Chapter 122: X-Mansion -2

"Lucas Watson? You are Aeon??" The girl standing beside the Professor exclaims aloud.

"This is another one of my students, Jean Grey," Professor Xavier introduces the girl to you.

"Hi, Aeon—I mean, L-Lucas!" Jean greets, looking at your face with a shy smile.

Jean has an uncanny resemblance to your sister MJ. You aren't just saying that because she is a hot redhead, but because she even has the same green eyes as your sister and you. Still, she is a bit shorter than your sister.

Her stunning appearance aside, you immediately recognise her as the famous Jean Grey from the X-Men comics.

In the comics, she was an Omega Level Telepath and the host of the cosmic Phoenix Force.

Seeing this innocent, beautiful girl, it's hard to imagine her becoming one of the most terrifying beings in the world.

"Hi," you greet her with a simple smile, making her face brighten.

"And you must be Marie," Professor Xavier remarks, turning to the girl beside you.

"How'd ya know mah name?" Marie asks, confused.

"Like you, Marie, I am a mutant with a gift of the mind," Professor Xavier explains with a smile.

"So ya can read mah mind?" Marie asks, alarmed.

"Not that easily. I would have to try actively to get inside your brain, but your surface-level thoughts are easy to decipher. Of course, some minds are impossible to enter or just difficult to read," he explains, glancing at you and then at Logan.

You realize you should create an external mind-shielding device for Marie and the others, given the sheer number of telepaths roaming this world.

"You must be Logan. I think you need my help most of all," Professor Xavier states, intrigued.

"I don't need any help. I just tagged along to make sure they were safe," Logan replies, arms crossed.

"Are you sure? Aren't you curious about your past?" Professor Xavier asks frankly.

"What do you know, old man?" Logan demands, getting into a combat stance. Scottie tenses up, seeing this.

"Not much right now, but I can help you jog your memories," Professor Xavier offers. "Why don't Scottie and Ororo change out of their uniforms while Jean shows the school to Lucas and Marie? Meanwhile, I can have a chat with Miss Logan here," he decides.

"Okay, Professor," both Ororo and Scottie reply.

"I would be happy to!" Jean exclaims excitedly.

Scottie gives Jean a weird look as who averts her gaze.

Scottie and Ororo head to the right side of the mansion, while the Professor takes a grumbling Logan to the left, likely to his study. Before leaving, Logan looks at you, and you assure her that you will both be fine.

"Right, let me show you around, Lucas," Jean says, her voice bright with enthusiasm.

"I'm here too, ya know!" Marie interjects, annoyed.

"Yeah, I meant both of you," Jean replies, slightly embarrassed.

Jean leads the way into the grand foyer of the mansion. The entrance hall is vast and elegant, with high ceilings and a sweeping staircase leading to the upper floors. Rich wood paneling lines the walls, and large windows let in ample natural light, creating a welcoming atmosphere despite the building's grandeur.

"This place is huge," you comment, looking around.

Jean nods. "It was the Professor's ancestral house. We have been slowly redesigning it to be both a school and a home. We have plenty of room for students, classrooms, training facilities, and everything else we might need."

Marie looks around, her eyes wide. "Ah've never seen anythin' like this."

"Let's start with the ground floor," Jean says, leading you down the hallway. "This is the main academic wing. We plan to have classrooms here for all the standard subjects, plus some specialized courses in mutation control and ethics."

As you walk, Jean explains the layout of the school. "All the rooms are still empty since we are just getting started, but we have a lot of plans. Over there is the library. It's one of the largest private collections of books in the country."

You peer into the library, impressed by the sheer number of books lining the shelves. The room is cozy, with plush chairs and reading lamps, creating an inviting space for students to study.

"Next, I will show you the labs," Jean says, turning down another corridor.

You arrive at a set of double doors marked "Laboratories". Inside, the room is filled with state-of-the-art equipment, from advanced computers to specialized scientific instruments.

In the center of the room stands a woman with blue fur, working intently on a complex apparatus. She looks up as you enter, revealing intelligent, piercing eyes behind a pair of glasses.

"Ah, visitors! How delightful," she greets you warmly. "Hello, I am Dr. Helen McCoy."

Marie trembles beside you as the hulking blue figure approaches. 

You step forward, extending a hand. "Lucas Watson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. McCoy. Your work in genetics is quite renowned."

Helen smiles, her eyes twinkling. "I see you are familiar with my research. I am flattered," she says as she shakes your hand. It's like an adult hand shaking a baby's hand. You notice that her hand, even her whole body is covered in blue fur. 

"Very familiar," you reply. "I think your paper was the first to coin the term 'X-gene'."

Helen beams. "Thank you. It's refreshing to hear someone talk about my academic achievements on the first meeting. Most people are a bit intimidated," she says, taking her hand back. 

You are not surprised, as if you didn't know her male counterpart from the comics as the Beast, you will also be taking a combat stance against a monstrous looking creature like her. 

"She's Marie. Forgive her, it has been a tiring day," you say on behalf of Marie, who still stands farther from Helen.

"Once you get to know Helen, you will realize she's nothing to be worried about," Jean assures, going ahead to side-hug Helen. Helen smiles warmly as she hugs her back. "But I would prefer if she didn't stay cooped up in the laboratory all day," Jean whines.

"As T.S. Eliot said, 'We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time,'" Helen quotes.

You finish the quote, "Through the unknown, unremembered gate. When the last of earth left to discover is that which was the beginning."

Helen's eyes light up, looking at you with an enchanted gaze. "It looks like you have a fine taste in poetry too, Lucas."

Jean smiles. "You two could talk literature all day, but we should continue the tour."

You bid farewell to Helen, promising to return for a more in-depth discussion later. Marie also apologizes, but Helen brushes it off, saying she understands.

Jean leads you to another part of the mansion, opening a door to reveal a large, high-ceiling room filled with various training equipment.

"This is the Danger Room," Jean explains. "Right now, it's equipped with physical robots and practice dummies. We use it for combat training and in the future it would help students learn to control their powers in a safe environment."

You are not surprised by this simple state of the Danger Room, as it doesn't look like they have encountered any alien technology yet.

You walk around, inspecting the various obstacles and training modules. "It's quite impressive. How advanced are the training programs?"

Jean smiles. "We are constantly updating them. Right now, it's mostly for physical training and basic power control, but we plan to incorporate more advanced scenarios as we grow."

Marie looks around, wide-eyed. "This place is like somethin' out of a movie."

You should take Marie to see the training rooms at Watson Tower; they're just as impressive, with even a Virtual Reality section for simulated training.

Jean laughs. "It does feel that way sometimes. But it's all real, and it's all here to help us become the best versions of ourselves."

As you move on from the Danger Room, Jean shows you both the dormitories, the dining hall, and the recreation areas. Each part of the mansion is meticulously designed to provide comfort and functionality, blending modern amenities with the building's historic charm.

"We have a lot of space for students," Jean says as she leads you through the dormitory wing. "Right now, it's just the four of us, but we are hoping our numbers will increase soon."

You nod, impressed by the scale of the facility. "It's a fantastic setup. I can see why Professor Xavier is so passionate about this place."

Jean smiles. "He believes in the potential of every mutant to make a difference in the world."

She also shows you the basketball court, the swimming pool, and an open field for playing football. Jean is constantly talking, focusing most of her attention on you, explaining everything in detail and sharing some of her memories of this place with you.

Neither you nor Jean have asked personal questions yet, nor have you talked much about mutant-related stuff.

As you finish the tour, Jean takes you and Marie to Professor Xavier's study. Inside, you see the Professor listening to Ororo and Scottie's report, with Logan standing on the side, brooding.

Ororo turns towards you first, her face brightening with intense curiosity as she sizes you up.

And you are doing the same as she is definitely smoking hot!

Looking at her in casual clothes, you can never imagine that she is the same Omega level Mutant, the Storm Goddess from the comics.

You smile at her, and she smiles back.

"I hope the tour was enlightening," Professor Xavier says, smiling warmly.

"It was," you reply. "This is an incredible place, Professor."

"Thank you, Lucas. We are glad to have you here. And Marie, I hope you find a home here as well," he says, spreading his hands. "As you might have figured out by now, this is a place for learning, a place where mutants can come and learn how to control their powers. I hope that one day it could even become a safe haven for them."

Marie hesitates but still asks, "Can ya first tell me more about mah sister and the people she was hanging out with?" She asks with apprehension.

"Your sister ... Rogue, is a member of a group of mutants who call themselves the Brotherhood of Mutants. I am afraid their leader, Magneto, has some radical ideas about how mutants should treat normal humans," Professor Xavier says with a sigh.