Leon studied the woman before him, who seemed more like a beast than a human. He could see the truth in her heart—she had been isolated from the world for too long, and her altered genes meant she was no longer fully human, destined to live as a beast.
A beast, when freed from its restraints, eventually goes mad.
She needed something to keep her tethered, and Leon was the one holding that tether. He nodded. "Alright, from now on, you'll follow me."
With that, Leon now had a female version of Wolverine at his side—and she didn't look half bad, either.
"What about this guy?" Pietro asked, nudging the unconscious man at his feet.
"That's Scott. He's not a bad guy," one of the little boys whispered timidly.
"Ah, I see," Pietro responded, his tone a bit sharp. "So, the teachers and professors were all captured? Looks like this military colonel was pretty tough."
Pietro didn't know Scott personally, but he had heard of the famous mutant Professor X. Even so, the colonel couldn't have anticipated that such a powerful group would launch a sudden raid on the base. He was captured before he even had a chance to react—a defeat that, in Pietro's eyes, was simply bad luck.
At that moment, Natasha spoke up. "They'll be here in about an hour at most. We need to leave."
She was referring to the X-Men from the Mutant Academy. With their students, teachers, and professors taken captive, there was no way the X-Men would sit idly by. Natasha had sent a signal to the academy, but it had been intercepted immediately. The base's network had been breached, meaning the X-Men were likely on their way.
Given the speed of their Blackbird fighter, they would arrive soon.
Leon turned to the group of children and spoke softly, "Your teachers are coming fast. Just wait here for a little while, okay?"
"Okay!" the children responded in unison, nodding their heads obediently.
Leon smiled gently. He wasn't ready to face the X-Men directly yet. The outcome of this situation still needed time to unfold, and according to his plans, there would be much to gain in the future.
"Well then, goodbye, little ones," Leon said, standing up and nodding to the others as he turned to leave. But just as he took a step, a little girl suddenly ran over with her tiny legs and clung to Wanda's leg.
"Sister, I want to go with you," she said.
The girl's bold move surprised everyone. Leon stopped and looked at the small, Asian girl.
"Are you not a student at the Mutant Academy?" he asked.
"I'm not. I was captured and brought here," the girl whispered, gathering her courage.
"What's your name?" Leon asked.
"My name is Clarice Ferguson."
"You seem to be Asian."
"I don't know. I've been called this name since I was little."
Leon knelt down next to Wanda, looking directly into the little girl's eyes. "Are you sure you want to come with us?" he asked seriously.
Clarice nodded her head, her small face full of determination, as if she were making the most important decision of her life. Leon smiled at her earnestness.
"Then follow us," Leon said, gently patting the little girl's head before standing up and turning to leave. Wanda took the girl's hand, walking closely behind him.
The group of children left behind watched with longing eyes as their saviors slowly disappeared into the flood channel.
An hour later...
In the distant sky near the dam, a black fighter jet descended through the snowy clouds, landing on a flat expanse that obscured the view.
The plane door opened, and as the metal stairs extended to the ground, a group of people in various combat uniforms stepped out. Leading them was a tall, muscular man with a beard.
He glanced back at a few younger people in the group and spoke in a low, firm voice, "You all stay on the plane."
"But we can help with the mission!" one young man protested, his voice filled with frustration. The others beside him, both men and women, shared his sentiment.
The bearded man pointed a finger at him, his tone stern. "Listen bub, this isn't a game—this is war. You're not experienced enough to be part of this fight."
"Teacher..." the young man muttered, still dissatisfied. He turned to a woman with burgundy hair, hoping for her support. Her beautiful face remained serious as she said, "John, Logan's right. You're not X-Men yet. You're not ready to fight. Stay here and wait for us."
"Okay..." John, the young man, was clearly dissatisfied, but he had no choice but to accept it.
An old man carrying a brown helmet and with a cape over his armor said coldly, "This so-called protection is ridiculous and self-righteous. They have the potential for extraordinary abilities, but coddling them like this will only limit their growth."
"We've discussed this, Magneto. They still need to learn," the woman retorted, unwilling to back down.
Magneto gave a cold smile but didn't argue further.
"Alright, this isn't the time for bickering," said a dark-skinned woman with short white hair. "Regardless of the motive behind the coordinate signal, we need to work together."
Turning to the blue-skinned woman beside him, Magneto said, "Raven, it's your turn."
Raven, also known as Mystique, smiled sweetly. Her blue skin shifted, and a new form emerged—she had transformed into an exact replica of Wolverine, right down to the rugged face.
She was ready to infiltrate the dam base alone when suddenly, an old voice echoed in everyone's minds: "Jean, Erik, Logan, come in."
Ten minutes later...
Inside the base, the X-Men and Magneto stood staring in confusion at a group of little children and a man with red quartz glasses, who looked just as baffled as they were.
Magneto, Eric, glanced at Professor X, who wore a gentle smile.
"So, what exactly happened, Charles?" Eric asked politely, though clearly perplexed.
Where was the promised battle? He had been preparing to use his old friends in a carefully staged plan, but now it seemed like it had all been for nothing.
"I believe there's never a shortage of justice in this world, Eric," the professor replied softly, his eyes gleaming.