Warren Worthington III straightened his tie, then knocked lightly on the door. The big, imposing mansion stretched away to both sides for approximately a hundred yards either side. It was a big place, bigger even than the house he grew up in. The main difference, he guessed, is that this one had seen far more happy memories than the Worthington Residence. He could just about hear music playing softly inside.

Look around,
Where do you belong
Don't be afraid,
You are not the only one

A girl answered the door after a few seconds. Warren imagined that it had taken her that long to walk across the hallway. She was strikingly attractive, not least because her brown hair was so nicely offset by two blond streaks framing her face. "Can Ah help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I've been told that this is a training facility for mutants. I'd like to speak with whoever's in charge, please."

"That'll be Prof- Miss Munroe," she corrected herself. "Ah'm Rogue."

"Warren," he said, leaving out the surname. He didn't want these people to know that the "mutant cure" that was being distributed was made by his father's company, especially a safehouse for mutants. That was, in Warren's opinion, just asking for trouble.

Don't let the day go by,
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by in doubt,
The answer lies within

She led him into a room where a few young teenagers were lounging about, watching television. It was showing the news, and the current item was on a Mutant breakout from the Worthington Lab in San Francisco. The replay showed a large pane of glass suddenly bulge outward and shatter as someone hurled themselves through the window outside. He plummeted down, down, down…

And then pure white wings sprang from his back, catching the air and pulling him out of the dive to skim above the crowd of mixed humans and mutants. He flew away, over the Bay, and out of sight.

Life is short, so learn from your mistakes
And stand behind, the choices that you made
Face each day with both eyes open wide
And try to give, don't keep it all inside

The kids were all chattering away about the man who'd leapt from the window, and didn't seem to notice he was there. His wings twitched beneath the new harness, and the shirt and suit jacket rustled slightly. One of them suddenly swung round and stared at him. "Who're you?"

"I'm Warren," he said.

"Oh. Are you a mutant?" asked the teen.

"Yes, I am."

"What do you think about that guy then?" he demanded, pointing at the screen. "He just busted out of that window to escape the cure. Man, that was like twenty floors up. Had to have been desperate."


Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt,
The answer lies within

In doubt? Well, he wasn't his father. He suddenly realized that he'd been under iron rule for most of his life, and was sick of it. His father's money had paid for one of the finest educations, and Warren had never wanted for anything. In return, Warren had had the security of knowing that nothing would happen to him.

He had always been in his father's shadow, and it was now time to step outside of the darkness. His father's reputation had protected him, but now, especially in this place, it could lead to trouble.

Screw it, he thought. It's time I made my own way in life.

"I was," he replied quietly.


You've got the future on your side
You've gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You are gonna shine

He suddenly had the attention of all the people in the room. The puck neatly slotted itself in one of the goals on the air-hockey table, but went unnoticed.

"You're the guy?" asked the kid, in a hushed whisper. "Where are your wings?"

"Beneath the jacket."

"So it's your dad that's made this cure available…"

Warren decided to cut this off before it could go any further. "He… he caught me trying to hack them off when they first appeared when I was twelve. Ever since then, he's been trying to find a cure for my mutation. He finally found one, and he's now offering it to anyone who wants it." His voice turned bitter. "This is what he wants, for me, but every other mutant in the country, maybe even the world, will have the option, as well."

Rogue popped her head round the door. "They're having a discussion, but it should be okay to go in. What're y'all staring at him for?"

Warren left the room quickly, as a babble of voices broke out behind him. "He's the guy at the lab!" "Jumped through a window!" "Twenty stories!" "Angel wings…"


Don't let the day go by
Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
You re ready to begin
He entered the room to see an older teenaged boy, a slightly younger girl, an attractive black woman with white hair, and the Secretary for Mutant Affairs, Henry McCoy. They stopped talking as he walked in.

"I was told this was a safe place for mutants," he said, uncertainly.

"Well, it was, son," said McCoy, recognizing him instantly.


Don't let a day do by in doubt
The answer lies within

"And it still is," said the older woman resolutely.