"Alright, let's move."
Seeing the agents of the Sentry Secret Service standing there in stunned silence, Liam Hayes casually snapped his fingers and turned away as if nothing had happened. There was no urgency in his steps, no sign of tension—just quiet confidence as he led the group out of the alley.
The shock from that single attack had completely broken their will to pursue.
None of the agents dared to follow.
By the time they returned to the underground headquarters, Thunderbird, Evangeline, and the others were still processing what they had witnessed. The scene of that blazing railgun shot replayed endlessly in their minds, refusing to fade.
Even after they sat down and began talking, it took a long while before anyone truly came back to themselves.
"Mr. Weiss… thank you. Truly," Evangeline said, stepping forward once more to express her gratitude. Her voice carried sincerity, but also a lingering awe that she hadn't quite managed to suppress.
Liam smiled lightly, brushing it off with ease. "If anything, I should be thanking you guys for the coin."
Ivan Jielin stood nearby, her gaze fixed on him the entire time. The more she watched him, the more she felt that the man in front of her was impossible to understand. His strength, his composure, even the way he spoke—it all felt layered with something deeper.
"Super… electromagnetic railgun?" Polaris repeated softly from the side, her expression thoughtful as she pieced together what Thunderbird and the others had described.
She inherited her power from Magneto, and at its core, her ability was also rooted in electromagnetic force. In theory, that meant she was walking the same path.
But in practice, the difference was overwhelming.
She had always used her ability in a straightforward way—manipulating magnetic fields to control metal objects. Steel beams, weapons, debris—those were her tools.
Compared to that, what Liam had done felt like an entirely different level.
It wasn't just stronger. It was… refined.
There was a sense of precision and elegance in his usage, like the difference between a noble and a commoner. Both could wield power, but one did so with a level of mastery that elevated it into something else entirely.
Polaris couldn't help but feel the gap.
If she was controlling magnetism, then Liam was controlling the very principles behind it. The way he used electromagnetic force was far more systematic, almost scientific in its execution.
Even with magnetism alone, the possibilities were far broader than she had ever explored. Techniques like manipulating fine iron particles into high-speed storms, turning them into lethal projectiles, or shaping them with intricate precision—those ideas had never even crossed her mind before.
Magneto's strength lay in sheer power. He could lift planes, tear apart bridges, and reshape entire structures with raw magnetic force. That level of output was something few could rival.
But Liam's approach was different.
He wasn't just powerful.
He was efficient.
"Weiss… could you show me that again sometime?" Polaris asked, looking at him with a hint of anticipation. Her curiosity had clearly taken hold.
"The railgun?" Liam replied, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Yeah, that one."
He chuckled softly. "Sure, but not here. This place wouldn't survive it."
Polaris nodded quickly, not even trying to hide her interest. "Then next time. You have to show me."
"No problem," Liam said easily, agreeing without hesitation. It wasn't a difficult request, and he didn't mind indulging it.
At that moment, Thunderbird walked over, his expression more serious now that things had calmed down.
"Weiss, what's our next move?" he asked directly. "The Sentry Secret Service won't just let this go. They found one base this time. What if they find the headquarters next?"
Liam's lips curled slightly into a faint, knowing smile.
"Leave that to me," he said. "I already have a plan."
In truth, he had already decided what needed to be done the moment he returned.
Dr. Campbell was the core of everything.
As the driving force behind the Sentinel project, he represented a future that couldn't be allowed to exist. If left unchecked, his research would eventually spiral into something catastrophic.
Killing him would be the simplest solution.
But it wouldn't be enough.
If one Dr. Campbell existed, there would always be another. The ideology behind his work wouldn't disappear just because he did.
So the answer wasn't elimination.
It was control.
If he could use telepathic manipulation to completely dominate Dr. Campbell's mind, then the entire situation could be turned around. Not only would the threat of the Sentinels be neutralized, but Campbell himself could be forced to work in the opposite direction.
Instead of creating weapons to eradicate mutants, he could be made to research ways to awaken the X-gene in ordinary humans.
If that happened, the balance of the world would shift entirely.
In a society where mutants were rare, they were feared. But if mutants became the majority, then it would be ordinary humans who stood out.
The conflict would collapse on its own.
Thunderbird let out a breath as he heard Liam's answer, visibly reassured by his confidence.
The next day passed quickly.
By evening, everything was ready.
During the day, Liam had completed another sign-in. This time, it wasn't Andrew he targeted, despite Andrew's potential in molecular manipulation.
Instead, he chose someone else.
Harry.
The ability he obtained allowed him to turn himself—and even objects—completely invisible. It was subtle, but incredibly valuable for what he planned to do next.
At the same time, he gathered detailed information on Dr. Campbell.
He didn't rely on the X-Men for this.
With his control over electromagnetic force, he had begun experimenting with direct interaction with electronic systems. Signals, circuits, data flow—everything operated through electricity at its core.
If he could manipulate that, then he could access anything.
And he succeeded.
Without needing cables or physical connections, he infiltrated systems remotely, slipping through firewalls and security protocols with ease. Electronic devices became open books to him, their defenses meaningless.
By the end of it, he had effectively become a hacker decades ahead of the world's technology.
There was nothing in this era that could stop him.
Even the most secure systems could be breached effortlessly. Military networks, classified databases—it made no difference.
If he wanted to, he could infiltrate the Pentagon without resistance.
He could even take control of Tony Stark's armored suits.
Not even J.A.R.V.I.S. would be able to stop him.
Once everything was prepared, Liam said his brief goodbyes to Thunderbird, Polaris, and the others. He didn't explain the details of his plan—only that he would handle it.
Then he left.
His destination was clear.
The research institute where Dr. Campbell worked alone.
Using his newly acquired invisibility, Liam moved through the facility without being detected. Security cameras, guards, sensors—none of them registered his presence.
Finding Dr. Campbell was easy.
The man was still inside his laboratory, fully absorbed in his research.
"Dr. Campbell."
The sudden voice shattered the silence.
Campbell froze for a moment before slowly looking up. His eyes locked onto the figure that had appeared out of nowhere, his expression shifting instantly.
At the same time, his hand moved subtly toward the alarm button beside him.
Liam noticed it immediately and let out a soft chuckle.
"If I were you," he said calmly, "I wouldn't press that."
Dr. Campbell stopped.
....
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