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*****
High above the skies.
A Hellfire Club aircraft weaved through the clouds.
Inside the cabin, despite the presence of dozens of people, the atmosphere was eerily silent.
Most of them instinctively held their breath as they watched the figure sipping red wine. No one dared to make a sound—fearful that a single misstep might displease her, leading her to drain their life force and reduce them to nothing but worthless dust.
The Black Queen swept her gaze over the members of Hellfire, her eyes filled with cold indifference and disdain.
She reveled in this feeling.
The feeling of being feared.
The feeling of having absolute control over others—forcing them to submit, to obey her every whim.
It gave her an intoxicating sense of pleasure.
She loved destruction. She loved chaos. She loved harvesting life force, watching living beings turn to dust in her hands.
But what she loved most… was seeing people kneel before her in absolute terror.
She had no deeper purpose—no grand ideology behind her actions.
She simply loved these feelings. Loved them so much she couldn't stop herself.
So she destroyed. She inflicted pain. She indulged in suffering, all to satisfy her insatiable desires.
Oh, and there was one title she particularly liked.
Artist.
She saw herself as an artist who used the world as her canvas, painting with suffering and destruction.
Just imagining the scene that would soon unfold made her body tremble with excitement.
---
Erik silently put on his helmet.
The Black Queen's abilities were unpredictable—he needed to be on guard.
Sweeping his gaze over the other mutants in the cabin, his expression remained unreadable, but his eyes were filled with icy resolve.
Just then, a voice rang through the aircraft, filled with deference.
"Black Queen, we've arrived at our destination—Washington."
At that moment, Erik froze.
His face remained calm, but inwardly, his thoughts exploded in alarm.
Washington?
It's Washington?!
Damn it! Wasn't the target supposed to be New York? What about Charles?
A flurry of questions rushed through his mind. His eyes locked onto the Black Queen's back, burning with anger and urgency.
This woman never trusted anyone.
Not even the four commanders under her command.
From the very start, her true target had always been Washington—not some mysterious mutant she had pretended to pursue.
How do I warn Charles?
Panic surged through Erik. He instinctively removed his helmet and tried reaching out to Charles telepathically.
Nothing.
The moment Charles had realized the Black Queen's real plan, he had withdrawn from Erik's mind.
A phone call?
Erik's lips curled into a bitter smile. Impossible.
Not only were they mid-flight, where signals wouldn't connect, but even if he could make a call, doing so under the watchful eyes of the Black Queen was out of the question.
What now?
Would he have to wait until Charles received the news and rushed over?
That would be too late.
Unless…
If Charles asked his father for help—
That would mean dragging Mac into this.
Erik exhaled slowly, feeling a hint of helplessness.
But at this point, it was the only option left.
---
"Everyone, get ready!"
The Black Queen's voice shattered the silence as she stepped into the center of the group.
"We've suffered countless attacks recently. Many of our people have been captured.
"But now… now, it's time for us to settle the score."
Her cold gaze swept across them.
"Tonight, kill to your heart's content. Let the world remember our name!"
"Target: S.H.I.E.L.D. They will pay the price."
S.H.I.E.L.D. and that mutant—they were both her enemies.
Her goal, from the very beginning, had been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion Headquarters in Washington.
She couldn't wait to see the expressions of their so-called enemies in New York when they realized they'd been deceived.
A smirk played on her lips.
Pressing a hand against the aircraft's interior, she infused it with invisible life force, gaining absolute control over the plane.
Like a metallic beast, the aircraft hurtled toward S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion Headquarters at full speed.
As the plane plummeted, the airframe groaned under the immense pressure.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar quickly detected the incoming threat, and a warning was immediately issued.
But the Black Queen merely chuckled softly.
The madness in her eyes only grew stronger.
Several fighter jets soared from below, charging toward them.
The Black Queen cast a glance at Erik and said, "They're yours, Magneto. Hold off their attacks!"
Erik nodded, though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of helplessness.
The Black Queen didn't care about the fighter jets' attacks—but the other mutants weren't so lucky. If they got hit, the outcome would be disastrous.
So, as the jets launched their assault, he had no choice but to intercept the incoming missiles with his abilities.
But with what he had shown so far, this was all he could manage.
Still, it was enough for the Hellfire Club.
The others exhaled in relief.
The Black Queen cast Erik a glance of approval.
Charge, charge, charge!
Like a meteor on a collision course, the aircraft plummeted straight toward the tallest building in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., alarms blared as the emergency systems detected the imminent threat.
The moment the warning signal went off, S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel sprang into action, evacuating the building at top speed.
Nick Fury watched the rapidly approaching black dot, which grew larger by the second.
His face darkened, yet oddly enough, he didn't seem particularly distressed…
He picked up his phone and walked out.
Just as he reached his office door, Maria Hill appeared before him, her expression composed.
"Director! Move now! We can't stop it from crashing—every attack has been deflected!"
Maria Hill, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s second-in-command.
Fury nodded. "Forget about me. Do what needs to be done, Hill."
Maria Hill nodded back, pressing her earpiece as she continued giving orders to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"Evacuate immediately! Alert all combat units—surround headquarters! The moment that plane touches down, secure the area and eliminate all hostiles!"
Meanwhile, Fury dialed a number as he rushed outside.
The phone rang, playing a children's nursery rhyme—his favorite ringtone.
Unable to help himself, he hummed along softly, stepping into his private elevator.
---
On the other side, under the Black Queen's control, the aircraft closed in on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters.
At this terrifying speed, most of the passengers should have been reduced to pulp on impact.
Yet, no one seemed afraid.
Not because they were prepared to die, but because one mutant aboard had a very special ability.
He could generate invisible force-field shields, capable of protecting people and objects.
However, the shields could only last for a few seconds, and those under protection couldn't move while inside them.
The distance closed rapidly.
500 meters…
300 meters…
100 meters…
At the last moment, the mutant let out a low growl and activated his ability.
A transparent force-field enveloped the entire aircraft just as it slammed into the skyscraper.
BOOM!
Like a massive steel bomb, the moment the plane made contact, it shattered the rooftop with a deafening explosion.
Dust, debris, and rubble erupted into the air as the aircraft plunged deeper into the building.
BOOM! BOOM!
The relentless impact continued, tearing through floor after floor.
From a bird's-eye view, the once-magnificent skyscraper now had a massive crater right in its center.
Finally, as the plane lost momentum, it crashed into the ground.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor as the aircraft's remains pierced deep into the earth.
Under the Black Queen's control, the wreckage trembled slightly, then settled horizontally on the ground.
A heartbeat later—
The force-field vanished.
(End of Chapter)