Chapter 394: [498] - Respect Has an Expiration Date, Fear Does Not

Immortality.

Since the X-gene first appeared, not one mutant had been born with real immortality.

Sebastian Shaw was the closest. As the Black King, he could absorb energy to stay young forever. But Shaw was a power-hungry man who wanted to rule the world. He couldn't be controlled and had no interest in working with most people.

So, Shaw died.

And that was the end of that.

The government didn't just tolerate Professor X because he was a peaceful leader who kept mutants in line. They also saw Xavier and his school as the perfect bait.

The X-Mansion had been thoroughly infiltrated for years. Otherwise, how could William Stryker have shown up just minutes after the mansion exploded?

As long as the school was open, desperate mutants kept coming to New York for safety. If any mutant with signs of immortality arrived at Xavier's door, federal agents would appear within thirty minutes to take them away, no matter what.

But that immortal mutant never showed up.

Until Hawk.

He was someone who came from outside their universe, not bound by their reality, and able to travel across space with just his body.

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Hearing Turner's dinner invitation, Hawk paused.

And then he agreed.

He had tried to say no, but Turner was very persistent, almost begging Hawk to let him host a dinner in his honor.

With no other option, Hawk agreed.

God as his witness, Hawk really did think about giving Turner one last chance to live. Hawk was a kind man. If Turner had just minded his own business, maybe this world would have survived.

What a shame.

Turner refused Hawk's kindness and kept insisting that Hawk come to this last dinner.

A final dinner. Or possibly something like a Red Wedding?

It didn't matter. The meaning was clear. This dinner was meant to end in bloodshed.

Hawk had never understood why people were so shocked when a dinner party ended in violence. Then again, considering what passed for an education these days, maybe he shouldn't have been surprised.

Wanda had no such blind spot. Her alternate self, Gwen, had a PhD, after all.

After all, her alternate self—Gwen—was a PhD.

Once they returned to Jean's room in the barracks, Wanda flicked her hand. Scarlet Chaos Magic spread through the room, sealing it off from outside ears.

She looked at Hawk. "So dinner is when they're planning to make their move..."

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Jean had been listening to her parents talk in riddles since they came in, and she felt completely lost. When she saw them exchanging looks, she quickly interrupted. "Hold on. Can someone please explain what's going on?"

They both turned to their confused daughter and shared another glance.

Wanda spoke first, giving Jean a gentle smile. "That five-meter-tall robot you saw? It's called a Sentinel."

Jean's eyes went wide. "Don't tell me it's really Dad's weapon."

Wanda shook her head. "No, it's not your dad's."

"Then whose is it..."

"It's a weapon the humans here built just to kill him."

"What?" Jean gasped. As she put the pieces together, a tremor ran down her spine. She turned to Wanda. "Does Professor X know about this?"

Wanda shook her head, her voice perfectly calm. "The Sentinel Program is the highest-level federal secret in this country. Only the White House and the Pentagon know about it. Professor X and the scientists out there studying it are completely in the dark."

Jean finally understood. She snapped her head toward Hawk. "So... when Mom mentioned the dinner... the President is trying to lure you into a trap so they can kill you?"

Lure me in to kill me?

Hawk laughed at how direct Jean was. He remembered using those exact words to tell her about the Hongmen Banquet when she was a kid trying to fall asleep. He gave his worried daughter a reassuring smile. "Relax, sweetheart. Your mother will see right through their plan."

Jean looked back at Wanda.

Wanda's face stayed calm and steady.

Jean went from shocked to panicked, then suddenly understood. She turned back to Hawk.

"Dad. You knew the dinner was a trap."

"Yeah."

"But you still agreed to go."

"Yeah."

Jean took a sharp breath. She glanced at Wanda's calm face, then at Hawk's relaxed smile. "You want to destroy this world."

Hawk didn't argue. He met Jean's horrified look and spoke calmly. "Not the whole world. But this government doesn't deserve my mercy."

He had given them a chance—just ten minutes ago.

They rejected it. Maybe he would destroy the whole planet, maybe not, but the federal government in this universe was finished.

Jean was speechless.

Wanda stepped in, looking at Jean. "Your dad's enemy—the Celestial who kidnapped you—is already in this universe."

Jean's head snapped toward her mother.

"The metal they used to build the Sentinel? It's the corpse of the Celestial your dad killed in Earth-616. The Celestials and the federal government have joined forces."

"Then let them burn!"

Jean changed in an instant. Her horror disappeared, replaced by pure anger. She turned sharply and headed for the door. "No. I'm going to—"

Wanda immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

Seeing his daughter go from caring to wanting to destroy the US government made Hawk laugh. He chuckled. "Alright, calm down. You know what's happening now, but you have to act like you don't. Just stay with your mom and watch what happens."

Jean looked genuinely confused. "But Dad, if you know it's a trap, why aren't you striking first? You always told me: strike first or suffer the consequences."

"Because," Hawk said with a sly smile, "like I told you before, I like to play with my food. Letting the rat think it won, then crushing it at the end? That's the best part."

Jean's panic disappeared. She just stared at him, completely deadpan.

"Dad."

"Yeah?"

"You are so deeply messed up."

"Haha." Hawk laughed, looking at his daughter with affection. "I know. Just don't pick up my bad habits. If you ever find out someone is plotting against you, even if they're only thinking about it, don't wait. Crush them right away. Remember what I taught you: we don't ask for their respect. We want their fear."

Respect has an expiration date. Fear does not. In fact, fear only gets stronger as time goes on.

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