----
The once-abandoned grounds of the Xavier Institute stirred back to life.
Professor Charles Xavier, having recovered from his injuries after the devastating battle with Apocalypse, had recalled the X-Men home.
The war might have passed.
But the storm was only beginning.
When Logan, known to most as Wolverine, returned, he found Xavier waiting for him, the same calm presence he remembered.
"Been a long time, old man," Logan said with a rare smile.
"Far too long," Charles replied warmly.
But standing beside Xavier—
Erik Lehnsherr.
Magneto.
Logan's expression darkened instantly.
"You."
If not for Erik's past mistakes, they wouldn't have lost so many.
Jean.
Scott.
Charles himself.
Magneto returned Logan's glare without flinching, his voice almost cold.
"I heard you got captured by a human," Erik said. "Truly a disgrace for a so-called warrior."
Logan's claws twitched but Xavier raised a hand, stopping him.
"Enough," Charles said firmly. "Personal grudges won't win this war."
As they sat, Xavier explained:
"The suppressants we encountered those 'cures' have limitations. Stronger mutants resist them naturally. The real threat now is the Sentinel Program."
At that name, Logan stiffened.
Erik's frown deepened.
"They're moving forward," Xavier said grimly. "Field tests have begun.
Some of Erik's Brotherhood... have already been taken."
Logan leaned back in his chair, arms folded.
"So you dragged me back here to fight a bunch of tin cans?"
"Not just tin cans," Xavier said.
"Sentinels that can evolve."
Logan cursed under his breath.
"And what about the kid?" he asked.
"The scientist—Nolan."
"You know him?" Erik raised a brow.
Logan scoffed.
"Know him?"
"That 'normal human' put me down like a dog in under five minutes."
The room fell silent.
Only Xavier looked unsurprised.
"Nolan is… something different," Charles admitted.
"A mind that could rival Beast's—and the ruthlessness of Magneto."
He sighed.
"But that's not why I called you all here."
At that moment, the door opened.
Hank McCoy—Beast—burst inside, disheveled and breathless.
"It's Nolan," Hank said urgently. "He just published a new paper."
Everyone straightened instinctively.
"What kind of paper?" Xavier asked.
Hank placed a laptop down, projecting a research portal:
Oscorp's internal database.
New upload:
"A Comprehensive Thesis on the Nature of the X-Gene and the Technological Acquisition of Mutant Abilities."
As Xavier scrolled, Hank quickly summarized:
"I began investigating Nolan's X-Gene theory after our last meeting, but our data was incomplete. Not enough human samples."
He gestured at the screen.
"But Nolan's theory goes beyond what we even dared imagine. He proposes that the X-Gene functions as a Magnetic Field Frequency Amplifier a biological device that tunes and magnifies the brain's electromagnetic field."
"In simple terms," Hank added grimly, "mutants don't just have powers. They manipulate the world by controlling physics through their brainwaves."
Logan scratched his head.
"You're gonna have to dumb it down a little more, Bub."
Charles' expression grew darker as he read:
"Nolan's paper suggests that if someone could imitate or capture a mutant's magnetic signature they could artificially recreate their powers without needing an X-Gene."
"And worse," Hank said. "If you could harvest multiple magnetic signatures…"
"Then you could create superweapons," Xavier finished.
"Sentinels," Erik breathed, eyes flashing with fury.
"Adaptive ones."
The room turned ice-cold with realization.
Logan muttered, "I knew it. I knew that punk wasn't just playing scientist."
But Xavier shook his head.
"Nolan isn't building Sentinels."
"Yet."
"But his research will inevitably be used that way."
He closed the laptop with a heavy sigh.
"And the worst part is... he's right."
The X-gene wasn't magic.
It was physics.
And now—everyone knew.
Logan glanced at Erik and Hank, then back at Xavier.
"So what's the play?"
Charles folded his hands calmly.
"We talk to him."
"Before someone far worse does."
----
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