Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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Late at night, after the children had fallen asleep, Mike took out a phone number. After hesitating for a few seconds, he retrieved a space-moving card. With a flash of movement, he disappeared.

When he reappeared, it was beside a public phone booth in New York.

Looking at the number, Mike let out a helpless smile before decisively dialing.

It had been a long time since he got involved in these messy matters, but if he wanted to find out where Raven was now, he'd need to tap into some old connections.

The phone rang for quite a while, and just as Mike was about to give up and meet the person face to face if the call didn't go through, a surprisingly familiar voice finally came through.

"Mike?"

"Sloan."

A brief silence followed.

"Hah!" Sloan laughed, breaking the silence. "Why are you calling at this hour? If you just want to catch up, we can arrange a meeting, a time, and a place."

"Raven."

Ignoring Sloan's casual tone, Mike simply stated her name.

Sloan chuckled softly, "You've known all along that she's a mutant?"

Mike didn't answer directly. Instead, he coldly said, "Tell me where she's being held. I need to know by noon tomorrow."

Sloan's eyes darkened. "You think—"

"If you keep wasting my time, I'll come and kill you."

After a few seconds of silence, Sloan stiffly replied, "Fine. You'll have it."

With that, Sloan ended the call.

A space-moving card appeared between Mike's fingers, and as it turned into light and vanished, Mike disappeared as well.

Back home, Mike tucked Charles and Eric in, making sure they were comfortable before retreating to his own room. He immediately began crafting more cards, unwavering in his task.

It looked like his inventory would be running low soon.

---

In a dark room, a faint crimson light appeared as the door opened, entering Raven's line of sight.

Bound by ropes, Raven slowly lifted her head. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly as she made out the figure of the man standing before her.

A well-tailored tailcoat, a tall figure, and a mysterious smile on his face.

Raven gazed at him with unblinking eyes, showing no emotion until the man looked at her with the same detached gaze one might give an object. That's when a flicker of anger appeared in her eyes.

"I like the way you're looking at me now," he murmured, as though admiring a rare treasure.

"You're disgusting!" Raven coldly spat out.

The man chuckled nonchalantly, sitting across from her. He then introduced himself, "I'm Essex. You might have heard of me."

Essex!

Bolivar Teslac had been working for him. Was it he who had been using mutants as subjects for experiments?

"You're insane!" Raven tensed, her body rigid with anger.

Mr. Essex silently observed Raven, savoring the expression on her face, much like a person gazing at a trapped female leopard in a zoo.

At that moment, bound by her restraints, Raven suddenly sprang to her feet and lunged at Essex.

His gaze flashed, and an invisible force held Raven in place.

"Calm down. Sit down..." Essex smiled as he gently pressed his palm, sending an irresistible force that pushed Raven back into her seat.

"Are you a mutant, too?" she demanded.

"Obviously, my dear," Essex replied with a smirk.

"You deserve to die!" Raven hissed.

Essex showed no anger. Instead, he laughed, "It seems like I'm not that easy to kill."

Raven glared at him and let out a cold snort.

"We've already released the news of your capture. Now, everyone—everyone in the world knows that Raven from the Hellfire Club has been caught."

Raven's eyes narrowed, and a cloud of dread settled over her heart.

Noticing the change in her expression, Dr. Essex gave a faint smile. "What do you think Hellfire will do? Do you think they'll come to rescue you?"

A trap?

Raven's heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't help but laugh derisively. "Don't waste your time. You really think they'll come for me?"

"Not coming?" Dr. Essex sighed. "How pitiful. But it doesn't matter to me."

He crossed his arms on the table and rested his chin on them, gazing at Raven with an amused look. "If Black King and the Hellfire Club don't come for you, they might lose a lot of trust from people."

If someone like her—an active 'hero' who had saved countless mutants—was captured, and Hellfire did nothing, it would make many mutants question whether the Hellfire Club was still worth following.

Raven's heart sank, but she mimicked Dr. Essex's pose, resting her chin on her hands, and smiled at him. "It's still a better choice than falling into your trap."

"Indeed, a very wise choice. But... aren't you disappointed?"

"Disappointed? Sorry, I'm not at all."

Raven continued to smile, but a tinge of bitterness rose in her heart.

She knew that not being rescued was the right choice, yet she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

And... thinking of Black King now, Raven couldn't help but give a bitter laugh.

It seemed he really wouldn't come for her.

"Such a pity," Dr. Essex sighed. "The trap I set may have been for nothing after all."

"Why are you doing this?" Raven fixed her gaze on Dr. Essex. "Aren't you a mutant?"

Whether opposing the Hellfire Club or supporting the Sentinel Program, neither of those would benefit the mutant community.

"Mutant... sort of," Dr. Essex said vaguely. "As for why? Why don't you take a guess?"

Dr. Essex smiled mischievously, then suddenly grabbed Raven's hand. His eyes flickered as invisible mental power surged from the point of contact, flooding into Raven's mind.

"What powerful mutants does the Hellfire Club have? What abilities do they possess?"

Raven's gaze flickered. "Black King, White King, Green King, Red King..."

A flicker of barely concealed anger flashed in Dr. Essex's eyes. He released Raven's hand. "Seems the ability you got from that woman is still too weak."

Though it aligned with his own abilities, it was still too weak.

Raven smirked. "Still want to hear more? There's also Purple King, Orange King..."

Dr. Essex snorted softly. "You'd better pray they don't come for you. If they do, my collection will have even more additions."

With that, Dr. Essex turned and left.

Raven watched him leave with a mocking look until the door shut behind him. She sat down quietly, burying her head in her arms.

It seemed like this time, she was really done for. She couldn't help but wonder, after her death or when she became an experiment, would anyone from the Hellfire Club be saddened? Would that bastard... be saddened?

He should, right...?

Raven whispered softly to herself, slowly closing her eyes.

---

At that moment, in the Hellfire Club.

"I told you not to go!"

The tone was firm and unyielding.

Black King glared at the people in front of him, his voice cold. "She brought this on herself!"

Without orders, Raven had acted on her own, challenging his authority and causing the current predicament the Hellfire Club found themselves in. This was the price she had to pay!

Scott, who had long been part of the Hellfire Club as White King, and Emma, as White Queen, along with a few mutants who had come with them, looked at Black King with some disappointment.

Noticing their gazes, Black King Sebastian let out a cold snort.

(End of chapter)