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Chapter 7: Wolverine
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A single day of rest was all Adam could tolerate.
The quiet comfort of his room, the lack of immediate threats, felt more unnerving than the constant hum of danger in the Hydra facility.
Inactivity was the enemy. Progress was the only acceptable state.
He sought out Professor X, finding him in his study amidst towering shelves of books.
"Professor," Adam began, his tone respectful but direct. "I think I've rested well... I want to learn and improve, just in case. Preferably in mechanical subjects."
Charles Xavier studied the young man. The chaotic maelstrom Jean had described was hidden beneath a surface of unnerving calm.
"Your contributions have already been immense, Adam. I assure you that we can protect you."
But I understand feeling unsafe. I will arrange for you to study under Forge when he returns from his current mission."
"Thank you, Professor."
"However," Xavier continued, "Jean mentioned you expressed an interest in potentially joining the X-Men, or at least training alongside them... You want revenge?"
Adam met his gaze without flinching. "I do not wish for anyone else to experience what I endured. If stopping Hydra and others like them requires me to fight, then I will fight. Revenge is a… personal bonus."
Xavier nodded slowly. "A noble, if complicated, motivation. But the X-Men are not a volunteer militia. The dangers we face are extreme."
"To stand with us, you must possess the capability to survive. But you're hurrying things, Adam. I don't think you're in the right state of mind to make such a decision, rest and live more."
Professor X's words were somewhat true, and it would've been the right thing to do for any other mind, taking time to heal their mental scars.
"I've had too much rest," Adam stressed. He wasn't just any normal man. He has metaknowledge.
Therefore, when Professor X said he could keep him safe, he knew it was bullshit.
The mutant race is up there in the multiverse, in the number of extinction events and genocides they had to go through.
This very school, too, will face many deadly challenges. It's, honestly, as he would like to describe it, an onahole for misfortune just like him.
[Damn]
[So true]
[The man has a thing for onaholes]
[What does onahole mean?]
[^^Where is your parents? You're not old enough to be watching this]
Adam was, however, surprised at his Envy being Near Omega. At least, his powers don't feel nearly close to an Omega's destructive power, worlds apart.
His power, Envy, felt so limited, so nascent.
A decade in a white box had stunted its growth, allowing only those aspects directly related to his immediate suffering; Slow, Hollow, Recoil, Fade; to manifest.
He needed to live, to feel the sharp, biting sting of envy in a thousand different ways, to truly awaken its depths.
[Near Omega?! How!?]
[But his power is so specific. How is Envy Omega Level?]
[Think about it! He can Slow inanimate objects. What's stopping him from slowing the Earth's rotation?]
[^^^ Dude, chill. Mutant powers have a cost. Biological, mental energy. Adam's own stamina is the limiter. He'd burn to a crisp trying to slow a planet. He's his own power's weakness.]
Adam raised a brow. Yeah, that's a possibility. His Envy is powerful in that regard, but he limits it.
"I... I don't think I can change your mind, can I?" Professor X said, "Very well, you've helped us a lot, so I will arrange for you to study under the Forge."
Adam smiled. The smile was ugly, but it was better than last night's smile. He was learning to smile again in front of the mirror.
He was happy, and he became happier once he was called to be tested by Wolverine and learn from him.
He does want to join the X-Men. He can not sit still, and he has a feeling that only by following them can he coincidentally stumble upon some opportunities.
But not now, he will start slow. He still has much to learn after all.
Soon, he was walking beside Jean Grey through the mansion's lower levels.
A quiet, comfortable silence had settled between them.
Jean, was driven by a deep well of empathy and a hidden, clinical desire to understand and "fix" him.
She wanted to fix him, maybe out of kindness, or something else.
"How do you do it, Adam?" She asked softly, breaking the silence. "How do you still seem so sane? Logan; he went through something similar, and it left him a wild beast. But you… You're so calm. I hope you're not just suppressing your emotions. It will not serve you well, trust me."
Oh, I see. Adam mused. She thinks I'm like her because she herself suppresses her emotions and desires.
At least, as far as he remembers, Jean is suppressing her emotions and desires as she constantly restrains her powers and emotions out of fear of hurting others or losing control.
Well, some bullshit like that. He doesn't quite remember the details. That's, however, not what he was doing.
Adam let out a low chuckle. "It's a matter of focus. I have a goal I'm so determined to achieve that failure was synonymous with death. No, failure means death, I think."
He would continue to explain, "When your options are 'succeed' or 'cease to exist,' emotional volatility becomes a luxury you can't afford."
"That's... Weird," Jean noted, her brow furrowed. Yup, he definitely has mental issues, she concluded, 'But I can fix him.'
"Is it? What is your goal, Jean? Beyond being an X-Man."
She hesitated. "To protect people. To help mutants. To... I guess have some control?" She kept the last part vague.
Adam nodded as if she'd confirmed a theory. "My goal, the destiny I wrote for myself, is to become so absolute, so powerful in every sense, that I never have to suffer again."
He'd let out a chuckle, "A childish goal, no? Well, I'm kinda a child, didn't live much. What can I say? I just want to live out my fantasies like the immature child that I am, hahaha."
Adam's words amused even himself, but seemingly only he knows how true they are.
Well, she did as well, for Jean's empathic senses registered a fascinating shift as he spoke.
The chaotic storm within him stilled, replaced by a bedrock of absolute, unshakable confidence.
It wasn't arrogance; it was a cold, factual certainty. Something akin to absolute certainty. It was mesmerizing.
[I'd say that's a great goal.]
[Impossible, no? Considering how many omnipotent entities exist in Marvel]
[Trust the confidence]
Jean giggled, a light, surprised sound. "I wasn't expecting that." She shook her head, a wistful smile on her face. "I have to admit, I'm a little envious of that clarity."
Adam's head tilted, a genuine flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "Envy? That's my thing."
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "You shouldn't envy me. You're not only beautiful, but you're also, from what I can gather, one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. You should have the confidence to back that up."
"If only it were that easy," She smiled, touched by the blunt, unflowery compliment, "My power isn't so easy to use or control."
Adam shrugged. "Confidence, in this case, is half the solution. If you don't believe you can control your power, if you don't have the confidence to succeed, how can you even take the first step forward?"
"You... You've already accepted a possibility of failure. To a certain extent, you've already failed. I haven't."
His words hung in the air, simple and profound, leaving Jean in thoughtful silence.
They arrived at a massive, circular door marked "Danger Room." With a hiss of hydraulics, it slid open, revealing a vast, empty chamber lined with sophisticated projection equipment.
Inside, a short, stocky man with a perpetual scowl and some pent-up rage leaned against a console.
"This the kid?" Wolverine grunted, his eyes, old and weary, scanning Adam from head to toe.
Jean nodded. "Logan, this is Adam Cypher. Adam, this is Wolverine."
Adam stepped forward, his posture relaxed but alert. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Wolverine gave a curt nod. "Heard what they did to you. How you holdin' up?"
"I can manage," Adam replied, his voice even.
A grim look of approval crossed Logan's face. "Good. Don't let those fuckers get in your head. Keep that rage. Bank it. When the time comes, we make 'em feel it."
It was a creed, passed from one victim of experimentation to another.
Adam's smile widened. "That was always the plan."
"Alright, enough chatter," Logan said, stepping into the center of the room.
The door hissed shut behind Jean, who took a position at the observation window.
"Show me what you got. Everything. Don't hold back. I can take it."
Adam's eyes narrowed. He didn't mind exposing his powers, Cyberpathy, maybe not yet.
He decided, however, to go all out in this first demonstration. He needed to see how far he could go against the Wolverine.
He had trained his body relentlessly for a decade, a solitary pursuit of push-ups and isometric holds, interrupted only by the scalpels that sought to dissect his mind.
He had never thrown a punch at another person before his escape, not even in his last, confined life.
Yet, here he was, facing one of the most formidable close-quarters combatants in the multiverse.
The absurdity of it was not lost on him.
He began to walk towards Wolverine, his pace deliberate, almost casual. Wolverine watched him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. How did he escape from them? It must be his mutant power, he determined.
The kid had a fighter's build, but his movement, while controlled, lacked the ingrained instinct of a brawler.
Then, something changed.
It was subtle at first. Adam's walking pace seemed to… accelerate. His steps became a blur.
Simultaneously, his form began to lose definition, as if he were fading out of phase with reality itself.
To Wolverine, it was a confusing sensory input; his eyes told him the kid was both speeding up and disappearing.