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Chapter 220: The Nightmare of Mutants—Sentinels Go Online
🕑 Added 2025-07-21 18:52:49 +0000 UTC
Not long after the Lorien departed, Charles and Erik each came to bid Alex farewell.
The creation of a mutant nation wasn’t something they could finalize over a week of strategy sessions. It would be a long, winding road filled with challenges—diplomatic, political, even ideological.
From now on, the real work began.
“Leaving already?” Raven’s voice held a note of reluctance as she looked at Charles and Erik.
Over the past few days, seeing them fighting side by side with Alex had stirred memories—faint echoes of the old days. For a brief moment, it had felt like the fractured family was whole again.
Now that they were leaving, it was hard not to feel the sting.
Hank adjusted his glasses but said nothing. Still, the sentiment was plain in his eyes—he felt it too.
Charles offered a gentle smile. “We’ll be back, Raven. Often.”
Erik nodded. “And yes, I know you’ve been waiting to hear it: Charles, Alex, and I are on the same side again.” He smirked. “For real this time.”
“Really? That’s... amazing!” Raven beamed, eyes lighting up with a rare, genuine joy.
Hank’s usually restrained expression cracked into a smile.
“Alex!”
Scott Summers jogged over, stopping a few feet short of Alex, looking hesitant. “Would it be alright if I stayed with Charles for a few days? He’s invited me a few times.”
During the battle against the Decepticons, Scott had bonded with the young mutants at Charles’s base—Havok, Banshee, and the others. Whether because of shared age or the presence of his brother, he felt at home with them.
“Of course,” Alex said without hesitation. “Go ahead.”
Scott grinned, and the others looked just as thrilled.
Once Charles and Erik had departed, it didn’t take long before Alex’s inner circle gathered around him.
Emma Frost crossed her arms, brows raised. Copycat leaned in. Even Hank and Raven had a glint of curiosity in their eyes.
“So,” Emma began, “what exactly did the three of you cook up behind closed doors?”
It was obvious something major had gone down. With Alex’s power, it had to be world-shaking.
Alex didn’t keep them guessing. He laid it out in full—his plan for a sovereign mutant nation.
The room fell into stunned silence.
A mutant nation? That wasn’t ambition—that was audacity on a historic scale.
But once the shock wore off, it was quickly replaced by something else: belief. Determination. Even Emma and Copycat, who had once followed Alex for power alone, felt a pull toward the cause.
This wasn’t just a mission anymore. It was a revolution.
“Alright,” Alex said, waving a hand. “Founding a nation won’t happen overnight. We’ll take it one step at a time. For now, fill me in on the current situation.”
The war with the Decepticons had earned mutants public praise and media admiration. But Alex wasn’t naïve. Public narrative was a surface-level illusion. To truly gauge the temperature of the world, one needed to go deeper.
That’s where Emma came in—with Cerebro.
She gave a casual shrug. “Well, the good news is, your efforts weren’t in vain.”
“Everyone knows it was mutants who saved the country—hell, the whole planet—from an alien invasion. Public opinion has shifted. There are still skeptics, but most people genuinely support us now.”
She paused. “But the government?”
Her lips curled into a cold, disdainful smirk. “They’re not celebrating. They’re scared.”
“They didn’t see heroes—they saw power. Terrifying, uncontrollable power.”
“To them, mutants are still monsters. Maybe more so now than ever before.”
Raven threw up her hands. “Why am I not surprised? Politicians always think with their egos first.”
Emma nodded. “Exactly. The public sees protectors. The powerful see threats.”
“And Alex—there’s something else.”
She pulled a slim file from behind her and tossed it onto the table.
“Certain groups, backed by some very old money, have already started developing countermeasures against mutants.”
She tapped the folder with a manicured finger. “Meet this guy.”
“Bolivar Trask. Weapons engineer. Military darling. He’s been quietly working on something big.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. The name rang a bell.
“Trask?”
Emma’s expression turned grim. “The mastermind behind the Sentinels.”
A chill settled over the room.
Everyone knew the name.
Everyone knew what it meant.
The nightmare was no longer a distant future—it had already begun.
