Chapter 7: The Epilogue


Several weeks later, Hank earnestly watched as Charles placed the helmet back on his now close-cropped hair. He aided the professor in starting up Cerebro, and then stood back and watched as his creation came to life. He couldn't stop his proud grin.

"Brilliant work, Hank," Charles praised him with a beam. He focused on what he knew best: the minds of others. After skating the surface of thousands of different thoughts, still caught up in the sheer amount of mutants that still remained out there, he then tried his hand at Hank's latest addition to the machine. He focused on the uploaded strand of DNA. The first was Peter's. He wanted to find the boy's mother, and let him know whether or not she was indeed alive.

Unsurprisingly, Peter's mind popped up immediately. Erik's mind was there as well. There were two others floating about, much fainter in relation to Peter's DNA, but Charles kept note of their location and was mindful about their, well, minds. It didn't appear that Peter's mother was still out there, and Charles was slightly disheartened by the fact. At least the other two pinpoints were possible relations. Cousins, maybe? Aunts or uncles the boy had never met?

Charles was very happy about how well Cerebro appeared to working with the new adjustment, so he fiddled with the machine and uploaded the second strand of DNA: Erik's.

There were four bright spots that stood out strongly against the pale gray backdrop. Charles touched upon the one that he had searched for. That was Erik. Then the next one, that matched his initial search. Peter. Who were the other two?

Charles brow knit in confusion. They were the same two from Peter's search; much bolder in their brightness in this exploration than they had been in the first. Curious, Charles touched upon them, and physically drew back in surprise.

"Um, Hank?"

"Yeah?" Hank sounded just as confused as the professor did.

"Do you see what I see?"

"I do, Professor."

"I don't mean to-"

"No, I understand. It's a new program. Maybe it needs some tweaking..." Hank trailed off.

"Actually, Hank," Charles sounded resigned to the fact. "I believe that what I'm looking at is extremely accurate."

"So, there's not one..."

"Or two..."

"But three?"

"So it seems, Hank. So it seems."

"Oh boy."


The End.

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