On the Brink of War
Outside the holographic screen, Erik frowned and said in a deep voice, "Charles is too naïve. He doesn't understand what being a mutant truly means. No, he does understand; he even wrote a paper on it, but he refuses to accept reality. He's afraid of confrontation, he is soft-hearted..."
Turning to look at Logan, Erik's expression grew serious as he said, "Logan, you should understand what I'm saying. The future of mutants won't be gained through naïve compromises. We must endure the trials of iron and fire to truly rise!"
Logan licked his dry lips, longing for some whiskey and a cigar. "I've said it before, whether it's you, that Charles in the video, or anyone else, your ambitions, your plans—they don't interest me at all!"
Hearing this, Erik laughed. "You can't escape, Logan. Not just you—Charles, Raven, Hank... none of us mutants can escape. Either we rise up and fight, or we end up as pitiful slaves and lab rats. There's no third option!"
As they discussed, the team led by Erik and Charles in the video was finally about to act. However, just before they set off, something unexpected happened: Hank had gone missing.
A note was stuck on the door to his lab, instructing Erik, Charles, and the others to change into their gear and head to an air force base. When they entered the lab, they found it in complete disarray, as if it had been ransacked. However, they did find the equipment Hank had left for them—a set of black and yellow suits. Truth be told, Hank's taste in aesthetics wasn't great, and the suits weren't exactly appealing.
Even so, Charles, Erik, and the others donned the suits. Despite their lack of visual appeal, the suits had many practical features that would enhance their combat abilities in the upcoming battle. Following the navigation system, they soon arrived at the air force base, where they finally encountered the missing Hank.
At this moment, Hank had completely transformed. His skin was now blue, and a thick mane of blue fur circled his head like a lion's. His face resembled that of a fierce beast, like a lion or tiger, standing upright like a humanoid creature. He was now entirely different from the handsome young man in a white lab coat they once knew.
Hank explained to them, somewhat helplessly, that the serum he had developed not only failed to suppress the mutant cells in his body but had also strengthened them. Previously, only his feet were beast-like, but now, after injecting the serum, not a single part of him looked human anymore. It was a classic case of being too clever for his own good.
Raven, however, was delighted. After Erik's guidance, she had fully accepted herself and no longer bothered to change into a normal human appearance. She too was in her blue-skinned form, and she comforted Hank, telling him not to be disappointed. "This is a good thing. You should embrace your true self."
Erik also chimed in, saying Hank's new look was quite impressive, though Hank, in his current sensitive state, took this as mockery. He let out a beastly growl and suddenly lunged at Erik, grabbing him by the throat with his claws.
It seemed that Hank's temper had grown much more volatile after his full transformation, not unlike Logan's.
Fortunately, he hadn't completely lost control and eventually released Erik.
Erik sincerely assured him that he wasn't mocking him, and Alex was impressed by Hank's display of strength, suggesting he should change his codename from "Bigfoot" to "Beast."
Although Hank was unhappy and uncomfortable with his current appearance, it was undoubtedly a benefit to the team. In his beast form, Hank's strength had greatly increased, which naturally boosted the overall power of their group.
Hank then led them to a supersonic jet in the hangar. The sleek aircraft was one of Hank's latest research achievements, and he would be piloting it, taking the team to the waters near Cuba to prevent a nuclear war!
A Soviet ship transporting nuclear missiles was already dangerously close to Cuba. The U.S. had set up a blockade line, with orders to attack if the Soviet ship crossed it.
As a result, American warships were stationed nearby, ready to strike at any moment, while Soviet warships faced off against them. Between the two fleets was the transport ship that had drawn the attention of the entire world, slowly edging toward the blockade.
With nuclear war on the brink of breaking out, the Soviet commander on one of the warships received an order from his superiors: have the transport ship turn back. Cooler heads had prevailed in the Soviet leadership—they didn't want to start a nuclear war. Life was good, after all, so why engage in mutual destruction?
The Soviet commander sighed in relief and immediately contacted the transport ship, only to receive no response. The ship continued moving toward the blockade. This was, of course, the work of Sebastian Shaw.
He had already sent Azazel, the Red Devil, to teleport aboard the ship and kill everyone on it, locking the course so that the ship wouldn't stop until it reached its destination.
The U.S. military was unaware of the Soviets' internal problems and, following orders, prepared to attack. If the ship crossed the line, missiles would be launched, forcing the Soviets to retaliate.
Sebastian Shaw had indeed gone to great lengths to provoke a nuclear war, ensuring everything was meticulously planned.
At this critical moment, Hank piloted the jet, carrying Professor X, Magneto, and the rest of the team to the airspace above the ocean. Using his telepathy, Charles quickly grasped the situation below: the transport ship was out of control, the U.S. was about to launch an attack, and nuclear war was imminent.
The only way to stop the war was to halt the ship before it crossed the line, or destroy the empty vessel altogether. But the problem was, they couldn't have the U.S. military do it. Hank's jet was also part of the U.S. military's arsenal, so firing on the ship would also trigger the Soviet response. The tension was palpable.
At that moment, the video paused, and a new question appeared:
[Can Professor X's special team ultimately stop Sebastian Shaw's plot to start a nuclear war?]
[A: Yes
B: No.]
Erik rubbed his forehead and said, "The answer is A. There's no suspense here. Charles might be naïve, but he's smart enough to figure out a solution. As long as they destroy that transport ship, the misunderstanding will be cleared up."
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🎇🎇🎉🎉600 chapters milestone complete. I am so happy for this fanfiction that i started for fun to get to 600 chapters. And thank you to all readers who still support this fanfiction by giving power stones. I am grateful 🙏🏾 😁😁😁