Eric trusted Alex's so-called ability to see the future, but his trust wasn't strong. Alex knew it was like trusting a fortune teller's good news—you believe the positives but question the negatives.
Charles and Raven clearly weren't eager to help, and Eric grew uneasy, even doubting Alex's claims. From Charles and Raven's perspective, hesitation made sense. They'd just met—why dive into a mutant battle?
The castle door's knock broke the awkward silence, easing the tension.
Charles rose to answer it, welcoming a poised woman inside.
"Who are they?" Moira asked, eyeing Alex and Eric. She seemed to know Charles well.
"They're friends," Charles said, pausing. Knowing Moira was aware of mutants, he added, "They're like me."
"Like you?" Moira understood instantly, glancing at Alex and Eric.
She didn't keep secrets from them. "I'm here for your help. Something major's happening."
"What's with tonight? Everyone's asking for help," Raven muttered under her breath.
"What's wrong? Take it slow," Charles said, noting Moira's grave expression. His face grew serious.
Eric overheard Raven's comment and stood, ready to leave. If they wouldn't help, he wouldn't beg. Revenge was his burden, and staying felt pointless amid their serious discussion.
"I infiltrated the Hellfire Club," Moira began. "A man named Sebastian Shaw is manipulating parliamentarians to place nuclear weapons on the border, trying to spark a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union."
Eric froze mid-step. "Who did you just say? Sebastian Shaw?" he asked sharply.
"Yes, him. Do you know him?" Moira replied, puzzled by Eric's intensity.
"I know him," Eric said, his voice heavy with hatred. He sat back down, urging Moira to continue. Shaw's name changed everything—he wasn't leaving now.
As he settled, Eric glanced subtly at Alex. Alex's foresight was spot-on. Charles might have refused, but Moira's news shifted things. Maybe Alex's vision was right after all.
Though Eric's reaction was intense, Moira was focused on her concerns and didn't dwell on it. She continued, detailing her experience.
She'd infiltrated the Hellfire Club and found a secret room where Sebastian Shaw controlled a parliamentarian. She saw a blood-red mutant—Azazel—teleport away with the official.
After escaping, Moira reported to her boss, but he dismissed her. The parliamentarian was speaking publicly, and her boss refused to challenge the nuclear weapon deployment plan based on her claims.
Knowing mutants were involved, Moira, desperate, turned to Charles—the only mutant she knew who studied mutants and wasn't hostile to humans.
"Mutants controlling parliamentarians to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?" Charles's face grew grim as Moira explained. He understood the stakes and felt compelled to help Moira.
"We'll join too!" Eric said eagerly. Though his goal was personal—stopping Shaw—it aligned with Moira's mission.
"Thanks…" Charles said, a bit embarrassed. He'd hesitated to help Eric earlier, but now they shared a common enemy.
"I'm thrilled you're all helping. How can I assist?" Moira asked, unaware Eric and Charles had just met.
"We can't rush this. We need to plan carefully," Charles said, turning to Alex. "Alex, any suggestions?"
Charles trusted Alex's foresight more now, especially after Moira's arrival confirmed Alex's predictions about teaming up against Shaw. He wanted Alex's input.
Eric and Raven also looked at Alex. They'd doubted him before, but now their confidence in his vision grew.
Alex, who'd been quiet, was caught off guard by the question. Thinking quickly, he recalled the X-Men movies. "The Hellfire Club has strong mutants. To fight them, we need to recruit like-minded allies."
Charles nodded. More mutants made sense for a mutant battle. Plus, his dream was mutant-human harmony. Stopping a war could show humans that mutants could be heroes.
Alex added another idea from the movies: "We should work with a government agency and use equipment to boost Charles's telepathy to find mutants and build a team."
After some discussion, they formed a clear plan.
Alex didn't alter the X-Men story but guided it forward. He urged Eric to find Charles, suggested forming a mutant team to fight Sebastian Shaw, and proposed working with a government agency to use equipment to boost Charles's telepathy to locate mutants.
His step-by-step plan was orderly. Eric and Charles agreed, and events unfolded like the original movie.
At a government facility, Alex and the others met Hank, a mutant already working there. Using a machine (Cerebro), Charles's telepathy was amplified, allowing him to find mutants across the country.
With Alex, Charles, and Eric's efforts, the team grew. Sean, Lucas, Darwin, and Angel—mutants from the movie—joined, making the group stronger.
One day, the mutant team gathered in a room at X Academy to officially meet. Each showed their powers.
Hank transformed into a beast-like form, gaining superhuman strength and speed. Raven shapeshifted, mimicking everyone's appearance perfectly. Sean unleashed powerful sonic waves. Lucas fired energy blasts. Darwin adapted to any environment, like growing gills in water. Angel sprouted cicada-like wings and spat flames.
After demonstrating, they chose nicknames: Beast for Hank, Banshee for Sean, Havok for Lucas, and so on. Raven kept Mystique.
"Why not call Charles 'Professor X'?" a mutant suggested.
"And Eric? Magneto fits perfectly," another added.
"For Alex, how about Prophet?" someone proposed.
Charles nodded at "Professor X." Eric glanced at Alex, recalling how Alex predicted "Magneto" during their first meeting. His foresight was proving accurate.
"Prophet?" Alex frowned. He knew he wasn't a true seer—just someone who knew the movies. "I prefer Kaleidoscope," he said. His ability to copy powers was like a kaleidoscope, ever-shifting and versatile.
The others exchanged glances, unsure why he chose it, but respected his choice.
Charles clapped, drawing attention. "Since I'm Professor X, I'll lead this team against evil mutants. I'll arrange special training to boost everyone's combat skills."
Alex's heart raced. He'd followed Eric to meet Charles for two reasons: to copy more mutant powers and to train under Charles, who tailored training to each mutant.
Charles, a mutant expert, offered valuable insights. With his guidance, everyone's abilities improved, fueling their daily motivation.
Charles didn't just focus on the new recruits—he also worked with Alex, Eric, and the others to hone their powers.
As in X-Men: First Class, Charles, with Eric's permission, entered his mind. He found a spark of hope in Eric's vengeful heart, teaching him that controlling his power wasn't just about anger but finding a balance between rage and calm.
With Charles's guidance, Eric succeeded after a few tries. He could now rotate a massive radar, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, from miles away. This leap in power thrilled Eric, and he admired Charles's skill.
"Alex, your power is unique. If you're okay with it, I'd like to read your mind to study it," Charles said, turning to Alex.
"No!" Alex said firmly. His gene-copying secret was too big. Though he trusted Charles's character, he couldn't risk anyone knowing.
Alex recalled a Deadpool comic where an older Charles read Deadpool's mind. Deadpool, aware he lived in a comic world, overwhelmed Charles's mind with that truth. Alex feared a similar reaction.
"Alright, if you don't want me to read your mind, I'm not sure how to train your foresight ability," Charles said. True to his nature, he didn't push.
Alex hesitated, conflicted. After a pause, he said quietly, "I've been lying to you about something."
"Oh? What's that?" Charles asked, surprised.
"My power isn't seeing the past or future. I'm sorry for deceiving you," Alex admitted. To get Charles's help, he needed to be honest—hiding his true power wouldn't work.
"What?" Charles was stunned. Alex's predictions had been proven accurate, convincing everyone of his foresight. Now he claimed it was fake?
"My real power is copying others' abilities for my own use," Alex explained, revealing everything about his computer-like system, including the C drive and genetic files.
"It's incredible," Charles said after a moment. "Your mind acts like a computer, storing genetic files on a C drive? Can you copy abilities endlessly?"
"No," Alex said, checking his mental computer. "My C drive has 100G total. I've used 45G, with 55G left. Eric's ability took 10G."
"So, you'd already used 35G before copying Eric's?" Charles frowned. "How old are you? In your 20s?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded, uneasy at Charles's expression. "Is something wrong?"
"I have a theory. Follow me," Charles said, leading Alex outside the castle.
They approached an old man in his 70s or 80s. Charles spoke to him, then signaled Alex to touch him. Though puzzled, Alex trusted Charles and did so.
A "removable disk" prompt appeared in Alex's mind, showing the man's C drive. Alex looked at Charles, confused.
"Check his disk capacity," Charles whispered.
Alex did, and his face fell. The old man's disk had 90G total, with 83G used—only 7G remained. His C drive was nearly full.