Mutant School.
Not long after Richard received Tony's call about Trask Industries, Professor X confirmed the news through his own channels. By the time the sun had fully risen over Westchester, the core members of the X-Men were already gathered in the underground conference room.
Professor X sat at the head of the table, hands folded calmly in his lap, but the tension in the room was unmistakable. He explained everything known so far about the X-gene cure—its development, its claimed effects, and the scheduled press conference in Washington.
When he finished, Cyclops spoke immediately.
"The X-gene isn't a disease," Scott said, voice firm and controlled. "It doesn't need to be cured. If this exists, it won't stay voluntary. The government will force it eventually. Just like the Mutant Restriction Act."
Storm nodded without hesitation. "If we wait, we'll be reacting. If we act now, we control the situation."
Jean agreed with Scott's position. Wolverine, as always, aligned with Jean. In public he was sharp and distant. Around her, he was unwaveringly loyal.
Professor X listened to all of them before responding.
"The cure may represent hope for some mutants," Charles said slowly. "For those whose mutations cause suffering or isolation. We cannot deny them the right to choose."
His tone hardened slightly.
"But we must prevent coercion. I will investigate the source. Only then will I decide whether destruction is necessary."
Scott expected that answer. Charles would never strip away free will, even for what he believed was the greater good.
…
Brotherhood Headquarters.
Magneto reacted differently.
To him, the cure was not a moral dilemma. It was extinction by another name.
After Mystique's briefing, he issued a direct order: disrupt the press conference.
There would be no negotiation.
…
Silver Manor.
Richard did not rush to Washington.
He sat in the manor's living room, watching the live broadcast instead. Emma sat nearby, composed and observant. Clarice stood closer to the television, tense.
At precisely ten o'clock, Trask Industries' press conference began in front of their headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Fadili Trask stood confidently behind the podium.
"In my view, mutants are humans who suffer," Trask declared. "Their suffering is not illness, but genetic mutation. For years, we had no solution. Now we do."
He spoke about his grandfather, Bolivar Trask, and the Sentinel program. He framed the cure as compassion, not weaponry.
Then came the announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the X-gene cure."
The camera panned to the audience.
A blonde reporter in a gray-white business suit raised her hand.
"Mr. Trask, if this is not a weapon, how do you explain the military ordering specialized firearms designed to deliver this compound?"
The moment she spoke, Richard's eyes narrowed.
He recognized her.
They had met before—intimately. He could recall every curve of her body, but not her name.
Before Trask could respond, a deep voice echoed from above.
"Ms. Reporter, I can answer that."
Every head tilted upward.
Magneto.
Hovering in the sky, crimson helmet gleaming, cloak flowing behind him like a banner of war.
Security reacted instantly. Guns were drawn. Agents moved to shield Trask.
Magneto lifted his hand casually.
The weapons tore free from their owners' grips, rising into the air and turning back toward the crowd.
Then, from beyond the perimeter, hundreds of specialized dart rifles flew in and arranged themselves around him in a circular formation.
Not aimed at civilians.
Aimed at mutant agents.
The message was clear.
Magneto controlled the field.
"This," he said coldly, "is the answer you seek."
"The so-called cure is not an antidote. It is a weapon. A weapon designed to erase mutantkind."
No one moved.
They all understood the power suspended above them.
Magneto's voice carried across the live broadcast.
"My old friend Charles once told me, 'Mutated and proud.' Today, I say that to every mutant watching."
"We are not inferior. We are the next step in evolution."
"Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals because they were superior. Mutants will replace Homo sapiens for the same reason."
Richard leaned forward slightly.
He already sensed where this was going.
Magneto paused deliberately.
Then he continued.
"I also wish to share something else. Words spoken to me privately by a man many of you admire."
Richard's expression darkened.
"This is advice from Richard Wesley."
Emma's gaze flicked toward him.
Magneto's voice sharpened.
"Instead of waiting for a hero to save you, rise up and resist."
"Only by fighting back can you claim the future you deserve."
"Richard Wesley resisted—and he won. He is the only mutant ever issued an S-class federal warrant that was publicly revoked by the White House."
"You may not be as powerful as him. But you can resist like him."
"You worship him. You call him your idol. He proved himself through action. Will you do the same?"
"Do you want wealth? Fame? Power? Do you want to become the next Richard Wesley?"
"If you want it—then fight for it."
"This is the era of mutants."
"This is the era of Richard Wesley."
"And it is your era as well."
"Resist. Take what is yours. He opened the curtain. Now create the future alongside him."
.....
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