Hearing Soren's words, Magneto was momentarily taken aback.
Traces of sorrow flickered across his face.
Now, with no one left by his side, not even Raven, who had long stood with him, what path remained for him?
"Have you ever considered staying at Xavier's Academy? Joining hands with Charles, fighting together for the future of Mutants?"
Magneto sighed heavily, his shoulders weighed down but by the countless battles of ideology fought between him and Charles Xavier.
"Dr. Macaluso." He uses Soren's formal title.
"Charles and I… we are old friends. But our visions for the future of our kind are too different. How many Mutants can he shelter in his school?"
"A thousand? Ten thousand, at most. But I founded the Brotherhood so that no Mutant would have to beg for protection. We take it. And those under my banner, their numbers far exceed what the Academy can offer."
"For that reason, I cannot go to Xavier's."
Soren didn't try to convince him further. Everyone had their own path to walk, their own burdens to carry.
After seeing Magneto off, Soren contacted Jean Grey, briefly informing her of the situation before returning to his work at the hospital.
With the lingering issue of earning 3,000 mission points still hanging over his head, Soren, who had grown lax over time, finally shook himself awake.
"Enough stalling."
Everlife Medical Center, under his care, reopened with a vengeance. Word spread quickly of its return, and soon a steady stream of patients flooded the doors.
This time, Soren pushed himself harder than ever. His daily business hours nearly doubled.
After undergoing the Extremis enhancement, his physical stamina and mental power had vastly improved, extending the duration of his treatments and doubling the number of patients he could help in a single day.
Even with this frantic pace, the 3,000 mission points seemed impossibly far away. After days of relentless work, his total barely edged past 200 points.
But amidst the chaos of the hospital, Soren's thoughts often drifted to a personal ambition, the construction of his own herb garden base.
He had been gathering intelligence for weeks, and finally, a promising report caught his eye.
It appeared, of all places, in a modest geography magazine. The article featured a small, newly-discovered island on the border of U.S. waters.
The photographs showed breathtaking scenery... lush greenery, clear skies, a tranquil shore untouched by man.
But what truly intrigued Soren was the description of rare and exotic plants flourishing wildly, plants unknown even to modern botany.
At first glance, Soren felt a surge of joy.
"Perfect, A paradise for me."
There was one problem.
The article noted that while the island was uninhabited until now, the U.S. government had quickly taken notice. Plans were already underway to transform the island into a tourist destination.
A development team was being assembled and would soon arrive to begin construction.
"Damn it."
"How do I claim this before it's ruined?"
Before he could think further, the sharp ring of the hospital's phone broke his concentration.
"…"
"Dr. Macaluso speaking."
A familiar voice came through the line.
"Dr. Macaluso, are you at the medical center right now? I need to find you. It's urgent!"
It was General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, a man Soren hadn't heard from in quite some time.
Soren blinked, wary. It was late.
And if Ross was calling him at this hour, it could only mean trouble.
"General Ross… It's been a while. I'm just a doctor now, remember? I treat patients. I don't get involved in… other things."
General Ross was already at the entrance of the hospital when he called.
Hearing Soren's dispassionate reply, his voice became hurried.
"Definitely, definitely, Dr. Macaluso! I came to you this time… to save someone's life!"
Soren's brow furrowed, sensing the urgency but keeping his voice even.
"Come in, then."
A few minutes later, Ross appeared, his face lined with anxiety. It was rare to see Thunderbolt Ross like this.
Soren, arms folded, gestured for him to sit.
"Alright, General Ross. Who is it you need me to save? Where's the patient?"
He scanned the hospital entrance behind Ross.
"You came alone."
Ross hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice, leaning in.
"I want you to save… the President."
"…"
"…"
"Dr. Macaluso, you can't refuse this!"
Soren raised an eyebrow.
"The President? I just saved that man not long ago. And not just him, I saved half the world's leaders in that little summit disaster. What is this now?"
Ross nodded grimly.
"Yes. This time… it's bad. He was kidnapped by a terrorist calling himself the Mandarin."
At the mention of Mandarin, realization dawned on Soren.
"Ah… so that's it." This Mandarin nonsense is Killian's doing.
Soren's mind pieced it together, Aldrich Killian, desperate to mask the instability of his imperfect Extremis experiments, was hiding behind this theatrical identity, staging attacks and threats.
Ross continued, his voice tight with frustration.
"The Mandarin's people have made a public threat."
"At midnight, just under two hours from now, they plan to execute the President, live. We've deployed every unit we have, our best spies, special ops, every contact, but… we can't find them."
His eyes darkened.
"We're blind, and time's running out."
Soren leaned back, expression calm despite the situation.
"What about Iron Man? This seems like exactly the sort of grandstanding he loves."
Ross's face twitched awkwardly.
"We tried. No response. Stark's missing too. No confirmed sightings, no comm signals. He's vanished."
Soren sighed, realizing now why Ross had come crawling to him. He wasn't the first choice. He was the last resort.
Before he could respond, a firm knocking echoed through the hospital.
Bang, bang, bang.
A trace of amusement flickering across his features.
"Well… now its getting interesting."
He gestured casually, and the doors opened. Stepping inside was none other than Director Nick Fury, followed by Phil Coulson.
Both men paused briefly upon seeing Ross already seated, visibly unsettled.
For a moment, there was a heavy silence, then Coulson sighed, offering a tight smile.
"Guess we're all here for the same reason."
Ross scowled, but said nothing.
Why me…
Fury crossed his arms, his expression unreadable beneath the patch.
"Dr. Macaluso."
Soren waved them in without ceremony, leaning against his desk.
"Take a seat, gentlemen. No need to waste time."
Coulson took a breath, beginning, "The President has been~"
"Kidnapped. Mandarin. Execution deadline, midnight. Yeah, I've heard."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Fellow Phantoms and aspiring Phantoms to be, if you seek to access advanced parts of this story procced to my shadowy realm of p@treon.
PhantomDream