The Horizon sprawl was already overwhelming — a city in the middle of a Texas desert, funded by the UN, billionaires, and people who liked to play god with science. But when Charles Xavier led me past the white marble gate marked Welcome to Xavier's Campus for the Gifted, I realized Horizon wasn't just a university. It was a patchwork quilt of futures.
The "campus" looked like someone had uprooted Oxford, welded it to Stark Tower, and dropped it in the desert. Gothic arches, stained glass, ivy climbing the walls — but also holographic projectors and drone patrols humming overhead. Horizon's engineers had rebuilt Xavier's dream in steel and glass, and it felt like both a sanctuary and a fortress.
"Here," Xavier said, leaning on his walking stick, "students with the X-gene can learn without fear. Your mother was… persuasive about your attendance."
That was putting it lightly. Mom didn't ask — she commanded.
Still, my curiosity got the better of me. "So what now? Do I get a mutant starter pack? A card that says Congratulations, you're an endangered species?"
Xavier chuckled. "Not quite. But you will need training. Your mutation isn't simple."
Before I could roll my eyes, something pressed against my mind — like a door being tested for weakness. My instincts flared, and the world shifted.
Turquoise skies. Floating fragments of memory. My mindscape.
I spun around and saw Xavier moving toward a shimmering pool of memories like it was his personal Netflix.
"Uh, no." I shot forward, grabbing him by the wrist. "No poking around!"
The sky rippled, and a shockwave of turquoise light knocked him back, clutching his head. While he recovered, I imagined scaffolding, towers, orbital rings — a massive mental citadel forming around us. Control panels, shields, blast doors. A fortress.
Xavier blinked up at me, impressed despite himself. "You're… building psychic defenses on instinct?"
I grinned. "I watch a lot of anime."
The structure sealed itself shut, leaving only a control room with a single screen. On it played the memory I wanted erased — Peter, Cindy, and Felicia, tangled together like the world's worst sitcom.
"Erase it. Don't look at it," I ordered.
He hesitated, then did as I asked. The memory dissolved, and with it a weight lifted off my chest.
When I blinked, we were back on the real campus. Xavier's face was pale, his hand trembling slightly as he steadied himself on his cane. "Your mind is… unusual. Strong. I'll have to tread carefully."
"Damn right," I muttered. "Next time, knock before entering."
The dining hall was buzzing with life. Students clustered at tables, powers slipping out accidentally — a hand sparking here, a tail flicking there. Alloy wriggled out of my backpack and floated beside me, his cerulean eye narrowed.
"Wonderful. A cafeteria of hormonal mutants. Just what we needed."
"Quiet," I hissed, but too late. Heads were already turning.
"Jake, over here!"
Jean Grey waved from a back table. Sitting with her were faces I knew from memory and comics:
Scott Summers with his ruby shades, Rogue (Anne-Marie) fiddling with her gloves, Kurt Wagner's tail curling around his chair, Kitty Pryde phasing her fork through her plate, Ororo Monroe calm as the storm in her eyes, Piotr Rasputin hulking over a salad, and Laura Kinney glaring at everyone like they were a threat.
I slid into a seat, Alloy hovering like an angry balloon. "Hi. I'm Jake McGrath."
Most nodded politely. Rogue didn't shake my hand. Scott eyed Alloy suspiciously. "What's with the flying robot?"
Alloy bristled. "I am a state-of-the-art biomechanical lifeform based on designs that terrify alien empires. Remember that, you numbskull of a Shi'ar halfbreed."
Scott blinked, then scowled. "Still looks like a robot."
My pulse spiked in anger. Energy surged under my skin, heat building. Alloy darted back. "Shit. He's overloading!"
Jean's eyes widened. "His eyes— they're glowing."
The table scattered as I struggled to hold back the tide. My Takonian physiology kicked into overdrive — blood flow spiking, adrenaline flooding me, my body generating more TURBO energy than I could release or handle. My hands shook. The air around me crackled.
"Alloy!" I shouted.
"On it!"
He slammed into me, priming the Link. Silver-blue light exploded across my body, armor plating snapping into place. The energy field expanded, frying nearby lights. Students gasped, some ducking for cover, others staring in awe.
I collapsed to one knee, the overload fading as Alloy siphoned off the excess energy.
When I finally stood, armored and breathing hard, I looked around at the stunned faces. "Sorry. That happens when my body… gets excited."
Rogue arched a brow, smirking. "Sugar, that sounded dirtier than you think."
My cheeks burned. Alloy snickered in my head. She's not wrong.
Jean's worry softened into curiosity. Scott still glared, but Piotr clapped me on the shoulder like I was already part of the team.
I exhaled slowly. Horizon University was already a circus. Now I was officially enrolled in Xavier's circus too.
And I had a feeling this was only the beginning.
Meta Excerpt // Deadpool's Commentary
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's match: Jake vs. Hormones! Spoiler — hormones win, but not before Jake nearly nukes the salad bar.""Props to my boy Alloy. Dude went full Pokémon evolution mode just to stop Jake from turning Texas into a glowstick.""And let's all appreciate Rogue's priorities: mutant meltdown happening two feet away, and she's like, 'hehe dirty joke.' Queen."