Chapter Summaries

Roland selected five mutants for hero training while Marcus assigned the rest to support roles, then revealed Vought could enhance their abilities in exchange for absolute loyalty. As the mutants followed him to training, Sandra warned Hirna not to accept the offer without knowing its cost.

• Roland entered the banquet hall and selected Angel Salvadore, Raven Darkhölme, Sean Cassidy, Damian Crawford, and Valen Phillips for formal hero training.
• Marcus told the remaining mutants that their evaluations had placed them in Vought’s support system, disappointing Hirna and the others.
• When Hirna asked whether they could still become heroes, Marcus offered a way to strengthen their abilities if they pledged complete obedience to Vought and accepted death as the penalty for betrayal.
• The remaining mutants followed Marcus toward training as they weighed his offer.
• Sandra noticed Hirna’s interest and warned her that Vought’s enhancement might involve brutal experiments.

Roland explained Vought International’s hero tiers and ranks to its five newly signed heroes, revealing that the Seven was the company’s ultimate team. She left them with a warning that rank five was only the minimum requirement to compete for one of its seven seats.

• Hirna thanked Sandra for warning her about the unknown gift and decided to learn more about Vought before choosing whether to accept it.
• Roland welcomed the five recruits, promised them salaries and the chance to become publicly admired heroes, and explained Vought’s neighborhood, district, city, and state hero tiers.
• Roland described the five hero ranks and revealed that the Seven was Vought’s highest team, with authority over the company’s resources.
• Raven asked about the Seven, and Roland said its seven members were Vought’s irreplaceable core figures.
• The five recruits asked how they could join the Seven, and Roland explained that only the seven best rank-five heroes in the world could compete for its seats.

Roland explained the hero grading system to the five mutants and introduced their training instructor, while Erik attacked Sebastian Shaw aboard a cruise ship and was stopped by the White Queen. Charles then encountered a psychic barrier from the ship, leaving the White Queen to realize the telepath probing her was someone other than the mysterious young man from Vought Tower.

• Roland told the five mutants that most would likely become grade-one or grade-two heroes, while Sean had the potential to reach grade three, and explained how hero grades were determined.
• Anqi questioned whether ordinary people would accept mutant heroes, and Roland assured the group that Vought would handle public opinion and prejudice before introducing their training instructor.
• Erik infiltrated the cruise ship and charged Sebastian Shaw, but the White Queen immobilized him with her psychic powers and struck him into the sea.
• The military illuminated the waters with a flare and ordered the cruise ship to surrender, while Charles tried to probe the ship psychically and was blocked by a powerful barrier.
• The White Queen sensed Charles's probe and initially suspected the mysterious young man from Vought Tower, but recognized that the telepathic presence was different.

Riptide and Erik wrecked the cruise ship, but Shaw escaped aboard a hidden submarine, and Charles rescued Erik from the sea. Charles and Erik formed an alliance against Shaw and planned to seek help from Vought International.

• The White Queen told the Black King that another telepath had appeared, and he signaled Riptide to attack the approaching police launches with tornadoes.
• Erik raised a massive anchor from the seabed and smashed the cruise ship, only to discover that Shaw and his companions had escaped in a concealed nuclear submarine.
• Erik failed to lift the submarine from the water, and Charles rescued him before he succumbed to exhaustion.
• Charles and Erik shared information, agreed to cooperate against Shaw, and concluded that they needed more allies.
• Charles agreed to return to base and suggested seeking help from Vought International, which Moira and Erik recognized as a gathering place for mutants.

Erik distrusted Vought International, suspecting its offer of refuge concealed a plan to exploit mutants, while Charles hoped it could be a sanctuary. After reaching Raven by phone, Charles heard that Vought welcomed mutants and selected some as heroes, easing his doubts but leaving him with questions about its hero ranks and the Seven.

• Charles explained Vought International’s mutant shelter and hero program, but Erik suspected the company planned to imprison and experiment on mutants.
• Charles reassured Erik, and the group agreed to return to base before traveling to Vought in New York.
• Moira told Charles he would have to wait until they left the warship to use a phone that could reach Raven.
• After the warship docked, Charles called Raven and explained that fighting had delayed his trip and that he had met several mutants.
• Raven told Charles that Vought housed more than a dozen mutants, had selected five for hero positions, and reserved the Seven for its highest-rated heroes.
• Charles concluded that Vought seemed unlike the exploitative organization Erik feared and asked Raven to explain its hero ratings and whether she had faced any trouble.

Charles’s group secured Vought International’s help and left for New York to seek allies against the Black King, while the Black King tested a psychic-blocking helmet aboard a submarine. The chapter left Charles’s team on their way to Vought and the White Queen under the Black King’s command.

• Charles asked Raven to arrange a meeting with Vought’s Director Roland and founder, and Raven agreed to help.
• Charles, Moira, and their allies decided to travel to New York to seek Vought’s support against the Black King.
• At the CIA base, Charles discovered Hank McCoy’s mutant identity, and Hank joined the group.
• The next morning, Charles’s group boarded a flight to New York.
• Aboard his submarine, the Black King tried a Russian-made helmet that blocked the White Queen’s psychic powers.
• The Black King ordered the White Queen to fetch ice, and she left without responding to his praise.

The Black King prepared to meet the Vought Founder despite the White Queen’s warning, while Raven arranged for Charles, head of the Xavier Family, to seek cooperation with Vought. Roland reported the request to Solomon, who was asked whether he would receive Charles.

• The Black King dismissed the White Queen’s concerns, instructed her to have Azazel secure the submarine, and ordered their departure for New York.
• Raven asked Roland to arrange a meeting with Vought’s CEO for her mutant friend, who was working with the CIA against a group of evil mutants.
• Roland declined a direct meeting based on the CIA’s request but agreed to report the matter if Raven’s friend provided a formal letter from the Xavier Family.
• Raven told Roland that Charles was the current head of the Xavier Family, then called him to arrange the letter and his visit.
• Roland went to the ninety-ninth floor and asked Solomon whether he would meet Charles to discuss cooperation.

Solomon prepared Vought Tower for a meeting with Charles’s party and the CIA, while arranging for A-Train to help control the gathered mutants. As Charles, Erik, Hank, and Moira arrived, the Black King, the White Queen, Riptide, and Azazel appeared nearby.

• Solomon told Roland to gather the tower’s mutants on the ninety-eighth floor and bring the arriving parties to a meeting.
• A-Train appeared and introduced himself to Roland as a member of the Seven, impressing her with his extraordinary speed.
• Roland gathered the mutants and instructed them to keep order during Solomon’s meeting.
• Charles, Erik, Hank, and Moira arrived at Vought Tower and prepared to enter.
• The Black King, the White Queen, Riptide, and Azazel appeared nearby and watched Vought Tower.

Sebastian Shaw, the White Queen, Azazel, and Riptide teleported into Vought Tower to find its founder while Charles and Erik hurried to stop them. Shaw arrived on the 98th Floor, where the mutants mistook his group for new recruits, and Roland entered as the CIA representatives were expected.

• Charles restrained Erik as Erik tried to attack Shaw outside Vought Tower, while Hank helped hold him down.
• The White Queen blocked Charles's psychic probe of the tower, then teleported Shaw, herself, and Riptide to the 98th Floor with Azazel.
• Charles and his companions rushed toward the tower after realizing Shaw's group had entered and they could not track them.
• Shaw introduced himself to the gathered Vought mutants and asked to meet their boss; Anqi told him they were awaiting a meeting about a CIA partnership.
• Roland entered the conference room, saw Shaw and the others, and demanded to know who they were.

Black King’s group invaded Vought Tower and swiftly defeated the Mutants defending it while trying to persuade them to join the Mutant revolution. When Azazel moved to kill Roland, A-Train arrived and stopped him, leaving Black King stunned by his speed.

• Black King ordered Azazel to attack Roland, but Anqi intervened with corrosive breath and Sean’s sonic attack was absorbed by Black King.
• White Queen incapacitated two contracted heroes with a psychic assault, while Riptide swept the other Mutants into tornadoes and dropped them defeated.
• Black King urged the fallen Mutants to join his revolution and threatened that those who refused would become his enemies.
• Black King directed Azazel to kill Roland, and Roland screamed for A-Train to help her.
• A-Train caught Azazel’s tail before it struck Roland, then warned her to call for help sooner; Black King realized he had not detected A-Train’s arrival.

A-Train defeated Black King's three strongest subordinates and gained Azazel's Sulfur Dimension abilities. He then revealed that he served Vought International's founder, leaving Black King stunned by the thought of how powerful their unseen Boss might be.

• Azazel teleported away to take A-Train out of the United States, but A-Train released Long Tail and confronted Black King about ordering the public killings.
• White Queen tried to restrain A-Train with her psychic power, but he grabbed her, cracked her diamond form, and hurled her into Riptide, incapacitating both of them.
• Azazel returned and attempted a surprise attack, but A-Train tracked his sulfurous scent, punched him, and defeated him.
• A-Train acquired Sulfur Teleportation and Sulfur Dimension Perception from Azazel and realized the abilities were limited to travel within Earth.
• Black King asked if A-Train founded Vought International, and A-Train said he was one of the Seven and that Vought's founder was his Boss.
• Black King realized the fighter who had crushed his team served an even more powerful unseen leader.

A-Train overwhelmed the Black King, whose energy absorption could not counter steady force or penetrate A-Train’s defense. As A-Train removed the Black King’s helmet, Charles, Erik, Hank, and Moira rushed toward the 98th Floor, fearing for Raven and the other Vought Mutants.

• The Black King realized he was the only member of his team still able to fight, while Azazel, Riptide, and the White Queen were incapacitated.
• A-Train seized the Black King by the neck and resisted his energy blast without moving.
• The Black King unleashed all his stored energy, but A-Train’s defense absorbed the attack and left him unharmed.
• A-Train drained the Black King by steadily tightening his grip, then removed his psychic-defense helmet.
• Charles, Erik, Hank, and Moira anxiously watched the elevator climb toward the 98th Floor, worried that Raven and the Vought Mutants were in danger.

Charles and his team reached the ruined conference room expecting a fight, only to find A-Train had already defeated Shaw’s group. After Erik’s knife attack failed, A-Train gained new abilities and upgraded his Carbon-Fiber Super Skin.

• Charles ordered Erik to target Shaw, Moira to suppress the wind-controlling Mutant, and Hank to keep the teleporting Mutant occupied.
• Erik and the others entered the conference room and found Shaw held by A-Train while the White Queen, Riptide, the telepathic Mutant, and the red-skinned Mutant lay defeated.
• Erik ignored Charles’s warning and launched his knife at Shaw, but A-Train caught it and threw Shaw into the White Queen and Riptide, knocking them unconscious.
• A-Train gained Mind Control and Diamond Form from the White Queen and Wind Manipulation from Riptide, then fused Diamond Form with Carbon-Fiber Super Skin +1 to upgrade it to +2.

A-Train defeated and controlled Sebastian Shaw, gaining Energy Absorption and Conversion after upgrading his defenses, psychic control, and wind abilities. As Erik struggled to reclaim the knife A-Train had caught, Solomon judged that the mutants’ powers had serious weaknesses, though he still considered Charles especially dangerous.

• A-Train used his psychic power to restrain and control the badly injured Sebastian Shaw, earning Energy Absorption and Conversion.
• Solomon examined the new ability and compared its broad energy intake and growth potential with Electricity Conversion and Control.
• Solomon assessed the weaknesses of the White Queen, Sebastian Shaw, and other mutants, while noting the danger Charles and Erik could pose at full power.
• Erik tried to pull his silver knife free with his magnetic field, but A-Train held it firmly in his bare hand.

Erik attacked A-Train to kill Shaw, but A-Train subdued and controlled him, then stopped Charles and knocked Hank unconscious. Moira confronted A-Train at gunpoint, and he challenged her claim that the group had come for a partnership meeting.

• Charles warned Erik not to attack, but Erik raised the room’s scattered metal and declared that he only wanted to kill Shaw.
• A-Train seized Erik by the throat, incapacitated him, and acquired Magnetic Field Manipulation, upgrading it to Magnetic Field Manipulation +2.
• Charles tried to restrain A-Train with telepathy, but a stronger hidden mental force blocked him, and A-Train grabbed him by the throat.
• Hank lunged to rescue Erik and Charles, but A-Train kicked him into a wall and knocked him unconscious, acquiring Beast Transformation and upgrading it to +5.
• Moira aimed her gun at A-Train and identified herself as a CIA agent with a scheduled meeting, but A-Train accused the group of provoking Vought and threatened to kill them.

A-Train subdued Charles and gained Mind Control +3, but Moira and Raven feared Charles was dead and Erik attacked in rage. Solomon arrived, reassured them that the captives were alive, and used his psychic power to control the Vought Mutants and acquire their abilities.

• A-Train explained that he had used Blood Manipulation to deprive Charles of oxygen and incapacitate him, earning Mind Control +3.
• Moira and Raven pleaded that their group had an appointment, while Raven and Erik believed the unconscious Charles was dead.
• Erik unleashed his magnetic field in fury, but an unseen force restrained it as Solomon called for A-Train to release the guests.
• Solomon entered the conference room, and A-Train greeted him with deference as the others recognized him as Vought's Boss.
• Solomon enveloped the Vought Mutants in psychic power, controlling them and acquiring abilities including Raven's Shapeshifting.

After absorbing the mutants’ abilities, Solomon’s energy and spirit broke through Level 5, and he unlocked the full potential of Raven’s shapeshifting and Sean’s sonic powers. He repaired the wrecked conference room with magnetism and telekinesis, leaving everyone present awed by his power.

• Solomon upgraded Raven’s shapeshifting into unrestricted mimicry and transformation, and expanded his sonic boom ability across the full sound spectrum.
• Solomon reviewed his attributes and identified the six top-tier mutants as the main source of his gains, with Raven’s shapeshifting contributing a notable increase in energy.
• Solomon’s energy reached Level 5.08462 and his spirit reached Level 5.05213, while his other attributes rose only slightly.
• Solomon swept his palm through the air and used magnetic field manipulation and telekinesis to reassemble the conference room’s damaged furnishings.
• The people in the room watched Solomon restore the conference room and regarded his power with awe.

Solomon revived the unconscious Mutants and forced the opposing groups to sit down for a discussion at Vought International. When he asked the Black King, Erik, and Charles about Mutants’ future, the Black King revealed his plan to start a global nuclear war and destroy humanity.

• Solomon healed the unconscious Mutants, and the White Queen recognized him as the young man she had seen on the 99th Floor.
• The Black King ordered everyone to stand down, and the Mutants took their seats while Roland and A-Train stood behind Solomon.
• The Black King sat beside Erik, who nearly attacked him over his mother’s murder before Charles warned him through telepathy to stay calm.
• Solomon asked the Black King, Erik, and Charles to explain their views on Mutants and humanity.
• The Black King declared that he planned to unleash a global nuclear war, exterminate humanity, and establish a world ruled by Mutants.

Solomon heard Charles, the Black King, and Erik argue over mutant coexistence, extermination, and rule through force. He then explained that Vought would unite and train mutants as superheroes, hoping their protection of humanity would gradually reduce fear and prejudice.

• Moira condemned the Black King's plan to destroy human civilization, while Charles argued that mutants and humans could coexist.
• The Black King defended mutant supremacy and challenged Charles to consider the persecution faced by mutants.
• Charles sought Erik's support, but Erik rejected both peaceful coexistence and extermination, arguing that mutants should establish security through superior power.
• Solomon applauded the debate and invited the others to hear his own ideology.
• Solomon said Vought would train mutants to protect people as superheroes, believing that their service could gradually dissolve human prejudice and fear.

Solomon explained that Vought would protect mutants in exchange for payment and offered them a place in the organization, while the Black King insisted on exterminating humanity. The Black King and his allies escaped, and Erik restrained himself from attacking the conference table after seeing Solomon's power.

• Charles approved of Solomon's plan to earn human acceptance through protection, while Erik doubted humans would ever respect mutants without lasting power.
• The Black King condemned Solomon's philosophy, and Solomon used his psychic power to break the White Queen's shield, injure her, and subdue the Black King.
• Solomon explained that Vought sold protection and offered mutants power, dignity, and a home if they joined.
• The Black King rejected Solomon's offer and said mutants could survive safely only by exterminating humanity.
• Azazel used sulfurous smoke to teleport away with the Black King, the White Queen, and Riptide.
• Erik nearly slammed the table in anger over losing his chance to kill his mother's murderer, but remembered Solomon's warning and sat down.