"What sort of data?"
Dr. Hank blinked at as he got up from his seat and looked down at his tablet. "We'd need accurate dinsions, abilities, biological information, and estimated physical paraters. Did you have soone in mind?"
"A few," I smiled. "I'd like to take this Danger Room of yours for a spin and see the rest of your facilities. It'll be a great change of pace from what I'm used to."
"That's assuming the Professor doesn't hand you over to the police imdiately," Scott scoffed. "And if you can't tell, you didn't make a great first impression."
"Like the nice lady said earlier, why don't you leave the judgnt up to the professor," I snipped.
Dr. Hank shifted gears the mont we left the Blackbird, muttering sothing about upgrading the fuel injection system and the stealth capabilities, while Logan took it upon himself to wheel the Professor to his room personally.
There was a mont on the ramp when my eyes t Logan's. Chills ran down my spine. He didn't seem like the type to hold grudges, but he genuinely cared for the professor, and I had put him in a wheelchair.
Not that he wasn't already in one, to begin with, I thought in amusent.
"Jean, Scott. Take him to one of the guest rooms so that he can get a change of clothes while we wait for the professor to wake," Storm ordered as she stepped off the jet.
"We're just letting him roam free?" Scott demanded. "Are we forgetting that he nearly killed that Kat guy and murdered a bunch of people literally hours ago?"
"Then, it's a good thing I'm sending you to keep him company," She said. "Surely, you're not saying the greatest team in the world cannot handle so delinquent?"
"Hey!" I half-heartedly protested, watching as angst practically gushed out of Scott. He balled his fist and set his jaw before glaring at and stomping off.
"Co on, Jean. Let's get this over with. I'm counting down the seconds until the professor wakes up."
I followed behind Jean as she led out of the high-tech hangar and deeper into the bowels of the X mansion.
"How can you stand that guy?" I asked Jean, who'd been quiet this entire ti.
"He's just a bit wary of outsiders and people with…complicated pasts."
"You an murderers?" I stated flatly. She seed unbalanced by my candor, and I pressed on.
"I might be sitting for a polygraph, so I might as well tell you. I've killed before, but it's mostly demons, murderous drug dealers, and abusive assholes who deserve it."
"Why are you telling all this?" Jean asked with a bit of apprehension in her voice. "I could tell the professor."
"It's all going to co out when they look into my past anyway," I shrugged. "You stuck up for when you didn't have to; I owe you the truth, at least."
"That makes sense," she muttered. "But still, demons?"
"You don't think I'm telling the truth?"
The look on her face spoke volus.
"They've been after since I was a kid," I said, casually stuffing my hands into my pocket. I didn't even have to spin a wild tale.
I just drew from Dante's mories. Demons did exist in this world, and oddly, so of them resembled the sa ones you fought in the DMC gas, but others were Marvel originals. Luckily, only the demons from the DMC ga have co after Dante; otherwise, he wouldn't have been alive when Shin gave his body.
"I've killed so many of them; I lost count. Things only started to change for last week when my other powers manifested," I said. "When you grow up being hunted, morality takes a back seat to survival."
"I'm sorry," Jean said softly, and I shrugged.
"It's not your fault."
Jean took a mont to gather her thoughts. "Why do you think they're after you?"
"I think it's because of who my parents were," I said. "Don't tell anybody this, but I think I'm not exactly an ordinary human. Maybe I'm part demon or sothing," I shrugged and looked at Jean. "I suppose you can relate to that; you're not an ordinary mutant, either."
There was a flash of fear and confusion in her eyes. She was obviously curious about my parentage but was more bothered about my comnt. "What do you an?"
"Don't tell you don't know?" I raised a brow. "You're the strongest mutant I've ever seen, and I've t a lot of mutants."
She frowned. "I'm only a telekinetic with so telepathy. The professor is far stronger than I am."
"No, he's not," I said. "My Devil’s Eye does not lie. It tells important things about each person I use them on, and it's telling you're the most powerful mutant alive. If you're weaker than you should be, it's because sobody is keeping you that way."
"Devil Eye?" Jean asks skeptically. "I thought you said you could only heal and summon weapons?"
"A lot can change in one ditation session," I shrugged. "I couldn't block Telepathy before; well, now I can. Like I said, I unlocked my powers a few weeks ago. I have no idea what my limits are."
Jean still seed a bit skeptical, so I shrugged. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't believe an admitted murderer either.
"Just ask yourself this before you dismiss my claims entirely: what do I stand to gain from lying to you?" I questioned. "I just t you."
Jean bit her lip in thought before she spoke. "Prove that this Devil’s eye of yours actually exists. Tell sothing else about myself."
I laughed and actually used the skill.
Jean took a step back, and I saw a notification floating above Jean's head.
Jean Elaine Grey – Avatar of the Phoenix Force
Everything after that was a wall of question marks. Still, it gave enough information to ss with Jean.
"Your middle na is Elaine," I said with a mischievous grin.
Jean's eyes went wide. "How did you…That's…freaky. Your eyes turned red for a mont there."
"Oh." I didn't know that happened when I used Devil's Eye. "Good to know. So, you believe now?"
"Yes," she said with so hesitation. "Still, I have a hard ti wrapping my head around it…How is any of this possible?"
"The better question should be, who is powerful enough to shackle a god?"
Jean broke her stride when I posed that question.
I hoped she'd make the connection to Charles by herself, but if she didn't, she'd not be completely blindsided when she learned the truth.
And when that happened, I'd be here to pick up the pieces and earn the Phoenix's favor. Whether or not it would like enough to grant so of its fla was another matter entirely.
The talk with Charles could go either way, so I was poisoning the well as insurance. That wasn't to say that I had no strategies to convince the old coot to let stay.
I had stacks upon stacks of information I could use to strong-arm myself a permanent residence here, but staying at the mansion long-term would limit my growth.
Instead, I was planning to stay long enough to win her over completely and get SHIELD off my ass.
"Co on, Jean," I bumped her with my elbow. "Let's get moving before your boyfriend blows a gasket."
Jean blinked out of her reverie and blushed furiously. "Did your devil's eye tell you?"
"I'm not blind, you know?" I chuckled as we walked deeper into the mansion.
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