The Red Inferno
While Owen thought that, with his disappearance, perhaps everything would return to the proper timeline, in reality he was more mistaken than he could possibly be.
The fact that the world had more or less stayed on course while he was around didn't mean it would continue that way—especially after all the changes he had already caused.
Just as Tony was about to leave the VITAE base, having found a lead on Bucky, an alarm began to blare throughout the facility. The same sound echoed in the Avengers' base.
It was a distress signal. A call for help, and from none other than the X-Men.
Even the general, who had just left the hospital accompanied by Nicolás, stopped immediately when the shrill tone rang from his phone. On the screen appeared a video message from Ororo.
"This is bad… we need help. The children… they're in danger. Please. Jean… she… lost control," she said desperately, before the transmission cut off abruptly. The general's brow furrowed deeply.
"Go help them," Nathaniel ordered instantly, turning to his son with a grave, unwavering look. "Prioritize rescuing the children."
Nicolás met his father's eyes, then nodded, climbing into the car without hesitation. Meanwhile, the general began dialing numbers, making calls and mobilizing resources, already preparing for whatever was to come.
…
Tony watched the message on the HUD of his armor as he flew at high speed. His face was unusually serious, his gaze reflecting an inner conflict. He was on his way to capture the Winter Soldier, but now…
"What will you do, sir?" asked Jarvis, detecting the dissonance in Tony's thoughts.
The genius frowned and stopped in midair, hovering like a metallic statue. He turned his head, looking forward—where Bucky should be—and then back, toward where the X-Men needed him.
"Tsk. I owe those brats from last time…" he muttered, before spinning around and shooting off toward the X-Mansion. "Jarvis, divert all power to the thrusters. Let's move fast."
The armor roared with a metallic vibration, its speed spiking dramatically, leaving a blazing trail in the sky.
…
Steve, who was with Pietro, didn't even hesitate. For him, the priority was clear: save lives first, find Bucky later. That truth was ingrained in his soul. Pietro, for his part, had built a good relationship with some of the X-Men he'd met, so the decision was just as immediate for him.
Both VITAE's men and the Avengers answered the call, converging on the mansion from different directions.
And meanwhile, inside the X-Mansion itself…
A red aura, burning like liquid fire, spread from the building's heart. Trees thrashed as if they were paper, ripped from the ground by the invisible pressure. The walls groaned, splintering and collapsing in chunks. Each pulse of power unleashed a shockwave capable of deforesting entire hectares.
The mansion barely held together thanks to the combined effort of several mutants reinforcing its walls with powers and shields.
At the entrance, Charles Xavier, his face tense and lined with strain, pressed one hand against his temple while extending the other toward Jean. Only a few meters away, the young woman writhed in agony, clutching her head with both hands as she fought against the force roaring inside her.
"Aaaaah!" Jean screamed, unleashing another devastating wave. The very air trembled, and the mansion shuddered once more, new cracks splitting its walls.
Inside, teachers and older students evacuated the children one by one, rushing them toward the underground bunker. The little ones sobbed in fear, but they kept running, driven by instinct and the urgent shouts of their elders.
Xavier knew he had to buy time, or none of them would make it.
Ororo, her eyes locked on the professor, felt her heart tightening. She was prepared to fight Jean if necessary, even if it meant facing a friend. It had been her idea to call for outside help—normally, mutant problems were solved by mutants—but this time, she had chosen to open the door.
After all, Steve Rogers and VITAE had offered their hand on many occasions, helping the X-Men connect to this world without being rejected. Ororo understood all too well that if Jean unleashed her full power, hatred against mutants could flare up instantly. It was a fear etched into her very blood, coming from a world where her kind were hunted mercilessly.
And in that moment, she remembered words Owen had left them after a joint mission.
"If Jean starts acting strange, keep an eye on her. There are beings watching her. Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's just my paranoia—but just in case, I'll leave something that might help. If not, you can just think of my words as those of a madman."
He had said it right after the battle with the Chitauri, when he swore he had seen something slip through the portal. Ororo had even teased him, asking if he had fallen in love with Jean. But Owen's words had stayed with her, and now, watching Jean lose control, he was the first person she thought of.
The problem was that Owen had been missing for a week. Maybe his friends would know something…
Scott stood by her side, his face twisted with anguish. His love and worry for Jean consumed him, and before anyone could stop him, he stepped forward. Colossus moved to block him, but Scott was already heading for the door.
The giant mutant planted himself in front of Scott, becoming a living wall to shield against Jean's destructive waves.
"Jean!" Scott shouted in desperation, watching her writhe in torment.
Jean lifted her gaze toward him, her eyes pleading through tears, before releasing another heart-wrenching scream.
"Professor, you're hurting her!" Scott cried, trying to rush toward Xavier.
But Colossus seized his arm firmly, holding him back.
Xavier did not utter a single word, but his face was beaded with sweat. His entire body trembled faintly, as though every fiber was being torn apart by the effort of containing Jean's power.
"Jean… answer me. You can do it. Don't let them control you…" he murmured softly, again and again, trying to make his voice reach the deepest corners of the young woman's mind.
Then, a metallic sound thundered in the air. Ororo and the others instinctively looked up just as several red, irregularly shaped objects fell from the sky. One by one, they embedded themselves into the ground around Jean, assembling within seconds into a massive, oppressive metal prison meant to contain her fury.
At that moment, Iron Man descended with his thrusters, hovering above the scene.
"Looks like I made it just in time. Though honestly, telepath battles always feel a bit… static. They could use some more action." Tony's voice carried a touch of amusement, but behind the visor, his eyes were serious, assessing every detail.
Charles glanced at him for a moment and let out an exhausted sigh. His skin was pale, as though life was leaving him second by second, yet his gaze remained fixed on the metallic prison.
Inside, Jean began to tremble. The structure itself quaked, and soon the metal turned incandescent, as if something inside was melting it down.
"Hey, that's uru and vibranium. It cost me a Nordic god and bribing half a continent in Africa to get it." Tony raised the barrels of his repulsors, standing guard. "So if you break it, at least appreciate the effort, okay?"
A roar of energy burst from within. The top of the prison exploded, releasing a beam that shot upward like a burning spear, splitting the clouds in two.
Jean rose slowly, floating above the ground. Her hair flowed like flames, her eyes blazing with a cold, deadly red light.
"Jarvis, bring the Mark LXX," Tony ordered, his voice now stripped of any humor. He watched Jean with the tension of someone preparing to face a hurricane.
"It seems it's too late…" Xavier murmured weakly. Even though he spoke softly, the silence around them carried his words to everyone's ears.
Jean turned her head toward him, and with a simple wave of her hand unleashed an invisible tide that pulverized everything in its path. Walls, trees, stones—everything turned to dust under the sheer force of destruction.
Xavier, drained by his mental struggle, could only watch as the wave advanced toward him. He had no strength left to raise another barrier.
The choked cries of the others echoed through the scene. Ororo shot forward at full speed, desperate to shield the professor with her own body.
Tony lifted his hand, ready to fire, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time. To everyone else, the moment stretched, slowing into the inevitability of tragedy.
Or rather, that was only how it seemed—because of a certain young man.
Pietro glanced around as he ran, perceiving everything truly in slow motion. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Xavier, grabbed the wheelchair, and whisked him out of the blast radius.
When he stopped, the entire front of the mansion had vanished. It was as if someone had sliced the façade off with a colossal blade, leaving the hallways, rooms, and floors exposed like the open model of an immense house.
"Wow… can you imagine what would've happened if I hadn't been around?" Pietro quipped with false nonchalance, casually leaning his elbow on the professor's chair.
Colossus rolled his eyes in silence. In his mind, he wondered why everyone who showed up to the fight felt the need to crack a joke in the middle of a disaster.
Jean frowned. She extended her hand again, this time aiming not just at Xavier but also at Pietro. Yet before she could unleash the strike, something interrupted her.
A flash streaked through the air. A laser-like trail darted toward her, only to halt right before her face, revealing its true form: a simple coin, spinning in place, charged with destructive energy.
Everyone recognized it immediately. There was only one person who could fire coins turned into antimatter projectiles.
Far away, perched on a dark floating point in the horizon, Nicolás sat astride a flying bike crafted from chitauri tech upgraded by Tony. His special rifle rested in his hands, the scope locked on Jean.
"Well… who would've thought I'd end up shooting my old crush. Owen's never going to believe this," he remarked sarcastically, keeping his eye on the scope with surgical calm.
Over the comms, the Captain's voice reached all of them. With the composure of a veteran, Steve issued swift orders: evacuate civilians, surround the area, deploy vehicles, and secure the perimeter.
As several military transports and vehicles moved under his command, VITAE's soldiers deployed in formation. They weren't mere recruits—they were men and women trained in rescue and containment missions, specialists at evacuating innocents amidst chaos.
In extreme cases, the main team would be sent in. But most of VITAE's machinery moved with disciplined precision, driven by Nathaniel's experience.
Tony, as always, had acted on his own. No one was surprised that Steve assumed operational command in his absence: he was the most professional when it came to coordinating battalions, ensuring everyone survived the battlefield.
Even so, everyone knew Tony's mind was brilliant for devising strategies in the middle of action, though he rarely bothered to follow orders. It was normal for Steve to safeguard the team while Tony did his own thing on the front line—even if he was technically the leader of another squad.
And yes, Nathaniel would almost certainly scold him again for being a poor leader. But to be fair, Owen had never been much of an example either. He too had trusted others with responsibilities only to hurl himself alone into the storm.