It's the flutter of wings that take me out of my thoughts.
I'd decided to head out for some fresh air, or as fresh as it's going to be in New York City years before any sort of pollution regulations, I think there's actually more smog in the sky than there's clouds, to give Hulk some space. I thought about hitting the bars again, but decided against it, instead I grabbed a six-pack of beer from a convenience store, leaving a very confused clerk behind when a flash of light darted by and left money on the counter in front of him, then I "borrowed" a deck chair from someones back yard, before finally setting up shop on a rooftop not too far away from where we had fought the Space Phantom just a few days earlier.
It wasn't until I had already sat down to enjoy the early fall afternoon that I discovered that the kind of beer cans I was used to hadn't even been invented yet, and apparently, the ones they had here in 1963 required a can opener.
You'd think the total lack of Internet or cellphones would do it, but I'm actually old enough to remember a time before all that, if I ignore the black and white TV screens, things aren't completely alien. But then some small detail like the lack of pop top cans remind me that I'm decades in the past....
Well, I don't have a can opener, but I do have phenomenal light-based superpowers!
I'm in the middle of making a small hole at the top of the can with a thin beam of light when the sound of wings interrupt me, and a male voice calls out "That's... a unique use of your powers!"
I look up, and above me, with his back towards the sun, is an actual angel.
Then my brain catches up with me, and I recognize the blue and yellow costume he's wearing, a cowl covering the top half of a handsome face. Not AN Angel, THE Angel.
Man, seeing someone with actual wings like that is a truly bizarre sight, even Wasp's little insect wings aren't quite as magnificent.
Angel lands in front of me with an unsettling amount of grace "I take it you're Mr. Sunshine?"
I almost roll my eyes behind my sunglasses "No, I'm a cosplayer, I think the real one is just so groovy!"
Angel blinks "...you're a what?"
I sigh "Yes, I'm Mr. Sunshine, and you're kinda interrupting my quiet time here, kid. What do you want?"
"Really? No questions about who I am or why I have wings?"
"I mean, no offense, they're very pretty, I'm sure you're a hit with all the girls, but I live in the same house as a norse God and a radiation-powered juggernaut, so they're not quite as shocking as they might be otherwise."
He doesn't seem to know what to say to that "...Look, there's someone who wants to meet you..."
....
"Mr. Sunshine, it's a pleasure to meet you."
If I didn't know better, the bald, unassuming man sitting in a wheelchair, complete with a blanket over his useless legs, would probably have tricked me into thinking that he's just as harmless as he pretends to be. A handicapped, scholarly type, with a bit of paternal condescenscion added in, it's a perfect cover. No one would guess by looking at him that Charles Xavier is one of the single most dangerous people on the planet, his dreams of mutant-human co-existance be damned.
Angel ends up leading me to an isolated corner of Central Park, though he ends up having to simply give me directions for the last stretch, since even if he wasn't wearing his costume, the wings would probably cause a bit of commotion. Leaving him behind on the rooftop, I flash down into the park, where I'm greeted near the shoreline of a pond by the professor, and a teenager with red sunglasses who can only be Scott Summers, dressed in civilian clothing.
"You know, if you wanted to talk to me so badly, we do have a phone at the Avengers mansion. Hell, even a letter would have sufficed." Discreetly, I begin focusing my power, preparing the anti-telepathy measures I had been thinking about earlier, knowing I'd probably meet Xavier sooner or later, and if I recall correctly, he was pretty liberal with the telepathy back in the 60's if he thought you'd somehow endanger his secrecy.
"Perhaps, but I felt a more personal meeting would have a greater impact, considering what I'm here to tell you. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Professor Charles Xavier,-"
"-geneticist, psychologist, psychiatrist, lotta ist's, yes, I already know who you are."
He wasn't expecting that. "...you do? Forgive me, but you do not appear to be the scholarly type. Despite my credentials, my name is rather obscure outside academic circles."
"Oh, I'm not, B+ student the whole way, baby. But I've picked things up over the years, and when someone starts talking about how the next level of human evolution is here, that tends to stick with people. What did you call us again, Homo Superior?"
Xavier actually looks a bit abashed at that "An unfortunate tendency towards dramatics when it came to naming conventions, I'm afraid." Then he catches up with what I said "Us? So, you already know..?"
I shrug "I suspected. Since I don't remember getting soaked in radioactive waste or finding an alien artifact or something, when I woke up with superpowers one day, mutation seemed to be the likely explanation. You showing up here just confirmed it for me."
"I see..." There's a passing blank look on his face, which quickly crumbles as he realizes he can't read my mind.
Gotcha, old man.
"You just tried to read my mind, didn't you, egghead? Sorry to ruin your fun, but that won't work on me."
I notice Summer actually gapes as the professor tries to make sense of his power failing him "How did you know?"
"Let's just say it's one of my little secrets, one that you aren't getting your grubby mitts on. I figured you might try to stick your brain where it didn't belong, so I've left my powers active halfway since I got here. You can't read my mind, because as far as your telepathy knows, there's nothing inside me except light! So, how about we start over, and this time, you DON'T violate your own rules, hmm?"
....
"Okay, so let me just go over this..."
After a few half-hearted apologies, along with some indignant rage from Summers that I dared suspect his mentor of anything shady, we finally sat down by the shores of the lake to discuss things properly, without the added threat of a mindwipe if I told Xavier things he didn't want to hear. I toss a rock into the water, scaring the crap out of a few ducks swimming nearby.
"Damnit, I could never get the hang of skipping rocks... Oh right, let me go over this.... You've gathered together a team of mutants at your school, in the hopes of training them to control their powers properly..."
Xavier nods "Yes, my X-Men, as I call them."
"Mhmm, a team that consists entirerly of teenagers?"
"Well, mutant powers are at their most volatile during adolescence..."
"Teenagers that you then send out to "protect a world that hates and fears them", which as far as I can tell consists mostly of fighting other mutants?"
"I believe that it's important for the future of mutants and humans that dangerous mutants be stopped from abusing their powers."
I sigh, removing my sunglasses to rub my eyes "Right, but you're keeping the team a secret."
"The public at large is not ready to know about mutants-"
"Okay, just stop." I cut him off "Are you really not seeing the problem here. Overlooking your little team of child soldiers-"
"Hey!" Summers exclaims, offended.
"-you keep the team a secret, because you don't think the public can handle knowing about mutants. But you also send them out to fight other mutants, to protect the public. How is anyone supposed to know that mutants aren't a threat, when you're not telling anyone that mutants are the ones who keep saving them?"
Xavier seems taken aback "That... I suppose when said that way, it can seem a bit illogical, but I assure you my intention is toward a peaceful reveal of mutantkind."
"Dude, I hate to tell you, but that ship has sailed. Mutants aren't a secret, they're just obscure, and even that is just temporary, I guarantee you there's going to be a hysteria once some asshole with a good PR machine starts freaking out about it." I know for a fact it will, considering that Bolivar Trask is right around the corner. "So secrecy isn't going to work."
Summers looks uncomfortable, glancing towards Xavier for confirmation, while the professor just looks thoughtful "You've spent some time thinking about this."
"I'm already on a public superhero team with one member everyone is terrified of, trust me, pretending no one will notice doesn't work. All it's going to take is one high-profile disaster with a kid losing control of their powers, and we'll have a full blown anti-mutant hysteria on our hands. Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't already happened" I don't know if the whole "suppressing Jean Grey's powers" thing happened in this world or not, but I wouldn't be surprised.
"What is your damn problem?" Sounds like Summers finally had enough "The Professor is a great man, he's just doing what needs to be done to protect both mutants and normal humans! You have no idea what we've faced-"
God, spare me teenagers with hero worship. Well, a few decades working for Xavier should cure him of that.
""The professor" still has flaws like any other normal human being, wether or not he has a few quirky chromosomes or not. His words are not gospel! Hell, MY words are not gospel! I'm doing what I think is right for the world, and Xavier does what he think is right. YOU, Summers, need to make up your own mind!"
I slide my sunglasses back on and turn back towards the water "Professor, I respect your ideals even if I don't think they're feasible. I'm not interested in joining the X-Men, nor am I going to keep my status as a mutant secret. I'm not planning on advertising it, but if it comes up, it comes up. If you and the X-Men ever need assistance, I'm more than willing to help, but next time, try calling me like a normal person."
And with that, I transform into light and head back toward the rooftop I left my beer on.