Once he was close enough to the ground below, Wyatt swooped down into the dense treeline. With a swift motion, he transformed his outfit, donning a party-appropriate ensemble that featured a crisp, button-up shirt tucked neatly into tailored slacks.
In his hands, he cradled a luxurious and very expensive box containing a bottle of The Last Drop 1970 Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whisky, a gift he had carefully chosen for Logan.
With a final check to ensure his outfit was presentable, Wyatt stepped out from the shadows of the trees. As he emerged, the grandeur of the Xavier Mansion came into view.
However, the atmosphere felt different this time; the long driveway was alive with activity as streams of vehicles flowed in and out. Wyatt observed several teens climbing out of cars, their laughter and excitement echoing through the air as they were swiftly ushered inside the mansion.
"This couldn't possibly go wrong," Wyatt joked, heading to the front door. Reaching the front door, he heard the sound of loud music on the other side. After giving the door a firm knock, Wyatt came face to face with Evan Daniels.
"Wyatt! Welcome to Party Central!" Evan said and motioned for Wyatt to enter. "Kitty, Kurt! Looks who's here!"
As Wyatt stepped inside the grand mansion, his eyes wandered through the opulent surroundings. The dimly lit foyer buzzed with energy as he spotted groups of teens gathered throughout the expansive room. Some were laughing and dancing to the upbeat music pulsating from the speakers, while others clutched colorful drinks in their hands and chatted animatedly in clusters. A few were gathered around tables laden with an assortment of tempting snacks, their laughter echoing off the ornate walls.
"Wyatt! You made it!" Kitty had a large smile on her face and ran to give Wyatt a large hug, causing him almost to drop the box of Whiskey. Trailing behind her was Kurt, now in his human disguise, with a sandwich in hand. "Woah! Did you bring... alcohol? Nice!"
"Uh, no. This is a thank you gift for Mr. Logan." Wyatt said, raising the box to display it. He looked around and found a severe lack of adults. Even Jean and Scott were missing. "Speaking of which, where is he?"
"Logan is on a mission, so he won't be back for a while," Kurt said between bites. "Oh, by the way, it's me, Kurt. I'm in disguise," he whispered at the end.
"Yeah, I figured that out by your voice. I guess I'll give this to Mr. Xavier then. Where is he?" Wyatt asked.
"Hah... well, you see." Kitty chuckled nervously as she played with one of her bangs. "He's sort of out. But don't worry! We totally had permission to throw this party!"
Wyatt hummed a light tune, nodding slowly as he processed what Kitty had just said. He could see through her transparent lie like a clear window, but he wasn't about to ruin the mood by being a stick in the mud. He was there to enjoy himself and reconnect with his friends. The majority of his interactions with them had been through their phones or the internet.
With Kurt and Evan, the three of them became gaming buddies when they had free time to dive into online battles together. When it came to Kitty and Rogue, his interactions with them mainly revolved around playful exchanges of funny videos and memes through text.
On the other hand, the young mutants have been keeping tabs on Wyatt's exploits as Atomic, already knowing that he was the elusive hero after learning how his abilities functioned. With each new appearance on the news or the internet, Kitty, Rogue, Evan, Kurt, and, by extension, everyone else in the mansion was left impressed with Wyatt's heroic actions.
I need to find a better work-life balance in my life. Otherwise, I'll end up burning out. Wyatt thought.
Wyatt had wanted to visit them more often over the passing months, but he never realized that acting as Atomic would take up so much of his time.
"Well, what do you know, it's Atom Boy himself," Rogue said as she walked into the room. She quickly grabbed him and pulled him towards the dance floor. As she did, she gave Kitty a playful grin. "Let's dance."
"Hey! I wanted to dance with him!" Kitty said and quickly followed behind them.
The atmosphere of the party pulsed with energy as Wyatt found himself swept away by Rogue's enthusiasm. The dance floor was ablaze with swirling lights and the infectious beat of the music, drawing everyone into its magnetic pull. He could feel the rhythm vibrating through the polished floor beneath his feet.
Rogue, with her hair bouncing as she moved, encouraged him to let loose. "Come on, Wyatt! Show us some moves!" she teased, spinning around with a laugh. Caught up in the moment, Wyatt let his guard down, allowing the carefree spirit of the night to take over. He laughed and began to dance as well. Still, he made sure to keep the box of alcohol close to him. It wouldn't do him well to lose it around a bunch of irresponsible teens.
Kitty joined them with an exaggerated twirl, her smile radiant. "You guys are terrible! Dance like no one's watching!" she called out, playfully jabbing Wyatt in the side. Her contagious laughter fueled their enthusiasm, and soon enough, they were all caught up in a friendly dance-off, each trying to outdo the other with increasingly ridiculous moves.
••o••o••o••
"This is beyond cutting edge!" Webber Torque, better known as "Arcade" to those within his inner circle, exclaimed as he deftly manipulated the intricate mechanisms of Cerebro's helmet.
The bright lighting of the grand room illuminated the high-tech gadgets that surrounded him. His fingers danced over the controls with excitement. Beside him, Risty Wilde stood silently, her eyes focused intently on the flickering screens, absorbing every detail of the unfolding operation.
After a few moments of reconfiguring, the low hum of machinery filled the air as the computer's systems began to recognize Webber's commands. "Yes! It worked!" he exclaimed, his grin stretching from ear to ear as the digital barriers dissolved before him, granting him access to the vast mainframe of Cerebro.
"Suppose they have any games on there," Risty asked, leaning over Webber.
"Ho! I sure hope so!" Webber grinned and delved deeper into the computer's files.
As his fingers typed away, several windows containing large amounts of information on different individuals within Xavier's school popped into view. But in his excitement and misunderstanding, Webber believed these windows to be video game character profiles.
"Who are those people?" Risty asked.
"Who knows? Game characters, maybe?" Webber said.
"Cool. I sure could use those in my computer class assignment. Can you... download that file?"
"No problem, I'll burn you a DVD."
Webber typed away, and after a few seconds, a disk tray popped open, revealing a fresh disc containing the schools student profiles. "Here you go. Now, leave me alone. Arcade needs to concentrate." Webber said.
Risty grinned at the CD in her hands. "Um, okay. I'll just pop upstairs and make a quick appearance, then be back."
"Okay, whatever," Webber said without a care, too entranced by the computer files and systems. He didn't pay Risty any mind as she walked out of the room, a sneaky smile on her face. "This sounds promising... Danger room."
••o••o••o••
As the night progressed, Wyatt felt a wave of relief wash over him as he relaxed with his friends. Evan and Kurt emerged from the snack table, leftover chips dangling from their mouths. "We've got the snack game on lock," Evan declared proudly, holding a plate piled high with goodies.
"Not as good as our dance moves, though!" Kitty shot back, challenging the boys with a dramatic shimmy that brought a chorus of giggles from the nearby crowd.
As the night wore on, they took a break to the side, breathless and bolstered by the party's energy. "This is exactly what I needed," Wyatt admitted, glancing at the glow of happiness illuminating their faces. "It's nice just to hang around a bunch of people my age instead of a bunch of thugs and criminals."
"Yeah, no more Atomic for tonight," Kitty whispered, nudging him with her shoulder. "Just Wyatt, the dancing machine."
With that, everyone clinked their cups together—filled, of course, with non-alcoholic punch. But as they were about to head back to the party, Rogue's face stiffened as she heard several beeps from her wristwatch.
"We got a problem." She said.
••o••o••o••
"You guys change pretty quickly. Are those suits slip-on onesies or something?" Wyatt asked as he ran beside Kitty, Evan, Rogue, and Kurt. They were all dressed in their X-Men uniforms, while Kurt reverted to his blue, furry appearance. Wyatt himself changed into a black and grey tactical version of his Atomic suit sans the cape and helmet.
They were all running through the lower levels of the Xavier mansion on their way to the Danger room. According to Rogue, there was some disturbance going off within the highly dangerous simulator room.
"It's not really a onesie; it's more like a two-part thing, really," Kurt said.
"Not now! We have to figure out what's going on! With as many people there are upstairs, we have to stop whatever is going on before anyone catches on." Rogue said as they turned a corner.
They all continued running and eventually reached the front doors of the Danger Room. They were sealed shut, but the sounds of explosions and crashes could be faintly heard.
"Damn, something is going on in there. Shit, I can't get the door open!" Rogue said as all her inputs failed to register on the control panel beside the large doors.
"I'll just shut it down from inside," Kurt said. As he was about to teleport into the Danger Room, Wyatt placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on, Kurt. It's not wise to jump into an unknown situation without first assessing it. If the systems are active, you could be running straight into danger," Wyatt said, drawing from his short but informative experience.
"Woah, you could be right. Thanks for looking out, man," Kurt said to Wyatt, who smiled in response.
Kurt blinked in surprise as he observed a noticeable shift in Wyatt's demeanor. Gone was the relaxed demeanor that he had all night. Instead, Wyatt stood tall and upright, his shoulders squared and broadened, radiating confidence and authority.
This change didn't escape the notice of their friends, who exchanged curious glances, sensing the shift in the atmosphere surrounding Wyatt. If anything, it reminded them of Scott when he was acting as their leader. But somehow, more at the same time.
"Kitty, can you take a look inside and check if anyone is in the room?" Wyatt asked Kitty, who quickly jolted out of her stupor.
"Y-yeah! One sec!" She said and phased her body halfway through the doors. Once on the other side, she noticed that no one was inside the Danger Room. The chaos and destruction were emanating from the internal weapons and systems, which seemed to be going haywire. With nothing more to see, she pulled her body back. "That's odd. No one's in there, but, like, it's as if the room is going crazy for some reason."
"That's weird. If no one is there, then why is the room going haywire?" Evan asked.
"Either there's some sort of malfunction with the room's systems, or..." Rogue said, her eyes widening at her unspoken thought.
"Or there's someone in the control room," Wyatt said. Kitty, Kurt, and Evan all looked worried before turning to Wyatt and Rogue. "We need to get to the control room. Fast."
"Follow me!" Rogue said and began running down the hall.
As the small group ran toward the control room's direction, several mini-guns extended out of the walls and ceilings. In an instant, they began to shoot a volley of blasts in their direction. Wyatt frowned and summoned his helmet over his head. "Behind me!"
All four X-men ran behind Wyatt as he created a large barrier in front of them. The mini gun's blasts struck the barrier, but only to bounce harmlessly off it. With another wave of his hand, Wyatt sent out a wave of energy through the hall, transforming the mini guns into large plastic toys.
"Whoah! That's so cool!" Evan said as they continued running.
"How much further?" Wyatt asked.
"We're almost there!" Rogue said.
On their journey to the control room, the group encountered several additional obstacles. Obstacles that Wyatt, Evan, and Kurt took down with their powers. It didn't take much longer before they arrived at the doors of the control room. Not wasting any more time, Wyatt dematerialized the doors.
"No way! Is that Arcade?" Kitty asked, surprised at seeing their classmate.
"Where did they go? Man, this AI is next level!" Webber said with a childish giggle as he typed away.
Jumping into the air, Wyatt flew up behind Webber and removed Cerebros' helmet from his head. "Hey! It's still my turn!" Webber hissed and turned around. He blinked in confusion, seeing Wyatt in costume. "Woah! What the hell? Aren't you-"
"Nights out," Rogue said and placed a hand on Webber's neck. Quickly knocking him out. "How did he get in here?"
"That's a good question."
Everyone turned around to see a tired and angry Scott and Jean. They were also in their X-Men uniforms. Scott turned to Wyatt and was momentarily taken aback at his presence. "You all have some explaining to do."
••o••o••o••
"Thanks, guys! Great party!" A couple of Bayville High School's football players said before driving out of the mansion's driveway. Evan, Kitty, and Kurt waved goodbye until their last party guests were out of sight.
"Yeah, too bad we missed it," Evan said with a sigh.
"Man, they ate all the food while we fought for our lives." Kurt moaned as he held an empty tray.
"Yeah, and now we have to clean up after them," Kitty sighed as the three of them stepped through the grand entrance of the mansion.
The foyer was a chaotic scene, a far cry from its usual elegance. Shattered remnants of furniture lay scattered across the marble floor, their splintered edges catching the light. Clusters of discarded trash, remnants of a wild party, formed grotesque piles in the corners. Sticky pools of spilled drinks and half-eaten food marred the once-pristine floor.
Kitty surveyed the mess with a mix of frustration and resignation. "Great..." she muttered, crossing her arms as she prepared for the arduous task ahead.
"It's alright, everyone. Leave this to me," Wyatt grinned and sent out a wave of his power. In a cascading shower of energy, the room reverted back to its clean and pristine state from before the party.
"Dude, your powers are awesome!" Evan said in awe and relief at not having to clean up the enormous mess. Kurt nodded alongside him and marveled at how everything was exactly as it was. Even the furniture was fixed as good as new. Kitty didn't say anything; she merely squealed and hugged Wyatt in appreciation.
"You shouldn't have done that. Cleaning up this mess was their punishment," Scott said as he, Jean, and Rogue walked into the room. "What are you doing here, anyway? Was this party also your idea?"
Kitty frowned and released Wyatt; before she could speak, Wyatt stepped closer to Scott. They stood eye to eye thanks to their similar heights. Wyatt had a relaxed expression while Scott's brows were furrowed.
"I cleaned the mansion because I could and wanted to. That's what friends do; we help each other. And besides, before that Arcade guy started messing with your easily hackable systems, everyone was making sure no one made a mess. So how about you cut them some slack?" Wyatt said, not appreciating Scott's attitude.
"Okay, you two. Let's settle down," Jean said as she stepped between both young men. "What matters is that nobody got hurt. There will still be punishments going out for throwing a party, but let's not get into an argument, okay?"
Wyatt and Scott continued eyeing one another for a few more seconds before nodding.
"Whatever, let's go deal with Webber. He saw too much today, and we need to figure out how to handle him." Scott said.
"Mr. Torque believes it was all a video game," Charles Xaver said as he rolled into the room, surprising all the students at his early arrival. "But to er on the side of caution, I removed his memories of the events of tonight. He should be on his way home now without any knowledge of his actions."
"I'm sorry, Professor. I accept the blame for what happened tonight." Scott said with his head slightly bowed in shame.
"Yeah... we're sorry." Kitty, Evan, Kurt, and Rogue all apologized while Wyatt rubbed the back of his head.
Should I apologize, too? Hm... nah. Wyatt thought.
"I say there's plenty of blame to go around. Even extending to a mystery guest." Charles said.
"What? You mean Arcade?" Jean asked.
"No, someone else. Someone who orchestrated all of this. Including my trip away. Just to gain access to the mansion." Charles said as he eyed the treeline in the distance.
Scott frowned at this, his gaze subtly shifting to Wyatt.
"Wyatt, it's good to see you once again. I'd like to thank you for assisting my students tonight," Charles turned to Wyatt with a smile. "I'd been meaning to speak to you, but I didn't want to take you away from your activities as your alter ego."
"Ah, don't mention it. My friends needed my help; of course, I would have pitched in." Wyatt said.
"Very noble of you. Would you mind if we spoke in private? There's something I've wanted to share with you ever since I first discovered it. Please follow me into my office. Everyone else, head to your rooms. Be sure that I will come up with the proper punishment for tonight's party." Charles said as he began to lead Wyatt to his office.
Wyatt heard a series of groans and whines as he walked away; looking back, he noticed Scott and Jean gave him a suspicious look while Kitty and the rest waved goodbye.
Well. Considering tonight's events. I can't blame Scott and Jean for thinking I was suspicious. No wonder Scott was so on edge with me. Wyatt thought as he and Charles finally arrived at his office.
"Please, take a seat," Charles said as he took his spot behind his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder labeled with Wyatt's name. "First, let me prepare you for what I have to say. You see, I have a friend in the New York Police Department, Officer Bradshaw. He's sympathetic to our kind and reaches out to me whenever there's a mutant arrest. This gives us the chance to step in and take any detained mutant in before The Department of Mutant Affairs steps in to take them away."
"Bradshaw? That name sounds familiar." Wyatt said as he quickly recalled one of the officers who had tried to take him in at the hospital. "Oh, that Officer! That was him!"
"Yes, Officer Bradshaw was one of the officers who tried to take you to the station after the hospital reported that a young man covered in blood had arrived on suspicion of murder. After a quick investigation, they found out that the blood on your shirt was yours. However, after you altered their squad car with your abilities, they decided to test to see if you had the X-Gene." Charles said, keeping his voice steady as he handed Wyatt a document with his blood work.
"You see, Wyatt... you don't have the X-Gene. You are nota Mutant."