Val entered his living room and sat on his couch with a bowl of fruit salad.
He searched for the remote on the couch and switched the T.V. on after finding it.
He switched to the news channel and settled comfortably on the couch.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is breaking news from the heart of Washington, D.C. We bring you the stunning revelation of an assassination attempt on President Richard Nixon in the White House. I'm John Stew, and this is a special report on the harrowing incident that has shaken the nation.", the news anchor said.
The screen cut to images of Trask dragging Nixon by the collar and his confrontation with the police.
Then, it switched to clips and images of the chase that occurred in the street.
The moment when Hank save Nixon's life and Havok caught Trask was perfectly displayed on the screen.
The screen cut back to John, who began, "Earlier today, chaos unfolded within the hallowed walls of the White House as an attempt was made on the life of President Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10:00 A.M, has left the nation in a state of shock and disbelief. We have our correspondent, Sarah Ballanger, in the area."
The screen cut to Sarah who said, "Thank you, John. I am here outside the White House, where earlier today, a shocking assassination attempt took place. Details are still emerging, but what we know so far is that the assailant is Bolivar Trask, the founder of Trask Industries. Yes, he is the same man that had been interviewed across media a few years ago for developing DNA-generated artificial limbs that have revolutionized the field of prosthetics."
The screen cut back to John who asked, "Can you explain why he was in the White House? Can you share a little bit of his whereabouts so that the people of this nation know more about him?"
Sarah replied, "Yes, a few days ago, he was in Paris where the agreement was signed. There, during a meeting with the military officials of different countries, he gave them a demonstration about another DNA research that would revolutionize the world."
John nodded and said, "So, he was present when the agreement was taking place. And, then?"
"Then, he asked the President permission for a meeting in the White House where he would demonstrate his research. Since, he was a renowned scientist, the permission for the meeting was granted easily, without any hassle.", Sarah replied.
John looked through his papers and asked, "What was the motive behind the attempt?"
Sarah replied calmly, "The motive behind it is still unclear. But, multiple sources say that it is linked to a data leak on the black market. Hundreds of confidential files of Project WideAwake were circulating in the market while the meeting was taking place."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"I am sorry to interrupt you but I have to stop you right there. I want to ask, what is Project WideAwake?", John asked.
Sarah smiled and replied, "Project WideAwake is-"
Val switched the channel and leaned back on the couch and thought, 'So, everything went according to plan. Phew! It's finally over!'
He placed the half-empty bowl on the table in front of him and got up from the couch when suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.
"Where are you going?"
He quickly turned around and saw Mystique standing on the floor.
She had her hands on her waist and looked really pissed.
Val was surprised to see her and asked, "W-Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at Charles right now?"
She didn't answer him and 'hmphed' him.
She walked toward him and pushed him out of the way as she grabbed the fruits in the bowl and began eating them as she sat on the couch.
"Uhh... Mystique?', Val asked hesitantly.
She munched on the fruits and said, "I am tired, okay? I have been super stressed for so many days. Now, I want to relax. That's why I am here."
Val sighed and sat beside her and said, "Okay! Okay! But, I want to ask one thing."
"What?", she replied.
"How many hours do we have?", he asked.
She swallowed the food and replied, "Four. We have four hours until they realize that they have been staring at the same image of Trask in the cell."
He smiled and nodded approvingly as he praised her, "Very good!"
She 'hmphed' him again and thought, 'I have done so many things in the past few days. So many atrocious things for the plan. But he's sitting here comfortably on the couch. He's seen me yet not a simple 'Thank you, Mystique! You are so brilliant! If it weren't for you, none of it would have been possible!' Idiot! Fool!'
He looked at her for a few seconds and asked, "How did you get out? Tell me the whole story."
She turned to him and her annoyance vanished as she excitedly began, "Well..."
. . .
A few hours later,
Val and Mystique were in Charles's office with him, Hank, and Havok.
Charles checked Mystique for any injuries yet again and worriedly asked, "Are you really alright?"
Mystique smiled at him and calmly replied, "For the tenth time, yes, I am alright."
A sigh of relief escaped Charles' lips and he murmured, "That's good."
Val clapped suddenly, capturing their attention, and said, "Please stop your sibling love and let's focus on the 'Trask' at hand."
"Okay!", Mystique asked him, "I'll go first. Where is Trask?"
"Uhhh... ", Val looked at her and warned, "Are you sure you want to know?"
Mystique frowned at him, confused. She asked, "Of course, I want to know! Where is he?"
Val sighed, got up from the chair, and ordered, "Follow me."
A few minutes later, in a small room,
"What the fuck did you do to him?", Mystique shouted with a shocked expression on her face.
In front of her was Trask lying on the floor wearing a onesie and he was sucking on his thumb like a baby.
"Well...", Val grinned and explained, "I had Charles deep fry his brain. It erased all of his memories. He is nothing but a useless piece of meat and bones now."
Mystique looked at Trask curiously and asked, "So, will he get his memories back?"
"No!", Val shook his head and replied, "Not a chance. I have placed an Energionyx in his brain."
"A what now?", Mystique turned to him, confused.
Val kept the grin on his face and explained, "Energionyx is my creation. It is a virus made up of pure energy. It's main job is to soak up the electrical signals received by the brain and convert them into volatile electrical signals and send them back to the brain. This way, Trask won't ever have any type of memory in his brain. It also makes him unable to think, talk and function like a normal human being. We won't have to worry about him speaking too much."
Mystique nodded, clearly impressed, and stood up as she replied, "So, basically you knocked the intelligence out of him."
Val folded his arms and smiled at her and replied, "Yes, you can say that."
Charles, beside Mystique, asked, "What do we do now?"
Val looked at Trask and answered, "Place the real Trask in the cell and it's happily ever after."
"As if that will ever happen.", Mystique rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Hey!", Val called out to her and angrily reprimanded her, "Don't jinx us."
Mystique rolled her eyes and said, "There is no such thing. Stop being superstitious."
. . .
In a remote location,
Within the dark depths of a basement,
Suddenly, a pair of eyes flickered and slowly illuminated the surroundings.
Slowly, it's mechanical body began activating as the gears and circuits turned and aligned.
Finally, the robot was completely activated and it declared, "MARK 001! READY TO DEPLOY!"
Before the robot stood Madame Hydra.
A wicked grin across her face as she gazed at the robot and murmured, "Perfect!", barely able to contain her excitement.
She turned around and walked away while whispering ominously, "Now, let the real show begin!"