Faced with Erik—a mutant strong enough to kill Zero with his bare hands—and his companion who had taken down Sabretooth with ease, what choice did Bradley really have?
Even if he was reluctant, what options were left?
Especially now that both Sabretooth and Zero were dead, there was no way Stryker would let this go. That meant Bradley was inevitably going to end up on the run too.
Looking at it from that perspective, maybe getting captured by another mutant organization wasn't such a bad thing after all.
At the very least, it would make it harder for Stryker to find him, right?
With that in mind, Bradley settled down and didn't make any trouble. He obediently followed Erik and Alex to the entrance of their secret base.
At the base entrance.
Agent Moira, having received word in advance, stood waiting with several CIA operatives. Charles was there too, having arrived even earlier.
"Erik, this is the guy?"
Moira sized up Bradley with a skeptical look.
Erik had said he'd captured a suspected member of the Hellfire Club—but this scrawny guy didn't look the part at all.
"He's not," Charles said, shaking his head firmly from the side.
He had already read Bradley's memories and could confirm the man had no connection to Shaw.
"Charles, are you sure?" Erik walked up, visibly unwilling to accept the truth. "Did you use your powers?"
"I'm sorry, Erik, but yes—I did. And he's really not one of them." Charles' tone left no room for doubt.
Disappointment washed over Erik's face. Frustrated, he kicked a small stone at his feet, sending it flying.
He had been chasing Shaw for years. The one time he'd come close was two months ago—on that cruise ship.
He'd tried to kill Shaw without hesitation. Not only had Shaw escaped, Erik had nearly lost his own life in the process. If Charles hadn't intervened, Erik would've drowned in the icy waters.
The main reason Erik had agreed to stay with the CIA these past two months was to use their resources to track Shaw.
But despite all his efforts, they'd come up with nothing.
Now they'd finally caught someone—and it was the wrong guy.
Of course he was dejected.
Moira let out a soft sigh.
Shaw wasn't just Erik and Charles's target—he was also a major threat to the CIA. This shared goal had been the foundation of their collaboration.
"I've said it from the beginning—you've got the wrong guy," Bradley cut in, seizing the opportunity to plead his case. "You've made a mistake!"
"Yes… we have."
Charles wasn't one to deny his mistakes. He gave Bradley a nod. "If my friend and I caused you any trouble, I sincerely apologize."
"Save it." Bradley shrugged, clearly unimpressed. "I'm guessing you're not just going to let me leave, are you?"
Whatever this organization was, it wasn't likely they'd let an outsider walk away after seeing the location of their base.
Bradley wasn't naive—he'd worked under Stryker, after all.
"It's not as simple as you think," Charles admitted, not denying it. He glanced at Moira and Erik. "I think… we've got a bit of a problem."
"Let's take this inside."
Moira and Charles exchanged a look, then the whole group moved briskly into the base.
After securing Bradley in a guarded room, Charles, Moira, and Erik gathered in the office.
"Charles, what's going on?" Moira asked impatiently.
"Wait," Erik interjected before Charles could respond. "Let's bring Alex in too."
"Isn't that a bit premature?" Charles hesitated.
He'd planned to talk with Erik about Alex's performance during the mission before deciding how much to let him in on.
"Charles, he's already involved. Once you're in, there's no going back. And besides—I think he's ready."
Erik spoke with conviction.
Charles paused, surprised by Erik's confidence in Alex after just one mission. But he trusted Erik deeply, so he gave a light shrug. "As long as Moira doesn't object."
Moira MacTaggert—CIA covert operative.
While investigating Sebastian Shaw, she'd discovered the existence of mutants. That led her to consult Charles, an expert in genetic mutations, and their cooperation began from there.
Over time, she became one of the most trusted allies to the mutant cause—and Charles's lover, once upon a time.
Though their relationship had been… complicated.
"Alex? The young man who went out with Erik yesterday?" Moira asked, surprised. "So he's the one you two have chosen? Just him?"
"For now, yes," Charles nodded. "But I believe he's just the beginning."
"Alright." Moira thought for a moment, then agreed. "He was involved in all of this, after all. Charles, go ahead and call him in."
"Sorry, Moira. My powers don't work on Alex, so I'll need you to send someone to fetch him."
Charles looked a little embarrassed.
"They don't work? He's a telepath too?" Moira asked in surprise. "I thought he was more of a physical type."
"To be honest, I don't know. He's unlike any telepath I've ever encountered," Charles said with a frown.
Back on the ship, he'd battled the White Queen in a psychic duel and had clearly sensed her power.
But with Alex… it was different. He couldn't sense anything at all. His powers simply didn't work.
"What an interesting young man," Moira murmured.
Her curiosity piqued, she immediately dispatched someone to bring Alex over.
Soon, Alex appeared at the office.
"Alex, this is Agent Moira. I'm sure you've heard of her," Charles offered a quick introduction.
Though this was technically a CIA base, high-level agents like Moira rarely showed themselves to outsiders.
"Agent Moira. It's a pleasure."
"The pleasure's mine."
They exchanged brief greetings before sitting down.
"Alright," Charles said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table to gather everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, let's get started."
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