"Erik, Alex, let's go!"
The mont they heard the president's address was about to begin, everyone perked up instantly.
Charles called out to his two friends and quickly headed back inside the house.
Over the past few days, tensions between the US and the Soviets had reached an all-ti low—no, more like a breaking point.
No one would be surprised if war broke out the next day.
The fate of the entire nation now hung in the balance, teetering on the edge.
Everyone was waiting for an answer from the governnt.
And so, this presidential address had captured the attention of the entire country. Naturally, the mutants were no exception.
Especially since they all knew the current crisis had been orchestrated by Shaw—and they had already failed to stop him once.
Not only Charles and Erik, but Moira also notified the rest of the training mutants to gather.
They all took it seriously and were soon packed into the living room.
"Let's hope this speech brings so good news," Banshee muttered weakly from behind the couch, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the TV sitting on a small table.
"Guys, I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about this," havok said with a slow exhale.
"Why's that?" Darwin glanced at him curiously.
"Because the world is full of crap. When's the last ti sothing good actually happened?" Havok replied as if it were obvious. "Everything we've been through—it's always been one ss after another."
"Havok, that kind of pessimism doesn't help right now," Raven said with a helpless sigh.
"Shh, quiet. It's starting!" Moira called out from the side, cutting off the conversation.
Everyone straightened up and fell silent, eyes locked on the tiny television screen.
"From the standpoint of national policy, any act of crossing the Cuban blockade will be regarded as an act of aggression by the Bear Nation against the United States."
"In response, the United States will retaliate with full force—no rcy!"
…
On the screen, a man who would one day beco a viral for his smile was now giving a deadly serious speech.
The room's atmosphere imdiately turned heavy.
It felt like things were heading exactly where no one wanted them to go.
Sure, they'd all seen this coming—but hearing it confird was a different story. A pit ford in everyone's stomach.
"I knew it. It's always the sa," Havok muttered like a grumpy old man.
"Shaw is there," Erik said firmly, eyes sharp.
"You sure?" Havok turned to him, surprised.
"Two superpowers facing off—and Shaw wants to start World War III. He wouldn't miss this chance," Charles answered for Erik, his brows furrowed tightly, forming deep, autumnal folds of worry.
No one hated this situation more than Charles.
"Enough about politics. We need to prepare for tomorrow's mission," Erik said coldly.
He didn't wait for a response—just turned and walked out with a steely resolve.
"Prepare? Erik, what do you an by that?" Banshee called out, confused and slightly panicked.
"Sean, what do you think all our training was for?" Hank adjusted his glasses, his delicate features set with determination. "We're going to stop him."
"You an… tomorrow? We're going to Cuba?" Banshee's eyes widened.
He had ntally prepared to confront Shaw, sure—but flying off to another country with zero warning? That caught him off guard.
"That's right. We're going to Cuba," Charles said gravely, sweeping his gaze across the room full of mutants. "This is our only chance."
Everyone felt an invisible weight settle on their shoulders.
They had faced the Black King twice now—and lost both tis.
The first ti? Let's not even talk about it. Besides Alex, everyone else had practically pissed themselves in fear. The second ti?
Shaw didn't even show up in person, and they were nearly wiped out.
With that shadow hanging over them, it was no surprise they felt pressure about this upcoming third round.
Even though they'd all made significant progress in their powers.
"Co on, people, what are you so worried about?" Charles said with a grin, pointing toward Alex. "We've got Alex on our side!"
That's right—Alex!
Morale, which had been flagging, lifted just a bit.
Sure, they'd lost to the Black King twice—but one person had stood out each ti.
Alex.
In both encounters, Alex had slapped Shaw squarely in the face.
Especially during the second one, where Alex single-handedly foiled Shaw's entire sche.
He was their ace in the hole.
"Yeah! With Alex around, what are we even scared of?" Raven laughed, eyes sparkling with inexplicable confidence.
"I promise you all—this ti, Shaw is going down," Alex said, eting everyone's eyes with an unshakable tone.
And he wasn't just saying that to sound cool. After all—he already knew how the story ended.
In the original tiline, Shaw dies at Erik's hands.
That said…
Alex's thoughts turned inward. A lot had already changed because of his rebirth.
For starters, Riptide and Azazel—who were on Shaw's side—had already been taken out. Angel hadn't defected either.
Which ant they'd be facing a brand new version of the "Black King's faction."
Still, Alex wasn't worried.
Because the truth was—he was really strong now.
At this point, calling him unbeatable among mutants wasn't even an exaggeration.
Well, excluding the Black King himself.
Shaw was the only one he couldn't outright kill, but Alex had discovered his fatal weakness.
Take off that helt—and Shaw was toast.
Nothing to be afraid of.
"You heard him," Charles said with a shrug to the others. "Even Alex is this confident."
Sure enough, with that declaration straight from Alex himself, everyone's spirits lifted dramatically.
The gloom hanging over them began to fade.
Their morale had just gotten the boost it desperately needed.
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