[2009 – October – Saturday]
[New York – North Salem – Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters – Holographic Projection Chamber]
"My question for you two is simple: Should we, or should we not, seek conflict with this particular mutant, and most importantly, what are our chances of success?"
Sitting in his high-tech wheelchair in the underground chamber that Hank had built for holographic communications, Charles couldn't help but sigh internally after he had listened to the words of the President.
He had known that this day would come sooner rather than later, even if he was aware of the fact that the young Frost was not someone who lightly engaged in active aggression.
As a Beyond-Omega mutant, Elijah's strength was simply too great, a threat to the very stability of society and the world itself. Every move of his was earth-shaking and sky-crumbling.
It had been a simple matter of time when someone inadvertently roused his anger given the fact that mutantkind was constantly threatened and attacked by a multitude of parties. At one point, someone was bound to attack him or those he cared about as every mutant close to him was a high-profile target for those that wished to harm their race.
Charles didn't know what HYDRA had done to draw the young man's ire but he was aware of the hellish retribution that had been unleashed upon them by Elijah.
Broken images of the young Frost's blood-soaked appearance as he barehandedly slaughtered his way through one base after another flitted through his mind and caused cold sweat to run down his back even now while a profound sense of horror had rooted itself in the depths of his heart.
The Professor understood that Elijah had consciously decided to kill these men in such a brutal fashion, instead of eliminating them in a more 'humane' manner, and it terrified him to know that the young man was capable of such cruelty and inhuman violence.
But above all, Charles understood that this was merely a warning, given to those with nefarious intentions, as hard as it was to accept this fact.
Elijah was the most talented member of the mutant race, his sheer unprecedented control over his abilities, coupled with the fact that he truly seemed to be able to unleash his Beyond-Omega potential, made him an unstoppable walking natural disaster.
He was a being truly capable of destroying the world, and not just in a theoretical sense but in a very real sense. And what made his 'warning shot' so alarming was that the young man was also ruthless enough to follow up on it.
It was somewhat fortunate that even with the mutant alliance being seemingly broken, Charles' relationship and cooperation with Emma had not really taken a hit since his former student had long since made it her habit to maintain all her relationships and connections if possible, regardless of her personal preferences.
As long as there was no grave personal feud involved, Emma would even work with the devil himself if necessary, which was one of the reasons why she was such a dangerous woman.
Still, this trait of hers was the reason why Elijah, Jean, Laura, and others could still visit the mansion without worry and partake in the Halloween festivities with his own students. It also served to set his heart somewhat at ease, knowing that the young Frost was not their enemy, even if he wasn't necessarily their ally.
Charles thus knew already what his answer to the President's question would be, and he didn't even have to lie when telling him what the only outcome in case of a conflict was. Forget about prayers, no amount of weaponry and soldiers would be able to protect them from Elijah's retaliation.
And god-forbid that they harm those he cared about, especially Emma or Jean, as even Charles dared not think about what the young man might do in such a case.
He may not be able to read the young man's mind but the Professor was not blind to Elijah's unending affection for the young Miss Grey, and he had no doubt that this affection could turn into the darkest wrath if any harm befell her. The same was true for Emma as well.
Even death would not be able to let them escape from the hands of an enraged Elijah, the first true Beyond-Omega mutant of Charles' race, or as some had taken to call him in secret – Mutantkind's Dark God.
On the surface, Elijah's very existence might be a secret to most of the world but there existed those amongst mutantkind with strange and inexplicable abilities. As such, he knew that there were whispers amongst those mutants that lived in the shadows of human society, whispers about an invincible yet almost demonic presence that had appeared in their race.
…
[Alaska – Hub – SHIELD Headquarters]
"My question for you two is simple: Should we, or should we not, seek conflict with this particular mutant, and most importantly, what are our chances of success?"
The Director suppressed his urge to curse out loud, given that he was speaking to the president himself, but he nonetheless could not help but despise those who were advising the man to launch an operation against Elijah Frost.
Still, apart from disdain, Fury also found himself frightened by their sheer ignorance and stupidity.
He wasn't sure if those people had sat too long in their positions of power and authority, which had caused them to lose any sense of reality, or if they were just unable to comprehend what kind of strength Frost possessed.
Had they really been corrupted so deeply by their power and the comfort that they could not see the fatal consequences of their proposal? To be honest, Fury wasn't sure that this was the case.
Corruption and idiocy were unfortunately nothing rare in the governmental apparatus, but not to this extent. He was sure that there had to be competent people who could see things for what they were, though they might be in the minority.
Still, even those people had probably only seen the broken recordings, which while impactful couldn't really portray the full picture of what had happened last night.
Fury himself though had seen with his own eyes the blood-soaked ruins of the former HYDRA bases.
With torn-apart bodies strewn all around, dark trails of blood all over the cracked concrete walls, and the smell of death thick in the air, even he had not seen anything comparable to that hellish scene before, and probably wouldn't for a long time to come.
To know that a seventeen-year-old young man had done all this, it filled his heart with something more than just simple fear.
Fury remembered his meeting with Elijah Frost with crystal clarity, the calm yet haunting words that the young man had spoken, the way he had moved with the silent grace of a predator, and his pair of eyes that held an all-consuming abyss within them.
Green with dancing shadows, Elijah Frost's eyes seemed to have the ability to stare into one's soul and devour all hope and light.
How could these generals and government officials understand the terror Elijah Frost represented when they had never faced the gaze of his darkened eyes, staring at them not as if they were humans but mere toys that weren't worth his effort to even bother to consider playing with?
Also, did they think that HYDRA, SHIELD's eternal archenemy, had not used all their trump cards to try and fight him off, to try and survive as he slaughtered them like animals?
Fury was sure that Elijah Frost must have destroyed enough prototype weapons during his massacre that decades' worth of research and investments had irrevocably been destroyed in just a single night. It was an unimaginable loss, and yet it came all too easily.
The final conclusion of Frost's clash with HYDRA was clear, and it amounted to five simple words – he could not be stopped.
As unbelievable and demoralizing as it sounded, this was the inevitable conclusion that the Director had arrived at, and he firmly believed that all those who truly understood Elijah Frost would surely know that a conflict with him was nothing but suicide.
So, why would there be people who still advocated for conflict? Did these high-ranking generals think that Elijah Frost wouldn't come for them even if their troops lost in a head-on confrontation, that he would, by some miracle, spare them?
Fury guessed that they might have a wrong impression of the young man. Just because Elijah Frost had not opted to act under the eye of the public, did not mean that he wouldn't do so if angered.
Their authority and commanding power would not save them from the wrath of this particular mutant. They were not inviolable, not in front of a being like Elijah Frost.
But they didn't seem to understand this, thinking that even in case of a defeat, the result would 'merely' amount to the loss of 'foot soldiers' and some strategic resources. Times had changed though with the arrival of more and more enhanced individuals.
These high-ranking generals, ministers, and other officials had not yet truly internalized that in front of truly overwhelming personal strength, no amount of authority and status could protect them from the consequences of their actions.
They may have understood this rationally but Fury knew that this knowledge had not yet settled in since they had never met someone like that, which had forced them to accept this reality. He himself had met with many situations in the past that had shown him his own weakness and the limits of his authority, so he wasn't embarrassed or ashamed to admit when it was time to concede defeat.
Still, Elijah Frost's appearance would change the perception of those people in a way that even Magneto had not been able to, Fury firmly believed this to be the case since he knew that the young man would not mind proving himself untouchable in the most brutal fashion.
One way or another, they were sure to learn that they were not untouchable and that their authority came with responsibilities and consequences. Looking at it from another perspective, akin to a deterrent, Frost might just make the government more honest simply by possessing the horrific strength that he did, which was a strange thought in itself.
Obviously, he might also make some people more desperate for power, which was another huge potential danger. Fury's head hurt just trying to predict how the young man's existence and continued displays of disastrous power would affect the world.
Undeniably, this was the most fearsome characteristic of a Singularity - unpredictability.
Naturally, there was also a possibility of there being some hidden members of HYDRA amongst the President's advisors, who were aiming to use the military to push Elijah Frost into a direct conflict with the government to give themselves some breathing room after this major loss.
Still, such speculations were almost impossible to verify as HYDRA's sleeper agent had always been incredibly difficult to find, which was the reason why he had urged Agent Hand to retrieve the data from the assaulted bases at all costs.
In any case, none of that changed the fact that there was only one answer to the President's question for him. The Professor seemed to be of the same opinion, and he was even faster in his reply as spoke up after a few moments of pondering.
"Mister President, with all due respect, you are gravely mistaken if you are under the impression that you can subdue Elijah Frost. The moment this young man awakened his power, he already had the strength of an Omega-level mutant and since then, he has only grown stronger.", Charles stated rather bluntly, which was very uncharacteristic for him.
"Most importantly, even though I have no concrete knowledge of what his actual mutant abilities are, I can assure you that currently there exists not a single individual amongst the mutant race who can even hope to contend with him."
"In fact, even the combined strength of the most powerful amongst mutantkind is insignificant compared to this young man's prowess. And believe me, I have seen with my own eyes how he suppressed them without even lifting a finger."
"There is no denying it, he is what the world has always feared – a Mutant Singularity, a 'god' amongst the mutant race.", Charles announced slowly, his voice sonorous as it sounded out and confirmed what Fury had already known.
He continued after a momentary pause: "I have seen the recordings of his attack on the Facility's underground base and what he has done to the HYDRA bases, and I can only tell you that you haven't seen his full strength yet, not by far."
"What you have seen, however, was his willingness to act ruthlessly and without mercy even at his young age."
"And while I do not know for what reason he attacked HYDRA, it is not a secret that HYDRA has long since been involved in studying and experimenting on mutants."
"I don't know if this has angered him, or if there was another reason behind his actions, but I can assure you that he would not attack without sufficient provocation.", the Professor ended, a somewhat tense silence spreading for a moment before Fury decided that it was his turn to speak.
"I am afraid the Professor is right, Sir.", he voiced out, "I have met Elijah Frost, and I can assure you that he will not hesitate to attack even the White House itself if he is threatened. He may be young but his willingness to kill is unquestionable, as is his overwhelming strength."
"From what we understand, leveling a city is something that he can accomplish with ease. And from the recordings and the evidence found, there exists no weapon that can inflict harm on him."
"As such, we should spend our efforts in trying to find out why he assaulted the HYDRA bases while using this chance to uproot this organization to the best of our abilities, instead of starting a war that cannot be won.", Fury emphasized.
"Elijah Frost is undoubtedly a threat, Sir, but he is also way beyond our ability to subdue. This is a fact, despite how unpleasant it may be to admit this. Not to mention that his actions so far have not yet placed him in a position that made it clear that he is our enemy."
"If anything, from my understanding, he is very much neutral towards us as he prefers to be left alone. My advice is to not wake sleeping giants, Mister President, or I fear what has happened to the HYDRA bases may soon seem like a pleasant dream, instead of the horrific nightmare it is."