Chapter 197: Charles, Erik, and Alex Join Forces Once Again
No one was surprised when Charles finally revealed his purpose.
After all, anyone with half a brain could guess why he had come.
The Decepticons.
> "Why am I not surprised?" Emma Frost crossed her arms, eyeing Charles with sharp disdain.
"You may be a mutant, Charles, but you've always been their dog. And here you are again—fetching their stick."
Charles glanced at her but didn't rise to the bait. He had more pressing concerns.
What Emma found stranger was not Charles's arrival, but Erik's. That man, who had once led the Brotherhood in open revolt against humans, now stood calmly at Charles's side.
> "Don't tell me you're here to save humanity too," Emma said, turning her icy glare to Erik.
Erik didn't so much as flinch. The polished helmet on his head gleamed—blocking telepathic intrusion as always.
> "I'm not here for the Decepticons," Erik said coldly. "I'm here for our people."
In the past few days, the Decepticons had made no distinction between humans and mutants.
To them, all were targets. All were expendable.
At first, Erik had almost enjoyed it—a world brought to its knees by a superior force.
But that thrill didn't last.
Soon, he realized these invaders weren't freeing mutants from oppression—they were annihilating everyone.
And Erik Lehnsherr wouldn't sit back and watch his kind go extinct.
---
> "Decepticons…?" Charles narrowed his eyes.
He picked up on the subtle cue.
The public knew them only as "UB6 units"—a vague military code. Even the highest levels of government didn't know what to call them.
But Alex had named them outright.
Clearly, he knew more than anyone else.
> "You know what they are, don't you?" Erik asked, turning to Alex.
Alex gave a slight nod.
> "They're mechanical lifeforms from a planet called Cybertron—not machines, not AI. They're living beings, with DNA, a lifespan, emotions… just made of metal."
That silenced the room.
Even Charles and Erik—who had seen and heard their share of strange—were visibly startled.
> "I see you've done your homework," Charles murmured, a faint smile crossing his lips.
"I'm glad. It means you're ready to act."
---
> "Come inside. Let's talk properly," Alex said.
The three leaders moved to the sitting area.
---
> "The President already reached out to me," Charles began bluntly, once everyone was seated.
"The military is completely outmatched. If we mutants don't step in, the country will fall."
That statement landed like a thunderclap.
Raven, Hank—even Emma and Mystique—couldn't help the stunned glances they exchanged.
The President of the United States… had asked Charles Xavier for help.
It was surreal.
The very man who had once stood trial for being a mutant, now being begged to save the nation.
Even stranger—none of them knew the President was secretly a mutant too.
Only Charles, with his psychic powers, had sensed it. And he had kept that secret, as promised.
> "Finally," Emma muttered, almost giddy.
"They've realized who really runs the world."
> "Alex," Hank said urgently, "you said the timing wasn't right. Now must be the time, right? Even the President's on his knees!"
Alex smiled faintly.
> "Even Erik's decided to act. Why would I hold back now?"
The timing was perfect.
The world was drowning in fear. The people were desperate. The government had swallowed its pride.
Even Howard Stark had personally reached out—acting as a middleman on the President's behalf.
---
> "Well," Erik said, shrugging with a hint of dry amusement,
"The three of us fighting on the same side again…
Gotta admit, I didn't see this coming."
And just like that, the decision was made.
The three most powerful mutants in the world had joined forces once again.
To save it.
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