With Moria's help and her private channels, Charles and Erik quickly arrived in Polar Bear territory and took a seat at a café outside a hotel.
"Well? Find anything?" Erik asked Charles, scanning their surroundings through his sunglasses.
"No other targets—just the woman on the top floor," Charles replied, sipping his coffee.
The hotel across the street was the suspected base of operations for the target known as "Elf." Rather than rushing in, Charles and Erik first observed cautiously for ambushes. Though Charles needed a neuro-enhancer to scan the entire globe, scanning a single building without it wasn't difficult.
"Should we go up now?" Erik asked.
"Yeah, let's go. The longer we wait, the riskier it gets. I've got a bad feeling about this," Charles said grimly.
They took the elevator to the top floor. Concerned that Erik might fall under psychic control, Charles preemptively wrapped them both in telepathic shielding. Erik then stepped forward and knocked.
"Ma'am, your lunch delivery."
"Come in, it's not locked," came a sultry voice from inside.
…
Charles and Erik exchanged a glance, nodded, and stepped inside together—only to frown as soon as they entered.
"Elf" was lounging on the sofa in a thin silk nightgown, showing no surprise at their arrival. She lazily sipped her drink, with two extra glasses already poured, as though she had been expecting them.
"You knew we were coming?" Erik asked coldly, manipulating the room's magnetic field. Any hostile move, and he'd kill her instantly.
"I leaked my location on purpose to lure you here. Took you long enough—I was getting impatient," Elf replied casually, gesturing for them to sit.
Charles and Erik exchanged another look before sitting across from her.
"What do you want?" Charles asked without wasting time. His unease was growing.
"I want to make a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"Information on Sebastian Shaw… in exchange for my personal safety."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? I want to leave Sebastian Shaw."
Charles and Erik both frowned deeply.
"Is this a joke?"
"Sebastian Shaw is a maniac—a complete lunatic. He doesn't care about lives, only his goals. Massacres, terrorism, wars—nothing is off the table. He keeps me around because I'm still useful. But I don't want to put my life in a madman's hands," Elf said.
"Then why did you join him?" Erik asked.
"Three years ago, he saved me from a lab. You should know what it feels like to be experimented on," she said, looking at Erik.
Erik said nothing. He knew all too well—and the man responsible was her current boss.
"He told me mutants were evolution's gift, superior to humans. I hated normal people then, so I believed him. But after years of working for him, I realized his true madness. His goal isn't mutant dominance—it's personal domination over everyone," Elf continued.
"And now you want out? Why now?" Charles asked.
"Until recently, both you and I were his greatest weaknesses. As long as I had my powers, I was safe. And being with him came with privileges most can't dream of. Why would I leave?
"But things have changed. The Polar Bear nation gave him a helmet—supposedly a divine relic. Whether it is or not, it completely blocks telepathy, and using my power against him backfired hard. I'm injured."
Charles and Erik noticed a faint paleness beneath her makeup. Charles's expression darkened. Their mission was to capture Elf so his powers could influence Shaw—but now she revealed that Shaw had countered telepathy entirely.
"My trump card is gone. I'm afraid he could kill me at any moment. So I want your help to escape his control. In return, I'll give you everything I know," Elf said, watching their reaction.
Charles and Erik silently began communicating telepathically.
"What now? Do we trust her?"
"I don't."
"Me neither, but this might be our best shot. We know so little about Shaw—this intel could turn the tide."
"And how do you know she's not lying?"
"I'll have her lower her power, and I'll scan her mind."
"Alright."
They looked back at Elf. Charles said, "We can't trust you. I need to probe your mind to see if you're lying."
"Fine, but not now. I don't trust you either. For all I know, you'll kill me after you get what you want," Elf replied.
"So what do you suggest?"
"As a gesture of goodwill, I'll give you one crucial piece of info."
"What is it?"
"Sebastian Shaw knows you're gathering allies. He's planning to strike first. When I left for Polar Bear territory, he was already making moves. If you leave now, you might still make it in time," Elf warned.
Charles and Erik's faces changed drastically. "No!"
Now Charles understood his uneasy feeling—Shaw had gone after their home base.
Even though Charles trusted Angel Warren and the others, Shaw was dangerous. His energy absorption/release ability was nearly unbeatable.
Erik acted fast and shouted at the air, "Deez! I know you're here! Please go help them!"
To Elf's confusion, a fourth voice responded from the previously empty room.
"Can't do that, Erik. The boss ordered me to protect you, not to interfere. Remember?"
With a ripple in the air, Deathmask stepped out in golden armor.
"Who is he?!" Elf shrieked. She tried to read his mind with telepathy—but just like with Charles, a wall blocked her out. Worse, she sensed multiple brainwaves around him—not human.
"Charles! Warren and the others are my friends!" Erik pleaded.
"I know. But orders are orders. They knew the risks when they joined you. This is their battle to face," Deathmask said seriously.
"…Please, Deez. I'm begging you. I owe you—save them."
"Calm down, Erik! Have you forgotten the boss's orders?" Deathmask scolded.
The reprimand, backed by his cosmos, brought Erik to his senses. He started thinking clearly again.
"Charles, we need to get back now," Erik said. He didn't like Deathmask's choice either, but he knew Melin's orders were absolute to a Saint.
"No. We need to be there immediately or we'll be too late," Erik added.
"But we can't cross the ocean in an instant," Charles replied anxiously.
"There is a way!" Erik looked at Deathmask. "Uncle's order was for you to protect me—not to interfere with our fight against Shaw, right?"
"Correct."
"But nothing says you can't grant me a small request, right?"
"You're not as slow as you look," Deathmask chuckled.
"Good. Can your teleportation take others?"
"Three people? Easy."
"Then take us five kilometers outside the mansion. That's all I ask."
"Of course," Deathmask smiled.
He wasn't heartless. Warren and the others were comrades. Even without that, Saints didn't need a reason to save others. But he wouldn't disobey Melin's orders. This loophole was his compromise.
Erik had panicked, so Deathmask made him figure it out himself.
"Perfect. With your help, we'll make it back," Charles said, relieved.
"Alright, stand next to me. You've no time to waste."
Charles and Erik rushed to his side, dragging the still-stunned Elf along.
In the next moment, golden light engulfed the group, and they vanished.
…
Meanwhile, back at the Bureau's research facility, corpses lay scattered—throats slit, chests blown open, limbs twisted grotesquely. In the central office, Clyde was strung from the ceiling, mumbling, "I don't know… please… spare me…"
Sebastian Shaw sat in Clyde's chair, enjoying his vintage wine, while Ripcurrent gazed out the window, listening to the tortured screams crafted by Red Devil's interrogation.
"Seems he really doesn't know," Azazel said, wiping his hands.
"Find them," Shaw ordered.
"What about these survivors?" Azazel asked, nodding at Clyde and a few others.
"There's no place for them in the world I'm creating."
"Understood."
With that, Azazel's sharp tail slit Clyde's throat before vanishing.
Sebastian Shaw closed his eyes, basking in the dying pleas of the damned.