Leonardo woke up earlier than usual to be in time for the opening of Xavier's school . He knew very well that the first impression is the most important, his mother often said this, constantly choosing beautiful dresses for herself and clothes for Leo. Thanks to Hope, Leo had already begun to develop a taste for fashionable clothes. He was not a fashionista or an aspiring designer, but he dressed well, and he liked to dress like that even at home, although in a much more casual style.
From Tony's "favorite den," Leo calmly took a copy of Jarvis, the artificial intelligence that helps his father and especially Stane so much. Considering Tony's love for alcohol and various parties at random times of the day and night, having such a smart "butler" helps Stane a lot with his work, because most of the time Tony is simply unavailable .
And as the creator of the Scroll and the Portable Server, Leo was very interested in learning how Jarvis worked. Since Leo was short on time, he simply integrated Jarvis into his villa's system. A little later, he would understand in detail how exactly this AI works.
And maybe even create its own AI.
And while Jarvis integrated into the house system and the scroll, Leo managed to have breakfast and get dressed, after which he collected his things in a briefcase.
Despite his age, Leo looked a little older. He was taller and much better built than most kids his age, and coupled with the way he carried himself, Leo's age was even higher.
It is rare to meet a calm, collected and smiling boy who can talk normally with adults.
And checking the time on the clock , Leo closed the house and went to school. Tony did not throw his words to the wind, Leo's house was the closest neighbor to Xavier's school , but due to the large size of the school, he had to walk more than 10 minutes.
However, Leo's biggest problem was not the road to school, but the school intercom. He spent more than two minutes trying to dial the call!
- Hello, who is disturbing us?
A calm and measured voice came from the speaker.
- This is Leonardo Ainsworth Stark! I've come about my enrollment.
- Oh, that's wonderful, please come in.
After that, the gates began to move in different directions. Leo, without thinking twice , went inside. As he walked, he looked at his surroundings. The garden in front of the main building looked wonderful, but something constantly bothered Leo. Some benches, paths and statues for some reason bothered him .
Leo couldn't understand why exactly they bothered him , he had some feeling that they weren't as harmless as they seemed.
Logan , who was watching Leo, could tell for sure that the boy was looking exactly at the places where the traps and turrets were hidden.
/ What a monstrous intuition ... And if this is not his mutation, then I am afraid to imagine his level of combat awareness...
Logan , being a highly experienced fighter, could tell who was trained and who had the instincts of a fighter. Most of the normal people stood out not only for their level of physical strength, but also for their atrocious level of positioning.
Trained people or simply experienced fighters always, albeit subconsciously, choose the best route to walk. In this case, during a fight it would be much easier for them to escape or kill their opponents.
Awareness of the surrounding environment makes up the lion's share of combat awareness.
And Leo followed a route that mirrored Logan's route .
Logan found it much easier to close the distance and destroy the turret than to avoid it. Leo even used a grappling hook to get around the bench where the turret was.
Logan made a mental note about Leo.
By this time, Leo had already approached the front door of the mansion. Just as he was about to open the door, it opened itself, and in front of him was a tall, muscular man with chestnut hair.
()
And the boy immediately understood who it was. His eyes were already glowing with living energy.
- Dr. Hank McCoy ! Hello, my name is Leonardo Ainsworth Stark, I've read your latest books! Is it true that you became a local teacher?
Although Hank was mostly involved in various technical and technological parts of science, he was also quite knowledgeable in biology and genetics, which he and the professor had been studying especially carefully over the past few years .
Hank nodded and smiled good-naturedly.
- Yes, I have been teaching at school for several years now.
- Then can I come up to you and ask questions on different topics? I'm currently studying different proteins, but there are so many of them and they sometimes fold in completely bizarre ways.
- I am, of course, not omnipotent, but I will help as much as I can.
In the hall, Leo met the others, but he happily ignored them all, heading towards Xavier .
- I read your books. "The Influence of the X-Gene on the Development of Adolescent Children" and others.
Xavier , like Hank, immediately understood the main reason why Leo chose their school.
- I am glad that someone liked my work. Despite all my evidence and arguments, few people liked my book. Since I am the director of this school, I cannot always find time for you, but you can ask me for advice in your free time.
- Okay. I understand that.
- Let me introduce you to other students at school.
Xavier grabbed Leo's shoulder and led him to the children. The first was Ororo .
- Ororo Munro : When the teachers are away, I'm the boss here . You can come to me whenever you need anything.
- Scott Summers.
- Jean Grey. Nice to meet you, hope we can get along. I've always wanted a little brother.
Scott had recently crashed his plane and was still adapting, so he was quite distant. Jean had little control over her abilities, so she read Leo's superficial thoughts, which made him feel like he was in Disneyland.
He was sweet and very lively, just the kind of little brother Jean had dreamed of.
Leo had a rough idea of what Jean wanted from him. He smiled and patted her head gently.
- I'll be glad, little sister.
Jean was stunned by this treatment, because she was the one being treated as the youngest, but for some reason she didn't mind . She also gently patted Leo on the head. Jean knew that Leo treated her the same way his mother treated him, and so she didn't mind .
- Then address me accordingly, brother.
The adults were extremely happy that Leo had found a common language with Jean, only Scott was jealous.
6 years later.
Xavier School for Gifted Children
- Scott, your accuracy is as good as ever, but the power is excessive. You could kill a man. Are you sure you don't want me to make you new glasses? I'll add a focusing, aiming, and observation system.
Leo was in the control room of the "Danger Room", a special place in the mansion where the X-Men trained their powers and bodies. Over time, Leo learned that everyone in the mansion except him was an awakened mutant. Leo himself had the X-Gene, but it was dormant, which upset Leo a little, because he wanted to have superpowers too .
- Uh , no. I'm happy with my current visor .
Scott was a very proud guy who now serves as the commander of the new X-Men. This is mainly due to the fact that the group was only him and Jean, who was easily influenced by her telepathy.
Also, Scott really didn't like the fact that Leo was going to make him "test" the new gadget by sticking a bunch of scanners and sensors on him. This lab rat feeling terrifies him.
- As you wish, Tsundere .
Leo sighed in disappointment. Because of the white envy he felt for the mutants' abilities, Leo took a course on simulating these abilities with the help of technology. And of course, this requires a lot of data, which he already takes from mutants.
- Little sister, how do you like the Kinesis and Stasis modules?
()
Unlike Scott, Jean was happy that her Leo admired her so much that he wanted to emulate her. Jean was not against helping Leo in his research, especially after the professor's tacit consent.
- The modules work well. Stasis is very helpful in combat. Well, the Kinesis module only helps in attack. It is difficult to defend with it, it is much easier to stop an attack with telekinesis. Well, the briefcase gets in the way a little when running.
- This is just a prototype, when I integrate Kinesis and Stasis into the suit, it will be much more convenient ... Well, as for combat, you are somewhat passive. You are good at defense, but weak at attack. Kinesis and Stasis help, but not much. You are still only passing the first level.
- There are too few of us, wit.
Scott didn't like that last comment from Leo, who himself had never been in the room without his "toys." No one likes an armchair expert, especially when their love interest likes them.
- Let's be honest, Scott, you alone can clear the entire room in about 10 seconds if you don't hold back. Today was control training, but why hold back with robots ?
It was obvious to everyone that Scot liked Jean, and so he wanted to spend more time with her. When he moved to the next level of the Danger Room, he would train alone.
McCoy decides to intervene before Leo gets on Cyclops's nerves. When the boy starts working, he loses all control over himself. And Leo doesn't like Scott, who shirks.
- Okay, guys, that's all for today. Go to the locker room, Leo and I will clean everything up.
The children obediently stood up and went to their dressing rooms. Leo climbed into the exoskeleton that he had assembled himself.
()
Leo's latest invention, the Titan, was primarily designed to help Hank with the Danger Room. Leo spent most of his free time with Hank, as he was the only one who could keep Leo company in his inventions. Leo also helped upgrade the Danger Room.
Leo had a lot of money and also a very good relationship with Stane , who saw Leo's "toys" during his scheduled meetings with him. Stane was over the moon when he realized that Tony's genius intellect had been given to Leo.
Although the Titans were very advanced fighting machines, they were very expensive to produce. The US Army only bought about 50 of them in a year, even though each Titan cost $200 million.
The bulk of the cost went into the advanced artificial intelligence that helped the Titan move normally, powerful energy cells that could support the Titan in combat for several hours, and a vortex barrier that attracted tank shells , anti-tank missiles and rockets, after which it could fire them back at the enemy.
A squad of such Titans with air support could easily capture a strategic point almost anywhere on earth.
Stane then gave Leo virtually unlimited funding. Of course, most of that funding came from Leo's own net stock income, but that money was managed by his trustee.
- Teacher McCoy , when will I be able to participate in these trainings?
- You're already participating in them, Leo.
- I mean without Titan. With Titan, I can easily pass the first four levels of danger.
- Leo, we've already talked about this. The Danger Room is primarily needed to hone control over mutant powers so that they don't accidentally harm others. Besides, you're too young, Jean and Scott only started using the room last year.
- It's a pity...
Leo could see that Jean and Scott liked the danger room. After the initial scare, they began to enjoy the experience. When the adrenaline was so strong in your head and your body was burning with the desire to release energy or indignation, the danger room was the best choice.
Plus it's fun.
But without superpowers, Leo felt like he was missing out.
But this only motivated him to develop his own "Danger Room", because he already had all the developments.
His own version of the Super Advanced Artificial Intelligence based on Jarvis, his own brain, and Jean's brain is moving into its final stages.
And after his AI passes the final test, he will be able to use it to create a "Virtual Universe" or " Cyberworld ".
- Don't be upset, Leo. You're already amazing. Your intelligence and skills already surpass most mutations I've ever seen. In a way, your genius is already a form of mutation.
Hank climbed onto the Titan and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder. He knew that this environment filled with superpowered people could have a negative effect on Leo's self-esteem, which was simply unacceptable.
Leo looked at his teacher, who had been his father figure for the past 6 years. For some reason, his heart felt warm from such praise.
- Thank you, Uncle McCoy .
- You're welcome, the main thing is to believe in yourself. I believe that you will change the world. And if you don't believe in yourself, then believe in my belief in you.
- I'll remember ... By the way, I'm leaving tonight for a couple of days. I need to meet with Uncle Stane about the equipment.
- Okay, I'll pass it on to the professor and the others.
Seeing Leo's genius, Stane immediately asked him to make something simpler , like a protective suit and the corresponding weapons for it. It was obvious to Stane that a person who could invent and assemble such an advanced exoskeleton at such a young age would be able to make something outstanding , even if not as advanced as before. For this request, Stane even collected all the company's most advanced developments in the field of weapons and energy.
Stane even suggested that Leo would one day be able to create an energy weapon, who knows?