Chapter 15: Chapter 15
"Good, it seems that besides Charles, there are other intelligent individuals here."
Magneto looked at Hawking with even greater admiration.
Phoenix Jean didn't delay either; she immediately stood up, comforted Nightcrawler with a few words, and then focused her mind to perform a telepathic scan on him.
Soon, she unlocked the blocked memories within Nightcrawler, pinpointing the exact location of Stryker's experimental base.
"It's in the Vinclaire Industrial Park in the Rocky Mountains of Canada."
"That's impossible, I just came back from there; it's been abandoned, with nothing but a few wolves around."
Wolverine showed an incredulous expression.
"Logan, the base isn't on the surface but underground, built within the dam of Alkali Lake."
With the base's location confirmed, the next step was to decide on the personnel for the mission.
The initial plan included Magneto, Mystique, Wolverine, Storm, Phoenix Jean, Nightcrawler, and Hawking, with Colossus staying behind to look after the children.
However, Hawking raised an objection at the end.
"My suggestion is that Jean stays behind to protect the students, and Piotr should come with us to rescue the Professor."
He didn't want Jean going to the base; a triggering event could break the psychic blocks Professor X placed in her brain, potentially unleashing a catastrophic transformation.
As a level five mutant, Jean possesses the Phoenix Force, one of the ancient powers, and at full strength, she's comparable to Wanda, who wields the power of chaos across multiple universes.
Due to her inability to control her powers as a child, which led to a car accident that killed her mother, Jean developed a split personality.
One is her current benevolent character, and the other is a dark personality filled with desire and destructiveness.
Professor X, to prevent Jean from losing control, used his psychic energy to construct a barrier in her brain, temporarily restraining her darker side.
Thus, the level five Jean currently exhibits the power of only a level three mutant.
If unstimulated, the good side of Phoenix Jean could slowly master the Phoenix Force and ultimately eradicate the dark persona.
"Piotr has only recently started training and isn't able to coordinate well, much less than Jean."
Storm countered with a frown.
Hawking earnestly explained his rationale.
"That's exactly why I suggest that Jean stays behind. The safety of the students here is also important.
Last night's battle at the school surely alerted the local police, and the area is probably now swarming with law enforcement and government agents.
Stryker's operatives might be among them.
If this safe house is discovered, we can't guarantee the students' safety.
Professor Jean has psychic control abilities like Professor Charles and can more effectively avoid police scrutiny and protect the students."
"I think young Mr. Hawking makes a lot of sense."
Magneto was the first to agree.
He wasn't concerned about the safety of the school's students; he felt that without Jean, there would be fewer obstacles to his plans.
As for the fully steel-bodied Piotr, like Logan, he is suppressed by Magneto's abilities, so there's no concern there.
"The kid makes sense. For the safety of the students, Jean, you stay."
Wolverine also agreed with Hawking, caring for Jean and not wanting her to risk injury on this mission.
Considering Hawking's sound argument, Storm finally agreed as well.
"Logan, promise me, you must save Scott!"
Seeing everyone agree, Jean reluctantly nodded but left Wolverine with a directive.
Since Professor X was taken by Stryker, Cyclops, who was supposed to protect him, was also likely captured—and Cyclops was her boyfriend.
"Stryker only got the main unit of the brainwave enhancement machine last night. It will take him some time to transport it to the base, assemble it, and calibrate it.
We should rest up to recharge our energy, then set out tonight and attack at dawn when their guard is lowest!"
With the team set, Magneto also confirmed the timing of the operation.
Everyone had slept poorly the previous night, especially the escaped Magneto and Storm, who had gone to Boston to find Nightcrawler and hadn't slept at all. Now, the most important thing was to rest and then depart.
Hawking had no objections, as his protagonist template cooldown had not yet ended, and he needed the time.
In the villa's basement, after the meeting, Hawking headed straight there.
Besides storing many long-lasting foods, there were also various daily necessities.
"I've found it!"
After some searching, he finally found what he needed—a pair of sunglasses.
"Too bad they're all children's sizes."
He pocketed a pair shaped like Mickey Mouse before leaving the basement.
Why did he need sunglasses?
Because tonight was a full moon, and if he looked directly at the moon without sunglasses, he would transform into a savage, giant ape without any sense of reason.
Of course, this was his ultimate trump card for joining the operation.
If he faced a crisis that even the protagonist template couldn't resolve, and his life was threatened, he would transform into the giant ape form to save his life. The combat power in his ape form was ten times his normal state.
As for everyone else, unfortunately, they were on their own.
"Logan, sorry, you're great and charming, but I choose Scott, so... let's not do this anymore."
Just as he exited the basement, Hawking walked in on Wolverine and Jean kissing passionately, and heard her choosing Cyclops over Wolverine.
Both Wolverine and Cyclops were in love with Jean, but ultimately, she chose Cyclops, whom she had been with for many years.
"Looks like you're heartbroken. Want one?"
Hawking pulled a cigar from his pocket and offered it to Wolverine.
"Thanks, maybe Scott is indeed better suited for her than I am."
Wolverine consoled himself.
He was a lone wolf who had lost his memory, always wandering in search of his identity, and even his returns here were just temporary stops.
"Hey, why does that cigar box look so familiar?"
"Really? I found it on the ground."
"Found it? That's the box I dropped while drinking last night!"
"Oh, then it's mine now."
"That's my last box, give it back!"
"Logan, don't be so rough. Isn't it embarrassing for an adult to fight with a child over something? Fine, fine, here you go, take it."
"You're still a kid; this isn't suitable for you. I'll keep it safe, and if you really need it, I'll give it back."
"Haha, just kidding, I don't actually smoke."
Despite not having loaded his protagonist template, Hawking's strength, though beyond that of ordinary humans, was still far less than Wolverine's, who ultimately took back the cigar box.
However, his last remark left Logan slightly annoyed, realizing he had overthought the situation.
(End of Chapter)
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