When the Different Ones Awaken
"Hey, I heard you found a relic from the past," were the first words Tony said as he walked into the base. It seemed he had become quite a frequent visitor around here, although he never actually did anything and then disappeared to who knows where.
"Are you talking about your dear father's best friend?" Owen replied with a mocking look as he set his coat down on the sofa, after moving some of Nicolas' moving boxes. Nicolas himself was sitting there calmly, his hands bandaged, not helping at all.
"So it's true. Captain America is still alive?" Banner asked with interest, not far from them.
It looked like Nicolas had already taken care of telling them the story.
"Yes. Fury took him with him," Owen said calmly.
"To S.H.I.E.L.D.? Didn't you say it was full of Hydra spies?" Tony asked, frowning seriously.
"Yeah. Seems like he's going to use him to clean house. The men who were there that day haven't been seen again. Except Barton," Owen said, his expression serious.
"You don't mean..." Tony muttered, making a gesture with his hand to imply Fury had ordered them all killed.
"No idea. He might have locked them up, too," Owen said with a shrug.
It was then that the general entered.
"No. Knowing Fury, they were probably eliminated to keep them from leaking information. He'll only keep those he truly trusts close. And even then, he'll have his one good eye on you at all times," Nathaniel said gravely, as everyone turned to look at him.
"That's the difference between him and us. We take care of our people," he added, glancing at Nicolas.
"So what do we do? Lend them a hand dealing with Hydra?" Tony asked as he calmly sat down on one of the sofas.
"No. That's their problem. If something like that happened to us, they'd definitely take the opportunity to dismantle our group and try to force us to join them. And above all, with us around, neither Hydra nor S.H.I.E.L.D. will want a confrontation that might harm civilians, because that would make us get involved. Still, it would be wise to track down some of their bases. After all, I don't believe S.H.I.E.L.D. is the only one with infiltrators," Nathaniel said seriously.
"So we'll attack Hydra without helping S.H.I.E.L.D. Either way, we'll be helping them from the outside," Owen remarked with a mocking smile.
"We're not monsters. Even if it's Fury, he's a necessary evil to protect the world," Nathaniel said calmly.
"And one more thing," he added, pulling out a tablet and playing a video for everyone to see.
On the screen appeared what looked like a humanoid lizard running in fear across a university campus. Then the image shifted to a little girl falling from the roof of her house, only to stop midair and float gently to the ground. Finally, they showed a thief who, after stealing money from a store, was shot several times, but the bullets passed straight through his body as if he were intangible.
"Mutants," Owen said seriously as he watched the footage.
"That's what it seems. Some people have started manifesting those powers. For now, there are only a few, but maybe you should go speak with Professor Charles again. We already know what happens in this country when someone different appears," Nathaniel added with a grave expression.
"So first aliens and Norse gods, people from another universe… and now mutants among us. Great," Tony said with a bit of sarcasm. "All that's missing now is a planetary invasion, a giant sleeping in the depths of the ocean waking up, vampires, wizards, demons and… I don't know, maybe some insect protecting the city," he added mockingly, earning everyone's stare.
"Do you know what a death flag is?" Nicolas asked. "Doesn't matter—you've just triggered every single one you could," he said seriously.
Owen simply looked at Tony, thinking that at least he was good at listing problems.
"I'll go to the school and ask," Owen said calmly.
"Alright. The rest of you, find Hydra," Nathaniel ordered before leaving.
"Hey, is it just me, or does the old man look a little worried?" Nicolas asked with a serious look.
"Yeah. I always see that grumpy face of his," Tony said calmly.
"Well, the group was just created and too many things have started happening way too fast," Banner commented.
"And things are still far from calming down," Owen added with irritation.
...
Owen arrived at the school, watching several children who, as soon as they saw him, ran off to get away from him as if he were a threat.
"Really… you all should stop doing that. You make me feel like a monster," he murmured with a sigh, shaking his head.
When he reached the mansion door, it opened on its own, revealing Beast and Logan standing there waiting. This time, their postures were not as tense as before, though their eyes remained fixed on him with suspicion.
"Wow… just you two. But you really look so alike sometimes I think you must be related," Owen commented with a mildly annoyed smile, just to see Logan narrow his eyes in irritation.
"Get in. The Professor knew you'd come," Logan answered in his rough voice, turning on his heel to lead the way.
Owen followed silently. As they walked through the halls, he noticed that, although they were still keeping an eye on him, they were no longer pointing weapons or blocking his path as they had the first time. Some children were peeking at him from their hiding spots—behind doors, under the stairs, behind pillars. Their eyes shone with curiosity and fear.
A small blonde girl stared at him from a corner, so astonished that Owen gave her a soft smile and raised a hand in greeting. She startled and, overcome by fear, vanished straight through the wall. However, a moment later, she peeked out again, her half-hidden face watching him with a mix of fascination and caution.
At last, they reached the professor's office. The door opened by itself, revealing Charles Xavier sitting in his chair with a solemn bearing. Around him, several X-Men stood in heavy silence.
"Mr. Colt," the Professor greeted serenely, inclining his head slightly.
"Yeah, let's make this quick. You already know why I'm here," Owen said, glancing around with a note of boredom in his voice.
"Indeed. Although we don't know whether it's because of our arrival or simply the natural evolution of this world, it seems there are also people here with the mutant gene… and apparently, they're starting to awaken," Charles explained gravely. "I'd like to know what you plan to do about it. You must have contacts among the high command of the military, don't you?"
"Yes. Our group has the backing of several generals, all of them from our own side. The leader of our team… is basically the leader of theirs as well. He sent me first to learn from your experience… and to find out what happened in your world when mutants began to appear," Owen answered calmly.
"I see," Charles murmured, visibly a little more at ease. "That's a good start… trying to understand what could happen. And hurrying to avoid repeating our history."
"You have to know the past… to avoid repeating it," he added in a low voice, tinged with sadness.
"I suppose," Owen conceded.
"Follow me," Charles said as his wheelchair began to move down the hallway. Owen accompanied him in silence.
After crossing several rooms, they arrived at a large hall filled with screens and consoles. The technology surpassed even Stark's, something that caught Owen's attention.
"I'll try to summarize what happened in our world… but there are too many details. This may take a while," Charles warned before pressing a key.
The screens lit up with images that looked like something out of a nightmare: cities reduced to rubble, columns of fire staining the gray sky, colossal machines hunting down humans and mutants alike. The entire world looked like a graveyard in ruins.
"In our world… when the first mutants started to be born, the hatred was immediate," Jean Grey began, her voice restrained, though her eyes reflected bitter memories. "They treated us as if we were a disease. Armed mobs went out every night to hunt us down, burning our houses, dragging children away while they slept."
"It got worse when the government decided we were a threat," she continued in a hushed voice. "Because of Magneto… the man you faced here. For years, he tried to prove that humans would never accept us. He founded a country of mutants, promised we would be free… but it was an illusion. It was all an excuse to prepare for total war."
Jean drew in a deep breath, as if struggling to keep her composure.
"When that failed, governments began experimenting on our people. Some died in labs… others simply disappeared. And then someone invented the so-called 'cure,' a serum that was supposed to erase the mutant gene. The result was the extermination of more than half of our kind."
On another screen, a military scientist appeared demonstrating a robot prototype that changed shape, adapting to each mutant it faced.
"These machines… they built them for a single purpose: to hunt us down. But what they didn't foresee was that almost all of humanity carried the dormant mutant gene. Sooner or later, it would awaken. When it did, the machines stopped distinguishing. They started killing everyone."
Jean fell silent. Charles took over the story:
"The whole world turned into a battlefield. Humans blamed mutants because, without us, those machines would never have existed. Mutants blamed humans for creating them. And the machines… they just killed, mercilessly, endlessly. The only reason this mansion remained standing was an anonymous benefactor. Someone set up a protective barrier around these walls… it kept humans and the machines out. But it couldn't stop other mutants."
"When Magneto arrived with his followers, he demanded we hand over our young so they could fight in his war. We refused. That was the last battle we fought… because, in the middle of the fight, we ended up here. Some of his people crossed over with him… but most remained trapped back there, in that doomed world."
Owen listened in silence, a frown on his face. None of this matched any version of history he had ever heard.
"Magneto sounds like he was a monster… but here, he was so easy to…"
"To kill?" Jean interrupted, her calm voice filled with sorrow. "Magneto was never strong because of his power. He was strong because of his people… because of his conviction. But when he lost his daughter… something inside him broke. He didn't care about winning anymore. He just wanted everyone to burn together."
Charles bowed his head with bitterness.
"And it seems you are mistaken about something, Mr. Colt. Even if we have abilities, we are not as powerful as you imagine. It's as if you confuse us with others… with gods or monsters."
"Maybe you're right," Owen acknowledged in a quiet voice. "The story helps warn us of what could happen… but it doesn't solve the problem of mutants who might become a danger. I don't believe all of them are evil, but… some people, when they gain power, lose their sanity."
"We can't speak for those who choose that path," Charles replied, raising his gaze. "But if you wish, we can help those who don't want to do harm. We can teach them to control their gifts… and to live as ordinary citizens. To resist temptation."
"That would be helpful. I'm sure the general… the old man will have his own plans later. As for the malicious mutants… we'll handle them ourselves," Owen said serenely.
"About that… what if some of the X-Men worked with you?" Charles suggested.
"To show that not all mutants are a threat? That they also protect the innocent?" Owen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly," Charles confirmed, not hiding the hope in his voice.
"Alright," Owen agreed with a calm smile.
Everyone looked at him in surprise at how easily he accepted.
"Soon you'll see that you are… by no means… the strangest thing that can happen in this world," Owen said calmly before turning toward the door.