Chapter 5: Origin

"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave yet young man." said Charles putting on a downcast expression.

"Why the hell not?" Accused Hugo, the flames of his metaphorical anger growing.

"I have mentioned it before, it is for your own good. The mutative abilities you posses could be harmful to others around you. So until we are sure that cannot and will not happen. We will watch over you and help you in controlling them." Charles not budging an inch to the anger of the young man in front of him. His purpose fully guiding his actions, thinking the goodness of it overcomes the unfairness of the current situation towards Hugo.

*Click*

The door starts to open and Henry McCoy also known as Beast comes, the three boys moving out of the way to let him in.

"Besides the area you live in is currently under lockdown." Henry having heard the conversation before coming in, adds to it. "I'm Henry by the way."

"What do you mean lockdown?" Hugo questions him, looking at the newly arrived person.

"It is what the Professor mentioned as circumstances at the time." Henry reminding him that not everything was normal. "For you to understand better, we use a device to locate other newly awakened mutants." An extremely simplified explanation of Cerebro.

"A few days ago while the Professor was using Cerebro, the device I just mentioned, we detected an unusually large amount of new mutants appearing." He continues hinting at the Professor. "That anomaly is something you don't need to know now. What you need to know is that the area where it happened is around where you live." Henry building on his explanation, trying his best not to confuse the boy while letting him understand their actions. "We went as fast as we can, knowing that we aren't the only ones detecting and investigating the situation. You're one of the few we managed to recover before the government closed the area. I don't know if you realize it but the government wouldn't treat you as well as we have."

Learning all of this information, Hugo sits back down on the couch taking a moment to digest everything he heard.

Remembering the girl he saw that was just in this room before him, he asks "That girl before, is she one too?"

"If you are referring to Brooke, Yes. She is." Confirms the Professor. "She understood the situation and have decided to stay with us until she's learned to control her powers and the area that you both live around in is lifted of the lockdown." The Professor thinks that by providing an example, Hugo would be much more susceptible to accept the option.

"Know that we will not ask of you anything you feel wrong and provide you with a room. As well as food, a place to train and guidance if you are willing." He says so finishing his offer. Although even if Hugo declines he will most likely still persuade him in other less comfortable ways.

For a few minutes, silence ensues inside the room. Everyone of them waiting in anticipation to Hugo's answer. He looks around at everyone inside there, thinking and taking into account his options.

Hugo has no other known relatives. His parents disappearing from a young age and he has grown up relying only on himself. With his apartment gone and none of his belongings with him he wouldn't know where to start if he left this place. The most concerning aspect of the Mansion to him is Charles and Jean's ability to read his mind. But with his newfound ability and if it keeps growing as well as he thinks it will, he wouldn't need to concern himself.

Taking a deep breath to scatter the last bits of his anger, he speaks "I'll stay."

Charles' expression brightening at the response he tries to confirm, "You will?"

"On some conditions." Added Hugo, not lowering the bright expression of Charles. "No roommates. I don't need someone watching me twenty-four seven. Also I won't leave the compound, but I should be able to go out of the mansion and walk around. I don't like being cooped up for a long time."

Without hesitation Charles replies, "Of course, feel free to do so any time." Finding the conditions Hugo said acceptable to his terms. "Welcome Hugo, I hope you find your stay more pleasant than how it began."

'Yeah, I hope so too." Hugo thinks in his head.

"Logan, could you show Hugo one of the rooms? The rest of you stay for a little while." The Professor looks at Logan leaning on one of the walls and asks of him.

Logan nods towards the Professor and starts to walk towards the door. Hugo following his actions, taking that as his cue to leave.

But before he leaves, he mentions looking back, "I'll need to know what exactly happened." Referring to the unusual circumstances that lead to him here, that's happening in his area. Wondering what could have resulted the government, perhaps Shield, to lock it down and take mutants into custody.

Instead of the Professor, Henry replies to him, "I'll tell you all about it when you get settled."

"Thank you." Ended Hugo, stepping out of the room. His and Logan's footsteps echoing the still silent halls of the Mansion.

Henry closes the door after they leave. Noticing that he has everyone's attention he starts, "The boy is clean for the most part. Normal childhood except for the fact that his parents had some ties to the underworld, which I don't think he knows. Official story is that they went missing some years ago but nothing happened to the boy after that." The information he voiced raising some eyebrows of the people there.

"For now, we don't know much about his mutative ability except for the fact that he seems to gain a defensive function based on outside forces." Henry's own tone bordering a question because of the lack of information regarding the boy's ability. Hugo's avoidance to providing information regarding it not helping in figuring it out.

"No notable external changes to appearance. Darwin would be a bit jealous once he meets the boy." He jokes referring to the similarities between Hugo and Darwin. The exception of Darwin changing his appearance greatly when producing defensive mechanisms. "We will know in the future. I can't exactly picture what telepathic defense would look like."

'Bigger brain or head?' Henry thought to himself.

These conjectures and theories about Hugo's ability all seemingly accurate based on past evidence. Little did they know the potential and ability of Hugo although similar to Darwin, is greatly different, his potential dwarfing the latter's by quite a large margin.

The initial reading of Cerebro regarding Hugo's potential while the Professor was using it, is different that what is it now. Increasing little by little every single day, one number at a time.