The X Base had been destroyed. Professor Charles Xavier was furious, so enraged that he lost control of his emotions, clashing violently with Magneto.
Under the terrifying power of Professor X's telepathy, Magneto was instantly subdued. Though Professor X released him moments later, the incident left a deep scar in Erik's mind.
Powerless to resist and burning with anger, Magneto vented his fury on the ruined X Base. His raging magnetic force crushed all the metal within the facility, completely obliterating the already-damaged base.
With the help of Agent Morla, Professor X and Magneto finally regained their composure.
"The mutants of the Hellfire Club are formidable. You should have received some special training yourselves," Professor X said, his voice calmer as he looked at the stunned X-Men, though his confidence remained unshaken.
First, Lancelot had taken Raven and Darwin, and now Black Emperor Shiao had taken Dragonfly Girl Salvador.
These successive blows made Professor X realize that he had to act. At the same time, he resolved to train a new generation of powerful mutants to stand against these dangerous foes.
The X-Men's plan was urgent.
"Morla, take them to my private Xavier estate," Professor X said, glancing at the three remaining X-Men:
Alex Summers, Shockwave
Hank McCoy, Beast
Sean Cassidy, Sea-Hawk
Of the original six X-Men, only these three remained. Two had been taken by Lancelot, and one by Black Emperor Shiao.
As Morla led the three X-Men away from the wreckage, Professor X's expression grew serious.
"Three X-Men alone won't be enough to stop the Hellfire Club. We'll need reinforcements," he said, turning to Magneto. Though he felt remorse for his earlier actions, he offered no apology.
Professor X knew well that even an apology would change nothing. He understood Erik's nature—but his own path was different. Even without this encounter, Magneto would have parted ways after dealing with Black Emperor Shiao.
"Charles, what do we do now?" Magneto asked, glancing coldly at Professor X and letting go of past grievances.
"Erik, do you remember James Logan?" Professor X said with a smile, adjusting his jacket and letting out a soft laugh.
"James Logan?" Magneto frowned. How could he forget? When they had approached him before, he had been scolded outright.
"Charles, are you still going to bother that guy? He refused us before."
"No, Erik. This time, he will not refuse us—or, more precisely, he will not refuse me," Xavier replied, smiling confidently, tapping his temple lightly as he spoke.
The intent was clear. Young Professor X and Magneto were both full of energy and determination, unhesitant about the future. Once the decision was made, action had to follow.
Whish.
Magneto extended his right hand, and metallic debris from the ruined base swirled toward him, coalescing into two massive metal discs, each two meters in diameter, hovering before him and Professor X.
Magneto stood on one disc, arms crossed, exuding authority.
"Charles, get on," he said, glancing at Professor X.
"Cool," Xavier replied. Standing on the disc, the metal beneath him unfolded into strips, forming a wheelchair-like seat. He marveled as he sat down.
"Charles, sometimes I wonder—if you lost your legs, would you understand my pain, my struggle, and truly recognize your identity as a mutant?" Magneto said, lifting his hand, his tone both mocking and menacing. Two discs hovered upward in response.
"Erik, that won't do. My daughters would be devastated if they saw me in a wheelchair," Xavier said, smiling lightly.
Whish-whish.
The two giant discs vanished into the debris above.
Shortly after Professor X and Magneto departed, a bloodied, overweight man struggled out of the wreckage.
"Falk, he didn't die at Black Emperor Shiao's hands—he almost died at Magneto's!" the man cursed, pain etched across his face as he withdrew a special alloy syringe from his arm.
The syringe contained a clear red liquid.
"Praise my king! Praise the Evolutionary Family of Mutants!" the man, nearly at death's door, cried with fanatic zeal.
Grimacing, he injected the liquid into his artery.
Ka-ka-ka.
As the red serum flowed in, his body emitted strange sounds. Broken bones rapidly healed, muscles reformed, and internal organs repaired themselves.
Within a minute, the man—once on the brink of death—was fully restored.
"This rapid-healing serum is incredible," he said, standing and discarding his blood-soaked clothes to reveal a filthy undershirt marked "Senator Francis."
Indeed, the man was Senator Francis. Even before Black Emperor Shiao's attack, he had been hidden in a secret safe house within the X Base under Lancelot's orders, escaping Shiao's grasp.
What he hadn't expected was that while he had escaped Shiao, he nearly fell victim to Magneto's wrath. The terrifying magnetic power had destroyed the safe house, with shards piercing his body.
Without the rapid-healing serum developed by the Mutant Evolution House, Senator Francis would have been dead.
"Long live my king!" Having faced death, Francis now revered Lancelot even more. If he hadn't become part of the Evolutionary Family of Mutants, he would never have received the serum, nor escaped Black Emperor Shiao's clutches.
"My lord, Professor X and Magneto have departed…" he said, brushing off dust and blood, and pulling out a special communicator to report the situation to Lancelot.