Twilight_Scribe
patreon
Chapter 150 – Your Strength… Is Honestly Terrifying!
🕑 Added 2025-06-05 17:11:07 +0000 UTC
But instead of the reply Alex had been expecting, he was met with silence.
No response. No voice over the comms. No dramatic declaration of intent.
Instead—Hawkeye suddenly changed.
His body stiffened. His eyes went dull and glassy, like a puppet whose strings had just been pulled.
And then—he spoke:
> “I never imagined… that among my mutant brethren… someone like you could exist.”
“Your strength… it honestly shocked me.”
---
Mind control.
The moment Alex saw Hawkeye’s dead-eyed stare and robotic tone, he knew exactly what was going on.
Someone—“the Master”—was speaking through him.
A powerful telepath. Maybe even a mutant on the level of Charles Xavier.
---
> “Likewise,” Alex said flatly, meeting Hawkeye’s gaze with equal force.
“I didn’t expect that the ones hunting mutants… would be mutants themselves.”
---
Hawkeye—or rather, the Master—smiled.
But the expression was awkward, twisted. Hawkeye’s muscles weren’t built for this sort of puppet show.
> “It seems you’ve misunderstood me.”
“My subordinates… can be crude, yes. But harming mutants was never my intent.”
---
Alex didn’t flinch.
> “Even if it was all just a misunderstanding… I’ve already taken her.”
“And I’m not giving her back.”
His tone was cold. Final.
He didn’t believe for a second that handing over Liz would "settle things."
A line had been crossed. And there was no going back.
---
> “Heh.”
The Master chuckled through Hawkeye’s lips, voice rasping from a throat that wasn’t his.
> “Liz was a target, yes—but just one of many. She's not essential. If you care so much, I’ll consider her a… gift.”
“A gesture of goodwill.”
---
> “So I should thank you?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
> “It seems our misunderstanding won’t be resolved today. I understand that.”
“But know this—I, too, am fighting for the future of mutantkind.”
> “You think our enemies are the humans?”
“No. You have no idea who the real enemies are.”
---
For the most part, Alex ignored the usual propaganda speech.
He’d heard variations before: “I’m saving the future,” “You don’t understand what’s coming,” etc.
But that last line?
That caught his attention.
> The real enemies of mutants… aren’t human?
That could only mean one of two things:
Either this Master was talking about mutants themselves…
Or—something not of this Earth.
---
Aliens?
Alex frowned, his mind racing.
Could this Master know about an impending alien threat?
Was there classified intel about a future invasion? Or maybe—something from deep space already on Earth?
He didn’t have answers, only speculation.
But it was enough to spark his curiosity.
---
> “Then tell me,” Alex asked. “Who are our real enemies?”
---
Hawkeye’s body shuddered slightly as the Master’s voice replied:
> “One day… you’ll see them with your own eyes.”
“Actually… I hope you don’t.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed.
> That’s not an answer.
That’s riddling nonsense.
“Speak plainly or shut up.” That’s what he wanted to say.
---
> “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
Hawkeye’s puppet mouth moved once more.
“And I look forward to that day.”
---
And then—he stopped.
Hawkeye blinked.
His pupils flickered.
He came to.
> “What… what just happened?”
But before he could process anything—
“ARGH!!”
He screamed.
Hands clawing at his temples, body convulsing.
He collapsed.
---
Dead.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Skullface, who had been silent, suddenly shrieked and fell to the ground as well, twisting and curling in agony before finally going still.
Also dead.
---
No doubt about it.
> The Master had erased them both.
Mind control had been severed with surgical precision—and with it, the clean-up.
They weren’t just killed to prevent leaks.
They were silenced like liabilities.
---
Alex stared at the two bodies in silence.
Normally, he could block out all psychic abilities—thanks to the system protecting his mental integrity.
Even Charles Xavier and Emma Frost couldn’t peer into his mind.
But he wasn’t certain if the Master had tried.
He had a hunch… that he had.
---
Even without confirmation, Alex was sure of one thing:
Whoever this person was… he was dangerous.
Dangerous enough to leave a mark.
And one of the few individuals that Alex would now treat as a real threat.
---
> “Let’s head back.”
He pushed aside the unease and turned to leave.
His work here was done.
In a blur of motion, Alex soared into the sky—vanishing into the clouds like a missile.
---
Back at the hospital…
Roughly forty minutes later, Selena appeared by Alex’s side, dressed as sharply as ever, a black umbrella in hand.
> “Sovereign,” she said softly, “transport is ready. The car is waiting outside.”
Alex nodded in acknowledgment.
But then paused, as if remembering something.
> “There are two bodies in the alley behind the hospital,” he said flatly.
“Clean it up. And find out who they were.”
He didn’t expect much. But it was worth checking.
Selena gave a nod of absolute obedience.
> “Understood, Sovereign.”
She turned and walked briskly away—already barking orders into her earpiece.
