"What is Vought International?"
Erik asked in a low voice.
Charles instinctively reached for a newspaper to explain in detail, only to suddenly remember that they were aboard a warship, with no printed material to refer to. He could only give Erik a quick, concise overview of Vought International.
He told Erik, one by one, about Vought's measures: openly sheltering mutants, creating special hero positions, offering high salaries to take in those who were different, and welcoming mutants of all kinds to work and settle there.
Yet after hearing the entire explanation, Erik's brow did not relax. Instead, it furrowed even more deeply, and wariness and doubt instantly filled his heart.
He had spent half his life adrift and seen all the world's treachery. He had personally witnessed humanity's greed and cruelty toward mutants and endured the darkest of human experiments. His mother had died horribly in humanity's frenzied research into mutants.
As far as he was concerned, humans always bore ill will toward those who were different. Behind their supposed acceptance and tolerance, there had to be schemes and calculations.
Erik's voice was icy, every word carrying the scars of his past and his guardedness:
"First, they gather those who are different, bring them all together, and identify their abilities. Next come imprisonment and experimentation, squeezing out their value until these mutants have been utterly used up, discarded, and destroyed."
When he finished, everyone present fell into thoughtful silence.
Erik's experiences had been far too harrowing for his suspicions to be groundless. Vought International's unusual tolerance did indeed conceal the possibility of such unknown risks, and no one dared rule them out entirely.
Charles knew Erik's past well. Through mind reading, he had also seen the bloody, brutal scenes in his memories, and his heart was full of understanding.