- Do you want to find Adamantium? Charles said in surprise as soon as he heard my request. The request is because I could have found out everything myself, but it would have been faster that way. A couple of days after walking with Petra, I decided to try to create a new alloy. I will certainly not do this on Earth or within its limits, I need a star to melt Indestructible metal, and according to Xavier's stories, Adamantium is also quite heat-resistant.
- yes. I've been wanting to create something for a long time and the alloy will be the first in line. I haven't forgotten about cancer, don't worry, I'm still testing my skills that I've gained in my life. I want to be sure of the result.
- Alloy... I don't even know, Trig," Xavier sighed heavily. "This information is very dangerous, and the metal itself is very laborious and expensive to synthesize, to make at least a couple of kilograms, you need to pay at least ninety trillion dollars!
- Why synthesize? I've had enough of frozen," I grinned when I saw Charles's dumbfounded face.
- It is incredibly heavy, and it will also be impossible to melt it! There are simply no similar technologies on Earth.
- I will only need a star, - at my words, the man could no longer stand it and choked. - Don't worry, my strength and capabilities are more than enough for this. I have withstood even higher temperatures. Just tell me where to find him.
- Trig... - massaging the carrier, Xavier said. - OK. I'll help you. Do you remember Weapon X? I nodded and waited for him to continue. - Logan was part of their program, that's why they implanted an Adamantium skeleton in him, and it was done in Canada. Their complex should be completely destroyed, Logan then left no stone unturned, blocked the entrance and left. Keep the coordinates," he quickly wrote down the necessary numbers on a piece of paper. - Perhaps there is still something left, because it is almost impossible to transport frozen Adamantium. Let him stay with you, maybe you will create something that will help humanity in the future," passing the piece of paper, a real spark of determination appeared in Charles's eyes, but it immediately went out. - And then... Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? You are definitely not an ordinary being in this universe.
- I am one of the most ancient beings in the universes, I am more than four billion years old... and that's enough for now. As soon as I get back, we'll continue this conversation. However, you already know some information, I like to share some knowledge and thoughts with other reasonable people," smiling, I left the office. Well, Xavier is not a bad person, he can be told some information about me. I wanted to go straight to the complex to start creating the alloy as soon as possible, but my plan was briefly suspended by the appearance of Kitty, who again passed through the wall near me.
- Oh, hello, Mr. Trigg! The girl's smile was literally ear-to-ear, to which I just sighed heavily. This girl always appears like this, and in front of everyone, not just in front of me. Okay, I still have the opportunity to notice her long before she arrives, but others don't have such abilities.
- Let me guess, did you spin around the corridors like that until you "accidentally" bumped into me? - of course, there is no word about guessing or luck, I saw everything perfectly. The girl blushed, but that didn't stop her from taking my hand and turning around, dragging me along, which I decided not to resist.
"E-it doesn't matter! Our people are already gathered in the living room, just waiting for you! By the way, they could have been there in the last week and a half," Kitty said with some disapproval, shooting her eyes at me over her shoulder. - And, as it were, Monroe returned, - the girl casually said.
"Well, lead the way," I said with a small grin. Hmm, and I learn a lot with the help of these children, I would never have answered like that before and feelings would not have shown so strongly on my face. It's interesting...
- That's what I'm doing! - the girl declared unnecessarily loudly, turning down the stairs. - And if it's not a secret, what have you been doing downstairs all this time? Kitty asked softly, as if she were asking about some secret of the universe.
"I helped Petra with her invention, conducted some experiments with metals, and experimented on myself," I said, as a matter of course. However, there will still be a lot to do, especially with the ability to split. I'm sure this ability is far from simple. All my parallel consciousnesses are connected to me and think the same way, and after separating one of them, it feels a little... emptiness. Especially according to the memories of my parallel, in one he concentrated only on one specific thing and could not be distracted by other factors. My parallel consciousness has no mind of its own, it only executes my commands and thinks like me. And this... a very interesting conclusion. Parallel consciousness gains about twenty percent of my strength, while I lose a maximum of five percent. And their powers are finite, they can use up all their energy. And this means that if they are torn away from me, they lose the ability to receive the energy of fear. I need to find out if I can pour more energy and strength into them, but most likely, additional parallel consciousnesses will be needed to fully function over this force.
"With you?" Nothing serious, I hope? Would you create a second Hulk by any chance? Pride said with a malicious smile.
"It's unlikely that I'll turn green," I replied with a small grin.
- Wait, what? - the girl just managed to say it, as we were greeted.
- Trig! - Petra was the first to react, as usual, rushing into my arms. - I'm glad to see you! You haven't hung out with us for a long time," Parker said with a slight reproach, looking up at me.
- I'm sorry, some things delayed me a little, so I forgot about time, - a soft smile touched my lips, and a hand, with a familiar movement, stroked Petra's silky hair. - But I am very glad that you are waiting for me, from now on, I will try to come in as often as possible. And hello everyone," the others waved their hand wearily in greeting, apparently I had just interrupted another long evening of Petra's dreams. Yes, she's a girl... chatty. But I even like it. There is this childish naivety and spontaneity in her, which I really appreciate.
- Was Petra talking about superheroes again? Kitty walked past us, sitting down on a chair.
"Uh-huh," came a despondent chorus of voices.
- Nevertheless, - ignoring these words, Petra finally released me from her embrace and walked to her place on the sofa, patting her palm next to her. - Monroe has finally arrived! She pointed with her free hand at an African-American woman with gray hair and brown eyes.
"To be honest, Petra has been buzzing my ears about you, Mr. Trigg," she said with a chuckle. I shrugged and sat down next to Parker.
- She likes to exaggerate a lot, - I don't like to put my merits above others, especially when I just helped to finalize a ready-made and functional tool. And even then, it was about the materials. Petra is not as simple as it seems at first glance. She has a tenacious mind, very high intelligence, but at the same time, she has all the signs of a child. An amazing thing... And it gives me even more pleasure to communicate with her.
"That's putting it mildly," Monroe supported me, and Petra, frowning like a little puppy, lightly elbowed me in the side.
- Are you going to get acquainted or are you going to discuss my shortcomings? - she muttered, puffing out her cheeks.
"Haha, I'm sorry, Petra," Ororo smiled, coming closer and grabbing her cheeks. - You know I love you the way you are.
"Uh-huh," everyone nodded furiously, holding back their laughter. Apparently, they often do this. And I can understand, it looks humorous and cute. It's like an older sister playing with a younger one.
- All right, that's enough! - Petra tried to fight off the girl's hands, but everything was in vain, she lost this battle. But the war will go on...
A chuckle escaped from my mouth. Everyone looked at me in unison. "Ahem, I'm sorry," it probably looked awkward. I couldn't contain my emotions. But... It was really fun. After my words, there was a slight silence and everyone burst out laughing. I just smiled at that.
- Ahem, yes. I'm Ororo Monroe, nice to meet you, Mr. Trigg," calming down and releasing Petra from her tenacious clutches, the girl offered me her hand, which I shook.
"Let's just say you," I suggested.
"Of course," she nodded happily, sitting down next to me on the corner of the sofa. - So, can you tell me a little about yourself?
- It's started... - everyone said in unison, dejectedly lowering their heads.
- Well... Why not," I said simply. Of course, I will filter the information, but I also have something to tell you. This time... I will be more open. Petra has taught me a lot during this short period of life here. You need to be open and people reach out to you. One of the many lessons that Petra gave me. At my words, everyone immediately looked interested, apparently they got used to the fact that I rarely say anything about myself. Only Petra smiled at me. - I am honest and kind to people who deserve it...
***
By the end of that evening, I had found out a little bit about everyone around me that day. And I decided that Laura should also be introduced to these people, they will get along great, because they make decisions for each of their friends, support and help as much as possible. It will be... a favorable environment for Laura. When everyone started to leave, Anna asked me to stay with her for a while to talk about something. After she avoided me, I took this thought quite happily, apparently there is still a factor in the form of Petra. After all, Parker likes to chat on all possible topics and share different experiences with all his friends.
- so... Are you all right? - I decided to start with something less significant and ask gently so as not to put pressure on her. Apparently, Anna had been preparing herself for a very long time and I didn't want to scare her with my pressure.
- Uh-uh... Yes, everything is fine. I'm starting to understand all the material better, my friends, in particular Petra, help me a lot with this - I've never noticed that she had problems with her studies. In class, she always answered correctly and in detail, as if she knew the answers from birth. - But... That's not what I wanted to talk to you about.
"Oh, sure, go on," I nodded, indicating that I had focused all my attention on her.
- Petra and I have been friends for a long time and talk a lot about everything, she told me how you helped her with her invention and how you tested it. So... we talked about my problem, as well as the possibility of getting some help and support from you," she licked her dry lips and continued. - Do you remember how I was afraid of your touch and ran away? And after that... Was she avoiding you?
"Actually, I was very worried that I had done something wrong," I replied softly.
- No! It wasn't about you, it was about mine... abilities. As soon as I touch someone or someone touches me, he immediately loses consciousness and may even die. That's why I always wear my gloves and I'm afraid of other people's touch... a very interesting ability. But also dangerous.
- Are there any details? Do you feel anything during contact?
- Uh, no, I don't know, I only used it once and that was by accident, it was... my ex-boyfriend, I put him in a coma almost immediately and couldn't figure anything out. Since that day, I have never touched anyone with my hands without gloves.
I looked at her hand and thought about it. So, does it send you into a coma upon contact, so it steals your life force? Does this worsen a person's physical development, does it deprive him of a certain part of his life? If so, then she can safely be called a physical vampire, it's too early to talk about energy and strength. - I have a couple of thoughts, but first I have to fix it with physical contact. Give me your hand," I gave her my hand and she looked at me in fright. - Don't worry, I definitely won't go into a coma, I'm more than sure that I'll be fine. I am not an ordinary person.
- But... - she tried to object, but when she saw my calm and confident look, she stopped. - I... okay, but if something happens, if you feel a minimal change, we'll end everything right away, okay? I nodded. It is unlikely that she will be able to inflict any injuries on me. Of course, my confidence is supported not only by words, I have tested my body with many physical and not only influences, there is little that can harm me.
"Take off your glove," I said softly, and Anna, with some hesitation, did what I asked. Her hand was shaking a little, so I took it carefully so as not to scare the girl away. "Hmm," I said. The life force is flowing away in a fairly rapid stream, for a dozen years in twenty or thirty seconds, but nothing serious for me. My body is completely immortal, I could recover from a couple of cells. I still doubt about the soul, it's too dangerous to conduct such experiments. - Try to concentrate, everything is going too little, - I advised. Maria, seeing that everything was fine with me and I did not faint, relaxed a little and closed her eyes, taking advantage of my advice.
She... No, it's not just about vitality. She can read the soul with a touch, and the longer the contact, the more dangerous it is for her. At least in my case, I've lived for billions of years! I abruptly released her hand and she opened her eyes in disbelief.
- Has something happened? Did I... almost kill a man again? - my actions have raised quite obvious questions. I shook my head in denial, otherwise he'll come up with something else.
- No, no, it wasn't that. Your ability... Anna, listen to me carefully, never tell anyone what you're going to hear, okay? This is very dangerous for your life," the girl looked at my serious face and realized that there was no room for jokes right now. "With your touch, you not only steal a person's life force, but you can also read their soul. And the longer a person has lived, the worse it will get for you later, in my case, you saw only one hundred years, but believe me, a little more would just kill you. Your brain wouldn't be able to handle that much information. To be honest, I do not know what will happen tomorrow, once you can understand and sort out most of my memories, as well as what you can get out of it... but this is a very dangerous business. For now... It's also better for you not to touch anyone, you need to learn how to control this ability. We will study with you in the evenings every day, a little at a time. I am sure we will achieve the highest result, but I am not sure about the timing.
- What can happen to me? "besides the fact that you might lose your mind and my memories merge with yours?" Ahem, of course, I would never tell her that, it would be too harsh.
- It's simple... Remember something. These are not your memories, do not try to understand them completely, a superficial study is the best option for you right now. Don't think, let them pass you by. Otherwise, you can lose yourself in the endless stream. If you had only looked at it for twenty years, there would have been a lot less problems, but we will fix it. Now, go get some rest, you'll need your strength for tomorrow.
"I... got it, Mr. Trigg. And where should I come? Well, tomorrow," the girl looked very lost and a little scared.
- To class at six o'clock. It won't be long, ten or fifteen minutes, in the first couple," she just nodded and went to her room on trembling legs. I must admit, every day I find more and more interesting events in this place, I have not been so interested since the appearance of the Red and the Office. And now, it's time to go get Adamantium...