Henry "Hank" McCoy

Hank stood in the shadows of the alley, a trench coat and fedora almost making him feel like Humphrey Bogart. Too bad they were to hide his fur from casual notice instead. He also couldn’t help wondering if this was going to be his life now, always hiding in the shadows.

Alex stood at the mouth of the alley, talking with their potential mutant and trying his best to be charming and non-threatening. The young girl didn’t seem to be buying what Alex was trying to sell.

Hank sighed and scanned the area again. They developed this approach since the time Sean had gotten attacked and so far it had saved them from needing to use their powers to defend themselves, not to mention bruises or worse. Grimacing at the thought, Hank looked back towards Alex, and noticed, over his shoulder, a young girl crossing the street in front of a large delivery truck!

For the barest moment, Hank froze in confusion, but Alex was distracted and wouldn’t act in time. Launching himself over Alex and the possible mutant’s heads, he landed awkwardly in the street, turning his momentum into a roll to gain his feet in time to sweep the girl into his arms as he leaped out of the path of the truck.

Not even swerving, the truck honked its horn and continued on.

On the other side of the street, Hank quickly put the girl down and ran for an alley, completely missing her thanking him, and her following him.

Starting at her touch on his shoulder, Hank turned to find her face within inches of his, and noticing for the first time the heavy and dark glasses she wore. “I said, ‘Thank you’.”

“Yes, well. Anyone would’ve done the same.” Hank couldn't help but feel self-conscious, even if the glasses suggested she was blind.

“Not likely, but…” she replied but paused as her hand, which she had moved from his shoulder to his face, felt his fur. “Ah...my Gawain is here finally. Took you long enough.”

Hank flinched away from her touch. “My name is not Gawain, I am afraid.”

“I didn’t say it was. You must come with me.”

“What? No. I’ve got a friend over there and we are on a job.”

“Oh bother it. When you are ready, then,” she said with a indulgent frown, before turning to walk away.

---

Later, Hank and Alex were running the final checks for the flight back to Winchester. The possible mutant turned out to just have been a talented grifter and so they were returning empty handed. Hank for his part couldn’t keep the odd girl he’d saved out of his mind.

“Earth to Hank, hello?!?” Alex said loudly while snapping his fingers in Hank’s face.

Startled, Hank blinked. “What?”

“Exactly, 'what'. What’s up? I asked about the weather ahead three times now.”

“Sorry, I…” Hank said coming back to himself.

“Is the flight likely to be smooth?”

“I don’t know...the weather report...I...,” Hank started to reply before shaking his head and unbuckling out of the pilot’s seat. He wasn't sure why but he felt he couldn't go back. Not yet. “I’m sorry, I can’t fly back.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know that I can explain. Call the Professor, I am sure he can arrange a pilot to fly you back. I need to take care of something. I’ll call. Please express my apologies to the Professor.”

“Wait, you aren’t making any sense.”

“I know,” Hank said as he grabbed his coat and hat. "Isn’t it great?"

As he rapidly left the airport, he couldn’t help feeling a sense that he was starting a quest; though he didn't know what for.

Hank ran into the cavern when caught by the sudden blizzard. Walking in deeper, he lose his way when a bend blocked out what light came from the outside and as he turned to find his way back, something stuck him and he lost conscienceless.

He woke with a harsh ache at the back on his neck and pain in his wrists and ankles, which he quickly ascertained was due to restraints.

He's done all he can. The Blackbird is fueled and prepared for flight, the flight suits delivered and now he only had to wait; and to face his thoughts. One can only work so long before the work is done and you are again left with yourself. Sunrise was an hour or so away and he was alone at the hanger. He couldn't stand the echoes of sound within the hanger so he gave into his new instincts and climbed to the hanger's roof.

I am such an fool!

The night sky was very clear with no cloud cover and while the evening was a tad chill, his fur kept him warm

I'm a monster.

There's Pleiades and Ursa Major and there's the North Star.

AN ANIMAL!

Libra. Sagittarius. Orion. Where's Draco...there. A sigh escapes him and he sits giving up his charade. Truly one can't hide from one's self. You are always there. Am I an animal, a monster?

Oh God, how could I have said those things to Raven? I'm such an idiot!

Fur and claws yes but he still had thumbs.

Monkeys and apes have thumbs.

He still had thoughts, still reasoned.

I owe her an apology.

The sun rose behind him and he looked to see his shadow grow. It stretched, distorted by the angle of light. He cocked his head to one side studying it, remembering an old metaphor from his philosophy studies.

I've always been a freak, scared to show myself. Hiding rather than facing the world.

Below he heard them enter; Erik and Charles, Alex and Sean, Moria and Raven. Suddenly he wanted, no needed to see Raven. Now more than ever. He stood with one fluid motion, stopping to stare at his shadow again before turning to leave the cave he had made of his life. He was through looking at the shadows.

Hank has the kind of brain that always needs stimulation. He usually satisfies this by learning something new or conducting experiments, but he already has several experiments with his mutation reconstruction formula running and physical training is taking up all his other time. Which is why he is now sitting in a booth away from the main paths of the bar (reducing the chance of being interrupted) and working on a mental exercise.

Can the Tetsujin actually be constructed?

He's already deep into drafting blue prints of possible structures and is certain it would require a nuclear power plant, if not a couple. Pistons, or piston-like engines seem the best route for the limbs and fingers. How to ensure it would stand upright, however? A gyroscope perhaps? Could the gyroscope also function as a protective cage for the power plant?

Or maybe a system of cables for the fingers and limbs, somewhat like a muscle structure?

This was never supposed to happen. He was an engineer, a builder who made things for the agents who went out into the field. He was never supposed to face conflict. It just wasn't supposed to happen.

Yet it did.

It started the night after Charles and Erik left for a mission. Hank knew where they were going but it was supposed to be classified, and so he kept the knowledge to himself. He and all the other mutants were hanging out like they've done since that first night, though they haven't gotten out of hand. Then, before they really could take in what was happening, agents were falling from the sky to land, broken, upon the grounds of Division X.

(Hank's mind couldn't help but calculate the force of impact, though he had to assume terminal velocity since he had no way of knowing how far they fell. One of the agents looked a lot like his mentor, Mr. Black.)

Next came explosions and then armed guards with automatic rifles. Alex, Sean, and Armando offered to help repeal the attack but the armed guards just shoved them in with the rest of the kids. (They don't trust us to help, thought Hank.)

It seemed no matter where they went, the explosions, cyclones, or red flashes followed. (We're being herded.)

Then Shaw was there and no more of the armed guards were alive. Shaw was telling them a war was coming and that it was either side with him or side with the humans. (What made him a side?) 

He was scared but knew he could never accept the offer. He was human, even if he was a mutant as well. Scared it meant his life, he shook his head no, followed by Sean, Alex, and Raven.

Angel stepped up and said they all should join him. Armando stepped forward, pretending to accept the offer, but at the last minute Alex tried to hit Shaw's group with his concussive rings. Armando's mutation kicked in, protecting him and Angel, but Shaw took the whole blast. Hank felt a surge of elation but then saw the Shaw was absorbing kinetic energy and turning it into a tiny sphere, which he fed to Armando. Armando's body fought to change to survive but ultimately he just burnt up. (I should have taken the time to know him.)

Shaw smiled sadly and then his people teleported away in a flash of red light.

The next few hours they dug through the remains of Division X looking for any survivors. Hank berated himself for not creating better defenses. He should have thought of the mutations Shaw's people had shown. He should have anticipated them, come up with counter measures. He should have...Raven grabbed his hands and took away the broken glasses (Cheryl's from Cryptography. She liked roast beef and swiss, and raspberry jello on Thursdays) and steadying his hands. He took a deep breath and then looked up to smile his appreciation. (I have to protect her. I have to protect them all.)

As the sun finally rose, Hank sat with the others, waiting to see what was going to happen next. He never wanted to be out in the field, no matter what he fantasized about, but he didn't think Shaw was going to give him a choice. If that was the way of it, then so be it. He would fight for the safety of the world. He would make devices to help his friends, to protect them, and he would fight along side them.

He already had a few ideas. He wondered if ultrasonics would disorient a teleporter.

Hank has been busy and so hasn't really been around for Raven. He's tried to be available for you but with his normal activities plus getting things ready for the new mutants Charles and Erik have left to bring in, he hasn't had much time. Which is why when he comes across her as he passes the gym, he feels both relieved and guilty.

He also had some time to spare and so stopped to see if she was in need of some company.

"Hey, Raven," he said, by way of greeting, and looked through the windows to the gym to see she was watching agents practicing their hand-to-hand fighting skills. He was wearing his usual slacks and lab coat while carrying a stack of paperback books.

 The tuna fish sandwich was particularly good today, Hank thought as he chewed. Part of his mind was on Cerebro and its calibrations while another was working on the electrical systems of the Blackbird and yet another was recoding the programing of the Image Inducer to see if the static drift could be reduced. Hank's mind usually worked this way; fracturing and working on different things at the same time. It was more efficient and kept him from getting bored.

It also kept him away from real world conversations, so it was something of a shock to him as he realized some of the agents at the table next to him were talking about Raven.

"I'd love to take her down to the town for a drink some time," one of them said and Hank felt a flush of pride since he had kissed the woman they were fantasying about.

"You know what I'd love to see," another said leaning in to his buddies and lowering his voice. Hank had to focus to listen but he caught the rest, "Her in a Playboy spread."

Shocked, Hank froze.

"Or better yet, her boots around my shoulders if you know what I mean."

The blood rushing in Hank's ears drowned out anything further and he wasn't quite sure when he stood and turned to face them.

"You should talk about her as a person. She deserves respect, not...not..." Words failed him in his nervousness and outrage; a chill fear in the pit of his stomach warred with the hot anger in his heart.

"Oh give it a rest, Poindexter. Like you have any idea what we're talking about."

"I know very well what you are talking about and it is wrong. How would you like someone talking about your mother or sister that way?"

The table burst into laughter. Frustrated, Hank slammed his food tray onto the table. "She deserves respect!" He said through clenched teeth.

The biggest of the men dropped his sandwich and glared at Hank. The old fear of the bully seized Hank but he didn't look away. "I think you need to just run off to your little lab and leave the big boys to themselves," the man said with so much force Hank actually took a step or two back. "That's right, just walk away."

Hank took another step back and half turned. The other men laughed and turned to their food but Hank wasn't done. He turned back, lifted a foot and gave the load bearing brace of the table a solid kick like he'd seen the folks at Milliways do. Then he turned away as the laughter turned to yells of panic as the table folded in on itself.
Half an hour later and Mr. Black walked into Hank's lab shaking his head. "What were you thinking? That's three agents out of commision for no good reason."

Hank stood frozen at his mentor's displeasure. He knew it had been coming but it was still hard to take.

"Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I had a good reason," Hank murmured.

Mr. Black took a deep breath and a seat. "Come on Hank, relax. Just tell me what happened and we'll sort it out."

Hank looked up then, cautiously, and replied, "They were saying mean things about our guest, Raven. It wasn't right."

"OK, I agree it wasn't right but you can't let your infatuation cloud your thinking. They were just words, right?"

"I didn't let my infatuation...," Hank says, trailing off and blushing at admitting in the infatuation. "Words can be harmful, as part of an agency that deals in hidden truths, I would think you knew that. The table didn't have enough weight or force to it to do much more than bruise, maybe sprain a joint if they were unlucky."

Mr. Black studied Hank in surprise, a half smile pulling his lips before he frowned again. "That may be but you still attacked superior agents. We can't allow that in the C.I.A. We're part of one team here. You are confined to quarters and your lab for the next few days. You are not to go to the cafeteria. I will see to it that food is brought to you. Don't violate this or I'll have to do something more."

"Okay, I promise."

Mr. Black stood to leave but turned at the door. "And Hank? Make sure she knows how you feel. You're a great guy who could make any woman happy."

Stunned, Hank didn't get a chance to reply before the door closed.

 The Ghost of You
Scars Flown Proud / Faith and the Muse
Beautiful World / Devo
The Boy In The Bubble / Patti Smith
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face / Johnny Cash
Weird Science / Oingo Boingo
The Day I Tried To Live / Soundgarden
Little Lion Man / Mumford & Sons
Howl / Florence and The Machine
Mr. Brightside / This Unique Museum
Fallout / Sofi Bonde
Ordinary World / Duran Duran
An Honest Mistake / The Bravery
Nearer / Apoptygma Berzerk
Ashes and Wine / A Fine Frenzy
The Captive Heart / Brendan Perry
What Are You Going To Do WIth Your Life / Echo and the Bunnymen

Scars Flown Proud - Faith and the Muse
Beautiful World - Devo
The Boy In The Bubble - Patti Smith
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Johnny Cash
Weird Science - Oingo Boingo
The Day I Tried To Live - Soundgarden
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
Howl - Florence and the Machine
Mr Brightside - This Unique Museum
Fall Out - Sofi Bonde
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
Walk - Foo Fighters
An Honest Mistake (Acoustic) - The Bravery
Ashes and Wine - A Fine Frenzy
Nearer - Apoptygma Berzerk
What Are You Going To Do With Your Life - Echo and the Bunnymen
Mourn (apb rmx - guitar version) - Apoptygma Berzerk
Mr. Somewhere - This Mortal Coil