On Utopia, tension hung thick in the air.
"You're saying Noah… is a mutant?"
Gwen Stacy stared at Rogue, disbelief written all over her face.
Nearby, George Stacy and the rest of her family looked just as shaken—but their concern went beyond that. What they couldn't understand was why Noah had brought them here in the first place.
"Isn't it obvious?" Raven said, arms crossed, her tone calm but blunt. "It's for your protection. Noah's about to go up against forces that won't hesitate to target anyone connected to him. That includes you."
"But we're not enemies of the world," Gwen's mother said, frustration creeping into her voice. "We didn't sign up for any of this."
"That won't matter," Erik Lehnsherr replied coldly, idly levitating two metal spheres in his hand. "People don't decide based on truth. They decide based on sides—and whether you're expendable."
The safehouse they stood in had been designed to block even Xavier's telepathy, reinforced to withstand extreme attacks. But none of that made Gwen's family feel any safer.
They were surrounded entirely by mutants.
That alone was enough.
Gwen hesitated, then turned toward Camilla.
"…What are you to Noah?"
Camilla froze for a split second.
The answer she wanted to give stayed locked in her throat.
Instead, she forced out something else.
"…I'm his pet."
Gwen blinked.
"…What?"
"That's enough," George cut in before things could spiral further. He looked toward Erik. "When do we leave? And what exactly are you planning? Is this going to turn into a war with the government?"
"That depends on Noah," Erik said simply. "Whatever he decides—I'll support it."
George went quiet.
That kind of loyalty… from someone like Magneto?
It was unsettling.
Back at the base—
Noah stepped into the holding area.
Rows of restrained mutants lined the space, bound in heavy restraints designed to suppress their abilities. Around them, bodies of soldiers lay scattered across the floor.
They hadn't even had time to react.
To the prisoners, it had happened in an instant—a flash of motion, and suddenly every guard was dead.
Now, as Noah approached, they tensed.
Until one of them recognized him.
"Wait—you're… Noah Vale. You came to the school before."
Noah nodded once.
"I'm getting you out of here."
He reached out and touched the nearest prisoner.
The man vanished.
The others stared in shock.
"Was that—your power?" someone asked. "You're a mutant too?"
Noah didn't answer.
One by one, he freed them, pulling each into his spatial pocket until the room was empty.
Then he moved deeper into the facility.
Toward the high-security cells.
—
The moment he stepped inside—
He felt it.
A presence.
Heavy. Unstable.
And watching him.
Noah's gaze lifted.
A woman stood there, red hair drifting around her like it had a life of its own. The restraints that had once held her were already falling away, torn apart by invisible force.
Jean Grey.
But something about her was… wrong.
Her eyes locked onto his, filled with something darker than anything he'd seen from her before.
"You don't look stable," Noah said quietly.
This was bad.
Whatever mental barriers Xavier had put in place—
They were breaking.
Noah studied her for a moment, weighing his options.
If it came down to it, he could kill her. Mutants weren't invincible—if he got close enough, fast enough, it would end instantly.
But Jean wasn't just any mutant.
The power behind her—
It wasn't something you tested blindly.
Without knowing her limits, taking a direct hit wasn't a risk he wanted to take.
So instead—
He walked past her.
Like she wasn't even there.
Behind her, Xavier lay unconscious, bound in reinforced restraints. Noah tore them apart and pulled him into the pocket space.
As he turned slightly, he spoke over his shoulder.
"You've got about a minute before this place is turned into a crater," he said. "Your choice—come with me, or get out on your own."
He didn't wait for an answer.
One by one, he secured the remaining captives, sending them into the same space.
Then—
A hand touched his shoulder.
Noah stopped.
Jean stood behind him, close—too close.
Her eyes burned with something intense, something invasive.
She looked him over slowly.
"Your body…" she said softly. "It's perfect."
Her hands lifted, reaching for his face.
Noah caught her wrists instantly, stopping her.
"Are you even thinking straight?" he said, frowning. "Your boyfriend's in there, unconscious."
Jean tilted her head slightly.
"Him?" she said dismissively. "I don't need him anymore."
The air around them tightened.
Invisible pressure wrapped around Noah, locking onto him.
His own arm began to move—
Dragged forward by her telekinesis, forced toward her chest.
"I want you," she said.
Noah's expression flattened.
Yeah, no.
Before things escalated further, he moved.
Energy surged through his grip, flooding directly into her body at the point of contact. It disrupted everything—her control, her focus—
Her eyes went unfocused.
Then she collapsed.
Noah caught her before she hit the ground.
"…That was new," he muttered.
He stepped into his pocket space, carrying her inside.
Xavier was already conscious now, though clearly weakened.
Noah looked at him.
"Whatever you put in her head before—it's not holding," he said. "Can you reinforce it?"
Xavier's expression tightened.
"…No," he admitted. "If she's breaking through now, it means I can't contain her anymore. Whatever happens next… will be up to her."
Noah let out a quiet breath.
"Great."
He looked at Jean, then back at Xavier.
"Just so we're clear," he said dryly, "this is exactly the kind of situation you were supposed to prevent."
Between the Phoenix, mind control incidents, and everything else—
Xavier wasn't just a leader.
He was a liability waiting to go off.