"The others aren't on the ship?"
Everyone on the plane was stunned. If Shaw and his remaining lieutenants weren't aboard the freighter, where could they be?
"Raven, remember when we first met Erik?" Charles asked.
His question triggered Raven's memory of their first encounter with Erik.
Erik had initially attempted to assassinate Shaw but ended up watching helplessly as his target escaped in a submarine.
"You mean Shaw and the others are in a submarine?" Raven realized. "Then Erik would have missed them completely!"
Everyone knew the depth of hatred between Erik and Shaw. Even when Moira had asked Erik to accompany them to the Caribbean, he had refused, fixated on his revenge.
But now it appeared his enemy had been heading toward their location all along. The Hellfire Club had merely been a diversion—this was the real battlefield.
"We can discuss that later. Right now, we need to prepare for a confrontation," Charles said grimly.
"The freighter is accelerating!" Moira exclaimed.
If the vessel crossed the boundary line, American warships would launch missiles to destroy it, inevitably triggering war between the superpowers.
Charles acted without hesitation, extending his telepathic influence toward a Soviet warship.
He understood that paradoxically, only if the Soviets destroyed their own freighter could war be prevented.
Under his mental control, an adjutant on the warship walked to the missile control station, targeted the freighter, and pressed the launch button.
With a thunderous roar, a missile streaked from the warship, drawing a white line across the sky before striking the freighter directly.
BOOM!!!
Observing the explosion through telescopes, military commanders on both sides were astonished.
They struggled to believe that the Soviets would destroy their own vessel to prevent it from crossing the line. All eyes turned to the officer who had launched the missile.
"Congratulations, you've prevented a war!" the Soviet general bellowed sarcastically. "Lock him up immediately!!!"
But the adjutant, released from Charles's control, appeared utterly confused, with no recollection of what he had just done.
On the exploding freighter, Azazel surveyed the inferno with a curse before vanishing in a cloud of crimson smoke.
Deep beneath the waves, a nuclear submarine glided toward the Caribbean. Inside, Shaw sat comfortably on a sofa, swirling wine in his glass as he awaited news of war's outbreak.
Whoosh!
Azazel materialized suddenly, startling both Shaw and Riptide. By their calculations, Azazel should still be guiding the freighter across the border—why had he returned to the submarine?
Under their questioning gazes, Azazel explained: "The Americans are playing dirty. Someone with telepathic abilities must have controlled personnel on a Soviet warship. Our freighter was destroyed by their own missiles!"
This revelation surprised Shaw and Riptide. The mutants should have been occupied at the Hellfire Club—how could they have appeared here?
Shaw fell silent for a moment before addressing his companions.
"Increase speed and enter the Caribbean. Since they're so determined to prevent war, we'll ignite the conflict right in front of them!"
With that, he strode toward the submarine's reactor room. If both sides remained restrained, he would personally ensure nuclear war erupted.
The submarine accelerated, driving deeper toward the Caribbean waters.
Unknown to them, a plane had already departed from Port St. Lucie, speeding toward the same destination.
"Settle down, Hank. And you too, Erik—we'll get there in time. But I can't promise whether Shaw will die by your hand," Marcus cautioned.
Although Shaw was Erik's sworn enemy, Marcus had no intention of stepping aside if the opportunity to eliminate Shaw presented itself.
Erik nodded slightly at Marcus's words.
From what he'd witnessed at the Hellfire Club, he now understood how ruthlessly efficient Marcus could be in dealing with enemies. Erik might pursue Shaw, but if Marcus caught him first, there would be no opportunity for personal vengeance.
The atmosphere aboard the plane was tense. Most passengers gripped their seats tightly, while Logan, seeming bored, idly flicked his lighter. He wanted to smoke a cigar but knew he was about to enter combat—possibly at sea—and didn't want to ruin his high-quality tobacco.
After flying for some time, they finally established radio contact with Charles's team.
"Charles? This is Hank!"
Hank activated the radio communicator, eager to confirm their situation.
"static...This is Moira...What's your position?"
Charles was fully occupied using his abilities to maintain balance between the superpowers. Having no time to respond himself, he left communication to Moira.
Hank exhaled with relief upon hearing the voice through the radio.
"We're en route. There's critical information you should know!" Hank glanced at Erik beside him before continuing. "Shaw isn't at the Hellfire Club—there were only cannon fodder left behind. Shaw and his inner circle took a submarine to the Caribbean!"
Hank wanted to ensure Charles's team remained vigilant, knowing how dangerous Shaw's abilities could be.
"We're already aware—Charles spotted Azazel moments ago," Moira replied.
Though Hank's warning came late, it at least confirmed what they already suspected.
Hank ended the transmission and urged the pilot to increase speed toward Charles's position.
Meanwhile, Charles was using his telepathic abilities to stabilize the emotions of military commanders on both sides while simultaneously searching for traces of Shaw.
"No luck. I can't locate them, but I'm certain they must be nearby," Charles said in frustration. "Moira, anything on your end?"
"Nothing," Moira replied, studying the radar display. "No anomalies detected. They're likely underwater. Unfortunately, this plane isn't equipped with sonar."
A moment of silence fell over the aircraft before Sean spoke up: "Actually, we do have sonar."
With his sound-based powers, Sean himself was effectively a living sonar system.
His suggestion galvanized the team into action. Charles quickly escorted Sean to the rear of the plane.
"Take a deep breath," Charles instructed loudly. "Remember, this is a muscle. You can control it!"
As the cabin door slowly opened, Charles gave Sean an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "See you soon!"
Without hesitation, Sean leapt from the plane, spreading his limbs wide. A layer of specialized membrane formed between his arms and torso, allowing him to glide rapidly through the air.
As he approached the ocean surface, he released a powerful sonic wave from his mouth. The force of the sound not only served as sonar but also slowed his descent as he plunged into the sea.
Underwater, Sean opened his mouth again, emitting another powerful sound wave that propagated through the ocean, providing constant feedback.
Finally, in one direction, Sean detected the submarine. Charles, who had maintained telepathic contact with Sean throughout, immediately received the exact coordinates.
"Target located!" Charles announced. "Alert everyone—it's time to move!"