After gaining Charles' cooperation, Moria directly took Charles and Raven to meet her superior. To make their story more convincing, Charles demonstrated his telepathy through silent communication. Although Raven was reluctant to act like a circus monkey, she reluctantly performed a rapid costume change out of respect for Charles.
However, things didn't go as expected. Moria's superior was so spooked by them that he threw them all out.
Only one person took interest—Clyde Starr, a chubby man who had long been studying the application of superhuman abilities in military offense and defense.
He was thrilled by the appearance of Charles and Raven. For years, his department had been the laughingstock of others. Although he'd managed to collect a few traces of mutant activity, most were wiped clean by Steve Rogers and S.H.I.E.L.D. The clues he had were too flimsy to convince his superiors.
Now, he finally had a chance to prove himself.
Moria also held intel on Sebastian Shaw. Fearing they might lose his trail, the team immediately set out to apprehend Shaw and his associates.
At the same time, Erik had also learned Shaw's whereabouts from Klaus Schmidt. Like Charles' group, he headed directly toward Shaw's location.
On a silent night, a luxury yacht floated on the sea—Sebastian Shaw's temporary hideout. Earlier that day, Shaw had killed a colonel from the Arctic Bear Nation aboard the ship. He knew they'd been exposed, but in his arrogance, he chose to remain, waiting for Charles and the others to arrive.
"Aren't we leaving yet? I'm getting bored," said a sultry woman with butterfly wings, codenamed Pixie, in an annoyed tone.
"Don't be impatient, darling. Don't you enjoy a grand and glamorous entrance?" Shaw replied soothingly.
"Fine, I'll admit, I am a little excited. But are you sure they're coming tonight? I don't want to be up all night for nothing," Pixie asked, shifting on her lounge chair.
"Trust me. They'll come. Why else would I deliberately leak my location to that pretty little agent?" Shaw chuckled.
A few days earlier at the Hellfire Club, Shaw had noticed Moria hiding behind a secret door. He had intentionally let her go.
After all, he had been planning this for a long time. Now that his plan was nearing completion, what he wanted most was a grand performance to show the world that he—not anyone else—deserved to rule it.
"Is that so? Then I guess you're disappointed I showed up alone—and didn't bring fireworks?"
At the voice, Shaw turned. Erik leaned casually against the railing, sipping champagne.
"Ah, long time no see, Lensherr. Didn't expect you to find me first," Shaw said with a raised glass in greeting.
"Seems you're not surprised I came," Erik said calmly.
"Of course not. Ever since you found my subordinate, I knew we'd meet again. I just didn't expect you to beat the others here."
"That was the plan—get here first, kill you, then leave without a trace."
As he spoke, Erik flicked his fingers. Sharp objects—corkscrews, knives, forks—whirled toward Shaw's vital points like deadly arrows.
But to Erik's frustration, all those sharp tools lost their power the moment they touched Shaw, dropping weakly to the ground.
"Tch. Damn it. Your ability really is tricky," Erik cursed, leaping back and spreading his arms to manipulate the surrounding magnetic field.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Lensherr, you're full of surprises! So this is what your power really is?" Shaw said, eyes gleaming like he'd discovered treasure.
He'd assumed Erik could merely manipulate metal—but this was something much more advanced: magnetism, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe.
If he could harness that power, who could stop him?
But Erik's face darkened. He'd underestimated Shaw. Shaw's power wasn't just energy absorption and release—he could even absorb non-direct magnetic energy. Erik had tried to overload Shaw's capacity to force a self-destruction, but Shaw seemed to be a bottomless pit.
"Damn, he's already absorbed the equivalent of a couple of light-speed punches… and he's still fine?" Erik cursed inwardly.
Just then, Shaw suddenly appeared before him, landing a punch to Erik's stomach that sent him flying—smashing through several warehouses before coming to a stop.
"Ugh… cough cough." Erik struggled to rise, spitting blood. "Good thing I kept up my training… otherwise, I'd be dead."
Though injured, Erik refused to give up. He'd finally found his mother's killer. Even if it cost him his life, he'd take Shaw down!
Just then, the sea lit up with blinding lights—a warship began sounding its sirens.
"This is the Coast Guard. Do not attempt to move your vessel. Remain in place."
Landing crafts loaded with Marines sped toward the yacht.
"This the grand stage you were hoping for?" Pixie asked Shaw with amusement.
"Of course," Shaw grinned. But the next moment, his brow furrowed. "Someone's in my head—a telepath."
Pixie noticed it too and instantly activated her second ability, forcing the intruder out of her mind and erecting a mental shield.
Her second ability? Telepathy—the same as Charles'. But thanks to frequent use, she was more skilled than him.
Feeling the intruder expelled, Shaw nodded at Riptide.
On the warship, Charles flinched, a sharp pain striking his mind as he abruptly cut off his telepathy.
"Sorry. I lost them," Charles said apologetically.
"What do you mean?" Moria and Clyde asked urgently.
"They've got a telepath too. She locked me out. Sorry… looks like I won't be much help tonight," Charles said. Earlier he'd promised to assist, but now felt useless.
"It's fine, they're our best men—OH SH*T! What is that!?" Clyde's words got caught in his throat.
Two mini-tornadoes struck the Marines from above, growing fiercer by the second. Sea twisters lifted the landing crafts skyward, then crashed them into the ocean—vanishing without a trace.
"Looks like Shaw's got a lot of help," Charles said grimly.
So far, the enemy had revealed two powerful mutants—a telepath and a storm manipulator. Shaw himself hadn't acted yet, and his abilities remained unknown. According to Moria's intel, there were also a winged mutant and a teleporter among his allies. The situation was bad.
Just when it looked hopeless, a surprise turn occurred.
Anchors and chains from the sea flew up, sweeping across the yacht's upper decks and forcing Shaw's team into retreat.
Erik had made his move—trying to destroy the yacht entirely. If he couldn't kill Shaw directly, he'd sink the entire ship and take out his men instead.
"What's happening?" Moria and Clyde exclaimed.
"Someone else is helping. Seems Shaw's made more enemies than just us," Charles said excitedly.
Even though Shaw was also a mutant, Charles had caught glimpses of his memories—he wasn't their ally. The man was a lunatic.
So, anyone against Shaw was a potential friend. And now another powerful mutant had entered the fray—an enemy of Shaw. Could he be an ally?
The yacht crumbled under the flying anchors and chains. But Shaw had prepared for this—a submarine detached from the ship's bottom, submerging swiftly.
Erik tried to catch it, but he knew his powers couldn't control it. This mission had failed.
Still, he wasn't discouraged. Melin once told him:
"Every plan risks failure. Failure isn't scary—losing your mind over it is. As long as you live, there will be more chances."
Erik lowered his arms and turned to leave—when a stranger's voice echoed in his mind:
"Don't go, my friend. I think we should talk."
"Telepathy? Who are you?" Erik scanned the area warily.
"You recognized it? I'm Charles Xavier, also an enemy of Shaw. I think we can work together."
"I'm Erik Lensherr. I don't need help," Erik replied.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. You've seen how dangerous Shaw is. One more friend, one more path," Charles reasoned.
"…Fine. Meet me alone."
"Deal."
The mental link ended. Erik smiled—not because he needed help, but because he was intrigued. He never expected to meet a fellow mutant outside the Sanctuary. He was curious about how other mutants lived beyond its borders.
Also, telepathy was a valuable gift. Sanctuary had telepaths too, but they were weak. None could reach his mind from such a distance.
He wanted to see who Charles was—and whether he could be drawn into the Sanctuary.
As for peeking into his mind? Not a chance. He had asked Melin to erect mental locks in his brain. Unless Charles was stronger than Melin, he wouldn't see a thing.