132 The Project Reveal

[[Markus Hanley]]

"He is close?" My question had Mobius grunting. 

"He is." Mobius answered. "He has been chasing the Guardians of the Galaxy after their leader, Starlord decided to attack him."

Of course, he did. It's fucking Starlord. He is brain dead half the time.

"But that does buy you time." Mobius said, making me contemplate the time they bought me.

"Do remember that the very reason we got you was to get rid of Kang with minimal casualties." He warned. "And we will like to keep it like that."

"I remember." I answered. "But since you the TVA won't be providing me with anything, I will have to utilise everything at my disposal."

Mobius shook his head. "Once you complete this mission, you will be given an appropriate reward."

"I will hold onto that promise."

…

…

[[Jean Grey]]

"Err… So, isn't Markus like a big deal now?"

Rogue's question made everyone look at one another. 

Markus was a good guy and a fun person to be around. And since our ages were so similar we got on well together.

*Cough* *Cough*

Everyone jumped as the professor made his presence known.

"To answer your question, Markus has always been a big deal. He is a mutant with unimaginable potential. Him revealing his identity doesn't change anything about the relationships you all have with him. He has always been the son of Marcellus Hanley and he has always been a mutant like the rest of you." Professor put on a calm expression as he said that. "And as his friends, you should all know that."

Rogue scratched her cheeks while the rest looked unsure about it. Seeing this, the professor smiled. 

"Well, if you are still unsure… why don't you ask Markus directly?" Everyone nodded at that but when the professor turned his head to look behind, everyone appeared shocked. "Don't you agree, Markus?"

"I sure do."

And just like that, I felt my face burning.

…

…

[[Markus Hanley]]

The X-Men seemed surprised to see me and I could see Jean blush a little.

Ah, youth. How nice.

"He is right. I am still the same Markus." A shrug to add to the dramatic dialogue. "Your friend."

Xavier nodded proudly and tapped me on my back, a bit of an annoying gesture in my opinion. 

"I will give you kids space." 

"Ah, professor. I will talk with you later. There is a certain something that I need to talk about."

Xavier seemed curious and nodded. "Very well, I will wait." Saying that he left the room, leaving me with the younger X-Men.

"So… You decided to reveal yourself, huh?" Kitty asked with a cheeky grin. "And don't give me the generic, 'I had no choice' dialogue. If you wanted you could have hid your face, both the times."

One of the reasons I like Kitty is because of her personality. The hyperactive but witty personality is not something you see everyday. Separately, maybe. But together… That's rare.

"I didn't want to keep staying hidden. It's too annoying, you know? Having to worry that someone would find out about your identity if you don't act a certain way. And this incident happened to be just a way for me to reveal myself… and not in a bad way."

"I can understand." Surprisingly it was Scott that spoke. "It feels restraining to have to hide ourselves. While your father managed to help get rid of the barrier that separated humans and mutants, many still hate our kind. And to protect us… since our powers are so special, Professor tries to keep our power hidden from the public." 

Xavier cared about the kids but he believes himself to be always correct, which is the issue.

And I am just like him, I always consider myself correct which is a dangerous thing. 

"But thanks to getting rid of Jester and Magnus managing the press, the mutants are now seen in a new light. Being a mutant doesn't mean a person is evil. Even humans commit crimes, I would say more heinous than any other species." Kurt spoke for the first time after my arrival. 

"You and Magnus have done a lot. Your father must be proud." 

I smiled at Rogue's statement. 

"We do what we can. After all, I am a mutant just like you all." Giving them my best smile, I said. "Well, since I have come after so long. I bought some snacks. Let's enjoy ourselves."

"Ayyy!" Kitty exclaimed.

.

.

.

As the X-Men talked amongst themselves, Jean walked towards me. 

"Markus."  

"Mhm?" 

Looking at her, I realised that she was calmer than before. 

"Thank you." She said in a genuine tone. 

"Eh, for what?" I already knew the answer as my habit of reading minds already peeked inside hers. 

"For… everything. From saving us from Magneto to helping stop Jester. You are a boon to the mutant kind. And I am glad that you are on our side."

This made me chuckle a bit too loudly. "Don't worry about it, Red. It was my responsibility as someone with power… And as your friend."

This made her smile, a satisfied and happy smile. 

"I am grateful that we met you, Markus." She said. "You are one of a kind."

"So are you."

…

…

[Danger Room]

After enjoying his time with the X-Men, Markus went to see the Professor and as requested, all the older X-Men happened to be present. 

Ororo, James, Hank and Xavier sat on one side of the room, while Markus sat on the other. 

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about Markus?" 

Markus relaxed on his seat. 

"You saw the situation with Jester." He said, making Xavier nod. 

"He was a threat that was classified as an Omega by professor." Ororo added with a frown but relaxed as she looked at Markus. "Thank you for stopping him."

Nodding at her words of gratitude, Markus turned to look at the professor once again. 

"We cannot be sure that there won't be any more enemies like that. And there is no way the government is going to let us mutants make a defence force of our own."

Hank raised an eyebrow at Markus' words, whereas James decided to ask directly.

"What do you mean?"

Markus took a deep breath and looked at them. "There has been a project that my father started and I managed to complete."

His words drew everyone's attention.

"It is something that will ensure mutant kinds safety and ensure we have a place to call our own."

Hank looked at Xavier who in turn decided to ask. 

"And what is that project?"

"The project is called… Project Eutopia."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

[[A/N: Read ahead on Pat reon: Pat reon.com/Greedyfrog]]