Rise of the Mystic Mutants tale of Henry John Braddock

by Read my stuff 007

Henry John Braddock was born in another world, he grew up as a weapon for a government organization. After fourteen years, he was freed. For the next eight, he studied to prove himself more than just a killer. Now he sets out into the world to make his mark, but before long, his old skills will be called back into play as hidden elements threaten to destroy his new home.

7. Chapter 6

Rise of the Mystic Mutants the Tale of Henry John Braddock

Chapter 6

The following day, Giovanni, Madalyn, Lily, and Henry soared through the air in a translucent pale green bubble. Miles upon miles of water stretched out below them. Every once in a while, a gentle wind would create small waves on the rippling blue water.

Standing beside Giovanni, Henry eagerly stared forward, impatiently waiting to catch his first glimpse of Hampton Island.

Giovanni agreed to train him, but the tone of his voice told Henry there was something more to it than that. However, before he began his training, he wanted to use some specialized technology from Hampton village to get an idea of Henry's potential.

Giovanni also wanted to inform the inhabitants of Hampton Island about James Benedict Potter's involvement with the Weapon X facility. Separate from Eden village, they had more autonomy since they shipped many goods and technology across Europe, while Eden village chose to stay a closed community.

A soft chuckle broke him out of his thoughts, and Henry glanced at Giovanni with a raised eyebrow. The man smiled at him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see you excited; it means the facility did not damage you as much as I feared, but you won't be able to see Hampton Island."

Henry opened his mouth, but Giovanni beat him to it. "There is cloaking technology around the island that partially phases the island out of reality."

"Did the Lebows create the technology?"

"You know about the Lebows?" Giovanni asked a note of surprise in his voice.

"Their technology changed the world, even if nobody knows it. Actions like that send ripples through the astral," Henry looked away, "I was hoping they wouldn't mind training me."

He glanced at Giovanni, "You're good at what you do, but I was hoping to broaden my education."

"That's not a bad idea, and Mary Lebow owes me a favor." Giovanni glanced at Madalyn, "Do you think your grandmother would be willing to help?"

"We'll have to run a test to see what he is fully capable of," Madalyn tapped her lip, "but if we're going to teach him biology manipulation, it may be best to contact my grandfather." She turned to Lily, "There is technology on the island that can give us an idea of Henry's capabilities. Do you mind if we use it to determine how best to teach him?"

Lily glanced at her son, 'what do you think?'

'Madalyn already has a rough idea of what I can do. Besides, just because they know what I could potentially do doesn't tell them how I use my abilities.'

"I will be watching the procedure the entire time," Lily answered in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Of course," Giovanni and Madalyn said together.

"Look!" Cain shouted, his arm jutting forward, nearly poking Henry in the back of the head.

A large island with various landscapes stretched out before them, tall buildings of white stone clustered together in its center, the silver accents reflecting the morning sun's light. More buildings were carved into a large cliff overlooking the city.

A castle made of gray stone sat in a plane of short grass. Large red feathered birds sat on the dark red tile roof. Children moved in and out of the castle or sat around it. Flashes of light burst to life every once in a while; as they showed their ever-growing abilities to one another.

'I don't think I would fit in there,' Henry thought as he tore his gaze away from the island to take in the transparent dome that seemed to shimmer in the sun's light.

Looking at the island, he noticed a contrast in the landscape. "This island has been underwater before."

"Good eye," Giovanni commented, "when the inhabitants of this island came here decades ago, most of it was underwater."

"There was only a single building standing. As you can see, that is no longer the case," Giovanni gestured towards the island, "by combining their abilities, they built what you see before you. It is a testament to what people can do when they work together."

They began drifting downwards, a small hole opening in the dome just big enough to fit the bubble. Henry tensed as the bubble walls scraped against the edges of the barrier.

They drifted down, settling on a circular piece of asphalt with multiple paths branching off from it.

Henry looked around him, a faint glow to his eyes as he reached out with his mind searching for hostile threats, "Where do we go now?"

Giovanni began leading the way down one of the paths, "Now we go find the people in charge and update them on recent events."

Lily moved beside Henry, "Are you sure that is wise, given what we know?"

Giovanni kept his gaze forward. "This island was founded after the portal event. The people who founded it were directly affected by said event, and I think they would be very interested to know who caused it."

"They probably would, but given what we know now, our enemy may have agents here," Lily countered.

"I won't be giving them the information out loud or unprotected."

–XX –

The small group entered a white room with a red carpet. A large half-circle table sat before a large window that took up the back wall. Four people were seated at the table, half hidden by the light coming through the window.

Giovanni snapped his fingers, the window taking up the back wall tinted, dimming the room's light.

With a buzzing hum, circular recessed lighting clicked on.

Giovanni looked at Lily, Henry, and Cain, "May I introduce you to the governing body of Hampton village."

Suddenly, Madalyn stepped forward, her eyes locked on a tall, stout figure sitting at the far-left end of the table, "Grandpa."

As one, Lily, Henry, and Cain turned to stare at the woman. "Grandpa?" They questioned in unison.

Madalyn's grandfather was 6'3" tall with blue eyes and Brown hair. Slight stubble covered the pale skin of his square jaw and slightly rounded chin. He rose to his feet.

Dressed in a white polo shirt and khakis, he moved around the table and approached his granddaughter, who came to meet him.

After a quick hug, they pulled apart, "This," Madalyn introduced, keeping one arm around her grandfather, "is my grandfather Lionel Jeffries."

Henry looked at him, his Emerald eyes alight with an inner glow, "He's not from this world."

Everyone in the room turned to look at him, "How do you know that?" Giovanni asked

"His memories are slightly different from what I know of this world's history."

"Henry John!" Lily rebuked

"In his world, there was no Charles Xavier or even Erik Eisenhardt," Henry continued as if he hadn't heard his mother, "because of that, there was no one to paint the mutants in a better light. We were all seen as weapons, hunted for slaves, killed, or experimented on." He blinked, looking away bashfully, "Sorry," he mumbled, "security measures and old habits die hard."

Lionel cleared his throat, "It's fine, and you are correct. As you said, I come from Earth 11,326, its history and treatment of mutants were unpleasant, so I'm much happier to be here."

Giovanni cleared his throat, "Yes, well." He introduced his group before turning to the other three occupants in the room. "You've met Lionel; he is the best doctor Eden village has. Though, I don't know what he's doing here?"

"I'm training an apprentice to fill my position here," Lionel explained as he moved back around the desk.

"Ah," Giovanni nodded before focusing on the group behind the table again, "Next, we have Mary Lebow."

Henry perked up, his eyes instantly locking onto the woman. She was 5'8" tall and curvy, with a moderate bust and blue eyes. A short white mohawk ran down the center of her bald head and fell off to one side.

"She," Giovanni continued, "along with the rest of her family, take care of the infrastructure of the city. Although," a smile tugged the corners of his lips, "I'm surprised to find her here instead of in a lab experimenting."

"I drew the short straw," Mary muttered, looking away from the group.

Giovanni snorted, "Of course you did. Next, we have Luna Lovegood Longbottom, intelligence and security specialists. If she hadn't given the okay, you wouldn't be allowed to be in this room, let alone meet these people."

Luna Lovegood Longbottom was 5'3" tall with pale skin, slightly pointed ears, blue eyes, and platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a blue blazer, pale blue button-down shirt, dark blue skirt, opaque blue stockings, and shoes.

Henry looked at Luna, but before he could reach out to her mind, his mother laid a hand on his shoulder.

'Stop it.'

"Finally," Giovanni continued, "we have Neville Longbottom, husband to Luna and head of food production for the island."

Neville was 6'3" tall with broad shoulders, a square face, dirty blonde hair, and dark Hazel eyes.

The sleeves of his plaid shirt were rolled up to the elbows of his thick arms.

"Isn't it dangerous to have all your leadership in one room?" Henry asked.

"They were having their monthly meeting today; it's why I brought you here," Giovanni answered.

"And what do you need from us, Giovanni," Luna asked, her voice light with a slight musical quality.

"For the next eight years, I will be training Henry," he gestured at the boy in question, "to get the best results, I wanted to use your facilities to measure his potential." He looked at Mary, "I also wanted to ask for your help in training him," he glanced at Jeffries, "yours as well, if you don't mind?"

"Why should we waste our resources training a stranger?" Neville asked in a deep voice with narrowed eyes.

Giovanni glanced at his group, "Madalyn, why don't you take the others and show them around the island?"

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but Giovanni locked eyes with her.

'I will explain later.'

Glancing at Madalyn, Lily gave her a slow nod, and their small group left the room together.

As the door closed behind them, Giovanni stared at the group, his arms folded behind his back. A flare of power burst to life around them as his voice sounded in their minds, 'I did a lot for your founding village over the last 1000 years, including starting the Solomon Academy of magic and introducing a new style of magic that makes it where you don't have to depend on forces from outside reality to have great power.'

His gaze panned around the room, 'I have helped train some of you personally,' his gaze locked on Mary, 'while others grew in power from the Academy. I have never asked you for anything in return for all my contributions. Well, I'm asking, but if that is not enough, I can tell you who is behind the portal incident, why they did it, and what they've been doing since or at least part of it.'

–XX –

Henry, Lily, Madalyn, and Cain moved through the streets of Hampton village.

Storefronts ran alongside a vast street, selling everything from clothes to technology. Extensive walkways ran overhead, connecting to more shops.

A bookstore caught Henry's eye, and he unconsciously angled his body toward it before stopping himself with a shake. It would be interesting to see what knowledge was like in other realities, but for now, they were in enemy territory.

Turning away from the store, Henry focused on the people around him. He didn't understand why they called it a village since the place was at least the size of a small city. "So," he began, his eyes bouncing between the elves, dwarves, and humans walking around them, "what do you think Giovanni is talking to those people about?"

"I have no idea."

"He's hiding something about why he decided to train me."

Lily's eyes narrowed, "I know, and I will find out what it is." She glanced at Henry, "Until he becomes a threat, accept his training; it never hurts to gain more knowledge. Especially if that knowledge can help you defend yourself."

"And on that note," Madalyn said, drawing out the first word she gestured around her, "this is Hampton village."

"It was founded after the portal incident because some people didn't feel safe in Eden. Like Eden, Hampton village gets most of its inhabitants by pulling in people about to die or in dire situations from other realities. Everyone on both islands beyond a certain age is required to work if physically able.

Those with disabilities are treated as best as possible and given a job that fits their limitations.

If someone is physically and mentally able to work but refuses to contribute to the island, their minds are wiped, and they are sent out into the world with a new history and the relevant knowledge to survive."

"What makes Hampton village different from Eden is they managed to find mutant families with unique bread abilities in their bloodline. A prime example is the Longbottoms; their mutant ability grants them druid-like powers and has for at least 2 to 3 generations."

"Why don't they help domestic mutants if this is a mutant village?" Henry asked, his gaze following an elf as she walked passed.

"Many people have that question, but at the moment, they haven't thought out a way to get domestic mutants here without someone taking notice."

"Sounds like an excuse to me."

Lily swatted the back of his head, "Be nice."

Henry glanced at her, "What, you know you were thinking it?"

'Yes, but thinking and saying it are two very different things.'

Lily focused on Madalyn, "So, how does the government work?"

"Well, first, any candidate is telepathically examined to make sure they want to serve the island for the right reasons instead of just doing it for power," Madalyn turned away from them, leading the way down the street, "then their contributions to the village are examined. Those who pass those two tests go through an election and are voted in by the people."

"So, the people we met," Cain asked, "they were voted in?"

"I am assuming."

"I saw a castle on our way in?"

"That was the Gilgamesh school of the Mystic arts."

Lily was about to ask about the school when Giovanni's voice sounded in their minds. 'Meet me at the research center.'

With a sigh, Madalyn began leading them back the way they came.

Henry moved beside her, "Where's the research center?"

"It was the dome you most likely saw when we were coming in," Madalyn shook her head, "Unfortunately, it's against the rules to fly in the city limits unless it is your only means of movement."

–XX –

The research center was a large dome-shaped building. Inside, the space was broken up into honeycomb shape segments, built from spatial expansion technology that allowed one to change the room's size without impeding another's space.

Henry floated in the center of a large circular runic array. Lines of runes ran from each rune that made up the circle, and each line was intersected with more runes and covered by a layer of glass.

Giovanni floated in the room, a silver band around his head.

Lily Braddock's astral form phased into existence beside him, "So, what have you learned?".

"Your son," Giovanni said, his eyes closed, "can manipulate the mind, matter, and energy, and his powers are still growing." With a twist of his wrist, Henry's skin faded away, revealing the tissue beneath. "That's not all. His body is reinforced by a secondary system of veins and nerves created by magical and psychic energy."

Lily's astral eyes flared as she looked at her son's body. She could see the thin hair-like threads of psychic energy running through his tissue overlaid atop his nerves, concentrating. The magical component came into existence.

Veins of glowing blue energy ran alongside his physical ones. These two energies created another circulatory and nervous system that flowed from his heart and spine.

"From what I'm seeing, this would allow him to increase his body's physical capabilities without worrying about burnout or destruction of his tissue."

"Smart woman."

"Indeed," she turned to look at him, "now why don't you tell me why we're here. It was a risk to bring us here, especially with what we learned about Eden village," she gestured in front of her, "you could've gotten this information through magical means, maybe not as detailed but you could've gotten it."

Giovanni was silent for a long moment, "This technology doesn't just give me a glimpse at your son's potential; it also allows me to look at his soul."

He glanced at Lily, "Your son will be my legacy in this world, and he will be the one I leave my knowledge to. Despite reassurances from others, I wanted to ensure I wasn't arming a psychopath with a nuke."

He turned to look back at Henry, "As an added benefit, the technology also allowed me to check your group. You made it easier by appearing here in your astral form."

"You are a very paranoid man."

"I've learned to be; the problems in this world are slightly different from my own and quite a bit more subtle."

"So, what have you learned?"

"Your good people at heart, you have lived through some horrible events, and you don't mind getting your hands dirty to accomplish your goals."

"What does that mean for Henry?"

"It's going to be an interesting eight years. I hope the world is ready."