George leaned back slightly, wearing a look of polite confusion. "The rest of what you said makes sense," he replied calmly. "But what exactly is this Avengers Initiative you keep mentioning?"
Natasha Romanoff shook her head. "I can't share the operational details. What I can say is that joining it would make you heroes. Publicly recognized. Protected. Something like what the X-Men once represented. From what we know, that aligns with your ideals."
"So that's it?" George asked. "Nothing else?"
She studied him, then spoke with measured patience. "If you agree, you and the children won't have to live on the run anymore. If you refuse, governments around the world will never feel safe letting people like you exist freely. They'll keep hunting you. Constantly. And you'll be dragging a group of children through that life."
Her voice softened just enough to sound reasonable. "They deserve a normal childhood. You deserve a normal life too."
Natasha had done her homework. George, Professor X, Wolverine, the children. She knew exactly which words usually worked. In her experience, people like him eventually folded.
"I'm not interested in the Avengers," George said flatly. "And the kids don't want to be adopted by anyone. Please don't come back again."
The answer caught her off guard.
"Mr. George, I hope you'll reconsider—"
"There's nothing to reconsider," he interrupted, raising a hand. "That's my answer."
Silence settled between them. Natasha's expression hardened.
"You're gathering a large number of powered individuals in one place," she said. "Unregulated, that's a serious global risk. We exist to protect the world. Are you really prepared to stand against it for the sake of these children?"
George smiled faintly. "Is that a threat? Careful. Last time you tried that, it didn't end well for you."
He wasn't angry. If anything, he sounded amused.
If he were just a lab-made experiment, if Professor X were still incapacitated, if he were truly cornered with no options, he might have accepted their terms.
But he wasn't.
Natasha's lips twitched. She'd faced assassins, warzones, missions where death brushed past her shoulder. But being mocked over something so humiliating was new territory.
"In that case," she said coldly, "don't blame us for what happens next."
She was already signaling her team. Professor X was supposedly incapacitated. Wolverine could be neutralized with heavy sedatives. The children were young. Easy to restrain. Power dampeners would handle the rest.
George himself was the real problem. Multiple abilities. Flight. Hard to pin down.
But if they took everyone else first, he'd have no choice.
"Move in," Natasha ordered.
Nothing happened.
No response. No confirmation.
"If you're waiting for the agents hidden across the road," George said lightly, "I wouldn't hold your breath."
Her body stiffened. "What did you do?"
He raised a finger and wagged it. "Not me. Our students. Don't underestimate them."
The school gates swung open.
Led by Professor X and Wolverine, the children marched in, dragging one unconscious agent after another. Some were bound in thick vines. Others were twitching from electrical shocks. A few had massive bruises on their foreheads. All were alive. None could fight.
Natasha's stomach sank.
Then she saw him.
Professor X, standing upright. Young. Clear-eyed.
Her pupils contracted.
A clone? A cure? If it was the latter, the implications were terrifying.
A Class Four telepath at full strength wasn't something any agency wanted to face.
"We completed the mission," one of the older kids said proudly. "The professors didn't intervene. We worked together."
Another nodded eagerly beside him.
George smiled, genuine pride in his eyes. "Well done. Go pick a theme park. In a few days, the professors will take you."
Saving these children had started as a moral decision. But now, after proper training, they were becoming something more. Not gods. Not world-ending threats.
But enough.
Enough to deal with Earth's shadow organizations if necessary.
Natasha took a slow breath. "What do you want?"
George stepped closer. "That's my question. We just want to live quietly. You're the ones who came knocking."
"You know this won't end," she warned. "Once your existence is known, there's no turning back. Even if you kill us, the result stays the same."
"I'm not killing anyone," George said.
He lifted her chin briefly, then stepped away. Wolverine began tossing the unconscious agents out through the front gate.
"Tell Director Nick Fury to come here tomorrow at two in the afternoon," George continued. "Personally. I have something to discuss with him. Something that determines whether your agency survives."
Natasha felt her body lift against her will, carried outward by unseen force.
"One last thing," George added, watching her drift beyond the gate. "If I hadn't allowed you in, you never would've crossed the barrier. Don't overestimate yourselves."
With a gesture, the protective field snapped back into place, sealing the school once more.
"The ones without a choice," he said quietly, "are you."