Earlier in the water tank, Gabriela and Isa had witnessed the entire battle outside through surveillance. This gave them a clearer understanding of Wolverine and George's combat capabilities. Coupled with the Professor's words, they began reevaluating their plans.
According to the Professor, trying to reach New York within six days, find information on Tony Stark, and then head to the Middle East for a rescue was nearly impossible. Even if they managed to succeed, the dangers would be immense.
This plan essentially gambled with Wolverine and George's lives.
Additionally, the Professor, with his vast knowledge and experience, did not recommend that the children relocate to Canada and depend on the Canadian government for their future.
After careful thought and discussion, Gabriela and Isa decided to abandon their prior cooperation with the Canadian government. They would no longer head for the North Dakota border but instead find a safe place to settle temporarily. From there, they could plan the rescue of Tony Stark more carefully.
Even if the rescue ultimately failed, they believed they could still survive and defeat the forces of the Arklei Genetics Corporation together. After all, they had just forced an enemy strike force to retreat in disarray.
What once seemed impossible—standing against such a powerful organization—now appeared to be within reach.
As expected of Professor X, George thought, even without his powers, his ability to persuade with words is unmatched.
Hearing Gabriela's decision, George's eyes lit up. He was naturally in favor. The six-day timeframe for rescuing Tony Stark was daunting. While George's knowledge of future events gave him an advantage, it was still far from easy.
New York was a complex landscape of competing powers. Nothing could be guaranteed to go smoothly.
With more time, greater preparation, and further development of my abilities, George mused, I could even manipulate sniper bullets mid-air or learn a few more spells at Hogwarts. Then, the odds of success would increase significantly.
More importantly, if George remembered correctly, Tony Stark had mentioned in the movie that he had been held in the cave for over three months. There's no need to rush.
And if George grew strong enough and acquired enough funds to invest in Stark Industries stocks, rescuing Tony Stark might not even be necessary.
George's goal was money and the protection Stark could offer for a normal life. But if they had sufficient strength and wealth, seeking Stark's cooperation might become irrelevant. After all, involving Stark would attract the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., which inevitably meant Hydra's interest—and larger troubles.
"Six days is tight," George said after some thought. "Since you've made up your mind, let's leave here first and find a safe place. Then we can discuss the next steps."
George helped gather weapons—submachine guns, grenades, and the like—from the corpses. Then the group quickly left the abandoned factory.
At this stage, moving away from the border and finding a more remote location would make it much harder for the Arklei Genetics Corporation to track them down again. The Corporation could only access local surveillance in such a chaotic area through bribes. But they were not a government organization like S.H.I.E.L.D., FBI, or CIA. Their reach had limits.
Unless something unexpected happens, the Corporation probably won't act for months after this loss. George calculated.
On the highway, Isa drove the truck while George, Gabriela, Wolverine, Caliban, Professor X, and the children sat in the covered cargo bed, discussing their next destination.
The group reached a consensus on several key points:
1. Location: Their new base must not be in a city center to avoid exposure to government agencies or the Corporation.
2. Access: It couldn't be too remote. The children's education, the Professor's medication, and their everyday needs required access to resources. Furthermore, if they abandoned the rescue plan, they would need funds to buy Stark stock—and acquiring money often involved dealing with criminals or corrupt businessmen, who were more accessible in less isolated areas.
3. Proximity to New York: Staying near New York allowed them to monitor news about Tony Stark and prepare for a potential rescue. For George, it also kept him close to major future events, such as the impending Chitauri invasion.
If nothing goes wrong, I can stay uninvolved. But if there's an unexpected twist, I'll need to prepare.
"Actually," Professor X proposed suddenly, "we could return to the school—Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Wolverine's face darkened immediately. "No. It's too dangerous. The government is still hunting you. Returning to the school is suicide."
Logan's primary concern wasn't the government. The incident was over 25 years old, and the current leadership probably assumed they were dead.
He worried that returning to New York and the school would force the Professor to recall the suppressed memories of the tragedy—how he had killed all the students at the school.
Tears streamed down the Professor's face. "Logan, during your fight earlier, I remembered everything—the entire incident.
For what I've done, I should have died long ago. But now, I want to live. Not for myself, but for these children. I want to recover my powers and protect the hope of mutants—to atone for my sins."
He paused, then added, choking back sobs, "The Cerebro chamber in the school's basement was designed by Beast with a failsafe mechanism. If activated, it will contain my brainwaves and prevent another tragedy."