"Charles, what's wrong?"
Eric walked up beside Charles, noticing the subtle change in his expression. His voice carried a hint of curiosity as he studied his friend's face.
"Moira is here," Charles replied calmly.
He had already sensed her arrival through his telepathic abilities.
Eric's expression immediately became more serious.
If Moira had come personally, that could only mean one thing—the CIA had finished its internal deliberations and reached a decision about what to do with them.
Charles, Eric, and Rorschach exchanged a quick glance. None of them wasted time asking unnecessary questions. They walked toward the entrance together and greeted Moira before escorting her inside.
A few minutes later, the four of them were seated in Charles' room.
Moira's expression was solemn as she looked at the three men.
"As we expected," she said quietly, "the CIA has officially disbanded our operation. From now on, you have no connection with the CIA."
The announcement did not surprise anyone in the room.
The destruction of the base had been too severe. It was obvious that the agency would cut ties rather than invest further resources.
The CIA had abandoned them.
Eric leaned back in his chair and spread his hands.
"Fine," he said casually. "That doesn't really change anything."
His voice carried a hint of indifference.
"We never needed the CIA in the first place."
Charles, however, turned his attention toward Moira.
"And what about you?" he asked gently.
During their time working together, Charles had grown very close to her. His feelings for Moira had long surpassed simple professional cooperation.
"They said the entire operation was my proposal," Moira replied, attempting to sound relaxed. "So when everything collapsed… someone had to take responsibility."
She gave a small shrug.
"For now, I've been suspended."
Even though she tried to sound lighthearted, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"That sounds exactly like them," Charles said with a sigh. "Whenever something goes wrong, they immediately look for someone to blame."
Still, defending her verbally couldn't change the reality of the situation.
None of them had any influence over the CIA's internal politics.
Moira clapped her hands softly, deliberately shifting the conversation away from the unpleasant topic.
"Let's not dwell on that," she said with a small smile. "What about you three? What are your plans now?"
Charles exchanged a glance with Eric before smiling faintly.
"We're actually planning something," he said.
Something dangerous.
Something ambitious.
"We're going to give Shaw a surprise."
Moira raised an eyebrow with interest.
Charles then explained their idea in detail. He described their decision to build their own team, train the young mutants, and eventually confront Shaw directly.
When Moira finished listening, she immediately spoke up.
"I'm joining you."
Her tone was firm.
Even if the CIA had suspended her, it didn't mean she intended to stop investigating Shaw.
Before, she had always worried that she lacked the power to face someone like him.
But now that worry had disappeared.
With Charles and the other mutants beside her, the situation was completely different.
"Wonderful," Charles said warmly.
"Moira, you're more than welcome."
Although Eric had always been wary of ordinary humans, his opinion of Moira was different. He trusted her enough that he didn't raise any objections.
When the other mutants heard the news, they welcomed her enthusiastically.
From that day forward, Moira effectively became Charles' assistant. She helped organize the training schedule and assisted him in developing methods to help the young mutants improve their abilities.
Of course, there was one exception.
Rorschach.
Unlike the others, he did not receive special training from Charles.
The reason was simple.
Rorschach already had perfect control over his powers.
Charles himself admitted that there was nothing he could teach him.
While the others endured exhausting training sessions under Charles' guidance, Rorschach spent most of his time training alone in the gym.
Even Eric didn't enjoy that level of freedom.
In fact, Eric himself had become one of Charles' training subjects.
Gradually, life at Xavier Manor became lively and energetic.
Everyone had something to work toward.
Everyone was growing stronger.
It was a completely different atmosphere from before.
…
It had to be said that Charles was truly remarkable.
His understanding of genetic mutation was astonishingly deep.
Regardless of the type of ability a mutant possessed, Charles was able to design training methods tailored specifically to that person. His strategies were precise and practical, and the results were surprisingly effective.
The young mutants improved quickly.
Within just ten days, the changes were obvious.
Although they still had a long way to go before achieving full mastery of their powers, their progress compared to their original state was almost like a complete transformation.
Seeing those improvements brought genuine relief to both Charles and Eric.
Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.
"Charles!"
One afternoon, Eric was training on the open field behind the mansion when a familiar voice called out.
Both Charles and Eric stopped what they were doing and turned around.
Rorschach was walking toward them.
Eric smirked immediately.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," he said teasingly.
Over the past several days, Rorschach had practically locked himself inside the training room. Aside from meals, no one had seen much of him.
"Just came to review your training results," Rorschach replied with a grin.
During these days, his relationship with Charles and Eric had become much closer. They spoke to each other as equals now, which made their conversations far more relaxed.
Eric shrugged.
"You picked the wrong time," he said. "I haven't shown anything impressive yet."
Charles chuckled softly.
"That's because Eric has already developed his abilities to a high level," he explained to Rorschach. "Making further improvements is naturally more difficult."
That was simply reality.
Eric had spent most of his life chasing Shaw, constantly using and refining his powers. His level of control far exceeded that of the younger mutants.
"Charles," Rorschach said after a short pause, "I should get going."
Both men looked at him curiously.
"It's almost time."
Some time earlier, Howard Stark had casually mentioned inviting Rorschach to dinner at his home. At the time, Rorschach had assumed it was just one of Stark's usual social remarks.
But it turned out that the famous industrialist had been serious.
A formal invitation had arrived.
Considering Stark's immense influence and resources, Rorschach had no reason to refuse.
Charles and Eric didn't object either.
They were friends and allies, not guardians. Rorschach's personal life was his own business, and they trusted him completely.
"Do you need a car?" Charles asked kindly. "You can take mine."
"Thanks, Charles," Rorschach replied with a smile. "Maybe next time."
He waved goodbye and left the mansion.
A short while later, he arrived once again on 75th Street in New York—the same street where he had last parted ways with Jarvis.
This time, Jarvis was already waiting.
The elegant British butler stood beside a car parked along the curb, looking as calm and composed as always.
But what Jarvis didn't know was that he wasn't the only one waiting for Rorschach.
.....
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