Hank McCoy had been feeling a little conflicted these past few days. On the one hand, Michael Halse, head of the Mutant Power Research Department, had brought along two remarkable fellow Mutants. On the other, one of them had accidentally exposed his secret.
"I thought your research was focused on supersonic aircraft. I never expected you to build such an incredible Cerebro, too. What gave you the idea?"
Raven wandered around, stopping now and then to fiddle curiously with the strange-looking instruments. She smiled sweetly at the somewhat ill-at-ease Hank, her voice low and husky.
Charles sat rather nervously in the cluttered laboratory, surrounded by a web of wires and pipes. He watched Hank fiddle with a "helmet" that looked like a giant pot, covered in chips, synapses, and connectors, and couldn't help wondering whether the young researcher was trying to get back at him.
After all, Director Halse knew a great deal about Mutants, so Charles had naturally assumed that Halse knew Hank McCoy was one.
Hank was very young, a few years younger than Charles, but he was an undisputed genius.
"Cerebro was more of a spur-of-the-moment project. I was recruited by the SSR for the Super Soldier Serum project, actually. My main fields are evolutionary biology, genetics, and biochemistry."
"Hey! Then we're working in almost the same fields. I got my doctorate in genetic mutation and genetics at Oxford."
At that, Professor Charles Xavier froze for two seconds. He was even more worried about whether Hank McCoy's Cerebro would work.
"I didn't get as far in academia. I switched to applied biochemistry pretty quickly. I wanted to start working early and earn some money. I was leaning toward the Howlett Advanced Technology Institute; they offered the best pay."
"But the people in charge at the SSR spent