the distance between them, their height, arm and leg lengths, generally assessing their potential gifts and combat experience.
Gloves...probably something dangerous...
Short stack...looks quick. probably has some fancy footwork.
Blondie has to be a cheerleader...Why is she staring at us so weirdly?
"Hi, my name is Jackson" he says, as he extends his hand to each one.
Julia puts a finger to the bridge of her glasses and straightens them while giving Michael the 'look'. I knew I should have finished unpacking first! My perfume is in there somewhere. She tries to play it 'cool' as she shrugs like his description of her aroma was nothing, "I'm studying to be a chemist so I'm usually elbow deep in various... substatnces. That's all you're smelling."
Julia turns to look at the other two joining their foot-in-mouth comrade as she nods to them both and doesn't reach for the offered hand when Jackson makes his way around, "Hello Jackson. I'm Julia and sorry but I have a thing about touching so please excuse me for not formally introducing myself." She glances down at his hand and tries a weak smile to show her apologies. "Our new classmate here," as she points to Michael, "was in the midst of regaling us with his opinion on our personal scents. I take it you boys have found the rest of the institute to be up to code? We were just about to do likewise and find out what the state of the aquatic facilities are here."
A little more calmed down now, Mike again speaks.
Oh cool. I myself am going for biology. Genetics, in particular. Trying to figure out what makes us tick. We actually just left the pool area. It's in the sub basement, with the labs. You have to check this stuff out. The computers are incredible!
I don't think it's just chemicals. It's all over her. It almost smells like matches. Phosphorous maybe. So unless she took a bath in it, I bet it has to do with her power.
Julia perks up at the talk of genetics and the magic word, 'labs'.
"Interesting. Have you followed the work of Dr. Mullis and his polymerase chain reaction? Before you know it we'll be on the cusp of unlocking the whole of the genetic code in our DNA. Did you happen to see if the institute has a scanning tunneling microscope while you were down in the labs? I've desperately wanted to get my hands on one of those."
Mike perks up too, his anxiety disappearing amidst the excitement of discussing science.
I know! It's amazing. To sequence and crack the mystery of life and, well, us, it's simply a mindbogglingly huge leap for all of humanity. Hell, given enough time, mutations could be induced or removed, cloning the responsible sections of DNA in or splicing them out. I didn't manage see all of the lab, but with the stuff I did see down there, I wouldn't be surprise if it had something 20 years beyond scanning tunneling microscope. Seriously, just the monitors alone are amazing. Flat, no vacuum tubes.
Alex looks a little emphatically at Mike when hes thoughts flash before her minds eye.
That kid will have had it tough with his powers
Alex remains seated but introduces herself normally.
When Alex hears Jackson measuring girls (she has heard thoughts like these before) and Vince's thoughts about Julia a quick flash of anger crosses her face, which she quickly masks, and the remainder of Julia's sandwich flies against Jackson and Vince's head.
"Oh dear what happened there. Seems like this place is haunted, he he."
I hate that type of boy, reducing us to a set of numbers. And the other one is a straight up sexist. At least Mike seems like he has a good character.
You'd think it was the sandwich flying towards his face that set Jackson off, but it seems like something Mike said has him a bit alarmed.
"W-w-WHAT? Mike, back up..." he yells, while nonchalantly ducking out of the sandwich's path.
"Induced mutations? Cloning and splicing specific DNA sequences.... Oh hell no.
No. NO. NO. I won't be a lab rat. I need to get out of here.
"And do you find that to be particularly exciting? Especially given our genetic differences? That kind of research, if commercialized, would give way to designer babies where people like us are wiped or, worse yet, sought out!" his voice lowers to a conspiratorial whisper, "What if this institute is some sort of play pen where they monitor us, run tests on us, all in hopes to build an army of the future, made up of soldiers gifted with our DNA?"
His mind races...
with Mike's intelligence, heightened senses, and ability to harm others, Vinny's speed, and my--
He stops, smiles, puts his hands up and says
"Psych! I'm just playin'! Yeah, there's a pool downstairs if y'all wanna go check it out. It's real nice. Also, not sure if y'all are into running, but the three of us are plannin' on a nice 10-mile run and a work out in the mornin' if you're int'rested."
Michael, in turn, goes off on Jackson.
That technology can lead to those things, but it can lead to so many other better things. Curing genetic disease, understanding how we work, improving ourselves, the possibilities are honestly endless. And yeah some mutations are dangerous, to themselves and others, but with the technology to manipulate DNA we could turn those off or alter them. I'm not saying that the technology should be commercialized or that super soldiers should be made. It should be used to better ourselves, improve our lives. It's like the discovery of fusion. Yes the knowledge can be used to make terrible, terrible weapons, but it can be used as a force for good with power generation, giving us cheap, clean, and renewable energy, or at least eventually. Discoveries and innovations will happen, but bad things don't have to develop from them. Fear doesn't have to rule scientific advancement.
He seems to grow angrier as time goes on, and you swear that he grows larger. He's practically growling by the end of it. But after he closes his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.
10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Ok, we're good.
Sorry about that. It's a subject I'm a little passionate about. But yeah, that lab downstairs is amazing, Julia. And we couldn't even get access to all of it. The other sub basement is protected by some sort of biometric device. The medbay and apparently a hangar too.
"So any idea what your powers are Whisp? What about yours Catalyst. Prof said I am a telekinetic with telepathic powers, or vice versa. He also said that with training and exercise I could use them in all sorts of ways. Though right now I am more interested in not making things float by accident though." Alex says with a wink. "By the way if we ever want to joke around with the boys I can set up a telepathic link that we can talk to each other without using our mouths. Could be fun. Maybe I could also send my voice in their heads and act like I am the professor..."
"Ah come on Julia, where is your sense of adventure, nothing bad can come from a quick swim right? What time is it right now?"
"My powers? Well, let me see I can do this thing,.. it's kind of weird. It's like my whole body sort of um.... changes into, well, something. That's one of the things the Prof said he wanted to figure out; what it is I mean. Anyway, when I'm like that I can move pretty quick, and even through some stuff - like people, although that seems to hurt 'em. Its only actually happened once. The Prof said I might even be able to leave the ground - like fly or something. as she continues she starts to blush, "I don't really want to try it right now. Last time, well, let's just say that one of the things I went through was my, um.. clothes. The Prof says that he thinks I can learn how to take them with me, which'd be a BIG improvement!"
As Julia speaks about doing well at school and staying out of trouble, Iz leans back and surreptitiously rolls her eyes and has a go at directing her thoughts at Alex. Oh. god! She's a nerd! We're going to have to work on her if we want to have any fun!
As Mike fumblingly introduces himself Iz smiles, trying to restrain a laugh. "Hey, Mikey. Like Julia said my name's Isabelle, but I don't like that much. Call me Iz." When she hears Psyforce's voice in her head she grins.
At Jackson's invitation Iz smiles. "You mean like before classes start? Like wake up early? I don't think so! Now I wouldn't mind a game of soccer or something after school, but I don't get out of bed until I absolutely have too! The pool sounds great though. I've got my gear up in my room. Do you think we've got time before this 'orientation' thing?"
At Jackson's invitation Iz smiles. "You mean like before classes start? Like wake up early? I don't think so! Now I wouldn't mind a game of soccer or something after school, but I don't get out of bed until I absolutely have too! The pool sounds great though. I've got my gear up in my room. Do you think we've got time before this 'orientation' thing?"
Excited, Jackson starts to stumble over his own words too
"Y-yeah, I'm just used to waking up early but if you wanna go on a run any time of day, or to just uh work out or something or just even hang out or whatever, we could play soccer, even, I'm your guy. To play sports with. I don't know if we have time, b-but we can race? First one to their rooms, and back down to the elevator with their gear wins?"Aw, c'mon Jackie! Be cool!
"Aww I think Julia and Mike hit it off nicely, they could both do with someone who has the same interest.
The other two boys I'm not so sure of yet. They had stupid jock thoughts, hence the sandwich. I'll hit them next time they think something similar, maybe I can condition them or something hehe."
A smile suddenly comes to Alex's face, but you don't know why for sure.
"I don't think the prof is a bad guy who plans to experiment on us at all. He's in the same boat as we are if you hadn't noticed.
And I'm not waking up early just to run about, there's plenty of time doing that after classes.
You boys go play soccer, me and Izzy are going to the pool, right?"
Can I try to use telekinesis to tie Jackson and Vince's shoelaces together? Not sure what I have to do to have it done unnoticed.
As she's taking a sip from her can of "New Coke" Iz suddenly seems to choke, spraying the bench. "Ooops,.. sorry about that, this stuff tastes like crap! Just goes to show, you shouldn't mess with a classic!" she gives Alex a quick look.
"Thanks for that! I just got an image of my pet cat when we used to spray him with a water bottle!.. Actually i guess you probably saw that."
"Right let's go then. You coming Julia, or do ya want to stay here talking about school work?"
Regardless of Catalyst's answer Iz jump down from the bench and throws her can at the bin, making her way upstairs with Alex.
"So what were they thinking? Bet they were checking you out yeah? God it must be weird being able to know what they're like inside their heads. Are they as gross as you'd guess? I suppose its all about sex? I heard that boys think about sex like seventy times a day or something. Is that true?"
Psyforce goes upstairs, but looks back to see if the boys trip over their own feet.
"The black kid was taking our measurements, I'm not sure it was sex related, maybe something he does automatically. The Italian one thought Julia shouldn't do science if she wants to get married. Guess he is intimidated by a smart girl, so pathetic. So it could have been worse, I'm used to worse." Alex's face becomes a little sullen as she thinks about the things she picked up over the years.
"But yeah, boys think a lot about sex, the jocks just want to have sex with the prettiest girls even if they already have a girlfriend and the geeks adore you and just want to kiss you. It's so weird, why does it always have to be so physical with them."
"Mike seems nice though, albeit a little awkward around girls, I think he is a nice guy at heart. Though his powers might give him trouble, I think he changes into something else if he gets angry or stressed, he kept counting down from 10."
Alex picks out her bathing suit, slippers and towel. She will change down by the pool, there should be changing rooms there and she doesn't want to give the boys a look at her body. She's proud of it, but hearing those thoughts, ugh.
"Don't worry about me reading minds though, I'll keep them a secret if I accidentally pick up something personal. I'll do my best to keep it under control. For now lets have some fun at the pool." She smiles again, happy to have found someone from whom she doesn't have to hide her powers and isn't scared of them.
He said a girl shouldn't do science? What the... well we'll show him. Didn't seem all that smart anyway. Jeez. If there's one thing that might get me to actually study it'd be an idiot like that.. well maybe not actually study, but you know, make sure I get a better score than him anyway."
Following Psyforce's lead, Whisp grabs her swim suit and towel and follows the other girl to the lift. Once they reach the pool she lets out a yelp of joy. Wow! this place is awesome! Let's go it's way too hot to let that go to waste!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
As soon as the girls step out, Jackson swings his arms as if he were playing baseball
"swwwing and a miss. Whatever, I'm not here for that. So when's this orientation kickin'off?"
Julia takes the offered flying sandwich from Vincenzo and drops it back in the trash. As much as she would like to keep chatting about science with Michael, Julia allows herself to be dragged along by the other girls, "We'll continue this conversation another time, yes?" Before they exit the kitchen, Julia gives the three a look, "I suppose I'll be seeing you three at orientation shortly. Remember, don't be late."
Upstairs, Julia shakes her head at Alex and Isabelle's boy talk, "Men, as with all animals, are driven primarily by hormones. You can mask it under the pleasant sheen of civility but peel back the layers and you'll find they each act much in the way a dog or monkey would." At the anger over the sexist thoughts, she shrugs, "That is his own hang-up and on him, it does not bother me one bit. Women are just as capable as men in every field of study except maybe the ability to pee standing up and self-enjoyment of your own noxious emissions." As they get into the elevator to look for the pool, Julia seems to stare off in space for a moment, "At least they don't all seem hopeless." Michael seemed to be intelligent and worth having a conversation with... or two.
Yeah we should. Bye. See you later.
She seems interesting. A little up tight, but I'm pretty sure that's a facade. It will be nice to have someone to talk science with here. None of the others seem particularly intelligent. Not dumb, just not smart.
Turning back to the boys and making another sandwhich, Shouldn't be long now. We should be able to find a clock somewhere. What should we do now? Just wait around for orientation, or explore more?
"Why Julia it sounds like you have a little crush on Mike. There's a good girl letting your primal instincts loose, rawr." Alex teases.
Julia masks a blush behind a gloved fist over her mouth and a forced cough. She fiddles with her glasses, straightening them afterward, "I suppose the occasional exception in the system helps to prove the rule. Regardless, I have no time for silly activities such as swooning over boys when there are more pressing matters that I must concern myself with."
Like figuring out a solution to my condition.
As 3pm rolls around, Professor Xavier gather you into a classroom that could easily sit thirty students, but the six of you are the only ones present with the professor. He offers an appraising look at each of you, and clears his throat. His voice is strong and confident, radiating a serenity that is hard to ignore.
Welcome, students to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. I am glad that you have used the few hours between your arrival and this orientation to get to know one another and briefly explore the campus. I sense that you have many questions from even such a brief perusal of what the school has to offer.
He clicks a button on his wheelchair and a screen behind him starts a slide show, matching the images to the features he speaks about. The school has advanced equipment designed to aid you in both physical and mental training: a full pool, gymnasium, and exercise facilities, computer lab, science labs, a fully stocked library, spacious areas for outdoor activities, and other amenities. These facilities are just the surface of the school, however, and, while important to your development as young adults, also serve to mask the true purpose of the school.
The images change to reveal a large, metallic chamber with highly reflective surfaces covering every inch. The true purpose of the School is to train and develop the special gifts each of you possess as mutants. Some of you come here seeking to control these gifts, and to learn how to use them only when you wish. That is the fundamental purpose of the school, but each of you has the potential to do great things with these abilities. My intention is to help you reach that potential, not only for your own benefit, but for the benefit of all mankind. This room is a special training facility. Designated the Danger Room, it is designed not only to test the limits of your abilities, but to be a safe place within which to use them. Furthermore, it is capable of simulating any environment or situation you may find yourselves in.
Clicking another button, the image changes to the X-Costumes. While practicing in the Danger Room, students will be required to wear specially designed uniforms. A gift from Reed Richards, these uniforms are created using a special material called unstable molecules. They will adapt to your abilities and are resistant to normal variations of temperature and pressure. Additionally, they contain comlinks to allow you to communicate with each other, as well as sensors which will aid in monitoring and analyzing your health and the use of your abilities.
He draws in a long breath, gazing into each of your eyes as he speaks, and a weight seems to come upon him. Make no mistake, we are living in uncertain times for mutantkind. When fear reaches the heart of mankind, hatred soon follows. We must control the dangers presented by our abilities and utilize them to spread peace and understanding. At times, this is a heavy burden, but it is one I have chosen the six of you to help me bear. I know you are all capable of greatness, and in the days to come, that capability will be tested again and again.. It is more than your extraordinary abilities that set you apart, it is your extraordinary character that gives me hope for the future of both man- and mutant- kind, and it is because of these factors that the world will know you as the X-Men.
--------------
At first mockingly dumbfounded and then sincerely excited, Jackson starts out at a whisper
".....So you're not going to harvest our DNA in order to build super soldiers? Y-you want us to B-BE super soldiers? When do I begin?!"
So THIS is what you signed me up for, Pops! That explains the training!
He pumps his fists in excitement, and starts to dance in his seat.
Alex raises her hand after Jacksons super soldier rant he really is a jock
"Professor? What about normal classes and science. Do we still have to do them as well? And there isn't anyone else on the grounds besides us seven. Will you give all the classes and trainings? And most importantly, can we customize our outfits? The colour pallet doesn't really suit my or Izzy's complexion."
Professor Xavier smiles ever so slightly at Jackson's enthusiastic response, while simultaneously gauging the reactions of the others.
Excellent questions, Alex. The school will have normal classes indeed. I believe that it is essential to develop your minds as well as your physical bodies. To that end, sessions will begin at 8 am and run through 3 pm much as a regular school would. Danger Room training sessions will occur during non-class times. The rest of the students and faculty will be joining us in September if your schoolwork and training is proceeding according to schedule. I thought it prudent to spend a few months focusing on control and concealment before introducing any distractions from that work.
He raises an eyebrow The uniforms' design was done by Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, Reed Richards' fiance. While the design itself is immutable, I believe Mr. Fantastic mentioned a chameleon ability in the fabric that should allow the color schemes to be altered. I'll ask him for the programming. Most importantly? the thought leaks from Xavier's normally steel-trapped mind.
I know some of you are apprehensive of the prospect, but Jackson has the essence of it. While I would hesitate to call you soldiers, there are those who believe a war is coming.
The image behind him changes to a menacing figure in red and purple hovering over the bodies of protestors clutching at anti-mutant signs. This man calls himself Magneto. In my absence over the past few years, he has slowly been building a force of his own. They have been preparing to wage war against humanity. I believe that their efforts, if unopposed, will spell the end of any hope for peace, and, as a result, the end of our species.
Reclining on her desk chair next to Alex, and feeling much more refreshed after the swim, Iz speaks up without raising her hand"So what you're saying is that this is like a normal school, except that we're going to be trained to fight? Why us though?.. I mean I'm like only fifteen, and no-one else is much older I think. So, like this 'Magneto' dude, he's the guy we'd be fighting? I mean he looks kind've creepy, but what is he, like seventy years old? And those uniforms, they do look a bit um,... revealing if you know what I mean?"
I ... appreciate your concerns, Izabelle. Let me assure you that it is within your potential to do what I ask. There aren't many mutants Magneto's age, nor even my age. The first recorded mutant was Namor, Prince of Atlantis. He fought during the second Great War, alongside Captain America and the other 'Invaders'. Many more mutants are showing up each day, but homo sapiens still outnumber us by several million to one.
The uniforms are.. formfitting, true, but much less revealing than the typical swimsuit or even most gymnastic clothing young people are wearing these days. In fact, they should serve wuite well to conceal your identities in public.
Yes, Vincenzo, there is St. Peter's Church in Salem Center, a few miles down the road.
Jackson looks toward Vincenzo through the corner of his eye and thinks to himself he's so traditional...is this kid straight from Italy or what? Is he connected?
This time raising his hand (rather meekly, at that), he says B]"I'll stand beside you and fight...it's what I've spent most of my life learning how to do...but I just need to know [/b] hi lighthearted demeanor breaks into a tone much more serious.."Sir,...why.. Why us? Why were we born different? I've been askin myself that every night since...my mother passed it started... I just can't...?" he shakes his head in defeat...
"Do we have to hurt anyone? People? Without...gifts?"
At first, Michael is stunned.
So he wants us to be super heroes. Like Captain America and Namor? Ho. ly. S%&%. This is awesome. I expected training, but this whole place is like a sci fi novel. A room that can simulate environments? Advanced computers? Suits that adapt to its wearers unique physiology? This is awesome. I've read these for years, but I never thought I could be apart of something like this. But why, out of all of the possibilities, did you choose us. I mean my powers are, under normal circumstances, useful, but not particularly good in a fight. It's not like telekinesis or immortality. And when turned, I'm powerful, but I can't control it. I turn into a monster, a beast. I'd be a liability, a danger to the others. And I'm not entirely sure training can help. As far as I can tell, it's getting harder not to turn and harder to turn back. I'm getting further from controlling it as time passes, not better. When I turn, it's like being a wild animal. I can be peaceful, but threatened, I act on instinct, out of fear or anger. And Sometimes hunger. What if I hurt my team? What if I hurt innocent people?"
He breaks out of his reverie in time to hear Jackson's question, absentmindedly answering it reflexively.
"It's in our genes. Certain places in our genome are significantly different than the population. It's probably different for all of us, but the core mechanics are the same, mutations changing certain aspects of our physiology from the normal populations. But Professor, what about the other students? Are they mutants too? Or are they more cover?