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*****
Future Technology Company.
Erik's office.
At this moment he was on the phone—Nick Fury on the other end.
Fury brought him news straight from the White House, even more comprehensive than what the Avengers had passed to Charles. It was as if he had personally sat in on the White House meeting.
The situation was far more severe than he had imagined.
When he realized the White House had already made its preparations, his first instinct was to head for Xavier's School.
There were children there.
If those bastards truly lost all conscience and attacked a school…
Erik's eyes turned cold.
He yanked at the office safe. The door sprang open; his helmet flew to him, and he set it on his head.
Just as he was about to launch out of the office, the door was pushed open. Mutants from Future Technology Company rushed in.
Erik paused, then asked the group, "Have you come to call me to account?"
"Ha!"
Sabretooth—Victor—let out a laugh, baring his teeth at Erik. "So your real name is Erik."
In front of the Brotherhood, Erik had always called himself Magneto; he had never told them his real name.
Erik folded his arms. "So? What are you planning to do?"
Sabretooth gave a cold snort, ferocity rising in his eyes. "Whatever plan you and your 'brother' had—judging by now, you've failed."
Erik nodded, a hint of disappointment flashing in his gaze.
"As for what comes next?" Sabretooth glanced at the others and let out a dry chuckle. "We were terrorists in their eyes to begin with. This is just returning to what we were. Fight or not fight, how to fight—you give the word."
At that, the other mutants voiced their agreement one after another.
Looking at them, a glint of emotion passed through Erik's eyes.
Some had followed him since the Hellfire days; some had joined during the Brotherhood; some had come aboard when Future Technology Company was founded. And now, all of them chose to support him—chose to believe in him.
Erik was deeply moved; the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
"Then we go to the X-School. If they really make a move, that's where they'll strike first."
There were many children at Xavier's. With the children to consider, the X-Men would be unable to fight at full strength.
Besides, Charles was the greater threat. If they were going to act, they would try to remove Charles before anything else.
With that, Erik gave up the idea of flying there alone. He nodded to the group and led them charging downstairs.
On the other side—at the Kent home.
Clark sat in the living room and tossed his phone aside.
His face was calm—so calm it was frightening.
He was a kind man. But if anyone tried to harm his family, then he…
Clark clenched his fist, rose to his feet, and walked toward the door.
When he pulled it open, he halted at the sight of the crowd outside.
His neighbors.
Peggy Carter, Maria, John's family—and the Avengers.
Clark asked evenly, "Are you here to stop me?"
Peggy Carter and Maria exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
"Clark, you're a good kid," Peggy said, troubled, pressing her lips together. "What's happening now is something none of us wanted to see."
"I understand."
Clark gave them a small smile.
"I believe you'll do the right thing," Maria said, giving Clark a quick hug.
Luke's family looked at him without many words—just a thumbs-up of encouragement.
Clark nodded to the three, then turned to the Avengers.
"I'll go with you," Tony said in a low voice.
Clark patted Tony's shoulder. "Forget it. You'll be put in an impossible position."
As superheroes, they had their own convictions and ideals; they did what was right.
But if they chose to help Charles and Erik now—even if that choice was morally right—they would become, in many people's eyes, traitors to humankind, branded with a heavy infamy.
That was something Clark didn't want for them.
"And what about you?" Steve asked, gaze steady on Clark.
Clark smiled freely. "I'm family. Of course I'm going. And I don't care how this world sees me."
"Do you think I care how this world sees me?" Steve asked again, still calm.
"This isn't about whether you care what the world thinks of you," Clark sighed. "This is about sides."
"My stance is to stand with the right side," Steve said, voice unwavering.
Clark held Steve's eyes. "Even if standing on the right side means becoming a wanted man in this country—means becoming a traitor in the eyes of humankind?"
The next second, before Steve could answer, Clark shot into the sky and vanished from sight.
He already knew the answer.
"Wait for me!"
Thor barked, swung his hammer, and took off after him.
Watching Clark and Thor disappear, the others exchanged complicated looks, then turned their eyes to Steve.
"Captain, give the order," Natasha said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
The team nodded.
Steve drew a long breath. "Avengers—do everything you can to stop this war and reduce innocent casualties!"
"Vision! Use your abilities to broadcast a message to everyone—say this is Ultron's conspiracy."
Given how things stood, any remedial move would look like a clumsy cover-up to many. But hopefully, the message could wake at least some people up.
Even so, many hands were clearly pushing this war from the shadows.
To stop it…
It would be hard—almost impossibly hard.
Bitterness pricked at Steve's heart.
But regardless, they would try their utmost.
Because they were the Avengers.
"Move out!"
At Steve's command, the Avengers sprang into action.
As they departed, Maria asked anxiously, "What can we do?"
Peggy looked toward the Kent house. "Watch over this place."
Minutes earlier—before Clark decided to head for the X-School—an uninvited guest had already arrived there.
A lone man in uniform drove onto the grounds and parked by the school's athletic field. The atmosphere across the campus grew tense.
At this hour, the children should have been outside for afternoon activities, the field bustling. Now, though, they were all in the dorms and classroom buildings.
They were talking about the Kent family's secret… and the looming war between mutants and humans.
And when they saw that soldier step out of the car, straighten his uniform, and walk toward the main building, the children instantly became nervous.
While most of them didn't know what to do—and a few hot-headed students were grinding their teeth, eager to "teach him a lesson"—a cool, clear voice sounded in their minds.
"Keep quiet. Pack up quickly and be ready to leave the school."
It was the vice principal—the White Queen, Emma.
Representatives of the government had come far sooner than they'd expected.
They had planned to evacuate the children before the Defense Department or the military arrived. But now…
Emma's heart sank. She looked toward Charles in the office.
Charles nodded. "Leave this to me. You take the children out through the secret passage."
He had considered such a possibility when the school was founded and prepared a hidden exit in advance.
Emma nodded.
Jean and Ororo exchanged a glance. "We'll stay."
Logan gave a cold snort and planted himself at Charles's side.
Charles was powerful—but if certain special enemies got close, he could be in danger. Logan would stay to protect him.
Seeing the resolve in the three pairs of eyes, Charles pressed his fingers to his brow.
"If you're alone here, they'll grow suspicious," Jean said anxiously. "We should delay them as long as possible."
Charles looked at Jean, then turned to Emma. "The children are in your hands."
Emma nodded and looked to Logan.
"Be careful."
Hearing her worried voice in his mind—while her expression remained cool and unruffled—Logan felt a warmth stir in his chest.
Even when this woman cared, she was still… adorable.
Emma left at once, issuing mental commands to the teachers and directing an orderly evacuation of the students.
"Ororo, bring our guest in," Charles said quietly, though his face was grave.
He had just tried to enter the soldier's mind, but had been blocked. Clearly, the government had developed some new toy.
Ororo nodded and went to fetch him.
Charles turned to Jean and, mind to mind, told her a few things.
Jean nodded.
A dozen seconds later, Ororo brought the soldier into the office.
Though the man's face was calm, Charles could read the truth in the occasional tremor of his eyelids.
"Professor X, you'll need to come with me," the soldier said. "As long as you can present evidence that you're innocent—that there's no conspiracy—maybe you'll still be back in time for dinner."
Charles considered, then asked, "And what about the matter of Erik being my brother?"
"The solution is simple," the man replied. "Say it's false. Then help us capture Magneto. All these problems cease to be problems."
"A very tidy solution," Charles said with a nod, as if seriously weighing it.
At that moment, Jean's eyes sharpened. Invisible telekinesis tightened—and the black device behind the man crumbled to powder. She gave Charles the slightest nod.
Charles's gaze flickered. Keeping up idle conversation, he slipped into the man's mind—and his expression hardened.
"Damn it. They're ready to move—right now! Call the children back! There are traps around the school!"
At the same time, high above the X-School—inside a black warplane—someone received the signal that the psychic-shielding device had been destroyed.
"Secretary, the mind-shield has been taken out," a headset-wearing soldier reported, eyes on his console.
Secretary of Defense Leon Cohen said coldly, "We've been discovered? Then commence the operation."
（End of Chapter）