Charles's Return

As Stryker and Lucien were plotting in secret, a plane flew back to New York from the Soviet Union.

Then, a car sped towards the CIA's secret base, which had almost turned into ruins, at top speed.

"Jesus Christ, what happened here?"

Charles stared at the rubble and the bloodstains that were still visible everywhere despite the cleanup, completely dumbfounded.

Erik, standing beside him, held his forehead, his face a mask of distress.

What in the world had happened?

They had only been in the Soviet Union for a few days, and now the base was destroyed?

In reality, while they were in the Soviet Union, Moira had already received a message from CIA headquarters stating that the base here had encountered trouble.

It had been invaded by Shaw.

And this was considered trouble?

This was a disaster, for crying out loud!

"Mutants, what about the mutants here?"

Charles anxiously asked a CIA agent stationed at the base.

"We haven't found their bodies," the agent replied.

This was both good and bad news.

The good news was that no bodies meant they were likely alive. The bad news was that the mutants had probably been captured by Shaw, the Black King, something Charles absolutely did not want to see.

"Charles, it might not be as bad as it seems. Avalanche and Red Devil are dead. Rorschach killed them," Erik said after a moment of thought.

"That's right, Rorschach!"

Charles's spirits lifted.

With Rorschach around, things couldn't have gone that badly, could they?

That's right.

Erik and Charles didn't know the exact details of what had happened, but they had investigated Shaw for so long that they knew the capabilities of Red Devil and Avalanche.

Not to mention, Charles and Erik had clashed with Shaw on a cruise ship before.

They had witnessed Avalanche's power firsthand.

If anyone among those mutants could have killed those two, it would have been Rorschach.

And according to the intelligence provided by the CIA, only the Black King, Avalanche, and Red Devil had invaded the base!

This gave Charles hope.

Shaw couldn't possibly have captured all the mutants by himself, could he?

After a brief exchange with Erik, they both agreed that the mutants had likely escaped.

"New York is so big, where would they have gone?" Erik still felt a headache coming on.

These people came from all over, and they hadn't been together for very long, making effective speculation and analysis difficult.

"If I were Raven... Erik, I might know where they're hiding," Charles said, starting to piece things together.

Xavier's Manor, his home!

That was the only place Raven could go!

They exchanged a look, and without another word, they quickly got into the car, leaving a trail of dust.

About forty minutes later.

Charles and Erik appeared at the entrance of Xavier's Manor.

"Charles, are you sure they're inside?"

Erik's hand, reaching for the door, stopped in mid-air as he turned to look at Charles.

"Yes, they're inside!"

Charles smiled. He had already used his abilities to sense them; everyone was here!

Everyone was here, not a single one missing!

Phew!

Erik finally let out a long sigh of relief, his tense face relaxing.

"Charles, you never told me you lived in a place this extravagant."

Erik teased Charles, then unhesitatingly pushed the large door open.

"Well... you never asked," Charles replied casually, and together with Erik, they hurried into the hall.

Mystique Raven, Beast Hank, Darwin, Angel, Siren, and a host of other familiar faces all turned their heads in unison.

met the eyes of Charles and Erik.

Of course, their most trusted Rorschach was also there.

"Charles!"

"Charles!"

"Charles, Erik, you're back!"

After a brief pause, the atmosphere in the hall erupted, and all the young people rushed forward, surprised and delighted.

Charles and Erik had finally arrived!

The anxiety that had been hanging over everyone these past few days finally settled, bringing a sense of relief.

"I'm relieved to see you all safe and sound."

Charles looked at the young faces, his expression filled with relief.

Erik, though not one for smiles, also appeared very relaxed.

"You all did well, very well!"

He, too, rarely offered praise to the youngsters.

No matter how they managed it, escaping successfully when the entire base was destroyed was no easy feat.

"We didn't really do much, it was all Rorschach," Siren couldn't help but interject.

"That's right, Rorschach led us out," Wrecker quickly added.

They felt undeserving of Erik's praise, having done so little themselves.

"No, in that desperate situation, you didn't give up, you didn't compromise, and you managed to get here through your own efforts. You've all impressed me, and I'm proud of you."

Charles scanned the assembled group and spoke to them with great sincerity.

"Charles, everyone in the base... they were all killed."

Mystique Raven looked up, her tone suddenly heavy.

The lighthearted atmosphere in the hall immediately turned somber.

"OK!" Erik nodded. "Tell us what happened in the base."

Mystique Raven, Beast Hank, and Darwin recounted the events in great detail, one after another, to Charles and Erik.

Even as bystanders, the two felt a sense of dread.

What had happened was truly perilous.

And Raven and the others involved, even though three or four days had passed, still couldn't help but look pale as they recalled it.

"Thank goodness for Rorschach, I can't imagine what would have happened otherwise," Siren sighed sincerely.

"Yeah, thanks to Rorschach," Hank chimed in.

"Rorschach, you performed exceptionally well, far exceeding my expectations!"

Charles also cast an approving glance at Rorschach.

During the upheaval that night, Rorschach had been the one to turn the tide; his contributions could never be erased.

Charles and Erik were immensely relieved that Rorschach hadn't accompanied them to the Soviet Union that day but had stayed at the base.

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.