Chapter Four: A First Glimpse of Cerebro

Terra wandered around the school grounds until she found Wolverine. He was walking down a long hallway. "Hey kid, you survive School?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Where are you going?"

"To see the professor."

"The professor? He's the guy who helped me get out my stone right?"

"Yeah, come on. I"m sure he wants to talk to you." Together Wolverine and Terra Markov wakked down the long blue hallway until they came to a large round room. Wolverine pointed to the man in the wheelchair. "That's Professor Xavier."

Terra heard the voice of the professor. "Logan. My tolerance of your smoking in the mansion not smoking that in here and you'll spend the rest of your days...Under the belief that you're a six year old girl." Both Wolverine and Terra looked shocked.

"You'd actually do that?" he asked in surprise.

"I'd have Jean brade your hair. Terra chuckled, despite herself. This professor had a great sense of humor.

"Do you want me to leave?" Logan asked.

"No. Just...don't move. And Terra, feel free to stay yourself. I have something to show you." They both stood and waited to see what would room spun until it dissolved in a dazzling dispay of lights and stars. Terra looked around the room. She realized she was looking at a map of the entire world. She felt a great sense of awe. She'd never seen anything like this before.

"These lights represent every living person on the planet. These lights are the humans," Professor Xavier said gesturing to the white lights. The light's color suddenly changed to red. "These are the mutants." Terra could make out some distinct figures; others were blurry. "You see Logan? We're not as alone as you think."

He paused for a moment. "Through Cerebro I'm connected to all of them...And they to me." Terra was in awe. How could one man be connected to everyone, in the world? She continued listening. "The broken line represents the path of the mutant who attacked the President. I've been trying to get a lock on him...but he's movements are very erratic."

A mutant attacked the President? Terra was shocked. She knew that mutants often fought eaach other. The Titans and Slade were an example of that.

"Well, can't you just consentrate harder?" Wolverine asked.

"If I wanted to kill him, yes," Professor Xavier replied. Terra had never seen anyone with this kind of power. This man dwarfed Raven, and her powers were strong as they were!

"There!" Xavier exclaimed. "Looks like he's finally stopped running." Xavier used his mind to zoom in on the mutant. She could barely make out something he was saying, but then Xavier took the headset off and Cerebro reverted back to normal.

"I need you to read my mind again," Logan said.

"I'm afraid the results will be the same," Xavier sighed.

"We had a deal."

"Logan the mind is not a box that can simply be unlocked and opened..." Xavier began, "It's a beehive of thousands of different compartments-"

"Spare me the lecture," Wovlerine cut him short.

"Logan...sometimes the mind has to discover things for itself. I'll talk to you when I return. Oh, and if you could be so kind and watch over the children tonight. Scott and I are going to visit an old friend." Wolverine walked out of the room, reinserting his cigar into his mouth. Terra felt awkward, should she leave?

"Come Terra, I wish to show you your friends." Cerebro spun once again and the Profesor the images of faceless people suddenly became clear as she saw five faces she knew so well. There they all were Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy. They looked like they were having a good time and she was happy to see them, since it was the only way she could.

"Do you think we'll be able to cure Terra?" Beast Boy asked no one inparticular.

"Uhh, guys, I didn't tell you this, but this guy came and he was "recuriting" or something and he said he knew someone who could cure Terra," Cyborg said.

"Well, where's Terra?" Beast Boy asked, stunned.

"I think he said something about New York," Cyborg repled. Just then, Robin ran in.

"Hey guys! Slade's been located at a place called Alkalai Lake." Robin was breathless.

"Okay, here we go. Wild goose chase," Raven muttered.

"Where is Alkalai Lake?" Starfire asked.

"In Canada." Robin said, "It'll take awhile to pack."

Xavier quietly took off his headset. "You see Terra? You're friends still carre about you. They don't know that you're alive. When will you go back to them?"

"I don't know sir, I just got here. I'd like to learn how to control my power since I've heard you can teach people like me how to be better." Terra seemed nervous.

"Well I won't be able to help you right now. I have to go see my old friend, Magneto."

"Who's Magneto?" she asked.

"He is a mutant who believes that a war is brewing between mutants and the rest of humanity."

"War? But we use our powers to help people right? At least that's what the X-Men and the Titans do."

"Not all mutants believe as you and I do. Magneto believes in mutant superiority. That we are better that normal humans. "

"Oh," Terra sighed. "So you won't be able to help me?"

"Not right now. Jean Grey can help you. She promised to be your mentor. You can ask her your questions and she can help you learn control. I promise we'll talk when I return. And your friends, they fight this Slade?"

"Yes, they do. He's they're archnemesis." Terra replied.

"Well, for your friends sake, I hope they don't do anything brash. Slade's a dangerous assassin."

Terra started, "How do you know Slade?"

"I trained with him in the army. Such a pitty how he uses his talents," Xavier sighed.

"Was he always bad?"

"Not always, he fell in love with a woman named Adeline and they got married. He had two son's, Grant and Joseph Wison. Grant died when the H.I.V.E. destroyed him and Joseph Wilson...His life is far more tragic. He was kidnapped by a man named Jackel and he was going to kill him to get revenge on Slade. Slade saved his son's life, but not before one of Jackal's men had begun to slit his throat. not before one of Jackal's men had begun to slit his throat."

"So his son is-"

"A mute. His son hover, has turned out far better than his father. You see Terra, Slade is not what he appears. He is not completely evil. He's just, a hard, cold man bent of Vengeance. He believes the Titans killed his son."

"But the Titans would never do that," Terra protested.

"Yes, I know. He's especially after Raven."

"Raven?" Terra asked, shocked, "I thought he wanted Robin."

"That's merely a ruse, he wants to take down all the Titans so he can destroy Raven."

"Why?"

"Because she's the only one who knows about Grant. She's the one who saw him die. Well, we're here."

He led Terra down a long hallway to an elevator and they went down to the lower levels. If she had been amazed by Cerebro, she was blown away by the X-Jet. This was something out of Cyborg's dreams, it was amazing. She quietly walked towards the ramp.

"I'm sending you the coordinates of where the mutant is. When you find him, bring him back to the mansion Oh, and I'm sending Terra with you. She needs to talk to Jean."

"Let's hope he cooperates," Jean said.

"Yes, for his sake."

The Jet took off. Jean looked at Terra. "So, what did you want ot talk to me about?"