Tony looked straight at Liam, the usual arrogance stripped away for once. "Thank you," he said, his tone unusually serious.
Liam studied him for a second, then gave a slow nod, clearly satisfied. "That's more like it. Just don't forget what you promised me."
Tony blinked, his expression shifting instantly into selective confusion. "Promised you what?"
Liam narrowed his eyes slightly, the air around him subtly turning heavier. "You said 'I'll agree to anything' on the phone. Don't tell me you forgot already."
Tony felt that pressure immediately. His instincts kicked in, and he nodded without hesitation. "Of course I remember."
"Good," Liam said, his smile returning in full.
At that moment, Phil Coulson stepped forward, holding a tablet as he addressed Tony. "Our investigation points to Ivan Vanko as the mastermind, but we couldn't locate him. Also, the drone units we were trying to reactivate were… blocked somehow."
Tony glanced sideways at Liam.
"I don't think you need to keep digging," Tony said casually. "Vanko died when those drones self-destructed."
Coulson frowned slightly. "The explosions just now?"
"Exactly."
Tony didn't elaborate further. He simply turned away, already heading toward Pepper, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
Liam, on the other hand, was about to leave when something clicked in his mind.
He hadn't used today's sign-in yet.
For a moment, he considered heading back, but then his gaze shifted toward Coulson. The last time he had signed in with Natasha, he had gained a powerful ability—Psychic Cannon.
That alone proved something important.
Mutants weren't the only viable targets.
Key individuals—people with significance—could yield equally valuable results.
Without hesitation, Liam made his choice.
[Ding! Do you wish to sign in with Agent Phil Coulson?]
"Yes."
[Ding! Sign-in successful. You have obtained the super ability: Affinity. Experience +100.]
"Affinity…?"
Liam paused briefly, slightly puzzled. The name itself suggested some kind of interpersonal enhancement—perhaps charisma, influence, or natural likability.
Whatever it was, it didn't immediately stand out compared to his other abilities.
He decided not to dwell on it.
"Agent Coulson. Miss Romanoff. See you next time."
With that, Liam vanished on the spot, leaving both agents exchanging a brief glance.
Back at the Mutant Academy, Liam immediately sensed something was off.
The atmosphere was tense—far too tense.
Without wasting time, he expanded his telepathic perception, scanning the entire campus in an instant. What he found made him frown.
Everyone was gathered in the war room.
Even Professor X.
That alone was enough to signal that something serious had happened.
Without hesitation, Liam teleported directly into the room.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking around at the assembled X-Men. "Why is everyone here?"
"Wes—you're finally back!" Storm stepped forward, relief evident in her voice. "We couldn't reach you."
"Yeah, your phone was dead or something," someone else added.
The reaction told him everything.
At some point, he had become their anchor—the one they instinctively relied on when things went wrong.
Liam walked straight toward Professor X, his expression sharpening. "What happened?"
Professor X let out a slow breath, his face unusually heavy. "It's Jean…"
And then he began to explain.
Earlier that afternoon, Jean and Cyclops had been overseeing training for the students. Everything had been normal—until suddenly, Jean lost control.
The Phoenix power erupted without warning.
Several students were injured instantly, caught in the surge of uncontrollable energy. Cyclops had tried to intervene, but even he was overwhelmed, severely injured in the process.
When Jean regained awareness and realized what she had done… she broke.
The guilt alone was enough to push her over the edge.
Believing she would only bring harm to others if she stayed, she left the academy.
Just like that.
Liam's expression darkened slightly.
So it had begun.
He had always known this moment would come. The Phoenix Force wasn't something that could be contained forever. But even so… it had happened faster than expected.
His original plan had been simple—reach Level 5, then forcibly separate the Phoenix from Jean.
Now?
That timeline was collapsing.
Liam instinctively checked his progress.
Only 200 experience points left.
Two hundred.
That was all that stood between him and Level 5.
But there was a problem.
He had already used today's sign-in.
Which meant at least two more days.
Two days.
In normal circumstances, that wouldn't mean much.
But with the Phoenix?
Two days was enough to destroy the world.
"Wes," Storm said, her voice tight with urgency, "what do we do now?"
"We have to bring her back," Professor X added, his tone heavy. "Before it's too late."
Liam didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked directly at Professor X, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You're holding something back."
Professor X hesitated.
Then he sighed.
"It's about Jean's past."
Liam's gaze sharpened further.
There were two possible versions of Jean's history—he knew that much. But which one applied here would determine everything.
Professor X finally spoke.
"When she was a child… she caused the accident."
The room fell silent.
He continued, his voice low. "Her powers manifested suddenly, and she lost control. The accident wasn't random—it was caused by her."
Liam's expression didn't change, but internally, everything aligned.
Dark Phoenix.
Professor X looked down slightly. "Her parents didn't die… I told her that to protect her. The truth is… they abandoned her. They were afraid of her power."
Polaris lowered her gaze slightly, her expression shifting. That story hit too close to home. Being rejected for something you couldn't control—it wasn't unfamiliar to her.
But Jean's case was even worse.
It wasn't just rejection.
It was fear.
Pure, overwhelming fear.
Liam folded his arms, his mind moving rapidly.
So that was the situation.
This wasn't the stable version of Jean Grey.
This was the unstable trigger point—the one that led directly to the Dark Phoenix.
Which meant one thing.
If he didn't act fast… everything could spiral out of control beyond recovery.
....
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