Chương 48: [48] Havok, Angel and Siryn Join The X-Men
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New York, inside a strip club.
Professor X and Magneto were observing a dancer, Angel Salvadore, as she performed on stage.
During a break in her routine, Professor X casually pulled out a stack of bills and handed them to Angel.
"How about a private room?" he offered with a smile.
Angel returned the smile and led both Professor X and Magneto to a private room.
Once inside, she looked at them with a sly grin. "Just so you know, for two people, there's a double service fee."
Professor X and Magneto exchanged a glance.
Magneto lifted his hand, and the metal tray nearby rose into the air, hovering for a moment before returning to its place.
Angel's eyes widened slightly. "You're… like me?"
"Yes, we are Mutants."
There was no resistance from Angel. With ease, Professor X convinced her to join them, and within the hour, they had brought Angel back to Xavier Manor to join the X-Men.
"Brian, this is Angel Salvadore. Show her around and help her get familiar with Xavier Manor," Professor X instructed.
Professor X was becoming more accustomed to giving directions with authority rather than through negotiation.
"Alright, Angel. Let's go find you a room that suits you," Brian nodded, leading Angel down the hall.
As they walked, Angel looked at him curiously. "Brian, what's your ability?"
With a casual shrug, Brian replied, "My ability? I adapt to… well, let's just say I'm adaptable."
"Interesting. Want to show me how that works?" Angel asked, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
Brian raised an eyebrow, but he didn't hesitate.
"Don't mind if I do, then~"
Brian flashed a quirky smile and closed the dore.
A couple of hours later, after leaving Angel's room, Brian found Professor X and Magneto returning to the manor, this time with Sean Cassidy, also known as Banshee from the original comics.
They introduced Sean to Brian before heading out again, this time to the NYPD to bring back Alex Summers, also known as Havok.
"Hello, you must be Brian, The Homelander," Sean said, reaching out his hand. "I'm Sean Cassidy, but Mystique suggested the code name 'Siryn' for me."
After Professor X and the others left, Sean Cassidy, now known as Siryn, approached Brian with a friendly smile.
'Oh, Raven gave him the same name as the girl.. now I wonder what name would she take (lol).'
"Ehm! Hello, Siryn. Welcome to the X-Men," Brian said, patting Sean on the shoulder in greeting.
Relieved by Brian's warm welcome, Sean relaxed a bit. He had initially expected Homelander might be hard to approach, but Brian seemed easygoing.
Still, for some reason, Sean felt a strange, mild sting on his forehead as he looked at Brian. He scratched his forehead, thinking he must just be tired from the previous night.
"Siryn, go ahead and pick any open room you like. You'll be living and training here from now on," Brian said, keeping the conversation brief as he directed Sean on his way.
Once Sean had left, Father Asa stepped up to Brian's side.
"Is there a new god among us?" Father Asa murmured, rubbing a faint line across his own forehead.
After he woke up, Father Asa had noticed a shallow horizontal line on his forehead.
"Father Asa, is something wrong with your forehead?" Brian asked, feigning curiosity as he glanced at the line Father Asa was touching.
"I'm getting old, wrinkles are starting to appear on my forehead," Father Asa sighed, touching the line across his forehead.
He believed this line was simply a natural wrinkle from aging and had no idea that someone had tampered with his memory.
"Father Asa, you should really take it easy. Frequent blood draws can weaken the body," Brian suggested earnestly.
Father Asa nodded in agreement. His ability required him to donate blood regularly to heal others, which left him feeling drained and contributed to his rapid aging.
"Thank you, Brian, god of evolution. May the light of Amun-Ra, the sun god, shine on you forever," Father Asa said sincerely.
"Father Asa, tell me more about Apocalypse, the first Pharaoh of Egypt. I'd love to hear his story," Brian said, steering the conversation as they made their way to the reception room.
When Brian expressed interest in learning about the ancient god Apocalypse, Father Asa began speaking passionately.
"Apocalypse was born in the First Dynasty of Egypt. He is the oldest and most powerful of gods," Father Asa said reverently. "With his unmatched powers, he established an era of theocracy, ruling humanity for thousands of years with supreme divine authority."
He continued, "One day, however, as Apocalypse journeyed to the Pyramids to prepare for reincarnation, a group of humans who were dissatisfied with his rule rose against him. The period of reincarnation is when Apocalypse is at his most vulnerable."
"Humans took advantage of this weakness. They managed to destroy Apocalypse's Pyramids and claimed to have killed him. From that point, the world entered the age of humans."
As Father Asa recounted this history, his tone grew increasingly bitter when he spoke of humanity's betrayal.
"But we believe Apocalypse is not dead," he said with conviction. "Instead, he was sealed deep underground in Egypt by the rebels. For generations, the members of the Apocalypse Church have been dedicated to uncovering any trace of him."
Finishing his story, Father Asa bowed devoutly in the direction of Egypt.
Brian listened in silence, understanding that Father Asa's belief was not misguided. Apocalypse was indeed not dead; he lay in slumber, waiting beneath the sands of Egypt.
Waiting for the followers to uncover his resting place, Apocalypse would one day return to fulfill his ancient plans for mutant supremacy.
But that was still years away. Apocalypse's revival wouldn't happen for more than a decade, giving Brian plenty of time to grow stronger.
As Brian and Father Asa discussed Apocalypse's legacy, Professor X and Magneto arrived at the entrance of the NYPD building.
Professor X's expression grew serious the moment they approached.
"What's wrong, Charles?" Magneto asked, noticing the change in Professor X's demeanor.
"My telepathy isn't picking up anyone's thoughts," Professor X replied, his tone grave. "Something might have happened inside the NYPD."
Magneto paused, then nodded, and together they entered the building.
Once inside, they saw New York police officers lying unconscious on the floor.
"They're still alive," Magneto said, after quickly checking a few officers.
He looked at Professor X and confirmed, "Just unconscious."
"But what happened here?" Magneto asked, standing up and looking at the unconscious officers around them, confusion evident on his face.
"We'll find out soon enough." Professor X approached a nearby officer and placed his right hand on the officer's head.
His telepathic power delved into the officer's mind, scanning his memories. As he read the man's thoughts, Professor X's expression grew increasingly serious.
"It was a mutant attack," Professor X said with certainty.
In the officer's memory, although he hadn't seen the attacker, he remembered hearing a high-pitched whistle that left him and his fellow officers dizzy and disoriented. One by one, all of the NYPD officers had fallen unconscious immediately after hearing it.
This was clearly the work of a powerful mutant.
"A mutant attack? Do you think it was the Hellfire Club targeting the NYPD?"
Magneto's mind immediately went to the Hellfire Club. "Do you think it was them?" he asked, his face dark with suspicion.
"I'm not sure, but whoever it was, this isn't good news for us," Professor X replied, shaking his head.
He was well aware that the strength of the attacker was likely that of a Level 4 mutant. A hidden mutant of that caliber posed a serious threat to the X-Men.
"Oh no, Alex," Professor X suddenly muttered as he realized something and quickly made his way toward a nearby cell.
When he arrived, he saw the metal door discarded to the side. Professor X's eyes widened as he took in the scene. It was clear that the mutant's target had been Alexander.
Professor X hurried to Alex's side. After confirming that Alex's breathing was steady, he let out a sigh of relief. He then placed his hand on Alex's forehead, using his telepathic powers to read Alex's recent memories.
Magneto, watching intently, asked, "Did you find anything, Charles? What was the mutant's purpose?"
Professor X shook his head with a sigh. "Alex fell unconscious as soon as he heard the whistle. He doesn't know what happened after that."
But Professor X had an unsettling feeling that someone was deliberately targeting the X-Men.
"We need to move quickly. It's possible that the mutant with danger prediction abilities has also been attacked," Professor X said gravely.
He glanced at the unconscious Alexander, then sent a telepathic message to Brian back at Xavier Manor.
—Brian, come to NYPD.—
Meanwhile, Brian, who had been chatting with Father Asa, stood up upon hearing Professor X's message. Without hesitation, he took off into the air, his four wings unfurling as he flew directly from Xavier Manor.
A few minutes later, Brian descended into the NYPD square, where Professor X and Magneto were already waiting.
"Professor X, what happened?" Brian asked, his gaze shifting to Alex, who was propped up against the iron gate behind Magneto.
"The NYPD was attacked, and we suspect it was done by a mutant from the Hellfire Club. They may be targeting us, and we think the mutant with danger prediction abilities could also be in trouble. We need to get there as soon as possible."
Professor X explained the situation quickly. Magneto then lifted the iron gate with a wave of his hand, sending Alex gently over to Brian.
"Brian, please take Alex back to the manor," Professor X instructed before he and Magneto hurriedly set off to check on the other mutant.
Brian watched the backs of Professor X and Magneto as they left, a subtle, knowing smile on his face.
He then let out a low whistle.
With a quiet bang, a ball of red mist appeared, and the figure of the Red Devil materialized in front of Brian.
"Azazel, what's the latest on Shaw?" Brian asked first.
"Black King has recruited another Level 4 mutant with super-hearing abilities," the Red Devil replied, casually taking out a dagger to trim his sharp nails.
"Super-hearing?" Brian asked, a bit surprised.
"Yes. This new mutant can easily pick up any sound across the entire city of New York," the Red Devil nodded, providing details about the Hellfire Club's latest addition.
"Good to know. Isn't Shaw trying to track down the X-Men's location? Tell him they're at Xavier Manor in New York," Brian instructed with a smirk.
With that, he spread his wings, lifted Alex with his Psychokinesis by his side, and quickly flew back toward Xavier Manor.
The reason Brian had given the Red Devil the X-Men's location was to allow them to experience the full force of the Hellfire Club's power. This would drive Professor X to continue seeking out mutant abilities for Brian and also push both Professor X and Magneto to grow stronger.
Currently, without the brainwave enhancer, Professor X was only a Level 4 Psychic Mutant, and Magneto was even weaker, remaining at Level 3. With their current power levels, they weren't nearly strong enough to take down Black King Shaw; in fact, they'd be lucky not to be killed by him.
Brian couldn't afford to let this situation continue. He needed Professor X and Magneto to rise to the challenge, ultimately to secure Shaw's Omega-level abilities for himself. And he knew that a hard, bloody lesson would be the quickest way to drive their growth.
Not long after Brian returned to Xavier Manor, Professor X and Magneto arrived at the residence of the mutant with danger prediction abilities.
As soon as they entered, Professor X's eyes fell on a disturbing sight—a pool of what looked like liquefied remains in the middle of the living room.
Unaccustomed to such scenes, Professor X felt a wave of nausea and struggled to keep his composure.
"The Hellfire Club is targeting us," Magneto said grimly, his face darkening at the sight.
Hearing Magneto's words, the pale Professor X nodded in agreement.
If only Alex had been attacked, they might have chalked it up as an isolated incident. But the brutal death of this mutant made it clear to Professor X that the X-Men were being specifically targeted.
And there was only one group with enough motive to go after them—the Hellfire Club.
There was no doubt that this was their doing.
"Charles, what should we do?" Magneto asked, looking to Professor X for guidance.
"We go to the last Mutant," Professor X said, turning to leave. But then he paused, pressing his right hand to his temple and glancing back at Magneto.
"And make sure Brian joins us. Only Brian has the strength to go up against Sabastian Shaw," he added.
After conveying his decision telepathically, he sent a message to Brian.
"Want me to join in recruiting Logan?" Brian responded, grinning. He seemed more than ready to witness the famed scene of the F-bomb firsthand.
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