[Completed]
In the shadow of the Cold War, tensions between global superpowers mirror a growing divide between humans and the emerging mutant population. Y/N Maximoff, a powerful mutant with abilities rooted in chaos magic and energy manipulation...
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You jumped out of the car as it skidded to a stop, the sound of crumbling concrete and twisted steel still echoing in your ears.
The building was gone—reduced to smoldering rubble.
Ash floated in the air like snow.
You walked slowly through the debris, heart pounding as you scanned the wreckage. Then you heard Charles call out.
"Raven?"
You followed his gaze and saw the others, bruised, exhausted, but alive—Sean, Raven, Hank, Angel... and Alex, who stood with his fists clenched.
Charles rushed forward, relief flashing across his face. You and Erik followed closely behind, though your eyes kept searching—for Darwin.
"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately," Charles told them gently.
"We're not going home," Alex said firmly, his voice hoarse.
"What?" Charles asked, frowning.
"He's not going back to prison," Sean said, stepping beside Alex.
"Shaw killed Darwin," Alex said, eyes blazing. "You want us to just go home after that?"
Charles was quiet for a beat. "All the more reason for you to leave," he said softly. "This is over."
"Darwin's dead, Charles," Raven said, stepping forward, her voice trembling. "And we can't even bury him."
You looked down, your chest tightening. If we'd gotten here sooner...
You stepped forward beside Erik. "We can't bring him back," you said, voice steady, "but we can avenge him."
The others looked at you and Erik. There was no hesitation in your eyes—only purpose. You didn't want vengeance for the sake of violence. You wanted to stop Shaw from doing this to anyone else.
Charles looked at you both for a long moment. "Y/n. Erik. A word, please."
You walked away from the group, just a few paces.
"They're just kids," Charles said quietly, watching them as they stood together amid the ruins.
"No," Erik said flatly. "They were kids. Not anymore."
You nodded. "They've seen what Shaw's capable of. They've survived it. That makes them more than kids. And we need them, Charles. Isn't that why you recruited us in the first place? You knew this was coming."
Charles looked back at the group. The pain in his eyes was real—but so was the realization. The time for shielding them had passed.
"He has an army," you continued. "We need one too."
Charles exhaled slowly. Then he turned back to the others.
"Alright," he said. "We'll have to train. All of us. Harder than ever before. And if we're going to fight Shaw, we have to be ready."
