A modern yet modest structure nestled among old-growth trees and shielded from drone surveillance, Everlife was meant to be a safe place.
It was peaceful ground…
But today, peacefulness was bleeding at the edges.
The wind howled against the glass walls as Professor Charles Xavier rolled silently into the reception hall, flanked by Jean Grey, Storm, and Logan.
His face was lined with the weight of looming catastrophe.
Inside, Dr. Soren Macaluso waited for his friends.
His smile faltered as he recognized the urgency.
"Professor?" Soren's voice carried a mix of surprise and unease.
"Didn't expect to see you here unannounced. What's going on?"
Charles nodded gently. "Soren. I wish this were a courtesy visit. But we're out of time."
Soren motioned them toward his private office, a quiet chamber infused with the smell of eucalyptus and clean antiseptic.
He closed the door behind them, but the tension slipped through the cracks.
"Alright." He sat opposite Xavier. "You've got my attention. What's Magneto done now?"
Logan grunted, arms folded. "What hasn't he done?"
"He's mobilizing the Brotherhood." Jean said softly.
"Hundreds, maybe more. They've gathered. The target is Worsington Lab."
Soren's expression changed.
"Then it's true." He muttered. "The rumors I've been hearing..."
Charles leaned forward. "They're not rumors. He's after a child. The one whose blood fuels the so-called antidote."
Soren went quiet. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"I've read fragments of the research. Rumor said she was a mutant who suppresses all x-gene activity within a radius."
"Passive. Makes anyone near her effectively human."
"She's a child, Soren." Storm said. "Barely ten. And Magneto... he's planning to kill her."
"Once he has the lab, there's nothing stopping him." Jean added. "He believes if he destroys the source, the threat ends."
"And if he does, he won't just make the government retaliate, he'll justify every fear they've ever had."
"He'll turn the world's fear into war."
"We've come to ask for your help." Charles said, his voice quieter now.
At those words, Soren's posture shifted. His expression grew serious.
Not just because it was Charles Xavier, whose guidance and trust had once helped him open this clinic, but because Jean was asking him too.
That was reason enough.
"If the professor himself is asking, how can I refuse? You've always treated me like a friend."
"If there's something I can do, anything, I'll do my best."
Still, his mind raced. If Xavier had come here personally, it meant things were worse than they looked. Much worse.
Soren already had a sinking feeling what this was about.
"Magneto's moving soon, isn't he…"
Professor X nodded gravely.
Soren's eyes narrowed slightly.
"If he reaches her, then all we've worked for, mutant and human relations, the fragile peace… it could all unravel overnight."
He paused, then looked Soren squarely in the eye.
"We're trying to help her. Truly. But her power… it nullifies ours."
"Anyone with a mutation can't even get near without losing their ability entirely."
Soren remained silent, processing. Charles continued, his voice lined with frustration and sincerity.
"The facility holding her is built like a fortress. If we storm it, we risk massive casualties on both sides."
"If we do nothing, we risk war."
He stepped closer.
The Professor nodded along. "That's why I came to you. You're not affected by her suppression field. You're not like us. And you're not like them."
"No. I'm not."
He looked away for a moment, then sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't planned on being dragged into a war this week.
But the girl… the thought of a child being used as a biological weapon…
And Magneto...
Soren's eyes met Xavier's again.
"All right. I'll go."
Xavier smiled faintly, grateful and tired all at once. "Thank you, Soren. Truly."
On the holotable between them, the flickering hologram of a young girl no more than ten shivered slightly as a data stream cycled below her image.
Strapped to an operating bed like a science experiment. Her name was simply marked as Subject Delta-7.
Soren stared at her for a long time. The glow of the image reflected in his eyes, which had narrowed.
"Magneto doesn't have a long memory."
"But he's not wrong about one thing. If the government figures out how to mass-produce an antidote that strips you of everything you are..."
He shook his head. "You'll be caged animals again. Or corpses."
Professor Xavier sighed quietly, his gaze drifting to the girl's image. "And what Magneto proposes is control. Use it to dismantle the power structures of both humans and mutants who don't agree with him."
Logan grunted. "It's tyranny in a prettier suit."
Jean stood behind Charles, arms crossed. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
When Soren's eyes drifted toward her, her expression softened just a bit. Their eyes met.
They exchanged knowing smiles.
Soren turned back to the professor. "You want me to extract her?"
Charles nodded. "Yes, only you could do this."
"Even Jean can't go near without her powers fizzling like static. But you can."
"And you think this girl's just a weapon waiting to be stolen." Soren looked at the image again, noting the bruises along her collarbone, the raw skin on her wrist where the restraints had rubbed her raw.
"She's not a tool."
"We know…" Jean said, quietly.
Soren glanced at her again, and her lips pressed into a tight line.
"I'll do it."
"But I'm not storming in there with flags waving. I'll extract the girl. Quietly. No collateral."
"And the rest?" Charles asked.
"I'm not dragging her into another war. You get her safe, healed. Let her choose her side when she's old enough."
Charles nodded. "Agreed. She'll have sanctuary at the Academy, if she wants it."
Jean stepped forward and placed a hand on Soren's forearm. "Thank you."
"You're the only one who can do this."
His voice dipped. "That's not why you're thanking me."
"No…" She said softly. "It's not."
Logan made a face. "Alright, I'm not paid enough for mutant drama. Can we go save the kid now?"
Professor Xavier smiled faintly. "The attack could come within hours."
"We believe Magneto intends to strike before the military finishes replicating the serum."
"The Brotherhood's forces are splitting they'll try to distract the military. We'll intercept. You go in quietly Doctor."
Soren nodded, then turned toward the stone circle embedded in the far wall. He held out a hand, and the sigils flared to life, drawing spatial threads from the fabric of reality.
A vertical line split the air with a hum, blossoming into a swirling blue portal.
Soren gestured toward it. "Let's go. Once I have her, I'll bring her back here."
"Then to you, if she agrees."
Charles nodded, wheeling toward the portal.
Before Jean followed, she turned toward Soren.
"If you get killed."
"I'm going to bring you back and kill you again."
He grinned. "You're still bossy."
"And you're still reckless Doctor."
They shared a brief look, before the light swallowed them both.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream