Early the next morning.
Fang Yuan was at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters having breakfast with Raven when Charles suddenly zoomed over in his wheelchair.
An electric wheelchair—Hank's nimble mind could knock one together in his sleep.
He was clutching a newspaper.
"Fang—trouble!"
Charles's tone was urgent; he thrust the front page at Fang Yuan.
SENATOR Patrick ASSASSINATED BY Awakened—DEAD!
Raven jumped; Fang Yuan feigned shock as well.
But inside he mused—
"Whoever wrote that headline has no game."
"Look at my Collector Daily's title—now that's spicy."
Awakened DROP THE MASK—ASSASSINATE OFFICIAL, SPARK WAR!
Scandals about the Awakened are The Collector's carnival—perfect fit.
"Patrick championed the awakened one act; every Awakened loathed him. Now he's dead and they're in trouble." Charles's brow was knit.
Fang Yuan looked solemn as he scanned the article.
"Both assassins died on the spot?" He seemed to spot something odd. "Charles—could someone be pulling the strings?"
"You mean a clean-up kill?" Charles drifted toward conspiracy. "But Patrick was Pioneer Company's boss—who would dare?"
"An internal power struggle?"
Charles suggested, "Time to ask Red Devil to escort me to Pioneer's board."
With the awakened one act tied to their survival, Charles could not worry about mind-probe ethics.
Fang Yuan nodded at once. "I'll arrange it."
Only Fang Yuan and Trask knew the truth; everyone else had been silenced by Trask last night.
And Trask—who studies Awakened—always shields his thoughts. He knows the moment his secrets surface, he's dead.
So Charles could search—he'd find nothing.
Refusing would only make Charles suspect him.
Fang Yuan had mapped every angle before the trap was sprung.
He even instructed Mystique: "Raven, later shift into Charles and appear publicly—no one can know he's gone."
"Got it." Raven nodded briskly.
Charles shot him an admiring look.
"Always thinking ahead."
Charles didn't linger. Fang Yuan located Red Devil, and the "DD Driver" whisked Professor X to Washington.
Fang Yuan wasn't idle either. He returned to Vought Corporation already besieged by reporters—like a zombie horde.
White Queen and Murray quickly found him.
"The outlook is grim. Except for Vought outlets calling for calm, every major voice condemns the Awakened—old friends included," White Queen reported.
"Not surprising—everyone's in it for profit. The media's backers have spoken."
"Not surprising—everyone's in it for profit. The media's backers have spoken."
"The scene is sealed—only a few photos leaked," Murray added.
Vought houses hundreds of Awakened; some abilities could help, but one rogue operative could turn the fire on Vought itself.
If even Black Queen could be bought, the risk is too great.
"Send Angel—tell the public to stay calm."
His orders were sound, so Murray hurried off.
"Have Vought Television loop clips of Lincoln's assassination; frame it as ordinary political violence, blur the Awakened angle.
His orders were sound, so Murray hurried off.
Only then did Emma lean in, face full of conflict.
"Did you do it?" she whispered.
Fang Yuan knew why—he'd once vowed to use Patrick to vault Vought to the top.
But even to a lover he could never confess.
"No—killing him helps me none," he said. "I wanted to blackmail him with proof he was in bed with Shaw; never figured he'd die."
White Queen didn't know about Trask, so the answer satisfied her.
She sighed. "Then nothing can stop the Act."
A senator's Death can't be swept aside—even President Kennedy couldn't hush it, let alone with officials massing against him.
Unless a puppet master is exposed.
"Nothing—no leads at all."
Charles and Red Devil bypassed the school and rendezvoused with Fang Yuan at Vought Tower.
Professor X looked defeated. "I sifted every senior memory—no one knew."
I even had Red Devil port me into Pioneer—many zones block Telepathy, yet after hours of stakeouts, still nothing.
But Charles hadn't struck out completely.
"One man is suspicious—Senator Lance. He proposed turning Salvador and advocates human research on Awakened."
"I finally probed him—he's not the killer either."
Fang Yuan possessed all of Charles's tricks and could run two Character Templates at once. Combining Professor X and White Queen amplified Telepathy, so he'd already laced Lance's memories—present-day Charles couldn't pierce them.
Fang Yuan possessed all of Charles's tricks and could run two Character Templates at once. Combining Professor X and White Queen amplified Telepathy, so he'd already laced Lance's memories—present-day Charles couldn't pierce them.
Mid-day vanished before Erik reappeared, face stormy, eyes blazing.
"I slipped into the scene. The kill shots didn't come from the bodyguards' guns!"
Magneto's mastery of metal left no doubt.
"A third force was present, but investigators are deliberately ignoring it—something's rotten," Erik said.
"The awakened one act!" Charles saw it at once. "Pin it on the Awakened and the Act sails through!"
"The awakened one act!" Charles saw it at once. "Pin it on the Awakened and the Act sails through!"
Fang Yuan nodded. "Vought can't touch the official probe—our old friends will have to step in."
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
patreon.com /AZofficial