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George and Quicksilver chatted as they walked, and before long they arrived at the headmaster's office.
Professor X had been taken from the underground cerebro amplification chamber, so the students aboveground had no idea what had happened and continued their day as usual.
Mystique and Beast had no intention of telling the students anything, to avoid stirring panic.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
George rapped on the office door. He could clearly sense that Mystique, Beast, and a few others were inside, likely discussing how to locate and rescue Professor X.
"The headmaster isn't here today—what is it you—oh, long time no see!"
Beast heard the knocking and assumed it was a student coming to ask Charles for guidance. It happened often; most of the kids who came to the school carried various psychological burdens that Charles patiently helped them unravel.
But the moment he opened the door and got a good look, he recognized Quicksilver, whom he hadn't seen in ten years.
Back then, they'd managed to break Magneto out of the Pentagon only thanks to Quicksilver, so Beast remembered him vividly.
"It's been a while. I came to ask Headmaster Charles about Magneto," Quicksilver explained his reason for coming.
Mystique, hearing his voice, walked over. "What, you heard his speech on TV and got brainwashed by him?"
Because of the attack ten years ago, Magneto had been wanted by every country in the world. But plenty of mutants had become devoted admirers after hearing his speech back then.
She had never met Quicksilver and assumed he had come in worship of Magneto like the others.
Quicksilver and George stepped into the office. After a brief hesitation, Quicksilver decided to explain:
"Actually… the truth is, he's my father."
"What?"
Mystique, Beast, and Havok all showed looks of surprise.
Quicksilver made a circular gesture with his finger, implying, "He and my mom… you know."
"No need for the details, we get it. But are you sure that's true?" Mystique quickly cut him off before he got carried away and confirmed it again.
She hadn't expected Magneto to have such a grown son. Quicksilver looked at least twenty-six or twenty-seven.
"Of course. He abandoned my mom before I was even born and disappeared. I saw him once ten years ago, but I didn't know he was my father at the time. Now I want to find him and talk to him."
Quicksilver spoke with a hint of sadness.
Beast stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and quickly recounted what had just happened.
"It might be difficult right now. Erik is—"
"If you're looking for someone, maybe I can help," George suddenly interjected.
Beast turned toward George with a puzzled expression.
"Sorry, sir, you don't seem to be a teacher or a student here. Are you a friend of Peter's?"
"More like I just met Peter at the school gate. I heard the school is hiring teachers, so I came to apply," George said with a smile.
Beast nodded a little too eagerly. "The school really is recruiting teachers. Is your ability finding people?"
With more and more mutant students enrolling, Charles and Beast alone couldn't possibly teach them all.
They had been offering high salaries to hire mutant teachers—Charles was never short on money—but so far, few suitable candidates had shown up.
"I can. As long as I have a name, I can locate the person," George nodded with a smile.
Quicksilver looked confused. "Isn't your power creating things out of nothing?"
"That's just one of my abilities," George replied.
"That's wonderful. On behalf of the headmaster, I'm officially hiring you as a teacher right now. Please help us find Charles immediately."
Saving the professor mattered more than formal procedures at the moment.
George flashed an OK sign in response.
But just then, they suddenly heard the roar of helicopters outside.
They opened the window and saw over a dozen armed helicopters hovering just beyond the school grounds, and a large force of soldiers carrying special weapons had completely surrounded the campus.
"Oh no, it's Stryker!"
Mystique recognized the leading officer at a glance: William Stryker, formerly Trask's deputy, responsible for capturing mutants for experimentation.
Unfortunately, her warning came a moment too late. Stryker had already given the order to fire. The special weapons emitted powerful sonic pulses that instantly engulfed the entire school.
Every mutant teacher and student inside, once struck by the sonic waves, rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious.
That included everyone in the office: Beast, Mystique, Quicksilver, and the others.
"Good thing I left behind a mental projection. Otherwise Stryker would've taken everyone in one sweep."
In the original timeline, the school exploded and Quicksilver rushed in to save everyone except Havok, who died from being too close to the blast.
Cyclops and Jean arrived back at the school afterward.
When Stryker led his men in to capture people, Cyclops and the others were rummaging through the rubble for Havok's body and escaped being taken.
Later, Cyclops, Jean, and Nightcrawler snuck into Stryker's base and rescued Mystique and the others, and even freed Wolverine, who had been turned into Weapon X.
But this time, the school didn't explode. After Cyclops and the others returned, they went to the classrooms. Stryker's sonic weapons knocked everyone out instantly.
If George hadn't been there, things would have spiraled in unpredictable ways again.
"Wake up, all of you."
George waved a hand over the unconscious Mystique, and everyone's minds instantly cleared as their eyes flew open.
"What… happened to us?"
"The soldiers outside used special weapons to knock you all out. I used my abilities to wake you," George said, pointing toward the soldiers charging across the grounds.
Mystique rubbed her temples. "Thanks. You really do have a lot of powers."
"They're just small tricks, but handy in times like this," George said with a grin.
Quicksilver, meanwhile, put on his headphones and started his favorite running music. "Let me deal with these rude guys."
He entered superspeed mode, and within a few seconds, Stryker and every soldier attacking the school were bound to the trees in the grove with tape.
"If it's not someone like Apocalypse, ordinary people really don't stand a chance."
Watching Quicksilver return to his original spot and remove his headphones, George thought to himself.
Compared to the Quicksilver in the main Marvel universe, this Quicksilver was far faster—there was no such thing as failing to intercept bullets in time when rescuing people.
The only way to hit him would be to catch him unawares before he activates his power.
Just like when Stryker ordered sonic weapons to be used moments ago.
And unless the opponent was overwhelmingly strong—like Apocalypse—speed alone wouldn't matter if he couldn't break through their defenses.
(End of Chapter)