"When I was very young," Hank said slowly, "I believed that one day I would make myself normal. That has always been my dream."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Rorschach, I don't know if you can truly understand what that feels like. You look normal. When you walk outside, no one stares at you."
"But I'm different."
His voice carried a quiet bitterness.
"I'm tired of that."
Rorschach listened silently.
Hank's words interrupted the thoughts that had been running through his mind.
"So what do you need me to do, Hank?" Rorschach asked.
Even though he had already guessed the answer, he still pretended not to know.
Hank hesitated for a moment.
Then he finally said it.
"Rorschach… I know this might sound inappropriate, but could I collect a small blood sample from you?"
His tone became more earnest.
"I've been researching a way to cure my mutation. Recently I made a breakthrough, and I'm only one step away from completing the formula."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But I need a reference sample. A normal-looking mutant like you would be perfect."
"I only need a small amount of blood."
Hank looked at Rorschach with hopeful eyes.
But Rorschach shook his head immediately.
"I'm sorry, Hank," he said calmly. "I really can't agree to that."
His refusal was direct.
The reason was simple.
Rorschach's current power did not come from the X-gene.
It came from the system.
Strictly speaking, Rorschach did possess an X-gene mutation.
Otherwise, Professor Xavier would never have recruited him into the CIA's secret mutant training program.
But that mutation was not responsible for his current abilities.
In fact, Rorschach's natural mutant power was surprisingly unimpressive.
He could breathe underwater.
His skin had the ability to absorb oxygen directly from the surrounding water.
Unlike the aquatic mutant from the Seven, whose body developed visible gills, Rorschach's body structure remained completely human.
His skin simply absorbed dissolved oxygen directly.
Most of the time, the ability was almost useless.
Rorschach had never even bothered to tell anyone about it.
To everyone at Xavier Manor—including Charles—the powers Rorschach displayed were assumed to be the result of his mysterious abilities.
No one suspected anything else.
Which meant one thing.
Letting Hank study his blood would be extremely risky.
Rorschach couldn't allow that.
"No, no, Rorschach," Hank said quickly, seeing the refusal. "I'm sorry. I know that request was too personal."
Disappointment appeared on his face.
Still, he remained polite.
"Hank," Rorschach said suddenly as Hank stood up to leave.
"Do you only need blood from a mutant who looks normal?"
Hank stopped.
"Yes," he replied, confused. "Why?"
"In that case," Rorschach said casually, "I might not be able to give you my blood. But I could probably bring you another sample."
That really wouldn't be difficult.
Sooner or later, Rorschach would inevitably fight other mutants.
Whether it was the inevitable confrontation with the Hellfire Club…
Or his future clash with Stryker.
Mutant blood samples would be easy to obtain.
"Rorschach… thank you," Hank said, his disappointment instantly replaced with excitement.
"But if that puts you in danger—"
"It won't," Rorschach said with a smile. "Helping a friend is no big deal."
Hank nodded gratefully.
"I don't even know what to say."
"Then don't say anything," Rorschach replied lightly. "It's getting late. You should get some rest."
He chuckled.
"Besides, I'm not used to sharing a room with another grown man this late at night."
Hank laughed softly.
Then he left the room.
Although Rorschach's promise was only verbal, Hank believed him completely.
If Rorschach said he would do something, he would keep his word.
After Hank left, Rorschach leaned back slightly and fell into thought.
In the original story, Hank had only used Mystique's blood during his research.
But now things were clearly changing.
Rorschach's presence had already altered the course of events.
If Hank eventually obtained another mutant blood sample…
Would the same outcome still happen?
Would he still transform into the Beast?
Rorschach found himself curious.
…
The next morning.
"Morning, Rorschach!"
"Morning, Sean. Morning, Raven. Morning, Alex."
The young mutants had woken up unusually early.
Even the sky in the east was still faintly dark, and the sun had not fully risen.
This was a huge change compared to their time at the CIA base.
Back then, most of them were idle recruits with nothing to do. Sleeping until noon had been normal.
But under the training of Charles and Eric, everyone had developed discipline.
After a quick breakfast, the group gathered outside on the training field.
Charles and Eric were already waiting there.
One person was missing, however.
Moira.
She usually accompanied Charles during training sessions, recording data and assisting with research.
Her absence was noticeable.
Rorschach didn't ask about it immediately.
Instead, when the training began, he walked calmly over to Eric.
"Moira received a lead," Eric said before Rorschach even spoke.
"She went to investigate."
Rorschach nodded.
He didn't comment further, but internally he wasn't very optimistic.
From what he remembered, the Hellfire Club had remained hidden until the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
No one had successfully located Sebastian Shaw before that final confrontation.
Of course, movies only showed a fraction of events.
Reality might contain far more details.
And now that Rorschach existed in this world, things could easily change.
Shaw had never faced a defeat like the one he experienced during the CIA base attack.
That alone could shift the timeline.
"Rorschach," Eric said suddenly.
He turned to face him.
"If I find Shaw… will you try to stop me from killing him?"
Rorschach raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I do that?"
He shrugged.
In that regard, Rorschach was nothing like Charles.
Eric had every right to avenge his mother's death.
And Rorschach couldn't think of a single reason to interfere.
.....
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