The negotiation with the police went very smoothly. After learning that Hank was a CIA agent, they treated him with considerable respect.
Finding the kidnapped children had been a significant achievement. The authorities were happy to let these "professionals" handle the troublemaking mutants.
After securing the two new captives in the bus, the team set out again to locate more rogue mutants.
Through their methodical search, mutant troublemakers were captured one by one.
Before long, Hank's rented bus was filled with prisoners. Most weren't particularly old—primarily young adults in their most impulsive years.
Initially, many had tried to resist, but after experiencing Marcus's methods, they all became remarkably compliant.
Without their mutant abilities, they were no different from ordinary humans. Against someone as powerful as Marcus, they had no chance.
Eventually, Marcus and his team reunited with the other groups at CIA headquarters.
"Looks like things went well on your end too!" Marcus smiled, greeting everyone.
Behind Charles and his team followed another group of captured mutants.
These individuals had impressive abilities, but against the combined efforts of Charles and Erik, supported by Raven and Angel, they hadn't lasted long.
Their capture had been even easier than Marcus's battles. Charles's telepathic abilities were simply too powerful—he could control most of the mutants mentally. Only a few with specially resistant powers had required physical intervention.
After delivering all the rebellious mutants to the special CIA detention facility, Charles called everyone together, including Moira from the agency.
"There's something important I need to share with you all."
Charles's serious expression immediately sobered the group.
During their operation, he explained, his team had encountered a fire-controlling mutant with numerous followers. This had been their most challenging confrontation, requiring significant effort to subdue.
In the fire-wielder's memories, Charles had seen Shaw. The mutant, named Ron, had met Shaw and joined his Hellfire Club.
The recent destruction caused by mutants was the direct result of Ron following Shaw's orders—gathering other powered individuals to cause chaos everywhere.
They called it "announcing the existence of mutants to the world" and "overthrowing human rule to establish mutant supremacy."
While their rhetoric sounded revolutionary, their actions amounted to using their powers for indiscriminate retaliation against humans and civilization itself.
These individuals had been thoroughly radicalized, each one dangerously unhinged, deliberately intensifying global tensions to trigger worldwide conflict.
Though disturbed by their actions, Charles had gained something valuable—the location of the Hellfire Club, extracted directly from Ron's memories.
"We all know Shaw plans to cause a nuclear war on a global scale, but until now, we've never been able to locate his hideout or stop his operation."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Finding Shaw's location would finally allow them to take the initiative rather than merely reacting to his moves.
As they contemplated how to handle the Shaw problem, Charles continued with his revelation.
"I learned from the mutant's memories that Shaw and his associates are currently hiding in Port St. Lucie. I believe he's still proceeding with his plan. We must stop him!"
The room immediately erupted with excitement. Everyone wanted to head to Port St. Lucie and apprehend Shaw and his accomplices.
Erik stood and headed for the door. He couldn't wait any longer—his only thought was to rush to Port St. Lucie and kill his lifelong enemy.
Seeing Erik's reaction, Charles quickly moved to intercept him.
"Wait, Erik! I understand your desire for revenge, but we need a proper plan!"
"He's right," Moira added. "And I've just received troubling news—foreign warships have been spotted near the Caribbean Sea!"
The conference room fell instantly silent. Everyone stared at Moira, seeking confirmation of this alarming report. Only Marcus seemed unconcerned, casually rocking in his chair with apparent disinterest in the news.
Although events were now diverging from what he remembered in the movie, Marcus knew that his presence alone couldn't alter the Cold War tensions between the superpowers.
As long as they stopped Shaw, all-out war could be prevented.
After all, as a mutant who could absorb and redirect energy, Shaw had the power to absorb nuclear energy. If left unchecked, even if both nations' leaders remained rational, the nuclear energy he could release would potentially trigger a devastating war between the superpowers.
"So we need to split into two teams—one to capture Shaw and his people, and another to head to the Caribbean to prevent the outbreak of war, right?"
Marcus's voice cut through the silence as he looked between Moira and Charles.
"Logan and I are mercenaries. We can't do much about the Caribbean situation, but we can handle the Hellfire Club!"
The Caribbean would be crowded with warships. Though skilled in individual combat, Marcus couldn't fully utilize his abilities in that environment unless he had battle armor—which, unfortunately, he didn't yet have the knowledge to create.
Moira shared a similar assessment. Her plan was to take Charles and Erik to the Caribbean to prevent war, while sending the others to Port St. Lucie to deal with the Hellfire Club.
It was a reasonable strategy that addressed both threats, but Erik immediately objected.
"My only target is Shaw. I won't go to the Caribbean!"
This was his obsession. Shaw had murdered his mother, and he would have his vengeance.
As Moira prepared to argue, Charles surprisingly supported Erik's position.
"I can go alone, as long as the others act in coordination with me. But," he fixed Erik with an intense stare, "after dealing with the Hellfire Club, you must join me to stop the war!"
Charles understood that Erik would never abandon his quest for Shaw, and he had no right to deny Erik his revenge. He only hoped that once Shaw was dealt with, Erik would help prevent global catastrophe.
With Charles's support, Erik nodded slightly. Once Shaw was eliminated, he wouldn't object to joining Charles in the Caribbean.
Soon, the teams were finalized.
One team, led by Charles, included the highly mobile Sean and Angel, along with Raven with her transformation abilities. They would accompany Moira to the Caribbean to prevent conflict there.
The other team, heading to Port St. Lucie, consisted of Marcus, Logan, Erik, Darwin, Alex, and Hank. Their mission: destroy the Hellfire Club and capture Shaw and all his associates.