A/N Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the story so far since things are getting interesting but this will be the last original chapter since the third one will start off the events of Evolution so, without further ado, enjoy.
After a short drive later, I could see a large building coming into view as we got closer and the building turned out to be a large estate or mansion of some kind while I was impressed by how huge it was and realized that it was the mansion that I had seen in one of the images the bald man sent me.
'Huh, this place must be where they live,' I thought while the van approached the mansion and pulled into some kind of garage before coming to a stop as I could see a few vehicles parked inside.
"Welcome to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, now let's get you properly introduced to the place," the bald man told me as everyone started leaving the van, prompting me to do the same before we went inside the main building.
I was given a proper tour of the place as I was shown the main hall, classrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, two dorms for males and females, and an underground area that had some kind of training room for mutants to practice their powers and learn how to use them safely while there were a few other areas, such as a hanger that had a large jet, a room with a large screen and a metal helmet hooked up to a machine, and more while I was amazed by all of this when we soon arrived at an office and I assumed it belonged to the bald man.
"This place is huge and the fact that people here learn how to control their powers so that they can use them safely and responsibly is impressive, so who are you guys?" I asked.
"My name is Charles Xavier and they are Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Logan but their codenames are Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and Marvel Girl while I am simply called Professor X," Xavier introduced and I nodded as I made a mental note of his last name and figured that the mansion had been his before he gathered these people together.
"I see, so what do you guys do exactly?" I inquired curiously.
"We are known as the X-Men, a group of mutants dedicated to training mutants in the use of their powers so that they can have a much easier time controlling them and we also serve as a team that defends humanity against acts of terror by powerful mutants who use their powers for their own selfish gains," Xavier explained and I hummed in thought.
"So...that blue-skinned woman is one of those powerful mutants who uses her powers for her own selfish gains?" I asked and Ororo nodded.
"Yes, her name is Mystique and she can change her shape like you can but one limitation is that she can't change her scent and Logan uses that to his advantage because of his superior sense of smell.
Still, she is dangerous and you are lucky that we were able to save you in time or she would've killed you since she is ruthless, manipulative, and most likely didn't take kindly to you refusing whatever she offered you," Ororo explained and I frowned thoughtfully.
"She offered to have me join a group of mutants that she's a part of so I'm guessing that they don't have good intentions?" I questioned and Logan scowled under his mask.
"Yeah, The Brotherhood so watch your ass around them because they play for keeps and won't hesitate to kill you if they were to see you as a threat to their plans of subjugating humanity through intimidation and violence," Logan spoke up and I nodded.
"Sounds like they're a terrorist group so I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I said before Xavier cleared his throat.
"Well, now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, I would like to ask you a few questions so that we would have a better understanding of you and your powers," Xavier said and I nodded, then Xavier proceeded to ask me questions about who I am, my age, where I lived, things like that and while I did tell him my first name, I was unable to answer most of his questions because of my amnesia and the others noticed that I wasn't answering most of his questions.
"Sorry, all I can tell you is my first name but I'm unable to answer some of your questions," I said while feeling a little embarrassed that I couldn't remember much of anything.
"What's the matter? Amnesia?" Logan inquired but I remained quiet and looked away, which I assumed it told them that I really didn't have any memory of who I was or where I'm from.
"You're serious?" Logan questioned skeptically and I shot him a look of irritation.
"I don't fucking know, okay? I barely remember anything and all I can remember is waking up on a beach near the coast with nothing on me, then I had a dream last night where I remembered my name and the sounds of gunfire.
That's all I know and I don't even remember being a shapeshifter until last night," I snapped irritably, almost close to shouting in exasperation until I started looking solemn from being unable to remember anything else.
"I'm sorry for your current situation and I'm not asking you to join us since it's just an invitation, one that you can refuse if you wish but it's a heavy choice so I suggest you get some rest to think on it before you give us an answer," Xavier said when he leaves the office with Logan and Scott while Ororo followed suit but Jean stayed behind and looked at me sympathetically.
"I know you're probably scared and barely able to adjust to what's happening, waking up with no memory of your past and having to deal with changes you can't control but it's okay since this is a safe place for people like us, so just think about it," Jean said until she left as well and I was alone after that.
I was lost in thought and didn't know what to do since these people seemed decent and genuinely want to help other mutants but I was still uncertain and confused about everything that had just happened to me so I was lost on what I should do next.
In the end, I decided to take a walk to clear my head so I left the office and made my way to the front doors before exiting the mansion, taking a stroll on the mansion's grounds for a while as I started considering if I should join the X-Men or not when I had the familiar sensation of being followed.
I could tell it was Logan if the way he moved told me anything but I had to give him credit for being quiet and I probably wouldn't have noticed him if I didn't have heightened awareness so I started heading into the forest and walked for a short time until I arrived in a clearing and turned to look at where Logan was hiding.
"You can come out since I know you're following me, Logan," I called out, then Logan left his hiding spot but he was wearing casual clothes now that consisted of a brown leather jacket, dark blue t-shirt, blue jeans that had a large belt, and brown boots while his face had stubble on it and his black hair was stuck up at the sides to make him appear slightly animalistic while his face is holding a permanent frown.
"Can't blame me for not trusting you, bub," Logan said and I started looking unamused.
"So what, you're just gonna stalk me like I'm some kind of criminal?" I questioned while sounding annoyed.
"Until I can trust you, I'm gonna keep an eye on you," Logan stated and after everything I've been through, not to mention being stalked like some kind of criminal by Logan, I completely lost my composure and went to grab him out of anger and frustration.
"Fuck you, treating me like some kind of criminal when you have no idea what it's like waking up with no memory of who you are and nearly getting killed twice!" I shouted as I grabbed him by his jacket when one of my hands brushed against his chin.
Suddenly, it happened again as images rushed through my mind where I was in some kind of tank that had a kind of fluid in it as a scientist with goggles appeared to be studying me and making notes on his clipboard as a bunch of small tubes was connected to me through a bunch of needles penetrating certain areas on my body when I broke out with metal claws coming out of the skin between my knuckles as I let out a primal roar.
After that was nothing but chaotic and distorted images as I let go of Logan and clutched my head as I stumbled back, the feeling of feral rage and wanting to escape overwhelming me as more images of me dismembering and slicing open soldiers of some kind during my way out of some kind of facility and running through a forest flooded my mind and I let out a scream as it became too much and I found myself collapsing until everything went black as soon as I landed face-first on the ground.
The dirt road was bumpy while I drove my way to the target as I was focused on my surroundings, being completely quiet during the trip and not seeing any reason to say anything to the other members of my unit that were waiting for me to give the go-ahead on the mission as I got closer and slowly braked the car to a stop at a distance from the target location.
I got out of the car and made my way to the trunk, opening it and taking out a long case before placing it on the ground and opening it to reveal a colt 733 commando, removing the rifle from the case and grabbing a fresh magazine.
As I started loading the rifle, I paused to look down towards the village for a second and stared at it until I looked away to continue loading the rifle, attaching a suppressor and making sure the rifle was clean as well until I proceeded to give my team the go-ahead on the mission.
Hours later, night had fallen and we were quietly approaching the village by slowly crawling toward it when I spotted three Taliban militants quietly talking to each other and we stopped before I studied the weapons they had with them, one carrying a rusted AK-47, the second holding an AKMS with the stock folded, and the third carrying a PKM machine gun.
I quietly signaled to two other members of my unit and all three of us rose up with our rifles aiming at the Taliban scouts before we fired our rifles, the suppressors giving off puff noises as the single bullets each struck the scouts and they went down like sacks of bricks.
I signaled to the other members of my unit to move up and we started to continue to make our way to the village when I noticed one of the Taliban militants was still alive as he was crawling to a CZ-75 that had fallen to the ground when I made my way to him and pulled out a suppressed Sig Sauer P226, firing a single shot into his head to make sure he wasn't moving before I holstered the handgun and continued to make my way to the village with my unit.
Pretty soon, we arrived and proceeded to enter buildings before shooting people on sight as it alerted Taliban militants and gunfire broke out while they attempted to put up some kind of defense, only it was useless in the end as I fired at several Taliban fighters and kept killing them while we eliminated every single person in the village until there was nothing left but bodies, blood, shell casings, and weapons scattered everywhere.
One of the members of my unit used his powers to set the whole village on fire to get rid of the evidence that we were ever here and I stared at the flames while the village was burning when I looked to see the body of a teenager who was 17, blood dripping across his face with his eyes open as they stared directly at me as if he was questioning me but I was unphased by it as my eyes were cold and devoid of any emotion.
I thrashed around, not even aware of where I was and just moving around as my thoughts were jumbled and distorted while nothing but pure horror and panic flooded my system like a huge wave in the ocean when a hand touched my arm and I instinctively launched myself at the person and tackled whoever it was to the ground with my arm against their neck.
I heard frantic voices and quickly looked up to see a few familiar people when I started to slowly come back to my senses and started recognizing them as Jean, Charles, and Storm when I looked down and realized that I had Scott pinned to the floor and was choking him before my eyes widened and I quickly let go before scooting back until my back hit the side of the bed and I held my arms as I trembled and held a frightened expression on my face.
Scott coughed while trying to get some air into his lungs and he sat up when I noticed that he had a pair of shades with red lenses covering his eyes and Jean went to check on him while Storm slowly approached me before she kneeled down in front of me.
"Jack, what just happened?" Storm asked and I stared at her while feeling terrified that I almost killed someone by accident.
"I don't know...who am I, Storm?" I questioned meekly but she couldn't answer and the others stayed with me to make sure I was okay since I looked really shaken up by what happened.
After that, time had passed by until it was morning and I was staring out at the horizon while sitting on a chair, being lost in thought and feeling a mixture of emotions but one major one was nausea from what happened.
I felt sick from what happened, the knowledge of almost killing a kid by accident scared me and the fact that the dream I had about wiping out a village full of people that might've been a memory also didn't help as I looked down at my hands and clenched them, thinking about how I am capable of murder and more just before I noticed Xavier wheeling over to me until he stopped right next to me.
"I see you are enjoying the view, Jack," Xavier greeted and I looked at him for a few seconds to acknowledge his presence before returning my attention to the horizon.
"Yeah...I kinda like it since it's relaxing and it helps me think," I said quietly and Xavier hummed in response to that.
"Yes, I always did enjoy the view when I was younger and I still do whenever I need to clear my mind of stressful things," Xavier told me and I nodded.
"Must be nice..." I trailed off and was quiet after that as the air became awkward between us and Xavier cleared his throat.
"I noticed that you weren't having breakfast with us so how about you come inside and have something to eat since I'm sure you must be hungry right now," Xavier offered but I shook my head.
"Sorry, don't feel like eating right now," I refused and I noticed Xavier looking concerned at that.
"Jack, I know you are feeling guilty about what happened but Scott is going to be just fine and he isn't angry at you, more worried than anything else and so are the others," Xavier told me and I tensed up at first before I let out a tired sigh and looked back down at my hands again.
"I could've killed him...I almost did and it's not that I'm keeping my distance because of the thought of Scott being angry, more like how I'm scared of hurting anyone else by accident and that's what terrifies me," I admitted as I recalled the dream I had and everything else that has happened since I woke up on that beach.
"Jack, I know everything has been overwhelming and terrifying for you so I understand that you're scared and confused since the mutants I have taken in and given them a place to belong have felt just as afraid and overwhelmed as you have once, but now they feel safe and comfortable since they are no longer alone in a world that judges them for being different," Xavier reassures me and I turned to look at him.
"That may be true, but neither of them has memory loss or a dangerous past since what I'm remembering so far isn't good so I'm not sure if I want to remember who I am anymore," I said as I went and gently rubbed my eyes.
"You're remembering?" Xavier inquired and I nodded.
"Yeah, it's coming back in bits and pieces but what I have remembered so far is telling me that I was a dangerous person before I lost my memories and I still am if what happened with Scott has told me anything," I explained while letting out a sigh and Xavier softened his eyes at that.
"Jack, Scott doesn't blame you for what happened and neither do the others so we would like to help you with this if you want to, though you don't have to since you are free to refuse if you want," Xavier said and I turned my attention to him.
"You guys took me in when I had nowhere to go and you saved my life, so the least I could do is accept your help and your offer of joining the X-Men since I've thought about it and I've concluded that I do need help because I won't be able to figure this out on my own and I need answers as to who I am, if only to get some kind of closure," I stated.
"Are you sure about this? This is a huge decision you're making and I don't want you to feel like you're being pressured in any way," Xavier told me and I nodded.
"I'm sure since I want to discover more about my powers and other skills so learning about them here where I feel safe and accepted for who I am sound like the next logical step in figuring out who I am," I pointed out and Xavier smiled in response.
"Of course, we would be happy to help in any way we can so welcome to the X-Men," Xavier said before we shook hands on it to certify my decision.
A/N Hey guys, kind of a short chapter but I've decided to finish it here since I had run out of ideas and I thought that ending it where Jack decides to join the X-Men and accept their help would be perfect so the next chapter will start off the events of Evolution and that's something I'm looking forward to.
Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.
