"A new day begins."
Warm, gentle sunlight filtered through the window, falling across Alex's face.
His eyes slowly opened, and he let out a long, satisfying stretch.
There was no denying it—waking up naturally, without alarms or chaos, felt amazing.
He threw off the covers, walked over to the window, and instinctively glanced outside.
Down below, on the open field, a few young mutants were playing basketball.
Nearby on the grass, soone had set up an easel and was quietly painting the scenery around the base.
---
"Not bad."
Alex nodded to himself, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
The place finally felt alive.
Like a real ho.
---
After a quick wash and a change of clothes, Alex stepped out of his room and headed toward the main hall where the others were waiting.
---
"Morning, Director!"
"Morning, Director!"
---
Along the way, the mutants he'd rescued and brought here greeted him warmly and enthusiastically.
The title "Director" had started as a joke.
Apparently, Vincent had told everyone they were like orphans, and Alex was like their orphanage headmaster.
The nickna stuck.
At first, Alex was a little exasperated. But he didn't bother correcting them—a director is still a title of respect, right?
And hey, who could tell whether he was running an orphanage or founding a mutant academy?
Give it ti, and "Director Alex" might just beco official.
---
As he walked past the field and onto a shaded stone path, he spotted a familiar figure lounging on a swing.
A young man wearing a visor over his eyes, sitting quietly and soaking in the morning sun.
Cyclops.
Or rather, Scott Sumrs.
His uncontrollable optic blasts ant he couldn't open his eyes safely, so for now, he spent most of his ti outdoors.
---
"Mr. Alex!"
Hearing footsteps, Scott stood up from the swing and approached him with careful steps.
---
"Settling in okay?" Alex asked, helping to steady him.
---
"Very well. Thank you, truly."
Scott's voice was sincere. Deeply grateful.
If not for Alex, he'd still be a test subject in that godforsaken lab—treated like a rat in a cage.
Here, he at least had dignity. Freedom.
Even if he couldn't quite blend in with the others yet, this was a new beginning.
---
"Don't worry about your eyes."
Alex patted his shoulder.
"Hank is our resident genius. He'll figure sothing out to let you open them safely again."
---
"Genius?"
Scott looked puzzled.
---
"Uh… think of him like a tech wizard. Our own 'Doremon.'"
---
Scott chuckled softly, though his smile was tinged with sadness.
"It's fine, Mr. Alex. I've already gotten used to it."
He clearly didn't hold much hope.
Alex didn't push it.
He'd wait until Hank finished the custom ruby quartz glasses—then he'd watch Scott's reaction in person.
---
Inside the operations hall, the team had already gathered: Hank, Raven, Emma Frost, and Vanessa.
---
"Morning, everyone."
Alex greeted them as he walked in.
---
"Alex, the registration's done. Here's the full roster."
Raven handed him a folder filled with profiles of the new recruits—nas, ages, temperant, powers—all laid out clearly.
---
Alex skimd through the list, then looked up at Emma.
---
"They check out," Emma said with a nod.
"I've gone through their mories. No threats among them."
That was exactly why Alex had recruited Emma Frost first—her telepathy was the perfect lie detector.
Once Hank finished building the Cerebro-style amplifier, Emma would be like a living radar—or a second Professor X.
---
"I've run a basic ability test as well," Vanessa chid in.
She tapped her finger on the roster.
"Two people stand out."
---
"Scott. His potential is off the charts."
"Honestly, Alex—he might be the strongest one here after you."
Everyone nodded in agreent.
Alex wasn't surprised. Anyone who'd watched the X-n movies knew how deadly Cyclops could be once unleashed.
He'd even led the team, and at one point, taken over as Headmaster of the mutant academy.
His power scale was no joke.
---
"His optic blasts are incredibly powerful."
Hank added, pushing up his glasses.
"Red quartz can filter most of the beam's frequencies. Give a few more days of testing, and I'll have him a pair of ruby-quartz glasses ready."
"He'll be able to open his eyes again."
Alex nodded, ntally filing that away.
---
"The other one is Vincent."
Vanessa pointed at another na on the list.
"His raw offense isn't as strong as Scott's, but his mutation is highly adaptable. If we train him right, he could end up surprising us all."
---
Two key prospects: Cyclops and Vincent.
The rest had potential too, but these two stood out for now.
---
As they wrapped up their initial evaluations, Raven suddenly turned toward the television and raised the volu.
---
The entire room went quiet.
---
On screen, a powerful figure appeared—standing tall in a long cape and tallic helt, flanked by the wreckage of destroyed police vehicles.
Magneto.
Erik Lehnsherr.
No longer hiding. No longer playing nice.
He stood before the world, mighty and imposing.
A storm in human form.
---
"My fellow mutants—my brothers and sisters."
"How much longer must we suffer this oppression?"
"The ti has co to strike back."
"From this day forward—
We declare war on all of humanity!"
---
Magneto had just declared war on live television.
The war for mutant survival was no longer a whisper in the shadows.
It had begun.
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