Jubilee barged into my room like she owned the place—no knock, no warning. I was fresh out of the shower, towel slung around my shoulders, muscles still wet and glistening under the morning light pouring in through the window.
She froze.
Her eyes widened like she walked into something she wasn't ready for. She'd probably seen plenty of guys shirtless before, but I wasn't just any guy. I was younger, sure—but built like a tank. That kind of body on a fifteen-year-old didn't exactly scream normal.
I met her gaze, completely unfazed. Without a word, I walked up and shut the door in her stunned face.
A few minutes later, I stepped out dressed in black jeans and a yellow shirt marked with a clean 'X' on the chest. Jubilee was still standing there, trying to recover her brain from whatever spiral it went into.
"Sorry about that," I said casually.
"Can we go?"
"Y-Yeah. Let's," she stammered, cheeks still flushed.
Xavier had put her in charge of showing me around the school.
Probably because she had that energy—bubbly, relaxed, the kind of vibe that made people open up whether they wanted to or not.
"I didn't mean to walk in like that," she said after a beat, trying to break the awkward silence.
"No worries," I shrugged. "Happens more often than you think."
"They told me you were fifteen, but... you look like you walked out of a superhero gym ad," she said, half laughing.
"I get that a lot," I replied, smirking.
We walked through the halls as she pointed out classrooms, labs, dorm wings, and the cafeteria that doubled as the school's social hub.
Along the way, we ran into Forge—X-Men's resident tech genius.
He was buried in schematics, tinkering with some drone prototype, but his focus snapped to me the second he saw my arm transform into a cannon.
"Whoa," he breathed. "That's... incredible. A living biomech with transformation capability? You're not just a cyborg—you're something else entirely."
He circled me like I was a new gadget waiting to be taken apart. I wasn't sure if I should feel flattered or nervous.
Before he could ask a hundred questions, Kitty phased through the wall like a ghost who'd lost her way.
"Hey, Forge! Can I book the Danger Room?" she called out, then noticed me and Jubilee.
"Kitty!" Forge groaned, practically clutching his chest. "Doors exist for a reason! You're going to give me a heart attack one day."
She just grinned, used to the scolding.
"I'm surprised you're hitting the Danger Room today," Jubilee said. "You usually avoid early sessions."
"Colossus, Nightcrawler, and I made a bet to see who can last the longest. With my phasing, it's a no-brainer I'll win," Kitty said smugly.
I stepped forward, offering a hand. "Cole. Nice to meet you."
"Call me Kitty," she replied with a confident nod.
"Mind if I watch?"
"Sure, if you're into watching people get knocked around."
"Perfect," I said.
The Danger Room was a fortress disguised as a gym—solid steel walls, cybernetic AI-controlled weapons, and sensors that responded to every mutant ability in real time. No joke. This was where X-Men were forged.
Kitty, Colossus, and Nightcrawler stepped inside. Jubilee, Forge, and I watched from the observation room above.
The second the simulation began, all hell broke loose.
Lasers fired from mounted cannons. Nightcrawler vanished and reappeared in short, rapid bursts—teleporting across the field like a glitch in reality. Kitty casually let beams phase right through her, not breaking stride. Colossus tanked them all—his steel-coated body gleaming under the assault like a juggernaut.
They made quick work of the laser turrets.
"No, no, no!" Forge shouted. "Those took me two weeks!"
Then the walls shifted. Metal plates groaned and moved as hidden traps activated.
"You think that's all I've got?" Forge cackled.
"You're gonna regret breaking my babies!"
Kitty and Nightcrawler dodged the moving steel blocks. Colossus held his ground, bracing himself against two walls closing in on him. That's when a new turret emerged—larger, meaner, humming with energy.
A focused beam blasted Colossus straight across the room. He hit the wall with a thud, groaning.
"Thirty seconds, huh?" Kitty teased.
Then she got cocky.
A mechanical arm shot out from a hidden panel and grabbed her mid-sprint. She didn't even have time to phase.
"One down," Forge smirked.
Nightcrawler was still dancing across the battlefield, but now drones were flooding in from above, shooting in tight patterns. He managed to avoid most—until one clipped him. Then another. He stumbled, and a third hit knocked him flat.
"Fifty-eight seconds," Forge announced with a victorious grin. "Not bad, elf."
The room reset. Kitty stormed out still ranting.
"That arm wasn't in the last protocol. You cheated!"
Forge looked unapologetic. "That's called adapting. Try it sometime."
"You could've warned us," Nightcrawler added, rubbing his shoulder.
"And ruin the surprise? Please."
Colossus said nothing, but his steel expression was probably hiding annoyance.
Jubilee turned to me, grinning. "So, Cole—how long do you think you would've lasted?"
I exhaled. "No clue. I don't even know what I'm fully capable of yet."
"That's a shame. We should fix that," said a new voice.
We all turned. Storm had entered, calm and composed. Behind her, Logan followed with his usual scowl. He shot me a quick glare before looking away.
"I think some focused training would help," Storm said, eyes meeting mine. "If you're willing."
I nodded. "I'd appreciate that more than you know."
Logan didn't say anything. Just grunted like a wild animal and walked off. Whatever grudge he had, I'd deal with it later.
Right now, I had bigger things to figure out—starting with what kind of monster Trask had actually created.