He had no choice—he had to act. Because the original Ray had no concept of what a mutant was.
Even though Ray had been personally invited by Fury to take part in the "Tahiti Project" and was, at least in name, part of S.H.I.E.L.D., his knowledge of the organisation and the extraordinary world was minimal.
At the very least, the idea of "mutants" didn't exist in the original Ray's memories.
So even though his description of "gaining powers after a traumatic event" matched perfectly with how most mutants awakened, he still had to pretend not to know. Otherwise, the entire act would fall apart.
Seeing Ray's blank expression, Hill said, "Doctor, you should be aware that there are people in this world with extraordinary abilities. They live among us, appearing normal, but they possess powers far beyond what ordinary humans can imagine—like superheroes."
"Like the Avengers?" Ray asked.
"Exactly like the Avengers," Hill nodded. "And among these individuals, mutants are the most numerous. What you just described is exactly what most of them experience when their powers awaken."
"You're saying… I might be one of these 'mutants'?" Ray asked, pointing at himself.
"I can't be sure, but if your abilities really did emerge after the trauma, then yes, it's quite possible that you're a mutant."
"Wait a second!"
Hill suddenly looked stunned. "Does that mean… the two groups of intruders at the hospital were killed by you?"
Until now, she hadn't connected that incident to Ray. She had assumed some unknown enhanced individual had intervened—perhaps angered by the intrusion.
But now, hearing that Ray might be a newly awakened mutant, the pieces started to fit.
"Two groups?" Ray blinked, slightly confused.
He had already anticipated Hill might link the hospital incident to him once he brought up his supposed mutation. But he had only eliminated one group. Where did the second come from?
Hill continued, "When May and I arrived, we dealt with one group outside the hospital. But inside, we found two groups already dead. One seemed to have committed mass suicide—single gunshot wounds to the head. The second group looked like they had been shredded to pieces."
Ray's brow furrowed. The second group was clearly the work of Kuro.
But the first? He didn't have any powers that could compel mass suicide. Someone else had acted.
"Was it him…?"
A face flashed in his mind—the "David" from last night. Not the one he knew, but another personality. Ray had already guessed that he wasn't the original David, but a different persona altogether.
That David had hinted that he'd encountered another group of intruders. Ray hadn't known what happened to them—but now it was clear.
They must have crossed paths with David, threatened him, and triggered the emergence of a far more dangerous personality… one who wiped them all out.
"Mass suicide? What kind of power is that… telepathy? Mind control?" Ray mused. He couldn't be sure what David's ability actually was.
While Ray pondered, Hill pressed, "So… it wasn't you?"
"It was… and it wasn't," Ray replied cryptically. "The second group may have died by my hand—or more accurately, by one of my alternate personalities. But I had nothing to do with the first group."
He wasn't going to take the blame for David's actions—nor could he explain what David had done.
"So there was another enhanced being at the hospital last night…" Hill sighed, rubbing her temples. This was far more complicated than she had expected.
"I really can't say," Ray shrugged. He didn't want to cover for David, but he wasn't going to spill everything either.
"Alright, then what is your ability exactly? And what did you mean earlier, about one of your personas killing the intruders?" Hill asked.
"My ability… is my multiple personalities."
"???"
"I don't know how to name it. But these other personalities—these personas—they're like entirely different versions of me, shaped by different lives and experiences. They possess skills and knowledge I've never studied myself."
Ray continued, thoughtfully, "Sometimes they emerge on their own. Like that night, when I was in danger—one of them, with abilities similar to a ninja, surfaced and took out the attackers."
"Then how do you know he only killed one group?" Hill asked, confused.
She knew that in most cases of dissociative identity disorder, memories weren't shared between personalities. So how could Ray be so sure?
Ray smiled, clearly anticipating the question. "That's part of the ability too. Even when a persona takes over, I remain semi-conscious. I can sense what's happening, and I can take back control at any time."
"In other words, I have full command over my alternate selves. I'm not like a true schizophrenic, who loses control once the switch occurs…"