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Stryker's secret base was hidden beneath the Alkali Lake Dam...
The location was chosen for its secrecy and defensive advantages. Should any mutants attempt to breach the facility, they would face a deluge of floodwaters enough to crush even the likes of Magneto or Professor X into oblivion.
Tonight, the dam base buzzed with activity. A massive transport plane unloaded its cargo... mutant children. They were drugged and caged like zoo animals, then carried into the base's holding cells by soldiers.
Most were young mutants, but some older students had also been captured...
Without the X-Men or the Professor to protect them, these untested fledglings stood no chance against Stryker's forces. Unlike the original timeline, where Wolverine led an escape through underground tunnels with Iceman and others, this time, there was no one to mount a resistance.
Perhaps due to the butterfly effect, the events of Liberty Island never occurred. Wolverine had left early to search for his memories, leaving the school vulnerable. Against trained soldiers armed with suppressants and adamantium bullets, even gifted mutants were powerless.
"Sergeant White, where is Colonel Stryker?" Sean, who was clad in his white uniform watched as another mutant child was tossed into a cage.
Face streaked with camouflage paint, the young officer shot him a wary glance, "The Colonel is handling some loose ends."
Sean wasn't surprised by the vague answer. He smiled faintly. No doubt Stryker was securing Cerebro, the ultimate weapon, powered by the world's most powerful mind.
Exterminating every mutant would be impossible, even with the White House and military backing. Hidden among society, mutants were like rats in the sewers. They were numerous and elusive.
But one man could find them all...
With Cerebro, Charles Xavier could connect with every mind on the planet. If he focused on a specific group, he could kill them all unless they, too, were telepaths.
This was why Stryker saw the Professor as the greater threat. Even Magneto who was capable of leveling cities ranked lower in the colonel's hierarchy.
Carrying a stack of files, Sean strolled unchallenged into the containment chamber. The dozen soldiers guarding the door ignored him, continuing their patrols as if he were invisible.
Inside the dim, damp room, the Professor writhed in agony under the neural inhibitor. Across from him, Jason toyed with the world's most powerful telepath's mind. The man who had spent his life guiding others now endured the torment of relentless hallucinations.
"Stop! Jason!"
The shrill command sawed through Charles' skull. Vivid illusions dragged him back to the school; familiar rooms, familiar faces... blurring the line between reality and nightmare.
Powerless, the Professor was no match for the master of illusions. Layer by layer, the hallucinations tightened their grip, reducing the once-mighty telepath to a puppet.
"Hello, Professor."
A clear voice shattered the illusions like a tolling bell. Charles gasped as the mental assault receded. Blinking, he saw a dark-haired young man seated before him, while Jason slumped 'lifelessly' to the side.
"That doesn't work on me." The young man tapped his temple, smiling. His mental defenses were impervious to the illusionist's attacks.
With a casual strike, he rendered the hollow-eyed Jason unconscious. Stryker's son, stripped of free will, was now little more than a broken tool.
"I'm Sean Cyphers." His tone was polite, almost deferential, "Scientific advisor to the Mutant Defense Initiative."
"You're a mutant too?" The Professor assumed he was facing a fellow outcast.
Sean shook his head. He carried no X-gene. Studying the gentle leader of mutantkind, he knew that without his mental shields, he might never have risked this meeting. He might have even let Stryker dispose of the old man.
"Before this, I hesitated," Sean admitted, his voice solemn, "How does one persuade an idealist to face reality? But I believe that once you know the truth, you might stand with me... Charles Xavier, mentor to mutants."
The neural inhibitor's blue glow pulsed faintly as the Professor listened. Though the young man seemed earnest, his cold eyes sent a chill through Charles.
"I understand mutants' history. Unlike your dreams of peace, I agree with Magneto. Every species rejects the different, and humans are no exception. Especially when mutants are stronger." Sean paused, meeting the old man's gaze, "Lions don't coexist with sheep, and sheep don't expect friendship with lions. Inequality breeds conflict..."
"...Stryker's fears aren't unfounded. Mutants are only weak because they lack unity, a stable societal structure. The young ones crave normalcy, but as your generation fades, this fragile balance will shatter..."
"...Humans will drive you out. Mutants will fight back. War is inevitable, and the peace you long for is a utopian lie. You've been deceiving yourself, Professor."
Each word struck like a blade against Charles' convictions. Yet a lifetime of belief wouldn't crumble so easily.
"So you're Erik's messenger?" The Professor's expression remained unshaken. Who could sway the will of the world's strongest telepath?
"No. I seek your support. As for Magneto, he'll receive my invitation soon." Sean steepled his fingers, his youthful demeanor and courteous tone making him seem like a student debating ethics with a stubborn teacher.
Rising, he stepped closer. His dark eyes gleamed as he reached for the neural inhibitor clamped to the Professor's head. With a soft click, the device came loose.
"Professor," Sean said, his voice rough with intensity, "come with me to the future..."
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