As Xiang Qian and the others neared the entrance to General Ross's command center, they turned around and left, completely ignoring the Sentinel's bewildered gaze at the door.
With Worthington II leading the way, Xiang Qian and the others went up to the core testing area on the third floor. The little boy, Jimmy, was the key to the Mutant gene serum, and his room—or rather, his cell—was in the testing area as well.
A long corridor stretched out in front of the room. The building had largely retained the old, outdated layout from when Alcatraz Island had been a prison. Windows overlooking the sea lined one side of the corridor, while the other held laboratories converted from the prison's old offices, along with the living quarters.
Though it was already past seven in the evening, the sky still glowed brilliantly with the sunset over the western sea. Faint rosy light streamed through the windows, painting the corridor a fiery red.
A phone suddenly rang on Worthington II. The older white man picked it up apologetically. Out of courtesy to his guests, he had initially intended to hang up at once, but a glance at the screen made his face change dramatically, and he hurriedly answered.
"What's happened, Doctor? You should be looking after Warren Jr. right now..." Worthington II said tensely into the phone. Before he could finish, a string of gasps rang out behind him.
Xiang Qian and Worthington II turned at the sound. The entourage behind them had crowded around the windows to peer outside, and every so often someone exclaimed, "God," or "It's an angel!"
Curious, Xiang Qian walked to the window and followed everyone's gaze. A figure soared through the sky, wings spread wide. The once-pure white wings on his back were bathed in the sunset, glowing a sacred gold.
Quite a few people at the windows were already making the sign of the cross over their chests. Amid cries of "God" and "Angel," the figure in the sky flew farther and farther away into the sunset.
Xiang Qian looked away and turned to Worthington II, who was still staring out the window.
"That must be your little angel?" Xiang Qian asked.
Worthington II snapped out of it and managed an awkward smile. "I suppose so. I don't know either. Warren Jr., he..." He suddenly remembered the phone in his hand and raised it to his ear with lightning speed.
"Doctor, I saw it. Everyone saw it. What's going on with Warren Jr.? You didn't give him the serum?" Worthington II fired off questions one after another at the person on the other end.
"He escaped. Why did he... God, what have you done?"
Watching Worthington II struggle to get his words out, Xiang Qian more or less understood what had happened.
"A free spirit, unwilling to be shackled by others or follow the path laid out by his father, calmly accepting the fate bestowed upon him." Reciting the words like an aria, Xiang Qian turned and headed for Jimmy's room.
Worthington II was utterly baffled. He hurriedly hung up and rushed after him.
"James, I'm so sorry you had to see that. Warren Jr., the boy..." Worthington II stammered, afraid that the commotion caused by his son would damage Xiang Qian's willingness to invest in the company.
Xiang Qian didn't care about that at all. Smiling, he said, "Teenage restlessness. It's understandable. We've all been through that stage."
Worthington II gave an awkward smile. It was true that everyone went through adolescence, but Xiang Qian was only five or six years older than Warren. Wasn't it a little strange for him to ignore the age gap so casually and talk about Warren Jr. as if he were a younger relative?
When Xiang Qian opened the door to Jimmy's room, he saw a simply furnished space decorated entirely in white. A frail figure stood at the head of the bed, clinging to the wall beneath the small window and peering outside.
At the sound of the door opening, the frail figure whipped around. A pale, bald face came into view.
Xiang Qian glanced out the small window. From where he stood, he could see only the towering pillars of the Golden Gate Bridge and the sunset, now completely faded at the edge of the sky—but he could already guess what the little boy had been watching.
"Did you see the figure flying away?" Xiang Qian asked gently.
Jimmy seemed painfully shy. He said nothing, only stammering silently. After a long pause, he gave a slight nod.
"Envious?" Xiang Qian pressed. "Do you wish you could be like him?"
A spark flashed in Jimmy's eyes. The words burst out of him. "Can I?"
"No!" Xiang Qian crushed the child's hopes without hesitation. Even Worthington II couldn't help noticing the coldness beneath his warm smile.
The light in Jimmy's eyes quickly dimmed.
"Jimmy, you've been here for quite a while now. You should understand what's wrong with you, right?" Xiang Qian said. "The way you are means you can't enjoy the same freedom as ordinary people."
Jimmy nodded. Perhaps Xiang Qian's warm smile put him at ease, because he was willing to speak. "My parents say I'm sick."
"Sick?" Xiang Qian made no judgment. "From some people's perspective, that's true. But you could also look at it another way: it's a miraculous gift. Personally, I prefer the second interpretation."
Jimmy continued to stand rigidly at the head of the bed. "The minister said that too."
"The minister?" Xiang Qian frowned.
Worthington II hastily explained, "Minister McCoy, of the Department of Mutant Affairs."
"Oh..." Xiang Qian understood. "Beast."
"Is he covered in fur like a Smurf in a cartoon, with all those things on his face..." Xiang Qian deliberately trailed off, gesturing around his own face to mimic someone with fur sticking out all over.
For the first time, Jimmy couldn't help laughing.
"Did the minister say anything else?" Xiang Qian asked.
Jimmy shook his head.
"Right. Some things are hard to say." Xiang Qian slowly paced toward Jimmy. "Many Mutants see you as the savior who can end their suffering—even though they don't know you exist. But some others see you as a scourge, a threat to the survival of Mutants."
Jimmy had been confined to a hospital room for years. He had no emotional resilience to speak of. At Xiang Qian's words, he froze in fear, standing rigidly by the bed and forgetting even to climb down.
Jimmy wasn't the only one alarmed. Worthington II, the only person accompanying them into the room, was panicking too.
Worthington Industries had been using Jimmy for years to develop the Mutant gene serum. Though they had effectively restricted his freedom, they had always carefully monitored his mental health. Who could have expected Xiang Qian to provoke the boy again and again as soon as they met?
This was their golden goose, the sole source of the Mutant gene serum. What if he pushed the boy too far and something happened to him? Worthington II wanted to interrupt, but feared angering Xiang Qian. He was in a complete panic.
Xiang Qian had reached the window and looked up at Jimmy, who stood above him.
"Which will you choose: savior or scourge?"
Jimmy shook his head blankly. Only after a long while did he murmur, "I don't want to choose."
"That won't do, Jimmy." Xiang Qian dashed the child's hopes again. "Your gift has already decided it. You can't escape this choice."
Jimmy's helpless gaze shifted back and forth between Xiang Qian and Worthington II.
"Why me? Maybe, like Mr. Worthington said, it's a curse. I want to be rid of it!" Jimmy grew increasingly agitated. Xiang Qian's repeated provocations had finally taken their toll.