With her shapeshifting abilities, transforming into a Xenomorph had required a good deal of effort in gathering intelligence on them so as to avoid any mistakes in appearance or behavior.
She had succeeded, slipping inside when the Xenomorph numbers grew by a few more.
Her only concern was whether Duval could precisely feel the mental state of every single Xenomorph—if so, she would inevitably be exposed.
But for now, everything seemed normal.
Moreover, she had luckily obtained the intelligence she needed most from Duval and Phil Coulson’s cryptic conversation—the reveal that Fly-Boy was a Deviant!
Indeed, in dealing with all sorts of mutants, The Brotherhood had naturally crossed paths with a few old monsters who had lived for thousands of years, gathering fragmentary bits of information.
In the past, this information was essentially useless, only marginally helpful when launching public opinion campaigns to demonstrate that mutants and normal humans were entirely different species.
But now was different.
“The reason for the emergence of the mutant progenitor race remains unknown, but based on confirmation from Duval and SHIELD, there is a very high probability that Ikaris is a Deviant!” Mystique rapidly typed on a palm-sized device, her fingers flying.
Even she felt a surge of emotion, unable to hide her shock.
The Deviants…
the origin of mutants had actually appeared?
Thinking it through, though, since there were mutants who could live for thousands of years, the appearance of a Deviant who had lived for tens of thousands of years hardly seemed worth being overly surprised about.
The mutant X-gene could awaken all sorts of strange abilities, to say nothing of the infinite mutation genes of the Deviants.
Awakening a longevity power seemed perfectly natural.
She knew nothing of the Celestials, much less that a group of Celestials had personally wiped out the Deviants.
None of the intelligent, civilized Deviants who had built a powerful civilization twenty thousand years ago could possibly have survived to this day.
Before long, a reply came back.
“Raven, is this intel reliable?
Are you sure those two aren’t just putting on a show for you?” “I can’t rule out that possibility, but it is well worth the risk.
If the Xenomorphs obey Duval’s orders through visual recognition, thermal sensing, or pheromones rather than the worst-case scenario—telepathy—then Duval won’t be able to spot me.” Raven was extremely confident in her shapeshifting abilities.
As long as there was no issue on a psychic, mental, or mind-reading level, nothing else could go wrong.
She eagerly reported her major discovery to the recipient of her message—Magneto.
“Alaska?
I understand.
I will personally set out to seek our true ancestors!
As long as this news is true, we mutants can separate ourselves from humans at the genetic level.
This will immensely unite our brothers and sisters across the world!” Many mutants, including the X-Men, still identified to some degree as part of humanity.
They were unwilling to stand opposed to humans, feeling it was no different from killing their own kind.
However, if it could be confirmed that mutants and Deviants were one and the same, it would be an earth-shattering event that would rewrite the course of mutant history!
On an island of steel somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, Magneto closed the communication channel, his heart surging with conflicting emotions.
He sat alone on his throne, thinking for a long, long time, even reminiscing about the painful memories from the moment his powers first awakened.
“Decades of effort, and I finally see the day it pays off…
I have found a breakthrough in the future where mutants are destined for extinction!” Suppressing his inner excitement, Magneto summoned Destiny.
Destiny was an extremely unique mutant.
Her entire face was covered by an eyeless mask, and she possessed the powerful ability to foresee fate.
With just a glance, she could peer through countless futures.
Her status within The Brotherhood was exceptional.
She took no part in the vast majority of operations, appearing only when Magneto needed her to deliver vital intelligence.
The last time she had appeared was several years ago, when she informed Magneto and Professor X that the future of mutants held only one outcome: complete extinction, with no alternative possibilities.
“A new destiny has emerged,” Magneto said, raising his voice.
“Our ancestors, the source of the X-gene—the Deviants—have appeared in this world once more.
I am certain he is not alone; there must be other Deviants like him!” “As a leader, you shouldn’t be overly emotional.
That will become your fatal flaw,” Destiny said in a cold voice.
Magneto calmed himself.
“I need you to foresee the future once again.” “I already have.
What do you wish to know?
Whether the emergence of the Deviants will bring rebirth to mutantkind?” “Isn’t that so?
Or is the news of Deviants in Alaska false?” Magneto countered.
“It is true.
I saw new visions; there is indeed a group of Deviants in Alaska,” Destiny said indifferently.
She had also seen that the reptilian Deviants that had roamed the Earth over the past few thousand years were fundamentally different from the intelligent, civilized Deviants Magneto envisioned from tens of thousands of years ago, though both were indeed Deviants.
Destiny saw certain things, but she didn’t care to elaborate.
For the future, the ultimate outcome was the same.
If there was any difference to speak of, it was that…
Ever since that man named Duval appeared with his Xenomorphs, the timeline for the extinction of mutants seemed to have been moved forward drastically.
However, considering extinction was the only path regardless, dying sooner or dying later made no real difference.
“Among the countless fragmented futures, the overall trend remains unchanged.
The fate of mutants is still disappearance.
But if you hope for some variation along the way, there is one.” Destiny said coldly, “The manner of the mutants’ demise has become far stranger.
They end up perishing in another form altogether.” Magneto frowned, feeling a touch agitated.
He wanted more specific details, but Destiny herself only saw fragmented, chaotic, and even chronologically reversed visions in vast numbers.
How could she possibly relay every detail to him?
She wouldn’t finish telling him even if she spoke until her life ran out.
Nor did she have the patience for it.
As a mutant who could see through destiny, Destiny had a natural detachment from other mutants—a perception of the living world born from having seen the sole inevitable outcome.
Destiny walked away, paying Magneto no further mind.
“At least something has changed.
Perishing in another form?
Then I will find a way to guide my people onto that path!
With my active intervention, turning mutants into Deviants still aligns with the future of mutant extinction!” Magneto rose to his feet and flew into the sky, gazing toward Alaska, eyes burning with a mixture of madness and deep anticipation.
Based on the intelligence leaked by Duval, Magneto was certain that the future of mutantkind very likely lay in Alaska!
As for the possibility of this being a trap…
What a joke.
Even knowing full well it might be a trap, Magneto believed that with his power, he had every right to step into it!