Chapter 140: Mutant Avengers
"So you're saying you don't know how many children you have either."
At the White House entrance, Stephen Fang had finished inquiring about Magneto's situation.
Magneto not only didn't know about Wanda's existence, but he also didn't know about Quicksilver.
After asking Professor X, it turned out there were no students in the academy who could run very fast.
Then there was only one explanation.
The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver of this universe likely followed the settings of the "Axis" storyline combined with The Avengers movies.
But no matter which version of Wanda it was, she was an extremely powerful existence.
The Wanda from Avengers 4 was really only a Darkhold away from taking on Thanos alone.
Stephen Fang realized Professor X was looking at him and stopped his train of thought. "Professor, it's rude to stare."
"Apologies." Professor X quickly shifted his gaze. "I can't find William Stryker's whereabouts. Did any of you see him just now?"
Just then, Wolverine, who was helping a limping Storm, called out, "William Stryker? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
Stephen Fang thought to himself that of course Wolverine would find it familiar.
Because the Adamantium covering his body was an accidental result of William Stryker's inhuman experiments.
As everyone was discussing amongst themselves, a team of soldiers finally charged in!
They were dressed in uniform black combat fatigues and wore tactical helmets. They fanned out, quickly surrounding the X-Men. Their gun muzzles were aimed at the X-Men, fingers on the triggers. The slightest misstep would provoke a fierce conflict.
Facing the sudden appearance of the soldiers, the X-Men knew well that any rash move at this moment could trigger an irreversible firefight. So, one after another, they slowly raised their hands, indicating they had no ill intent.
The Professor sat in his wheelchair, his expression calm and his voice sincere. "This is all a misunderstanding. Magneto was being used. He had no intention of attacking the White House."
However, the black leader of the soldiers stood before his squad, his posture ramrod straight, his face showing unconcealed vigilance and coldness.
His gaze swept firmly over the X-Men, seemingly turning a deaf ear to Professor X's explanation. He ordered loudly without hesitation, "You have five seconds to surrender, or we will open fire!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
Just at this tense, critical moment, Magneto finally made a move.
He lifted his head slightly, his eyes revealing a powerful and majestic force. He slowly raised his hands, palms facing outward.
Stephen Fang instantly felt that the pressure Magneto was exuding now was on a completely different level from when he was being controlled just moments ago.
In that instant, an invisible and powerful magnetic force emanated from Magneto's body, quickly enveloping the entire area.
The soldiers felt as if their guns were suddenly pulled by an invisible, immense force. Uncontrollably, the weapons slowly slipped from their grasp and floated into the air.
Those weapons, which they had been gripping tightly to use against the X-Men, now had their muzzles bizarrely turned, pointing uniformly back at themselves!
This sudden turn of events caused the atmosphere on the scene to freeze in an instant. The soldiers' faces showed shock and terror. Their bodies involuntarily tensed up, their eyes filled with horror and unease at this unknown power.
Seeing this, the Professor's face instantly turned pale. He shouted anxiously, "Don't! Whatever you do, don't open fire!"
The Professor understood better than anyone that if Magneto went on a killing spree right here at the White House entrance, the delicate peace between mutants and humans would be shattered once again, entering a stage of unending war.
Magneto snorted coldly, a trace of a disdainful and mocking sneer on his face. He said slowly, "Charles, this is only because you just had Jean Grey save me."
After speaking, Magneto ignored the crowd. The metal fragments under his feet quickly gathered, clinging tightly together under the influence of his magnetic force, forming a simple yet sturdy flight device.
With a piercing screech of scraping metal, his body slowly rose. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he flew into the sky and then disappeared from sight.
After the man who regarded life as worthless was gone, Professor X felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He looked toward the White House officials and stated his position:
"We are willing to cooperate with all questioning. This is for the hard-won peace between mutants and humans."
The soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief. Each took out a pair of handcuffs, preparing to cuff everyone and take them back for interrogation.
When it was Wolverine's turn, Logan, as expected, began to resist.
However, under Professor X's gaze, he sighed and allowed himself to be cuffed, albeit very reluctantly.
Stephen Fang watched as even Professor X in his wheelchair couldn't escape the fate of being handcuffed. He shook his head and looked at the soldier walking toward him.
With a "thud," this soldier fell to the ground.
The crowd collectively freaked out!
But Stephen Fang had no intention of stopping. His hypnotic eyes activated one by one on the soldiers approaching him.
These ordinary men, for a moment, fell like harvested wheat, collapsing in unison.
Only the black military officer was left standing!
"You! What are you trying to do?!"
"What do you mean, what am I doing? This has nothing to do with me." The tomoe in Stephen Fang's eyes disappeared. He then took out the S.H.I.E.L.D. identification that Black Widow had given him beforehand.
"Excuse me, Major. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is currently engaged in the defense of Earth. All unauthorized personnel, please leave on your own accord."
The implication was clear: he was requisitioning the X-Men.
Sweat beaded on the corner of the black officer's eye. "This... this is against regulations..."
Stephen Fang lightly raised an eyebrow. "Then you can go down too."
With a thud, all the soldiers fell into an illusion.
Wolverine grunted, snapping his handcuffs. He looked at Stephen Fang: "Kid, let's grab a drink sometime. I like your style!"
Professor X: "That was too impulsive..."
…
Washington, S.H.I.E.L.D. branch.
Nick Fury looked at the team of X-Men brought in by Stephen Fang, and his head started to ache.
The spymaster pulled Stephen Fang aside and muttered, "What did you bring them here for?"
"For what? Didn't you want to assemble an Avengers team? I brought them to you in one go."
Stephen Fang turned his head as he spoke. "Wolverine, an injured Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Professor X. A full five mutants! Aren't they more formidable than one Abomination?"
"You're not wrong," Nick Fury said, lowering his voice. "But the higher-ups don't like mutants. They believe the emergence of mutants is a disaster for humanity."
Stephen Fang rolled his eyes at Nick Fury. "Let me ask you, let me ask you then... You people who inject serums and gain superpowers are the great fruits of human science and technology, but if they're born with mutations it's a disaster for humanity?"
"Why does it feel like you guys are still stuck in the Middle Ages burning witches?"
Nick Fury wanted to speak again, but Stephen Fang cut him off directly. "Aliens are about to blow up the Earth, and you're still distinguishing between mutants and humans? Then tell me, why did you bring me to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Nick Fury replied without a second thought, "You're not a mutant."
"Then what am I?"
"You count as a monster from the mysterious East."
Stephen Fang grinned, baring his teeth. "If you make another joke like that, I'll join Hydra."
Nick Fury's eyes widened. "How do you know about that organization?"
"Heh heh, in this world, aside from the question of who a black man's father is, which I don't know, I know everything else."
After haggling with Nick Fury for ages, the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D., under Fury's extreme reluctance, finally reached an agreement.
Besides dealing with threats from the Brotherhood of Mutants and various evil factions, the X-Men would also occasionally serve as reinforcements for S.H.I.E.L.D.
The X-Men weren't working for free, either. S.H.I.E.L.D. would provide the latest jets for the X-Men to use. In addition, the two sides would share intelligence.
As for how long this alliance would last, it was no longer Stephen Fang's concern. As long as they could smoothly get through the Thanos crisis, he couldn't be bothered with the rest.
Wolverine looked left and right in the R&D department, extremely curious.
Behind him, Black Widow's figure walked past quickly, seemingly having no interest in the mutant who had appeared in S.H.I.E.L.D.
Black Widow walked on, soon arriving at an inconspicuous room.
She passed a retinal scan and entered through a door.
She gracefully touched the walls inside the room until she reached the server room. She took out a USB drive from her person and inserted it into the mainframe.
…
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was located in a very large manor in Westchester, New York. This was originally Professor X's home, later converted into a school for mutants.
Stephen Fang had seen this place countless times in the movies, but he never imagined it was only a ten-minute trip from Iron Man's house.
Of course, that was by jet.
The students curiously watched their teachers disembark from the jet one after another. Just as Stephen Fang got off, the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet was about to take off again.
"Wait a moment?"
Stephen Fang suddenly turned his head. He looked at Black Widow in the cockpit. "Why are you acting so strange today?"
Black Widow flicked her hair. "Am I? Darling... don't tell me you want to do it here? I'm not feeling very well today..."
"Natasha isn't as promiscuous as you. Is she alive or dead?"
Black Widow shook her head. "I don't know what you mean."
"Alright, stop pretending, Mystique."
As soon as he said this, Professor X, who had just been pushed off the jet, snapped his head up!
Sure enough, the "Black Widow" in the cockpit shimmered and changed, becoming a blue-skinned woman.
"Long time no see, Charles." Mystique waved at Professor X. "Sorry, I have to go with this little toy."
"You can go. It's a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet you're stealing anyway... The question is, you really didn't kill Natasha, right?"
"No, I just injected her with an anesthetic. Hmm~ and by the way, she has her guard completely down around you."
"Got it. Alright then, you can go. I won't stop you."
Mystique blew a kiss at Stephen Fang and piloted the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet into the air.
Wolverine gritted his back teeth. "You're just going to let her get away like that?"
"It's fine," Stephen Fang explained. "The information in the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility you just went to is basically public knowledge anyway. It might be a good thing if Magneto gets a copy. After all, when the Earth is in crisis, even Magneto has to be a good guy for a while."
Professor X smiled wryly and shook his head. "I've never seen anyone like you before."
"It's fine. You'll get used to it."
(end of chapter)