บท 3: [3] Just As Planned, Outwitting the Bald Bastard
Chapter 3: Just As Planned, Outwitting the Bald Bastard
—
Charles Xavier was led to the Cerebro chamber by Jean Grey, with Logan following a few steps behind. Pristine silver walls filled the hallway they walked through.
"So how old are ya?" Logan asked casually, earning a sigh from Jean.
"Asking a lady's age? Not very smooth, mister," Jean replied sarcastically. "I'm in my 20s."
"Huh? Damn, I could swear ya look a decade younger—" Logan froze mid-sentence. Those lines weren't for him. She just was his type. "Never mind."
Jean stifled a giggle while Charles chuckled softly. He had seen Logan's memories when the latter returned from the future, aware of the connection Logan and Jean shared in another, future timeline. It seemed Logan's bond with Jean was so strong that he was drawn to her even without his full memories.
Logan had been rescued by Storm and Nightcrawler after they found him driving his truck toward a lake, apparently drowsy. For a man who could heal a severed head, sleepiness was indeed a peculiar weakness. After waking up and nearly jumping Jean, Logan was trying to mend things between them.
While Charles found it amusing, his focus was on the task at hand as he approached the gate to Cerebro. The gate parted with an X, and they stepped inside. Jean pushed his wheelchair while Logan followed. They closed into the Cerebro's operating table.
"Step back, Jean." Jean did so, and only then did he place the headgear of Cerebro on his head.
The large, round room buzzed as a hologram of white light filled the air, forming thousands of human figures made of light. It was an otherworldly sight, the entire hall humming with sound.
The Professor explained, "These white figures represent regular humans." With a command of his mind, the figures changed to red. "These red figures are mutants. I can also locate mutates with Cerebro, who appear as blue figures, but that's not our focus today."
Mutates were people who had powers with a source different from an X gene. In short, Cerebro was the ultimate search engine for everyone in the world. Although magical entities were harder to find.
"Yeah, about that," Logan interjected. "Why are we here anyway?"
Instead of answering verbally, Charles closed his eyes and concentrated on locating a specific presence. The girl had likely stayed within the US since she left her home in Mississippi just hours ago. He limited his search to the US.
Seconds passed, and the holograms shifted, changing repeatedly until they finally stabilized, zooming in on the red form of a teenage girl.
"This is…"
"Anna Marie," Jean responded to Logan's question. "She's a recently awakened mutant who accidentally put her boyfriend into a coma—well, ex-boyfriend, I suppose. Her family agreed to let us 'handle' her, but she fled from home this morning." She shook her head.
"Poor girl," Logan hummed while Charles frowned.
"Anything wrong, Professor?" Jean asked, concerned.
"...Anna is with someone unusual. Erik?" he muttered to himself. Someone so unusual that his mind was undetectable. "No, this is different. It's more of a natural power, unlike Erik's helmet."
"What's he talking about?" Logan asked, prompting Jean to give a brief explanation about Erik, aka Magneto, and his helmet. "Aha. So the girl's with someone you can't sense. Is she in danger?"
"I… I'm not sure," Charles admitted, his frown deepening. "But given that I can't read him at all, it's safer to assume he's a threat." He liked to be careful of those that were unreadable. "Be ready. We'll go meet them tomorrow morning and rescue Anna."
Jean nodded while Logan sighed. Rescue? When we don't even know if the guy's really a threat? Weird.
Whatever the case, he has no choice but to stay silent. They were his saviors, and they didn't seem like bad people.
****
"First day and already a hookup? Can I come and see?" The gatekeeper joked as Enrique led Anna to his apartment.
Low-class bastard. Enrique ignored the remark, but it made Anna visibly uncomfortable.
"You okay?" he asked, twisting the doorknob. "I'm a religious man, I promise not to do anything weird." Well, not without consent, anyway.
He smiled once she nodded. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. She stepped inside.
"Thanks," she said, feeling herself relax now that she had walls around her. However, she was taken aback by the emptiness of the apartment. "And I thought my life was bad… Ah, I'm not saying you're poor."
The apartment was indeed empty except for a mirror and a bed in the master bedroom.
"Sorry, I just moved in. I don't even have food other than some dry stuff. I'll have to buy some in the morning." Enrique shook his head. It was slightly embarrassing to be unable to attend to a guest properly.
She flinched. "You don't have to apologize, I was just joking! W-What is money to a powerful man? Sugah."
He smiled and pointed to the bed. "Take a seat. Your legs are shaking from the flight."
She blinked, noticing that to be true. She opened her mouth to say something but sighed. A moment later, she complied and sat down. "Not my fault. Maybe warn me next time before flying off? It was thrilling, though… I have never flown before. Never felt anything like it."
"Glad you liked it," Enrique smiled, turning to leave. "Wait, I'll fetch some snacks."
****
In the kitchen, Enrique prepared a snack while Anna sat on the bed, reflecting on the events. Seeing him break that man's spine was unnerving. She had seen him fight criminals earlier, but not up close and not as brutally.
Still, she believed he wasn't a bad person. The beastly man had looked dangerous and said he was after her. He had threatened to murder Enrique, and then take her away. She didn't have to guess to know that if he took her away, she wouldn't end up in a good place.
Whatever his intentions, they weren't good. So she felt no guilt about his defeat, and possible death.
She worried, however, about Enrique's image. If any security cameras caught the fight, it could ruin his heroic persona. She hoped that didn't happen.
Soon, Enrique returned with a jar of peanuts, handing it to her before leaning against the wall.
"Why don't you sit beside me?" Anna asked, struggling to open the jar. "I'm not scared of you, you know."
"Just say you want me to open the jar," he joked, sitting beside her and opening it effortlessly. "Here."
"You sure you didn't put anything weird in it?" Anna joked back, tossing a few peanuts into her mouth.
"Maybe I did? We'd never know," he replied, watching her playful frown before sighing. "Little kid."
"Hey, drop it already, sugah! You're like what, 21? I'll be 18 in four months!" Anna complained, munching on peanuts.
"I'm 31," he corrected, watching her freeze and scrutinize him before scoffing.
"I don't believe you."
Enrique shrugged. "I know I look young, but yes."
"Prove it."
He handed her his driver's license, watching her squint at the information before smirking. "Hah! Look, it says 21! Well, technically it doesn't, but since it says you were born in 1990, and this is 2011, it means you're 21 years old! Not 31! Basic maths!" She yapped like a broken radio.
Enrique frowned and looked at the license. She was right. "Goddess?" he muttered under his breath.
Mut's reply came promptly. [I forgot to ask for your age. Don't blame me. In any case, who doesn't like being younger? You even look young. Don't worry about it. In our world, age is just a number. When you grow as old as me, you'll understand.]
She sounded like such a pedophile. But she had a point. In a world with eons-old beings, a mere decade was nothing.
"So don't keep calling me 'teenager' or 'kid', okay? Oh, yeah, what's your name? You asked for mine but never told me yours. Quite rude for someone pretending to be old," she teased, smirking.
He sighed. "My name is on the driver's license." He shook his head. "How didn't you notice? You tee-"
"-nager. I know." She cut him off with a giggle, watching him close his mouth before chuckling with her. She looked at his driver's license again, looking at his name. "Enrique Nova? That's kinda cool, sounds novel. How do you pronounce it again, Anrike?"
"En-rikey No-va," he said. "Satisfied? Now give it back."
"Hey, lemme check your other info!" She yanked her hand back as he tried to grab it, resulting in a struggle between the two of them. She giggled as he chuckled.
In the commotion, Enrique slipped and fell, twisting in the air so that Anna would land on top of him instead of the other way around. His weight might have hurt her, after all. Her face was dangerously close to his, their eyes locking.
"Ah…" she blinked, cheeks growing rosy.
But Enrique gently pushed her back. "No way. What kind of K-drama nonsense is this? Go to sleep, little girl. I'll be in the other room."
"H-hey!" Anna protested as he left. "But there's nothing in the other room…" Was he going to sleep on the floor for her? So much for complaining about K-dramas. "If you're trying to make me fall for you, it's working!" Of course, she was exaggerating. But after seeing her own people look at her like a monster, she loved to be taken care of like this. She giggled as he closed the door.
What she didn't know was that, unlike her jokish way of saying it… He indeed was trying to make her fall for him. Anna Marie was already in the trap.
****
Anna's long day ended with a deep sleep. From running away from home to finding someone immune to her touch, it all felt surreal. She felt like she had a bit more control over her life all of a sudden, it felt good.
However, her waking up wasn't under her control.
[Anna.]
A voice, not of her own, echoed in her mind.
[Anna? I am Professor Charles Xavier. A telepath. Can you hear me?]
She could hear him. But she didn't know if she should say anything back. What did he want? Was he behind the attack by that beastly man?
[Beastly man… Ugh, Erik.]
The voice groaned in frustration.
[I apologize that you had to go through that, but no, that wasn't my doing. I am here to protect you, Anna. I want to take you to a safe place where gifted people like you are gathered and are taught to control their powers.]
Control her powers? She could do that? Anna's heartbeat started to grow at that. "...Really?"
[Yes, indeed. If you learn to control your powers, you'd be able to live as you did before.] The voice reassured her. [We can talk about the details by meeting face to face. So tell me, who is the person you're with? Is he dangerous? Is he inside right now?]
"Enrique? No, he's not dangerous. He's very nice. In fact, he's a supe… ah, I can't tell you that! Anyway, he saved me yesterday. Can he come with us?"
[Unfortunately, no. He can't come. I've… read your memories and deduced he's a superhero. But he's not a mutant like us. He's different, probably a mutate or a magician. He can't come to the academy.]
So he wasn't a mutant like her. Rubbing her neck, Anna asked, "Is it okay to read my memories without asking? Isn't there a law against that?"
She heard a soft chuckle. [I apologize, but I had to ensure your safety. He does seem like a good person now that I've confirmed. Can you check if he's inside? We're outside your building in a car. Ask him if we can come in.]
Anna supposed the old man had a point. Though she wondered why he couldn't just ask Enrique directly.
[I can't sense his mind. He is… special. You'll have to do it yourself.]
Aha. So Enrique was immune to his telepathy too. He's so powerful. She jumped from the bed, but before she could check the other room, she found a note stuck to her door:
— Out shopping for food. Don't run away.
She giggled. "He's not here. He's out shopping. I won't leave without seeing him, so you guys can come in."
Actually, should she even leave? Were these people trustworthy?
She sighed, knowing the old man was likely listening to her thoughts. Instead of pondering about it, she decided to suppress her thoughts instead.
****
Enrique had "earned" a total of $2,560 yesterday. Shopping cost him $260, and though he needed more, he only had two hands. He bought what was necessary.
Approaching his apartment door, he frowned. He heard voices that didn't belong to Anna. Three pairs of voices, to be exact.
Enrique wore a white shirt with long, rolled-up sleeves, tucked under his pants. It was actually a single piece of cloth, but he made it look like two. It was his super suit transformed into casual wear.
Ready for a potential fight, he twisted the doorknob, entered, and dropped the food in the kitchen before heading toward the bedroom.
"Anna, you should have told me you were inviting friends," Enrique said casually, feeling the eyes of three strangers, besides Anna's, on him.
"Ah, hello Mr. Nova. Sorry for intruding without an invitation." The bald man, Charles Xavier, greeted me with a smile. Behind him stood a man wearing visors and a stunning red-haired beauty, who gave Enrique a nod.
Not only Charles… Why did it have to be that annoying Phoenix as well?
Enrique held back a sigh. He didn't like so many mind readers around him.
X-x-X
"Professor Charles Xavier?" Enrique sighed internally and greeted with a polite smile, extending his hand to shake Bald-X's. "Never thought I'd meet a living legend in my humble home."
"Oh, you over-praise me, Mr. Nova," Charles chuckled sheepishly. "Since you already know me, let me introduce my two students. This is Professor Scott, and this is Professor Jean. We all teach at a school for 'Mutants,' a term you might be familiar with. Our goal is to help mutants control their powers so they can return to their usual lives someday."
A somewhat noble intention, if Enrique ignored the part where the professors were subtly racist towards humans, only engaging in heroism to avoid getting nuked. Watching them struggle in movies was pitiful, but now, standing before them as a human, albeit a superhuman, he felt no pity. He felt like standing in front of the KKK as a black man, although he might be exaggerating.
A moment later, he frowned at the realization that Xavier knew his name, either through a background check—unlikely given his recent arrival—or through Anna. He really hoped this bald fucker had learned his name from her mouth, and not her brain, but he knew he was being too optimistic thinking that. He had most certainly intruded Anna's mind and already knew about his secret identity.
Fucking hell. Enrique had anticipated this visit, though not so early. Nonetheless, he already had a plan in mind.
"Ah, professors from the famous Xavier's school?" Enrique smiled at them. "Glad to meet you two."
"The pleasure's ours," Jean greeted back. She has a nice soft voice, surprising for the host of the most powerful cosmic force. He'd have expected it to be deeper.
Receiving nods from Scott and Jean, Enrique turned back to Charles. "Now, Professor, considering you already know my name and likely read Anna's mind, you must be aware my 'job' keeps me quite busy. I'd appreciate it if you keep that a secret from the world, and if we could finalize whatever matter you're here for quickly."
Scott and Jean blinked in surprise, likely taken aback by Enrique's knowledge of Charles's power. Although Charles was publicly known as a telepath, his abilities were typically portrayed as limited to communication, fostering a friendly image. For Enrique—a superhero who had only appeared yesterday—to know the full extent of his powers was indeed surprising.
They're surprised? Enrique aimed to project an image of being well-informed, and it was working. Pretending he had a secret information source was better than pretending ignorance.
He was also confident that neither Charles nor Jean could read his thoughts, let alone his memories. If they could, they would have noticed the countless curses he had thrown at them in his mind as a test.
"Right. You are indeed quite busy, haha," Old Charles acknowledged. "I apologize for delving into her recent memories, but I had to ensure you weren't a threat. Your identity is safe with me. In any case, I'm here for this girl, Mr. Nova." Charles gestured towards Anna as Enrique walked over to her side.
That was good to hear. However, honestly, his identity was safe with nobody because he didn't truly have one. Since Anna found out about it so easily yesterday, and today three others learned, he had already decided to go the Tony Stark route rather than the Batman route. In short, he wasn't planning on leading a double life; he intended to reveal his identity publicly himself.
Charles's last words, however, made Enrique frown inwardly. "I guessed you were here for her, but why?"
"She's a mutant, as you might know. Her power harms anyone she touches. You seem immune to her, and I won't pry into your powers, but staying with you isn't healthy for her. She might grow overly attached. More than that, we at Xavier's might be able to train her to control her powers."
"Attached, huh? Yeah, I can see that happening," Enrique nodded. "Though I never said I mind that, if the other choice is to send her to somewhere dangerous, for example, the epicenter of the mutant fighting and other conflicts, the X-Men's headquarters, Xavier's."
A series of stunned reactions went by the room. Firstly, Rogue's eyes widened and she blushed softly at him admitting that he wouldn't mind having her getting attached to him, to which Scott scoffed and Jean sighed, muttering something about 'men'. However, when he said his last line, Scott frowned deeply and Jean blinked in surprise. Professor Xavier also looked taken aback.
"I assure you Xavier's isn't dangerous. The X-Men might fight criminals from time to time, but the students aren't in danger out of that. Mr Nova, her power needs guidance. Without it, she'll remain isolated from society. Nobody deserves that. I've already spoken to her parents, and they've agreed to let us help her." He added, "Honestly, discussing this with you seems unnecessary since you're not her guardian. However, since she fancies you, I decided to humor you. But I think it's time to leave."
Enrique raised an eyebrow. "In that case, don't you need the mutant in question's consent?" He turned to Anna. "Do you want to go?"
"Umm…" Rogue shifted uncomfortably. "Are they good people? Are they lying about being able to help me? Do you know about them?"
"As I said, I do." Enrique nodded. "Professor Charles is a certified expert in genetics and mutants. His school has helped thousands of mutants regain normal lives. There are failed cases, but they're few, at least from what I know. They might be hiding information, I can't be sure," he said, eyeing Charles, who looked back in surprise. "In short, he can probably help you a lot."
Anna went silent, deep in thought. Even without telepathy, Enrique could tell she was hesitant.
He placed a hand on her head, ruffling her soft brown hair. "Or, you can stay with me. I can possibly teach you to control your powers too. If you don't want to go, they can't force you. Not with me around." He eyed Jean specifically, whose eyes widened at his next words, "Even if they have a Phoenix with them."
Losing Rogue might be a significant blow. Her power was too valuable to let go, especially to people who wouldn't utilize it properly.
Scott's fist clenched while Jean and Charles looked at him in shock. "You… know about the Phoenix?"
Enrique smiled. "Just the phoenix? No, I know things that would break your mind, Professor. That's why I've protected my mind from telepaths like you. Your death wouldn't benefit me."
The room grew tense. Enrique understood how dangerous he seemed. Someone who knew about the Phoenix claimed his mind held deadly secrets, and since none of the two telepaths could actually confirm his claims—he appeared to be a serious threat.
"...Are you a government spy?" Charles asked before shaking his head. "No… That wouldn't make sense."
Enrique ignored them and turned to Rogue. "So, have you decided yet?"
"I…" she looked at the X-Men. Since the situation was so complicated, she could choose either way. Yet, her decision had been final for a while now. "C-can I go with them?"
"..."
Enrique watched as she hesitated to meet his gaze.
****
A few seconds later, Anna heard her superhero sigh. "What do you mean 'can I'? You make it sound like I'm your guardian. As Professor Charles said, I'm not. I'm just a guy you met yesterday, and you can do whatever you want."
"I-I don't mean to be rude, sugah!" she tried, turning to him. "Just that… You said they're experts. I don't want to stay like this, only able to touch one person, even if it's you. They'll surely help me… you said you might be able to help me too, but how can I know for sure? After all, you're not even a mutant."
When she said that last line, Enrique blinked before looking at her in disappointment. She flinched seeing the stark change in his eyes. For a moment, she seemed to be facing her father, disappointed with her academics – except on a much greater scale.
"You're already being influenced by them?" he said, shaking his head and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Anna Marie, you're human, just a mutated one. Like a girl with an odd allergy, for example. Don't let anyone tell you we're different races, or species like you're some kind of alien. You and I are the same, you just happen to have powers, just like how I do. We look the same, and we both have superpowers. How can we be from different races? We're the same. Got it?"
Anna looked at him with wide eyes, shrinking in guilt. "Sorry…" He had helped her despite her mutation, fought a dangerous enemy for her, and even let her stay in his home. Yet, she just said something racist towards him.
Frustration and self-anger welled up within her.
"Forget it," Enrique shrugged, sighing softly. He then slipped his hand into his pocket, watching Scott put a finger to his visor, but Charles stopped him. Enrique scoffed and simply pulled out a brand new smartphone, handing it to Anna. "Here, take this. It's an iPhone 4S, just released. I thought you'd like it."
Anna looked at the phone, her guilt deepening. "I-I can't take this. Please, I don't deserve—"
"It has my number saved on it. Call me anytime you wish," he said, smiling. "Whenever you want to talk, hang out… Or need some lightning support, just call, and I'll be there in a blitz. Keep it safe, okay?"
She accepted the phone, watching his gentle smile as tears welled up in her eyes.
The professors watched the scene in silence, none of them interrupting the conversation. Soon, she left with Charles and his students in a black limo. They didn't have to wait long since Anna didn't have anything to pack here.
****
At [Xavier's School for the Gifted], when the limo reached it, Anna was asked to hand over her phone.
"We'll return it, Anna," Charles said as they moved through the hallways. "As you saw, he's dangerous and knows things even most superheroes don't. We can't be sure of his affiliation. So we need to ensure the phone isn't compromised and doesn't come with some kind of tracking device."
Anna frowned. "He just bought this for me. How could he have done anything to it?" He saved her last night out of pure luck when she was the one who followed him. How could he have prepared a tracking phone beforehand? "No, I'm not handing it over."
Her first impression of the school was already bad. She started having doubts. Was it the right choice to come here? Maybe they weren't as helpful as they claimed to be when their initial impression was invading her mind and asking to dismember the last departing gift from her friend. Doubts swelled up in her heart.
…Just as Enrique planned.
****
"By now, she must have reached the school and been asked to hand over her phone," Enrique murmured to himself, sitting atop a skyscraper in his Super Suit, eating a burger.
She probably won't hand it over, and if she does, they'll find nothing. When that happens, her impression of the school will drop further. Either choice was bad for the school.
Enrique's plan had always been to let Rogue go to Xavier's. He hadn't expected Charles to visit so soon. His plan was for Rogue to realize that nobody could help her—nobody except for him.
If events unfolded as they did in many comics or the movie, which Enrique believed they would since Sabretooth's presence confirmed the Brotherhood's interest in Rogue, Mystique would make Rogue flee from Xavier's school. That would be the perfect time to mess things up. Enrique would step in to console the poor girl.
He gave it two… no, one week to play out.
Ah, and of course, this is purely business. I need a power-stealing teammate I can trust. I don't enjoy playing with little girls' hearts, Enrique clarified to any cosmic entity who might be observing him with disdain.
Wiping his lips as he finished his burger, Enrique jumped off the building, landing softly on the ground, his suit changing to that of a casual businessman. Since Anna was gone for a week, he'll use that time for something productive.
Ignoring the surprised looks of people on the street, he walked into the [IT Shop] in the distance. While waiting for Rogue's return, Enrique Nova decided to earn some big bucks.
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Author Note: As you can see, chapters are longer, and I'll be posting every day. Happy reading!!
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