Chapter 126 – X-Men Intervention
At the X-Mansion, Professor Charles Xavier had been closely monitoring the unfolding crisis.
He had collected intelligence in pieces: the appearance of an Asgardian, the theft of S.H.I.E.L.D. assets, and the destruction of a secret research base. Then came the energy column erupting over Stark Tower, tearing a rift in reality and unleashing a tide of alien invaders upon New York.
"Scott, Storm, Jean—we're moving out," Charles commanded. "We may need to intervene."
"Are we taking the Blackbird?" Jean Grey asked.
"Yes. The school is too far; only the jet will get us there in time," Charles replied. "This is not a minor incident. This is an alien invasion. If we can help, we must."
Charles understood the urgency. As a mutant striving for peaceful coexistence with humanity, he knew that if the mutants acted as a shield against a greater, extraterrestrial threat, it would force the world to view them not as a menace, but as a necessary—and powerful—ally.
As they flew toward the heart of the city, the battle below was fierce. The Chitauri held the advantage in sheer numbers, but the Avengers occupied the high ground. Hulk and Thor alone were worth an entire battalion, while Tony Stark provided mobile air support and Captain America and the others managed the infantry on the ground.
"Wait, isn't Hulk supposed to have two arms?" Scott asked, watching the green giant vault over a Leviathan with four massive limbs. "Can gamma radiation induce further mutations like that?"
"It's not just him," Storm noted. "Look at the others. Most of them have superhuman abilities. The one splitting his body, the one controlling the weapons..."
"Is that Captain America?" Jean pointed out. "He looks exactly like the museum displays."
"It is," Charles said, his telepathy giving him insight into the battlefield. "And that archer on the roof—if those arrows aren't high-tech, he's definitely enhanced."
"Are they all mutants?" Storm asked.
"No," Charles corrected. "They are 'Fruit Users.' As we learned when we worked with Logan, the powers are similar, but the origin is different."
"Professor," Jean asked as she piloted the jet, "are we jumping straight into the fray?"
Charles studied the battlefield, his eyes narrowing. "It seems we won't have to. The Chitauri are already breaking toward us."
As Loki's orders forced the Chitauri to expand, a massive cluster of soldiers veered toward the X-Men's path.
"Instructions, Professor?" Cyclops asked.
"Stop them. These invaders cannot be allowed to spread," Charles ordered.
Storm's eyes turned completely white. Above them, the dark clouds already gathered by Thor's power seemed to coalesce, becoming even more oppressive. Gale-force winds and devastating lightning strikes rained down on the incoming Chitauri skiffs, swatting them from the sky.
In the center of the city, Thor felt the surge. "This world has others who can command the lightning? Midgard is truly full of surprises!"
He roared with excitement, channeling more power into his own strikes, glad to have an unseen ally clearing the perimeter.
"Scott, it's your turn," Charles said.
Cyclops moved to the jet's specialized pilot seat, his goggles removed to reveal the visor that channeled his optic blasts. He peered into a periscope-like scope and opened his eyes.
Zzzzt!
A concentrated beam of pure red energy lanced out from the jet, slamming into a Leviathan with enough force to liquefy its armor.
BOOM!
The massive beast disintegrated in a mid-air explosion. This was the X-Men's way: they didn't need traditional weaponry when they had the raw power of mutants. Storm controlled the elements, and Scott provided the heavy artillery.
"Scott," Charles's voice echoed in his mind, "bring down every flagship in your sector."
"Understood."
Cyclops adjusted his aim, locking onto another Leviathan. The alien vessel didn't even have time to dodge—nothing moved faster than the optic beam. Upon impact, the Leviathan's internal electronics fried instantly, and a second later, it was a fireball in the sky.
The Chitauri responded with a desperate counter-attack, swarming toward the jet.
"Storm, create cover," Charles instructed.
A bitter wind howled into existence, bringing with it a torrent of snow that hardened instantly into jagged hail. The storm was so intense that the Chitauri soldiers lost control of their skiffs, their sensors blinded by the raging squall.
Storm parted the storm just enough for Cyclops to see a cluster of Leviathans. He didn't waste a second, firing a beam that tore through the formation, shattering the beasts and vaporizing the infantry that dared to approach.
Charles focused his mind, reaching out to the invading soldiers. He gripped the mind of a pilot, forcing him to turn his weapon on his own comrades.
Pew! Pew!
The pilot turned his squad into swiss cheese before he himself was gunned down. Charles pulled back, his expression darkening.
"How strange," Charles whispered. "Their minds... they've been rewritten. Their thoughts are little more than pre-programmed logic gates."
"What do you mean, Professor?" Jean asked.
"They appear to have emotions, but it's an illusion. They are receiving a constant signal—a command stream that dictates their movement. My powers can overwrite their instructions, but it feels fundamentally different from controlling a human mind."
"A signal?" Jean mused. "What happens if we sever it?"
"A question for another time," Charles replied. "For now, tell Tony. This signal is the key to their coordination. Let's finish the sweep first—Scott, pick up the pace! Storm has already cleared the infantry."
With a final roar of energy, Cyclops blasted the last of the Leviathans into scrap.
As the smoke cleared, Jean lowered the jet's altitude and used her telekinesis to pluck a fallen Chitauri corpse from the street, pulling it inside the fuselage.
"Storm, take the controls," Jean said, her eyes intense. "I need to perform an autopsy on this thing."