"If you don't have the power to protect yourself, being a mutant just means you're prey," Noah Vale said calmly, looking around the room. "That's not a moral judgment. It's just reality."
His gaze settled on the group—mutants who, by all appearances, were some of the most capable people in the world.
"And if I actually meant you harm," he continued evenly, "none of you would last more than three seconds. Especially you, Professor."
The room went still.
Noah tilted his head slightly toward Professor X. "Honestly, for someone in your position, you shouldn't be this exposed. One well-placed bullet is all it takes."
To Noah, their abilities were impressive—but their reactions? Too slow. Too fragile. Power without resilience was a dangerous imbalance.
Professor X lowered his head, thoughtful.
Cyclops, however, clearly wasn't buying it. He lifted his chin, ready to argue—
—and suddenly froze.
His visor was gone.
A split second later, a blazing red beam erupted from his eyes, punching a clean hole through the wall ahead. Startled, he snapped his eyes shut.
"Scott!" Jean Grey reacted instantly, instinctively reaching out with her telekinesis—
—but her vision shifted slightly. Something felt off.
She blinked.
Cyclops' visor was now sitting on her face.
Before anyone could process what had just happened, Noah was already back where he'd been standing, hands in his pockets, watching them with quiet amusement.
"You see the gap now?" he said, spreading his hands slightly.
Cyclops stood there with his eyes clenched shut, trying not to accidentally vaporize anything else. Jean quickly removed the visor and returned it to him.
"This was a cheap shot," Cyclops muttered, keeping his eyes tightly closed.
Noah snorted. "If you can't even open your eyes without causing collateral damage, maybe don't argue. Unless your eyeballs can track faster than a bullet, you're not keeping up with me."
Jean slipped the visor back onto Scott's face, and only then did he cautiously open his eyes again.
"We go again," Cyclops insisted.
He didn't even finish the sentence.
The visor vanished—again.
Cyclops immediately shut his eyes, the now-familiar panic kicking in.
Noah casually twirled the visor around his finger. "Want me to demonstrate a third time?"
He tossed it back.
This time, no one argued.
Because they all understood.
If Noah had been serious, they wouldn't have even realized they were dead.
At a coastal base, waves crashing against steel-reinforced walls, Magneto stood with his back to the room as Sabretooth entered.
Alone.
Magneto turned slightly. "What happened?"
Sabretooth crossed his arms. "Someone beat us to the target. Human. Name's Noah Vale."
Magneto's eyes narrowed. The name rang a bell—an interview from about a week ago.
"You crossed paths with him how?"
"X-Men were involved. And…" Sabretooth hesitated. "He knew about the machine."
Magneto's expression sharpened. "That's not possible."
"He didn't get it from Charles," Sabretooth said quickly. "It was just him. And he said the machine has a flaw. Told us to meet him within three days—he wants to talk."
"A flaw…" Magneto murmured.
A human who knew about his plan. A human who wanted to negotiate.
Interesting.
"Fine," Magneto said at last, voice steady. "Let's see what he has to say. Track him."
Half an hour later, Sabretooth returned with updated intel.
"He went to Xavier's School. Didn't stay long—apparently clashed with the X-Men. He's already left. Took the target with him."
Magneto's lips curled into a faint smile. "So he doesn't get along with them either."
That made things easier.
"Send me his location," Magneto said.
Behind him, the metal wall groaned and reshaped itself into a massive circular platform. He stepped onto it without hesitation.
The disk lifted into the air, gliding forward under his control, carrying him out over the ocean.
Meanwhile, Noah drove down a quiet stretch of road, one hand on the wheel.
Rogue sat in the passenger seat, glancing at him.
"You're sure you don't want to stay at the school?" Noah asked.
She shook her head firmly. "I'll stick with you. Is there anything I can help with?"
Noah considered for a moment.
"Yeah. Start figuring out your powers."
Rogue looked down at her hands.
"Try controlling what you absorb," he continued. "Maybe limit it—just physical strength instead of everything. Or experiment. See if you can absorb abilities at a distance. Or from objects."
She blinked. "Objects?"
"Why not?" Noah shrugged. "And see if you can keep the powers you take. Or even pass them on."
Everything he was suggesting sounded outrageous—but not impossible.
Rogue frowned slightly. "But… how do I practice? On who?"
"No problem," Noah said casually. "I'll get you a box of lab mice tomorrow. Start there."
Rogue paused.
Then, unexpectedly, she nodded.
"That… actually makes sense."
She opened her mouth to say more—
—and the car suddenly lurched.
Metal screeched.
The entire vehicle lifted clean off the ground.
Rogue's eyes widened. "What is happening?!"
"No big deal," Noah said, already unbuckling. "Just another mutant. Stay here a minute."
He stepped out of the suspended car and looked up.
A figure descended from the sky, standing atop a massive metal disk. A helmet concealed his face, but the presence was unmistakable.
Magneto.
Metal shifted around him, forming four sharp spears that hovered at his side, poised to strike.
"Human," Magneto said, voice steady. "I hear you were looking for me."
Noah didn't waste time.
"I want to become a mutant," he said plainly. "And I need to borrow your machine."
Magneto blinked.
"…What?"