"I'm coming too!"
Raven stepped forward imdiately, unwilling to be left behind.
"Raven, the base still needs a leader. With Emma and Vanessa gone—and now both Hank and I leaving—that responsibility falls to you."
Alex's tone was calm but firm.
Raven opened her mouth to protest but ultimately stayed silent. Though reluctant, she knew he was right.
As for the other X-n—while this could have been a valuable learning experience—Alex had already ruled them out.
If Emma and Copycat had been taken out without even managing to warn Charles, then this wasn't just any threat.
Alex had confidence in his strength, but he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was untouchable. If sothing happened that even he couldn't handle, bringing inexperienced allies would only make things worse.
From that perspective, fewer people ant fewer liabilities.
If things went sideways, he could act faster—without hesitation.
Once the decision was made, the trio moved quickly. They boarded Hank's Blackbird and departed from the mutant base.
Roughly an hour later, the jet touched down in a remote, barren stretch of wilderness.
Several kiloters ahead stood a seemingly unremarkable—but undeniably luxurious—villa.
"This is the place," Charles said, eyeing the structure before turning to Alex and Hank.
He pressed two fingers to his temple, attempting once again to scan the area with his telepathy.
But just like before, it was blocked.
"I still can't get through."
He lowered his hand, his frustration evident.
"Can you tell if it's a mutant's ability or so sort of device?" Hank asked.
Charles shook his head grimly.
For soone with telepathy as powerful as his, being blocked was rare. Not knowing how he was being blocked? That was downright unsettling.
Hank's face darkened.
Whether the interference was biological or technological, it wasn't a good sign.
But Alex had already activated his X-ray vision, scanning the villa from top to bottom.
Soon, two familiar figures appeared within his sight.
Emma and Copycat were locked inside specialized glass cells, each wearing a glowing collar around their neck.
Alex frowned.
It was his first ti seeing such a device in this world, but he was nearly certain: power-suppressing collars.
Given how recently mutants had erged into the public eye, this level of advanced tech shouldn't even exist yet.
His thoughts turned cold.
Such devices would have required extensive experintation and data on mutants. Yet after his public massacre at the Pentagon, the governnt had largely backed off.
So who had developed this?
His expression turned grave.
Sothing was slipping beyond his control.
And for soone like Alex—that was rare.
"Alex, what is it?" Hank asked, noting his silence.
"We're in the right place," Alex replied. He turned toward them. "Emma and Vanessa are inside. Conditions aren't great, but they're not in imdiate danger."
Charles and Hank visibly relaxed.
They didn't know how Alex knew—but they didn't doubt him.
"Then let's move," Charles said, urgency lacing his voice.
The group began walking toward the villa.
"Hank, you brought the weapons, right?" Alex asked as they moved.
He wasn't referring to conventional weapons, but to enhanced Makluan energy rifles—reverse-engineered and refined by Hank for human use.
"Let's hope we don't need them," Hank replied, though his hand instinctively touched the case slung over his shoulder.
They pressed forward in silence.
—
Hmm?
Alex suddenly froze. His eyes narrowed.
Soone inside the villa was watching him.
And not just taphorically.
They had X-ray vision too.
It was a man—mid-forties, buzz cut, with a bulky Schwarzenegger-like fra.
His gaze locked directly onto Alex's, cutting through layers of steel and concrete like glass.
"Shit—he can see !" the man blurted out, panic flashing across his face.
He turned abruptly to a bronze-skinned man beside him.
"Alert the Master—Alex is here!"
Master?
Alex caught every word through super-hearing. One word stood out above the rest.
So there was a Master behind all this.
Behind Emma and Copycat's capture. Behind the collars. Behind the telepathy shield.
Alex wasn't surprised he'd been recognized. After the Decepticon battle, his na had spread like wildfire.
But one detail chilled him:
The enemy had mutants working for them.
That explained how Emma and Copycat had been overwheld so quickly.
It wasn't just so shady organization anymore.
This was sothing bigger. Sothing smarter.
Sothing dangerous.
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