Rewards

Automatic doors with a blue X symbol on them opened with a hum as Xavier entered an expansive spherical dome.

The walls shimmered in shades of blue, made of a sleek metal that created an ethereal ambience, setting the tone for the profound work that lay ahead.

All while a long walkway stretched out to the middle of the dome, before Xavier.

His expression was neutral, unclear what thoughts he was currently having as his mechanical wheelchair hummed.

It wasn't long till he reached the end of the platform where a small podium lay before the old man, a metal helmet with cords hanging out from it placed upon the podium.

'Am I just being paranoid?'

Ever since his conversation with Ronan, he couldn't help but have this nagging feeling bug him.

'I probably am. I had this same feeling with those kids, but they turned out to be regular teenagers.'

Despite this, Xavier still planned to check Cerebro for any damages.

Its main use was to boost Xavier's abilities so he'd be able to locate Mutants worldwide.

However, lately, it didn't seem as if it could do that, as he'd missed not only Ronan but the "kids" he'd mentioned before.

Therefore, as he placed the helmet on his head, he could feel his senses expanding, amplified as his telepathy grew so powerful it felt like his very mind was being wrapped around the earth.

However, as he ran a few tests, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

'Is the problem me and not Cerebro?'

Or maybe his data was simply wrong due to bad products.

And so, his mind focused on a single individual.

Ronan.

He could sense the boy in his room, above him, and as he delved deeper…

-VUAM

Xavier's body convulsed, seizing as if he were electrocuted, struggling to remove the helmet from his head until he finally pushed it off.

"Huff…huff…huff…"

Xavier breathed heavily, his nose dripping with bright red blood that soiled his suit.

'It happened again.'

He made it a general rule not to invade the privacy of one's mind. 

However, this rule meant nothing if he felt his school was in danger.

But in this case, he assumed this would happen.

He was blocked off from Ronan's mind. Usually, he could understand the difference in power when this happened.

However, now, It was as if he was met with a wall constructed by something unfathomable that he couldn't comprehend.

Not to mention, Ronan wasn't even at the level where he could be capable of something like this, confusing him even further.

'It's the same as those kids who arrived a few days ago. The same thing happened.'

However, rather than being wary, Xavier felt a sense of relief.

'Those kids turned out to be harmless. A good batch that quickly got along with the others. I'm probably right to think this isn't an immediate threat to the school.'

Though he was determined to uncover this riddle, he was somewhat consoled upon knowing he was indeed just being paranoid.

'After all, in today's world, nothing stays secret for long.'

***

"That couldn't have been pleasant for him."

Ronan muttered, seeing the screen that had suddenly appeared before him.

[Mind Invasion Detected]

[To keep matters about the Scenario secret, your mind shall be shielded]

He'd felt the mass of power and awe-striking energy beneath his feet that was Cerebro. 

He'd learned about it from the Tower, but sensing it in person was a whole new experience.

It rivalled the Iron Man suit.

Despite this, he wasn't worried.

After seeing the censorship applied on the League of Hydra logo on Alexander's trench coat when he first arrived, he'd always guessed something like this would happen.

It was why he was never concerned about Xavier simply reading his mind and unravelling his whole plot.

He wasn't worried about Xavier's Telepathy.

But Psychic Attacks were a different story.

Nothing suggested the system would interfere if Xavier suddenly wanted to turn him into a vegetable.

Though he had a plan for that when the time came.

Nevertheless, he needed to learn more with his Psionics perk as soon as possible.

After all, the system only blocked telepaths in the Marvel world.

It didn't say anything about blocking mind invasions from…

'Them.'

The Inheritors.

Ronan struggled to his feet, a dissatisfied expression painted across his face as he used a single crutch to stand, his other arm in a sling.

The sun was rising and he hadn't slept for even a second. 

Not that it bothered him, he's gone far longer without a wink of sleep.

He slowly put on a fresh set of clothes as he soon pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing.

'The Inheritors here complicate things.'

He didn't know what they were planning or how they planned to deal with this quest.

After seeing them last night, he couldn't say with complete confidence which of them were Inheritors and who belonged to this world, but he assumed there were close to a dozen of them.

'They shouldn't know I'm an Inheritor too. So if they're planning something similar to my plan and they think I'm a mutant, I could be in danger.'

Ronan didn't know how strong they were, but as he currently was, he doubted he could take them all.

'But then again, I doubt the Vanheart girl will allow that.'

He didn't know much about her and was simply basing her off her older sister. He could very well be wrong.

Thinking this, he walked to the door, supported by his crutches as he left the room, walking through the empty hallway.

Since it was a Saturday morning and most of the students and adults had been up since midnight, Ronan doubted he'd be seeing anyone around.

'To put it simply, they could easily ruin everything.'

With this, a thought occurred to Ronan.

Should he reveal himself to them?

But after a few seconds, he shook his head.

'No, that would complicate things further.'

They could potentially reject his plan or reveal it to Xavier, perhaps accidentally even if not on purpose.

Ronan's plan was fragile. It could go wrong if he didn't plan every word and second.

He doubted they had the same carefulness as he did.

'And if my plan were to be revealed…'

Ronan didn't even want to think about it. At that point, he would truly become public enemy number 1.

He didn't intend to tell anyone. The most he was willing to reveal was being an Inheritor if it were absolutely necessary.

But if his plans went according to plan, it wouldn't lead to that.

He decided to keep the plan as it was and change nothing.

Ronan soon made it to the large twin front door of the mansion. 

It creaked a little as the orange hue on the horizon from the sun rising instantly caught Ronan's eyes.

He closed the door behind him, seeing the small garden before him. 

With neatly trimmed decorative bushes and a water fountain that let out a tranquil gurgle, like a gentle river.

He walked toward one of the many wooden benches as he took a seat, placing his crutches beside him.

Taking a deep breath, he watched the vapour leaving his mouth.

It was cold out and he wore a simple hoodie and pants, the bandages still wrapped around his head and hands, most prominently his fingertips.

'I don't remember the exact location, but…'

Ronan sniffed the air, his head turning occasionally like a compass until his eyes locked in a specific direction.

A grassy plains where nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

However, in the specific spot, Ronan stared at, with his newly enhanced eyes, he could see the dirt and grass torn up.

After all, this is where he landed his jet.

And directly under that dirt, Ronan could smell it.

His loot.

'I can't directly walk up to it. For all I know, they are watching me right now.'

But he had to get to it. His MGH was about to run out. He could feel his senses dulling.

Therefore, he took a deep breath as he rose to his feet without his crutches.

He could walk, it was just a little hard after the heavy injuries and the blood loss.

Not to mention the slightest movement to his shoulder sent a searing pain shooting through his body.

Hell, he couldn't even stand up straight since his ribs felt like they'd crumble at any second.

Despite these disadvantages, Ronan wasn't satisfied with regaining the ability to stand.

No, rather than walk, he kicked off from the ground as he started to jog.

'It hurts, but it's nothing I shouldn't be able to endure.'

Ronan thought, his eyes glancing at his treasure as he didn't run straight toward it.

No, rather he ran away from it, soon turning as he planned to circle toward it.

But as Ronan continued, not even a minute had passed before he started to breathe heavily, his legs becoming heavy as he slowed.

'What the hell? I knew my endurance was bad, but can I really not jog for even a minute?'

Though it was partly because he was pushing himself after being at death's door a few days ago, his body also seemed as though it was getting worse.

He remembered running faster than this before becoming infected with the Technobane.

[You will die in 1 week and 6 days]

His bones felt more fragile, his skin was almost snow white and his muscles ached after the slightest bit of excessive exercise.

Despite this, he kept going, turning as he now ran straight toward his destination.

His form was breaking down and his arms were flailing helplessly, all while he heaved like an exhausted dog with rabies.

But it was all worth it as he inched closer to his loot.

Perhaps it was the addiction of the MGH that made the pills smell sweet, making Ronan run faster for it despite falling apart.

However, with only a few feet left to travel…

"Hi, nice to meet you."

Ronan halted in his steps as he turned his head. 

He'd been so focused on the MGH that even with his enhanced senses, he hadn't realised someone had neared him.

It seemed he was running so slow she was able to catch up to him just by walking.

And as he stared at the female, it was hard for him to keep a nonchalant expression.

'She was with that Vanheart girl last night.'

Ronan thought, seeing the rather short female with round glasses and curly brunette hair that fell to her shoulders.

She fashioned a wide and innocent smile. One that made it hard to believe she had any ill intentions.

'She's an Inheritor.'

"You're that boy who arrived in the Jet, aren't you?" She asked curiously, the chipper tone being one that fit her.

'I can't proceed to my stuff any further or she might see.'

Additionally, Ronan wasn't particularly fond of speaking with her either.

'If they're well versed in the Marvel world and I tell them too much about myself, they might realise I don't belong here.'

"I wasn't there to see you arrive that day, but you're quite famous in the school right now."

All while the girl spoke, she awkwardly stared at the winded Ronan who wiped the sweat off his chin, silent as he glared at her.

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Amy. What's yours…"

"Sorry, I'm busy right now. Can you leave me alone please?" Ronan cut her off, finally speaking as Amy paused, taken aback.

"I-I'm sorry, I just thought that…"

Amy fumbled to find her words, Ronan's unamused glare making her lose her train of thought.

"You're right. I'm sorry, it wasn't a good time to start questioning you." Amy nervously chuckled, turning as she did.

"I hope we can catch up later. I'll see you around." 

Amy waved, walking away as she occasionally looked back, seeing Ronan staring at her each time she did, fueling her incentive to keep going.

'That girl…even last night, she was the most talkative person at the event.'

Ronan wondered, were they trying to gain the acceptance and trust of the others? 

Why else would they be here? They needed something from the X-Men.

He'd been so focused on them finding out what he was planning, that he didn't think for a second how exactly they expected to complete this quest.

However, after today, he knew he'd be closer to finding out.

But before that, as Amy left his sight, he turned, looking at a soil patch in the middle of the grassy plains, amongst similar soil patches from the Jet landing.

'Rewards.'