The next morning, Harry arrived at the Osborn Building to handle company affairs as usual.
Months of training and his superhuman mental speed had gradually allowed him to control the company's operations with ease. Removing his coat and hanging it on the new rack by the door, Harry sat down and began to review the day's documents.
The output value of Osborn Industries had remained steady, with no significant fluctuations. The files on his desk confirmed it—aside from a few major orders, most were grant applications for various research projects.
While Harry didn't fully understand every technical detail, his grasp of the current global level of science and technology allowed him to judge each proposal fairly well.
"Harry, there are people downstairs—a group of children. But… they all seem to be mutants."
Felicia hurried in as she spoke.
"Students from Xavier's Academy," Harry said, standing up immediately and heading toward the elevator.
"Did anyone find out who they are?" he asked, leaning casually against the glass wall of the elevator as it descended.
"No," Felicia replied. "They came with the business card you gave them, so the reception staff led them straight to the conference room."
"That's good." Harry exhaled in relief. Although he didn't take the police too seriously, any conflict would be troublesome—especially since he still carried the reputation of a superhero.
When they exited the elevator, the staff in the lobby watched curiously as Harry and Felicia walked into the meeting room.
"Mr. Osborn!"
Standing before them was a tall, broad-shouldered young man—an unmistakably strong European youth. When he saw Harry enter, his face lit up and he stepped forward eagerly.
"That's me." Harry reached out, shaking the young man's hand briefly.
Name: Piotr Nikolaevich Rasputin
Age: 19
Physical condition: Healthy
Ability: Organic Steel Transformation (40)
Items: None
Harry wasn't particularly impressed by this power. His gaze swept past Colossus and moved to the group of mutant children who stood up as he entered.
Colossus watched Harry's expression nervously. Though Dr. Jean Gray had told them they could come to Harry for help, he wasn't sure what Harry truly thought of mutants. If Harry turned them away now…
"Don't worry," Harry said with a small smile. "You can stay here until this is all over. The police won't find you."
"Thank you, Mr. Osborn!" Colossus said gratefully.
Harry smiled and clapped the young man on the shoulder. "Good."
Turning to Felicia, he said, "Arrange rooms for them and have someone prepare a proper meal."
"Understood." Felicia nodded and left the conference room.
"If you need anything, just tell Felicia—she'll take care of it. As for your teachers, I'll let them know you're here," Harry added before leaving the room.
As he walked away, he glanced at the newly updated data displayed before him.
Name: Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde
Age: 16
Physical condition: Healthy
Ability: Phase Shift (60)
Items: None
"Finally, something worthwhile," Harry muttered under his breath.
He had reviewed all the mutants' profiles in that meeting room, but the results weren't particularly satisfying. Perhaps mutants were indeed the most numerous kind of superpowered individuals in the world—but as Jean Gray had once said during the debate, not all mutant abilities were meant for combat. A few of the powers he'd seen among Xavier's students impressed him.
Back in his office, Harry headed straight down to the underground laboratory.
He opened a concealed compartment containing his equipment. Pieces of metallic armor immediately detached from their racks, flying toward him and attaching seamlessly to his body. His hoverboard activated under the control of his magnetic field, and he stepped onto it.
"Harry, where are you going?" Dr. Carl appeared, hearing the hum of the activated board.
"Doctor, I just remembered where that special metal is. I'm heading there now. Tell Felicia I might not be back tonight."
With that, Harry put on his mask. The hoverboard's jets flared, and he shot into the hidden tunnel.
"Plot a route from Boston to Lake Alkali," he instructed the onboard AI. "Activate the detection system once I enter the zone."
Though the source code Tony Stark had given him lacked the original Jarvis's personality, it still provided a robust interface once Harry loaded the proper data libraries. It wasn't perfect, but it worked far better than his old system.
Within seconds, the display inside his visor updated—the route was marked out cleanly.
The monotone voice prompt that followed made Harry frown slightly. Jarvis had been more lively, almost conversational. This one was… dull.
"Configuration confirmed."
"Settings complete."
"Yes, sir."
A series of cold, mechanical replies filled his ears. Harry smirked helplessly at the lifeless tone, then cloaked himself and the hoverboard in an invisible magnetic field. Adjusting the thrust output, he accelerated sharply.
…
Night fell quickly.
Deep within a dense forest, a group of people in strange attire gathered around a crackling campfire. Sparks popped and danced as they spoke in low, urgent tones.
A white-haired old man with sharp eyes stood before them, his voice steady.
"That man is Colonel William Stryker. His only goal in attacking the school is to seize the Cerebro—or gather enough components to build another."
"That doesn't make sense," Jean Gray said. "Stryker would need the Professor to operate it."
"I suspect that's the only reason my old friend is still alive," Magneto replied with a humorless chuckle.
"Oh my God," Storm muttered, pressing a hand to her forehead in frustration.
"What are you all so worked up about?" Wolverine asked, looking from face to face, completely lost.
"When Cerebro is activated," Magneto said coldly, "Charles's mind connects with every living being on the planet. If he's forced to focus on a particular group—say, mutants—he could kill every one of us."
The fire crackled in heavy silence.
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