This was the first time Joseph had ever stood fully in the public eye.
And yet, to many, his identity was no longer a secret.
Among the attendees seated in the audience were notable officials: Mayor Smith of the Contract City, Director Stan of the FBI's local branch, Major General Meade of the Armed Forces Committee, and General Scudder from the military. Nearly all high-ranking members of the political and military establishment were present. Each of them knew one undisputed truth:
Joseph—President of the Second World Corporation—was a Mutant.
And more than that, he was the honorary principal of the newly reestablished Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
It was precisely because of this dual identity—business magnate and Mutant icon—that today's press conference had attracted this distinguished crowd. They were not here simply to observe. They were here to assess. To judge. To decide.
What exactly was this new Xavier's School attempting to do?
What did they truly intend to unleash upon the world?
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight settled on the stage.
"Good evening, everyone."
As Joseph stepped into view, his confident and charismatic figure captured immediate attention. Cameras zoomed in. Countless viewers around the globe, connected through television networks, social media, and web streams, held their breath.
But it was his opening words that truly sent a jolt through the world:
"As you may have guessed, I—Joseph, President of Second World—am a Mutant."
"And the Second World Corporation is a company founded by Mutants."
He paused for a moment and raised his wrist.
"This black wristband that has stirred such worldwide curiosity? It's the login device for our soon-to-launch immersive VR game: Oasis."
A single statement. A thousand repercussions.
The press conference erupted.
Whispers grew into murmurs, murmurs into gasps. The world, watching from their homes, offices, and coffee shops, felt their hearts race. This wasn't a product launch. It was a manifesto.
Gone was the subtle veil of secrecy that characterized most tech expos. Gone was the cautious PR. Joseph had thrown open the curtains and exposed everything—boldly, fearlessly, and unapologetically.
"Please… everyone, remain calm," Joseph said, his voice calm, his expression unreadable.
It worked. His tone had an almost supernatural quality to it—quiet, resonant, and oddly reassuring. The audience settled down as though compelled.
Joseph's eyes moved steadily across the crowd. "Many of you are surely wondering," he began, "why a company founded and led by Mutants would hold such a global press event—so publicly, so brazenly. Especially when, despite the existence of the Mutant Affairs Bureau, tensions between humans and Mutants still simmer beneath the surface.
"True, the United States has officially acknowledged Mutants through legislation. But what of the rest of the world? In most nations, our legal status remains uncertain at best—criminalized at worst."
He raised an eyebrow.
"So then… why? Why take this risk? Why launch Oasis to a world that may yet reject us?"
This was a question everyone—both the general public and the gathered elite—wanted answered.
Joseph began to pace the stage. His every movement exuded assurance.
"But that's the thing," he continued, smiling. "After tonight, no one will dare to consider it a risk."
The silence that followed was electric.
Why?
What gave him such unshakable confidence?
The room hung on his next words.
"I believe all of you have noticed the… changes, over the past few years. The world has become strange. First, the public emergence of Mutants. Then, the arrival of the Kryptonian known as Superman. Then the rise of costumed heroes and villains alike.
"Not long ago, Thor, the so-called Norse God of Thunder, descended from Asgard. And before we could even grasp the significance of that—"
He paused, gaze hardening.
"—the Earth was invaded by the Chitauri."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"That battle almost annihilated our cities. Our civilizations. Entire populations were a breath away from extinction."
Joseph gestured toward the screens behind him. Images flashed: the wreckage in New York, fires over London, alien ships in the sky, panicked crowds running for cover.
"We, a species barely crawling toward the stars, suddenly found ourselves exposed to forces beyond our understanding. Beings from other realms, other dimensions, other galaxies… looked upon our planet with interest.
"And not all of them were benevolent."
His voice deepened slightly, resonating like a drumbeat in every chest.
"Since then, fear has ruled our nights. Will the Chitauri return? Will another alien force set its sights on us? Can Earth survive another war from the stars?"
He looked to the audience, his voice softer but urgent.
"Can we survive the next time?"
The air was heavy with anxiety.
"And I know… some of you must wonder: Why now? Why is the Earth suddenly a target? Has it really been peaceful all these years? Or is the truth something else entirely?"
He let that linger.
"And here's what you won't hear from your governments or the press. But the truth has always been there, hiding in plain sight."
He took a breath. Then spoke the words that would rock the world.
"Thor is not just named after a Norse god. He is the being the myths were based on. The Asgardians have visited Earth before—centuries ago. Perhaps longer. Our ancestors saw gods. But they were visitors from other worlds."
The audience was frozen.
"And what of S.H.I.E.L.D.? This 'peacekeeping' organization under the World Security Council? Why do they have access to nuclear payloads? What kind of crisis would justify giving them that power?"
Joseph's voice rose slightly.
"Or take Captain America. Frozen for seventy years. Revived in perfect condition. With 1940s science? Impossible."
He snapped his fingers.
"Unless, of course, it wasn't our science. Unless something—or someone—helped."
"And then there's Tony Stark's arc reactor. Light-years ahead of our current tech. Leaps in advancement that break the natural chain of innovation. Where did that come from?"
"And the Tesseract—the artifact the Chitauri tried to steal? Why was it here, on Earth? Why does a backwater planet have something that can open wormholes?"
By now, the officials in the crowd were panicking.
Joseph didn't let up.
"You see," he said coolly, "the truth is this planet has never been safe. Nor has it ever been alone in the universe. We were simply protected."
He turned, looking directly into the nearest camera.
"Protected by people who worked in secret. By heroes and Mutants alike. By the hidden and the brave. For centuries, wars have raged across the stars—and we were the prize."
The room seemed to shrink under the weight of those words.
"But no longer."
Joseph raised his hand, and with a subtle gesture, dozens of dignitaries who had started to rise from their seats were gently forced back down, as though invisible gravity pressed them into their chairs.
They couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
"Madness!" one tried to scream, but no sound emerged.
But Joseph wasn't done.
"We are not powerless anymore."
"In this new age, Mutants are not just anomalies. We are evolution. The next step forward. And Oasis is the first tool we will use to unite the world."
He let the silence stretch.
"You may try to silence me. You may cut the feeds."
And indeed, several broadcasts had already gone dark. Networks like Global Daily and Bugle News abruptly ended their streams.
"But truth cannot be stopped," Joseph declared. "And as long as even a spark remains—we will be heard."
The remaining stream on X Daily surged to record-breaking numbers, bolstered by the firewalls set up by A.L.I.C.E. and J.A.R.V.I.S., two AI systems working in tandem to keep the signal alive.
The broadcast was now unstoppable.
Joseph smiled one last time.
"In the vast universe… the Earth is never alone."
"And it is never safe."
But with us?
It has a fighting chance.
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