While Stryker and Lucien were busy scheming, a plane from the Soviet Union touched down in New York.
A car sped across the city, racing straight toward the nearly ruined CIA secret base.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here?"
Charles stared at the broken walls and shattered structures. Even though the area had already been cleaned up, traces of blood still lingered everywhere. He was completely dumbfounded.
Beside him, Erik rubbed his forehead, looking just as overwhelmed.
What the hell was going on?
They'd only been gone a few days—and now the base was rubble?
In truth, while they were still in the USSR, Moira had received word from CIA headquarters: the base had been attacked.
But this? This wasn't an attack—this was a catastrophe!
"The mutants… what happened to the mutants who were here?"
Charles immediately turned to question a CIA agent stationed at the scene, his voice tense.
"We didn't find any bodies," the agent replied.
That could be both good news and bad.
Good news: no bodies meant they might still be alive.
Bad news: it was likely Shaw had taken them—and that was the last thing Charles wanted to hear.
"Charles, things might not be as bad as they seem. Riptide and Azazel are dead. It was Alex who killed them," Erik said after a moment of thought.
"That's right. Alex!"
As long as Alex was here, maybe things weren't as hopeless as they looked.
Indeed, they didn't know the exact details of what had happened, but after investigating Shaw for so long, they knew full well how dangerous Azazel and Riptide were.
Not to mention—they had once fought Shaw on a cruise ship and personally experienced Riptide's terrifying power.
If there was anyone among the mutants strong enough to take them down, it would be Alex.
And according to the CIA's report, only three people had invaded the base: Shaw, Riptide, and Azazel.
That gave Charles a spark of hope.
There was no way Shaw could've captured everyone on his own, right?
After a brief exchange, he and Erik came to the same conclusion: the other mutants had likely escaped.
"New York's huge. Where would they go?" Erik still looked worried.
Most of them came from all over the world. They hadn't known each other for very long. It'd be hard to guess where they might hide.
"If I were Raven… Erik, I think I know where they are," Charles said as a thought struck him.
Xavier's estate—his home.
That was the only place Raven could go!
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and jumped into the car, kicking up a cloud of dust as they sped off.
Charles and Erik stood at the gates of Xavier Manor.
"Charles, are you sure they're in there?"
Erik's hand paused in mid-air before it touched the door. He turned to Charles.
"Yes. They're inside!"
Charles smiled. He'd already reached out with his powers—everyone was here. Every single one of them!
Erik let out a long breath, the tension finally easing from his face.
"Charles, you never told me you lived somewhere this extravagant," Erik quipped, trying to lighten the mood as he pushed the door open.
"You never asked," Charles replied casually, stepping into the hall alongside him.
Mystique, Hank, Darwin, Siryn, and the others all turned around in unison.
Their familiar faces came into view, and of course, standing among them was the person they trusted the most—Alex.
"Charles, Erik! You're back!"
The moment of silence in the hall shattered into cheers. The young mutants rushed forward, overjoyed.
Charles and Erik had finally returned!
The anxiety they'd all carried these past few days finally settled. Everyone felt more grounded, more secure.
"Seeing you all safe and sound… that's all I needed."
Charles looked at each youthful face, his expression filled with relief and warmth.
Even Erik, usually cold and stoic, had visibly relaxed.
"You all did great. Truly impressive."
It was rare for him to praise anyone—but he meant it.
Regardless of how it happened, escaping a disaster was no small feat.
"We didn't really do anything—it was all Alex," Siryn said, unable to stay quiet.
"That's right. Alex led us out," Darwin quickly added.
Getting praised when they'd barely done anything felt wrong. Darwin, in particular, felt undeserving.
"No. The fact that you didn't give in to despair in such a hopeless situation… that you resisted and made it here through your own strength—that alone is worthy of admiration. I'm proud of all of you."
Charles swept his gaze across the group, his tone sincere.
"Charles… everyone else in the base… they're all dead," Raven suddenly said, her voice growing heavy.
The once-lighthearted atmosphere turned solemn in an instant.
"Understood." Erik nodded. "Tell us everything that happened in the base."
Raven, Hank, and Darwin took turns recounting the event in vivid detail.
Even as mere listeners, Charles and Erik found themselves holding their breath at times.
It was all too intense.
Even though days had passed, Raven and the others still looked pale just recalling it.
"If it weren't for Alex, I don't even want to imagine what would've happened," Siryn said with heartfelt emotion.
"Yeah, we owe it all to Alex," Hank echoed.
"Alex, you did incredibly well—far beyond what I expected."
Charles looked at him with genuine admiration.
That night, Alex had practically turned the tide. His contribution couldn't be overstated.
Both Charles and Erik silently thanked fate—thankful that Alex hadn't come with them to the Soviet Union but had stayed behind.
Otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable.
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