Professor Xavier was more than willing to cooperate.
In fact, he had already begun considering which student might best represent mutantkind within the Human Supernatural Strategic Defense, Attack, and Logistics Bureau.
"Excellent," Drex Valen said. "In that case, we'd like Wolverine."
The answer caught Xavier completely off guard.
"Logan?" he asked. "Why him?"
Xavier wasn't the type to judge people, but if he were being honest, Logan wasn't exactly the image he'd choose to represent mutantkind.
Drex folded his arms.
"The Bureau needs veterans. People who've spent their lives on the battlefield. People who can make hard decisions under pressure. People who won't hesitate when facing threats that could endanger humanity."
He paused.
"We control. We protect. No matter the cost."
Xavier immediately understood.
The Bureau wasn't a public relations organization.
It wasn't a school.
It wasn't a political movement.
Its purpose was to stand on the front lines against threats most people would never even know existed.
As much faith as he had in his students, comparing them to Logan was another matter entirely.
There was a reason Logan had survived as long as he had.
The old wolf was built differently.
It was also one of the reasons Drex had never bothered recruiting Tony Stark.
Raw talent wasn't enough.
The Bureau needed people who could walk willingly into nightmares.
Storm suddenly spoke up.
"Mutants are included in the people you're protecting?"
Drex turned toward her.
His expression became oddly puzzled.
"Do you believe mutants aren't human?"
The question hit Storm like a slap.
"But your people created a cure!" she snapped. "You want to cure mutants!"
Drex ignored her and looked toward Xavier instead.
"Professor, your team's been difficult lately, hasn't it?"
Xavier let out a weary smile.
He shook his head slightly.
Things had indeed become difficult.
Not because anyone was trying to seize leadership.
The real problem was Jean Grey's death.
Scott Summers, the successor Xavier had once envisioned leading the X-Men, had fallen apart afterward.
The rest of the team had been affected as well.
Storm included.
"What exactly are you implying?" Storm demanded.
Drex looked directly at her.
"My implication is that you're being foolish."
The room fell silent.
Storm's eyes widened.
Drex continued calmly.
"Honestly, you'd fit right in with Magneto's Brotherhood."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"If you'd like, I can make the introduction."
Storm's eyes began glowing white.
Electricity crackled faintly through the room.
"Ororo."
Xavier's voice appeared directly inside her mind.
Storm stiffened.
The white glow faded from her eyes.
She remained furious, but she no longer looked ready to start a fight.
Xavier glanced at Drex.
Drex sighed dramatically.
"Fine. Fine."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I try to respect my elders, so I'll do you a favor and educate this silver-haired young woman."
He pointed toward himself.
"I'm surprisingly good at that."
Storm looked ready to throw a lightning bolt at him.
Drex ignored her.
"You think I'm trying to cure mutants."
"Yes."
"You believe mutant powers are natural gifts."
"They are."
Storm answered without hesitation.
Drex immediately looked at Xavier.
"See? She really would get along with Magneto."
Xavier rubbed his forehead.
"Please continue."
Drex nodded.
"If my power were Professor Xavier's telepathy, Magneto's control over magnetism, or your weather manipulation, I'd probably call it a gift too."
His expression hardened.
"But if you've spent even five minutes researching the people voluntarily receiving treatment, you'd know what kinds of mutations we're talking about."
He leaned forward.
"Tell me honestly. Are those powers really gifts?"
Storm didn't answer.
"Why don't you ask Logan what it feels like to have metal claws tear through his flesh every single time he uses them?"
"Ask Cyclops what it's like to spend his entire life unable to remove his visor."
"Ask Rogue what it's like to never touch another human being without risking their life."
Drex shook his head.
"I genuinely think you'd be happier in the Brotherhood."
"Because you're reacting exactly the same way they did."
Storm's expression darkened.
Drex continued.
"The difference is that I already convinced Magneto."
"We reached an understanding."
His gaze sharpened.
"So now you're making me wonder if I'll need to convince the X-Men too."
For the first time, Storm felt genuine fear.
A cold sensation raced down her spine.
Her blood seemed to freeze.
She knew exactly what Drex meant by "convince."
Most of the Brotherhood had already received the cure.
Those guilty of crimes had been imprisoned.
The worst offenders had been executed.
The Bureau operated by its own standards.
Only a handful of people had escaped that fate.
Magneto.
Azazel.
And Mystique, who remained at large.
"Director Valen."
Xavier intervened before the tension escalated further.
"We are not your enemies."
The fear vanished from Storm's face almost immediately.
Drex shrugged.
"And that's exactly why we've been able to coexist peacefully."
His tone softened.
"I've never viewed mutants as monsters."
"They're human."
"That's all that matters."
Xavier understood better than most what that statement meant.
Governments feared his power.
Military leaders feared his influence.
Many people in power quietly wished he would simply grow old and die.
Drex, however, had never treated mutants as a separate species.
That distinction mattered.
A great deal.
Logan didn't have many objections to joining the Bureau.
Professor Xavier had assured him it was a worthwhile opportunity.
Still, Logan disliked government agencies almost as much as he disliked military officers.
Which made his first day especially concerning.
Because the moment he arrived at Bureau headquarters, Drex strapped him to an operating table.
Logan stared at him.
"Yep. Knew this was coming."
He immediately began struggling.
Unfortunately, three nearby employees transformed into massive giants.
Logan froze.
His eyes widened.
He recognized them instantly.
A Hulk.
Abomination.
And another Hulk-class monster.
"What the hell?"
"Relax, Logan."
Drex smiled warmly.
"Every new employee receives complimentary Super Soldier enhancement."
"It's a Bureau tradition."
"A tradition?"
"Of course."
Drex nodded.
"We don't want our personnel getting killed because they're underpowered."
He gestured toward Logan.
"Sure, you've got an Adamantium skeleton, incredible regeneration, and functional immortality."
"Your actual combat power is still pretty average by our standards."
Before Logan could respond, the Hulks wheeled him straight into the laboratory.
One hour later, Wolverine-Hulk was born.
For years, the Adamantium bonded to Logan's skeleton had slowly poisoned him.
His healing factor constantly fought against the metal's toxic effects.
Over time, that struggle would eventually weaken his immortality.
Now, none of that mattered.
The Hulk transformation had amplified Logan's healing factor to absurd levels.
Its regenerative capacity bordered on the impossible.
His transformed state resembled a classic Green Hulk.
Yet there were obvious differences.
His body was covered in noticeably thicker hair.
His Adamantium claws remained fully functional.
And most importantly...
His Hulk possessed one of the rarest traits possible.
The angrier he became, the stronger he grew.
Exactly like Bruce Banner's Hulk.
Drex couldn't have been more pleased with the result.
...
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