Dr. Henry McCoy was standing in Grand Central station, dressed in a sharp business suit, hands clasped behind his back, scanning the train departure boards. His eyes soon locked on to the name he was after, and he walked off to the appropriate platform.
Under
the sun, there is nothing to hide
Under the moon, the stranger
waits inside
People disappear
The music fades away
Splashing
through the rain
I'll dream with them one day
The rain on the grand old roof of the station was soothing, in its own way, as he boarded the train to Westchester. He had important news to deliver to his old friend, Charles Xavier. Secretly he was delighted to have a chance to go back to the old mansion, and see who the current residents were.
It's
raining, raining,
On the streets of New York city
It's raining,
raining, raining deep in heaven
The mansion had seemed like heaven to him, all those years ago, before Xavier had had the accident that left him in a wheelchair. A fourteen-year-old boy who had one night turned blue and sprouted fur, had instantly attracted the attention of Xavier and Lehnsherr. They had removed him from school with the consent of his parents, and he enrolled at the Institute. Studying at a postgraduate level from fifteen onwards, with the added benefit of the Danger Room for exercise. It had been as close to perfect as it could get.
I
may have wasted all those years
They're not worth their time in
tears
I may have spent too long in darkness
In the warmth of my
fears
It was not all good, though. He had been unable to leave the Mansion during the day, as the Westchester residents were a conservative lot. He had wondered if Xavier had sited the Institute there just for his own amusement. Really, why else would someone put a mutant safehouse in a conservative area?
Take
a look at yourself
Not at anyone else
And tell me what you see
A success story, against all the odds. After graduating from the Institute, Henry had immediately submerged himself in the world of mutant rights groups, and made deep impressions on people. His appearance was completely at odds with his intellect, and it was his soft approach to mutant rights that had attracted the attentions of high Government.
I
know the air is cold
I know the streets are cruel
But I'll
enjoy the ride today
The train still hadn't moved. The rain had increased, and even in the warmth of the train, he could hear it on the roof of the station.
A child on the opposite side of the train to him was sitting with his mother. He was staring at him curiously. Hank smiled without showing teeth. The child smiled back.
"You're blue," said the child, clearly. He didn't seem to be fazed by this at all.
"Indeed I am, young man," said Hank, still smiling.
"And furry."
At this, the mother turned round from staring idly at something through the window. "Her eyes grew round, and she said, "Oh, my God…"
"Madam, please do not alarm yourself," he said quickly, and clearly. "I am by no means as fierce as my appearance would suggest."
It's
raining, raining,
On the streets of New York city
It's raining,
raining, raining deep in heaven
"You're Secretary McCoy," she said, whispering. She was silent for a second, still staring, and then she moved-
-into the seat facing him.
"Can I help you?" he asked her.
"I'm scared that when Jason manifests, he's going to get thrown out of his school," she said to him quietly.
I
may have wasted all those years
They're not worth their time in
tears
I may have spent too long in darkness
In the warmth of my
fears
"And how, pray tell, do you know that he will manifest?" asked Hank.
"Both his father and I are mutants," she replied. "It's impossible for him to not carry the mutant gene. "I suppose what I'm asking is if you know any educational facilities that won't be prejudiced against him."
As
I walk through all my myths
Rising and sinking like the waves
With
my thoughts wrapped around me
Through a trial of tears
"Madam," he said grandly, "I know of just the place for him."
She smiled.
Hidden
by disguise, stumbling in a world
Feeling uninspired, he gets into
his car
Not within his eyes to see, open up, open up
Not much
better than the man you hate
Ha! He thought. He removed a pad from his pocket, uncapped a pen, and proceeded to write down the details of the Institute, including contact details. Tearing off the sheet of paper neatly, he folded it, and passed it to her. She accepted it with a grateful smile, and returned to her seat with her son Jason.
The train jolted out of the station, picking up speed as it ran north. Hank allowed himself to reminisce a little more about the past, and the new student that Xavier's would one day acquire.
Still
awake
I continue to move along
Cultivating my own
nonsense
Welcome to the wasteland
Where you'll find ashes,
nothing but ashes
His train of thought abruptly returned to the present as he reminded himself why he was going to Westchester in the first place.
The Cure.
Still
awake
Bringing change, bringing movement,
Bringing life
A
silent prayer thrown away,
Disappearing in the air
Rising,
sinking, raining deep inside me
Nowhere to turn,
I look for a
way back home
And he was returning there now, the one place in the entire world that he could truly call home.
It's
raining, raining, raining deep in heaven.
